Guide to Successfully Gating & Protecting Your Brand on Amazon FBA

What we cover in this blog

What is Amazon brand gating?

It is no secret that Amazon is one of the most competitive platforms on earth, pitting sellers against each other to succeed.

To truly optimize your Amazon performance, it is critical to ensure that you are preventing unauthorized sellers from hijacking your listings and selling counterfeit products.

Amazon brand gatingis an Amazon Brand Registry program that offers you brand protection by preventing unauthorized sellers from selling your product, or a counterfeit version that uses your brand’s name on Amazon.

How does Brand gating work?

Brand gating on Amazon is a program that requires any resellers or third-party sellers to provide proof before they can sell your product.

It does this by automatically checking your registered ASIN numbers against a database, triggering a request for the seller to provide proof before they are allowed to sell your product.

Amazon will ask the seller to provide at least one of the below:

  • Manufacturer invoice from the last 90 days
  • Written permission from your brand to sell your products

After providing one of the above, the potential seller will have to pay a non-refundable fee of $1500 that goes directly to your brand.

Brand gating offers consistent, reliable brand protection that will proactively check for listing hijackers or product knock-offs. Instead of worrying about counterfeit products, you can rely on brand gating to safeguard your business and protect your brand.

What are the benefits of brand gating and getting on the brand registry?

Brand gating is beneficial for several reasons:

  1. Prevents unauthorized individuals from selling counterfeit products
  2. It lets you restrict the number of sellers of your products
  3. You no longer have to worry about listing hijackers or piggybackers
  4. Ultimately, it will increase your sales on Amazon
  5. It will offer you an advanced level of brand protection

On top of this, there are several marketing benefits from brand registration.

Not only will the brand registry protect you from potential infringement, but it will help you get access to Amazon Sponsored Brand Ads, Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads, and Display Ads.

You will also be able to leverage Google Ads for off-channel advertising once you have a gated brand on Amazon.

Amazon Brand Analytics (ABA) will improve your Amazon PPC and Amazon SEO, and give you access to tons of advanced data on demographics, segmentation, purchasing behaviour and more.

Think of the Amazon brand registry as the red carpet of Amazon, giving you access to exclusive marketing and promotional opportunities.

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How to Gate your Brand on Amazon

Brand Gating Information

Join the Amazon Brand Registry

Brand Registry is a program that allows brand owners to have complete control over their brand on Amazon. You will need to have an active text or image-based trademark issued by a credible government trademark office. Currently, Amazon Brand Registry is only available in select countries.

You can join with a pending application using theIP Accelerator Program. This is one of the easiest ways to do it, as they will effectively expedite the process for you, offering you brand protection quicker than doing the entire process by yourself.

To complete your application to the Brand Registry, consider hiring a brand gating lawyer or anAmazon brand gating consultant.

Sequence is a great example of a company you can use to help with getting your application completed. They have a network of lawyers and contacts who can turn this time-consuming process into an easy one.

Analyze your product catalog

To start with brand gating on Amazon, you’ll need to compile a list of ASINs that you want to gate. A good way to do this is by taking a look at your catalog’s performance.

Identify and prioritize products that are high performers. It is also important to examine products that are likely to be targeted by unauthorized resellers, and your products which are rising fast on your Amazon store.

While it may seem simple, product gating is incredibly difficult and not as easy. In certain cases, you may even need to connect with a brand gating lawyer, or abrand gating consultantto assist with the setup. The best approach is to get set up on Amazon Brand Registry Canada and add products over time.

Prepare brand gating application to Amazon

To start, compile a list of ASINs that you want to start gating on Amazon. You will need to set aside some time to document your company’s current efforts to protect your brand on Amazon.

List policies and procedures that you have to prevent unauthorized sellers from selling counterfeit products, as this will increase the likelihood of you eventually getting a gated product.

Here are some things to include:

  • Have you enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry?
  • Have you uploaded products to the Amazon Transparency program?
  • Is your brand logo on your products and packaging?
  • Have you offered your products in bundles?
  • Have you sent unauthorized sellers cease-and-desist letters?
  • Did you flag issues via theReport Infringement Form?

Note that in most cases, a brand owner will have to wait three to five weeks before their application is reviewed and a final decision made approving their gating request.

How to verify your brand is gated

The best way to verify if you have successfully gated your band is by logging into Seller Central using a different account. Navigate to a gated ASIN and click the “Sell on Amazon Button” below the “Buy” box.

If done correctly, you will be given a message requiring approval after clicking the link. Boom! You have successfully managed to protect your brand and you now have a gated product on Amazon.

Conclusion

Effectively selling products on Amazon is complex. A great seller will have to juggle marketing efforts, logistics, case management, and more – meaning that a great seller will have their hands full. This, combined with the constant pressure from maintaining great listings can make selling on Amazon overwhelming.

If you don’t feel like you have the time to focus on brand gating, consider looking at a trustedAmazon Specialized Consulting Agency, or aBrand Gating Consultant.

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