This message has appeared in Vendor Central ES, IT, FR, DE and IT.
Happy 2018 to all of our clients and readers! Along with the usual glad tidings of the New Year, we bring you news of something far more important–the (possible) imminent launch of new A+ modules in Vendor Central.
Many of you may have noticed the following message appearing across the Amazon EU VC locales (except the UK):
As of 1/1/2018, Basic A+ is now free for all Vendors on an unlimited basis. This will be reflected as $0.00 during Checkout.
Check out our new Premium A+ modules! Showcase your product by adding video content, larger images, more comprehensive comparison charts, interactive displays, and more! Simply click on Premium Modules to start building.
Free Basic A+
Firstly, the reduction in price for Basic A+ is a bold move for Amazon. We obviously don’t know what’s driving this decision, but the substantial cost of A+ content has previously limited it to only medium-to-large vendors. Even then it is often used sparingly, or provided as part of a promotional agreement. By removing this cost completely, it’s possible that Amazon have either significantly lowered the cost to them of uploading A+, wish to drive greater volume of rich content, or both.
With key products and brands, such as Bose, Amazon has shown us what the Detail Page is capable of.
New A+ and Premium Modules
We’ve been expecting the launch of new A+ modules for some time. Premium pages for high-value vendors and products have shown us what Amazon’s capable of putting on a Detail Page. There have also been multiple occasions where we’ve seen references to Premium Modules appear in VC before being swiftly removed. It’s been a number of years since the last A+ refresh, so we’re excited at the prospect of what’s in store.
However, like many of the VC improvements we talk about here, the changes are not immediately obvious.
Gradual Roll-out?
Since the message first went live, we’ve been checking Vendor Central constantly. So far, we’ve not found any of the changes referred to in the message. Pricing, for the moment, seems to be the same as before, with the standard charge applying to all basic A+ pages. There’s also no sign of any Premium Modules when building A+. The only options that appear are the Standard Modules, with their familiar canine themes.
It’s possible that these changes are being gradually rolled out across Amazon’s Vendor user base. There have been problems with previous launches on this platform, so it would make sense that this might be a slow reveal rather than a widespread launch. However, it does seem strange that the message talking about these 2018 changes has gone live to all users, and it seems fairly unambiguous that the changes have happened as of 1/1/2018.
As always, we’ll keep you informed of any developments as we see them.
