In this article we will discuss the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus, what it means for Amazon sellers, and why you should be using it to drive external traffic to amazon with PinWheel Performance Marketing.
The Amazon Brand Referral Bonus program rewards brand-registered sellers for driving external traffic to their Amazon product listings by offering an average 10% bonus on qualifying sales, which is applied as a credit to reduce their referral fees. To participate, sellers must be brand-registered with a professional selling plan in the US store and use Amazon Attribution to track their external marketing campaigns. The bonus applies not only to the initial purchase but also to additional purchases from the same brand made within 14 days of the customer clicking on the external ad. While the bonus percentage varies by product category, credits are typically applied to the seller’s account two months after the sale to account for returns and cancellations. The program benefits sellers through increased sales, reduced costs, higher organic rankings, and improved ad efficiency, while helping Amazon grow its marketplace through external traffic.
The Amazon Brand Referral Bonus program offers credits on referral fees for sales generated from off-Amazon marketing efforts, with an average bonus of 10% that varies by product category, ranging from 5% to 30%. The highest bonus rates are found in categories like Amazon Device Accessories (up to 30%), while categories like Clothing & Accessories receive around 11%, and electronics and computer categories typically receive 5%. The bonus applies not only to the initial purchase but also to any additional purchases made by the same customer from your brand within 14 days of clicking your ad. The bonus is applied as a credit to reduce your referral fees rather than as a direct cash payment (for example, if your referral fee is 15% and you earn a 10% bonus, you’ll only pay 5%). There’s no cap on how much you can earn through the program, and you can track your bonuses through weekly reports in Seller Central, though it typically takes about two months for bonuses to be fully processed due to potential returns and cancellations.
To be eligible for the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus program, sellers must be enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, which requires having an active and registered trademark. Sellers must also maintain a professional selling account in good standing on the US Amazon store and comply with Amazon’s policies and performance standards. The program requires the use of Amazon Attribution to track off-Amazon marketing efforts, with unique tags attached to each product URL that sellers want to include in the program. Only sales of products belonging to the seller’s registered brand qualify for the bonus, and all external marketing practices must comply with Amazon’s policies. While brand owners can participate in both programs, those who don’t own a brand can alternatively join the Amazon Associates program to earn commissions from generating sales.
Amazon referral fees are commissions charged by Amazon to sellers for each item sold on their platform, typically ranging from 8% to 15% of the sale price, with a minimum fee of around 30 cents per item. These fees compensate Amazon for providing sellers access to their customer base and Seller Central services, and are automatically deducted from a seller’s earnings before they receive payment. Through the Brand Referral Bonus program, sellers can reduce their referral fees by earning credits averaging 10% (ranging from 5-30% depending on category) when sales are generated through off-Amazon marketing efforts. For example, if a product has a 15% referral fee and the seller earns a 10% bonus through external marketing, they would only pay a 5% referral fee on that sale. The Brand Referral Bonus program is designed to help sellers increase their profit margins by effectively lowering their referral fees through external marketing initiatives.
