Amazon Buy Box (Featured Offer): Expert insights to win it in 2025

Why does the Amazon buy box matter?

The Amazon Buy Box (now known as Amazon Featured Offer) is the single most influential factor in Amazon sales performance. Recent research suggests that 80-83% of all Amazon sales come through the Featured Offer, with that share even higher for mobile purchases.

This means that for most brands and retailers, success on Amazon is directly tied to whether or not they appear in that coveted box.

Winning the Buy Box is not just about more visibility; it can be a lever for both sales growth and healthier margins. A recent success story with EQOM Group (best known for EasyToys) shows the impact:

• 4.3% increase in margins
• 72% reduction in overpriced products
• Hundreds of new products listed
• Increased GMV and marketplace visibility
• Improved chances of winning the Buy Box while maintaining healthy margins
  
  

By implementing an advanced repricing strategy with ChannelEngine, EQOM Group achieved sustainable growth: better placement on Amazon without racing to the bottom on price, broader product listings, and improved GMV.

What is Amazon’s buy box (featured offer)?

The Amazon Featured Offer (often still called the Buy Box) is the prominent section on an Amazon product detail page that highlights one seller’s offer for quick purchase. It appears next to the “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” buttons, giving that seller maximum visibility and driving the majority of sales for that product.

For brands, winning the Featured Offer means more than just a prime spot on the page. It:

• Increases visibility and trust by signaling Amazon’s algorithm favors your offer
• Drives conversions by making it easy for shoppers to choose your listing
• Encourages healthy competition, since only the most competitive offers (on price, delivery, and performance) are rotated into that position
  
  

Not every seller is eligible. Those who meet Amazon’s criteria and consistently perform well get the best shot at appearing here and becoming the first choice for buyers searching for products like yours.

How the buy box algorithm works

It’s an opportunity squandered if you’re a business selling on Amazon, yet not putting your best foot forward when it comes to competing for a Featured Offer slot. Winning the Featured Offer isn’t random.

Amazon’s algorithm evaluates sellers against several factors to determine which offer gives customers the best balance of value, reliability, and convenience.

• Eligibility – You must meet strict baseline requirements.
• Seller comparison – Sellers for the same ASIN are ranked across multiple metrics.
• Rotation – For popular products, the Featured Offer rotates between multiple sellers.
• Customer value – Amazon weighs price, performance, and convenience.
  
  

In short, price alone won’t win you the Buy Box. Strong seller metrics and the ability to consistently meet Amazon’s standards are just as important.

Before we dive into how to optimize for the Featured Offer, it’s important to understand that there are situations where the Buy Box may disappear entirely. When this happens, even the best-performing sellers lose that visibility.

Why buy boxes get suppressed

• Prices are significantly higher than external marketplaces
• Amazon suspects manipulation or poor seller performance
• Violations of fair pricing or customer experience policies occur
  
  

If the Buy Box is suppressed, customers have to click “See All Buying Options,” which significantly reduces conversions.

How to win Amazon's featured offer (buy box): expert insights

Competition on Amazon is tougher than ever. With over 60% of units sold coming from third‑party sellers in Q4 2024, rising to 61% in early 2025, simply listing products is no longer enough. To secure the Featured Offer, you need a clear marketplace strategy.

We spoke with ChannelEngine CEO Jorrit Steinz and VP of Product & Technology Feike Groen, who shared three critical areas every seller must focus on. The good news? Most of these factors are within your control.

1. Seller performance: trust, metrics, and consistency
2. Delivery and fulfillment: speed, hybrid models, and geolocation
3. Price strategy: competitive but smart

Let's dive into the details of these three pillars:

1. Seller performance: Reputation and speed go a long way

Amazon’s algorithm favors sellers who consistently deliver a high-quality experience. This includes things like stock levels, fulfillment scores, number of returns, reviews, on-time delivery, pre-fulfillment cancellations, and customer response times - for every logistical KPI. There is a set percentage you need to maintain. If you drop below that, your sales score is negatively affected.

We still see many businesses overlooking the value of this metric - not realizing how big an impact it can have on your Buy Box share. You actively have to build effective fulfillment and automation processes to become and stay competitive on these platforms. Sure, some newer marketplaces only factor in price and stock levels. However, the more advanced platforms, like Amazon and Bol, use more intelligent algorithms to assess all of these contributing factors. Leveraging Amazon automation software can give sellers the consistency and control needed to outperform competitors.

2. Delivery: 24 hours or bust and tactical fulfillment

You’ll almost always need to offer 24-hour services to be competitive in the buy box when it comes to delivery times. There are occasional cases, with specialist items like furniture, where this doesn’t apply, but  typically, if it’s a popular product, next-day delivery is a must.

When shaping your delivery strategy, you’ll also need to decide on Marketplace Fulfillment - for example, Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) / Fulfillment By Bol (FBB)—or Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) / Merchant Fulfilled Network. This can be tricky, as the method favored by the marketplaces regularly switches, particularly as we approach major shopping holidays like Black Friday or Prime Day.

When it comes to fulfillment methods, the Amazon algorithm gives an advantage to sellers who use Fulfillment by Amazon or Seller-Fulfilled Prime - a big boost when battling for the Buy Box. Sellers using fulfillment-by-Amazon (FBA) are automatically eligible to be Prime sellers.

However, during busy periods, marketplaces need to ensure they don’t overload themselves, so the preference often switches to FBM. Don't forget to check out our guide on FBA vs FBM.

This is where hybrid fulfillment solutions become priceless, allowing you to switch between both Marketplace Fulfillment and FBM easily. Realistically, you need to be able to support both methods, which places huge importance on really understanding your stock levels. At ChannelEngine, we know exactly how much stock is in each fulfillment channel, allowing you to switch and prioritize accordingly quickly.

3. Price: Compete but resist racing to the bottom

Last but not least, you have the all-important metric of your product - price. If you and your competitors have a similar ranking in all of the KPIs we’ve previously discussed, then ultimately, the Featured Offer goes to whoever’s product is cheaper.

However, things aren’t always as straightforward as this. Sometimes, a seller’s performance rating is lower than yours, and to compensate for that, they drop their price. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to drop your own price to match, as your higher seller rating is already boosting your overall Buy Box score, so you can afford to be a little more expensive.

This is where ChannelEngine’s dynamic repricer proves valuable to businesses - allowing you to truly optimize your product prices and maximize your chances of winning the Buy Box. Doing this manually is nearly impossible, especially when you need to track and update thousands of listings multiple times a day.

Again, this doesn’t just apply to ensuring your prices are low enough to compete with others. Suppose you’ve already won the Buy Box thanks to an initially low price. In that case, once your competitor runs out of stock, you can automatically increase your price, boosting your profits while still securing the Buy Box spot.

Also read: How to increase AOV: 5 Essential tactics for marketplace sellers

Managing pricing dynamically is only half the battle. To keep that advantage, you also need clear visibility into how your strategies are performing.

This is where monitoring tools become essential. They help you track Buy Box share, spot issues before they hurt your sales, and make data-driven adjustments across your catalog.

4. Monitoring and analytics tools to track your buy box share

Winning the Featured Offer is not a one-time achievement—it requires constant vigilance. Sellers who perform best are those who regularly monitor their Buy Box performance and respond quickly to changes. Amazon’s Seller Central provides several essential tools for this:

• Buy Box percentage report shows how often your offers are winning the Buy Box for each ASIN. A sudden drop is an early warning sign that something has changed in your pricing, delivery, or performance.
• Pricing health dashboard highlights offers that are priced too high to compete or risk suppression.
• ASIN-level analytics allow you to track which specific products are struggling so you can take targeted action rather than guessing.
  
  

For sellers with large catalogs or multichannel operations, using a marketplace integrator like ChannelEngine adds an extra layer of support. It not only tracks your Buy Box share but also automates alerts and gives you insights that connect your pricing and performance directly to profit.

If you want to grow your margins while keeping a strong Buy Box position, check out our blog on increasing margin on marketplaces for practical tips on staying competitive without sacrificing profitability.

Category-specific strategies: Tailoring your approach

Amazon’s buy box algorithm does not weigh every factor equally across product categories. Understanding these nuances can give you a competitive edge.

For fast-moving consumables like personal care, household essentials, and pet supplies, delivery speed and price competitiveness are paramount. These products are highly substitutable, so customers expect fast, low-cost fulfillment.

For high-value electronics and branded products, seller reputation and customer reviews carry more weight. Buyers want reassurance that they are purchasing from a reliable seller, so maintaining excellent performance metrics and post-sales support can offset a slightly higher price.

For bulky, slow-moving items like furniture or specialty equipment, handling quality and reliability matter more than next-day delivery. Customers are more tolerant of longer delivery times if the experience is smooth and accurate.

Recognizing these category differences helps you prioritize the right levers for each type of product rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

The role of seller history and account longevity

Amazon also takes into account the consistency and track record of a seller. Sellers who have maintained strong performance over time build credibility with the algorithm. This means that a seasoned seller with excellent metrics can often keep the Featured Offer spot even against a new competitor with a slightly cheaper price.

Building history takes time, but it pays off. Consistently hitting your metrics month after month signals to Amazon that your business is trustworthy, predictable, and low-risk for customers. This long-term credibility acts as a buffer during competitive periods, giving you a better chance of holding your position.

2025 market trends: policy changes and increasing competition

In 2025, winning the Featured Offer has become more competitive due to three big shifts.

1. Amazon has restricted its use of third‑party seller data, creating a level playing field but making performance, pricing, and fulfillment even more decisive.

2. New U.S. tariffs and tighter import rules are disrupting fast fashion. Spending on Shein and Temu has dropped sharply since April 2025, while Amazon’s women’s clothing sales have grown by over 26% in six months. This opens opportunities for agile sellers who can offer reliable fulfillment and differentiated products. For practical steps, see tariff mitigation for marketplace sellers.

3. Event-driven surges are bigger than ever. Prime Day 2025 spanned four days, requiring sellers to plan for extended peaks with flexible pricing and stock strategies.

To thrive, sellers need to track algorithm updates, adapt quickly to policy and supply chain shifts, and invest in marketplace automation. 

Ready to win the Buy Box?

Winning the Featured Offer in 2025 is no longer about a single tactic. It is the result of disciplined execution across three areas: operational excellence, fulfillment agility, and smart pricing. Sellers that treat the Buy Box as a moving target, tracking their performance, responding fast to algorithm shifts, and using data to guide every decision, will be the ones who consistently stay ahead.

The opportunity is there for brands that are prepared. With ChannelEngine’s marketplace integration and repricing solutions, you can connect to more channels, manage complexity, and focus on scaling profitably while your offers stay competitive where it matters most.