If you’re looking for an easy way to get your food and gourmet products in front of Amazon Prime members, selling on Amazon Fresh is the answer. In this post, we’ll walk you through selling on Amazon Fresh, from registering as a seller to getting your products in front of customers.
What is Amazon Fresh?
Amazon Fresh is a digital grocery service that offers Prime members two-hour delivery of fresh produce and perishable items.
The service exists in popular metro areas throughout the United States, and because merchants must meet Amazon’s high standards for quality food, selling on Amazon Fresh isn’t for everyone.
However, those who can capitalize on the opportunity can see significant sales growth. Here’s what to know about selling on Amazon Fresh.
Selling on Amazon Fresh as a CPG brand
If you’re a CPG brand selling food or gourmet products, Amazon Fresh is a great way to get in front of Prime members. Thus, selling on Amazon Fresh is a no-brainer if you want to expand your eCommerce retail operations.
Since Amazon has such high standards for the quality of food sold on its platform, selling on Amazon Fresh can give your products an edge over the competition. There’s less competition selling on Amazon Fresh than the other product categories, which means there’s an opportunity for your business.
In addition, because Amazon Fresh is a digital grocery service, it’s perfect for brands that want to sell food and gourmet products online.
What products can you sell on Amazon Fresh?
Amazon Fresh sells just about everything that you can buy from a local grocery store. Here are the product categories that buyers can have Amazon deliver within two hours:
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Meat & Seafood
- Dairy, Eggs, & Cheese
- Bread & Bakery
- Deli & Prepared Foods
- Frozen Foods
- Beer, Wine & Spirits
- Household Items
As you can tell, there’s a large list of items to supply as you’re selling on Amazon Fresh. Thus, there’s a ton of opportunity if approved to sell products that consumers regularly need.
Why sell groceries & gourmet foods on Amazon?
As a retailer, you may wonder why you should sell groceries and gourmet foods on Amazon Fresh.
Here are a few reasons why selling food and gourmet items on Amazon is a good idea:
- There’s less competition: Unlike other product categories on Amazon, there’s less competition selling groceries and gourmet foods.
- Amazon has high standards: Because Amazon has such high standards for the quality of food sold on its platform, selling groceries and gourmet foods is a great way to set your business apart from the competition.
- Amazon is a trusted brand: With over 250 million active customers, Amazon is a trusted brand that consumers are comfortable buying from.
- Amazon is growing: The Amazon Fresh grocery service is growing in popularity, which means that there’s an opportunity for your business to grow as well.
The primary reason to join Amazon Fresh is that you can use it to grow your business in popular metro areas throughout the United States.
If you’re not currently selling on Amazon or selling in other product categories, consider selling groceries and gourmet foods on Amazon Fresh. It’s a great way to reach new customers and grow your business.
But how do you become an Amazon Fresh seller? Here are the steps to being accepted to sell within the product category.
How to apply to sell groceries on Amazon Fresh
Applying to the Grocery & Gourmet Foods category
Now that you know why selling groceries and gourmet foods on Amazon Fresh is a good idea, you may be wondering how to get ungated to sell on Amazon Fresh.
We will assume that you are currently an Amazon merchant and have access to Seller Central. If not, your first task is to register to sell on Amazon.
Before you start listing grocery and gourmet food products, you must receive approval from Amazon to sell within the exclusive category.
The easiest way to get ungated to sell groceries on Amazon Fresh is to first go to any product in the grocery & gourmet foods category.
Copy the ASIN of any grocery product, return to your Seller Central, and click “Add a product.”
Paste in the ASIN you copied earlier and click “Apply to sell.” Amazon will display a “Selling Application” form, and you’ll click “Request approval” to sell in the grocery category.
Some sellers can even receive automatic approval if you’ve been on the platform for several years and maintain healthy seller metric scores. However, most of the time, Amazon will not provide automatic approval.
Instead, they’ll ask for some business documentation before you can begin selling on Amazon Fresh.
Ungating the grocery & gourmet food category on Amazon
So, what are the documents Amazon wants from your business before being ungated to sell on Amazon Fresh? Prepare the following things:
- A purchase invoice from a distributor or manufacturer.
- Live photos of your products and packaging.
These requirements are pretty straightforward, but there are some other factors. The documents that you send to Amazon should meet the following criteria:
- Must be from the past six months (180 days maximum).
- Each invoice must contain your business contact information.
- The business contact information must match the address and name saved in your seller account.
- Documents must provide the name and contact information of manufacturers and distributors of the product you’re planning to sell.
- The invoice must show that you’ve purchased at least ten units of the grocery & gourmet food products.
Since Amazon contacts vendors you list on any application documents, you must verify all the invoice information.
If you’re selling a product that Amazon doesn’t currently carry, they may request additional information to ensure that your products are safe for sale on Amazon Fresh.
After submitting your selling application, it generally takes Amazon a few days to process and approve it. However, applying and being accepted as an Amazon Fresh retailer is only half the battle.
You must meet conditions as an Amazon Fresh retailer, so let’s discuss selling terms for grocery and gourmet product sales now.
Conditions for selling on Amazon Fresh
Now that you’re an Amazon Fresh seller, you must meet a few conditions to continue selling groceries and gourmet foods on the platform.
You’ll need to meet seller performance targets, including:
- Order defect rate: less than 1%.
- Pre-fulfillment cancel rate: less than 2.5%.
- Late shipment rate: less than 4%.
Several grocery product requirements discuss standards for controlling food temperatures, dealing with expiration dates, and more. Amazon sets standards for meltable inventory, frozen foods,
Review Amazon’s grocery and gourmet foods category guidelines before completing a seller application. Here are some additional guidelines you should be aware of as an Amazon Fresh seller.
About controlling food temperatures for Amazon Fresh
Temperature requirements are critical for selling food items. Amazon has a detailed Seller Guide that discusses the importance of proper food handling and storage practices to maintain sanitation and product safety.
All sellers must comply with local, state, and federal laws regulating the sale of food products. For more information on specific temperature-related regulations that apply to your business, please contact the appropriate regulatory agencies.
Inventory requirements for Amazon Fresh sellers
Besides complying with food temperature regulations, there are other requirements that you must meet when selling on Amazon Fresh. One of these is controlling inventory levels.
You can’t sell an infinite amount of products on Amazon Fresh and still maintain your account health. Amazon has a particular formula that Fresh sellers must adhere to.
Your inventory levels will vary based on the product category you’re selling in, and it’s essential to keep track of your stock, so you don’t go over the limit. Sellers can have a maximum of three thousand units for each ASIN (or product listing) in the Grocery & Gourmet Foods category.
If you’re selling a product that Amazon doesn’t currently carry, they may request additional information to ensure that your products are safe for sale on Amazon Fresh.
About Amazon Fresh expiration dates
Another condition of selling on Amazon Fresh is adhering to expiration dates. Amazon has a helpful Seller Guide that discusses the importance of product freshness and how to properly label products with expiration dates.
Products must be labeled with “Best By,” “Sell By,” or “Use By” date to ensure that customers are aware of the product’s freshness.
It’s important to remember that Amazon Fresh products have a shorter shelf life than traditional Amazon items, so monitor your stock levels and rotate your inventory accordingly.
How to avoid being banned from Amazon Fresh
Now that you know the conditions for selling on Amazon Fresh, it’s essential to understand how to maintain your account health.
To keep selling groceries and gourmet foods on Amazon Fresh, you’ll need to adhere to the seller performance targets mentioned earlier: Order defect rate of less than one percent, pre-fulfillment cancellation rate of less than two and a half, and late shipment rate of less than four percent.
If you’re selling a product that Amazon doesn’t currently carry, they may request additional information to ensure that your products are safe for sale on Amazon Fresh.
To maintain your account health, it’s also essential to ensure that your products are compliant with Amazon’s grocery and gourmet foods category requirements.
Sell your products 0n Amazon Fresh with great listings
Now that you know the basics of selling on Amazon Fresh, it’s time to learn how to create winning product listings.
When creating a listing for a grocery or gourmet food item, there are a few specific things you’ll need to include for your product to be approved by Amazon.
First, your listing must comply with all Grocery & Gourmet Food category guidelines. This includes providing price per unit data and complying with food temperature regulations.
You’ll also need to list dietary and allergen-free claims on your product labels and your product listing.
To increase the visibility of your product, you may want to consider creating a product bundle. Product bundles are groups of two or more products sold together at a discounted price.
Informing customers about your product and what makes it unique can help your listings stand out. Use these tips to make your items more appealing to customers in major cities throughout the US.
What’s next: selling on Amazon Fresh
Selling on Amazon Fresh is a great way to reach customers looking for high-quality, fresh groceries and gourmet foods. By following the guidelines in this article, you’ll be able to create winning product listings that will help you stand out from the competition and increase your sales.
For those of you who already sell products on Amazon Fresh or any other sites, consider managing your listings with Flat File Pro. Our software makes it easy to keep your product data organized and up-to-date, so you can focus on what’s important – growing your business. Learn more about Flat File Pro.
