Reasons for failure to merge variants and POA template

The advantage of Amazon's variant merging is that it reduces duplicate information and invalid clicks, thereby increasing sales conversion rates. Variant merging can combine products of the same brand, different colors or sizes, giving buyers a clearer visual effect when viewing the product, thereby increasing the possibility of purchase.

In addition, variant merging can also reduce the advertising costs of Amazon merchants because the product page after the variant merging only requires one advertising fee instead of multiple ones.

Rules for creating variants

When creating Amazon variations, you need to adhere to the following rules:

• Variations must belong to the same product : You can only create variations of the same product, and they must share some common attributes. For example, if you sell T-shirts, you can create variations for different colors, sizes, and styles, but you cannot create variations for shoes or accessories.

• Variations must have common attributes : Variations must have at least one attribute in common. For example, if you create variations based on color, each variation must have the same size and style.

• Variants must have unique SKUs : On Amazon, every product must have a unique SKU, and this applies to variants as well. Each variant must have its own unique SKU in order to be tracked and managed on Amazon.

• Variants must comply with Amazon’s rules and standards : In order to sell products on Amazon, you must comply with Amazon’s rules and standards, including requirements for product quality, labeling, safety, and compliance.

• Variations must use the correct variation attributes : When creating variations, you must use the correct variation attributes, such as color, size, or style. You should find a list of variation attributes for each product in Amazon Seller Central. Please note that products in different categories may have different rules, so make sure you comply with applicable regulations and standards. If you need more help, please review Amazon's help documentation or contact Amazon's Seller Support team.

  
  

Reasons why merging variants fails

1. Inconsistent categories

2. Inconsistent branding

Solution : First, you must obtain the editing rights for the product. Once you have the editing rights, you can make changes in the following ways:

• According to official suggestions, open a case modification by fixing the product page path in the backend, and provide packaging information with brand logos and UPC products as required. Provide it truthfully, and do not photoshop.
• Split the parent and child variations first, change the brand of the child using a template, and then merge them.
• Use VC account to modify. If you don't have VC account, then contact the service provider to help modify. Generally, they use VC account to modify.

3. The backend shows that the merge is successful and there is no error, but the frontend still does not show the variant

• The merge is successful when the major categories are inconsistent.

Solution: Contact customer service directly

• System identification problem, customer service needs to refresh and re-identify (time-consuming)

Solution: Change the parent body and put it back on the shelf. If you wait for customer service to resolve it, it will take a long time.

• Child bodies are bound to other parents

Solution: You need to find the other parent, delete it, and then perform the merge operation.

4. The front desk shows that the merge is successful, but after the customer service refreshes, the comments are still not shared

When you merge successfully and no error is displayed, the comment appears not to be shared.

5. Some people who made Vine variants were kicked out and rejected once or twice.

In this case, customer service will usually ask you to file a complaint, but in fact, there is little point in filing a complaint because it is not a problem with the link itself.

Variant Merge Notes

• Don’t hijack parent variations: Add unrelated child variations to parent variations to increase sales by leveraging ratings and positive reviews from other products.

• Don’t make a new generation a sub-variant of the previous generation: Although it is an upgrade from the previous generation, it is already something completely different and is clearly intended to increase sales by riding on the ratings of the previous generation.

• Do not reuse sub-variants: This is the most common abuse, changing the image and description of an existing sub-variant to another one. The latest method is to use ASINs that have not been sold for a long time to achieve sub-variant reuse to avoid complaints from other sellers.

• Try to avoid using information that violates common sense or laws and regulations as sub-variable information.

• Do not use the same SKU information in multiple listings.

• Do not use price promotion information as subvariable information.

• Try to avoid using real names as subvariable information.

In short : if you deliberately use information that violates common sense or laws and regulations as the merged object information, there is a high risk of being blocked! So everyone should try to abide by the rules when using it to avoid problems!

Variant Violation Appeals Process

• Check warning information : Be sure to read the analysis email carefully, thoroughly check the behaviors that may lead to violations, and find out which ASINs have violated the regulations.
• Remove/delete illegal variants : Adjust ASIN content or variant combination, and make corresponding modifications to ASINs that have violated regulations (remove or delete illegal variants).
• Write an effective plan of action (POA) : After completing the above operations, you can write a POA, stating the specific violations of the account and describing what happened; focus on explaining the actions that have been taken to resolve the violation, such as the adjusted variant list, and describe the operation process of the specific adjustment content, and provide supporting information; explain what kind of feasible solution will be formulated in the future because of this violation.
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Variant Violation Appeal Letter Template

Dear Amazon,

We are writing to apologize for the variant policy violations on our product listings as follows:

1. Incorrect product information provided for parent ASIN B0C5N****

. Upon review, we discovered we incorrectly bundled together two unrelated products - a back massager (ASIN3) and two foot massager variants (ASIN1, ASIN2) by listing them under the same parent ASIN. These products are distinctly different, and we sincerely apologize for the confusion and violation of your variant policies.

2. Incorrect selection of variant theme. We incorrectly used the variant theme of "color" across multiple, upgraded product versions. The product variants ASIN1 and ASIN2 are two separate, differently featured products - ASIN1 comes with a stand, while ASIN2 does not have that accessory. Our variant theme implies they are simply two color of the same product, which is not accurate. We should have created separate listing pages to properly differentiate these products. (Additional instructions for both products)

There are several main reasons for this problem

1.Human Error: We inadvertently provided incorrect or misleading information for the product variants in question. Our staff made mistakes in accurately uploading product images, dimensions, details or other attributes, which resulted in the violation. We will re-train staff on proper procedures to minimize the risk of human error going forward.

2.System Glitch: There was an unforeseen technical issue with our product database and listing software that caused improper information to publish for these product variants. We have updated our systems and technology variants to resolve the glitch, strengthened system checks and will closely monitor new listings in the coming weeks to ensure no other issues.

3.Improper Product Categorization: The products in this ASIN were improperly categorized internally, leading to incorrect product details being provided for the different variants. We have updated our product information in all company databases to properly categorize these items by variant and all their unique attributes. This will ensure accurate product data publishing moving forward.

4.Lack of Oversight: We did not have proper controls and oversight in place to catch these incorrect product variant details before they caused issue. We will be improving compliance controls, review processes and accountability across departments involved in product listings to provide necessary oversight and prevention of future violations.

5.Ambiguous Variant Policy: There may have been some lack of clarity or confusion in our understanding of Amazon's specific policy regarding product variants, which allowed these violations to occur. We aim to gain any additional clarification or education needed on variant policies to eliminate any ambiguity and strengthen our knowledge and procedures. Increased policy understanding will drive continual improvement to compliance.

We take full responsibility for these policy violations and the resulting customer confusion. Compliance with all Amazon policies and providing an optimal customer experience are our top priorities as sellers on your platform. We clearly failed at both in this instance.

Since notification, we have completed the following corrective actions:

1. Removed back massager (ASIN3) from the current parent ASIN and delete the page. All options and images for the foot massagers (ASIN1, ASIN2) have been moved to their own, properly differentiated ASINs.

2. Re-trained all staff involved on accurate selection of variant themes based on the products in a listing. Staff now have a clear understanding of when product variants require separate ASINs to avoid violations. (Additional training documents)

3. Correct product categorization in all internal databases. Our product databases and enterprise resource planning systems have all been updated to properly define product variants for this ASIN. All product information in every system has been aligned to match actual inventory and represent product details accurately to avoid confusion or incorrect product data publishing again in the future.

4. Full compliance and listing review within 7 business days. Within 7 business days of receiving notice of this violation, we will have conducted a full compliance review of all product variants for this ASIN and across our product catalog. Any other issues identified will be immediately corrected, and updates made to our training, procedures and systems as needed to strengthen policy compliance and prevent violations from recurring.

5. Standard Operating Procedures. Establish strict standard operating procedures for creating or updating variant listings to meet policy standards every time. Include checks and sign-offs to minimize human errors or oversight. Document procedures for training and accountability.

The steps we have taken to prevent the misuse of variations happen again.

1. Continually educate yourself on Amazon's variant policies. Stay up-to-date with Amazon's requirements for managing product variants, including details on when separate parent ASINs are needed, proper selection of variant themes, providing accurate product attributes and more. Ongoing learning is key to compliance.

2. Develop standard operating procedures. Create clearly defined SOPs for listing new products, adding product variants, updating product details or making other changes. Ensure all teams involved in your product catalog follow consistent procedures that meet Amazon's policies. Documented SOPs minimize errors and support compliance.

3. Increase oversight and internal controls. Add additional approval layers before product listings or variant changes go live, such as review by compliance teams or senior management. Internal controls provide oversight to catch any issues early and prevent violations. While technology can help, human oversight is still critical.

4. Conduct routine compliance audits. Regularly audit your existing product catalog, especially product variants, to detect any inaccurate information or non-compliant listings. Make any necessary corrections to resolve problems immediately and avoid policy violations. Ongoing audits help identify issues proactively before Amazon does.

5. Invest in tools and software. Utilize technology solutions that can help facilitate and enhance compliance, such as tools for validating product data or automatically flagging potential issues for internal review. Technology, combined with optimized processes and human oversight, creates an effective compliance program. But technology alone is not enough.

6. Analyze the root causes of any violations. If you do receive a violation notice from Amazon, determine what exactly in your systems or processes broke down to allow the violation to happen. Then update your controls and operations to close those loopholes and prevent the same failure again. Continual improvement based on experience is key to sustainable compliance.

7. Remain transparent in your communication. Explain any situation openly and honestly to Amazon, take responsibility for your failures and share the solutions you implement to resolve issues. Your transparency in these communications builds trust in your commitment to compliance and continual optimization as a seller.

With investment in the right tools, training, expertise, communication and consistent commitment to compliance, We can strengthen our understanding of Amazon's variant policies, fortify defenses against violations and drive continual optimization of our product listings. The key is developing sustainable solutions through policy knowledge and operational excellence. This help outline an effective approach to preventing future variant issues. Let me know if you have any other questions.