When you are trying to sell your products on Amazon, you will need to provide some basic information for your product. This includes your product inventory count, a title that accurately describes your product, the manufacturer information, product descriptions, and, of course, the price. However, these components are not enough to create a listing. What else do you need in order to create a listing on Amazon?
Universal Product Code (UPC)
Why do you need a UPC? A UPC identifies your specific product on the marketplace, meaning that every product needs to have a unique UPC. For example, if you have a product that provides four different colors for buyers to choose from, each of the color variations will need to be assigned to a different UPC. However, UPCs don’t have to be shown on the product. UPCs can also help you quickly find the information for the manufacturer and retailer. These codes even help you and Amazon keep track of product inventory, shipping information, pricing, etc.
You can get your UPC on GS1, which is a nonprofit organization that has set the global standard for supply chain barcoding. Because GS1 services over 100 countries, they are one of the most recommended organizations for registering UPCs. Moreover, Amazon verifies the authenticity of product UPCs by checking the GS1 database, so make sure you get your UPCs on GS1.
Stocking Keeping Unit (SKU)
A SKU is an in-house identifier for your product consisting of a string of letters, numbers, and/or “.”, “-“, “_” and “/” characters. SKUs can help you find your items more effectively in your inventory than using the item’s name. For example, say you are selling a size small black t-shirt. Your SKU might be TS01-S-BL, TS stands for t-shirt, 01 can be your first t-shirt on sale or your first item, S stands for size small, and BL stands for black.
SKUs are usually created by sellers because they can use whatever letters, numbers, and/or punctuation marks, making it more memorable. If you don’t create a unique SKU, problems are more likely to occur while you’re picking, packing, and sending merchandise.
Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN)
An ASIN is a unique block of 10 alphanumerics that identify products. Amazon will assign an ASIN to each of your products after you include all of the above information and upload them to the Amazon catalog. However, books will not receive a new ASIN because ISBN numbers, a unique commercial book identifier barcode, will act as the identification number. Shoppers can type the ASIN or ISBN in the search bar to find the product or book. This can make searching for a specific product easier for you and your customers.
Essentially, the UPC is for everyone, the SKU is for yourself, and the ASIN is for Amazon. Once you have all of these identification codes and necessary information for the listing, you can upload the details, obtain an ASIN, and become a seller on Amazon!
If you need any help launching your products on Amazon, visit our blog or reach out to our experts!
About the Author: WingHei Sin, Hayley, is an international student and pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Utah Valley University with a major in Marketing and a minor in Business Management. Hayley’s position as a content writing intern at Nozani will help lead her to find success after she graduates.
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