Small product updates (new packaging): How to differentiate from older versions of product
I have a question regarding ASINs, EANs, and SKUs and how to make minor product changes. So we have products which have a lot of colour variations. For example, one product has 8 colourways, each has it’s own ASIN/EAN/SKU, and they’re all under one parent ASIN/SKU.
So here’s the issue: we want to change the packaging of the product (plastic free alternative). We also always have a lot of stock circulating within Amazon’s FCs and across EU too as we’re Pan-EU. We don’t want to just start sending in the new packaging under the same SKU as this will mean it will be all mixed up and we can’t market the new paper-free products.
What’s the best way to solve this? I am happy to input the new products as new SKUs and then for a time we have both versions on Amazon. I can label the new versions as plastic-free and charge a slight premium. However, would I also need to create new ASINs/EANs for these new SKUs? The huge concern here is losing reviews and sales rank connected with the old ASINs.
Is it possible to keep the ASIN/EAN the same and only change the SKU in order to differentiate the stock?
Edit to add: Worth mentioning that the new SKUs would be under the same parent SKU as before. Would this help retain our reviews/rank?
43 replies
Seller_Fj25LfCR6dPtu
Yes, you can have multiple SKUs for the same ASIN
That’s how you can have an FBA and FBM version of the same product
The reviews etc are related to the ASIN, not SKU
Seller_Fj25LfCR6dPtu
Bear in mind you won’t be able to have different product info for each SKU (plastic-free vs plastic) - since the ASIN determines that.
By changing the SKU all it does it allow you to monitor how much of the new vs old sku inventory is in the warehouses. In theory it should just show up as another line on the Inventory page. I’ve never done it other than splitting FBA/FBM for the same ASIN, so someone else should be able to confirm.
Seller_f5cnodyVjLD4S
Hi bosfi
As long as it is only the product packaging that has changed a new ASIN is not required.
<<You must not use an existing listing for a new version of a product. Changes to a product’s packaging colour, design or material do not require creating a new ASIN. Only when the product being sold is either materially different or changed in brand value is it necessary to create a new ASIN. This includes changes in colour, size, material, features and product name. For example, a manufacturer updates its streaming media player by adding a new remote control with four buttons instead of two. This product is materially different from the older version and it must be listed as a new ASIN.>>
Seller_LnhtxRbgL9RW2
So, if I understand correctly, you have a ‘parent ASIN’ under which all 8 color variants (each with its own ‘daughter ASIN’) show up.
What is stopping you from creating 8 more daughter ASINs which are for the ‘plastic-free’ packaging? That way under the parent ASIN 16 variants will show up, 8 with old packaging and 8 with new. You get separate details page, titles, SKUs and pricing for each of those 16 variants.
For the consumer they would still see the combined reviews from all variants and the sales rank is aggregated on parent ASIN anyway.
Note that on our German listing, the reviews were not aggregated across variants. We contacted Amazon and they said, sometimes they dont do that. So, start with one additional variant to check waters and proceed.
Seller_bVMO2D5wfURBb
When we changed packing a couple of years ago. We ran down the old stock in FBA centres and then just before they ran out we sent the new stock in. We went by the average we sell per day and the average amount of days that takes our stock to arrive and are counted onto the shelves at the FBA centre. I know things can go wrong but doing this we didn’t have to change skus etc. It worked for us and photos of the new packaging was sent to brand registry to be held on file. In the end it worked for us. Just done a bit of maths before hand.
