Amazon to Display Business Identities on US Seller Profiles

Amazon announced this week that starting on Sept. 1, 2020, all sellers’ business names and addresses will appear on their Seller Profile page, which is available to consumers. Individuals who sell on Amazon will have their name and address displayed. 

Seller Profile pages in Amazon’s Europe, Japan, and Mexico marketplaces already have this information shown to comply with their local laws. Amazon says this change to its U.S. marketplace is to ensure consistency of seller information available to customers to help them make informed shopping decisions.

The move is assumed to be part of Amazon’s aggressive strategy to crack down on counterfeiting and other scams that have been taking place on e-commerce platforms around the world, which are now falling under intense scrutiny by regulators, consumers, and brands. 

Therefore, it is not surprising that this announcement comes just a few weeks after Amazon announced the launch of its new Counterfeit Crimes Unit to crack down on fraud and counterfeit items sold on its marketplace. 

The full disclosure of a seller’s name and address will help consumers vet the sellers they are buying from and avoid transactions with potential scammers. For brands, it will help them monitor authorized resellers, as well as prevent or track counterfeiters that their business may have fallen victim to. Removing a seller’s anonymity makes it easier for both consumers and businesses to seek legal action against a seller, if and when such a situation may arise.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a report on combating counterfeits with recommendations that were to be adopted by Amazon and other major online marketplaces, including Walmart, eBay, and Wish. Among the department’s suggestions was for platforms to implement additional measures to inform consumers, prior to purchase, of the identity of storefront owners and those responsible for fulfilling the order.

While the business name and address will be displayed on the seller’s profile page only, and not on the customer-facing product detail page, consumers are not likely to take these extra steps to vet a seller before making a purchase. However, if a problem with the transaction arises, customers can easily and quickly locate the seller’s information with one click, when it is needed.

To ensure your business information is up to date, click on the “Settings” menu in your Seller Central account, then click “Account Info” to view your Seller Account Information page. In the Business Information section, click on the corresponding links for your Display Name and Business Address, and you can edit the current information that is shown. Then click “Submit” to save these changes.

Final Thoughts

Making sellers’ identities public is another step in the right direction to prevent the sale of counterfeit products and furthers Amazon’s fight against fraudulent retail practices. As a brand or retailer operating on Amazon, the availability of this information equips you with another resource to track down unauthorized resellers and track counterfeiters that could be tarnishing your business’s online presence.