What is Amazon BSR And How to Improve Best Seller Rank?

What is Amazon Best Sellers Rank (BSR)?

Before talking about tips and deep information about BSR, let’s first explain what BSR is. In simple terms, as soon as Amazon lists a product and it starts selling, Amazon assigns it a position in the BSR ranking. if you have a new listing and you don’t have any sales yet, you may not have a BSR rank. Although every product has this position, it functions like an ordinal score. For example, if a product has a small rank like 1 or 2, it means it is at the top of its category.

Each product in different categories can have different BSRs. For example, a mobile phone in the Electronics category can have a different BSR than a camera or a phone accessory in the same or another category.

Another important point is that these scores reflect relative sales and tell sellers where a specific product ranks compared to other sellers. This means that if your product and a competitor’s product have the same BSR score, they are performing at a similar level. On the other hand, if the rank number increases, it means other sellers are improving and selling faster and outselling you.

Factors That Amazon Consider in Calculating BSR

Amazon did not specify the criteria by which it calculates BSR. But some of the factors influencing this ranking are:

•  Current Product Sales

•  Product Sales History (Previous Sales)

•  Change the Price of the Product

•  Advertisements Provided on the Product

•  Product Position Compared to Other Products

BSR shows both current sales and product sales history.

For example, if a product has 50 units sold in one hour but only three units sold in the next hour, it does not necessarily cause the BSR to go down. Amazon’s BSR algorithm considers both its recent sales and its previous sales. The following example illustrates the point more clearly.

We want to compare two hypothetical products in the category of Cell Phones and Accessories.

Suppose the first product in this category is in the 20th category and the second product in the same category is in the 40th category. The first product last sold 600 units in one hour and the second product 300 units.

Now suppose in the next hour the first product sells 300 pieces and the second product 600 pieces. That is quite the opposite of the previous hour. Does this mean shifting the position of these two products in BSR? That is, does the first product now rank 40 and the second product 20?

No! Product positions do not shift based on their hourly sales. Their sales history is also taken into account. In the example above, the hourly sales of the first product are halved but not necessarily doubled. In this example, the position of two products may change more slightly by shifting sales. For example, the position of the first product should be 25 this time (five ranks lower), and the position of the second product should be 35 (five ranks higher).

What is a good BSR?

Firstly, you should know that BSR is category-relative and there is no absolute threshold that says a rank is exactly good or bad. It depends on how competitive and high-volume the category is. However, there is a rule of thumb:

• If a product has a rank between 1 and 100, it’s considered an exceptional product, usually has very high sales and a top position in its category.
• If a product ranks 100 to 5000 and it’s in a strong, busy category, it’s considered a best-seller in that category.
• If a product ranks 5000 to 50000, it’s typically a moderate performer and may be suitable as a seasonal or niche item.

One important point you should know is that these ranges vary across product categories and between data sources. For example, some industry data show that a BSR under 2000 indicates good performance in many categories, while other sources consider a good BSR to be anywhere from 1 to 10000, depending on the category.

This variability matters, for example, a book with a BSR of 100,000 might sell around 200 copies per month, whereas the same BSR in the Home and Kitchen category might represent roughly 30 sales per month. These are approximate figures and should be interpreted in the context of the specific category.

How to Find Amazon BSR for a Product?

To find a BSR for a product, go to the product page on the Amazon site and scroll down to get to the Product Information section. In this section, you can find the Amazon Best Sellers Rank or BSR. In the image below, this section is specified. The product ranks 32nd in the video game category (you can see a list of the top 100 products in this category) and ranks first in the PlayStation 5 Consoles category.

The image below is of a men’s sock. You can see that its Sales Rank is in the product details section.

If sales of a product are very low or have just been added to Amazon, Amazon’s API may not yet have given it the Amazon Best Sellers Rank. In this case, this criterion is not visible on the product page.

Common myths we see in reality

There are some false pieces of information and common myths about BSR. Here we want to list some of those myths and warn you not to rely on them.

• BSR affects search ranking.

This is a myth. BSR does not directly affect Amazon search ranking. Search ranking is determined by relevance  keywords, conversion rate, click-through rate, and other factors. BSR only reflects sales performance, it does not itself push a product up in search results.

• More reviews automatically improve BSR

This is false. Reviews can improve conversion because buyers trust highly reviewed products and better conversion can lead to more sales, which will then improve BSR. But reviews are not a direct input to the BSR calculation.

BSR is calculated only from the very latest sales

Amazon gives more weight to recent sales, but historical sales are also incorporated to some degree. That means one or two bad days won’t immediately destroy your BSR .

Each product has one universal BSR

This is false. BSR is category-specific. A product can have different BSRs in its main category and in multiple subcategories.

A high BSR number means the product is bad or sells very little

You need to interpret BSR relative to the category. A product with a high numeric BSR in a massive category like Books may still sell more units than a product with a much better numeric BSR in a tiny niche. Always compare BSRs within the same category and consider category size when judging performance.

How is BSR calculated and which factors are considered?

Firstly, we should say that Amazon keeps the exact formula secret. So you can’t know the precise calculation, but experts agree BSR is driven mainly by sales velocity. 

Several factors influence it:

Current product sales

Recent sales carry more weight than older sales. Amazon tends to give extra weight to recent trends, so if you have 50 sales in the morning and only 3 sales in the afternoon, Amazon will quickly show  reduction in your BSR after the morning sales.

Hourly updates

BSR is updated frequently every hour, so you can’t rely on a single number for an entire week or even an entire day. You might have a good BSR one hour and see it worsen the next.

Price changes and promotions

Lowering price or running a promotion can trigger a spike in purchases, which quickly improves BSR. when the promotion ends and sales drop, BSR will decline again.

Advertising

Active ads can drive buyers to your listing and temporarily boost sales and BSR.

Product position relative to competitors

 Your rank depends not only on your sales but also on competitors’ performance. You can improve your rank only by outselling competitors; if they increase sales faster than you, your BSR will worsen even if your sales are steady.

Listing quality and price strategy

 Elements like how you build your listing title, images, bullet pointsand backend keywords, and how you set or adjust price, affect conversion rate and sales velocity, which in turn impact BSR.

Here we want to compare two hypothetical products in the category of Cell Phones and Accessories.

Suppose the first product in this category is in the 20th category and the second product in the same category is in the 40th category. The first product last sold 600 units in one hour and the second product 300 units.

Now suppose in the next hour the first product sells 300 pieces and the second product 600 pieces. That is quite the opposite of the previous hour. Does this mean shifting the position of these two products in BSR? That is, does the first product now rank 40 and the second product 20?

Distributor delivering Amazon package

No! Product positions do not shift based on their hourly sales. Their sales history is also taken into account. In the example above, the hourly sales of the first product are halved but not necessarily doubled. In this example, the position of two products may change more slightly by shifting sales. For example, the position of the first product should be 25 this time (five ranks lower), and the position of the second product should be 35 (five ranks higher).

How to Improve Amazon Best Sellers Rank?

If you want to improve your BSR, here are step-by-step actions that can help increase your sales and achieve a better rank.

Step 1: Optimize your listing

Product listings have a significant impact on sales. Make sure your title, bullet points, and description are clear and use the right keywords to accurately describe the product. Use high-quality pictures from different angles and add a video if possible .

Step 2: Price competitively

Using competitive and dynamic pricing is important for improving BSR. A lower price can boost sales significantly. But be careful not to undercut too much, because your profit margin is the lifeblood of the business.

Step 3: Run promotions and deals

Promotions can have a big impact on visibility and sales. Use Lightning Deals, coupons and Prime-exclusive discounts to drive traffic and quickly improve your BSR.

Step 4: Invest in advertising

Advertising, especially sponsored ads, increases product visibility and can rapidly boost sales. When ad campaigns convert well, they have a strong positive effect on BSR.

Step 5 : Get reviews and feedback

Although reviews do not directly change the BSR calculation, good reviews improve conversion rates because buyers trust highly rated products.

By combining these steps, you can improve sales and move your BSR to a higher position.

What is the honeymoon period in BSR?

When you launch a product on Amazon, it often receives priority visibility that can boost your BSR. This is called the honeymoon period. It usually lasts about 2 to 4 weeks. During this time Amazon’s algorithm tests your product and compares it to competitors. If you do the right things during your launch, you can get more initial sales.

What to do in the honeymoon period:

• Run PPC advertising and other promotions to drive traffic.
• Promote your product actively and monitor your BSR daily.
• If your BSR improves as expected, you are on the right path, you can then scale or optimize your ad spend to further improve BSR.

Using BSR to estimate sales and analyze trends

Amazon does not publish per-unit sales. Most sellers use BSR as a rough sales estimator. In this method you collect BSR data over time and analyze historical trends using tools. You can build a reference table that shows average sales for each BSR range in a specific category.

That reference table is only an estimate and applies to similar products in the same category, not across different categories. And be careful, treat the table as a guideline, not gospel.

BSR vs. Amazon Search Ranking

Most sellers confuse organic ranking with Amazon’s BSR. In the table below, we show the key differences between these two Amazon metrics.

Practical uses of BSR in your business

If you want to correctly use BSR in your business, try the following tips:

• Set BSR cutoffs when sourcing deals. Many online retail-arbitrage sellers set BSR thresholds to filter opportunities when scanning deals.
• Use BSR in product research. During product research, check each product’s BSR to gauge demand. Private-label sellers also use BSR as a key metric when deciding which products to launch.
• Aim for a solid BSR at launch. When you launch a product, getting a strong BSR early on is a good signal that your product is performing well compared to the market.
• Manage your product portfolio. Work to improve the BSR of each product rather than concentrating all investment on a few SKUs. Monitor competitors’ BSRs and study their strategies (to learn what’s working.
• Watch seasonality and trends. Seasonal demand and market trends strongly affect BSR, so plan promotions and inventory accordingly.

Limitations and mistakes to avoid

Some sellers make errors when using and analyzing BSR:

• First, don’t compare across categories,  the same BSR number means different things in different categories.
• Don’t overreact to one-day changes. BSR can fluctuate hourly, so avoid focusing only on a temporary drop. it’s better to evaluate trends weekly or monthly.
• Don’t use artificial tactics. Fake orders may temporarily change BSR but can harm your account and lead to penalties.
• Finally, don’t sacrifice profit for BSR. Improving BSR is useful, but your business’s goal is sustainable profit, not just a lower rank.

Is a High BSR Good or Bad?

In general, remember that Amazon Best Seller Rank is a rating, not a score. So the lower the BSR, the more sales the product has. For example, the best-selling product in the kitchen product category has a BSR of 1. Amazon’s Best Sellers list is a good indicator of how well a product has sold in a category. But to compare the sales of one product with another similar product cannot always be enough of this criterion. Do not forget that each customer may be looking for a specific category and through it to your product. So the Amazon BSR rating of your product may be good in one type and not good in another.

How to Use Amazon BSR to Estimate Sales?

Let’s look at this with another example. Suppose we have a product with a BSR of 1900. We know from our sales review that the 1900 rank in the BSR means 950 sales per month. But a month ago, our average BSR for 30 days was 3,500, and we had 420 online arbitrage deals that month. But, in the previous season, our BSR product for 600 days was 600, and we had 1710 sales that month.

What do we understand from this data? We can see that if another product on Amazon other than our product, the Best Sellers Rank, had about 3,500 in our product category, it would have sold nearly 420 units per month. And if a product is now ranked 600, it means that it has sold about 1700 units per month.

Differences Between Amazon BSR & Organic Ranking

Amazon novice sellers are sometimes confused between the two concepts. In a nutshell, a BSR ranking has nothing to do with a product ranking in the SERP or Amazon’s Search Engine Results Page. So far, we know how much Amazon Best Seller Rank means a product has sold. But what does Organic Ranking mean? This means that for a particular keyword, where a product appears on the Amazon search page. In fact, organic ranking is defined in relation to a keyword and is related to the Amazon search engine.

Final Thoughts

This article talked about Best Sellers Ranking, its position in sales, its calculation methods, and ways to improve it (such as SEO and click-through advertising). We said that the Amazon BSR of a product is specified in different categories, and we do not have a general BSR for a product. We know that a lower BSR means a higher product position in sales. And if the product has a higher status, more customers will come to it.

In general, if you want to have a higher BSR, you should try to increase the sales of your product. So start now!