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The Holidays are nearly upon us, and the Amazon marketplace wars will soon be in full swing. But before you plunge head-first into the Christmas rush, there are a few changes to the Seller Central page you should catch up with. To bring you up to speed, we’ve put together a list of Amazon’s latest updates to performance metrics.
So, read on to refresh your memory, and find out what you may have missed.
Seller Performance Metrics Displayed Separately
Starting January 2016, MFN and AFN orders will no longer be mixed together into the selling performance formula. They will be tallied independently, and the corresponding performance metrics will be displayed separately. The change aims to enable sellers to pinpoint problems more easily and accurately.
Seller Rating Feature Removed
You may have noticed that, as of November 2, 2015, the Seller Rating feature has been removed from Seller Central. Seller performance metrics, including Late Shipment Rate, Cancellation Rate, and Order Defect Rate, will still be displayed via the Account Health tab and Performance Summary section.
Two New Metrics: RDR and CSDR
Amazon launched two brand new metrics that gauge customer satisfaction based on your handling of return requests and responses. They are currently used only as a guideline, and Amazon will send out an advance warning if and when these targets become compulsory.
The Return Dissatisfaction Rate calculates overdue, rejected, and poorly rated return requests. The Customer Service Dissatisfaction Rate is the percentage of customers dissatisfied with responses sent via the Buyer-Seller Messaging service.
In other words, the Return Dissatisfaction Rate is the ratio of return requests deemed valid and rejected, neglected for over 48 hours, or granted negative feedback. It’s comprised of three indicators:
- Negative Return Feedback Rate
All valid return requests with negative buyer feedback – that is, where the customer denies having had a satisfactory resolution at the moment Amazon contacts them – will be tallied. There are several ways to go about this. You can either choose to have your valid returns authorized automatically, or handle them manually by checking your return requests every day, responding promptly, and monitoring negative feedback.
- Late Response Rate
You have 48 hours from the time a request is received to authorize the return, issue a refund, or close the request.
- Invalid Rejection Rate
Rejecting a valid return request will count against you. If the return is not authorized, the refund is not issued, or you do not offer a satisfactory resolution, a return request will be deemed ‘incorrectly’ rejected. Whenever the issue is resolved, there are several scenarios (‘codes’) to choose from to let Amazon know that no further action is needed: Cancelled at buyer request, Replacement without return, Solved a technical issue, Refund without return, and Previously refunded.
On the other hand, Customer Service Dissatisfaction Rate measures the ratio of customers who declare themselves dissatisfied with the response you gave via the Buyer-Seller Messaging service. A customer survey is included in every message you send to the buyer, with a simple Yes/No reply to the question “Did this solve your problem?”.
The metric consists of the number of ‘No’ votes per total. Only the latest response is used, so solving the issue will remove the order from the calculation. A target of less than 25% has been established, and while going over the limit does not trigger a penalty, it may lead to more claims and negative feedback than you bargained for.
The indicator is displayed on the Customer Satisfaction page, in the Performance Checklist. A report of recent survey responses can be viewed and downloaded using the Request Report or Download Past Reports options available under the metric display on the Customer Satisfaction page.
The report can be used to compare your responses in various situations, and to establish your modus operandi to ensure positive ratings. For instance, it can help pinpoint the cases in which you’re most likely to be rated negatively, and the type of reply that buyers are most likely to be receptive to.
You can see the Customer Service Dissatisfaction Rate performance indicator in the Performance Checklist on the Customer Satisfaction page. This is in addition to the Customer Service Dissatisfaction Rate displayed further down the page.
As with any other metric, the following checkmarks indicate whether your performance is up to par:
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Good – You’re well within the acceptable range.
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Fair – There is room for improvement.
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Poor – Immediate action is necessary.
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This concludes the list of recently announced metric-related Amazon Seller Central news, but be sure to follow the series for a suite of policy revisions concerning extended holiday returns, scanning and labelling requirements, and various other important changes.
Melanie takes an active interest in all things Amazon. She keeps an eye on the latest developments, and keeps Amazon sellers up to speed