Amazon Best Seller vs. Amazon’s Choice Badge With Key Differences

In the crowded Amazon marketplace, two badges immediately capture attention: Amazon Best Seller and Amazon’s Choice. Both act as trust signals that increase click-through rates, conversions, and overall sales. For shoppers, they represent product quality and reliability. For sellers, landing either badge can transform an average listing into a top performer.

But here’s the truth most sellers don’t realize: these two badges are not the same, they’re not awarded for the same reasons, and they influence buying behavior differently. In fact, Amazon’s internal criteria, algorithms, and data points behind the badges serve completely different purposes.

Understanding the Amazon Best Seller Badge

The Best Seller badge is straightforward compared to Amazon’s Choice. It is purely ranking-based.

What the Best Seller Badge Means

A product earns the Best Seller badge by ranking #1 in its category or sub-category based on sales volume.

The badge updates hourly, meaning a listing can gain or lose it quickly depending on real-time sales performance.

Where It Appears

• Search results (orange “Best Seller” tag)
• Product page under the title
• Category ranking boxes

Key Requirements (Generalized, Because Amazon Doesn’t Publish Exact Rules)

A product typically needs:

• Highly consistent sales velocity
• Low return rates
• Strong reviews and ratings
• Solid stock availability
• Competitive pricing

How Sellers Commonly Win Best Seller

1. Picking narrow categories (sub-categories) with manageable competition
2. Maintaining continuous sales velocity
3. Running promotions, coupons, and PPC campaigns
4. Using strong launch tactics to build early momentum
5. Keeping inventory fully in stock
6. Maintaining listing quality to avoid returns

How Long Does It Take to Earn Best Seller?

This depends entirely on category size.

For example:

• “Laptop Stand” → Highly competitive
• “Adjustable Aluminum Laptop Stand with Phone Holder” → Easier sub-category

Some sellers earn it within 2–4 weeks. Others take months.

What Causes You to Lose It

Since the badge updates hourly, you lose it when:

• Competitor outsells you
• Ads are paused
• Inventory runs out
• Price increase hurts sales
• The competitor runs a temporary promotion

The Best Seller badge is volatile but highly visible.

Understanding the Amazon’s Choice Badge

The Amazon’s Choice badge is far more complex. It is algorithm-based, not ranking-based, and focuses heavily on purchase likelihood.

What Amazon’s Choice Means

Amazon awards “Amazon’s Choice” to products that it believes are:

• Highly rated
• Well-priced
• Frequently bought
• Have low return rates
• Ship fast (usually Prime eligible)
• Match the search intent accurately

Important:

Amazon’s Choice is assigned per keyword, not per product.

This means:

• A product may be Amazon’s Choice for “wireless keyboard.”
• But not for “Bluetooth keyboard.”
• And not for “keyboard for laptop.”

Where It Appears

• Next to the product in search results
• Sometimes on product listing pages
• While browsing via Alexa voice search

Key Requirements (Based on real-world observations)

The algorithm looks at:

• High seller rating
• High product rating (4.3+ recommended)
• Good price compared to similar items
• High conversion rate for that keyword
• Popularity and sales history
• Strong fulfillment speed (Prime)
• Low ODR (Order Defect Rate)
• Low return rate for that keyword
• Clear listing quality
• Low negative review frequency
• Stock availability

How You Earn Amazon’s Choice

Unlike Best Seller, you cannot “force” it directly. But you can influence the algorithm by:

1. Optimizing your listing for specific keywords
2. Improving the conversion rate for those keywords
3. Running PPC campaigns to drive targeted conversions
4. Maintaining Prime shipping and fast fulfillment
5. Keeping your price competitive
6. Ensuring return reasons are minimal and consistent

Amazon’s Choice is fundamentally a machine-learning-driven recommendation.

What Causes You to Lose Amazon’s Choice

• Inventory stockouts
• Drop in conversion rate
• Increase in negative reviews
• Change in competitor performance
• Listing suppression or quality issues
• Algorithm updates (happens often)

Unlike Best Seller, Amazon’s Choice is more stable but still influenced by real-time data.

Best Seller Badge vs. Amazon’s Choice Badge (Side-by-Side Comparison)

Below is a full comparison to make the differences clear:

1. Source of Badge Awarding

Badge	Award Basis	Meaning
Best Seller	Sales rank (#1 in category)	This product sells the highest in its category
Amazon’s Choice	Conversion rate + rating + price + fulfillment	This product is the best recommendation for a specific keyword

2. Scope of the Badge

Badge	Applies To	Scope
Best Seller	Entire product	Category-wide
Amazon’s Choice	Keyword-based	Search-term specific

Your product may be Amazon’s Choice for “red yoga mat” but not “yoga mat”.

3. Stability & Volatility

Badge	Stability
Best Seller	Very volatile (updates hourly)
Amazon’s Choice	More stable but still fluctuates based on conversion and availability

4. Impact on Conversions

Both improve conversions, but in different ways.

Badge	Conversion Impact
Best Seller	Enhances trust, boosts CTR, drives strong conversion—especially during peak sales.
Amazon’s Choice	Even higher conversion because it implies Amazon is recommending your product. Especially effective for voice search (Alexa).

Conversion Boost Estimate (Industry averages):

• Best Seller: +10% to +25%
• Amazon’s Choice: +15% to +35%

5. Ease of Getting the Badge

Badge	Difficulty
Best Seller	Hard in competitive categories, easier in narrow sub-categories
Amazon’s Choice	Moderate difficulty; keyword-targeted approach helps

6. Duration of Badge Retention

Badge	Retention
Best Seller	Often short-lived
Amazon’s Choice	Usually longer if metrics remain strong

7. Long-Term Branding Impact

Badge	Branding Effect
Best Seller	Strong brand authority
Amazon’s Choice	Strong trust signal, especially for new products

Which Badge Is More Valuable for Sellers?

Both badges matter, but they serve different business goals.

When the Best Seller Badge is More Valuable

• You’re trying to dominate your category
• You’re in a highly competitive niche
• You want long-term brand authority
• You want maximum listing visibility
• You’re scaling aggressively with high sales velocity

Ideal for:

Electronics, home products, beauty, office supplies, and seasonal items.

When Amazon’s Choice Is More Valuable

• You’re targeting keyword-specific conversions
• You want to increase PPC efficiency
• You want to win shoppers who trust Amazon’s recommendations
• You sell in a niche where customers hesitate to choose
• You want voice-search sales via Alexa

Ideal for:

Consumer goods, groceries, everyday items, accessories.

Which Badge Drives Better PPC Performance?

Amazon’s Choice usually performs better because it signals:

“Amazon recommends this product for your search.”

This increases:

• CTR
• Conversion rate
• Organic ranking

Best Seller also increases CTR, but doesn’t necessarily apply to the user’s specific keyword.

Do You Need Both Badges?

No seller needs both badges, but having both gives you enormous power.

If you have both:

• You rank high organically
• You have trust signals across multiple keywords
• Competitors have a harder time entering your niche
• A single acquisition channel drop (e.g., PPC) won’t hurt as much

However, optimization strategies differ:

• Best Seller → sales momentum
• Amazon’s Choice → keyword conversions

Balancing both is the ideal scenario for established brands.

How Sellers Can Strategically Aim for Each Badge

Here is how sellers can strategically aim for each badge:

How to Earn the Best Seller Badge

1. Pick categories strategically
2. Use tactical PPC to drive velocity
3. Run coupons and deals
4. Optimize price while maintaining margins
5. Maintain stock without interruptions
6. Gather early reviews (100+ ideal)
7. Reduce return rate with better packaging
8. Improve listing visuals (A+ content, images, video)

The Best Seller badge is mostly about sales velocity + consistency.

How to Earn Amazon’s Choice

1. Improve conversion rate for target keywords
2. Use PPC campaigns for specific keyword phrases
3. Maintain a competitive price
4. Keep your review average above 4.3
5. Reduce return rate and negative reviews
6. Improve listing clarity and accuracy
7. Keep FBA or SFP active (fast shipping)

Think keyword-by-keyword, not entire category.

How Losing a Badge Impacts Performance

Below is how losing a badge impacts performance:

If You Lose Best Seller

• Drop in CTR
• Drop in organic ranking
• PPC costs rise
• Competitors capture top visibility

If You Lose Amazon’s Choice

• Conversion rate reduces
• PPC efficiency drops
• Alexa orders decline
• Competitive alternatives rank higher

Both losses can impact sales, but losing Amazon’s Choice hurts conversion more, while losing Best Seller hurts visibility more.

Myths & Misconceptions About Both Badges

Myth 1: Paying for ads directly gives you the badge.

Not true. PPC contributes to conversion and sales, but badges are algorithmic.

Myth 2: The badge stays forever once earned.

Both badges change frequently, especially Best Seller.

Myth 3: You must be a high-volume seller to get Amazon’s Choice.

Not necessarily. You only need to convert well for specific keywords.

Myth 4: Amazon manually selects products for Amazon’s Choice.

The badge is algorithm-driven, not manually curated.

Which Badge Should Amazon Sellers Target?

Both badges serve different strategic goals, and choosing the right one depends on how you want your brand to grow.

Choose Best Seller if:

You want domination, maximum visibility, and strong sales momentum that pushes your ASIN to the top of the category.

Choose Amazon’s Choice if:

You want targeted conversions, higher trust on specific keywords, and stronger PPC efficiency with lower wasted spend.

Aim for both if:

You’re scaling a long-term brand supported by a reliable supply chain, consistent reviews, and stable performance metrics.

Both badges can significantly boost revenue, and understanding how each works gives you the strategic edge to outperform competitors. If you need help improving your badge potential, optimizing listings, or strengthening account health, AMZ Seller Hub is here to support your growth.