Key Metrics to Monitor in Amazon Seller Central for Better Decision-Making

Amazon is a data-driven marketplace, and tracking the right metrics is crucial for sellers looking to optimize their business. Amazon Seller Central provides key performance indicators (KPIs) that help you assess everything from sales performance to customer satisfaction and inventory health.

By understanding and acting on these metrics, you can make better decisions, improve product rankings, and boost profitability. This guide explores the most important metrics and how they impact your Amazon business.

Overview of Metrics Available in Seller Central

Where to Find Key Data in Seller Central

Amazon provides sellers with various reports and dashboards to track their business performance. You can access these reports under:

Business Reports → For sales trends and traffic insights.
Performance Dashboard → To track seller account health.
Advertising Reports → To monitor PPC performance.
Inventory Reports → For tracking stock levels and excess inventory.

Why These Metrics Matter

Help increase sales by identifying high-performing and low-performing products.
Optimize ad campaigns to improve ROI.
Improve inventory planning and prevent stockouts or overstocking.
Maintain high seller performance and eligibility for the Buy Box.

Performance Metrics (Measure Your Seller Health)

Performance metrics indicate how well your seller account and customer service are doing. Failing to meet Amazon’s performance standards can lead to Buy Box suppression, loss of sales, or even account suspension.

a. Buy Box Percentage

What It Is: The percentage of time your product is in the Buy Box compared to competitors.
Why It Matters: More than 80% of Amazon sales come from the Buy Box. If your Buy Box percentage is low, your competitors may be winning more sales.
How to Improve:
Maintain competitive pricing.
Keep inventory in stock.
Use Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) for better fulfillment scores.

b. Order Defect Rate (ODR)

What It Is: The percentage of orders with defects, including:\n – Negative feedback.\n – A-to-Z claims.\n – Chargebacks.
Why It Matters: Amazon requires ODR to be below 1%. A high ODR can lead to account deactivation.
How to Improve:
Ship orders on time and accurately.
Provide good customer service and respond to complaints.

c. Customer Feedback Score

What It Is: Your seller rating based on customer reviews and feedback.
Why It Matters: A low rating reduces your chances of winning the Buy Box and affects customer trust.
How to Improve:
Encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
Use product inserts to request feedback.
Resolve disputes professionally and quickly.

Traffic and Conversion Metrics (Measure Customer Interest and Sales Efficiency)

Tracking traffic and conversion rates helps you understand how well your product listings are performing.

a. Sessions and Page Views

What It Is:

Sessions = Number of unique visitors to your product page.
Page Views = Total number of visits (includes repeat visits).

Why It Matters: If traffic is low, your listing might not be well-optimized or visible.
How to Improve:
Use high-quality images and infographics.
Optimize product titles, bullet points, and descriptions.

b. Unit Session Percentage (Conversion Rate)

What It Is: The percentage of visitors who actually purchase after viewing your product.
Why It Matters: A high conversion rate means your listing is persuasive and relevant. A low conversion rate may indicate pricing or listing issues.
How to Improve:
Offer competitive pricing.
Improve A+ Content and bullet points.
Add social proof (reviews, ratings, testimonials).

Inventory Metrics (Manage Stock Efficiently to Avoid Fees)

Inventory metrics help you maintain stock levels, avoid storage fees, and prevent stockouts that can impact your ranking and sales.

a. Sell-Through Rate

What It Is: The speed at which your inventory is selling.
Formula: (Total Units Sold ÷ Average Inventory Available) × 100
Why It Matters: A low sell-through rate may lead to long-term storage fees and reduced rankings.
How to Improve:
Run limited-time promotions to clear slow-moving stock.
Use Amazon Outlet to discount excess inventory.

b. Days of Supply

What It Is: An estimate of how many days your current stock will last based on sales trends.
Why It Matters: Knowing how long your inventory will last helps you plan restocking and avoid stockouts.
How to Improve:
Forecast demand using historical sales data.
Maintain a buffer stock for seasonal spikes.

c. Excess Inventory Percentage

What It Is: The percentage of inventory Amazon considers excess stock.
Why It Matters: Excess inventory leads to higher storage fees and cash flow issues.
How to Improve:
Adjust pricing to move older stock faster.
Bundle products to create multi-pack offers.

Using Reports to Drive Data-Backed Decisions

a. Business Reports for Sales Trends

Amazon’s Detail Page Sales & Traffic Report helps sellers track:

Product sales trends over time.
Conversion rates and traffic for each listing.
Seasonal demand shifts to better plan inventory.

b. Advertising Reports to Optimize PPC Campaigns

Amazon’s Advertising Reports provide insights into:

ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sales): Measures ad profitability.
CTR (Click-Through Rate): Shows how engaging your ads are.
Conversion Rate: Indicates if ad clicks result in actual sales.

How to Use This Data:

Reduce ad spend on low-performing keywords.
Increase bids on high-converting keywords.
Adjust product listings if ads get clicks but don’t convert.

Conclusion

Monitoring the right Amazon Seller Central metrics allows you to optimize sales, reduce costs, and maintain a strong seller account. By regularly analyzing performance, traffic, inventory, and ad metrics, you can make smarter business decisions and scale your Amazon store effectively.

Key Takeaways:

Monitor Buy Box percentage to stay competitive.
Keep ODR below 1% to avoid account suspension.
Improve conversion rates by optimizing listings and pricing.
Use inventory metrics to prevent overstock and stockouts.
Leverage advertising and business reports for smarter marketing.

Start today by reviewing your Seller Central reports!

Have questions or insights? Drop them in the comments below!