Becoming Amazon’s Choice: A 2027 guide for FBA sellers

Search for almost anything on Amazon and one listing will often wear a small label that says “Amazon’s Choice.” Shoppers notice it. Sellers want it. And Amazon won’t let you apply for it or pay for it.

That’s what makes the badge so frustrating, and so interesting. You can’t ask for it, but you can control most of what Amazon says it looks at. This guide covers what the badge means, how Amazon decides who gets it, what has changed heading into 2027, and what FBA sellers can do to improve their odds.

What is the Amazon’s Choice badge?

Amazon’s Choice is a label that points shoppers to products Amazon thinks fit what they’re looking for. Amazon describes these products as highly rated, well-priced, and available to ship immediately. Hover over the label, and you’ll see that same message. The program dates back to 2015 and started with Alexa before it spread to Amazon.com.

Amazon also says Choice products are, on average, delivered faster and returned less often than alternatives. That second part matters for sellers, and we’ll come back to it.

The labels you’ll see now

The plain “Amazon’s Choice” wording has changed. Search results now commonly show “Amazon’s Choice: Overall Pick.” Sellers also report a Popular Brand Pick label (for brands that shoppers favor) and a New Arrival Pick label (for new products). Amazon’s own seller pages explain the basic badge, but we only found third-party descriptions of the sub-labels, so treat the details as seller reports.

What the badge does for FBA sellers

Amazon doesn’t publish how much the badge lifts clicks or sales. You’ll find plenty of exact percentages online, but we couldn’t trace the popular ones back to a primary source, so we’re leaving them out.

What we can say is simple. The label sits right on the search results page, and it tells a shopper that Amazon’s own system rates the product well. That’s a shortcut when someone is scrolling through dozens of similar listings.

It’s also not a lock for big brands. PMG reported that Amazon’s private-label brands captured a much smaller share of Choice and Overall Pick badges in Q1 2024 than a year earlier. Third-party sellers can win here.

Amazon’s Choice vs. Best Seller

People mix these up all the time. They work differently.

According to Amazon’s seller guidance, a Best Seller badge goes to the #1 product in a category that has at least 100 products. It’s a sales contest. Amazon’s Choice mixes several signals, so a product with fewer sales can still win if shoppers rate it highly and it ships fast. 

How Amazon picks Amazon’s Choice products

Here’s what Amazon has said out loud:

• It weighs ratings, price, popularity, product availability, and fast delivery.
• Third-party seller products are eligible.
• Brands can’t pay for the badge, and they can’t apply to be considered.

Here’s what Amazon hasn’t said. There’s no published formula, no list of cutoffs, and no notice when a badge disappears. Amazon also doesn’t name FBA or any other fulfillment program as a requirement. It talks about fast delivery and immediate availability. FBA is the easiest way for most sellers to meet those two, but Amazon doesn’t say it’s the only way.

So anyone who gives you an exact recipe is guessing. What you can do is work on each factor Amazon names.

How to improve your odds

Make the listing match what shoppers search for

Amazon can only recommend a product for a need if your listing clearly says what the product is. Start with keyword research, then build a clear title, accurate bullets, and sharp images that follow Amazon’s image rules. 

Earn the ratings

“Highly rated” is the first thing Amazon says about the badge, so reviews come first. Good reviews come from a product that does what the listing promises, then from a friendly nudge after delivery. 

Two Seller 365 tools help here. FeedbackWhiz Emails automates review requests while staying within Amazon’s communication policies. FeedbackWhiz Alerts uses AI to pull sentiment and recurring themes out of customer reviews, so you can fix the complaint that keeps showing up.

Price to win without bleeding margin

“Well-priced” doesn’t mean cheapest. It means competitive for what the shopper gets. Before you cut a price, check what’s left after fees. SmartRepricer then adjusts prices automatically and lets you set margin guardrails, so a price war can’t push you below a number you’ve chosen.

Keep stock and delivery speed strong

Amazon names both availability and fast delivery. A listing that runs out of stock can drop out of the running, so plan your restocks. FBA makes fast delivery the default for most sellers. If you fulfill orders yourself, Seller-Fulfilled Prime is another route to Prime-level speed.

Watch your return rate

Amazon doesn’t list return rate as an input. It does say Choice products tend to be returned less often, and a high return rate hurts you in other ways. Amazon also shows a “Frequently returned item” warning on some listings. The warning tells shoppers to check the details and reviews first, and Amazon says it applies to every seller, including Amazon’s own inventory, based on return-rate data. Sellers have also reported that the Voice of the Customer dashboard in Seller Central shows which products carry the warning and which are at risk, so check it in your account.

Your FBA Returns dashboard in Seller Central shows each product’s return rate, which is the quickest place to spot a problem. Our guide to Amazon’s return policy covers what to do next.

Skip the shortcuts

If a tactic sounds too good to be true, it probably puts your account at risk. Amazon says the badge can’t be bought. That wasn’t always how people saw it. Digiday reported a 2017 pilot where first-party vendors could bid for the badge, and senators later asked Amazon to explain how Choice products get selected. Amazon has since stated plainly that brands can’t pay for it. Spend your effort on the factors you can actually control.

Why the badge comes and goes

Amazon says the products it highlights change as customer preferences and feedback change. In practice, that means a badge can disappear with no warning and no reason code. Losing it doesn’t always mean you did something wrong. A competitor’s review score may have risen, a price may have moved, or stock may have dipped.

There’s also a newer wrinkle. In May 2026, Amazon retired Rufus and launched Alexa for Shopping, an AI assistant built into the Amazon search bar. Amazon hasn’t publicly detailed how Choice labels factor into its answers, and the claims we found about extra weighting had no source from Amazon. For now, the safest plan is the same as before: keep ratings, price, stock, and delivery speed in good shape.

Frequently asked questions about Amazon’s Choice

Who decides which products get Amazon’s Choice?

Amazon’s system does. Amazon says brands can’t pay for the badge or apply for it, and Amazon hasn’t published the full formula.

Can I apply for the badge?

No. Neither brands nor sellers can apply to be considered.

How long does it take to get the badge?

Nobody can promise a timeline. It depends on your ratings, price, stock, and delivery speed compared with similar products.

How long does the badge last?

Amazon doesn’t say. It states that the highlighted products change as customer preferences and feedback change, so treat the badge as something you can lose and win back.

Do I need FBA to get it?

Amazon doesn’t name FBA as a requirement. It does look at fast delivery and availability, and FBA helps many sellers meet both.

Keep earning it

Nobody can guarantee the Amazon’s Choice badge, but you can work on every factor Amazon names: ratings, price, availability, and delivery speed. Seller 365 puts the tools for each in one subscription, including FeedbackWhiz Emails and Alerts for reviews, SmartRepricer for pricing, and InventoryLab for inventory, starting at $69/month. Try Seller 365 free for up to 14 days today.