Product data requirements for Amazon: The complete seller reference 

How do Amazon’s product data requirements work?

Amazon’s catalog organizes every product into a specific product type, a classification that determines exactly which attributes your listing must include. A pillow, for example, belongs to a product type that groups it with bed pillows, throw pillows, and furniture pillows. 

Product types like SHIRT or LAPTOP_COMPUTER each carry their own JSON Schema, retrieved through Amazon’s Product Type Definitions API, which defines the precise fields, data formats, and constraints your submission must satisfy before Amazon accepts it into the catalog.

Before you build out any listing, you need to understand how Amazon product data attributes are split between product-level and offer-level data, because they serve different purposes and are owned by different parties.

Amazon deprecated its legacy XML and flat file listing feeds on July 31, 2025, meaning any application still using those feed types now receives a fatal processing error. 

Sellers and developers using the Listings Items API and JSON-based feeds gain uniform data requirements across product types, clearer validation errors, and the ability to submit pricing, inventory, images, and relationships in a single workflow rather than separate feeds.

Amazon required product attributes: A field-by-field reference

Amazon product listing requirements cover eleven core fields that must be present before any listing goes live. Missing or non-compliant data in any of these fields will either block submission or trigger suppression after publication without warning.

• SKU 
  
  Your stock-keeping unit is the unique identifier you assign to each product in your own inventory system. Amazon uses it to match your offer to the correct ASIN and to process updates to price, quantity, and other offer-level data.
  
  ■ Practical tip: Use a consistent SKU naming convention across your catalog from the start. Changing a SKU later requires deleting and recreating the listing.
• Product title 
  
  Product titles must not exceed 200 characters, including spaces, a limit Amazon enforced universally from January 21, 2025. Titles cannot include promotional phrases, cannot repeat the same word more than twice, and must not use special characters like !, $, ?, or _ unless they are part of a registered brand name. Amazon recommends keeping titles to 80 characters or fewer for mobile, since longer titles get truncated in search results.
  
  ■ Practical tip: Follow Amazon’s recommended sequence: Brand > Flavor or style > Product type > Key attribute > Color > Size or pack count > Model number.
• Product description
  
  The description gives you space to explain your product in full sentences, covering features, use cases, and key specifications. It appears on the detail page below the fold and supports HTML line breaks, though other HTML tags are not permitted. If you are enrolled in Brand Registry, A+ Content replaces the standard description field, so invest time there instead.
  
  ■ Practical tip: If you’re enrolled in Brand Registry, A+ Content replaces the standard description field on the detail page, so invest time there instead.
• Bullet points 
  
  Bullet points appear prominently on the detail page, giving customers a quick way to evaluate key product features. Amazon allows up to five bullet points for most standard listings, with some categories permitting more. Each bullet should lead with a benefit or feature and stay factual, with no promotional language, pricing, or shipping claims.
  
  ■ Practical tip: Place your most important feature in the first bullet since mobile displays often truncate the list after the second or third point.
• Main image 
  
  The main product image must be a professional photograph of the actual product, not an illustration or placeholder. It requires a pure white background with RGB values of 255, 255, 255; the product must fill at least 85% of the frame, and the minimum image size is 500 pixels on the longest side. If no compliant main image is present, Amazon may suppress the listing from search.
  
  ■ Practical tip: Shoot at 2,000 pixels or more on the longest side to enable zoom, which Amazon associates with higher conversion rates.
• Price and quantity
  
  Price is offer-level data that belongs to your seller account and does not affect the shared ASIN detail page. You must provide a current price for a listing to be active. A listing with zero available quantity goes inactive and disappears from search results. Keeping stock levels accurate across every channel is what prevents listings from going dark without warning.
• Product category and type 
  
  Selecting the correct product type at listing determines which attribute template Amazon applies. Choosing the wrong category means required attributes for the correct type will appear missing, leading to listing errors or misclassification.
  
  ■ Practical tip: Use Amazon’s Select a Product Type tool before creating a new listing to confirm the correct classification and download the corresponding attribute template.
• GTIN (UPC, EAN, or ISBN) 
  
  Amazon requires a valid Global Trade Item Number for most product categories to create a new ASIN. GTINs must come from GS1 directly or an authorized source; submissions with unauthorized GTINs will be blocked. Books use ISBNs; North American products typically use UPCs; and European- or globally distributed products use EANs.
  
  ■ Practical tip: If your product is handmade, private label, or a custom bundle without a barcode, apply for a GTIN exemption through the Add a Product workflow before attempting to create the listing.
• Brand 
  
  The brand name on your listing must match the name registered in Amazon Brand Registry if you are enrolled, or be authorized for use if you are reselling. Submitting an unregistered or unauthorized brand name triggers error codes that block listing creation. For unbranded products, enter “Generic” in the Brand name field rather than leaving it blank.
• Condition 
  
  Condition tells customers and Amazon what state the product is in: New, Used, Refurbished, or Collectible, each with sub-conditions. The field must be explicitly declared regardless of the product’s condition. Misrepresenting a condition is a violation of Amazon’s listing policies and grounds for account action.

Managing eleven core attributes across a growing catalog is straightforward enough on a single channel. But when your products span multiple marketplaces, each with its own listing rules and update cycles, keeping every attribute accurate and consistent becomes a significant operational challenge that compounds quickly at scale.

Amazon product data requirements by category: What changes beyond the basics

Universal required attributes get your listing into Amazon’s catalog. Category-specific attributes determine whether it stays there and performs. Starting September 12, 2023, Amazon required 274 attributes across 200 product types for new listings in the US marketplace, with further expansions through 2025. 

The categories below account for the majority of attribute-related listing errors and suppressions sellers encounter.

Variations

Products that come in multiple sizes, colors, or styles require two additional attributes to function correctly. item_group_id links all child ASINs to their parent listing, and variation_theme defines what dimension varies across those children. 

One format change catches sellers during feed migration: variation_theme used CamelCase in legacy flat files (SizeName), but JSON submissions require underscore format (Size_Name). 

Never submit variation data for the same parent ASIN through both a legacy flat file and the Listings Items API simultaneously, as duplicate submissions delay processing and destabilize the variation structure.

Amazon’s catalog spans hundreds of product types beyond those listed here, each with its own attribute schema and conditional requirements.

Review the category-specific requirements and product type and attributes pages in Seller Central, and download the relevant inventory file template for your specific product type before building your feed.

What A+ content and rich media do for your Amazon listings

Amazon’s own data shows that Basic A+ Content can increase sales by up to 8%, and well-implemented Premium A+ Content can increase sales by up to 20%, numbers that reflect how directly content quality shapes digital shelf performance. Both are available to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry with a Professional selling account, and neither requires additional spend beyond the time it takes to build the content correctly.

A+ Content

Basic A+ Content lets you replace the standard product description with a structured content area that supports text, enhanced images, your brand logo, technical specification charts, and shoppable comparison tables across up to five modules per ASIN. 

Premium A+ Content expands that footprint to seven modules and unlocks larger full-width images, integrated 720p video, interactive hotspot overlays, clickable image carousels, and Q&A sections. A Brand Story module sits separately on the detail page under a “From the brand” heading and can link customers to your full Amazon storefront.

A+ Content guidelines prohibit pricing, promotional claims, references to competitors, QR codes, and contact information. Awards or endorsements must be substantiated with the certifying body and year. Content goes live after passing Amazon’s validation review.

Additional images and video

Every product requires at least one compliant main image, but Amazon’s product image guide recommends uploading at least 6 additional images and 1 video per listing. Additional images are not required to have a white background and can include lifestyle photography, infographics, dimension diagrams, and in-use shots.

Backend search terms

Backend search terms are hidden from shoppers but indexed by Amazon’s search algorithm. The field has a strict limit of 250 bytes; exceeding it causes Amazon to ignore the entire field rather than truncating it. 

Use the space for synonyms, common misspellings, and alternative phrases that do not already appear in your title, bullet points, or description to improve discoverability. Repeating visible keywords wastes bytes and provides no additional indexing benefit.

What are the most common Amazon listing errors, and how should you fix them?

Listing suppression happens without a notification. Unlike a failed feed submission that returns an error code, a suppressed listing stops appearing in search results. Identify suppressed listings through Seller Central by going to Inventory, selecting Manage All Inventory, and filtering by Search Suppressed and Inactive Listings.

1. Missing or incomplete attributes

Attributes that were optional when a listing was first published may now be mandatory following Amazon’s attribute expansions. Amazon quietly suppresses ASINs rather than notifying you proactively, making thorough product data enrichment essential before a listing ever goes live.

• How to fix: Use the Fix Your Products tool in Seller Central under Inventory > Manage All Inventory > Search Suppressed and Inactive Listings to identify missing fields and fill them directly from that interface. 

2. GTIN errors

A GTIN error means the product ID does not match the GS1 database, the GTIN is already associated with a different product, or you are attempting to create a detail page for a product that already exists. Amazon’s product detail page rules require GTINs from GS1 or an authorized source directly.

• How to fix: Confirm the GTIN against your GS1 registration. If the error references an existing ASIN, match your offer to it rather than creating a new detail page. If the conflict is incorrect, contact Seller Support with your GS1 documentation before relisting.

3. Title policy violations

Amazon listing requirements 2025 introduced a universal 200-character title limit, prohibiting specific special characters unless they are part of a registered brand name, and limiting word repetition to a maximum of twice per title. Amazon may automatically correct non-compliant titles if you do not update them within 14 days of being flagged.

• How to fix: Audit your full catalog against the current title requirements proactively. For flagged titles, remove policy violations and submit a compliant alternative within the 14-day correction window.

4. Image non-compliance

The most common violations are backgrounds that are not pure white (RGB 255, 255, 255), products that fill less than 85% of the frame, and main images that include text overlays, watermarks, or props not included with the product.

• How to fix: Go to Catalog in Seller Central, select Upload Images, and check the Submission Status report for flagged issue reasons. Correct the violations, verify the background RGB value using a color picker tool before re-uploading, and Amazon will automatically lift the suppression once a compliant image is accepted.

5. Category misclassification

Listing under the wrong product type means Amazon applies the wrong attribute schema, required attributes appear missing, and your product may surface in irrelevant search results or not at all.

• How to fix: Use Amazon’s Product Classifier or the Select a Product Type tool to confirm the correct classification. Correcting a misclassified listing usually requires creating a new ASIN under the correct product type, since product type is not an editable field after listing creation. Getting classification right from the start is part of building a sound Amazon product strategy that holds up as your catalog scales.

6. Flat-file migration issues

Attribute names that use CamelCase in flat files use underscore notation in JSON, unit-of-measure values require full names rather than abbreviations, and enum values for attributes like variation_theme and merchant_shipping_group follow different conventions entirely. Submitting the same listing data through both the old and new workflows simultaneously will also generate processing conflicts.

• How to fix: Work through the attribute mapping documentation to reconcile your data format before resubmitting. Use Amazon’s validation mode to test submissions against the JSON Schema without pushing them live, then run a full catalog resubmission once your data passes cleanly.

How a PIM solution keeps your Amazon listings compliant

Catalog management at scale without a PIM for e-commerce means manually tracking attribute changes across dozens of product type schemas, absorbing rejected submissions, and chasing down the source of downrated listings. Inriver gives your team a single place to enrich, validate, and handle product data syndication across every channel you sell on.

Inriver Syndicate Advance checks your data against each endpoint’s requirements before anything is submitted, so you catch missing or misformatted attributes on your side rather than waiting for Amazon to reject the feed. Through the ChannelEngine integration, you can extend that coverage to international marketplaces, keeping product data, stock, and pricing synchronized across Google, Alibaba, Temu, and every other channel from your PIM as the single source.

Schedule a personalized, guided demo to see how Inriver manages Amazon compliance across a live catalog.