Three new mandatory ASIN attributes effective October 26 2021

[jenilew]

Hi All,

Starting October 26, 2021, Amazon is introducing three mandatory attributes for listings to standardize counts, weight, and volume.

To provide a better experience for our customers, we are introducing these attributes:

• net_content attribute set (net_content_count, net_content_weight, and net_content_volume)
• item_form
• number_of_items

Additionally, we are adjusting the allowed values for the unit_count_type attribute.

Net_content

The net_content attribute set will be conditionally required for these 8 PTs:

• TOILET_PAPER
• GIFT_WRAP
• SNACK_FOOD_BAR
• PAPER_TOWEL
• LIP_BALM
• FALSE_EYELASH
• EARPLUG
• PROTECTIVE_GLOVE

The net_content_count attribute expresses a count of the number of units within a package and the associated enumeration. For example, the count (number) of water bottles in a pack.

Acceptable values are: count, pair, sheet, and roll.

This attribute is only required when the unit_count attribute is not sufficient to fully describe the net content of an ASIN.

The net_content_weight attribute expresses the weight of the product without packaging. For example, if the product's net weight is 12 ounces and contains 6 items, then the net_content_weight is 72 ounces.

The net_content_volume attribute expresses the amount of product contained by the package when the product is a liquid. For example, if the volume of a shampoo bottle is 10 fluid ounces (fl oz) and the package contains 6 bottles, then the net_content_volume is 60 fl oz.

Item_form

The item_form attribute is changing from optional to required for 124 PTs. This attribute expresses the form of the product. (For example, for the Shampoo product type, the form may be Cream, Liquid, Foam, etc.)

If the ASIN is for one of the affected PTs, the item_form must be specified as one of the available forms listed in the template for that specific product type or as a custom value.

See 'Net Content, Item Form and Number of Items attributes FAQ' to view the affected product types.

NOTE: Specifying a custom value may cause the ASIN to be excluded from features that require normalized values.

This change applies to existing listings. All ASINs within the listed PTs will need to be updated to include the item_form attribute when any update is made to the product information page or listing.

Number_of_items

The number_of_items attribute is changing from optional to required for 154 PTs. This attribute is the lowest level of branded packaging that encases the product sold. For example, the number of packets of oatmeal (rather than the outer box).

See 'Net Content, Item Form and Number of Items attributes FAQ' to view the affected product types.

Note that some products may have multiple layers of nested packaging. The value provided should be the count of the containers of the product not the product itself. For example, coffee pods may have an item_form of 'capsule' but the number_of_items value should be the number of boxes of pods and not the number of capsules within all the boxes.

Additional examples:

Product	Product Type	Item Form	Size	Number of Items
Water Bottles	Water	Liquid	16.9 fl oz (Pack of 24)	24
Snack Bar	Snack_Food_Bar	Bar	18 count (Pack of 1)	1
Pepsi Cans, Pack of 10	Drink_Flavored	Liquid	7.5 fl oz (Pack of 10)	10
Apple Sauce	Fruit_Snack	Sauce	3.9 oz (Pack of 72)	72

Acceptable values are integers.

Unit_count_type

The unit_count_type is an existing required attribute that defines the unit of measure for the product. To standardize the values during ASIN creation or update, the unit_count_type value will be based the combination of the product type and the item_form selected.

For example, listing an item under the Shampoo product type with an item_form of 'liquid' will restrict acceptable values for the unit_count_type to 'fl oz' (fluid ounces).

Which marketplaces are affected?

This change applies to all marketplaces.

Who is affected?

Developer with applications that upload or update product listings use feeds based on the category-specific inventory file templates are affected by this change.

What action is required?

If you have an application that is affected by this change, be sure to:

• Base your application workflow on the latest inventory file templates for your region.
• Ensure the fields in the header line of your feed match the fields in the latest template for that feed.

More information

For more information, see the Seller Central Help article titled, "Net Content, Item Form, and Number of Items details" for your region.

You can also refer to the Seller Central News post titled, "Introducing three mandatory ASIN attributes, effective October 26, 2021".

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are selling partners required to update the information for existing listings?
Yes, All SKUs or ASINs must be updated to improve the buyer experience. If the selling partner has offers on any ASINs for the mentioned PTs, they must update the relevant attribute information.

Note that any ASINs that are also offered by Amazon may have already been updated by Amazon using product information shared by the selling partners during ASIN creation.

Best regards,

The Selling Partner API team