[Tutorial] Loading Image Swatches to Amazon - Template Upload

In this tutorial video, Steven Pope, the founder of My Amazon Guy, shares valuable insights and step-by-step instructions on how to add image swatches to your Amazon product listings.

The video begins with an introduction to the topic, emphasizing the importance of showcasing color variations on a parentage to provide a better visual representation of the product. Steven advises viewers to access their inventory reports by navigating through the menu options and downloading the category listings report. He also mentions the need to request Amazon's support to enable this beta feature if it's not readily available.

The tutorial then delves into the process of locating the Swatch column within the downloaded report. Steven demonstrates how to use the "Control+F" function to search for the term "Swatch" and identifies the specific category-specific inventory file where the column can be found. He addresses a recent change made by Amazon that removed the Swatch field from some templates, leading him to provide alternative methods to find the required data.

Steven explains the concept of the Swatch image URL and provides examples of how it should be formatted. He suggests hosting the swatch image on a platform like WordPress, Shopify, or a third-party image hosting site, and then linking the URL within the template. He highlights the importance of using the correct format for the URL and clarifies the update type, emphasizing the usage of "partial update" in the template.
The tutorial also covers the process of saving the template file and uploading it using the Amazon inventory uploader. Steven guides viewers through the necessary steps, including browsing for the saved file, uploading it, and monitoring the upload status. He assures viewers that a successful upload will result in the Swatch image being displayed on the product listing.

He discusses the considerations involved in deciding whether to use a Swatch image or a text-based variation for certain products. He showcases examples of both approaches and explains the significance of choosing the appropriate method based on the product's characteristics and customer preferences.

This tutorial provides a detailed walkthrough of the process of loading image swatches to Amazon product listings through template upload. By following Steven Pope's expert guidance, sellers can enhance their product presentations, improve customer experience, and potentially boost sales. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced Amazon seller, this informative video equips you with the knowledge and practical steps to leverage image swatches effectively.

00:00 Loading Image Swatches to Amazon - Template Upload
00:06 Accessing Inventory Reports
00:19 Requesting the Category Listings Report
00:39 Locating the Swatch Column in the Category Listings Report
01:49 Searching for Swatch in Template Files
03:01 Finding the Swatch Column in the Category-Specific Inventory Files
03:32 Understanding the Swatch Image URL
04:06 Generating a Swatch URL and Formatting it
05:30 Filling in the Template with SKU, Swatch URL, and Update Type
06:35 Uploading the Excel File to Amazon Inventory
07:12 Verifying Successful Upload and Swatch Display
08:29 Swatch Variation Considerations and Examples
09:03 Limitations of Manually Adding Swatches to Parentage Variations

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[stevensmith]

Great content as always Steven. Just as a side note we have not had success using Google Drive for image URLs. We used Amazon’s own AWS.

[luciaiglesias]

Exactly what I was looking for. May I upload as main image an image that shows the different variations of the product for the customer to pick just one? Or does Amazon automatically think that needs to be a bundle?

[sameerajabeen]

Hello steven, got a faint idea on how to upload swatches. I want to confirm if we can upload diffrent swatch url on diffrent child row's.
For eg: child product which is blue in colour gets swatch url of blue and same category child product which is of colour red gets url of red.
What I'm trying to ask is if we can add diffrent swatch URLs to different child products of same parent?
Hope you understand what I'm trying to convey. It'll be great help, please.

[DanicaElloran-fp]

Hi! Is it possible to select variation theme "style" and upload a swatch image url then the image will appear instead of text box?

[craiganderson]

Hey Steve, thanks for the share. Do you know how to change the color swatch circles that appear under the listings on the search results?

[admontgomery]

Do you know the solution to doing this in vendor central rather than seller central?

[armiage]

Thanks for the video. Is it possible to change from "Stlye" variation to "Color" variation after the fact? Or is there a way to add a swatch if you're using the Style variation?

[stevensmith]

Sorry, one more question and a little off topic. We recently successfully using experiments on Amazon was able to change one of our main images from a white background to a lifestyle background. It resulted in a 45% increase in sales with the experiment data indicating that there was a 97% chance the lifestyle image is better. The result was also published after four weeks. This was an awesome result and a clear indication that the lifestyle image provides a superior customer experience.

We tried to repeat this experiment with a similar product but this time Amazon keeps rejecting the lifestyle image as it does not have a white background and will not allow the experiment to commence. Have tried several times with the same outcome.

Any ideas how we may overcome this roadblock? This is the UK site by the way. TIA

[ToniRZK]

Hello Steven. In your guide is recomended naming image Product SKU + View Indicator + File Extension. But what if I named swatch image with ASIN?

[BaileyBui]

Hello, when getting the url from IMGUR what link would you use?

[stevensmith]

One of our products has solid coloured swatches. Can we replace using your method with a swatch containing the product instead (I guess using your method to reverse the application of colour swatches?)

[blesswoodengravings]

Does this work on 2-step variations? Ex: Flavor Size

[blesswoodengravings]

What if there are duplicate SKUs for one ASIN? I'm wondering because the swatch image needs to be renamed by its SKU

[tgaff]

If you press the plus button above the main image tab once you have your generated template it opens up the rest of the images and Swatch image will be there.