An ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) is the 10-character alphanumeric code Amazon assigns to each product in its catalog. It appears in the product URL and in the Product Information section of the listing. For books, the ASIN is the ISBN-10. One ASIN corresponds to one product detail page, and every seller offering that exact product lists against the same ASIN.
Why it matters
The ASIN is the unit almost everything on Amazon is organized around. Advertising campaigns promote ASINs. Reviews, rank, Buy Box, A+ Content, Brand Analytics and Search Query Performance are all reported by ASIN. Catalog problems such as duplicate detail pages, wrong variation relationships and hijacked listings are all questions of which ASIN a product or offer is attached to.
Because ASINs are shared, they are also where control is contested. On a page you do not own through Brand Registry, other sellers' contributions can change the title or images. And if a product is created twice with different identifiers, Amazon ends up with two ASINs for the same item, splitting reviews and rank between them until they are merged.
What moves it
- Product identifiers. A new ASIN is created when a listing is submitted with a UPC, EAN or other GTIN that does not already exist in the catalog, or under a GTIN exemption for brands approved for one.
- Brand ownership. Brand-registered owners can lock key attributes on their ASINs.
- Variation relationships, which nest child ASINs under a parent.
- Catalog changes by Amazon, which can merge, split or reassign ASINs, sometimes without notice.
How we use it
Every plan, report and campaign we build is organized by parent ASIN, so the numbers roll up the way the catalog does. Catalog audits check for duplicate ASINs, mismatched identifiers and ASINs that have drifted into the wrong browse node. Where an ASIN has been created wrongly or merged wrongly, we work the correction through Seller Support with the identifiers and evidence attached.