Amazon Vine Program: How it Works

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the new free Vine enrollment tier announced in October 2023.

Customer reviews play an important role when it comes to sales on the Amazon marketplace. As shoppers, we want to hear what other customers are saying about a product before we buy it. Not being able to try before we buy when purchasing online can bring uncertainty. Customer reviews give buyers reassurance and help them make a more informed buying decision.

When launching new products on Amazon, it can be a challenge to get those first few customer reviews to help get sales rolling. Brands using Vendor Central do not have direct contact with the end consumer, which can make it even more difficult to get those first few reviews.

Amazon Vine is a program that was initially introduced for Amazon vendors, enabling manufacturers and distributors to gain reviews from a trusted customer review pool. It has now expanded to include Brand Registry sellers, making it a powerful tool for brand owners. The program is accessible via Vendor Central or Seller Central (for sellers who are already approved and verified via the Brand Registry). The program gives participants guaranteed, credible reviews from Amazon’s Vine Voices.

In October 2023, Amazon announced that the Vine program is free for enrollment of up to two units per parent ASIN, effective October 19, 2023. You can enroll up to 10 units for $75 or up to 30 units for $200. ASINs must be available via FBA and need to have fewer than 30 ratings in order to be eligible for the program. Watch the video below to learn more.

Note that you must be willing to give products away to reviewers in order to participate. Keep reading to learn more about the program and the various Amazon Vine benefits.

Vine Voices

Products enrolled in the Amazon Vine program will be reviewed by Amazon’s top reviewers known as Vine Voices. Not just anyone can be a Vine Voice—you need to receive an invite from Amazon to participate.

Amazon selects Vine Voices based on the reviewer’s rank. Reviewers are ranked on how helpful their reviews are to other customers and the more recent the review, the greater the impact on rank. It’s not about the quantity of reviews that have been written, it’s about the quality and how helpful the reviews were for other customers.

Amazon Vine Benefits

Amazon training videos state that 90% of consumers read product reviews. Reviews can greatly influence the customer’s buying decision. It helps give the buyer confidence, determine the best product for them, and can distinguish items from the competition. This in turn helps conversion and sales.

90% of consumers read product reviews.

With the Vine program, there is a limit on the number of products that can be reviewed of the same SKU. Amazon recommends sending in at least 5 units with a maximum limit of 30 units. There is no time limit on enrolling, but once a product has 30 reviews, it will be ineligible for the program.

Editor’s note: In March of 2023, Amazon increased the Vine enrollment cap from 60 to 200 ASINs.

The quality of the review is far more important than quantity. A detailed, informative review explaining the item is of more value than 10 reviews that have a few words saying "item is great" and telling the customer very little about the actual product.

Not all customers trust peer reviews, and this was especially the case when there was an influx of biased product reviews being generated by sellers offering free or heavily discounted products in exchange for a review. Amazon’s Vine Voices has resulted in credible, honest reviews because Amazon doesn’t modify or edit reviews, and the brand owner has no contact with the customer.

The Mechanics of Amazon Vine

It is simple for brand owners to be part of the program. All they need to do is log in to Vendor Central or Seller Central and enroll a product into the program by selecting the ASIN to enroll and agreeing to Amazon’s terms and conditions. Brand owners must answer a few questions about the product. Once enrolled, you can choose to have stock pulled from your FBA inventory or send stock in using the provided instructions.

To decide which reviewer reviews what products, Amazon will allow Vine Voices to select products matched to them by category and relevancy. Amazon offers them this product at no cost so that they can provide an honest, unbiased review. Vine Voices will post reviews within 90 days of your enrollment. This means brand owners will start seeing relatively quick benefits once products are enrolled. You won't be charged a fee if the enrolled product doesn't receive any reviews within that timeframe.

Who Should Participate?

Amazon Vine is recommended for all brand owners with new products or items that have few reviews and are struggling to generate sales. With the Vine program, there is no guarantee that the products will receive positive reviews, so be sure you’ve offered a quality item.

Vine Voices will leave honest, unbiased feedback. You want to ensure you are confident that you have a great product before putting it in the hands of public critics. That said, having high-quality reviews can drive conversion and help your product beat out competitors. It’s definitely worth enrolling new products in the Amazon Vine program to help them get traction.