Hello Sellers,
With the holiday season upon us we have seen some question from Sellers regarding VTR or Valid Tracking Rate and FBA Shipment Tracking information. First lets talk about VTR:
What is Valid Tracking Rate?
The Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) measures the percentage of seller-fulfilled orders that have a valid tracking number, calculated over a 30-day period. This metric is important because Amazon customers rely on tracking information to monitor the status of their orders and estimate delivery timelines.
Why is Valid Tracking Rate Important?
The goal of the VTR policy is to ensure Amazon customers receive reliable tracking information to support a positive purchase experience. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date tracking information is crucial for meeting Amazon's Valid Tracking Rate policy and providing a positive experience for your customers. Taking these steps can help you stay compliant and avoid any potential selling restrictions.
How do I maintain a healthy Valid Tracking Rate?
When providing tracking information for seller-fulfilled orders, be sure to select carrier options that are integrated with Amazon. These integrated carriers are able to provide real-time tracking status updates directly to Amazon.
It's important to verify that the carrier name, shipping service, and tracking ID you enter all match and belong to the same integrated carrier. Entering incorrect or mismatched tracking information can negatively impact your Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) metric.
If you make a mistake when entering the tracking details, be sure to update the correct tracking ID within 24 hours of the order being shipped. Updating tracking information after the package has already been delivered implies the customer was unable to track the shipment, which will hurt your VTR.
To simplify the process, consider using Amazon's Buy Shipping services to purchase carrier labels. This helps ensure the tracking details are accurately populated and integrated with the Amazon platform.
FBA Tracking Information
FBA sellers are required to enter the carrier name and tracking information, if your carrier provides it. You must submit the tracking information before your shipment is received at the fulfillment center. This change doesn’t apply if you use the Amazon Partnered Carrier program or Amazon Global Logistics since we generate this information for you.
Providing carrier tracking information helps you to avoid delays in the receiving process and helps us to receive your inventory more efficiently. Additionally, when In-Stock Head Start is active, your out-of-stock products can be made available for sale because we’ll have real-time tracking for in-transit shipments. For faster receive times, make sure that the tracking IDs for parcel shipments correspond to the correct FBA box-ID label on each box.
You can provide tracking information through Send to Amazon on the Track shipment tab of a shipment summary page in your shipment workflow. You can also provide the information through Amazon Marketplace Web Service. For parcel shipments, tracking IDs will be required for every box. For less-than-truckload and full-truckload shipments, a freight progressive number (PRO) will be required for every shipment.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Dominic