Amazon introduces two-part product titles for sellers

Amazon announced a significant change to its product listing structure on April 21, representing the most substantial modification to its marketplace architecture since the platform's inception. The e-commerce giant has begun rolling out a two-part title format that separates basic product identification from marketing highlights, a move that industry experts believe will reshape how brands approach product listings.

According to an email sent to Amazon sellers, the new format splits product titles into two distinct sections. "Clear, Concise Title: Focused on essential identification elements (Brand, Product Type, Model/Style/Flavor, Size, Variation)" and "NEW! Product Highlights: A dedicated space to highlight your product's unique benefits, features, and competitive advantages."

This structural change addresses several critical challenges in the current e-commerce landscape. With over 70% of shopping now occurring on mobile devices, traditional lengthy titles often appear truncated in search results, potentially causing shoppers to miss key selling points. The bifurcated approach aims to solve this problem by ensuring core product information remains visible while creating a dedicated space for distinguishing features.

Industry analyst Spencer Millerberg described the update as a "massive structural shift" in a LinkedIn post published shortly after Amazon's announcement. Millerberg emphasized the competitive implications, noting that early adopters who prepare for the transition will likely gain significant advantages in search visibility.

Technical underpinnings

The technical rationale behind this change extends beyond simple display considerations. Amazon's artificial intelligence engines, including its Cosmo and Rufus systems, require structured, prioritized data to function effectively. The current product title system, which compresses multiple information types into a single field, creates challenges for these AI systems.

"We understand that you need to communicate multiple aspects of your products - from basic identification to unique features and benefits. Currently, all this information gets compressed into a single title, often resulting in lengthy descriptions that may get cut off in search results. This means customers might miss some of your product's key selling points," Amazon explained in its communication to sellers.

The new format creates a more organized data structure that AI systems can parse more effectively, potentially improving the accuracy of product recommendations and search results. This enhancement corresponds with Amazon's broader initiative to improve its AI-driven shopping assistants, which have faced criticism for inconsistent performance.

While Amazon continues to refine specific implementation details, including character limits for each section, the company has emphasized that the transition will not negatively impact product discoverability. This reassurance addresses a primary concern among sellers who have invested significant resources in optimizing their listings under the current system.

Market implications

This change represents more than a cosmetic update to Amazon's interface. Marketing professionals view it as a fundamental shift in how products compete for visibility on the platform. The dedicated "Product Highlights" section creates a standardized location for communicating unique selling propositions, which may reduce the incentive for keyword stuffing in titles.

Meagan Kinmonth Bowman, founder and CEO of STOPWATCH, noted the significance of the announcement, describing it as "game-changing" in a LinkedIn comment. The sentiment was echoed by numerous e-commerce professionals in the discussion thread following Millerberg's post.

For brands and agencies managing Amazon listings, this change necessitates a strategic reconsideration of product content. While the primary title section will focus on factual identification elements, the secondary highlights section presents opportunities for more persuasive marketing language. This distinction may create a more intuitive shopping experience while simultaneously providing more structured data for Amazon's algorithms.

The technical implementation specifics remain under development. "We're still fine-tuning the specifics, including character limits for each section. Rest assured, our goal is to provide you with ample space to effectively communicate your product's value. We're committed to making this transition smooth and beneficial for your business, and importantly, this change will not impact your products' search discoverability," Amazon stated in its announcement.

Consumer experience improvements

From a consumer perspective, the two-part title structure promises several advantages. The format creates clearer, more scannable product listings that communicate essential information more efficiently. This improvement may prove particularly valuable on mobile devices, where screen real estate is limited.

The change aligns with Amazon's ongoing efforts to enhance the mobile shopping experience. The e-commerce platform has progressively optimized its interface for smaller screens, acknowledging the shift toward mobile commerce. This title restructuring represents another step in that evolution, creating a more consistent experience across devices.

"Better Visibility: Core product information remains clear and prominent across all platforms. Enhanced Marketing: Dedicated space to showcase your product's unique selling points. Improved Customer Experience: Easier for shoppers to find and understand your products. Flexible Display: Future opportunity where product highlights will appear contextually based on customer search behavior. Full Control: You maintain complete control over how your product stands out in the marketplace," Amazon detailed as benefits for sellers.

The contextual display of product highlights, mentioned as a "future opportunity" in Amazon's communication, suggests potential for dynamic content presentation based on customer search behavior. This capability would represent a significant advancement in personalized shopping experiences, allowing product listings to emphasize different aspects depending on the customer's apparent interests.

Implementation timeline

Amazon has not publicly announced a specific implementation date for the new format. However, industry analysts predict a rollout in the second or third quarter of 2025, based on Amazon's typical deployment patterns for significant platform changes.

The company is currently gathering seller feedback through a survey referenced in its April 21 communication. "We wanted to remind you to take the survey and share your feedback on the new two-part title format that can help you showcase your products better on Amazon. If you've already completed the survey, please feel free to ignore this message."

This consultative approach indicates that Amazon may refine aspects of the implementation based on seller input, potentially adjusting character limits or display options before full deployment. The company has historically used seller feedback to modify major platform changes before final release.

Sellers are advised to begin preparing for the transition, particularly by reconsidering how they communicate product features and benefits. While the implementation timeline remains flexible, early preparation may provide competitive advantages when the format becomes mandatory.

Data structure impacts

The separation of product identification from marketing highlights creates more structured data that extends beyond simple display improvements. This enhanced structure may enable more sophisticated analysis and optimization of product listings.

Several comments in the LinkedIn discussion following the announcement highlighted the implications for Product Information Management (PIM) systems. These platforms, which help brands manage product data across multiple sales channels, will need to adapt to the new format. Integrating the two-part structure into existing PIM workflows represents a technical challenge for e-commerce operations teams.

The structured approach also creates opportunities for more granular analytics. By separating identification elements from marketing content, Amazon and third-party tools can potentially provide more detailed insights on which elements drive customer engagement and conversion. This data could lead to more refined optimization strategies for product listings.

Industry response

The announcement has generated significant discussion among e-commerce professionals. While many view the change positively, some have expressed skepticism based on experiences with similar formats on other platforms.

One LinkedIn commenter noted that older marketplaces with short and long titles had implemented similar approaches without achieving the stated objectives. This perspective highlights the implementation challenges Amazon faces in ensuring the new format delivers its intended benefits.

Others have emphasized the competitive dynamics created by the transition period. Brands that quickly adapt to the new format may gain search visibility advantages over slower-moving competitors. This potential "land grab" for search ranking positions has prompted agencies and consultants to begin preparing transition strategies for their clients.

The change also impacts the Amazon advertising ecosystem. As organic search results evolve with the new title format, paid advertising strategies may require recalibration. The relationship between organic listing optimization and advertising effectiveness represents another dimension of this platform change that marketing professionals are actively analyzing.

Conclusion

Amazon's introduction of two-part product titles represents a significant evolution in e-commerce product presentation. The change addresses practical challenges in mobile shopping while creating more structured data for AI systems. For marketing professionals, it necessitates a strategic reconsideration of product content organization.

While implementation details continue to develop, the fundamental shift toward separated identification and marketing content appears set to reshape how products compete for visibility on the platform. Brands that recognize the strategic implications and prepare accordingly may gain significant advantages during the transition period.

As e-commerce continues its shift toward mobile and AI-driven experiences, this structural change demonstrates Amazon's efforts to adapt its platform architecture accordingly. The success of this initiative will depend on both technical implementation and seller adoption, factors that will become clearer as the rollout progresses.

Timeline

• April 21, 2025: Amazon sends email to sellers introducing the two-part title format concept and requesting survey feedback
• April 21-24, 2025: Industry discussion emerges on platforms like LinkedIn as professionals analyze implications
• Q2-Q3 2025: Expected implementation timeline, based on analyst predictions
• Pre-implementation period: Sellers advised to prepare by restructuring product content to align with new format
• Post-implementation: Potential competitive "land grab" for search visibility as the format becomes mandatory