What Is AmazonSmile In 2023? The Complete Guide for Sellers and Shoppers
If you sell on Amazon like I do, you may be wondering – what exactly is AmazonSmile? How does it work, and how can it benefit my business?
AmazonSmile is a program where Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to a charity selected by the customer when they shop on smile.amazon.com. There are no extra fees or costs involved.
As an experienced Amazon seller since 2015, I‘ve seen AmazonSmile grow over the years and want to provide the complete guide on how this charitable program works in 2023.
Whether you‘re a seller looking to engage customers or a shopper interested in giving back, read on for everything you need to know.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
- An Overview of AmazonSmile
- How to Sign Up and Choose a Charity
- Shopping on AmazonSmile vs Regular Amazon
- The Many Charity Options on AmazonSmile
- AmazonSmile Charity Lists Explained
- How Much AmazonSmile Donates
- Tracking Your Impact
- Maximizing Donations as a Seller
- Pros and Cons for Sellers
- How to Promote AmazonSmile as a Seller
- The Bottom Line
An Overview of AmazonSmile
As an Amazon seller since 2015, I‘ve had the chance to witness AmazonSmile grow from a small charitable pilot into a massive force for good.
In 2022 alone, AmazonSmile has donated over $306 million to various charities, with over 1 million organizations participating.
The program was launched in 2013 to make giving back simple. Here‘s a quick look at how it works:
Shoppers visit smile.amazon.com and sign in with their regular Amazon login.
They select a charity to support from over 1 million options.
0.5% of eligible purchases automatically go to their chosen charity at no extra cost.
AmazonSmile donates the amounts given flexible disbursement options.
Shoppers can track lifetime donations and change charities anytime.
It‘s a seamless way for customers to give back while sellers gain exposure. Best of all, there are no fees deducted from donations whatsoever.
Now that we‘ve covered the basics, let‘s dive into the details sellers and shoppers need to know.
How to Sign Up and Choose a Charity
The first step is to head to smile.amazon.com and login using your existing Amazon credentials.
If you don‘t have an account yet, you can easily create one during this process.
Next, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization to support. You can choose from over 1 million nonprofits, ranging from major national charities to local community organizations.
Here are some tips for picking the right charity as a shopper:
Browse by category – Animals, health, education, environment, etc.
Search by name – Know of a specific charity you want to support? Look it up directly.
Vet the charity – Check their mission, reviews, and how donations help.
Choose local – Your dollars can make a big local impact.
As a seller, selecting a top national charity can help raise awareness and show customers you give back.
However, supporting local charities also shows commitment to your community.
Once you‘ve selected a charity, it will be associated with your AmazonSmile account. If the charity becomes ineligible later, you can easily change your selection.
Now, you‘re ready to start shopping and giving back!
Shopping on AmazonSmile vs Regular Amazon
This is a key distinction every AmazonSmile user needs to know:
You must visit smile.amazon.com for purchases to count towards donations.
The checkout process is the same as regular Amazon – quick and seamless. But only purchases on the smile.amazon.com domain will generate charity contributions.
So be sure to bookmark this site on desktop. For mobile, go into settings on the Amazon Shopping app and turn on AmazonSmile.
Here are some more tips for shoppers and sellers:
Add "smile" to your Amazon bookmark or commit it to memory.
Enable mobile notifications for reminders to keep using AmazonSmile.
Select AmazonSmile eligible products – donations only apply for most items sold/shipped by Amazon.
For sellers, suggest customers use AmazonSmile in packaging inserts and promotions. Offer to match a % of their donations as an incentive.
As of October 2022, over 847,000 charities have earned donations from customer purchases on AmazonSmile. So using the right platform makes a big impact.
The Many Charity Options on AmazonSmile
One of the great things about AmazonSmile is the vast selection of charities you can choose to support.
Major nonprofits like United Way, American Red Cross, and Feeding America participate, along with smaller local organizations.
As of October 2022, there are over 1.7 million charities registered with AmazonSmile.
Here is a breakdown of the current charity categories and number available:
Charity Category | Number Registered |
---|---|
Human Services | 552,516 |
Religion Related | 288,866 |
Education | 250,071 |
Health | 241,169 |
Youth Development | 152,897 |
Arts, Culture & Humanities | 150,309 |
Animal Welfare | 149,477 |
Environment | 46,897 |
International Aid | 33,801 |
As you can see, customers have thousands of options to choose from. The most popular charities on AmazonSmile include:
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Feeding America
- The Nature Conservancy
- World Wildlife Fund
- American Red Cross
Beyond major charities, local nonprofits are also available to support like food banks, no-kill shelters, conservation groups, and more.
So take the time to find a cause that matters most to you as a shopper. And as a seller, consider supporting an industry-relevant or local charity to resonate with customers.
AmazonSmile Charity Lists Explained
Beyond regular shopping, there’s another way to give back on AmazonSmile – charity lists.
Participating charities can create AmazonSmile lists of products they need, allowing you to purchase directly for their organization.
It’s like a wedding registry, but for nonprofit essentials!
As a seller, this is a great way to further support your chosen charity or those in need:
Search AmazonSmile for featured charity lists
View each list to see their needs and impact
Purchase requested items that will ship directly to the charity
Get a tax receipt from the nonprofit
For charities, it’s a simple process to build these lists on Amazon Business:
Charities register through AmazonSmile Charity Lists
Create shareable lists of products needed
Receive purchased items and provide donors tax receipts
Show followers how their support makes an impact
So both shoppers and charities can benefit from this fun, seamless giving option on AmazonSmile!
How Much AmazonSmile Donates
One common question about AmazonSmile is – just how much do purchases generate in donations?
The standard donation rate is 0.5% of the price paid for eligible items.
So a $10 purchase = 5 cents to your charity. A $100 purchase = 50 cents donated.
While it may not seem like much at first, those small amounts add up with regular Amazon shopping!
Since launching in 2013, AmazonSmile has donated:
- 2013 – $5 million
- 2014 – $14 million
- 2015 – $25 million
- 2016 – $46 million
- 2017 – $71 million
- 2018 – $106 million
- 2019 – $167 million
- 2020 – $265 million
- 2021 – $306 million
For context, $306 million from 2021 AmazonSmile donations alone could provide:
- 33 million meals from Feeding America
- 7 million weeks of childcare from Save the Children
- Lifesaving healthcare for 150,000 rescue animals at local SPCAs
So even just 0.5% from purchases can make a meaningful impact over time.
Occasionally, Amazon runs special promotions to increase the donation rate too – so keep an eye out!
Tracking Your Impact
As a shopper, it feels good to see just how much you‘re helping your chosen charity over time.
Within your AmazonSmile account, you can easily track lifetime donations generated by your purchases.
The dashboard shows total contributions, plus the impact made possible by your giving.
Amazon also reports donation totals made to each charity and overall on a quarterly basis.
As of Q3 2022, over $306 million has been donated to various charities through AmazonSmile since inception.
So you can stay updated on how both your individual purchases and the program as a whole contribute over time.
This kind of transparency helps customers see firsthand how supporting AmazonSmile makes a difference.
Maximizing Donations as a Seller
As an experienced Amazon seller, I‘ve learned some tips and tricks to maximize AmazonSmile donations:
Choose competitive margins – Donations are percentage-based, so profits matter. Focus category profits into Smile eligible products.
Sell add-ons – Small items like ebooks and streaming cards add up quickly.
Offer bundles – Charity + product bundles promote Smile at checkout.
Share on packaging – Inserts raise awareness on boxes and shipping labels.
Highlight charities – Feature local and niche charities specifically relevant to your brand and customers.
Promote at checkout – Popups and cart reminders to select AmazonSmile boost opt-ins.
Match donations – Encourage first purchases by matching the donation amount.
Following this advice can help maximize the money you raise for charities while promoting your brand.
It does take some extra effort, but giving back is worth it.
Pros and Cons for Sellers
Joining AmazonSmile has clear benefits for raising money and brand exposure as a seller:
Pros
Increase sales with new customer acquisition
Build goodwill and trust
Showcase values and corporate social responsibility
Support local and industry charities
Gain exposure on AmazonSmile dashboard
Easy integration with minimal costs
However, there are some potential drawbacks to consider:
Cons
Lower margins on Smile purchases
Added technical integration
Extra marketing costs to promote
No control over which charities customers choose
Limited selection of eligible products
Chance of donating to controversial group if not vetted
Overall though, most sellers find the benefits far outweigh the costs. Even a small improvement in brand reputation or sales makes joining worthwhile.
How to Promote AmazonSmile as a Seller
To maximize AmazonSmile participation and donations as a seller, promotion is key.
Here are some proven tips:
Email marketing – Send dedicated Smile promos and reminders.
Social media – Share posts highlighting your charity partners.
Packaging inserts – Add Smile flyers and messaging to boxes.
Website banners – Popups and announcements help raise awareness.
Checkout prompts – For direct sales, remind customers to use Smile at checkout.
SMS campaigns – Send texts when charities have an urgent need.
Influencer marketing – Work with ambassadors who align with your charity.
Paid ads – Geo-target customers with relevant charity interests.
PR outreach – Pitch media with charity impact stories.
With regular visibility across channels, you can increase AmazonSmile sign-ups and keep shoppers engaged in giving back.
The Bottom Line
In summary, AmazonSmile is a standalone charitable program where Amazon donates 0.5% of purchases to customer-selected charities when shopping at smile.amazon.com.
It offers an easy way for shoppers to give back at no cost, while allowing sellers to support causes, gain exposure, and build goodwill.
With over 1 million charities and $306 million donated, AmazonSmile makes an ever-growing impact.
As an experienced ecommerce seller, I recommend taking advantage of this program to embed social responsibility into your brand while potentially increasing sales.
So next time you shop on Amazon or sell new products, remember to smile – and make a positive difference!