Overview

Amazon has upgraded four listing attributes—colour, size, product description, and department—from optional to mandatory across dozens of product categories. The change takes effect immediately, and any new or existing listings that omit these fields risk rejection or suppression. Sellers must update their catalogs now to avoid losing visibility and sales.

Key Points

• Colour name required — Apparel and sporting‑goods items such as shirts, coats, swimwear, and backpacks must include a standardized colour value.
• Size name required — Shirts, sweatshirts, coats, and trousers must specify a size that matches Amazon’s predefined options.
• Product description required — Eighteen categories—including home furnishings, tools, consumer electronics, and auto accessories—must contain a substantive description field.
• Department name required — Backpacks must list the appropriate department (e.g., “Outdoor Gear” or “Travel”).
• Non‑compliant new listings are rejected — Submissions lacking any of the required attributes are blocked at the upload stage.
• Existing ASINs may be suppressed — Amazon warns that listings already live could be hidden from search results if they do not meet the new standards.

What's Changing

1. Colour attribute enforcement — When a seller creates a new shirt listing, the system now checks the colour field against Amazon’s master list (e.g., “Red,” “Navy Blue”). If the entry reads “Reddish” or is left blank, the upload fails with an error code.
2. Size attribute enforcement — For a pair of trousers, the size field must align with Amazon’s size matrix (e.g., “32 W 34 L”). An entry like “Medium” that does not map to the matrix triggers a rejection.
3. Mandatory product description — A listing for a kitchen tool, such as a vegetable peeler, must contain a description of at least 200 characters that accurately details material, usage, and key features. Submissions with a placeholder or empty description are denied.