Overview

Amazon is upgrading its catalog standards by turning four formerly optional product attributes into mandatory fields for dozens of categories. The required attributes—color name, size name, product description, and department name—take effect immediately, and listings that omit them will be blocked or suppressed. Sellers need to adjust both new and existing listings to avoid disruptions and maintain visibility.

Key Points

• Color name now required — Apparel categories such as shirts, sweatshirts, sporting‑goods tops, pants, coats, swimwear, sweaters, vests and shorts must include a specific color value, e.g., “Midnight Navy” instead of leaving the field blank.
• Size name now required — For shirts, sweatshirts, coats and pants, a size identifier like “Large” or “34 × 30” must be supplied; listings that previously used only a generic “One Size” will be rejected.
• Product description mandatory — Eighteen product types ranging from home textiles (curtains, rugs) to electronics accessories (phone cases) and powersports parts now need a detailed description field, such as a 200‑character paragraph outlining key features.
• Department name required for backpacks — Every backpack listing must specify the department (e.g., “Sports & Outdoors”) to help Amazon place the item in the correct browse tree.
• Broad impact on high‑volume segments — Categories with large seller bases—health & personal care, home bed & bath, and consumer electronics—are among those affected, meaning many sellers will need to update sizable inventories.

How the New Requirements Work

1. Submission validation — When a seller creates a new listing for an affected product type, Amazon’s catalog system checks for the presence of each required attribute.
   • Example: A seller uploading a new “Women’s Athletic Shorts” entry must include a color (“Electric Blue”) and a size (“Medium”); if either field is missing, the system returns an error and halts the upload.
2. Data feed enforcement — Bulk uploads, flat‑file templates, and API calls must contain columns for the four attributes. Empty cells trigger immediate rejection.