Overview

Effective March 15 2023, Amazon will adjust the GET_BRAND_ANALYTICS_SEARCH_TERMS_REPORT API. The revision automatically fills the department column with the official marketplace name (for instance, “Amazon.ca” for Canada) and tightens the algorithm that assigns each keyword its search‑frequency rank. Sellers who depend on Brand Analytics to measure shopper interest and fine‑tune listings need to understand how these defaults will reshape data pulls and keyword planning.

Key Points

• Marketplace name auto‑populated — Every row now includes the exact Amazon marketplace label, such as “Amazon.com” for the United States or “Amazon.co.uk” for the United Kingdom, eliminating blank entries.
• More accurate frequency ranking — The calculation that orders keywords by how often they are searched has been refined, delivering a tighter, more reliable ranking list.
• API contract unchanged — Request parameters, response schema, and pagination continue to operate exactly as they did before the March 2023 update.
• Backward‑compatible code — Existing integrations that ignored the department field will still run, but any logic that filtered or parsed that column must now handle a populated value.
• Simplified cross‑region reporting — Consistent marketplace identifiers make it easier to build dashboards that compare keyword performance across multiple Amazon sites.

How the Updated Report Works

1. Send the GET_BRAND_ANALYTICS_SEARCH_TERMS_REPORT request — A seller‑focused application calls the endpoint, supplying the marketplace identifier, desired date range, and report type. Example: A German vendor requests data for 01‑Feb‑2023 through 28‑Feb‑2023 using marketplace ID A1PA6795UKMFR9.
2. Amazon creates the CSV with department filled — While generating the file, Amazon inserts the marketplace’s official name into the department column for each keyword entry. Example: For the German request, every line shows “Amazon.de” rather than an empty string.
3. Search‑frequency rank is recomputed — The service re‑evaluates raw search volumes and assigns a new rank that reflects the latest internal weighting rules. : A term that previously appeared at rank 180 may now sit at rank 130 if its relative search activity has increased.