Even when third party sellers represent a large volume of a company’s products in the marketplace, the Amazon Marketplace is such a tightly controlled environment that enrolling products in the Transparency by Amazon program activates a very effective anti-counterfeiting benefit. Products enrolled in the Transparency by Amazon program can usually be identified by the data matrix codes they bear alongside a “Transparency by Amazon” tagline. While almost all products previously enrolled in Transparency by Amazon feature a data matrix code, the Amazon interoperability program is a way to use codes a product is already using, including QR codes. In addition to companies having the option to use their own codes, interoperability means that Transparency by Amazon features can now be offered alongside other features that companies are already taking advantage of through the use of a single QR code.

This article will take you through the requirements and features related to Transparency by Amazon and discuss why enrolling products through the interoperability options may be a better option for companies that want additional benefits from codes on their products, including regulatory compliance, anti-counterfeiting, traceability data management, and consumer engagement. There are some basics regarding Transparency by Amazon to get out of the way first though.

Amazon Transparency is a brand protection service that’s offered to companies selling products bearing a government-registered trademark on the Amazon marketplace. If your company does not have a government-registered trademark, you have other options for anti-counterfeiting, but Transparency by Amazon is not for you. For companies that do have their trademarks registered, the most important requirement for enrollment in the Amazon brand registry is covered. At the most basic level, Transparency by Amazon is a system based on item-level serialization that is exceptionally effective at controlling and even eliminating the instance of counterfeits being sold on the Amazon marketplace. Before any product enrolled in Transparency by Amazon can be shipped to a customer, Amazon ensures that the product is scanned before it can be collected for delivery at its fulfillment centers. Products heading for delivery with missing or invalid codes are efficiently flagged as defective and prevented from ever leaving the warehouse. The result is the elimination of up to 99% of returns due to several issues including instances of counterfeits.

Here are some of the benefits activated with Transparency by Amazon enrollment:

Product version tracking: Amazon Marketplace offers well known conveniences to companies that typically experience a net positive result by selling products on the marketplace. Among a few of the frequent pitfalls that companies experience selling on the marketplace is returns. Among the top reasons for returns is that buyers receive an unexpected version of their desired product.

Especially in the consumer electronic realm, popular products tend to be released in frequently updating generational versions such that older models are not unlikely to be sold at the same time on the marketplace. When a customer orders what they assume to be the latest generation of a product but receive an earlier generation, the chance for a return increases substantially. Returns frequently mean product destruction and result in a loss. Managing this challenge is one of the reasons Transparency by Amazon is chosen by so many companies. Companies will also have other reasons to ensure that the correct version of a product is shipped to the customer. Regionally relevant regulatory compliance is just one more example of those reasons.

Customer trust: When customers are offered a way to personally verify product authenticity using their phone, confidence in the brand and ín making the purchase is increased, whether it is bought on the Amazon Marketplace or not. The “Verified by Transparency” badge signals a commitment.

Supply chain visibility & defect reduction: when returns happen for any reason, being able to reference serial numbers to batches or distributors is quite literally money in the bank. If a company can identify supply chain defects, it can reduce those defects. That ultimately lowers costs and improves quality, which typically leads to better business outcomes.

Global brand protection: Enrolling a product with Transparency by Amazon establishes protection in all countries where Transparency is available. As of April 2025, Transparency by Amazon is available in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and India. For Transparency by Amazon facilitated brand protection in these countries and any others, at least for now, Transparency by Amazon interoperability remains an option, but that is addressed later in this article.

Product diversion protection: Because Transparency by Amazon has a checkout component where every product sold is registered before being shipped, there is an anti-diversion element to the program. Product diversion is when authentic products intended for one market are sold, without authorization, in a different, international market. This is also known as grey market sales.

Amazon Transparency was designed to proactively prevent the sale and shipment of counterfeit and “inaccurate” or “defective” products using unique codes that are assigned to individual product units. Here’s how any company can facilitate the process.

1. Choose which products you want to enroll and…get them enrolled:

There are practical reasons, including budget, that will help you decide which products should be chosen for enrollment in the Transparency by Amazon program. Factors like the product’s susceptibility to counterfeiting, the product’s share of business, profit margins, and whether the item is already being sold on the Amazon marketplace or not. A back of the envelope calculation can tell you whether the benefits of protection outweigh the effort and costs making it easier to justify which products should be enrolled..

Enrollment in Transparency by Amazon has several requirements. The first requirement you need to consider is enrollment in the Amazon Brand Registry. Being included in the brand registry requires a government-registered trademark. No trademark, no enrollment. Products slated for enrollment will also need an ID number such as the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) via a Universal Product Code (UPC), a 13-digit European Article Number (EAN) such as those included in the GS1 standard, or International Standard Book Number (ISBN). Finally, each product will need to be paired with a unique serial number.

2. Apply Transparency codes to your selected products:

Once you’ve enrolled a product, you need to gather your unique, alphanumeric, non-sequential codes for every single unit manufactured for that product. To some degree, it doesn’t matter where you get these numbers: they can be requested and provided by Amazon but if your company already applies unique serial codes to its products for other purposes, like warranty tracking, it’s very likely that you can use those codes with Transparency by Amazon. Either way, Amazon will need the unique codes for your products: it is a critical component to how Transparency by Amazon works. With that step resolved, the products will need to have the codes associated by a physical application to the product packaging or by the codes being integrated into the product packaging through variable data printing methods. For the purposes of the Transparency by Amazon program, it doesn’t matter if you apply individual labels or integrate your codes by printing directly on product or packaging during the manufacturing/packaging process.

It’s important to understand the difference in the types of codes available for products to be enrolled in Transparency by Amazon. While data matrix codes have been the default code type for products enrolled in the program, interoperability has been developed to give you the option to use QR codes. Many companies already have QR codes integrated with their products, making this a game changer for participating in the program. Here are some important requirements for using codes you’ve already integrated into your products, including other code types:

• Codes must be unique for every unit of a specific GTIN/SKU.
• Codes must be externally visible/scannable in 1D, 2D, or QR format.
• Codes must be applied on the same side of the packaging as the GTIN.
• Codes must be non-sequential, between 7 and 20 characters long.
• You must share all serial numbers for a specific SKU/GTIN with Amazon.

3. Transparency codes are scanned to ensure only authentic units are shipped:

The core step in Transparency by Amazon is when products get scanned. This happens at critical times that ensure the supply chain has not been compromised. For products Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), Amazon scans the Transparency code on each unit early in the delivery process. Selling partners can also be involved in this step, so long as the authorized seller scans product Transparency codes before shipping any item to a customer.

Should a code be missing, invalid, or not match an authentic code provided by the brand for that specific product, Amazon or the selling partner simply won’t ship the unit. That’s how the preparation and characteristics of the system pay off to stop counterfeits or some defective products from reaching customers. Reportedly, products enrolled in Transparency by Amazon regularly eliminate 99% of problems due to this tight integration between product registration, identification, and delivery. It’s also nice that customers can confirm product authenticity themselves, regardless of where they made their purchase. With interoperability focused integrations of Transparency by Amazon, there’s no need for a special app, even the Amazon shopping app can verify authenticity of enrolled products.

4. Engage with customers using product data, images, videos, promotions, and more:

Any scan of a valid Transparency code can be set up by sellers to present additional information beyond an authenticity confirmation. This can include product information, warranty details, regulatory information such as recycling or carbon emissions details, setup guides, videos, special promotions, or other links to your company website.

These are benefits that go well beyond the authenticity confirmation option. Connecting directly with customers post-purchase gives companies valuable consumer information. Customers’ regional information alone opens up several possibilities that will be interesting to both the sales and marketing teams as well as regulatory compliance professionals.

Transparency by Amazon has been around for a while, this means there are plenty of well known companies already taking advantage of the benefits offered with program enrollment. Here is a list of companies that have products enrolled in Transparency by Amazon, organized by industry:

Consumer Electronics & Accessories:

• Fujitsu (IT equipment, services)
• Remington (Personal care appliances)
• Samsung (Electronics)
• Vizio (TVs and soundbars)
• MindBeast (Audio gear e.g. headphones)
• Logitech (Computer peripherals)
• Belkin (Computer peripherals, accessories)
• Yaheetech (Often includes electronics accessories, home office furniture)
• CarbonKlean (Optical lens cleaning technology)
• Skull Candy (Audio gear e.g. headphones)
• Philips (Various consumer electronics)

Home Goods / Tools / Outdoor:

• Weber (Grills and accessories)

Health & Personal Care:

• Naples Naturals (Likely health/wellness products)
• RhinoSystems (Creator of Naväge Nasal Care)

Food & Beverage:

• Kettle & Fire (Bone broth and soups)

Games & Toys:

• Cards Against Humanity (Card game)
• Taco vs Burrito (Card game)
• Brickerlabs (Custom parts compatible with LEGO)

Pet Supplies:

• Tetra (Fish food and aquarium supplies)

Apparel & Accessories:

• Beard Head (Novelty hats/headwear)
• Groove Life (Silicone rings, watch bands)
• Windhorse (Brand category less specific, often apparel/accessories/gifts)

One of the most compelling reasons for companies to enroll in Transparency by Amazon should be to ultimately improve business outcomes, including more sales. Of course, it’s difficult to guarantee any one benefit, but here’s a list of benefits that companies should consider when deciding whether or not to enroll products in Transparency by Amazon with interoperability.

Unique item-level codes: Transparency requires that unique, non-sequential codes be assigned to every individual unit of an enrolled product. These codes can be obtained directly from Transparency by Amazon but you can also use your own, compatible unique serial numbers. With the flexibility allowed by Transparency by Amazon, companies can use the serialized unit numbers they are already using for other purposes. If you’re not yet using serialized codes, issuing those from your own workflow software, whether it is a third party solution or not, is far less disruptive and less of an operational barrier to enrollment. All of this is possible with interoperability options.

Customer authentication app integration: By default, Transparency by Amazon is set up to read data matrix codes with free Transparency compatible apps for end users that are available via Google Play or the Apple App Store. In fact, Transparency codes can be read using at least one of three different options. The first two options are the dedicated Transparency app and the main Amazon Shopping mobile app. A third option is that interoperability allows for authentication checks to happen through a custom app that any brand can custom build to suit their requirements while integrating the Amazon API. This is where it gets interesting. should a company not want to send authentication data and product interaction information back to Amazon but still want to take advantage of Transparency by Amazon while making an authentication experience available to end users, interoperability is key. This is because while Transparency by Amazon has a near perfect rate of eliminating counterfeits through their strict fulfillment-staged product scans that happen just before product shipment, using a third party authentication solution means that end users can have an instant authentication experience all while keeping authentication data isolated from Amazon. In either case, companies are allowed to display “Verified by Transparency” on their products as all product requirements will have been met.

Data insights and reporting: Transparency by Amazon provides visibility into product return data, linking returns to specific units, batches/lots, and distributors, and fulfillment time and location information. That’s where the data with traditional enrollment ends. Interoperability offers several other dimensions of data related to consumer interactions. Everything from authentication attempts, to demographic details, and the opportunity to collect end-user supplied form data all become possible with interoperability.

Earlier in this article, we shared the requirements for product enrollment in the Transparency by Amazon program. How you plan to implement your codes – direct package integration or adhesive labels – determines whether they’ll be issued by Transparency by Amazon or generated using your software and workflow.

The following steps assume that you’ve already registered with the Amazon Brand Registry portal. Registering in the Amazon Brand Registry portal is a hard requirement for enrolling products in the program regardless of which options you choose for enrolling your products.

The four steps to getting Transparency by Amazon codes on your products:

Step one: decide on your implementation option

• • Choose between Amazon-issued codes or serial codes you already use or have obtained from a third-party provider: If you already serialize every unit with unique codes that meet specific requirements (externally scannable 1D/2D/QR, 7-22 non-sequential characters, etc.), you choose to take the “Interoperability” path, which is facilitated by a Transparency by Amazon integration specialist.
  • If you’ve chosen to use Amazon-issued Transparency by Amazon codes, you need to select the application method:
    • Option 1: Pre-defined transparency labels: You can request standard label formats that are available from Amazon that require you to arrange application to each of your products.
    • Option 2: Custom labels: You can integrate Transparency by Amazon codes onto existing product labels or create a custom adhesive label design that integrates the Transparency by Amazon code. Keep in mind that this option only allows for data matrix codes that are read with official Amazon apps (Transparency by Amazon or the Amazon shopping app) or apps that have custom built-in access to the Amazon system via API and return the standard authentication response from Amazon.
    • Option 3: Custom design integration: Incorporate the Transparency content directly into your product packaging design to be printed with digital printing systems. This is again an option that offers data matrix codes that can only be read with a dedicated function app. Using other codes, such as GS1 compliant QR codes, will require coordinating enrollment using what’s called interoperability.
  • Choose printing/sourcing option:
    • Transparency Service Provider (TSP): Amazon has recognized vendors that are designated Transparency Service Providers (TSPs). Among these TSPs are vendors that are prepared to offer your business pre-printed labels, custom labels, or to help you integrate codes into packaging design (packaging printers). Some Transparency Service Providers also act as Integration Partners that will guide you through or manage the bulk of the process required for organizing, ordering, printing, and testing your Transparency by Amazon integration. This latter category extends into the interoperability options available to businesses, while the former category of label and packaging design integrators will work with the data matrix codes that are the default for Transparency by Amazon.
    • Print labels in-house: For companies that prefer to print their own standard Transparency by Amazon labels, the Transparency In-Plant Printing (IPP) option allows companies to download a PDF file that includes all the labels and can be printed on a compatible printing system. The requirements for this systems are a 300dpi+ thermal transfer printer and you’ll need the requisite blank labels and ribbons. No custom label designs can be supported with this option.
    • Work with your existing commercial printer: If you prefer to work with the commercial printing partner you’re already collaborating with, Transparency by Amazon offers guidelines that will include all the details needed to produce labels or packaging with integrated Transparency by Amazon codes. Your printing partner doesn’t necessarily need to be a recognized Transparency Service Provider. You will simply need to contact Transparency by Amazon to get the latest information kit and then pass that on to them.

Understand what your codes will look like and what they’ll include: Amazon-issued codes include the Transparency logo/lockup, a call-to-action (e.g., “Scan with the Amazon Shopping app”), the unique 2D Data Matrix code, and typically a product identifier. It’s important to remember that the data matrix code can only be read with specialized apps and will only provide authenticity verification information. If you want more information accessed as well as having an authentication response, you should contact a Transparency by Amazon interoperability solution provider.

Step two: Enroll products and order transparency codes

• • Enroll products via the Transparency Portal: You can access the Transparency Portal using the credentials you received from the Brand Registry process. The portal provides all the tools necessary to enroll products.
  • Prepare enrollment data and upload product details: A spreadsheet template is made available in the Transparency Portal. You’ll need to gather your required product information (ASIN, SKU, GTIN, FNSKU, etc.) With that, you can populate those details into the required format.
  • Order codes (post-enrollment): Only once products are successfully enrolled can you order codes. There are two ways to order the codes. In either case, the codes will be provided as a CSV or PDF.
    • Transparency Portal: Using the Amazon Standard Identification Number to identify the correct product of interest, you will be able to order your codes, specifying the quantity at one code per unit.
    • Transparency API: If you prefer to handle this via an API, that is an option. Many companies choose to engage an interoperability service provider for that, but others will prefer to and certainly can handle this in-house.

Step three: Apply codes to all products

• • Label every unit: Transparency codes will need to be applied to every single unit manufactured for the enrolled product, regardless of the sales channel.
  • Follow best practices: It’s your responsibility to make sure that labels don’t cover GTINs/Product IDs, are applied to a flat surface (not wrapped around corners), and that they are placed within the same view and within 10 cm (4 inches) of the product’s GTIN/barcode.
  • Prepare shipments: With all the work that went into getting ready to ship products to Amazon, it’s very important that you check all products are correctly labeled before you ship them out to the Amazon Fulfilment Centers. Amazon will perform a check that all codes are applied correctly before they activate products into the system, but that won’t go well if your team has made a mistake. If you are shipping directly to sellers, there is still an Amazon process to check the labels you’ve applied to your products. This is called the Operational Performance Review, or OPR.

Step four: Enable the Operational Performance Review (OPR)

• • Enable OPR (Fulfillment by Amazon): If Amazon is shipping your products from their fulfillment centers, then the product codes will be checked on-location before they are shipped to customers. Any products with an error will simply not be shipped and set aside.
  • Enable OPR (Merchant Fulfilled Network): If you are shipping your products from your own facility or using any other shipment scheme that is not Fulfillment by Amazon, then you will need to verify that the codes are scannable and then send 10 images of your product with the codes, captured using an accepted Amazon mobile app, to the Transparency by Amazon team.
  • OPR approval process: After the team at Amazon scans codes (FBA) or reviews images (MFN), there will be a 30-day notification period for third party sellers on Fulfilled By Amazon listings. Merchant Fulfilled Network sellers will get 14-days post-protection period to provide codes for your products they sell. If sellers do not respond with codes, within the allotted time, those listings will be removed from the marketplace.

Getting started with Transparency by Amazon is not without its complexities, but there are plenty of great benefits that every company selling physical products should consider. Ensuring seamless scanning at Amazon’s fulfillment centers, a positive customer experience, and a program that will be a financial success for your company takes focus at every step of the program implementation. Everything from registering your brand to making sure that codes meet requirements for quality, size, and placement merits careful thought about how your company wants to handle enrollment. Amazon approved, specialized service providers offer reliable label and packaging printing solutions and expert guidance. Whatever the degree of collaborative support you require, whether none or the maximum possible, there is a manageable path to project success.

Integrating Amazon Transparency through an interoperability provider transforms dealing with onboarding requirements into a broader advantage. By leveraging a system that uses a single, intelligent QR code – with GS1-compliant standards  – you secure your brand on Amazon while unlocking capabilities that extend far beyond what is possible with Transparency by Amazon alone. A unified approach can help you drastically reduce or eliminate counterfeits, returns, and problematic shipments while simultaneously enabling downstream supply chain visibility, direct consumer engagement, streamlined regulatory compliance, and many valuable data insights across your entire operational landscape.