Valid Tracking Rate (VTR)

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) measures how often you use valid tracking numbers on your orders. Amazon customers depend on tracking numbers to find out where their orders are and when they can expect to receive them. The Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) is a performance metric that reflects those expectations. Below are the requirements for Valid Tracking Rate:

1. Starting on April 19, 2021, you will need to provide the information mentioned below during Ship Confirm:
   
   1. The name of the carrier and the specific delivery service used for all merchant fulfilled orders; and
   2. The tracking ID for merchant fulfilled orders that are shipped with a tracked ship method.
2. You will be required to reach 95% Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) :
   
   1. On your domestic shipments through Amazon.it over a rolling 30-day period (i.e., if you ship from an address in Italy to a delivery address in Italy). We will measure the VTR for non-prime merchant fulfilled shipments on category level. VTR will be measured for all domestic shipments shipped through integrated carriers excluding shipments that are shipped with an untracked ship method.

You can monitor your category level VTR in this dashboard here

Calculating VTR

To calculate this metric, we take the number of packages you ship with a valid tracking number and divide it by the total number of packages you have shipped and confirmed. VTR is expressed as a percentage. For example, if you confirmed shipment for 200 packages, and 190 of those packages had a valid tracking number, your Valid Tracking Rate would be 95% (190 ÷ 200 = .95 or 95%)

We use promised delivery date to determine which orders are included in the performance metric. Your Valid Tracking Rate has a two-week latency period, which allows the data enough time to be statistically relevant.

The following items are not included in the VTR calculation:

• Domestic items shipped by carrier/shipping service provider not integrated with Amazon.
• Domestic items shipped with untracked delivery services/ship methods
• Digital products, e.g. audio book

Adding Tracking Information and Amazon Integrated Carriers

Sellers are encouraged to use carriers from the following lists to ship their packages as these carriers provide real-time tracking status to Amazon. This helps reduce buyer contacts and improve seller feedback ratings. The following carriers are integrated with Amazon: AAA Cooper, ABG, Adrexo, Alljoy, AO, Aolde, Aoluk, Arrow, Arrow UK, AT Post, Australia Post, Belgian Post, Bestbuy, BJS, Bluedart, BRT, Celeritas, Centex, China Post, Chronopost, Cititran, CNE Express, City Link Coliposte, Colissimo, Correos, Correos Express, CTT Express, DBSA, Db-Schenker, Delhivery, Deutsche Post, DHL, DHL Ecommerce, DHL Home Delivery, DHL DE, DHL HB, DHL NL, DHL Parcel, DHL US, DPD, DPD DE, DPD FR, DPD UK, DPGM, DSV, Dtdc, DX Freight, Emirates Post, Energo , Energos, Envialia, Estafeta, Estes Express, Fastway, FDXG, Fedex, Fedex Freight, Firstmile, Furdeco, Gati, Gel, GEL Express, Geodis, GlS, GlS ES, GlS IT, Hermes, Hermes Einrichtungs Service, Hermes UK, Hmshb, Home Logistics, ICC, IDS, India Post, Janio, Japan Post, JCEX, JP Express, Katolec, KNA, Kuehne Nagel, La Poste, MRW, Nexive, Ninjavan, NL Post, Panther, Parcel Force, Pilot Freight, PLTA, Poste Italiane, Q Express, Q Xpress, R+L Carriers, Raben, RBNA, Rhenus, Rieck, Roadrunner, Royal Mail, RPDA, SAIA, SDA, SEFL, Seino, Seur, SF Express, SFC, Singapore Post, Speedex, Startrack, SWA, Teleflora, Tipsa, TNT, TNT IT, TNT NL, TNT UK, TNTA, Tourline Express, Tuffnells, UPS, UPS Freight, USPS, VIR, Vnlin, Wanbang, Watkins, WINIT, XPO, XDP, Yamato, Yanwen, YDH, Yellow Freight, Yodel, Yun Express, Yurtici, 4PX

Using a carrier that is not integrated by Amazon will result in an invalid tracking ID, as Amazon will not receive updated tracking status of the package.

Viewing VTR Metric & Report

• To view your VTR metric:
  • From the Performance menu, select Account Health.
  • Locate Shipping Performance section and click view details.
  • You can see your VALID VTR Metric here.
• To download the VTR defect report:
  • Click Download Report in the Shipping Performance section.
  • Filter by carrier and/or product category.

Please allow 72 hours for the report and metric to reflect any updates.

Editing Tracking Information

Before the delivery date, you can edit order tracking information.

• Go to Orders, and then Manage Orders.
• Check Order ID is selected for Search, enter the Order ID, and click Search.
• Once you find the correct order, click Edit Shipment and provide the revised tracking information.
• Re-confirm the shipment.

Allow 72 hours for the report and metric to reflect the changes.

Best Practices to Successfully Upload Tracking Information

• Tracking number – Verify:
  • You entered the tracking number correctly.
  • You did not leave the tracking information blank.
  • You did not enter special characters (such as punctuation), which our system can't recognize in the tracking information.
• Carrier Name – Verify:
  • You selected a carrier from the dropdown menu in the Manage Orders page.
  • Confirm multiple order dispatches with feeds
  • You entered the concrete carrier name
    • If the carrier name is misspelled, entered in a different language, or contains any extra words, the tracking will be marked as invalid.
  • The carrier name you entered is associated with the tracking number you entered
    • For example, if you use DHL to ship a package, but enter "FedEx" as the carrier name, the tracking will be marked as invalid.
  • You are using a carrier that is integrated with Amazon.
• Shipment confirmation and Update:
  • Make sure to confirm/update the tracking information before the order is delivered.
    • If the tracking information is confirmed/updated after the order is delivered, that means the buyer was not able to track the order. This is not useful to the buyer, and the order will not count toward your Valid Tracking Rate metric.

FAQs

1. Are partially tracked ship methods accepted as valid tracking IDs to calculate VTR for Domestic shipments?

If the ship method receives at least one scan it will be considered valid for the purpose of measuring VTR.

2. Can I confirm merchant fulfilled orders without inputting a tracking ID?

You can ship confirm orders without tracking ID for untracked ship methods and in case you use carriers that are not integrated in Amazon systems. Tracking IDs are required for all orders shipped with a tracked ship method.

3. What are the benefits of providing tracking information?

Providing valid tracking numbers can have a number of benefits:

• Fewer buyer contacts: Reduce the amount of time you spend answering shipping-related questions.
• Decreased order defects
• Protection from A-to-z Guarantee claims: Without tracking, you may not be able to defend any "Order not received" A-to-z Guarantee claims.
• Improved Seller feedback ratings: Buyers tell us that being able to track their packages is one of the main reasons to leave positive feedback.
• Reduced lost shipment costs: If a package is lost in transit, you can use tracking to find out where it was lost and then determine responsibility.

4. Can I confirm merchant fulfilled orders without inputting shipping service provider name, delivery service?

No, you will not be able to ship confirm orders without inputting a shipping service provider name and delivery service. Delay in ship confirming orders can impact your Late Shipment Rate (LSR) which may lead to account suspension (find more details here). Also, Amazon will automatically cancel orders when seven days have passed since the expected shipping availability date if you have not yet shipped and confirmed the shipment (find more details here).

5. If my Shipments do not reach a 95% VTR, when will I be suspended?

You are expected to meet a 95% VTR from April 19, meaning we will review the first 30 days’ delivery performance on May 19, 2021. From May 19, you may receive an email notification if your VTR does not meet 95% at the category level in the last 30 days. The impacted selection may be suspended in the category level if 95% in the last 30 days is not met. To reinstate suspended selection, you will need to submit a plan of action, which will need to be approved.

6. What is the policy for cross-border shipments?

For example, if you are a UK based seller shipping to customers in the EU, you are not required to provide tracking information unless you are using a tracked ship method. When you select your carrier and ship method, you’ll be prompted to provide the tracking ID if the ship method is tracked.

7. BRT is providing tracking IDs the day after. How can I ship confirm my orders?

We successfully integrated the ‘Customer Parcel ID’ (15 digits) on Amazon. The tracking ID that BRT provides on the same day (after the label creation) allows you to input that tracking ID instead of the ‘Shipment reference’ (12 digits) to ship confirm orders, and the customer will be able to see the status of the order. If you already have an automatic process in place and confirm shipment with a BRT tracking ID, and you see your tracking rate is >95%, we suggest you to keep using the current ‘Shipment reference’.

8. Where can I find Amazon integrated shipping service providers?

Please refer to the Tracking FAQ in Seller Central.

9. What should I do if I do not use an integrated shipping service provider or use self-delivery?

Please use shipping service provider name as ‘Other’ and provide us the name of your non-integrated shipping service provider and ship method. Please also provide us with the tracking information if available so that customers can still track their orders through the shipping service provider website. Shipments sent through ‘Other’ shipping service providers will not be considered while calculating VTR performance.

10. I am entering tracking numbers. Why are these not regarded as valid tracking IDs on Amazon?

If you use an integrated shipping service provider please ensure that you enter tracking number correctly, and that you confirm the order according to the guidelines. Please refer to our Tracking FAQ Help page here for additional details. If you are unable to ship confirm despite entering a correct tracking number, please use ‘Other’ as shipping service provider code (and provide appropriate shipping service provider and ship method name) to ship confirm the order and contact Selling Partner Support for help.

11. Will my selling on Amazon account be suspended if the VTR drops below 95% in one category?

If you do not provide 95% VTR as required by the policy, all Merchant Fulfilled Network offers in the impacted category may be suspended. This will not affect the MFN offers in other categories or your FBA offers. If any of your listings get suspended, you can submit a Plan of Action and apply for reinstatement. If your appeal is approved, your merchant-fulfilled listings in the affected category will be restored.

12. My shipping service provider doesn’t provide tracking IDs. What should I do?

In case you are using a tracked ship method, we recommend you contact your shipping service provider and provide us the tracking IDs. If you are using an untracked ship method, you are not required to provide us a tracking ID for domestic and cross-border shipments.

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) FAQs

Please refer Valid Tracking Rate FAQ Help page for more information.

Tracking number FAQ

Please refer to the Tracking FAQ Help page for more information about tracking numbers and tracking IDs.