BTR

Born to Run (BTR) is a feature within Vendor Central that allows first-party (1P) vendors to recommend how much inventory Amazon should buy upfront for a new product launch - rather than waiting for Amazon to forecast and generate its own initial purchase orders.

Here’s how it works:

• Vendors submit a quantity they believe Amazon should order (typically for a 10-week period)
• Amazon decides whether to accept the proposed quantity
• If accepted, Amazon places a purchase order (PO)
• Vendors then have a 10-week sell-through window to reach expected sales
• If the product doesn’t sell through, vendors may be asked to buy back unsold inventory or offer markdown support

Why Born to Run is important:

• Speeds up time-to-market for new product launches
• Gives vendors more control over initial stock levels
• Supports strategic launches - e.g., during seasonal periods or key events
• Reduces risk of out-of-stock during critical launch weeks
• Allows faster ramp-up of advertising and demand-generation efforts

💡 Example: You're launching a new line of headphones - using BTR, you propose Amazon order 2,000 units immediately instead of waiting for organic forecasting.

In short: BTR empowers 1P vendors to kickstart new product sales on Amazon by requesting an upfront PO - giving them more control and momentum from day one.