#155 - Marketplace Pulse Year in Review 2024, Amazon Hikes Multi-Channel Fulfillment Fees, and more
Hot News
Marketplace Pulse Year in Review 2024
The seventh edition of the Year in Review report condenses the topics explored on Marketplace Pulse in 2024. The Year in Review looks at the disruptors from China — Shein and Temu — and their influence to force Amazon to create Amazon Haul, the unique shopping behavior on TikTok Shop, why shoppers buy the things they buy, how brands win in the industry pushing low-priced brandless goods, the slow post-pandemic e-commerce growth and how retailers turned to advertising to increase margins, and how AI advancements are offering a glimpse of perhaps the future of shopping.
marketplacepulse.com
Amazon is Bringing Intuit QuickBooks Software to its Millions of Third-Party Sellers
Amazon has for years counted on millions of third-party sellers to provide the bulk of the inventory that consumers buy. But keeping track of their finances has long been a challenge for outside merchants, particularly smaller mom-and-pop shops. Amazon said Monday that it’s partnering with Intuit. to bring the software company’s online accounting tools to its vast network of sellers in mid-2025. Intuit QuickBooks will be available on Amazon Seller Central, the hub sellers use to manage their Amazon businesses, the companies said.
cnbc.com
Amazon Hikes Multi-Channel Fulfillment Fees, Lowers AWD Costs
Amazon will raise fees for sellers who use its Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) service by an average of 3.5% beginning January 15, 2025. The Amazon Seller Central announcement came on Wednesday and included some news of lower fees for certain Buy with Prime and AWD services. The fee changes relevant to the greatest number of sellers include the following.
ecommercebytes.com
Good to Know
Amazon Haul Demand Outstrips Supply
Amazon Haul, Amazon’s newly launched low-price section, had its biggest day on Black Friday, driven by an aggressive 50% storewide discount. However, stockouts slowed its momentum during the rest of the holiday weekend. From November 21st to December 2nd, Amazon offered a temporary 50% discount on everything sold on Amazon Haul. Amazon subsidized that discount, accepting short-term losses to jumpstart Amazon Haul. Starting on Black Friday, it put the 50% discount banner front and center on the Amazon app.
marketplacepulse.com
Amazon Exec on How It’s Helping Small Business Sellers During the Holiday Season and Beyond
E-commerce giant Amazon decided almost 25 years ago that a quick path to growth was to think small — and to invite independent, third-party sellers, most of them small and medium-sized businesses, to sell on its platform. Those independent sellers now generate nearly two-thirds of the sales made on Amazon. And Amazon is looking to grow those sales with new tools for small business sellers. At Amazon’s annual Accelerate conference in September, Amazon Store CEO Doug Herrington unveiled a number of tools to aid small and medium-sized sellers, including tools they can use even when selling goods on other platforms.
uschamber.com
Amazon Reports Record Sales During Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday
Amazon saw record sales and a record number of items sold during its Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday holiday shopping event. The company’s event ran from Nov. 21 through Monday (Dec. 2) and was bigger than any previous 12-day period ending on Cyber Monday, Amazon said in a Tuesday (Dec. 3) press release. The shopping event was also the largest ever for independent sellers in Amazon’s store, with these sellers accounting for more than 60% of sales during this 12-day period, according to the release.
pymnts.com
Prime Video’s new AI Topics feature makes it easier to find something to watch—here's how it works
As a first-stop entertainment destination, there’s so much to explore on Prime Video including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies; licensed fan favorites; and programming from Prime Video add-on subscriptions such as Apple TV+, Max, Crunchyroll, and MGM+. With so many streaming options at your fingertips, sometimes deciding what to watch next can feel like a challenge. To help you spend less time searching and more time watching, Prime Video is testing a new AI-powered functionality called AI Topics to help you find relevant shows and movies more quickly.
aboutamazon.com
PSA: Amazon sellers may request tips in a shady new way
Tipping culture is normalized in the US, but there are people who don't appreciate it. So, some businesses operate with an optional tipping system or a tip jar instead of forcing you to pay a fixed percentage of the billed amount as gratuity. That said, several popular e-commerce platforms don't have options to tip sellers at all, and Amazon is one of them. However, you might run into a few scummy sellers asking for tips in unorthodox ways. Here's how they do it, and what you can do about it.
androidpolice.com
Amazon Clarifies New Bundling Policy, Sellers Ask for More Time
In October, Amazon restricted its bundling policy, but acknowledged this week that sellers needed more clarity. The new policy that took effect on October 14, 2024, restricted sellers from listing bundles to those created and offered by the original manufacturer, who had to be the brand owner for all of the items in the bundle.
ecommercebytes.com
Amazon is officially in the online car sales business
Amazon expanded Tuesday into online car sales with the launch of Amazon Autos, an e-commerce business that lets customers find, order, and buy new cars, trucks, and SUVs from dealerships. Amazon is kicking off the new endeavor with Hyundai in 48 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The launch comes a little more than a year since the e-commerce giant announced plans to start selling vehicles on its website in the second half of 2024.
techcrunch.com
Amazon expands review crackdown to target influencer product testimonials
Amazon is entering a new phase of review fraud crackdowns with eyes on a new target: social media influencers. The tech giant started sending influencers a questionnaire to provide information about product testimonials they’ve posted on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, per Bloomberg. The questionnaire probes influencers on their interactions with sellers and products. One specific question asks, “Can you describe the work you’ve done for this seller as an influencer (e.g. posted videos on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc)?”
emarketer.com
Leading e-commerce companies worldwide as of December 2024, by market cap
With a market cap of over two trillion U.S. dollars, Amazon ranks first among the leading large cap e-commerce companies worldwide. According to December 2024 data, the e-commerce giant ranks ahead of Alibaba and Pinduoduo. During the measured period, Alibaba's market cap amounted to over 200 billion U.S. dollars.
statista.com
Intellectual Property Law and Seller Disputes on Amazon FBA Marketplace in the UK
The Amazon FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon) marketplace has become an essential platform for sellers across the globe. In the UK, thousands of businesses leverage Amazon’s extensive reach to sell their products. However, this marketplace is not without its challenges, especially when it comes to disputes between sellers over intellectual property (IP) rights. Such disputes are not only common but can also be complex, involving both UK law and Amazon’s internal policies.
lawdit.co.uk
Amazon is clamping down on biased influencer reviews
Amazon's review system has seen a few overhauls in recent years, including the AI summaries that have become so prevalent elsewhere. However, it seems like the shopping giant is focusing on reviews left by paid influencers. A product with no reviews is less likely to be picked over one that has a lot of different reviews, and companies are not above paying influencers to spread the word about their latest creation.
androidpolice.com
Number of visits to Amazon in selected Latin American countries as of September 2021
Between January and September 2021, Brazil and Mexico were by far the Latin American countries with the highest number of visits to Amazon portals. With nearly 700 million visits, Amazon was the second most popular e-commerce site in the North American country, surpassed only by Argentine online marketplace Mercado Libre.
statista.com
Amazon Payment-Posting Lag Leads to Disbursement Delays
Amazon sellers are shipping orders, but Amazon is failing to post them to sellers’ payments dashboard. The problem started on Friday, and sellers continued to report the problem as of Monday evening. “No updates on payment dashboard,” a seller wrote on the Amazon discussion boards on Monday. “We shipped 13 orders yesterday December 8th, Not one has been posted to our payment dashboard. Anyone else? Amazon, please advise”
ecommercebytes.com
Albert Scott Doubles Amazon Revenue for Brands within Twelve Months
Albert Scott, a leading eCommerce management company, offers the ability to double Amazon sales within twelve months or less for both Vendor Central and Seller Central sellers. Specializing in optimizing performance on Amazon.com, Albert Scott leverages data-driven strategies, innovative marketing techniques, world-class listing talent and expert insights to drive unparalleled revenue growth for Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central sellers.
prnewswire.com
Amazon Scam Warning: Beware of Deliveries You Didn’t Order
Have you recently received an Amazon package that you didn’t order? It may be part of a scam called “brushing.” This scheme involves a package from Amazon showing up at your doorstep with your name on it, but it’s not a gift or anything you ordered. Legally, you get to keep any package that’s addressed to you, but this scam isn’t entirely a victimless crime.
clark.com
How Amazon Haul Impacts Ecommerce SMBs
Last month Amazon launched Haul, a low-price marketplace competitor to China-based Temu and Shein. Both have made headway in the U.S., shipping extremely low-cost items directly from China. Reuters reported in December 2023 that Temu had captured 17% of the U.S. market among discount retailers, which include Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Five Below. Temu and Shein are the first and second most downloaded shopping apps on the Apple App Store, per Yahoo Finance in April 2024.
practicalecommerce.com
Tips and Tricks
How to Become Amazon Product Tester in 2024 (Get FREE Items)
If you're eager to learn how to become an Amazon product tester, you've come to the right place. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from finding opportunities to optimizing your chances of being selected as a tester. The benefits and disadvantages of being an Amazon product tester. Becoming an Amazon product tester offers several benefits, from getting free items to using products before they hit the market. However, there are several cons of being an Amazon tester, which you need to weigh in when deciding whether to become one.
coincodex.com
10 things to know about Amazon’s 2023 Small Business Empowerment Report
Twenty-four years ago, Amazon welcomed independent sellers to sell in our store, providing them access to a global customer base, reaching hundreds of millions of customers worldwide, and unlocking a wide selection of products for customers delivered with unprecedented shipping speeds. Our mission since Day One has been to enable the long-term success of our selling partners—from small to large businesses—by providing the most trusted shopping and selling experience and by providing powerful solutions for accelerating our selling partners’ growth.
aboutamazon.com
How to Join the Amazon Affiliate Program in 2024
Even before the pandemic, people looked for ways to boost their income. Having a side business lets you achieve this, and some side businesses are even capable of producing passive income—such as affiliate marketing. When it comes to affiliate marketing, nothing beats Amazon Associates. Entering the world of affiliate marketing can be a lucrative venture, and the Amazon Affiliate Program remains one of the most popular choices for many.
influencermarketinghub.com
5 ways to reduce, reuse and recycle your Amazon packaging this holiday season
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, check out these easy ways to reduce, reuse and recycle your Amazon packaging. More than three-quarters of Americans shopped online for the holidays last year, receiving three packages per week, on average, according to a recent Amazon/Harris Poll survey. Here are some simple ways you can reduce and repurpose your Amazon packaging—and an easy how-to for recycling.
aboutamazon.com
Podcasts
Strategic PPC for Amazon Sellers
Join us as we welcome back George Meressa of ClearAds Agency, to the Serious Sellers Podcast, where we talk about Amazon advertising and e-commerce strategies. We discuss how tightened margins and increased competition from Chinese products are impacting sellers. The conversation covers the role of AI in leveling the playing field for non-native English speakers and the significance of external traffic sources like TikTok and Google Ads.
helium10.com