Here is your midweek jetpack of Amazon seller news, updates, and other useful clicks for your e-commerce business…
500 Million+ Sales for Third Party Sellers
Cyber Weekend is in the books, and according to Amazon, its extended 11-day shopping event was its biggest ever.
Some highlights:
- Over 1 billion items ordered globally, and over 500 million items were ordered from independent sellers, most of which are small and mid-sized businesses.
- Climate Pledge-Friendly products and Amazon Renewed items saw record sales.
- Buy with Prime merchants experienced a 300% increase in units sold through the checkout feature compared to their October sales figures.
- Millions of new customers signed up for a Prime membership during the shopping event.
Hope you banked some serious coinage.
Amazon Makes NFL History – Creates QR Code Offers During Game
On Black Friday, Amazon streamed the first-ever NFL Black Friday Game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets for free exclusively on Prime video.
Image from Amazon
Throughout the live stream, viewers had the opportunity to shop special deals and limited quantity drops from huge brands like Lego, Dyson, and Nintendo by scanning QR codes promoting Black Friday deals on Amazon shown during breaks.
Image from Geekwire
QR code commercial advertising first exploded during the Super Bowl a few years ago via a savvy Coinbase commercial—and it seems it may become a huge part of commercial advertising from here on out.
May they shuttle millions of buyers in with the QR code so they can then skip around and buy 100 more toys from you. 😀
2023 Amazon Ads Partners Winners
The jury’s out, and 10 campaigns have been selected as the winners in this year’s Amazon Ads Partners Awards. The event was held at the Lighthouse in New York City.
We were going to list the winners, but the names and categories are just a bunch of gibberish.
If you are intrigued with ad campaigns, you can read about the award-winning campaigns and watch the video for each winner here.
There are some great ad examples.
Jeff is Miami-Bound
Amazon’s Big Kahuna is headed to Miami and is reportedly on the hunt for prime real estate.
According to reports, Bezos may bring a chunk of Amazon with him to the Magic City and is looking for 50,000 square feet of space to set up shop.
Bezos posted an emotional farewell to Seattle on his Instagram account a couple of weeks ago. Seattle, where Amazon remains headquartered, has been Bezos’ home since ‘94.
Welcome to Miami, Jeffy boi.
AI Caramba! This Week in AI + Ecomm
- Amazon’s AI-Powered Holidays: Amazon is using AI to beef up the Holiday shopping experience through demand forecasting, optimized delivery routing systems, fulfillment center robots, and AI-enhanced vision systems and more.
- Weeding Out Fake Reviews with AI: Amazon is utilizing the latest advancements in AI to prevent hundreds of millions of suspected fake reviews manipulated ratings, fake customer accounts, and other abuse before customers see it.
Important Amazon Updates for Yo’ Bad Seller Self
International Sellers: Register for Amazon Seller Wallet by November 30 to Receive Reduced Fees
If you sign up for Amazon Seller Wallet by November 30, you will gain access to reduced fees for cross-currency transfers and Hong Kong and USD payments for up to a year. You also get to unlock exclusive benefits with Amazon’s special sign-up offer.
Learn more about Amazon’s special sign-up offer here.
Standard Display Feature for Making Creatives
Amazon recently launched standard display, a new API feature that enables Amazon Demand-Side Platform (DSP) to upload multiple image assets across three creative types in one single workflow. This new feature will eventually replace three creative types: image, mobile O&O, and mobile AAP.
With this new feature, users can upload up to 10 image assets simultaneously and immediately know which images are supported by which line item types. Standard display will also remind you to update relevant image assets to higher resolutions so that they can be utilized to target mobile O&O inventory.
According to Amazon, standard display can cut creative trafficking time by as much as 70% and can make trying new creative sizes much easier.
Compliance: Product Recall for iMOONZZZ Children’s Nightgowns
Due to their product’s failure to meet flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, iMOONZZZ recalled 13,000 children’s nightgowns sold exclusively on Amazon from March 2023 to June 2023. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recall includes four nightgown styles sold in sizes 3-4T, 5-6 years, 6-7 years, 8-9 years, and 10-12 years.
As a seller, it is your responsibility to ensure Amazon product compliance and compliance with applicable laws for the products you list. Learn how to correctly deal with a product recall here.
Compliance: IRS Delays New Form 1099K Threshold for 2nd Year
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will hold off on the implementation of the $600 reporting threshold for the second straight year due to feedback received from taxpayers, tax professionals, and payment processors, and to avoid taxpayer confusion. This means that this year, online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay will not issue a seller form 1099K unless the seller processed the current threshold amount of $20,000 in more than 200 transactions.
Take note though, that this DOES NOT MEAN you don’t have to report your income if you processed under $20K in fewer than 200 transactions.
Talk to your tax pros. We are not them. 🎉
This Week in Seller School
Blog Posts
- Amazon Seller Competitor Analysis: Step-by-Step Guide by Jungle Scout
- Guide to Customer-Damaged FBA Returns by Refunds Manager
- Introduction to Amazon Live: Transforming Shopping through Live Streaming by Sellerapp
Podcasts
- How Do I Sell $492K on Amazon in December by The Next Amazon Top Seller
- How Can I Elevate My Amazon PPC Performance Using Revenue-Per-Click Based Data? by PPC Den
- How to Build an Amazon Brand that Avoids Chinese Sellers by The Smartest Amazon Seller
Upcoming Seller Events 📍
Here are a few upcoming industry events that you might be interested in. Slick that hair back and start mingling, playa!
Amazon Ads Webinar: Building Your Brand Identity with Amazon Ads (December 1, 2023) – Virtual
Learn how to increase awareness for your brand with brand-building solutions on Amazon.
Nashville eCommerce Summit (December 12, 2023) – Nashville, TN
“A one-day gathering of local eCommerce experts and decision-makers across retailers, brands, merchants, and solutions providers.
Titan Holiday Party (December 13 – Austin TX; December 15 – Clearwater, FL; December 21- Los Angeles, CA)
“Connect with other sellers, learn from each other, and form real relationships with people who share your goals.”
Other Quick Clicks
- Temu, Shein far lag Amazon as online holiday shopping ramps up
- Amazon, TikTok, Shopify high on list of mobile-data sharing apps
- American Express partners with Amazon
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments or violent reactions, let us know below!
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