Here is your midweek jetpack of Amazon seller news, updates, and other useful clicks for your e-commerce business…
Amazon Rolls out Real-Life Purchases in Virtual Worlds
Amazon recently announced the launch of Amazon Anywhere, an immersive shopping platform that allows shoppers to buy real products within virtual worlds, video games, and mobile apps.
Amazon is rolling out the Amazon Anywhere experience first within Peridot, a new augmented reality adventure game from Niantic, the developers of Pokemon Go.
Players can connect to their Amazon account and shop for Peridot-branded products without having to leave the game.
Get ready for a mind-fu*k of new shopping experiences…
Amazon’s Ad Business Sees 21% Growth in Q1 2023, Blows Away Competition
Ecommerce and tech giants including Amazon, Google, Meta, Pinterest, Snap, and Roku have posted their ad earnings for Q1 2023.
Amazon outperformed its peers by posting an impressive 21% Y/Y ad-business growth. In contrast, Amazon’s peers, on average, only managed to grow their ad businesses by 1.7%.
Digital commerce research firm Stratably foresees continued success for Amazon’s ad business throughout the year, projecting a full-year growth of up to 18.1%.
Read the full story here.
Side Note: As a company, we’ve been testing Amazon automatic ads on our branded products for the first time, and they are outperforming our Meta ads by far—with very little maintenance. It’s kind of wild.
New Wedding Registry Features Will Help Boost Etsy Sales
Etsy has upgraded its Etsy Registry, enabling couples to register for unique, often personalized gifts, reflecting a shift from mass-produced items. This feature allows you as an Etsy seller to benefit from increased visibility for your unique and handmade products.
Furthermore, the registry provides notifications and sales data when your items are added, offering valuable insights for your business growth.
Etsy also unveiled its 2023 wedding trends, highlighting a preference for individuality and personalization in weddings. These trends can guide your product creation and marketing efforts, helping you tap into the current demand.
Are You Prepping for Prime Day?
Prime Day 2022 was colossal, and here are some of the stats:
Image from Feedvisor
It’s never too early to start brainstorming for Prime Day 2023. Here are some great tips on how you can create value and set yourself apart from the competition.
AI Caramba! This Week in AI
- Prof. Yejin Choi discussed AI’s utility and potential for mistakes in a TED Talk.
- Alston and Bird’s team outlined the emerging regulatory framework for AI and a 2023 compliance guide.
- Google launched Search Generative Experience (SGE), an AI tool that streamlines shopping by summarizing commerce ecosystem insights.
- Google’s new Labs page allows users to test beta AI features such as Tailwind and Music LM.
- Amazon plans to revamp its search function using Chat-GPT-like AI for an interactive experience, hinting at a significant transformation in search.
Important Amazon Updates for Yo’ Bad Seller Self
New Requirements for Sellers under the New INFORM Consumers Act
Effective June 27, 2023, the INFORM Consumers Act mandates high-volume sellers to furnish their business details to Amazon for verification and disclosure. This includes your name, government ID, business address, bank details, email, phone number, and tax ID.
No action is needed if you’ve already been verified and your details remain unchanged. Amazon will email further instructions if necessary.
Read the full announcement here.
New Small Business Search Filter
Amazon is trialing a small business search filter to enhance visibility of products from small businesses and artisans. The filter will be available under the “Business type” category and will include products with the Small Business Badge during the test phase.
Amazon Now Shows Visitor Count for Certain Products
Amazon has begun showing the monthly visitor count to product pages in its search results, though it’s not yet fully rolled out and varies by product, category, and device. While full implementation is unconfirmed, displaying visitor count has been a successful conversion strategy in industries like travel.
It also seems that in the beta mode, they are split testing showing the number of sales versus the number of views. Perhaps the ‘number of views’ feature will be more helpful for new products that don’t have as many sales yet.
Amazon Will Now Advertise Your Out-of-Stock Products in Sponsored Products Ads
According to a Linked-In post from Marc Pfeiffer of Ecom Wizards, Amazon will now advertise your OOS products in Sponsored products ads. Previously, an OOS product would be ineligible for advertising.
An issue, however, is that Amazon will continue charging you advertising fees for an OOS product with no inbound inventory yet. Pfeiffer says this doesn’t happen to all OOS products, and provides detailed steps on how you can check for yourself.
This Week in Seller School…
Here is a roundup of learning resources for this week:
Blog Posts
- USPS July Rate Changes: Shipping Rates by eCommerce Bytes
- How to Reduce Amazon FBA Fees: 13 Tips for 2023 by Jungle Scout
- How to Connect Your Social Media with Your Amazon Account by SellerEngine
- Amazon Virtual Bundles: How to Supercharge Your Sales by Your Lifestyle Business
YouTube
- Using Amazon to Amazon Flips in Your Online Arbitrage Business by Chris Grant
Podcasts
- Document Your Relationships by Seller Performance Solutions
- Overcoming Analysis Paralysis in Your Amazon Business by Full-Time FBA
- How Did He Build a 7-Figure Business at 17 Years Old by The Next Amazon Top 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 Webinar: Maximize Pay-Per-Click Advertising ROI with Scale Insights (May 18, 2023, 1:00 pm EST)
Learn how to optimize your PPC campaigns for maximum ROI.
Sellers Summit (May 23-25, 2023) – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
“The ultimate learning conference for e-commerce brands.
Internet Retailing Expo (May 24-25, 2023) – Birmingham, United Kingdom
Find new suppliers, new tech, and inspiration from retailers and brands at the IRE.
Growth Labs (May 30-31, 2023) – Austin, TX
“Keep your finger on the pulse of retail media.”
SellerCon (June 1-3, 2023) – Austin, TX
“The most powerful tool to elevate your business.”
Amazon Ads Summit (June 6-7, 2023, Virtual)
Learn how to optimize your advertising strategy to grow your business.
European Seller Conference (June 6 – 10, 2023) – Prague, Czech Republic
“Meet Amazon sellers from across the globe.”
Amazon PowWow (July 12-13, 2023) – Palm Beach, FL
“Serious networking. Serious Learning. Serious Fun, A new standard in Amazon events.”
Midwest e-Com Conference 2023 (July 19 -21, 2023) – Minneapolis, MN
“Created by fellow sellers for our fellow sellers.”
Other Quick Clicks
- Amazon falls behind Walmart in battle for India’s online shoppers
- A purge could be coming for fake reviews on Amazon
- Amazon says AI already knows what to stock for you nearby
- Amazon’s new home robot: the next big thing in AI-assisted living
- Amazon plans more headcount and warehouses in Europe
- Amazon cuts the ribbon on its biggest New England fulfillment center
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments or violent reactions, let us know below!
Get Your Quick Biweekly Update on News and Resources for Amazon Sellers!
Delivered to your inbox every other week.
Need-to-know seller content only. No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
About The Authors
