Here is your midweek jetpack of Amazon seller news, updates, and other useful clicks for your e-commerce business…
OA/RA Sourcing Bonanza on Target – July 9-15
In a bid to combat Prime Day’s thunder, Target recently announced that its biggest sales event of the summer will be a week-long event.
If you are selling OA or RA, this is juicy news for you.
Target Circle Week will be running from July 9-15 in stores, online, and on the Target app, and will feature deep savings of up to 50% off across Target’s entire catalog.
Get ready for some flips…
Daddy Blowing the Cheese?
Jungle Scout recently released its quarterly consumer trends report which explores the latest spending and ecommerce trends for Q2 2023.
Some key takeaways from the report:
- Men who shop online at least once a day outnumber women who do the same by 63%. Men are also spending more, shop from a wider variety of stores, and are more likely to make direct purchases from social media.
- Amazon is still the most popular starting point for consumers overall when searching for products online.
- While 81% of the respondents said inflation has seriously impacted their spending, overall spending is trending higher, with 28% saying their spending has increased.
- Consumers are buying more groceries, clothing and pet supplies, and less of home and kitchen products, electronics, and office supplies.
- 60% of shoppers almost never return products they buy online.
- The most commonly returned product categories are clothing, automotive parts and accessories, electronics, arts, crafts, and sewing, and beauty and personal care.
You can download the full report here.
Google’s New Generative AI Tool Lets Online Shoppers “Try On” Clothes
Google has unveiled a new shopping tool that allows customers in the United States to virtually “try on” women’s tops. Using images of real models wearing AI-generated versions of clothes from various brands, users can select different body types and see how the clothes would look on their own bodies.
The tool aims to address the challenges of online shopping, such as inconsistent sizing and unrealistic representations of clothing, and provides guided refinements and similar options for a better shopping experience.
How long before you can scan your body into the platform and virtually try them on?
Is Prime Day Still the Rage?
Based on a survey of 850 past Prime Day Shoppers, it’s hard to tell if shopping maniacs still value Prime Day over any other regular day on the interwebs…
Some key takeaways from the survey:
- 61% of the respondents plan to shop on the upcoming Prime Day Sale.
- 5% say they don’t have plans to shop.
- 35% will consider shopping if they find a good deal.
- 55% plan to spend the same amount as last year; 23% plan to spend even more.
- The top 4 categories respondents plan to shop in are Clothing Shoes and Other Apparel (63%), Electronics (52%), Essentials (42%), and Amazon Basic Products (42%).
- 42% believed that inflation could impact their shopping this year.
- The top 4 factors most likely to influence their Prime Day shopping decision this year are sales on items they need (71%), having a Prime membership (53%), shipping and delivery time (43%), and recession fears (32%).
AI Caramba! This Week in AI + Ecomm
- OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT, is planning to launch a marketplace that will allow developers to sell their AI models built on top of its own AI tech.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced a $100 million fund to bolster startups focusing on generative AI.
- If you’re curious about how Amazon Bedrock and ChatGPT stack up against each other, here’s a detailed comparison.
Important Amazon Updates for Yo’ Bad Seller Self
You will be Auto-Enrollment for Remote Fulfillment in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil
You will be auto-enrolled in Remote Fulfillment for Canada, Mexico, and Brazil on July 28 unless you opt out between June 12 to July 27.
To opt out of the remote fulfillment program, click through the alert on the Seller Central home page and unselect the countries you do not want to sell in via remote fulfillment.
To learn more, click here.
Max $300 Reimbursements for US Orders Lost During MCF
Effective July 15, 2023, the reimbursement limit for eligible units lost or damaged during the fulfillment process of US orders fulfilled via MCF will be set at $300.00. This adjustment aligns MCF’s reimbursement policy with the prevailing standards of the industry.
Amazon recommends that you purchase third-party insurance if your item is valued above $300.
Read the announcement here.
New Resources Launched in the Selling Partner Appstore
You can now easily discover Amazon-approved third-party apps that can help streamline and scale your business.
Check out all of the resources here.
Deals Submission Window for Fall Prime and Black Friday/Cyber Monday Now Open
Amazon has already opened the Deals submission window for Fall Prime and Black Friday/Cyber Monday along with deals submission deadlines. Take note of the following dates:
- August 11 – last day for submission of recommended deals to be considered for Fall Prime Day.
- September 1 – last day for submission of recommended deals to be considered for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Learn more about Amazon Deals here.
This Week in Seller School…
Here is a roundup of learning resources for this week:
Blog Posts
- July 2023 Sales Tax Due Dates by TaxJar
- Amazon VAT: A Guide for North American Sellers by Jungle Scout
- Amazon FBA Packaging Requirements: 2023 Sellers Guide by Jungle Scout
- How to Quickly Get Reviews on Amazon Legally (9 Proven Ways) by SaleHoo
- Navigating Amazon’s Heightened Fees: Essential Practices for Success by Forbes
Podcasts
- The Biggest Threats to Your Amazon FBA Success by Full-Time FBA
- Don’t Keep Waiting for Amazon Teams to Get Back to You by Seller Performance Solutions
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 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.”
eTail East (August 21 – 24, 2023) – Boston, MA
A 4-day ecommerce & omnichannel conference designed to help you increase the profits from your business.
White Label World Expo NYC (August 29-30, 2023) – New York City, NY
“Boost your product line into an industry leading brand.”
AMZ United (August 31, 2023) – Newark, New Jersey
The premiere wholesale-focused Amazon conference.
Amazon Accelerate (September 13-14, 2023) – Seattle, Washington
Amazon’s premiere annual seller conference.
Other Quick Clicks
- Project Kuiper: How Amazon will drape the world in satellites
- Amazon to invest additional $15 billion in India over next seven years
- Amazon to hire 5,000 refugees in Europe
- Amazon undertakes $7.8 billion expansion of Ohio data operations
- ACCIONA expands its collaboration with Amazon for clean energy and digital transformation
- Amazon taps florists and coffee shops to help with deliveries
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments or violent reactions, let us know below!
Let the tech bro beatdown begin…
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