Flashback Friday

New Amazon Posts Beta for Non-A+ Brands

Some accounts are seeing early access to a new Amazon Posts interface that appears to be testing availability for brands without A+ content enabled.
Why it matters: This could signal broader access to Posts soon, making brand storytelling and social-style content more accessible to smaller sellers.
Walmart Marketplace API Upgrades + More Brand Controls

Walmart just rolled out new API functionality for content management, better ad targeting, and brand protections.
Why it matters: This is part of Walmart’s push to compete with Amazon’s ecosystem, and it gives sellers more tools to manage listings and ads programmatically.

Instagram & TikTok Shop Updates (April 2025)

Instagram is testing a new in-feed checkout option for brands using Shops and
TikTok Shop now supports bundled product discounts and has expanded U.S. fulfillment capacity.

Why it matters: These platforms continue to blur the line between social and shopping.

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**** That’s all for now! See you next week👋

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Amazon Expands Prime Day to Four Days in 2025

Amazon is extending its marquee summer sales event to four days in 2025, making it the longest Prime Day in company history. Some sellers received emails from Amazon this week stating - “For 2025, we decided two days just wasn’t long enough.”

For sellers, this extended event means greater visibility for Prime-Exclusive Best Deals and Lightning Deals, particularly those offering 40%+ discounts, which will receive additional placements. However, with a longer sales window comes the need for strategic planning.

Key deadlines include:

May 23 – Deadline to submit Prime-Exclusive Best Deals & Lightning Deals
May 5 - Event End – Prime-Exclusive Price Discounts open May 5 and close six hours before the event ends

Inventory Cutoffs for Prime Badge Eligibility:

June 9 – FBA shipments with minimal shipment splits
June 18 – FBA shipments with Amazon-optimized shipment splits

Sellers should begin preparing now to take full advantage of this expanded Prime Day. Optimizing deals, securing inventory, and finalizing promotional strategies early will be key to maximizing success.

Stay tuned for more updates as Amazon releases additional details. Better yet, bookmark our blog for easy access!

AO2 at Prosper & Shoptalk: Join Us for the Recap on April 9!

This week, the AO2 team was on the ground at Prosper Show and Shoptalk, connecting with industry leaders and uncovering the latest trends shaping e-commerce and Amazon selling in 2025. From marketplace innovations to retail strategies, there was no shortage of insights to bring back!

Join us on April 9 at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT for a live webinar where we’ll break down the key takeaways and what they mean for your business. Don’t miss this chance to stay ahead—register now!

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*** Until next time!

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Reminder: Amazon’s Meltable Inventory Deadline is Approaching!

Amazon’s annual cutoff for meltable FBA inventory is right around the corner! Starting April 15, products classified as meltable—like chocolate, gummies, and select beauty items—will no longer be accepted at fulfillment centers until fall. Any remaining meltable inventory in FBA after this date will be automatically removed.

To avoid disruptions, sellers should plan ahead by either selling through their inventory before the deadline or arranging removal orders. If you rely on FBA for meltable products, consider switching to FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) to maintain sales during the warm months.

You can see which products in your catalog have been classified as meltable, and potentially reclassify if there are errors, in Seller Central via Meltable FBA inventory.

Need help navigating the transition? Our team can assist with alternative fulfillment strategies to keep your business running smoothly. Don’t wait—act now to avoid inventory losses! Want to discuss your options? Contact us today!
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See you next week!

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New return credits for Remote Fulfillment with FBA (NARF):

Starting March 25, 2025, Amazon will be providing sellers with credits to cover return fees for items that are sold and returned through Remote Fulfillment with FBA in the Mexico and Brazil stores!

This update ensures that you'll pay the same fulfillment fees for returns, whether through US FBA or Remote Fulfillment with FBA. Credits will be automatically issued within 30 days of return date.

To view your credit, go to your Transaction view in Seller Central. If you receive a credit for an order, you’ll see "Refund" in "Transaction type" and "Remote Fulfillment credit" in "Transaction details".

Great opportunity to test out some new markets with reduced risk. Interesting in more information about LATAM expansion? Check out our recent webinar!

Get personalized restock recommendations for your inventory:

Amazon has introduced a new Restock Recommendation feature in Seller Central to help merchants better manage inventory for their Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) listings. This tool leverages a demand forecasting model to provide sellers with suggested restock quantities and restock-by dates for products that meet specific criteria, such as active sales in the past three months, projected demand, and low supply levels (fewer than 14 days of stock).

Key insights from Restock Recommendations include:

Suggested restock quantities based on current inventory and projected two-week demand across fulfillment locations.
Estimated days of supply, helping sellers gauge how long their stock will last.
Forecasted eight-week demand trends powered by artificial intelligence.

Sellers can access these insights by navigating to the Manage Inventory page in Seller Central and selecting Restock notification in the Inventory column.

Reminder: Use the Prepaid carrier list to assess top carriers on key metrics:

Amazon is once again highlighting the Prepaid Carrier List, a feature you may recall that we’ve discussed previously.

The Prepaid Carrier List provides weekly performance data on carriers that deliver to Amazon fulfillment centers, helping sellers make more informed shipping decisions for their Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipments. This list includes key performance metrics such as on-time delivery rates and no-show percentages and identifies carriers that meet Amazon’s operational standards based on recent delivery history.

As Prime Day nears, we know that sounds crazy, sellers should already be reviewing inventory and making plans for how to ensure they’re stocking up for the big event in just 4 months. With inventory receipts averaing 5 weeks and often taking longer ensuring you’re choosing the right carrier partner to streamline that process will be key to success.

Sellers can use this tool to:

Choose reliable carriers based on performance insights.
Reduce the risk of delivery failures and inventory issues.
Improve overall inbound shipping efficiency.

If you haven’t checked the Prepaid Carrier List in a while, it’s worth reviewing as part of your logistics strategy!

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See you next week!

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🤯 Amazon's New 'See More' Search Feature:

Amazon is currently testing a beta feature in its shopping app called "Shop brand sites directly," designed to enhance the customer shopping experience by expanding product visibility beyond items sold directly on Amazon. Here's how it works:

Expanded Search Results: When users search for specific brands or products, the app displays relevant items available both on Amazon and on the brand's own website.
External Redirects: If a desired product isn't sold on Amazon, customers can tap a "See More" button to view additional listings from that brand. Upon selecting an external item, users are notified that they're leaving Amazon and are redirected to the brand's website to complete the purchase.
Availability: This feature is currently in beta testing and accessible to a limited number of users in the U.S. on iOS and Android devices. Amazon plans to gather user feedback during this phase before considering a broader rollout.

The "See More" search feature could offer several advantages for brands, particularly those with strong direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies. Stay tuned for our upcompnig blog expanding on details and benefits of this feature!

⏰Last chance to claim bigger reimbursements:

Amazon has announced updates to its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory reimbursement policy. Initially, these changes were set to take effect on March 10, 2025, but have now been delayed to March 31st due to a slower than expected roll out of the coordinating dashboard on Seller Central.

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With this delay sellers now have a few extra weeks to submit cases and obtain average retail selling price value for any items reimbursed from Amazon. After the deadline, product reimbursements will be offered at COGS supplied to Amazon, or if COGS are not supplied Amazon will generate a best estimate based on similar products.

AO2 suggests engaging with a reimbursements provider to maxmize refunds over the next 3 weeks.

Don’t have a provider? Sign up with our partner, Seller Investigators here to get started today.
Already have a provider? Seller Investigators will do a free audit to see if anything is left on the table so you can decide determine if it’s time to make a switch in providers!

⚠️ Amazon introduces the SPP (Service Provider Portal) for all 3rd Party Service providers:

Amazon is transitioning to the Solution Provider Portal (SPP), a unified platform for third-party developers and service providers who build solutions using Amazon Services APIs, including SP-API, Amazon Business, Shipping API, and Multi-Channel Fulfillment. Though this platform has been in place for some time for API and App store providers, this move is a major development for service providers, and as a result, a pretty big priority for sellers who engage with these businesses.

Key Changes and Deadlines:

April 10, 2025: Service provider accounts that haven't migrated from Seller Central to SPP by this date will lose the ability to access new Seller Central accounts and may also lose access to existing accounts.
August 31, 2025: SPP will fully replace Seller Central and Vendor Central access for 3rd party providers.

Recommendations for Sellers:

Verify Provider Migration: Confirm with your third-party service providers that they have migrated or are in the process of migrating to SPP before the April 10 deadline. This ensures uninterrupted access to their services.
Update Authorizations: Ensure that all external contractors and third-party service providers are re-added as authorized partners in your Seller Central account, not as secondary users.

By proactively engaging with your service providers and ensuring compliance with Amazon's new protocols, you can facilitate a seamless transition to the Solution Provider Portal and maintain the efficiency of your operations. Not sure how to get started? Reach out to AO2 Management today, we’re always happy to assist a seller in need!

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💡Keep selling smart!

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⛴️ New Tariffs on Imports:

The U.S. has announced new tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada, impacting a wide range of products. While the Canada and Mexico tariffs (10-25%) are currently delayed, the Chinese tariffs (up to 25%) are moving forward, affecting key e-commerce categories. Sellers should start assessing supply chain costs now to avoid margin compression.

These developments will have significant implications for businesses relying on imported goods and international shipping, potentially increasing costs and causing delays.

Strategies to Mitigate Impact:

Diversify Supply Chains: Source goods from multiple regions to reduce dependency on high-tariff areas. Collaborate with freight forwarders to uncover cost-effective shipping routes and minimize tariffs in your supply chain.
Negotiate with your factories: Leverage the relationships you’ve built with your manufacturing partners to share the tariffs' burden, or negotiate discount pricing to help offset fees. Remember, if brands can’t afford to produce as many goods, the factories also stand to lose significant revenue so they should be motivated to work with you to keep your business.
Leverage Free Trade Agreements (FTAs): Utilize FTAs between trading partners to lower or eliminate tariff costs. Partner with customs brokerage experts to ensure compliance and maximize benefits.
Plan Ahead with Accurate Forecasting: Monitor trade policy developments and tariff adjustments to anticipate potential impacts. Use predictive analytics and insights from freight forwarders to make informed decisions.

📦 Want to minimize freight costs? Explore strategies to offset tariff increases with smarter logistics. Our in house Supply Chain Manager, Henry Chen, has years of experience finding the best carriers and most economical rates. Get a freight forwarding quote from Henry today - email now!

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👋 Until next time

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Amazon Expands AMC Data Access: What It Means for Your Brand:

Amazon has expanded the data access window in Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) from 13 months to five years. This enhancement allows us to analyze extended customer purchase histories, providing deeper insights into metrics like customer lifetime value and new-to-brand purchases. With a more comprehensive view of long-term purchasing patterns, brands can refine their marketing strategies to better align with customer behaviors.

This update also opens the door for brands with lower annual revenue to begin testing AMC because the extended look back window will give a more informed picture to those with less purchases in a given time frame.

Want to leverage AMC’s expanded insights to refine your marketing strategy? Contact AO2 today to explore how we can help you maximize your Amazon advertising performance. Contact our sales team for more information!

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✌️ See you next week

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Amazon Launches New Inventory Defect and Reimbursement Portal:

Amazon has introduced the Inventory Defect and Reimbursement (IDR) portal, a new tool designed to help FBA sellers streamline operations and gain transparency into inventory defects and reimbursements.

The launch of Amazon’s Inventory Defect and Reimbursement (IDR) portal comes as a long-awaited tool. Recent changes to Amazon’s reimbursement policies have tightened eligibility criteria and reduced automatic reimbursements, leaving many sellers struggling to track and recover losses.

The IDR portal consolidates data on defects such as warehouse lost items, warehouse damage, and customer returns. Sellers can now access:

Detailed defect information, including type, date, actions taken, and status.
Insights into defect frequency and resolution reasons.
Tools to identify reimbursable opportunities across multiple reports.

Note: The portal does not currently include defects related to inbound shipments, removals, or warehouse disposals.

To access the IDR portal, go to the FBA dashboard in Seller Central and select "Inventory Defect and Reimbursement" under the Inventory dropdown. Do you need help with your Amazon reimbursements? Contact your account manager, or reach out to our sales team today for support!

Amazon’s Big Spreing Deal Event is Coming:

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is a seasonal event offering significant discounts across categories, now set for March 25-31, 2025. Amazon is currently accepting deal submissions through Seller Central, with a submission deadline of March 17, 2025.

Now in it’s 2nd year, the event will focus on deals from categories such as Home, Fashion, Beauty, Outdoors, Sports, and other seasonally relevant items and will feature a dedicated landing page and receive promotion through merchandising placements on Amazon.com and in paid media.

Key Tips to Prepare:

Plan Early: Submit deals by March 17 to be considered.
Manage Inventory: Stock up on promotional items to meet demand. For a late March event, you have just a few weeks to send in stock for guaranteed availability in time for the event!
Boost Advertising: Align campaigns to drive traffic to your deals.

Need help planning strategy for this big event, and others to come? Reach out today and AO2 can assist!

Amazon Webinar Wednesday: Product Launch Strategies

This week’s Amazon Webinar Wednesday focuses on strategies for launching new products. Scheduled for January 28 and 29, 2025, at noon PT, the session will cover topics such as optimizing listings, marketing for visibility, using Amazon tools effectively, and analyzing key metrics.

The webinar is part of Amazon’s ongoing efforts to help sellers navigate challenges and build long-term success. For more information or to register, visit Amazon Seller Central.

Best Buy's Third-Party Marketplace To Re-Launch:

Best Buy has recently announced plans to re-launch their third-party marketplace this summer. This move will provide sellers with a new platform to reach Best Buy's customer base, potentially expanding their sales channels.

Best Buy will be exhibiting at the Prosper Show this Spring to promote their platform, and you can catch AO2 there as well! Seller’s interested in checking out Best Buy’s booth, or visiting with us, can register for FREE using code EXIV895917 when registering for an Exhibit Hall only pass on the Prosper Show website.

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See you next week! 🚀

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Clarification on Jan 21st New Listing Title Requirements for Amazon:

The Amazon Title Updates AMA was hosted last week to clarify several aspects of its updated title policy for product listings. Here are the key takeaways:

Word Repetition in Titles:

Policy on Repeated Words: Titles may contain the same word up to two times without violating policy. Three or more occurrences (including plurals) will result in non-compliance.
Brand Names Exception: Words in a brand name, such as "Muffin King," don’t count toward the repetition limit when used to describe the product.

Special Characters:

Prohibited Characters: The following characters are not allowed: !, $, ?, _, {, }, ^, ¬, ¦, ~, <, >, ;.
Allowed Characters: Parentheses () and colons : are acceptable, as are quotation marks (" or spelled-out "inches").

Title Length Guidelines:

General Limit: Titles must not exceed 200 characters overall.
Category-Specific Limits: Some categories have stricter limits (e.g., 150 characters); sellers should follow specific category guidelines.

Compliance and Updates:

Non-Compliance: Listings won’t be suppressed for failing to meet the new title requirements. However, sellers must update titles within 14 days, or Amazon will modify them to comply. Sellers can revise Amazon’s changes later.
Unregistered Listings: For generic or non-brand-registered listings with multiple sellers, Amazon will automatically update titles to ensure compliance.

International Marketplaces:

The updated guidelines apply globally, including Europe and other regions.

Notifications and Tools:

Sellers will be alerted about non-compliant titles through Seller Central and the Review Listing Updates Tool (link).

Strategic Considerations:

Prioritize relevant keywords within the title’s character limit.
Use bullet points and descriptions to provide additional details.
Focus on maintaining essential specifications while adhering to the guidelines.

This policy ensures consistent and effective titles that enhance discoverability and align with Amazon’s standards.

🎗️ Quarterly Reminder to Check FBA New Selection Benefits:

Don't miss out on Amazon FBA New Selection program perks! Amazon regularly updates its FBA New Selection benefits with features designed to help sellers grow their new to Amazon items.

Plus, there's still time to take advantage of the inbound placement fee waiver benefit announce in 2024. Through March 31, 2025, the first 100 units of each new parent ASIN enrolled in the program won't incur inbound placement fees for the first FBA inbound shipment. Learn more on the Inbound Placement Service Fee page and check for updates quarterly!

📦 New year, New Fees - USPS 2025 rate changes:

Unlike previous years where Amazon adjusted its FBA fees, this time, it’s the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and FBM costs seeing impacts. The USPS is implementing rate changes effective January 19, 2025.

Key USPS Rate Changes:

Ground Advantage - Rates are decreasing by an average of 3.2%. However, certain weight and zone combinations will see increases:

Packages between 5 oz to 15.99 oz will see price increases of 12 to 24 cents.
Packages between 4-6 lb traveling to Zones 1-4 will increase by up to 55 cents.

Priority Mail -

Flat Rate: Rates are decreasing by an average of 2.7% for all package types except Large Flat Rate Boxes, which will increase by 76 cents.
Cubic: Rates are decreasing by 2.9% on average, with some shipments seeing decreases up to 7.3%. However, certain packages, depending on size and destination zone, may experience increases.
Weight-Based: Rates are decreasing by 3.8% on average.Notably, heavier packages (11-20 lb) traveling to Zones 5-8 will see significant price drops, ranging from 9-26%. Conversely, packages under 20 lb traveling to Zones 1-4 will increase by up to 8.7
Priority Mail Express: Rates are mostly decreasing.

Media Mail - Rates will remain unchanged.

🔪Updates Required for Packaging of Sharp Products Sold Through Amazon FBA:

Amazon has announced important updates to its packaging requirements for sharp products, effective April 14, 2025. Here's what you need to know:

Key Updates:

End of Prep Services for Sharp Products: Amazon will no longer provide prep services for sharp items. Sellers must ensure all packaging meets the new standards.
Updated Packaging Requirements: Sharp products must be secured in cut- and puncture-resistant packaging, such as hardened plastic or blister packs, to prevent exposed edges during handling.
Grace Period Until April 14, 2025: Sharp products sent to fulfillment centers before this date will still be accepted if they meet the current minimum standards (e.g., boxed or bubble-wrapped). Non-compliant items will be disposed of at the seller's expense.
Strict Enforcement After April 14: Any sharp products that don’t meet the updated packaging requirements will be disposed of immediately upon arrival, with no reimbursement provided to the seller.

Sellers handling sharp products should act promptly to review and update their packaging processes to avoid unnecessary expenses, including disposal fees and lost inventory. For detailed guidance, visit Amazon’s updated Packaging Sharp Units

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✌️ That’s all for this week! Stay tuned for more

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🚨New Product Title Requirements Effective January 21, 2025

Amazon has announced updates to its product title policy, effective January 21, 2025, to enhance consistency and improve customer trust. Key changes include:

200-character limit (including spaces) for most categories.

Prohibition of special characters like !, $, and {, unless part of the brand name.

Titles cannot repeat the same word more than twice (exceptions for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions).

Sellers with non-compliant titles should update them before the deadline. Why?

If your titles aren’t compliant, Amazon will suggest compliant titles in Review Listing Updates, granting 14 days for adjustments before auto-updating listings. This is specific to brand owners, so listings without a brand name or with no brand owner may see automatic updates, the policy is unclear on this point.

Listings will remain active during the update process.

Details on category-specific limits and guidelines are available in Seller Central. Stay compliant to maintain a professional storefront!

👏 Amazon to Integrate QuickBooks for Financial Management

This update is a long time coming! Amazon Seller Central will soon integrate Intuit’s QuickBooks, offering sellers a robust toolset for financial management. Per a December press release. The integration will be launching in the U.S. in mid-2025, with international expansion to follow, this partnership aims to simplify key financial tasks for sellers.

Key features include:

Streamlined financial management: Sync Amazon data with QuickBooks’ AI-powered platform to track profitability, manage cash flow, and simplify taxes.
Access to capital: Eligible sellers can apply for personalized loans directly via QuickBooks Capital in Seller Central.

This update is designed to enhance sellers’ ability to grow their businesses while staying compliant and financially agile.

Stay tuned for further updates as Amazon and Intuit roll out these capabilities to empower sellers with smarter financial tools.

📰 Enhanced Notifications for Image Issues in Seller Central

After a year filled with listings restricted due to indecipherable image policy violations, Amazon has updated its Compliance Issue reports to provide sellers with more detailed insights into image-related problems, helping resolve issues faster.

Key updates:

Notifications now include previously unannounced image issues.
Each issue includes clear guidance on how to fix it.
Updates are being rolled out in phases, with more issues to be announced later in 2025.

These enhancements aim to improve the seller experience while maintaining Amazon’s existing image guidelines.

To review these updates, navigate to Menu > Catalog > Upload Images > Submission Status > Content compliance issues in Seller Central.

For a full breakdown of Amazon’s image requirements, visit the Product Image Requirements page. Stay proactive to keep your listings compliant!

🤑 Reminder - Limited time Left to Claim Coupon Credits

Amazon is still offering coupon fee redemption credits for products that were offered via FBA for the first time after Nov 2nd 2024, but you have to act fast, this perk expires Jan 31st, 2025!

If you’re launching new products, or itching to move through new Q4 additions that are a little overstocked post Christmas, now is the time to schedule those coupons. Reimbursements for eligible products will be automatically disbursed to your Seller Central account by February 28, 2025.

🚨Reminder - Don’t Lose Access to Prime Exclusive Discounts

Effective December 16, 2024, Amazon moved Prime Exclusive Discounts to the Price Discounts tool, allowing sellers to manage both types of discounts in one place. If you haven’t already, be sure to check permissions for all secondary users to ensure they will be able to continue to access after January 7, 2025, when the standalone Prime Exclusive Discounts tool will be retired.

🎗️ Reminder - 2025 Fee Changes Coming Up Soon

Begining January 15th, Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) fees will increase 3.5% on average.

Fees will will not change for units with shipping weights of 1 lb or less utilizing standard delivery speed.
For units that exceed 1 lb, the fee increase will vary depending on the unit size and weight.
Full fee details can be found on the MCF page in Seller Central

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🎉 That’s a wrap on 2025, see you next year

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Amazon Creator Connections Update

Amazon Creator Connections is quietly rolling out enhanced campaign capabilities, now allowing sellers to reach up to 800 creators per campaign—up from the previous limit of 200. We’ve observed a notable increase in creator participation due to the increased candidate pool!

Early results indicate that this broader reach is yielding promising outcomes, though the effectiveness will depend on ongoing optimization and campaign performance analysis. While Amazon hasn’t released an official announcement about this update, the change is already live in some seller dashboards. Brands utilizing Creator Connections should monitor engagement metrics closely and consider adjusting their strategies to maximize the benefits of this expanded creator pool.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to explore and evaluate this new feature.

Reimbursements Update

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Amazon has announced significant updates to its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory reimbursement policies. Tthe seller forums are buzzing with discontent, according to Amazon,the changes aim to enhance transparency and predictability for seller. Here's a breakdown of the key changes so you can let us know what you think!:

Effective Date: March 10, 2025 reimbursement calculation will be based on Manufacturing Cost
For items lost or damaged before a customer order, Amazon will reimburse sellers based on the product's manufacturing cost rather than an average selling price.

Selles are concerned that this change excludes expenses such as shipping, handling, customs duties, and other related costs, i.e. landed cost, which is the true final cost of goods and have also expressed concerns over Amazon paying cost, then selling the goods themselves for retail margins

We still have a few months until these changes go into effect, and Amazon has already updated with some clarifying details, so keep an eye on this page for new details as they emerge. We anticipate this to be an evolving topic.

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🚀 Until next time. . .

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Amazon has introduced a new tool for sellers to enhance their customer service perforamnce. The new Feedback Manager in Seller Central now includes detailed insights into key metrics such as:

Preventable contact rate
Average contact response time
Buyer dissatisfaction rate

Additionally, you can now benchmark your performance against Amazon’s top-performing sellers to identify areas for improvement and elevate the customer experience! These updates began rolling out in Betaon October 30, 2024, and should be accessible to all sellers in the coming weeks.

For more details, check out Customer Service Insights section in Feedback Manager.

💲New Pricing Flexibility: Percent-Off Discounts with a Price Floor

Amazon has introduced a new way to help sellers offer targeted discounts while maintaining control over pricing. You can now set percent-off price discounts with a minimum discounted price to prevent unintentional underpricing.

Here’s how it works:

Apply a percent-off discount to your product's regular or sale price (e.g., 20% off a $100 item = $80).
Set a minimum discounted price to ensure the discount won’t lower prices beyond your intended threshold.
If the discounted price falls below the set minimum due to changes in the regular price, the discount will automatically deactivate, helping you maintain your pricing strategy.

For example, if you set a 20% discount on a $100 item with a $75 minimum price, the discount will deactivate if the regular price drops and the resulting discount price falls below $75.

This feature is now available in the Price Discounts dashboard in Seller Central. For more details, visit Create a Price Discount. As a reminder, only the Primary Seller Central user will have default access to Price Discount, but access can be granted to secondary users via Settings > User Permissions > Global User Permissions > Manage rights

🌎Global FBA Inventory Report to Be Retired December 27, 2024

Amazon has announced that the Global Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Inventory Report will be retired on December 27, 2024, as part of efforts to streamline and enhance inventory management tools.

No immediate action is required, as the information from the retired report will still be accessible through other resources. If you’re not already utilizing one of the alternate reports, check them out today! You stll have about 2 weeks to get familiar with your new options:

FBA Inventory Report: Navigate to Reports > Fulfillment > Manage FBA Inventory for detailed inventory insights.
Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) Inventory Report: This report offers real-time updates on your AWD and FBA inventory, including units available and in transit. It also allows you to download SKU-level data in one convenient file. Access it by selecting AWD Inventory Report under the AWD reports dropdown in Seller Central. For more guidance, visit the AWD Inventory Help Page.

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Thanks for trusting us to keep you informed—see you next week for more updates!

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🤯Surprise! 2025 Fee Updates for Amazon

It’s actually no surprise that Amazon circled back with fee updates after hinting there might not be any, but the changes for 2025 remain minimal and largely align with cost-saving strategies that go beyond relying solely on FBA.

While some adjustments, like a 3.5% average increase in Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) fees, may require careful planning, others create opportunities to save—especially for sellers leveraging multiple fulfillment options strategically.

Here’s a breakdown of all the updates, effective early 2025, to help you plan ahead!

Amazon 2025 Fee Updates at a Glance

AWD Smart Storage Discount
Maintain sufficient inventory levels to get a 10% discount on AWD storage fees, lowering costs to as little as $0.43 per cubic foot.
AWD Processing Fees Split
Starting April 1, 2025, AWD processing fees will be split into inbound and outbound charges instead of a combined fee.
MCD Distance-Based Fees
Multi-Channel Distribution (MCD) outbound fees will shift to a distance-based model, reducing costs for shorter shipments but increasing fees for longer distances.
Supply Chain by Amazon Savings
Sellers using Amazon’s Managed Supply Chain service can save 20% on AWD storage and 10% on AWD-to-FBA transportation fees.
MCF Fee Adjustments
Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) fees will rise by an average of 3.5% on January 15, 2025, but remain unchanged for items under 1 lb with standard delivery.
Buy with Prime Savings
No increases to Prime service fees, with reduced fulfillment fees for certain large standard-size units, offering competitive 1- to 2-day delivery rates.

👀 Coming Soon: Multi-Variate Testing in Manage Your Experiments

Amazon sellers, a powerful new tool is on the way! Soon, you'll be able to test multiple listing content combinations simultaneously with the new multi-variate testing feature in Manage Your Experiments.

This update lets you optimize key elements—like titles and main images—for a single ASIN in one efficient test. Amazon’s system will analyze the results and recommend the best-performing combination to maximize conversions.

Stay tuned! Follow our socials for the latest updates as they’re released. 🚀

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🤑 Save on Coupon Fees for Your New FBA Selection!

Great news for sellers: From now through January 31, 2025, Amazon is offering a limited-time reimbursement for the $0.60-per-redemption coupon fee on eligible newly launched Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) products.

This promotion applies to FBA offers on products that first became available for purchase after November 2, 2024. Reimbursements will automatically be credited to your Seller Central account by February 28, 2025.

Pro Tip: New products don’t need a sales history to run a coupon, making this a perfect opportunity to drive visibility and sales for your latest additions!

To check your enrollment status and eligible ASINs, head to the FBA New Selection dashboard.

💼 Reminder Amazon Webinar Wednesday -

Each week on Wedneday Amazon host a webinar (or two) to help Sellers get ahead and expand their business into other areas.

This week’s top Amazon webinars are tailored to help sellers grow their reach with business shoppers:

Bulk Up Your B2B Sales (All Levels): Learn to engage B2B buyers using Amazon's quote request tool to manage bulk orders effectively. Sessions include tips on pricing, delivery, and deadlines, plus a live Q&A.

Beginner’s Guide to Selling on Amazon: Perfect for new sellers, this session covers account setup, shipping methods, product listings, and advertising basics, followed by a live Q&A.

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Stay tuned for next week's highlights!

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🎁 An Early Holiday Gift from Amazon: No Fee Increases!

As we near year-end, sellers typically brace for the annual announcement of Amazon fee increases. This year, however, Amazon delivered a surprise: no fee hikes for 2025. Even better, they’ve promised select fee reductions, giving sellers a much-needed reprieve from 2024’s monthly additions and increasest. It’s a welcome change that allows sellers to focus on growth rather than rising costs—a true holiday treat!

Updates include:

Lower inbound placement service fees for large bulky-size products, an average of $0.58 per unit for minimal shipment splits
More incentives for the FBA New Selection Program beginning Jan 15, 2025. Reminder that they benefits are updated at least quarterly, so check back often!
The updates to FBA New Selection will include waived inbound placement fees for new parent ASINs through March 31, 2025

That’s all folks! Read the original release here

🧾 Enhanced Invoice Management Features for Amazon Vendors

Amazon is introducing new invoice management features in Vendor Central, designed to help 1P vendors gain more clarity on price variances in purchase orders. These updates include:

Root Cause Insights: Understand potential reasons behind price variances.
Cost Updates: Monitor price adjustments over time for better tracking.
Event History: Access a detailed timeline of cost changes throughout the purchase order lifecycle.

These features aim to streamline variance analysis and improve cost transparency. The enhancements will be phased in gradually, with full availability expected by the end of 2025.

Learn more about these updates by visiting the Purchase Price Variance (PPV) Root Causes guide in Vendor Central.

🆕 Exciting Updates to Brand Tailored Promotions (BTP)

Amazon has rolled out new and enhanced features for Brand Tailored Promotions (BTP), offering sellers more control over their promotional campaigns and enabling targeted strategies to boost sales, retention, and brand loyalty. Here's a breakdown of what’s new:

1. Goal-Based Audience Creation

When creating a promotion, sellers are now prompted to select a business goal tailored to their strategy. Options include:

New Customer Acquisition
Customer Retention
Re-engagement
Cross-sell Opportunities

This feature ensures that your campaigns align with your unique business objectives, helping you connect with the right audience effectively.

2. ASIN-Level Promotions and Audience Targeting

Sellers can now craft promotions for specific products or product sets, rather than limiting discounts to their entire catalog. The updated audience segmentation includes:

Views Remarketing: Target shoppers who viewed your product but didn’t purchase.
Cart Remarketing: Re-engage customers who added your product to their cart but didn’t complete checkout.
One-Time Customers: Nurture repeat purchases from first-time buyers.
Lapsed Customers: Win back customers who haven’t shopped with you in a while.

3. Reach Customers Outside Your Brand

Leverage In-Market Customer and Complementary Product Remarketing audiences to expand your reach beyond current brand followers. These audiences allow you to target shoppers browsing similar categories or products that pair well with your offerings.

Why This Matters for Sellers

These updates empower 3P sellers to craft highly effective promotions, driving:

Increased sales from high-intent customers.
Stronger customer retention and brand loyalty.
Expanded reach to new shoppers who align with your target audience.

Take advantage of these new tools to maximize your promotional impact, tailor strategies to specific goals, and drive growth on Amazon.

Have questions about how to optimize Brand Tailored Promotions? Reach out to us—we’re here to help!

📈 Introducing the Consumer Search Trends & Insights Report for Sellers

Amazon has launched its first Consumer Search Trends & Insights Report, designed to help 3P sellers uncover key demand drivers and growth opportunities. Powered by Product Opportunity Explorer, this resource provides insights into top search terms, emerging trends, and category-specific growth areas.

Highlights include:

Search Trends by Category: Understand what’s trending, like a 651% surge in searches for "ugly Christmas sweaters" over the last 90 days.
Historical Data: Leverage Q4 2023 insights, such as an 897% spike in searches for “black bows for gift wrapping,” to benchmark and plan for the holidays.
High-Growth Markets: Identify untapped opportunities driven by consumer demand.

Updated monthly, this report empowers sellers to optimize listings, tailor marketing, and plan inventory effectively. Explore it now on Seller Central or through the Product Opportunity Explorer Guide to make data-driven decisions this holiday season!

💰New Financial Reports Tool Launching for Amazon Vendors

Starting November 18, 2024, Amazon is introducing Financial Reports in Vendor Central, making it easier for 1P vendors to access and manage financial data.

This tool offers:

Customizable Reports: Filter by timeframe, store, or payee code to create reports tailored to your needs.
Request Tracking: Monitor the status of your report submissions.
Bulk Data Access: Download detailed invoice information at the purchase order-ASIN level.

The initial launch includes an invoice detail report for vendors in the US and Sweden, providing enhanced insights into payment and invoice data.

To access Financial Reports, navigate to Payments > Financial Reports in Vendor Central starting November 18.

Streamline your financial management with this powerful new tool!

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See you next week

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🚨Don’t Lose Access to Prime Exclusive Discounts!

Starting December 16, 2024, Amazon is streamlining its discount creation process. Prime Exclusive Discounts will move to the Price Discounts tool, allowing sellers to manage both types of discounts in one place.

Key dates to note:

After December 16, 2024, you must use the Price Discounts tool for Prime Exclusive Discounts.
On January 7, 2025, the standalone Prime Exclusive Discounts tool will be retired.

Why this matters:

Secondary users do not automatically have access to the Price Discounts tool in Seller Central.

To prepare, ensure your account’s secondary users have permissions to access the Price Discounts tool via Settings > User Permissions > Global User Permissions

⚠️ Amazon Haul Debuts: What Brands Need to Know This Holiday Season

Amazon has introduced Amazon Haul, a new discount-focused storefront, aiming to compete with platforms like Temu and Shein. This mobile-exclusive store features a wide range of items, including fashion, home goods, and tech accessories, all priced under $20. How does it compare to the traditional Amazon store, and Prime perks?

Shipping is free for orders over $25
Smaller orders have a $3.99 fee
Delivery times range from 1 to 2 weeks, marking a shift from Amazon's usual fast shipping standards.

While Haul offers cost-conscious consumers a tempting alternative, brands should take note—this move could disrupt Q4 sales patterns. Amazon's ability to combine low prices with trusted quality and robust customer service makes this a potential major disrupter, particularly as shoppers prioritize affordability during the holiday season.

Keep yours eyes on our blog for a more in depth look at Amazon Haul, coming soon!
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Until next time! 🚀

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📰 Explore the new Seller News experience

Amazon Launches New Seller News Interface – Here’s Why It Matters for Third-Party Sellers

Amazon has redesigned the Seller News section on desktop, aiming to help sellers stay informed about critical updates and changes. With improved navigation, streamlined article categories, and personalized content, the new setup is designed to help sellers quickly locate information that impacts their business.

Key Features:

Centralized Homepage: A new homepage now features a “Featured Stories” section, where Amazon highlights major updates, policy changes, and announcements in one convenient place.
Organized Categories: Articles are now organized by refined categories, so you can quickly find related information, whether it’s about policy updates, operational tips, or growth strategies.
Suggested Articles: While reading, sellers will see recommendations for related articles.

Why This Matters for Sellers

Amazon's platform is constantly evolving, with frequent updates to policies, fees, and operational requirements. For third-party sellers, staying informed on these changes can directly impact compliance, competitiveness, and profitability. This new, user-friendly design aims to make it easier for sellers to access the information they need to manage and grow their businesses effectively.

To explore these updates and streamline your access to Amazon’s latest news, head to the redesigned Seller News homepage on desktop. Prefer to let us do it for you? We also invite you to bookmark our blog homepage for the low down on all Amazon updates!

🔔Amazon Launches “Dynamic Segments” for Display Ads – All the Details

Amazon has just introduced Dynamic Segments for display ads, a powerful new tool to help sellers reach audiences most likely to engage and purchase from their brand. This feature uses Amazon's machine learning to adjust audience targeting based on relevance and performance data, making ad campaigns more efficient and impactful.

What’s New?

With Dynamic Segments, sellers can now target audiences that are likely to be interested in their products based on multiple signals, including Amazon’s first-party shopping data, your website's visitor behavior, and your conversion data. The new “Audiences likely to be interested in your ad” segment continuously optimizes to display ads to the most relevant customers, improving the chance of conversion.

Why Does It Matter?

This update is a game-changer for sellers aiming to expand their reach and scale ad performance. By adding this dynamic segment to your campaigns, you can better engage potential customers, improve your campaign’s efficiency, and ultimately drive more sales. Amazon recommends combining this new dynamic segment with its other targeting types—such as Amazon Audiences, Views, and Purchases—to maximize campaign results.

This feature is a valuable tool for sellers, allowing them to stretch their ad budgets and reach more customers effectively.

Available now in the US for Self Serve and businesses not selling on Amazon via the advertising console and API

🔥Voice of the Customer is now available on Vendor Central

Amazon recently launched Voice of the Customer (VoC) in Vendor Central (VC) to help 1P brands optimize product performance on Amazon.

Just like in Seller Central, VOC provides the follow for Vendors:

Customer experience (CX) health ratings for products with recent sales
Identification of products with high return rate badges
Insights to address product listing, inventory, or customer support issues
Opportunities to enhance customer experience and reduce returns
The CX health metric evaluates your products based on customer feedback and order data, benchmarking against competitors.

To access Voice of the Customer:

Go to Vendor Central

Select Reporting

Select Voice of the Customer

Important Reminder Regarding FBA reimbursements

Starting today, November 1, 2024, Amazon is introducing a streamlined FBA reimbursement system to automatically reimburse sellers for lost inventory items, making claims for lost products simpler and less time-consuming. However, with the timelines for filing claims changing last month, for example, you now have just 60 days (down from 18 months) to file claims for lost or damaged inventory items, sellers may actually need to be more proactive in their approach to inventory management.

While automatic reimbursements can save sellers time, situations like “empty box” incidents or returns still require manual claims. This change, at least initially, requires sellers to monitor inventory closely to avoid missing reimbursement opportunities and highlights the benefits of using a reimbursement service to ensure every potential claim is addressed. If you’re interested in help tracking down reimbursements and ensuring you don’t leave anything on the table, why not get a free audit from our pals over at Seller Investigators? They’ll present you with their findings on available cash to reclaim, and you don’t pay anything until the money is recovered!

Percentage off coupons can now be applied on up to five items per order

You can now allow customers to apply your percentage off coupon on up to five items per order. Previously, customers could use only one coupon per order and often made multiple purchases to save on each item. This change lowers the number of orders that you need to process and can reduce your delivery costs. This is an optional change, but does impact the workflow, so you want to be sure you're making the right selection for what you intend to offer:

Select No for Limit redemption to one per customer, your percentage off coupon can be applied to a maximum of five items per order.

Select Yes for Limit redemption to one per customer,only one coupon will be allowed per order.

Here are examples of how it works:

If a customer clips a 10% off coupon (offer price $50) and buys three of your items, they’ll be able to use the coupon on all three items for a $15 total discount on this purchase ($5 off each item with the 10% coupon).
If a customer clips a 10% off coupon (offer price $50) and buys eight items in a single order, they’ll get 10% off the maximum of five items per order for a total discount of $25. They won’t get to use the coupon on the remaining three items in this order.

This change doesn’t apply to money off coupons, which are limited to one per order even when the option for Limit redemption to one per customer is set to No. Customers can use the money off coupon multiple times only if they make separate purchases.

Update to Valid Tracking Rate guidelines - Coming Jan 15th

Amazon’s new Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) guidelines, coming Jan 15th, are designed to improve delivery tracking for seller-fulfilled orders. Sellers already must maintain a VTR above 95% for U.S. shipments, meaning over 95% of orders must have accurate tracking, a pretty steep standard in a metric that is primarily managed by the shipper.

The following updates will apply for the changes in January:

Sellers shipping to the U.S. from China, Canada, American Samoa, or the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands must provide tracking details, with packages under $5 requiring one scan and those $5 or more needing two scans.

If shipping from the U.K. or India, packages under $15 need one scan, while packages $15 or more require two.

Exemptions apply to certain low-value packages and digital products. To meet the new VTR standards, sellers should assess current shipping practices and implement robust tracking solutions.

The best way to avoid VTR defects is to utilize Amazon shipping where possible. Read more here

*New* Updated Brand Tailored Promotions experience

Brand-tailored promotions enable brand owners to create promotional codes (for discounts ranging from 10% to 50% off) to incentivize high-intent customers to purchase. Customers can find these promotions on the Search, Product Detail page, and Brand Stores, allowing you to build relationships with customers, improve customer retention, and build brand loyalty.

How has the experience changed? Amazon has enhanced Brand Tailored Promotions to enable more granular marketing campaigns. This update includes:

Goal-based audience creation: Creating a new promotion now prompts you to choose the business goal for the promotional campaign. You can select from goals such as New Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Re-engagement, and Cross-sell to engage with audiences tailored to your objectives.

ASIN-level promotions and audiences: You can now run promotions for specific products or product sets (in addition to offering discounts on your entire catalog) and the respective audiences will be curated at the ASIN level. This includes new audiences such as Views remarketing, Cart remarketing, One-time customers, and Lapsed customers.

Access to audiences outside your brand: The In-market Customer and Complementary Product Remarketing audiences help you reach potential customers who haven’t discovered your brand yet.

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See you next week! 🚀

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Webinar Recording Now Available

Did you catch all the latest updates from Amazon unBoxed? Our recent webinar includes everything you need to know - from exciting product launches to innovative advertising tools and strategies to help you stay ahead. Catch the full recording on YouTube and stay at the forefront of Amazon’s latest moves!

New Amazon Image Manager Update: Fix Image Issues Faster!
Amazon’s new Image Manager - Issue Alert feature is here to streamline image issue resolution, making it easier for sellers to spot and address problems fast.

Here’s how it helps:

Quick Issue Alerts: Images with issues now show a red alert icon. Hover over it to see the exact problem.
Centralized Visibility: No more searching—view all image issues directly in Image Manager instead of toggling between pages.
Easy Fixes: Update images with one click by using the Upload button right next to each flagged image.

Check out the Product image requirements page to ensure your images meet Amazon’s technical and content requirements.

Discover how fast badges can help boost sales on your website

For Sellers using MultiChannel Fulfillment (MCF) for tha variety of webstores (including Shopify) or for their Google Ads the new MCF fast badges, which display dynamic delivery date estimates, are now available.

MCF fast badges show the estimated delivery date on your product detail pages and in Google Ads, which can help increase conversion and sales (up to 9% in a recent Amazon study)

For more information, go to How to enable MCF fast badges.

Updates to support US FBA peak inventory shipments

Amazon is experiencing longer receive times that are affecting inbound FBA shipments. High demand has led to longer receive times, especially at some West Coast inbound locations and for palletized freight.

To support their operations, Amazon is making some changes to the inbound processing. These updates reflect changes that sellers must understand to avoid potential issues with inventory capacity and availability during high-demand periods.

Extended Automatic Closure Window (now 90 days for shipments created after August 7, through October 31, 2024): Amazon automatically closes inbound shipments that haven't been marked as shipped within 90 days. For sellers, this means unshipped or forgotten inventory can impact your capacity utilization if left open too long. Sellers should cancel any shipments they don’t plan to send, freeing up their inventory limits and avoiding any negative impact on storage capacity.

Extended Abandoned Shipments Window (from 30 to 45 days): For shipments created between August 7 and October 31, Amazon will now wait 45 days after the first receive date to consider an inbound shipment abandoned. This additional time offers some flexibility if there are delays, but sellers should monitor shipments closely to ensure products don’t become stagnant in the fulfillment centers.

Shift to East coast facilities Because Amazon has been clear that the backup are heavily impacting West coast facilities, shifting shipments to East coast locations is recommended. Palletized shipments are taking the most time to received, so LTL should be avoided when possible, in favor of FTL and small parcel.

‍Impact on Sellers: With peak season around the corner, these changes may negatively impact sellers' ability to replenish or get paid for goods that have stalled in receiving or have gone missing. Due to backups at FCs Amazon is giving themselves more time to resolve things internally before making any concessions for sellers. Review your inventory and make a plan!

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Until next time! 🚀

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Register for our Webinar!

Join us for The unBoxed 2024 Afterparty: Inside Amazon’s Latest Updates on October 23, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time! Our expert panel will break down the key insights and product releases from Amazon unBoxed 2024, helping you understand how the latest innovations can drive your brand’s growth.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your advertising efforts or optimize your brand's presence on Amazon, this webinar will give you the actionable tips you need to stay ahead. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain insider knowledge and strategies directly from industry experts.

Get a reduced Vine enrollment fee with FBA New Selection
Effective September 15, 2024, Amazon introduced a new benefit for FBA New Selection participants—a 25% discount on the Vine enrollment fee for eligible ASINs. This applies when 3 to 10 units per parent ASIN are enrolled in Vine within 5 to 60 days of their first inbound shipment. Please note that previously enrolled ASINs are not eligible for the discount.

We encourage all sellers to regularly review FBA New Selection benefits each quarter. This program is open to any new-to-FBA ASIN, not just for new sellers, so be sure to take advantage of these perks! For more information and to enroll in the program, visit the FBA New Selection page.

Current benefits include:

10% rebate on average for sales of eligible ASINs: Enrolled sellers receive a monthly average rebate of 10% for sales of eligible parent ASINs that are new to FBA. We calculate the rebate based on the product category and account for the referral fees that are charged, to provide you with a rebate between 0% and 12%. The rebate is applied to your fulfillment fees the following month that it’s earned, and any unused amount expires one year after first applied to your account. For eligible branded and non-branded parent ASINs that are new-to-FBA, the rebate applies to up to 50 units for eligible non-standard size items and up to 100 units for eligible standard-size items for 120 days after the first inventory-received date.
Reduced Vine enrollment fee: Enrolled sellers receive a 25% discount on the Vine enrollment fee for eligible selection. This discount applies when 3 to 10 units per parent ASIN are enrolled in Vine. ASINs must be enrolled in Vine 5 to 60 days of first inbound to be eligible. ASINs previously enrolled in Vine will not be eligible for the discount. This discount is applied once for each eligible parent ASIN.
Free monthly storage and free liquidations for standard-size ASINs: No monthly storage fees will be charged for the first 100 units of each new parent ASIN for 120 days after the first unit is received at a fulfillment center. You can liquidate any of those first 100 units within 180 days after the first inventory-received date with no liquidation fees.
Free monthly storage and free liquidations for non-standard size ASINs: No monthly storage fees will be charged for the first 50 units of each new parent ASIN for 120 days after the first unit is received at a fulfillment center. You can liquidate any of those first 50 units within 180 days after the first inventory-received date with no liquidation fees.
Returns processing fee waiver: We'll waive return processing fees for up to 20 units of each standard-size parent ASIN. Returned items must be received at a fulfillment center within 180 days of the first inventory-received date.
Global enrollment: You only need to enroll once and program benefits will be applied in each Amazon store automatically where you have an active account, determined based on your MCID and email, and have sent eligible new selection to fulfillment centers.
Limited to new-to-FBA parent ASINs: After you enroll in the program, you can use the fee waiver program benefits for an unlimited number of new-to-FBA parent ASINs that you create.

Big updates to the Amazon Policy for Seller Bundles:

Amazon has recently updated its Product Bundling policy for the consumables categories, which include grocery, pet products, baby products, and health and beauty items. These changes, effective October 14, 2024, are designed to ensure that customers are offered only the highest quality bundles in Amazon’s U.S. store.

Key Updates to the Policy:

Manufacturer-Only Bundles: You can now only list bundles that are created and offered by the original manufacturer. The manufacturer must also be the brand owner for all items included in the bundle.

No Mixing of Different Brands or Generic Brands:

Bundles cannot include products from different manufacturers.
You cannot list a bundle under a "Generic" brand or your own brand.
You can continue creating bundles as long as all products come from a single manufacturer.
Existing bundles will not be immediately impacted, as enforcement will not begin until late Q4 2024. Amazon will provide 30 days’ notice via email and the Account Health dashboard before non-compliant bundles are suppressed.

We understand that parts of the policy may seem confusing, particularly the section on bundling different branded items. According to Amazon’s policy, bundles can include items with different brands; however, the bundle itself must be branded according to the highest-priced item in the bundle. This point has led to some uncertainty, but it is important to ensure that all items in the bundle meet the manufacturer requirement.

If you have any concerns or questions about how this policy may affect your product listings, feel free to reach out, and we can help you navigate these changes.

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See you next week! 🚀

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In Case You Missed It: Compliance Fast-Track Now Live

Amazon has introduced Compliance Fast-Track, a program to streamline your product compliance process. This program sources compliance information directly from participating certification organizations for specific product categories, eliminating the need for you to submit additional documentation.

Currently, the program covers categories like:

Juvenile products
Electronics
Arts and crafts
Window coverings

To check if your products qualify and to view the list of participating organizations, visit the Compliance Fast-track program page. This new feature aims to save you time and reduce the complexity of ensuring product compliance on Amazon. Let us know what you think!

Extended Returns Window for 2024 Holidays

Amazon has announced that the 2024 Extended Holiday Returns policy will allow customers to return items purchased between November 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024 until January 31, 2025.

This extended window applies to seller-fulfilled, FBA, and Amazon Retail orders. While the returns window will be longer, returns eligibility rules remain the same for all products.

This is standard operating procedure for holiday returns on Amazon, and as always, specific brands and product types may be excluded. Check out Amazon's About our returns policies page for more details.

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Until next time! 🚀

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🚚 Vendor Central PO receipt and product transfer updates -

Amazon has regionalized its US receiving network to improve inventory placement and minimize long-distance transfers, resulting in faster delivery speeds and more consistent destinations for Vendor Central shipments. Most brands will now ship sortable inventory to regional cross docks to better serve regional demand.

National cross docks have also been introduced for slow-moving and long-lead inventory, ensuring optimal placement across the network. Brands may notice changes in PO destinations, but the total order volume will remain unchanged. Regional supply chain reporting will be available soon to help with planning and operations.

Best practices to ensure you see the benefits from these changes:

Confirm POs weekly to improve placement and reduce out-of-stocks.
Prioritize POs to new locations when possible.
Regularly review forecasts to align inventory with expected orders.

🩷 Temporary Chargeback Waivers for Weather-Impacted Regions

Due to extreme weather, Amazon temporarily waives select Vendor Central chargebacks for US purchase orders.

From September 27 through October 3, 2024, all US POs are exempt from the Rejected PO Rate chargeback. Additionally, POs shipped to fulfillment centers or cross docks in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, or South Carolina are exempt from the following chargebacks:

Purchase Order On-Time Accuracy: Not on time, Not filled, Down-confirmed
Advance Shipment Notification Accuracy: All sub-types
Pickup Accuracy: All sub-types

These exemptions apply to POs with ship or delivery windows ending during the waiver period or chargebacks incurred within the specified dates.

⏰ New Product Compliance Requirements for Listings

A new compliance requirement became effective for Amazon sellers on September 30, 2024! Amazon now requires sellers to submit and receive approval for product compliance documents before listing new items. This change ensures all products meet regulatory standards and Amazon’s policies, providing customers a safe and reliable selection. Previously, listings could be created and may later be audited, and compliance documents could be requested to continue selling.

Existing listings are not affected, and no changes have been made to current compliance requirements. However, Amazon may request additional information at any time to verify safety and compliance.

This sneaky update rolled out without advance notice in Seller Central. For more info and to submit compliance documents for a new listing, go to Inventory > Manage All Inventory, select Search Suppressed, and follow the prompts within Seller Central.

⚡ Highlight Fast Delivery with Google’s MCF Fast Badges

Using Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF), Sellers can now showcase fast delivery speeds and free shipping directly on Google by integrating with Google Merchant Center.

MCF Fast Badges display estimated delivery dates in Google Shopping ads and search results, helping attract more shoppers and increase engagement. Free shipping perks can also be featured alongside these badges, potentially boosting click-through rates by up to 7.6%*.

Key Benefits:

Highlight fast, three-day delivery speeds in Google ads.
Show upfront delivery estimates to boost engagement.
Increase clicks and improve ad performance.

To opt in, complete the MCF Fast Badges form. For more details, visit the MCF Fast Badges for Google page.

*Based on a June 2024 Google A/B test report in the US.

🎉 Leverage FBA Inventory to Fulfill Orders on Social Commerce Channels

Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) now allows sellers to automatically fulfill orders from social commerce platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest using their existing FBA inventory. This update enables sellers to streamline order processing, track inventory in real-time, and expand their reach across popular social channels—all while leveraging the convenience and efficiency of Amazon’s fulfillment network.

This enhanced capability provides sellers with more opportunities to tap into new audiences and sales channels without managing separate inventory for each platform, making it a significant upgrade for those looking to expand their brand presence and drive sales on social commerce.

💲Coupon Update: Run Subscribe & Save and Reorder Coupons Simultaneously

Amazon now allows sellers to offer Subscribe & Save and Reorder coupons on the same ASIN simultaneously—responding directly to seller feedback! Previously, only one coupon could be active per ASIN, and overlapping promotions would cause the most recent coupon to be suppressed.

With this update, sellers can offer customers the flexibility to choose between discounts. For instance, eligible shoppers can now decide whether to use a 10% off Reorder coupon for a one-time purchase or opt for a 20% off Subscribe & Save discount for a subscription—giving buyers more options and boosting sales potential.

For more information, visit the Create a coupon page.

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Until next time, happy selling! 📦
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Reminder - Changes Coming to Amazon Reimbursements

Shortened Claim Windows:some text
- Starting October 23, 2024, the window to file reimbursement claims for items lost or damaged in fulfillment centers will be reduced from 18 months to 60 days. This means sellers must monitor inventory more closely to avoid missing claim opportunities.
- For customer returns, claims must be submitted between 60 to 120 days after the refund or replacement, allowing time for the customer to return the item.
- Removal claims (for items lost in transit or otherwise) must be submitted within 15 to 75 days, depending on the situation. All other removal-related claims have a 60-day window after delivery.
Proactive Reimbursements:some text
- As of November 1, 2024, Amazon will begin automatically processing reimbursements for most lost or damaged inventory in their fulfillment centers. However, sellers will still need to submit manual claims if a reimbursement isn't automatically issued.
New Reimbursement Caps:some text
- For Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) orders, there are now maximum limits on reimbursements, with country-specific caps, e.g., $450 AUD for Australia or €275 EUR for most European countries. Sellers with high-value products may need to consider supplemental insurance to cover potential losses beyond these caps.

In Case You Missed It: Fall Prime Big Deal Days Announced!

With the excitement of Amazon Accelerate behind us, it's time to shift gears for one of Amazon's biggest events of the season—Fall Prime Big Deal Days, officially happening on October 8-9, 2024!

This two-day event is expected to drive massive traffic and sales, making it a key opportunity for sellers to boost their Q4 performance. If you’ve been busy keeping up with all the news from Accelerate, here are a few actions we suggest you’ll want to take to prepare for Prime Big Deal Days:

Key Actions:

Submit Deals ASAP: While it is too late for Lightning Deals, Prime-exclusive offers and other coupon/discount types are still available for the event.
Inventory Check: Make sure your FBA inventory is stocked and optimized to meet increased demand. It may be too late to send more inventory, but you can still consider an FBM option.
Update Your Listings: Ensure your product listings are fully optimized with high-quality images, keywords, and compelling descriptions. A well-optimized listing is crucial for conversion during high-traffic periods.

Access Amazon Accelerate Content & Watch Our Recap Webinar!

Did you miss a session or want to revisit key insights from Amazon Accelerate 2024? You’re in luck! Accelerate content is available for viewing until October 22. After that, the sessions will be moved to YouTube for continued access.

For a comprehensive recap, check out our Accelerate deep dive webinar recording, where we shared our top takeaways and actionable strategies from the event. Whether you attended or missed it this year, now is your chance to stay ahead with the latest Amazon trends!

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See you next week! 🚀
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🚨 MoCRA Compliance Update for Amazon Sellers: What You Need to Know -

If you've been following us, you know that we announced the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) when it went into effect last year. Since then, we’ve closely monitored how the regulations would impact Amazon sellers.

As expected, the compliance updates for Amazon have started rolling out this year (with little fanfare from Amazon, we might add) and if you're selling cosmetics on the platform, there are important steps you need to take to stay compliant.

MoCRA introduces a new era of accountability and safety for cosmetic products in the U.S., and Amazon sellers are not exempt from these regulations. Whether you’re a small brand or an established seller, here’s what you need to be aware of:

Required disclosure of Ingredients - Amazon says this can be in either text, image form, or both on the product detail page for impacted items.
Reporting of manufacturer information and drug facts (if applicable) - These details must be added as an image on the product detail page, in the form of the actual product's label with the drug facts and manufacturer information and specific purpose.
Anyone seeking further information can visit the FDA help page on this topic.

🚨 Amazon's new "AI Generated Product Attribute Enrichment announcement -

Sellers visiting the Explore Brand Selection dashboard in Seller Central this week may find a surprising message. If you’re one of those sellers, Don’t panic—this message may not apply to you!

Amazon's new "AI Generated Product Attribute Enrichment" is a feature designed to improve product listings by automatically generating missing or incomplete product attributes using AI. This tool leverages machine learning models to analyze product descriptions, customer reviews, and other data sources to fill in missing attribute fields, such as size, color, material, or other relevant details. It helps sellers enhance their listings by reducing the time spent manually adding these details, thus making products more discoverable by customers through more accurate and complete data.
Recently, the following message has started appearing in the dashboard:

This alert from Amazon's Seller Central about the "AI-Generated Product Attribute Enrichment" raises some seller concerns. The most important takeaway is that these suggestions apply only to sellers who have opted into Brand Selection. If that’s you, here are a few key points that sellers should be mindful of:

No Opt-In/Opt-Out Option: According to the alert, sellers cannot opt out of the suggestions feature entirely, but they can choose not to opt into Brand Selection to begin with or opt out of Brand Selection which will avoid the suggestions altogether. Accepting the terms of Brand Selection means accepting this update.
Automatic Updates if No Action Is Taken: The feature states that if sellers do not provide feedback by the specified Feedback Due Date, the AI-generated updates will be automatically published.
“You may contact Support to make any changes once the due date has passed.” This is the phrase that concerns us the most. While the alert states that brands will retain control of listing content, we don’t like the idea that you would have to contact support to reverse and changes!

Brand will need to make the final decision on Brand Selection and subsequently, the listing update tab on their own, but AO2’s suggestion at this time is to proceed with caution and, when in doubt, reach out to our team for help!

See you next week! 🚀

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🚨 Search Feature Experiment

Recently, we’ve seen a lot of news about review details being hidden in Amazon Search. This week, news broke that Amazon is currently testing a controversial update to its star rating system in select regions like India and Germany! (first reported by Android Police)

Instead of hiding the star rating on search, the new design simplifies product ratings by showing a single yellow star next to the percentage of five-star reviews rather than displaying a breakdown of the average star ratings. This change has raised concerns, as it could make it harder for customers to gauge a product’s overall rating at a glance and might encourage sellers to manipulate their reviews by focusing on five-star ratings.

Despite the change in how ratings are displayed in search results, the full ratings breakdown remains accessible on the product's page. Amazon is still experimenting with the feature, and it's unclear if it will be rolled out globally or modified based on feedback from this test.

While the full impact, or broader rollout, is still TBD, this update could significantly affect how customers evaluate products, making it more important than ever for sellers to focus on compelling product descriptions and images to attract buyers.

🗓️ Holiday Shipping Deadline Reminder and support! -

With the October 19th deadline looming for getting products into Amazon’s fulfillment centers in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sellers must plan carefully to avoid missing out on the holiday season's high sales potential.

If you’re scrambling to ship goods to the U.S. and facing high freight costs, AO2 Management can help! Henry Chen, our Supply Chain Manager based in San Mateo, California, speaks Mandarin and has a decade of experience in the industry. Whether optimizing routes or strategizing logistics, Henry's expertise ensures seamless supply chain operations.

Don’t wait—grab a spot on Henry’s calendar today to secure your holiday sales! Meetings are available starting September 9th and will fill up quickly. Take action now to increase your likelihood of hitting the October deadline!

📣 Update: Amazon Coupon Duration Changes Effective September 5th -

On September 5th, Amazon announced a significant change to its coupons' maximum durations, effective September 5th. The maximum timeframes for three classes of coupons have been adjusted as follows:

Standard Coupons: Reduced from 90 days to 30 days.
Reorder Coupons: Increased to 180 days.
Subscribe & Save Coupons: Extended to 365 days.

These changes are designed to enhance the impact of different promotional offers and incentivize customers to take advantage of deals within a set period.

Why This Matters:

Planning Promotions: Sellers need to adjust their promotional strategies to fit these new timelines, ensuring that their deals stay aligned with the most impactful periods for customer engagement.
Coupon Impact: With shorter durations for standard coupons, you can create a sense of urgency to drive conversions, while longer periods for Reorder and Subscribe & Save coupons will encourage repeat purchases and loyalty.

Take action now!

Review Current Coupon Campaigns: If you have any coupons issued before September 5th, they can still run for up to 90 days. However, all new coupons created after this date must follow the new guidelines.

🔎 Upload 3D models to help drive conversions -

Brand-registered sellers can now upload 3D models to product listings to showcase products from all angles and give customers more information that can help drive sales! This feature is finally coming out of a long Beta process and is available in the following categories: home, furniture, consumer electronics, shoes, and eyewear, as well as some others.

To view the full list of eligible product categories, go to 3D shopping experience and product types.

To upload 3D models, follow these instructions in Seller Central:

Navigate to Catalog and select Upload images.
Select the Image Manager tab at the top left of the screen and search for your product in the left pane.
Select the product for which you want to upload a 3D model, and check for the Registered brand owner icon in the right pane.
In the right page, go to 3D models and select Upload 3D model.
Follow the instructions on the page to upload and submit.

Submissions are evaluated against Amazon’s quality standards and may require retouches before publication. Go to the Submission status tab to determine if your submission was published successfully or requires additional action. Current SLAs for review are up to 2 weeks, so plan accordingly if you hope to add 3D content for Q4.

If you don’t have an existing 3D model and would like to add 3D content to your listing, Reach out to our team for support today!

🚚 Faster Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment orders delivery, just in time for Q4!

Faster delivery speeds for US Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) orders are now available at no extra cost:

Standard delivery has improved to three business days, down from five.

Expedited delivery has improved to two business days, down from three.

Priority delivery is discontinued. Orders for priority delivery will be charged the expedited rate.

Until next time! 🚀

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🚨Updates to Amazon’s On-time Delivery Policy and Shipping Settings

Amazon's new On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR) policy, set to take effect on September 25, 2024, imposes stricter requirements on sellers fulfilling their orders (FBM). Sellers must maintain an OTDR of 90% or higher, which now excludes any "promise extensions"—additional days Amazon might have previously added to account for potential delays. Instead, Amazon will measure OTDR based solely on the original promised delivery date.

This policy has a significant impact on sellers. Those who fail to meet the 90% OTDR threshold may lose the Featured Offer (aka Buy Box) on their product or even lose the ability to list seller-fulfilled products on Amazon.com, though they can still use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).

This policy could be especially challenging for sellers outside the U.S., particularly in regions with limited reliable tracking and shipping infrastructure. Since the OTDR applies to all sellers, regardless of location, international sellers without access to Amazon's "Buy Shipping" service may struggle to meet these new standards, potentially risking their selling privileges.

This policy has generated significant concern among sellers, who feel that Amazon's stringent delivery requirements may need to be revised, particularly during peak seasons or when using certain carriers that may only sometimes deliver on time. If you’re an FBM or MCF seller concerned about this new policy, Amazon’s Veeqo software could help! Reach out today, and our team can talk you through options for assistance with this part of your business.

🛎Changes to Enhanced Brand Content Comparison Charts -

Amazon has recently announced that sellers will only be allowed to include one comparison chart per Enhanced Brand Content (AKA EBC or A+ Content) template. This change means you'll need to be strategic about which products to highlight in your comparison chart, ensuring it provide the most value to your customers.

It’s important to update your existing A+ Content to comply with this new guideline to avoid disruptions or rejections in your content submissions. The update was effective 8/19 for any new content created; however, sellers have until the end of September to adjust any existing content.

After this date, per Amazon’s announcement, “Any remaining projects with 3 or more Comparison Charts will automatically be reduced down to 1 Comparison Chart. This reduction will leave the first slotted Comparison Chart within the A+ content and remove any other Comparison Charts below it.”.

🔥Use the carrier performance list to simplify your transportation plans -

Now that sellers can choose from a list of preferred carriers during the Send to Amazon workflow, Amazon has launched a handy new Prepaid carrier list designed to help you do the following so that you can choose the best carrier for you business needs:

View weekly updates on carrier performance, such as on-time delivery rates and no-show percentages.
Identify carriers that meet Amazon’s operational standards.
Make more informed decisions about your logistics partners.

So far, sellers are giving mixed feedback on Amazon's new Prepaid Carrier List and the Carrier Performance updates. Some appreciate the transparency it provides on carrier performance, like on-time delivery rates, which helps them make informed decisions. However, others have concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the list, with reports of carriers being turned away at Amazon facilities or shipments still needing long delays despite using recommended carriers. These issues highlight the need for caution when relying solely on the Amaon’s feedback for logistics planning.

For more information, go to Carrier requirements for delivering shipments

Until next time! 🚀

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🚨Prime Exclusive Discount, Event Fee

We haven’t seen an official update from Amazon on this, but when attempting to set up Prime Exclusive Discounts for the Prime Big Deal Days event later this fall, we’re getting hit with a $50 Event Fee flag!

It seems Amazon is planning to charge sellers $50 to participate in Prime-exclusive discounts during key sales events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. While these tentpole events have been crucial in driving significant sales, this new fee could be a burden for small and medium-sized sellers who rely on these events to boost their visibility and revenue.

Historically, sellers have leveraged Amazon’s sales events to achieve substantial growth, with some even seeing double-digit increases in sales and conversions. However, this additional cost may force sellers to reconsider their pricing strategies or decide whether participating in these discounts is still financially viable.

Sellers need to be aware of this change and consider the potential impact on their margins. The fee could reduce the overall profitability of participating in these events, especially for those already operating on thin margins.

This is your reminder to be an early adopter of new promotions and programs Amazon offers because it’s usually only a matter of time before these free things become monetized!

🚨FBA Refund Changes

Another under-the-radar update for Q4 that is impacting Amazon FBA sellers is a change to the claim period for FBA refunds. Beginning Oct 23rd, Amazon is updating the claim period from 18 months to just 2 months. For sellers, this means there is a critical need to clean up past claims now and to diligently follow up during the busy Q4 period to ensure potential refunds are not lost forever.

This comes after Amazon’s recent announcement that FBA reimbursement will be automatically issued to sellers in many cases. However, seller trust in this process is low, and AO2 Management recommends sellers still continue to monitor and follow up where necessary to ensure they’re receiving their funds.

Are you struggling to manage this task on top of all of your other business duties? Reach out today, and our team can talk you through options for assistance with this part of your business.

🔥Sellers can now select a preferred carrier when using Amazon Partnered shipping in the Ship to Amazon workflow

This week Amazon announced a huge update to allow sellers FBA to avoid carriers who have been problematic in their area. Now, sellers can choose from a list of Amazon-partnered carriers that will ship your inventory to Amazon. Note: all carriers may not be the same price, so sellers will need to balance their per-unit shipping cost with the ease of working with a particular carrier to find the best option for their business. In Q4, when deadlines are tight, this is going to be a massive upgrade to ensure you can work with carriers who you have regular daily pick-ups with, who don't miss deadlines, or straight up just have the drivers you prefer to work with!

Here’s how it works:

As you go through the Send to Amazon workflow, step 4 is called Confirm carrier and pallet information.
In this step, choose an Amazon-partnered carrier. Then, click the Change carrier button to make a selection for each of your shipments.
Select a preferred carrier from the list of options, and click Confirm to proceed with the workflow.
Once you make your selection, you will see the estimated capacity-backed pickup dates that are available for each carrier and the associated transportation cost. If you decide not to select a new carrier, your choice will default to the lowest-cost carrier provided by Amazon.

🌎 Expand your global catalog with Marketplace Product Guidance

With last week’s news of the 50% fee reductions for Amazon’s Poland marketplace, it’s a great time to revisit the Marketplace Product Guidance tool in Seller Central. To help sellers considering Poland or other market expansion, Amazon has revamped the tool to show items projected to do well in other markets,c with a newly added "rational" column to give more context to why they believe a product will do well in a specific market.

Updates to the Marketplace Product Guidance tool include the following:

• Machine learning models estimate the demand and potential sales uplift for cross-listed products.

• A notification that indicates whether a product is subject to cross-border compliance, destination restrictions, and localization and gating rules. A link to a solution provider is also displayed!

• The updated Rational column displays projected sales for potential product listings during the next 90 days.

• A new Competition column shows the number of offers for your product in a store and a View top competitors link takes you to products offered by other sellers.

You can access the Marketplace Product Guidance from the Growth drop-down menu in Seller Central or visit the Marketplace Product Guidance help page for more information.

See you next week! 🚀

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🚨Reminder - Peak fees are coming!

Just a quick heads up that holiday fees are coming to Amazon for FBA sellers, just as they do every year for QA4. 2024 holiday peak fulfillment fees for Fulfillment by Amazon will go into effect October 15, 2024, through January 14, 2025; note these fees are for FBA only as they pertain to fulfillment.

The 2024 holiday peak fulfillment fee will apply to all products sold via US Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Canada FBA, North America Remote Fulfillment, US Multi-Channel Fulfillment, and Buy with Prime. The average holiday peak fulfillment fee is the same as last year, except for products priced under USD 10 in US FBA for which the peak fee is new in 2024. To determine how the holiday peak fulfillment fee may affect your business, you can review detailed rates by size and weight on the following help pages:

🚨New Amazon Product Detail Page (PDP) listing requirement -

Effective August, 15, 2024, Amazon is enforcing some PDP guidelines that have been in place for years, despite many sellers continuing to fly under the radar using them. Guidelines for bullet points will be updated to officially reflect key changes to the following:

Restriction of special characters, emojis

Restriction of some phrases, such as refund-related guarantees

Emojis have been grey hat for years. If you’ve been riding that fine line and still use emojis, now is the time to update! Amazon advises they will be implementing generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help optimize listing quality. Meaning, they will locate and remove non-compliant content and use AI to generate compliant, high-quality bullet points. Don’t give the bots any reason to target your listings!

For more information about the updated requirements and content guidelines, visit the Product bullet point requirements in Seller Central.

🎉50% Fee Reduction for the Poland Marketplace -

Starting August 12, 2024, Amazon will be reducing Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) fulfillment fees for the Amazon.pl marketplace by an average of 50%*, to help more businesses expand to sell in this market.

Reduced FBA fulfillment fees will apply automatically to domestic FBA, Pan-European FBA, and Multi-Channel Fulfilment orders in Poland (excluding European Fulfilment Network orders). Standard FBA fees apply if you use additional services or sell in other Amazon stores.

This fee change is not a promotion and has no expiry date. For more information, you can go to the FBA fulfillment fees help page on the Poland marketplace.

*Actual reduction may vary based on item quantity, dimensions, and weight.

That’s all for now. See you next week! 🚀

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🚨Q4 inventory deadline, Oct 19th

This week, Amazon announced the final date by which all inventory needs to arrive at fulfillment centers to be guaranteed for Prime delivery for Black Friday/Cyber Weekend in North America. That’s just about six weeks away, folks! The clock is ticking. Do you have your supply chain plans in place?

This also comes with the reminder that the overage fee for storage was eliminated, effective July 1, 2024. This means if your on-hand inventory exceeds your capacity limit, you will not incur the overage fee. Any overage fees that were incurred in June 2024 were charged to your account on July 2, 2024, but no further overage fees will be applied going forward. So go ahead and max out those capacity limits, there is no penalty for getting stocked up for the season!

🛎Submit your deals for the upcoming Labor Day sale

Big news! Amazon just announced a Labor Day sale beginning August 26, 2024, to run through September 3, 2024. Sellers can participate in this promotional event by offering deals, in addition to available coupons and promotional offers. Check your deals dashboard now for open opportunities.

🇨🇦Regulatory Advertising Fees added for ads served in Canada

Beginning August 15, 2024, Regulatory Advertising Fees will apply to your Amazon Ads account(s) for ads served in Canada.

Which countries do the Regulatory Advertising Fees apply to?

Starting August 15, 2024, Regulatory Advertising Fees will apply to ads served in Canada. These fees already apply to ads served in France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria, and Turkey. Amazon also applies these fees to advertisers based in some countries, such as Turkey and the United Kingdom, when they purchase certain ad types, regardless of where those ads serve. Application of these fees follows the introduction of Digital Services Taxes and/or other regulations in those jurisdictions.

Which countries do the Regulatory Advertising Fees apply to?

Your Regulatory Advertising Fees are included in your invoice PDFs. You can also go to billing to view your invoice online. Learn more about these fees in the Amazon support center.

🇨🇦More Canada fee news!

On October 1, 2024, Amazon will introduce a digital services fee for digital services taxes (DST) that are implemented by the government of Canada, similar to those already charged in the UK, France, Italy, and Spain. Fees will apply to transactions in the Canada marketplace for all sellers. If you are a seller based in Canada, the fees wll apply to your sales in all marketplaces.

While the typical DST rate is 2% in the UK and 3% in Canada, France, Italy, and Spain, DST charges are unpredictable as they vary based on the location of your business, the location of the buyer, and other factors. Rather than base the digital services fee on these location variables, which would create an unpredictable business impact because you can’t know the location of customers who will buy your products, Amazon is introducing a fixed digital services fee based only on your location and the store in which you sell. For example:

If your business is established in Canada and you sell a $15 item in the US store, you’ll be charged a 3% digital services fee ($0.07) on Selling on Amazon fees ($2.25) for sales starting October 1.
If your business is established in the UK and you sell a $15 item in the US store, you’ll be charged a 2% digital services fee ($0.05) on Selling on Amazon fees ($2.25) and a 2% digital services fee ($0.07) on FBA fees ($3.30) for sales starting October 1.

For more information, visit the Digital services fee help page in Seller Central.

Until next time! 🚀

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🚨Reminder, Prime Big Deal Days deadline is approaching!

Prime Big Deal Days is a Prime-Exclusive shopping event coming in Q4 (you may know it as “Fall Prime Day”, or “Prime Day 2”). This is your official reminder that the deal submission window is already open; we know, it’s crazy considering Prime Day just wrapped up, but the deadline for this fall event is quickly approaching. You have until August 9, 2024 (11:59 p.m. PDT) to submit recommended Deals to be considered for the event!

🔥Amazon is now accepting submissions for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Event

Even crazier, you now have just over two months to submit your recommended Deals for BF/CM. Submit by September 6, 2024 (11:59 p.m. PDT) to be selected for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Event on Amazon. Best Deals will run the entire duration of the event and may start as Prime Exclusive Deals.

🔥Amazon Ads South Africa launched!

For anyone who missed it, Amazon Ads launched in South Africa this month! To learn more, read the official press release here.

🚨PNG file types no longer accepted for images on Vendor or Seller Central

Although there has been no official announcement, AO2 Management has found that Amazon is no longer accepting PNG images for Product Detail Pages, even those images that were previously accepted and have been live on PDP more info on what is accepted. If you’re facing issues with listings reverting to old images or being search suppressed due to missing main images, try converting your existing png file to jpg, or reach out to AO2, and we’ll be happy to assist you!

Until next week, happy selling! 🚀

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🔥Amazon Retail Analytics enhancements and new features - July 2024

We’re thrilled to share the latest updates and improvements to Amazon Retail Analytics (ARA) within Vendor Central.

ARA enhancements and new features

Customizable columns - Personalize your experience by selecting or hiding columns.
Enhanced search - Parent ASIN, UPC, ISBN, and EAN have been added to relevant reports for more comprehensive data.
Real-time sales dashboard (manufacturers) - Track an ASIN's ordered units and sales in the last 24 hours. Multiple ASINs coming soon.
View by time - Group data by day, week, or month to track trends. Visualize with line graphs. To access, select a custom time frame, choose a time-based view by, then click apply.

Update on Regional Vendor Views (RVV) data issue

What was the issue? - Some vendors were missing data for products sold in a store that differed from their Vendor Central account store.
What did we improve? - We’ve updated the experience to show full regional data. To see this cross-region data, select two or more Vendor Central accounts. The data for the entire region will be queried and displayed by locale.

New ARA homepage coming soon

Amazon is testing a new and improved ARA page, which is expected to launch in August. The new page will include metric summary cards, announcements, and help center links. We welcome your feedback and your homepage ideas.

ARA real-time sales API alternative

Enhancements such as multi-ASIN select and KPI expansion are still in development and won’t be available for Prime Day. As an alternative, with the Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) workflow, vendors can gain API access to real-time sales data by leveraging the following notification types.

This solution offers a flexible and scalable approach to meet your analytics needs. For more information, go to the notification-type pages above.

Learn how to use ARA

Go to the Reports section for tutorials on ARA’s sales, catalog, and inventory reporting. Learn more about ARA on the Vendor Central help page.

Vendor Central is known to have less than ideal reporting options, especially as compared to the robust options available in Seller Central. We’re excited to see these enhancements for 1Psellers, and we believe they will empower you to make informed decisions and drive success on Amazon.

Until next time! 🚀

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🔥 New: Delight your customers by providing reliable shipping service for Permissible Dangerous Goods

Leverage Amazon’s trusted shipping service for your products, including certain electronics such as mobile phones containing lithium batteries as well as beauty products such as nail polish, perfume, essential oils, and more. FBM Sellers can now use Amazon Shipping to send Permissible Dangerous Goods sold on Amazon, your website, and other e-commerce channels! Considering eligibility to ship dangerous goods can often include a lengthy approval process (depending on carrier) the ability to ship dangerous goods for all of your channels utilizing Amazon’s shipping accounts is a major upgrade!

🔥 Update: Qualifying Launchpad Brands can access $2,000 in Sponsored Ads click credits

Sellers joining Amazon Launchpad on or after June 1, 2024, that have not created a Sponsored Ad in the past, are now eligible to receive a $2,000 click credit for Sponsored Product advertising as part of a limited-time promotion that runs through 12/31/2024. To take advantage of this benefit, Sellers must create a Sponsored Product Ad within 90 days of joining Amazon Launchpad and consume any available credit within 30 days of their Sponsored Ad creation, otherwise, any credit balance will expire. This benefit is automated and any available click credits will be on the next billing statement following the Sponsored Ad creation.

As a reminder, Amazon Launchpad benefits were recently extended to qualifying agency-referred sellers at no cost to the selling partner. To be considered, the seller must:

Be referred through a partner agency
Be a “new and emerging” (new seller), with an exciting or unique value proposition, and strong demand signals for their brand.

If you’re considering launching your brand on Amazon, reach out to us today to ensure you have access to available benefits that are exclusive to Amazon Stores Agency Program Partners (like AO2 Management)

🎥 New: Guide to Video Upload Optimization

Amazon reports that 82% of people have been convinced to buy a product after watching a video on the detail page, advertisement of the brand store. Learn how to optimize your listings with videos with Amazon’s new Video Overview Guide. ‍

Here's a sneak peek of what you'll discover inside:

How videos can help improve sales and reduce returns.
Where to find metrics like video views, conversion, and average view duration.
How to determine what video content will drive the highest impact for your products.

Download the Guide ›‍

🔥 Update: Spot highly-returned products faster on Voice of Customer Dashboard‍

The new Frequently Returned Items badge in the Voice of the Customer (VOC) dashboard enables faster product issue identification. You Can:

Identify products with higher return rates within the dashboard.
Address potential product issues before they impact sales.

Also new to the dashboard, the new Fit Insights tab allows you to view brand-aggregated insights for apparel and shoe ASINs, to identify causes of returns, review customer feedback, and resolve size chart defects!

Visit the dashboard to start analyzing your returns and fitment details today!

Until next time, enjoy Prime Day and we’ll see you next week! 🚀

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📦Send it again feature replicates Amazon FBA shipments with one click -

Sellers can now copy SKUs and quantities from previous Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipments in one click with the new send it again feature. This feature aims to simplify the FBA shipment process, by eliminating the need to select SKUs individually or via bulk upload when you're replenishing your FBA inventory with the common SKUs and quantities.

You can still manually add or remove SKUs and modify the number of units before finalizing your shipment.

To use this feature, follow the steps below:

Go to Inventory, and select FBA Inventory.
Go to the Shipments drop-down menu, and select Manage Shipments.
Under the Next steps column, select Send it again.

For more information, go to Create shipments with Send to Amazon.

🔥Exclude products from catalog-wide Amazon Brand Tailored Promotions

Brand Tailored promotions is a powerful promo tool that allows brand registered Amazon sellers the opportunity to target customer bases specific to their brand audience.

Previously, there were options to add your entire catalog or just a few SKUs to a promotion, which could be tricky to sellers who had large catalogs and wanted to exclude just a few ASINS. The new ASIN Exclusion feature in Brand Tailored Promotions enables sellers to exclude up to 100 parent ASINs from a catalog-wide promotion for greater control over your sales strategies.

To exclude ASINs from a new promotion, do the following:

Select the brand you want to promote and the audience you want to engage.
At the product selection step, you can either choose Add all products to select your entire brand catalog or Exclude specific products to exclude up to 100 ASINs. Enter a parent ASIN to exclude all related child ASINs from the promotion. You can also exclude individual child ASINs.
Enter any other promotion details and submit the promotion.

This coupon option launched in Fall 2023 with 6 audiences, and has grown over the last 9 months to include over 10 audience segments to choose from including:

Top-tier, Repeat customers, Recent customers, Promising, Potential new customers, High Spend, Declining Top Tier, Declining Promising, Brand Followers, Cart abandoners (7 day and 90 day), and At Risk.

While the official ruling is you must have at least 10K customers as a segment to send a coupon, we’ve seen more campaigns running with at least 5K and have received feedback from brands with even less. If you’re unsure, give it a try!

For more information on how to use this new feature, go to Brand Tailored Promotions inside of Seller Central.

💰USPS is increasing shipping rates twice in July

For our Amazon FBM friends, or all of you selling on other platforms using USPS for fulfillment, July is going to be a double whammy of rate hikes.

The first round already went into effect earlier this week. Here's what changed on July 1st:

Ground Advantage is increasing by up to $2.11

Weight-Based Ground Advantage for shipments that weigh more than 1 pound are increasing by up to $2.11, mostly in 1-5 pounds
Weight-Based Ground Advantage for shipments less than 1 pound are increasing by up to 33 cents for zones 6-8
Ground Advantage Cubic rates are increasing by up to $1.67

Priority Mail is increasing by up to $3.10

Weight-Based Priority Mail rates are increasing by up to $3.10
Priority Mail Cubic rates are increasing by up to $2.97
Priority Mail Flat Rate prices are increasing by up to $1.18

In 2 weeks, the next round of changes will go into effect. Here's what's changing on July 14th:

Media Mail rates will increase by up to 56 cents
Signature Confirmation is going up by 20 cents to $3.70

Until next week, happy selling! 🚀

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🎉 2024 Prime Day Dates Have Been Confirmed

In case you missed it, Amazon has officially confirmed 2024 Prime Day dates as July 16th and 17th via press release earlier this week. As the date is less than 3 weeks away, most of the inventory and deal deadlines for sellers have passed, but if you’re selling outside of the US you still have some time! Download our Prime Day Timeline PDF for all the details!

🔥Find lower FBA rates with updated FBA Enrollment Opportunities tool

Amazon has updated the FBA Enrollment Opportunities tool to help sellers decide which products are a fit for FBA, to better understand overall Amazon fulfillment costs.

You can now use the FBA Enrollment Opportunities tool to identify products priced below $10 that are eligible for Low-price FBA fees, and compare with standard FBA fulfillment fees with the Revenue Calculator, which is now integrated. This helps you to:

Calculate net margin, net proceeds, and total costs.
Compare your current fulfillment costs with FBA costs.
Calculate costs for inbound placement options based on the region.
Calculate additional FBA services such as labeling and packaging.
Forecast holiday season and non-holiday season fulfillment costs for long-term planning.

To use these new features, go to FBA Enrollment Opportunities.

See you next week! 🚀

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🔥New Brand Store quality rating is available to all advertisers!

What launched? Advertisers can now learn how their Brand Store's engagement compares to peers and see personalized recommendations on optimizing it. The new Brand Store quality rating and recommendations can be accessed by visiting the advertising console and navigating to your Brand's Store Insights dashboard. The report lives under the “Brand Store quality” tab on the left-hand navigation panel.

Recommendations will also be provided for actions to improve store interactions and conversions. Recommendations will vary by account.

Before June 2024, this was a closed beta, invite-only program. As a result, please be advised that despite officially moving out of the beta phase on May 30th, the rollout to all users could take some time. The feature is available worldwide.

🔥Wider Roll Out of Amazon Rufus

Amazon Rufus, a new generative AI-powered conversational shopping experience which was teased at the CES conference this January and made an official debut in February, is rolling out to more listings and to a wider range of shoppers summer.

Rufus is an expert shopping assistant trained on Amazon’s product catalog and information from across the web to answer customer questions on shopping needs, products, and comparisons, make recommendations based on this context, and facilitate product discovery in the same Amazon shopping experience customers use regularly.

Why does this matter to Sellers? Although Rufus was created for shoppers, similar to using reviews for insights into their products and customer shopping patterns, chatting with Rufus can reveal a great deal about how products are perceived, highlighting invaluable feedback for marketing and product development.

Rufus goes beyond individual detail pages. Depending on the prompt, this tool can provide category-level feedback, which can also be very helpful for sellers in conducting competitor and category research.

🤔What is Walmart Realm?

Seriously, what is it? This immersive commerce page, created by the virtual store platform Emperia, includes three virtual storefronts inspired by trendy Pinterest aesthetics. The “trippy” interface (as described by many media outlets) incorporates AI, gaming, and influencers into shoppable videos and images, an experience intended to target and engage younger shopping enthusiasts.

Walmart Realm consists of virtual storefronts designed based on insights from Pinterest Predicts, a trend forecasting report that compiles data on the aesthetics that are most likely to go viral each year. Users can play games and earn rewards while clicking on videos and images to learn more about products and add to cart.

With under a month since its launch, there isn’t a whole lot of information available on how to engage or feedback on benefits for brands and sellers. We’re monitoring this site and will keep you informed about its performance, features, and potential for brands interested in tapping into this unique experience.

Until next week, happy selling! 🚀

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🔥 Subscribe & Save will launch for seller-fulfilled orders on June 27

Exciting news for FBM Sellers, the Subscribe & Save (S&S) program will expand to include eligible seller-fulfilled products beginning on June 27, 2024.

If you previously set a default discount for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Subscribe & Save, then that setting will automatically apply to your seller-fulfilled Subscribe & Save selection for the same ASINs starting June 27.

In addition to seller-funded discounts for S&S, Amazon offers a 5% discount for customers with five or more subscriptions scheduled to arrive on the same delivery day. So, even if you don't have a default discount set, Amazon will add your eligible products at a 0% seller-funded base rate.

Note that you might experience an increase in pending orders as Amazon aligns seller-fulfilled S&S deliveries with the subscriber’s weekly or monthly subscription delivery day.

If you’d like to enroll additional SKUs, set your default enrollment discount now to take effect June 27th; follow these steps:

Go to Growth, and select Explore programs
Click Increase conversion
Under Subscribe & Save, click Learn more

From there, you can also do the following:

Opt out from automatic enrollment
Update your discount funding for each product after the June 27 launch
Review your Performance dashboard

For more information about Subscribe & Save product eligibility, go to Subscribe & Save for sellers.

📝 Registration is now open for Amazon Accelerate 2024

Amazon Accelerate 2024 registration is now open! We’ll be there, will you? Accelerate is one of AO2’s favorite conferences each year and is Amazon’s premier annual seller conference. It will be held from September 17 to September 19, 2024, in Seattle, Washington.

Amazon Accelerate offers opportunities to network with fellow sellers, receive personalized one-on-one support from Amazon subject matter experts, and be the first to discover cutting-edge resources and tools to accelerate your business growth.

Register by July 14, 2024, to get $100 off the in-person registration price at $499 (regularly $599). In-person seats are limited!

For more information and to register for Amazon Accelerate 2024, revisit our 2023 recap webinar and blogs part one and two, then check out the Amazon Accelerate page

‍📅 Fall Prime Big Deals event Deal Window is Open

Prime Day has yet to arrive, but Amazon is already accepting deals for the Prime Big Deals event. Prime Big Deals is a recurring event that last year took place in October (AKA Fall Prime Day).

We'll have more info on this event soon, but get those deals in for now! The window is open until August 9th, so check out your Deals dashboard for eligible items, and keep checking through that August 9th deadline as offers could change daily.

If that isn’t crazy enough, plenty of sellers are also reporting seeing Deal opportunities for Black Friday and Cyber Monday already as well (the deadline for these deals has not been shared yet).

That’s all for now. See you next week! 🚀

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If you joined Brand Registry using a Trademark application that was pending but has now been officially registered with the Trademark office, Amazon has created a workflow to update status. Visit the 'Manage Intellectual Property' section to verify your Trademark status. If the update is not already reflected, you now have the option to refresh your Trademark's status within Brand Registry.

To request a Trademark status update, follow these steps:

Sign in to Brand Registry
Click Support and select Contact Brand Support
Select Update your Trademark status from the drop-down menu
Enter the required Trademark information and click Send

‍🔥 More Brand Registry News! -

The Manage Selling Accounts tool is a new self-service tool that gives users with the brand Administrator role the ability to unlock brand benefit eligibility for users with active Seller Central accounts.

Why is this important? Brand Administrators no longer need to contact Brand Registry Support to extend brand benefit access. Instead, they can use the Manage Selling Accounts tool to assign specific brand benefit programs based on the user’s relationship with the brand.

To use the tool, brand Administrators need to:

Visit the Brand Registry portal and select Manage Selling Accounts tool.
Select the relevant Selling Role, based on the user’s relationship with the brand.
Provide the seller’s merchant token or select an already connected selling account.
Select the relevant brand for that user.
Click Connect selling account.

The user will receive an email instructing them to accept it through Seller Central and after accepting, the Selling Role will appear as active in the Connected tab on the Manage Selling Accounts page (not applicable for Vendor Central accounts)

🔥 Canva x Amazon Ads - New Beta Product Launch - Canva Connect

Are you a Canva user? Do you use Canva to create content for your Amazon Ads and listings? If so, listen up!

Amazon Ads recently announced a BETA partnership with Canva, called the Amazon Ads/Canva Connector. This beta product seamlessly connects Canva to your Amazon Ads creative library and allows you to import/export your brand content. Even better, while creating in Canva, you can run your creative through pre-moderation to ensure it meets Amazon standards. This new product saves time, simplifies the process, and helps creatives work more efficiently.

Check out this post from Amazon Ad’s own Jeff Cohen for a cool video highlight

This is a closed Beta, so not all users will see these options. If you’re interested in trying it out and do not currently have access, reach out to our team! 🚀

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🔥 New Seller Central Tools Announced!

First up, a new way to improve customer service performance for Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) orders with Feedback Manager insights. The Feedback Manager dashboard in Seller Central has been updated so Sellers can now see seller-fulfilled customer service performance across three critical insights: contacts, response time, and buyer sentiment.

These updates can help brands identify opportunities for customer service improvement through Buyer-Seller Messaging and trends for the prior four-week period on a rolling basis.

Visit the Feedback Manager dashboard to see these new features in a module at the top of the page featuring these three performance insights based on your seller-fulfilled orders:

Preventable contacts
Average contact response time
Buyer dissatisfaction rate

To learn more, go to Customer service insights on Feedback Manager.

Next, make better inventory management decisions when you analyze aging and excess FBA inventory with the new analytics page, which contains one year of historical data for analysis.

The FBA Inventory Age & Excess Analytics page:

Provides a summarized view of how your aging inventory levels are trending over time
Shows you how other metrics like FBA sales and aged inventory surcharge match up with your aging inventory
Summarizes excess inventory recommendations and aged inventory surcharges

For more information, go to FBA Inventory Age & Excess Analytics. Special permissions are available and may not have added to all users by default. If you’re not able to access the page, visit Add permissions for FBA dashboard and FBA Analytics to enable access.

📅 One week to go for the Amazon Ads summit: Prep for Prime Day

The Amazon Ads Summit - Prep for Prime Day is coming June 4 and 5. Don’t miss the opportunity to maximize your brand and performance marketing during key shopping periods with some tips from the Amazon Ads team.

Here’s a preview of the exclusive hands-on workshops and discussions that you’ll be able to join:

June 4: Partner session: A master class in Sponsored Products keyword strategy, with Helium 10. Set a keyword strategy using the right keywords, bids, and optimization strategy.
June 4: Convert views to sales: A guide to optimizing your product detail pages. Learn how to use insights to enhance your product detail pages through live demonstrations.
June 5: Make your summer deals shine with Amazon Brand Stores. Get your Store ready for peak periods, with a demonstration on how to set up new pages and use compelling imagery.

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🚨June Fee Update Reminder -

The final “new” Amazon fee of 2024 will be rolled out in June. This fee will be in addition to existing returns processing costs and will apply to high-return-rate products across all categories, with the exception of apparel and shoes. For most small and large standard items fees will range from $1.65 and up to $5.00 per unit.

As per Amazon’s fee update announcement in December, this fee is intended to cover the operational costs of returns and minimize waste. It will apply exclusively to products with the highest return rates within their respective categories and will take effect next week, June 1, 2024. For more detailed information, please visit the Returns Processing Fee page.

For a comprehensive and easy-to-digest rundown of every Amazon fee change in 2024, check out AO2’s blog on the topic, 2024 Amazon Fee Changes.

🔥Amazon Launchpad extends support to qualifying agency-referred selling partners -

Amazon Launchpad, a program dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs by providing resources, expertise, and global support to help showcase and deliver unique products like yours to millions of Amazon customers, has traditionally been an invite-only program. Beginning this month, agencies like AO2 Management will have the unique opportunity to enroll brands into the program directly, no invite needed!

Launchpad hosts a suite of perks designed to jumpstart and accelerate your Amazon business, from discoverability to global expansion, they’ve got you covered. To qualify, brands must:

Be registered as professional sellers
Have listed their products in Amazon’s online store in the US for less than four years, or have enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry less than four years ago
Have generated less than $10 million in gross merchandise sales in Amazon’s online store annually

Are you interested in enrolling your brand in Launchpad? Reach out to our AO2 team for assistance.

That’s all for this week. Until next time! 🚀

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🇮🇪 Amazon Launches in Ireland -

Amazon has launched its new dedicated store in Ireland, bringing a localized shopping experience to Irish customers! This move ensures faster delivery options, including one-day delivery for Prime members, and access to a vast selection of products across various categories. Amazon is also supporting local businesses through this platform, highlighting its commitment to the Irish market. This strategic expansion reflects Amazon's continuous efforts to enhance customer convenience and strengthen its global presence.

Takeaways:

Localized Amazon.ie store
Faster delivery options, including one-day for Prime members
Extensive product selection
Support for local businesses

📝 Amazon's 2023 Small Business Empowerment Report -

Amazon’s 2023 report underscores its commitment to small businesses, which accounted for over 60% of Amazon's sales, generating $230 billion in 2022. Key points include:

Growth: Small businesses sold 4,000 products per minute and saw a 25% sales increase using Fulfillment by Amazon.
Support: Investments in tools like Amazon Small Business Academy and the Amazon Accelerate program boosted SMB visibility and sales.
Global Reach: SMBs exported $4.5 billion in products, aided by Amazon Global Selling.
Education: Over 2 million hours of training provided to SMBs.
Sustainability: Emphasis on eco-friendly practices and innovation.

For more details, read the full report on Amazon News.

Until next week! 🚀

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🔥New insights await in the Search Catalog Performance dashboard!

See how customers interact with products throughout their search shopping journey.

The Search Catalog Performance dashboard is designed to help you understand your sales funnel at the product level, to quickly resolve conversion issues or drop-off points where you lose customer attention.

Download the Amazon Brand Analytics quick start guide and empower your brand-building process with a suite of insightful dashboards that provide actionable data, including customer purchase behavior, competitive analysis, and search optimization.

🔥Grow your brand with Explore Brand Selection -

Launch a product faster and more easily with Explore Brand Selection, a new tool that facilitates adding products from your brand to the Amazon store. This tool references public attributes like your product name, description, and images displayed on other sites to automatically populate listing drafts, saving you a lot of time! You can also see and add an offer to products from your brand currently offered by other sellers.

This tool is free to use but requires enrollment:

Once enrolled, you'll see a unified view of the new draft listings with over 50% of the attributes pre-filled.
You can then review and provide feedback or quickly publish the ones you choose.
There is no obligation to list any new products and you remain in control of what’s made available in the Amazon store at all times.
Additional features include sorting by demand to improve prioritization and share feedback in bulk

To enroll, visit the Brand Selection program page. Note: this tool is only available for brand-registered Sellers.

See you next week! 🚀

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🔥 UPDATE- Extension for waiver of Low Inventory Fees -

On April 1, 2024, the FBA low-inventory-level fee went into effect, and Amazon announced any low-inventory-level fees charged in April would be credited back. On May 1st Amazon announced they are extending this transition period through May 14 🎉.

By May 31, Sellers will be credited back for any low-inventory-level fees incurred between April 1 and May 14.

During this transition period, the aim has been to acquaint users with fee structures and management tools, fostering greater familiarity. This extended timeframe has facilitated a larger number of sellers in reaching optimal inventory levels, thus circumventing certain fees altogether.

In response to user feedback, three additional adjustments are being implemented to refine the targeting of low-inventory-level fees, focusing on areas where users possess greater control to maintain healthy inventory:

Beginning May 15, the low inventory-level fee will no longer apply to products that have sold fewer than 20 units within the past 7 days. This recognizes the challenges of managing inventory levels for seasonal, end-of-life, and low-volume products with fluctuating demand.
Any low-inventory-level fees incurred due to excessive inbound and processing times attributed to Amazon or Amazon-managed services will be reimbursed by the 15th day of the following month. For instance, charges incurred in May due to inbound delays will be credited back by June 15.
In anticipation of Prime Day 2024, an event crucial for business sales, a time-bound exception will be granted for low-inventory-level fees for products included in Prime-exclusive Lightning Deals and Best Deals. This exception will apply for the four weeks following Prime Day, acknowledging the potentially unpredictable inventory levels stemming from Prime Day sales.

🚨Reminder! Today is the last day to submit Prime Day Deals -

As a reminder, TODAY, MAY 3rd, is the final day to accept Deals for the Prime Day window to be eligible to run a Lightning, Best, or Deal of the Day for Prime Day 2024. Remember, you can continue to create Prime Exclusive Discounts now through the event!

To create a deal, select eligible products from the list in the Select Products tab of the Deals dashboard in Seller Central.

🚨Alert! May 31st is the final deadline for custom images in Sponsored Brand ad types -

Beginning January 31, 2024, new Sponsored Brands campaigns using the product collection ad format created using the API or Amazon advertising console started requiring a custom image that meets policy, ASIN image is no longer acceptable.

Although Amazon has allowed Sellers to continue using ASIN images during a transition period, they will begin enforcing this requirement for all product collection ads on May 31st, 2024. After that date, ads without custom images (ASIN only) will stop serving.

This is especially important to note if you are creating your ads via API as multiple endpoints will be deprecated later this year in favor of an updated custom image-specific endpoint.

Amazon recommends migrating to the new /sb/v4/ads/productCollectionExtended endpoint which requires a custom image as part of ad creation. The previous /sb/v4/ads/productCollection and /sb/ads/creatives/productCollection will be deprecated, with a target shutoff date of November 30, 2024.
The /sb/v4/ads/productCollectionExtended also allows advertisers and partners to create a slide show for product collection ads using a collection of custom images and edit their ad landing pages.
In addition, existing product collection ads that don’t contain a custom image will stop serving after May 31, 2024. To remediate, we highly recommend that you either use the Amazon ad console to update your product collection campaigns with custom images or use the /sb/ads/creatives/productCollection or /sb/ads/creatives/productCollectionExtended endpoints to update your creatives.
API doc.

That’s all for this week. Until next time! 🚀

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🚨 Account Deactivation Warnings in Seller Central -

Some Sellers have reported seeing alerts like the one below in their Seller Central accounts on the Account Health page. Rest assured, this is not the result of a major violation, as the menacing message may appear to indicate!

The alert is simply intended to advise the Seller that updated information is needed for the annual INFORM Act verification process.

The INFORM Consumers Act took effect on June 27, 2023, and places obligations on Amazon and high-volume third-party sellers who sell products on Amazon’s US store. Under this law, high-volume sellers are required to do the following:

Provide, and Amazon must collect, verify, and disclose, certain specific information about their business.
Keep this information current and notify Amazon when their information changes, at which point Amazon must verify the new information.
Certify that their information is current on at least an annual basis.

Visit the INFORM Act page in Seller Central for all the details!

🔥 A new guide for Premium A+ Content has recently been released by Amazon -

Similar to last month's guide to the new and improved Brand Registry, this new guide is MASSIVE and has tons of great info, including:

Technical Specs
Premium Q&A
Brand Highlight
Hot Spots and more!

You can download the full guide here: Premium A+ Module Guide

🚨 New ASAP compliance requirements, button cell/coin batteries -

Effective immediately, Amazon has introduced new compliance requirements for all listings of products containing button cell or coin batteries. To remain compliant and avoid suppression of listings, sellers must now provide additional proof of compliance, including:

Certification from an ISO 17025-approved lab that demonstrates adherence to the Underwriters Laboratories 4200A (UL4200A) standard.
General Certificate of Conformity: This certificate must explicitly list compliance with UL4200A.

Before this update, these requirements were mandatory only for the batteries themselves (see more info, Reese's Law). However, the scope has now expanded to include ANY consumer products sold and shipped with these types of batteries.

What action should you take if your listings are impacted?

Ensure that all listings for products with these batteries include the necessary proof of compliance and a General Certificate of Conformity, uploaded to the Manager Your Compliance dashboard
Receive the full policy on the Button cell and coin batteries help page for additional details

Note: Failure to meet these requirements could lead to listing suppression or further actions under the Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement.

That’s all for now. See you next week! 🚀

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Amazon Pet Day 2024 is coming!

What does this mean for brands? Amazon will be heavily promoting pet-related products during this 48-hour event with dedicated space on the homepage, on desktop, and in-app as well as a dedicated shopping page for all deals and discounts running during the event.

Do you sell pet products? Check your deals dashboard to confirm if you can run a deal during the event time frame.
No deal available? That’s OK Running coupons, Prime Exclusive Deals, and other promotions, including sponsored ads, will also increase your likelihood of enhanced placement during this sales event!

🚨Prime Day details are starting to leak -

If you’re like the rest of us in the Amazon space, as soon as Q4 ends, you’re already thinking about Prime Day. And while Amazon never releases the date of the annual event more than a few weeks ahead of time, we’re finally starting to see some details emerge that can help us plan for a successful event. This week, Amazon announced some deadlines and tips for Prime Day 2024:

Send in your FBA inventory

Make sure your FBA inventory arrives at fulfillment centers by June 20, 2024. Shipping early is recommended to allow for potential logistics, customs, or carrier issues. Remember average receiving times at Amazon FCs can be as much as 5 weeks!
As you prepare your shipments, check your recommended replenishment quantity. Even if restock limits are applied, you may still have capacity available in different storage types. Expand the restock limits monitor at the bottom of the page to check your restock limits by storage type from Restock Inventory or Shipping Queue.

Create a deal

Create your deals by May 3, 2024, to participate in the Prime Day sale.
To create a deal, make sure that your account has a rating of more than 4 stars and your product has a rating of more than 4.
If your account and products qualify, create a deal from the list of eligible products in the Select Products tab of the Deals dashboard. The list is refreshed weekly.
There are a few more criteria for creating deals, so be sure to check out the Amazon deals page for all the details,
Great news! You can create a Prime Exclusive Discount at any time before or during the sales event, provided it meets eligibility for Prime Day which does vary from the standard guidelines.

Stay tuned for more updates on Prime Day 2024 in the coming months, we’ll bring you all the news as it breaks!

‍🔥Track fees with the new SKU Economics report -

Finally, Amazon has made the SKU Economics details available in report form to make the SKU Economics tool more accessible and to illustrate the breakdown of fees, including the recently launched low-inventory-level fee.

SKU Economics is a tool on Seller Central for all third-party sellers that collects fees, sales, ads, off-Amazon costs, and net proceeds in a single view to help you optimize costs and understand your product selection performance. The new SKU Economics report is a downloadable report that enables you to view all products in your catalog at once. It includes historical charge information for each fee type.

The report allows you to view the economics.

of your selection at the FNSKU, MSKU, ASIN, and parent-ASIN levels. This single source for historical economics data eliminates the need to merge sales, fees, and ads reports to understand your net proceeds.

To learn more about the data included or to download the report, go to SKU Economics report.

🔥Updates to Changes to dietary supplements policy for Amazon.com -

‍If you sell supplements and you’ve been following the recent news about supplements on Amazon, you no doubt have lingering questions about how to stay compliant and keep all of your listings active. On April 17th, Amazon hosted a webinar to cover some additional details, and we’ve got the highlights for you!

Although the original news announcement advised these changes will apply to all dietary supplements, Amazon clarified on the webinar that they will initially focus on supplements that Amazon considers to be Sexual Enhancement, Weight Management, and Sports Nutrition/Body Building products.

All listings for these product types will need to be certified with Amazon, even if already tested for these requirements:

Products are manufactured in a facility compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices set forth by the FDA (cGMPs, 21 CFR 111/117 or equivalent)
Products do not contain contaminants that may pose a human health or regulatory concern
Products contain the ingredients claimed on the product label
Products do not contain undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

If products are already tested and certified for NSF/ANSI 173 Certification or NSF 229 Certification, which is renewed annually, there will be a path to verify those certifications.

If products are not already certified via the above, there will be a path to pay for testing with an Amazon-approved facility. For this option, there will be a cost, and it will vary by testing partner chosen by the Seller.

Compliance will be required by July 9th.

We’re continuing to monitor news related to this updated policy. Stay tuned for a future full-length blog post with more details and step-by-step instructions for navigating the certification process.

Phew! So many updates this week. Come back next week for more! 🚀

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🔥Buy with Prime Pricing Update -

A little bit of good news on the topic of Amazon fees - payment processing fee for Buy with Prime will not increase in May as previously reported! This rate was set to expire April 30, 2024 and increase to a rate of 2.9% of the order value plus $0.30 per transaction in May and beyond. However, Amazon announced this week via email to enrolled brands that the fee will continue at the current rate of 2.4% of the order value plus $0.30 per transaction.

For details about pricing, go to the Buy with Prime pricing article.

🔥New Brand Registry Application Guide Available -

For those sellers who are new to Amazon or still working to get brand protection, a new guide to enrolling in the brand registry program is now available. This extensive 10-page guide covers every question asked on the application as well as each individual step of the process taking a lot of the guesswork out of what's required.

For more information, go to the Brand Registry Application Guide.

Short and sweet this week. Until next time! 🚀

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🔥BIG Update: Credit for FBA low-inventory-level fees incurred during April 2024 -

As announced in December 2023, the new FBA low-inventory-level fee went into effect for Amazon FBA Sellers on April 1, 2024. This controversial fee applies to products with consistently low levels of inventory relative to their unit sales.

Amazon has justified the newly created fee with this statement: Maintaining sufficient inventory levels allows Amazon to effectively distribute products across our fulfillment network, which improves shipping speeds for customers and helps drive more sales for you.

However, in the past week, they have backtracked on the fee stating, “We have heard feedback from a number of sellers that they are still uncertain what the exact effect of this fee will be on their business. To help you better see how this affects your business in real-time, we will provide a transition period during the month of April.”

Amazon will still charge the FBA low-inventory-level fees incurred between April 1 and April 30, but after the end of the month, they will credit your account for all low-inventory-level fees charged during this period. The goal is for you to see the end-to-end experience, and understand how this may affect your business so you can further update your inventory management to maintain sufficient inventory levels, drive greater sales, and avoid fees in the future.

How it will work:

Starting April 1, the transition period will begin. You will still be charged the fee on eligible products shipped with historical days of supply below 28 days. Then, Amazon will credit back any charged low-inventory-level fees for units shipped between April 1 and April 30. You can expect to see this credit in May.
Starting May 1, the fee will be charged without a credit back. You can avoid the fee by ensuring that either the long-term historical days of supply (last 90 days) or short-term historical days of supply (last 30 days) are above 28 days (4 weeks). April will give you an opportunity to understand if your current inventory management actions will effectively avoid the fee or if there are adjustments you can make to avoid this fee so you're prepared going forward.

For more information on the low-inventory-level fee and what qualifies, go to the low-inventory-level fee.

🚨Changes to dietary supplements policy -

Amazon has updated its policy on dietary supplements and announced the changes on the effective date, April 2, 2024. Moving forward, all dietary supplement products for sale on Amazon will need to be verified through a third-party Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) organization.

Details on the update a vague at this time. Per the announcement:

To ensure that your listings are compliant with the new policy, Sellers will need to use the Manage Your Compliance dashboard to initiate a test for each product with one of the third-party TIC organizations. Once testing is requested, you’ll work directly with the third-party TIC organization to complete the testing of your products. For testing instructions, go to the Manage Your Compliance dashboard and select Add or Appeal Compliance.

Once a test result confirms compliance with Amazon policy, your product will be eligible for sale on Amazon.

It is still unclear exactly what tests or compliance are required and as of this post, most Sellers we’ve spoken with have not reported seeing any newly restricted products or new compliance requests. Amazon will host a live webinar on April 17, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time to cover the policy on selling dietary supplements and to answer any of your questions.

Register here for the webinar | For more information, go to Dietary Supplements.

The Manage Your Compliance dashboard shows listings for dietary supplements that require your action along with the due dates under Compliance status. Listings may be subject to removal if they are not confirmed as being compliant with our policy by the specified due date.

📝Amazon’s Annual Brand Protection Report Released -

Amazon recently released its Brand Protection Report, which outlines its commitment to the authenticity of goods sold in the Amazon store and to hold bad actors accountable to protect your businesses and help you grow.

In 2023, the company invested more than $1.2 billion and employed more than 15,000 people—including machine learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators—dedicated to protecting customers, brands, sellers from counterfeit, fraud, and other forms of abuse.

The report outlines the progress made, including the following highlights:

Identified, seized, and appropriately disposed of more than 7 million counterfeit products worldwide, preventing them from harming customers or being resold elsewhere in the retail supply chain.
Since its launch in 2020, Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has pursued more than 21,000 bad actors through litigation and criminal referrals to law enforcement.
Proactive controls blocked more than 99% of suspected infringing listings before a brand ever had to find and report them.
Since 2020, while the number of products available for sale in our store has continued to grow, there has been a more than 30% decrease in the total valid notices of infringement submitted by brands.

See you back next week! 🚀

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🔥Shoppable Basic A+ Content modules now available for brands -

Shoppable content modules are now available for brands that use Basic A+ Content, so your customers can add an item to the cart directly from the Standard Comparison Chart module.

The module shows real-time item prices and customer rating summaries to supplement the existing comparison of product attributes. This can reduce the amount of time customers spend scrolling between different product pages and help them make informed purchase decisions.

To get started, go to A+ Content Manager.

🔥Amazon Attribution is adding a new customer audience segment called Re-marketing -

Use the new customer audience segment in Amazon Attribution to re-engage and re-market to your customers both on and off Amazon. Maximize conversions and earn a Brand Referral Bonus with the new custom Re-marketing segment, which enables you to continue customer engagement within Amazon to help improve conversion, and maximize the bonus earned.

Improve marketing effectiveness by combining Amazon Attribution campaigns with the Re-marketing audience through Amazon Ads.

Go to the Re-marketing Overview Guide.

Learn More ›

🤔 Want to understand the impact of your videos?

Learn how customers engage with your videos by tracking views, average view duration, conversion rates, and more.

Amazon knows measuring ROI is important to you, so they’ve made it easy for you to track the performance of your videos. You can find video metrics in Seller Central by navigating to:

Upload and Manage Videos under Items.
Select your desired date range by clicking the dropdown above your total catalog data.
Scroll to the right in your video catalog table to view all available metrics.
Export your catalog's performance by clicking ‘export recommendations’ in the top right corner or view data more granularly by filtering by video type, brand association, and language of video.

Get Started ›

🚨Custom image requirements for Sponsored Brand Ads -

Amazon is changing its requirements for Sponsored Brands campaigns that use the product collection ad format. As of January 31 2024, new Sponsored Brands campaigns using product collection require a custom image that meets Amazon’s ad policy.

Existing product collections that do not contain a custom image will stop serving after May 31, 2024. For existing campaigns, we recommend all advertisers include a custom image from their computer, asset library, or partners using the GenAI image creation API beta.

🚨New: Aggregated chargebacks and 30-day notice period for VENDORS -

Starting on April 30, all vendor PO On-time accuracy chargebacks will be aggregated based on their common attributes. They’ll display only when the chargeback is complete, and Amazon will include a 30-day waiting period before taking any deductions.

This update includes the following benefits:

Reduced number of chargeback IDs to manage: Because the chargebacks will now be aggregated to the common attribute, you’ll see chargebacks surface when they’re completed.
Maximum limits: You won’t be charged more than the confirmed chargeback amount and any adjustments will automatically be waived or reversed. Amazon won’t raise any chargebacks after 30 days.
30-day notice period: All confirmed chargebacks will be automatically granted a 30-day notice period before any deductions are made. Any chargeback changes during that period will be automatically netted from the deductible amount.

For more information, go to Chargebacks – Smart aggregation.

That’s all for now, we’ll see you next week! 🚀

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🔥PRIME DAY DEAL SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN -

We can't believe it's only March, and we're already talking about Prime Day! Sellers can now see recommended Deals for Prime Day week. Submissions are required by May 3, 2024, to have a chance to be selected for the big event, giving us our first clue at the timeline for Prime Day 2024.

Brands can find eligible opportunities on the Deals page by navigating to Advertising --> Deals from the Seller Central menu. Note that options may change, so Sellers should check back frequently between now and May 3rd. Criteria for deal eligibility can be found here.

🚨April Fee Reminder -

If you have already seen our 2024 Fee Change blog, you know there are lots of changes to the fees associated with Amazon this year. We’ve already seen a few, and one of the big ones is coming next month - introducing the Low Inventory Level fee. New to Amazon but actually pretty common for major retailers, this surcharge will begin applying to standard-sized products with consistently low inventory levels starting April 1, 2024.
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Some details from Amazon:

Why have a low-inventory-level fee?

When sellers don’t carry enough inventory, Amazon is unable to distribute products as effectively and efficiently across our network, which slows customer delivery speeds and increases shipping costs.

How is the low-inventory-level fee calculated?

The low-inventory-level fee is based on historical days of supply, which is the product’s inventory levels relative to actual historical sales.

Amazon will only charge the low-inventory-level fee when the metric for historical days of supply is below 28 days. It will calculate the historical days of supply metric over the short term (last 30 days) and long term (last 90 days) and only assess the fee if both are below 28 days. This provides flexibility, as you can avoid the fee through short-term improvements in inventory positions or through long-term management of inventory levels.

The historical days of supply metric is calculated at the parent product level. For parent products with less than 28 days of historical supply, the low-level inventory fee will be added to the FBA fulfillment fees.

That’s all for now! 🚀

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🚨New Remote Fulfillment Deadline -

Many sellers are seeing this new alert on their Seller Central home page: “! Attention, Automatic Enrollment in Remote Fulfillment!,” indicating that their products will automatically be enrolled into Remote Fulfillment for the Brazil Marketplace on April 12th and, by doing so, will automatically be subject to the business service agreement for that store.

Sellers who do not wish to proceed with the automatic enrollment into NAF for the Brazilian marketplace must take action before April 11th by visiting this page in their Seller Central account, unchecking the opt-in box, and saving their selection.

Sellers who wish to enroll sooner can do so now through the program page

Brazil is being included as part of North America for purposes of the North American Remote Fulfillment Program (a.k.a NARF). NARF allows you to sell to customers in eligible marketplaces using your FBA inventory in the US which can help with:

Extending your customer base can help increase sales
Amazon handles fulfillment across the border
Import duties and fees are paid by the buyer

Visit the Remote Fulfillment with FBA help page to learn more about the program; including enrollment options, product eligibility, managing your offers, and fees and surcharges (which are different from your US FBA fees)

Note that your participation in the program is governed by the policies outlined in Remote Fulfillment with FBA. Please take a moment to read them!

🔥 Amazon provides new generative AI tools to create product listings from URLs -

In the coming weeks, Amazon will roll out generative artificial intelligence capabilities that will allow you to create high-quality product listings that are automatically tailored to Amazon’s store based on your direct-to-consumer website.

Since Amazon announced new generative AI tools at Accelerate and unBoxed last fall, more than 100,000 Sellers have used one or more of them! These tools enabled Sellers to create product titles, descriptions, and other product details from product images or just a few descriptive words. Now, Sellers will have access to new features that use listings from a brand’s own website to create a listing for Amazon’s store with the details that customers want.

For more information on how to list your products using generative AI, go to List Your Product

For more information about Amazon’s generative AI developments, go to About Amazon
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🚨Two-factor authentication will be required for Seller Central sign-in -

Starting as early as March 28, 2024, you’ll be required to verify your identity using a mobile number or authenticator app when you sign in to Seller Central. This keeps your account safe from fraudulent access attempts.

If you don’t already have a mobile number or authenticator app set up for two-step verification when you sign in, you’ll be prompted through a registration process to add a mobile device.
If you prefer not to receive a one-time password over SMS every time you sign in, you can go to "Login Settings" to register an authenticator app for two-step verification.
An authenticator app is recommended for accounts with several users and can help when you’re without cell service.

Two-step verification frequently asked questions

Two-Step Verification

🚨Here’s your annual one-month heads-up for the meltable removal deadline -

To meet product quality standards, Amazon does not accept or store meltable inventory at fulfillment centers between April 15 and October 15, 2024. By Amazon’s definition, meltable refers to all heat-sensitive products, such as chocolate, gummies, and select jelly- and wax-based products.

Meltable products that are stored or arrive at fulfillment centers after April 14, 2024, will be disposed of for a fee. For more information, go to FBA removal order fees.

To avoid disposal, Sellers can either submit removal orders or aim to sell through meltable inventory over the next month. Mistakes happen on Amazon, so we suggest Sellers take extra caution and review their products to ensure nothing has been classified as meltable in error. Visit the Meltable FBA inventory page to check your product status or request an exemption from the meltables policy.

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Reach out to our team and we can get you set up for success!

Flashback Friday

New Amazon Posts Beta for Non-A+ Brands

Instagram & TikTok Shop Updates (April 2025)

Amazon Pet Day 2024 is coming!

🔥Buy with Prime Pricing Update -

🔥New Brand Registry Application Guide Available -

AO2 Newsletter