📦 The Order: Weekly Roundup - marketplace competition & sports benchmarks
Issue #117
Happy Sunday,
Here’s a quick roundup of last week’s news :
Comparison of the week 📈
In “Amazon sells fast shipping not products” Marketplace Pulse highlights the growing price competition - and Amazon’s power, today. Enjoy your margins while they last.
Benchmarks 🎯
Conversion rate benchmarks play a critical role in fine-tuning your tactics around product listing & advertising optimizing. We are looking at main & subcategory levels to identify trends and derive suitable actions. Here’s a current snapshot on the sport & outdoor space on Amazon.com.
Want to see benchmark at play in combination with automated product listing optimization? Apply for access here.
Movers & Shakers 💪
GenAI for brands: “Typeface, which is building generative AI for brands, raises $100M at a $1B valuation” [Techcrunch] — looking to leverage GenAI for Amazon? Check out Autopilot.
Yet another one: “Tribe WOD Founders Sue Factory 14 and Razor Group, Alleging Fraud and Breach of Contract” [Benzinga]
Strategy 📈
Small businesses as delivery hubs in the US: “Amazon launches local business delivery network” [Axios]
Small & Light Program Update: “Amazon fee change ‘completely out of the blue’ for some Amazon sellers” [Digital Commerce 360]
Jeffrey Cohen’s Amazon Ads Tech Update [Linkedin]
Amazon is building a creator platform by mixing commerce with content. One agency manager says top talent hitting $1 million in commissions [Fortune]
How Amazon Is Taming Its Customers’ Returns Addiction [The Information]
Back to school season is coming up: “Amazon Prime Day 2023: 12 early deals and offers to shop now” [Amazon]
Warehouse evolution: “Amazon’s New Robots Are Rolling Out an Automation Revolution” [Wired]
Is the FTC about to go after FBA? “Amazon Case Is the Big One for FTC Chief Lina Khan” [Bloomberg]
A more useful target has already progressed: “Federal Trade Commission Announces Proposed Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials” [FTC]
Shopify's midlife crisis: How a surprise pivot away from logistics capped the e-commerce giant's whirlwind year [Business Insider]
YouTube doubles down on video shopping features [Glossy]
“Chinese e-commerce exporters ready to face potential end of US' 'de minimis' package rule” [Global Times]
TikTok could soon bring its new e-commerce store to the US [Techcrunch]
A noteworthy piece on financing by the Upper90 founder: “Why Capital Diversification Matters” [Forbes]
AI-curated Top News 🤖
👋 ChatGPT & Bing are back to 📦 The Order
Amazon's Fee Change: Amazon announced it will end its Small and Light Program and introduce Low-Price FBA rates for all items priced below $10, which previously was set at $12. This new system will replace the Small and Light Program with Low-Price FBA rates, with the rates for shipping low-priced products being an average of $0.77 lower per item compared with current FBA rates. However, items priced below $10 will cost sellers about $0.30 more, and items priced higher than $10 will automatically ship with standard FBA rates. The change, which is set to take effect on August 29, could result in higher fulfillment fees for sellers. Some sellers expressed concerns about the change, particularly for products priced between $10 and $12, as the new policy may significantly increase their fulfillment fees1.
U.S. Antitrust Regulator Plans to Target Amazon's Online Marketplace: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly planning to file a lawsuit against Amazon, targeting its core online marketplace. The main allegation is expected to be that Amazon uses its power to reward those online merchants that use its logistics services and punish the ones that don't. This lawsuit is part of several actions taken by President Joe Biden's administration intended to rein in the market power of Big Tech firms and increase competition. The FTC is also investigating Amazon's $1.7-billion deal for "Roomba" vacuum maker iRobot. Additionally, the FTC recently accused Amazon of enrolling millions of consumers into its paid subscription Amazon Prime service without their consent and making it hard for them to cancel2.
Events 🎤
Amazon Selling Partner API DevSummit, July 25-26, Seattle, US
Amazon Accelerate, Sep 12-14, Seattle, US
Amazon Ads unBoxed, Oct 24-26, New York City, US
Make this week count 🙌
Christian