Start of Amazons European Expansion Accelerator

In the U.S., Amazon is further restricting its collaboration with UPS by introducing a $1 return fee at UPS stores, in addition to eliminating free returns for the first time. 

Amazon also appears to be increasing testing, particularly in the content area of the marketplace. For example, on its German marketplace, Amazon is testing the display of individual product features under the product title on the SERP. On various local marketplaces, the search terms from the search query now appear as bold in the titles of the search results. Further tests and official new features are listed further down in the newsletter. 

Updates: Amazon

Amazon Launches European Expansion Accelerator

Amazon opens the free European Expansion Accelerator (EEA) for seller partners to easily internationalize their business in the EU and UK. Seller Central will provide merchants with information on their status in the U.K. and all EU marketplaces. Amazon says they will be able to initiate expansion steps such as account registration, translations, listing, and shipping setup with just a few clicks, and have them completed automatically within three business days. The EEA is free and available to all professional sellers who sell on at least one of the European marketplaces.

Amazon Business Expansion

Amazon plans to expand its office supplies business in Europe and internationally after the COVID-19 pandemic boosted its sales. The cumulative growth rate from 2020 to 2022 was 25%. The Amazon Business marketplace specializes in the B2B market. The e-commerce giant is also looking to expand its logistics chain, in hopes of signing new procurement contracts with companies.

Amazon Launches Database Against Product Counterfeiters

The fight against counterfeiting enters a new round: Amazon launches the “Anti-Counterfeiting Exchange” (ACX) database. With this platform, Amazon merchants can anonymously exchange information about suspected counterfeiters, label and track them, and thus warn others. Counterfeiters should thus be more easily identified and stopped more quickly. This helps the entire industry, according to Amazon.

New Advertising Opportunities Through Audible

Amazon’s subscription-based, paid audiobook service Audible is currently testing a version enabling free access to a limited number of Audible titles for non-members. Audiobooks, audio plays and podcasts can thus be streamed free of charge, but with advertising interruptions. Content providers can choose whether their titles should be offered only without advertising or with advertising. In addition, Amazon announced that Audible titles can now be promoted in many marketplaces through Sponsored Products. Expending Amazon Ads to Audible could create new advertising space for brands targeting consumers outside of Amazon Ads’ current reach. 

Amazon Charges Fee for UPS Returns

Amazon now charges a $1 fee for returns dropped off at UPS stores in the U.S. when a free return option is available at a nearby location. This means customers can still return items for free at Whole Foods, Kohl’s, and Amazon stores. The move is part of Amazon’s efforts to reduce internal costs for returns and further limit its collaboration with UPS.

Updates: E-Commerce

Zalando & ChatGPT: Innovation in Product Search?

Fashion marketplace Zalando has announced the launch of a fashion assistant based on ChatGPT, which is intended to make product searches more intuitive. Zalando states that for a search query such as “wedding in Santorini in July” the tool takes into account both occasion and weather and will also be able to further refine product recommendations based on user preferences in the future. A beta version of the assistant will be available to a select group of customers this spring.

What Caught our Attention

On the German marketplace, Amazon is displaying individual product properties under the product title on the SERP as a test. This update promises customers a quicker, improved overview of the product selection. 

On the US marketplace, it is now possible for brand manufacturers to create custom A+ content specifically for their Climate Pledge claim. Amazon seems to have recognized the importance of sustainability as a product benefit from a customer perspective and is trying to give it more space on the platform.  

There is a new overview function for very large variations on the PDP: Clicking a button on the PDP unfolds a window on the right side of the page and allows users to view all product versions. However, this option is only available for extraordinarily large variations; the button is not displayed for comparable products with 15 variations. 

Amazon is also currently testing a new display version for the bullet points on products where the bullets are first hidden and only appear by clicking on “about this item.” This makes the entire PDP shorter and thus clearer for customers at first glance. 

On the German marketplace, we noticed that Amazon sometimes displays a price of €0 for products in the clothing category with a try-on function. Below that is the actual price of the product “after a free 7-day try-on.”

For some users of various local Amazon marketplaces, the keywords from the search query now appear as bold in the titles of the search results. This appears to apply to all keyword types, not just branded keywords. If this feature is rolled out permanently, it would increase the relevance of title keywords. 

On the British Amazon marketplace, Sponsored Brand ads can now display advertised products under the heading, “from your search,” after redirecting users to the Brand Store landing page. 

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Top 5 Amazon Keywords

These are the top 5 most searched keywords by country from April 16-22, 2023.

Amazon users in the U.S., Germany and the U.K. seem to have been in a streaming mood – Prime Video content featured heavily in the top keywords here. In France, Spain and Italy, on the other hand, searches for electronic devices dominated last week.