Amazon presents 'Sustainability Solutions Hub' and scraps seller fee

A few weeks ago, Amazon announced that it would be hosting a second Prime event this year. Now the official date has been set: on October 10 and 11, Prime Deal Days promise many discounted offers in several categories.

The mobile version of the Amazon Ads console will soon be available for use from smartphones. This will allow advertisers to optimize the performance of their ads at any time and from anywhere. It is not yet clear when the mobile version will be available.

In the Sponsored Display console, we discovered the new bid option “Cost Control.” Depending on the bid optimization selected, the desired value is set, and Amazon automatically sets bids based on that figure. The Cost Control metrics vary depending on the selected optimization (reach, visits, conversions) and allow for better control over the desired results. It should be noted that by setting up the Cost Control feature, manual editing of bids is no longer possible; insight about the bid amount is also affected. The feature is currently still in beta and not visible in all accounts.

Amazon Cancels Planned Fee for Sellers

Last month, Amazon informed merchants operating on its platform about the imminent introduction of an additional fee in the USA – now the marketplace giant is withdrawing its plans.

• Amazon originally planned to introduce a 2% fee on top of the regular commission for Prime sellers in the US who ship their own items from October 1.

• Now Amazon is scrapping its plans. The reason for this change could be a pending antitrust suit by the Federal Trade Commission, which is eyeing Amazon’s efforts to force retailers to use its own logistics services.

New Tools and a Sustainability Solutions Hub at Amazon

At its annual Accelerate conference, Amazon presented new tools for retailers as well as new services such as Supply Chain by Amazon.

• Amazon automates supply chain services with Supply Chain by Amazon, reducing logistical effort, optimizing transports, reducing storage costs and simplifying inventory management through automation. Sellers will be freed up to focus on their products and customer satisfaction.

• At the Accelerate conference, Amazon presented new tools for retailers, including improved customer sentiment insights, which use customer feedback for targeted product development. Additionally, the Customer Loyalty Dashboard sorts customer ratings by loyalty and integrates them into advertising strategies.

• Also at the conference, Amazon presented the Sustainability Solutions Hub, which enables retailers to monitor their sustainability efforts. Programs such as Climate Pledge Friendly, Amazon Renewed, and Ships in Product Packaging are integrated into this hub. The Sustainability Solutions Hub will be available to merchants in various countries starting at the end of October.

eBay Introduces New Listing Tool with AI

The new tool will allow sellers to extract item information from images, making it easier to list items and for buyers to get more details.

• The new image-based tool allows sellers to use AI to automatically generate titles, descriptions, release dates, categories, prices and shipping costs. First-time sellers in particular receive valuable support in creating competitive offers.

• Previously, sellers could enter a title and category, from which the AI generated a description. Positive customer feedback led to about 30% of US sellers trying out the AI-generated descriptions in the eBay app.

• eBay aims to make the entire selling and buying process more efficient and engaging. This includes using AI to improve listing and image quality through an improved background removal tool for sellers.

Zalando Aims to Appeal to Customers with New Story Format

Inspired by social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, Zalando is launching Stories as a new content format to encourage customers to make purchases.

• The goal of the format is to encourage customers to discover fashion and culture through visual content that is seamlessly connected to the shopping experience and editorially curated.

• Five different story series are to be updated weekly for this purpose and highlight the latest and future fashion trends on various channels. These include the specially created Content Hub, the Zalando website, the app and social media.

• The format will initially launch in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, with expansion to other markets planned for the coming year.

TikTok: Launch of “TikTok Shop” in the U.S. & Million-Dollar Fine for Data Breach

TikTok launched its shopping feature, previously introduced in the UK, in the US on September 12. The Chinese company was also fined millions for violations of European data protection law.

• TikTok Shop allows both creators and brands to offer and sell products in their videos. Dedicated fulfilment centers are already being set up in the U.S., and there is an affiliate program through which creators receive commissions for selling products.

• To promote the new marketplace, TikTok plans to offer significant discounts during the holiday shopping season, including during Black Friday and Cyber Monday events. The platform creates a lucrative incentive, even for small businesses, by offering to subsidize discounts of up to 50%.

• At the same time, TikTok was fined 345 million euros by the European Union for allegedly violating European data protection law, in particular the GDPR.

• A central accusation relates to the handling of data of minors and their age verification during registration. TikTok has already responded, but disagrees with the amount of the fine and criticizes the EU Commission for referring to practices from three years ago.

Mobile shopping is becoming increasingly popular when shopping on Amazon. Two-thirds of Amazon shoppers in the UK visit the platform at least regularly via their smartphone, while just over a third use a computer or laptop for Amazon shopping. In turn, 39% say they rarely, if ever, use their computer when searching for or buying something on Amazon. Interestingly, 35-44 year-olds are even more likely to use a smartphone for their Amazon shopping than the youngest target group of 16-24 (75% vs 59%). And even amongst the oldest respondents, aged 55-65, mobile was the primary device used to access Amazon. So, mobile optimization is extremely important on Amazon across all age groups.

Best Practice: Our 10 Favourite Product Optimisations on Amazon – by Sam Armstrong, June 22, 2023