Ecommerce News Roundup: January Recap
In the first weeks of 2024, Amazon has introduced several important changes regarding advertising options, product listings, FBA shipment policies, and third-party vetting that directly impact independent sellers.This article outlines these recent programs in detail to keep sellers informed of the latest Amazon updates.
January 2, 2024
Sponsored Brands (SB) introduces theme targeting to enhance goal-based campaigns
Sponsored Brands theme targeting is a dynamic and model-based approach designed to simplify campaign creation and boost campaign performance. With theme targeting, each targeting group bundles and continuously optimizes keywords, leveraging Amazon’s machine learning capabilities and shopping insights. Theme targeting also helps show ads to relevant audiences and deliver success metrics. Two targeting groups are available in this launch:
- Keywords related to your brand targets are a set of keywords that are often used to search for brands and promote brand impressions.
- Keywords related to your landing pages targets a set of relevant keywords that drive traffic to a brand store page or product detail pages.
January 5, 2024
Easily check Subscribe & Save eligibility for your FBA products
Amazon has launched a new feature which allows you to instantly check your FBA product’s Subscribe & Save eligibility in Seller Central.
The new self-service feature offers:
- Instant eligibility checks that remove the need to contact support
- 24/7 access so you can check your eligibility whenever you need
To check your product’s eligibility:
- Sign in to Amazon Subscribe & Save.
- Go to Check Subscribe & Save eligibility for FBA products.
- Enter product details and confirm eligibility status within seconds.
Seller University video on Subscribe & Save
January 06, 2024
Sponsored Display (SD) is expanded to Amazon Business globally
Amazon has expanded Sponsored Display to surface on Amazon Business globally, including placements on the homepage, search, and detail pages on both desktop and mobile. This enables advertisers to engage valuable business shoppers, promote Amazon Business exclusive pricing when applicable, and better target various audiences across the Amazon Business shopper base.
Product Opportunity Explorer (Categories) – Niche Details
Purchase Drivers
Positive Drivers
Features specific to this niche that positively impact the number of units sold by products within it. The impact is calculated by comparing the estimated sales of the products with that feature against the average units sold by all products in the niche.
Negative Drivers
Features specific to this niche that negatively impact the number of units sold by products within it. The impact is calculated by comparing the estimated sales of the products with that feature against the average units sold by all products in the niche.
Returns (Beta)
Product Returns Insights
Most common customer reasons for returning a product in the niche. These reasons are extracted from return feedback for the niche provided by customers in the past 6 months.
%Mentions
Frequency of how often the theme is mentioned as compared to all returns for products in the niche from data collected in the past 6 months.
Topic Returns Trend
All Products in Niche
Percentage of return mentions and Month-over-Month change over past 6 months for each topic available in the Product Returns Insights.
Topic Returns Trend
All Products in Niche
Percentage of return mentions and Month-over-Month change over past 6 months for each topic available in the Product Returns Insights.
January 12, 2024
Enhance product listings with new Reduce Customer Returns recommendation
Amazon has launched a new recommendation in the Growth Opportunities tool to help you reduce returns and improve the customer experience.
The Reduce Customer Returns recommendation uses data such as return comments, customer questions, and reviews to offer the following insights:
- Financial impact: View the estimated amount in dollars that you could’ve gained over 90 days if you’d taken a recommended action to improve a product detail page.
- Detail page recommendations: Improve your product detail page with content recommendations based on what customers look for.
- Customer issue trends: Tailor your detail page content based on the number of customer questions and answers on a topic in your product category.
- Listing comparisons: Compare your listings with top-selling brands that have similar information in their detail pages.
- Ideal location: Find out whether placing content in the title, bullets, or product description of your detail pages will have the greatest impression on customers.
To view your recommendation, go to Reduce Customer Returns (available to sellers with access to the Growth Opportunities tool).
January 12, 2024
Automatic closure policy for FBA shipments will be updated on February 1
Effective on February 1, 2024, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipments in the Send to Amazon workflow will be automatically closed if they do not arrive within the time specified in the policy.
- Domestic shipments from US addresses that haven’t arrived within 45 days after the shipment creation date
- International shipments that originate from outside the US that haven’t arrived within 75 days after the shipment creation date
Shipments in a multiple-destination shipping plan must arrive within 30 days after the first shipment in that plan has arrived.
Shipments are considered to arrive once the shipment status changes to in-transit, checked-in, delivered, or receiving. Shipments with the statuses of working, ready to ship, and shipped are subject to the automatic closure policy.
Amazon is making this change to increase the reliability of shipment arrivals. Amazon will exempt shipments that are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, such as weather or port congestion, to avoid unnecessary automatic closures of shipments.
Amazon recommends that you send each shipment to Amazon as soon as possible after shipment creation so that Amazon can receive your shipments more efficiently.
To learn more about FBA shipment policies, go to Deleted, misrouted, and incomplete shipments.
January 20, 2024
Make sure your third-party app is vetted by Amazon
If you use third-party apps to conduct business, make sure that they’re verified by Amazon to ensure your account and data are protected.
Amazon knows that third-party apps can help you increase revenue, lower costs, or simplify operations, but it’s important to use secure, Amazon-approved apps.
All apps on the Selling Partner Appstore are vetted and approved by Amazon in the following ways:
- Amazon ensures compliance and transparency. Amazon verifies that all third-party apps comply with the Acceptable Use Policy and Data Protection Policy which includes transparency on data access and regulatory compliance.
- Amazon verifies that your data is secure. Apps must follow our Data Protection Policy, which governs data security and management on Amazon.
- Amazon continually monitors and audits third-party apps. Amazon audits apps to make sure that they comply with our policies. Amazon checks if the listings on the Appstore and the developer’s website have accurate and consistent information about pricing, functionality, and claims about the product.
- Amazon removes apps that fail audit from the Appstore.
For Amazon-approved third-party apps, go to the Selling Partner Appstore.
For more information about how Amazon vets third-party apps, go to Protecting your account and data is our top priority.
January 25, 2024
Images from multiple selling partners to be displayed on product pages
Effective January 31, product detail pages for hardlines product types may display images from multiple selling partners to help customers make informed purchase decisions.
Each product detail page should have at least three required images: one with the product on a white background, one with the product in an environment, and one with size and fit information.
Previously, product detail pages displayed images from one selling partner.
With this change, if required images are missing from the product detail page, images from multiple selling partners or Amazon will be added when available.
To remove an incorrect image, contact Selling Partner Support.
To learn more about image requirements, how to add an image, and how to troubleshoot potential issues go to:
- Product image requirements
- Add product images and video
- Images not appearing on the detail page
- Image issues
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