This episode explores the evolving landscape of Amazon selling, focusing on recent trends and challenges faced by sellers. Against the backdrop of Amazon's high repeat purchase rate (99%) and female shopper dominance (75%), the hosts discuss the platform's potential for further growth, particularly in reaching under-represented demographics. More significantly, the conversation pivots to the impact of new Amazon fees on lightning deals, best deals, coupons, and Prime discounts, sparking outrage among smaller sellers who feel squeezed by these changes. For instance, the cost of running a lightning deal has increased substantially, potentially impacting profitability, especially for those selling higher-priced products. The hosts also delve into the effects of tariffs on sales and margins, with data suggesting a significant drop in search volume for certain product categories. In contrast, the discussion highlights the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT's operator for automating tasks such as supplier searches, offering a solution to time-consuming manual processes. Finally, the emergence of Amazon's new Interest AI, which allows for natural language-based product discovery, is discussed, emphasizing the need for sellers to optimize their listings for this new feature. What this means for Amazon sellers is a need to adapt to evolving platform dynamics, leverage AI tools for efficiency, and carefully analyze the cost-benefit of promotional strategies.
