#95 Why Most Brands Fail on Amazon (And How to Actually Win)

If you're a product brand and you're not on Amazon yet, you're leaving money on the table. In this episode, I sit down with Michael Maher, founder of Cartology, to break down exactly what it takes to launch, advertise, and win on Amazon — from choosing between 1P and 3P, to the ad strategy most brands get completely wrong, to what AI (hello, Rufus) could mean for the future of selling on the platform.⚡️Scale Your Product Brand: Struggling to figure out where your business is leaking growth? Take my free 3R Framework Diagnostic. In 10 minutes, you'll discover if you need to Revamp, Reshape, or Reach ➡️ https://learn.rectified.co/brand-diagnostic⚡️Join the Scale Partner Community, a FREE space where founders connect, exchange ideas, and support each other ➡️ community.rectified.co/scalepartnerCartology Website: https://thinkcartology.com/Cartology on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkcartology/Cartology on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cartology/Find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandydedeian/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sandydedeian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandydedeian/Chapters: 3:15 — Why your brand needs to be on Amazon in 2026 8:00 — 1P vs 3P: Which model should you choose? 13:20 — Do you need Amazon ads or can you grow organically? 19:00 — Optimizing your product listing (images, copy, A+ content) 23:30 — What to expect in your first 30–60 days 25:40 — The pricing trap that kills your buy box 27:50 — Does Amazon buy Google Shopping ads? 29:30 — The #1 mistake brands make on Amazon 32:00 — AI, Rufus, and predictions for 2027 36:00 — Why you shouldn't build Amazon in-house