Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

Send us Fan MailAmazon is tightening its bundle policy while critical Q4 inventory and import deadlines arrive. At the same time, Amazon Ads is expanding into ChatGPT as AI reshapes how shoppers discover products.In this September fifteenth episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down the marketplace changes that require immediate attention and what they mean for brands responsible for profitability, inventory, and execution.What is changing with Amazon product bundles?Beginning January eleventh, twenty twenty-seven, most bundles sold under a single ASIN must be packaged by the original manufacturer or brand. Seller-assembled bundles may require authorization, while virtual bundles and certain categories remain exempt.Sellers need to audit existing bundle ASINs, secure authorization, calculate inventory sell-through, and identify listings that may become violations. A bundle is not a defensible product strategy simply because Amazon previously allowed it.Which Q4 deadlines matter now?Amazon Canada inventory must arrive at fulfillment centers by September sixteenth to guarantee Prime eligibility for Prime Big Deal Days. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday arrival deadline is October twenty-eighth.Deal sourcing closes September twenty-ninth for Prime Big Deal Days and November thirteenth for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Eligible price discounts require at least fifteen percent off the validated reference price.U.S. importers also face a September eighteenth enforcement deadline. Customs and Border Protection may immediately void an Importer of Record number when Form 5106 contains inaccurate or incomplete information. Brands need to verify their physical address, contact information, tax identification details, and customs broker power of attorney.How are Amazon Ads and ChatGPT working together?Amazon Ads and OpenAI have launched a U.S. pilot that allows select advertisers to extend campaigns into conversational advertising experiences within ChatGPT.The timing matters. Deloitte expects holiday eCommerce sales to grow between seven point five percent and eight point four percent, reaching as much as three hundred eighteen point nine billion dollars. Bain also reports that twenty-four percent of holiday shoppers plan to begin product discovery through generative AI platforms.Amazon is now taking its advertising capabilities beyond Amazon-owned properties and into the conversations where shoppers research, compare, and make decisions.Why are product images, reviews, and attributes becoming more valuable?Target now supports AI-powered photo search and summarized review insights. Instacart and Shipt can build grocery carts from conversations, recipes, and uploaded photos.Product discovery is expanding beyond traditional keyword searches. Images, ingredients, materials, pack quantities, use cases, reviews, pricing, and availability are becoming inputs that AI systems use to recommend products and assemble carts.How are Amazon and Walmart tightening delivery standards?Starting September thirtieth, Amazon requires a Business Hour Delivery Rate of at least ninety percent for seller-fulfilled Amazon Business orders. Sellers that remain below the requirement may lose access to Business customers beginning October thirtieth.Walmart is also evaluating Walmart Plus badge eligibility over a fourteen-day performance window. Sellers need strong on-time delivery, low cancellations, sufficient order volume, and delivery promises of two calendar days or less.Speed now affects marketplace eligibility, visibility, conversion, and profitability. Sellers need to evaluate fulfillment performance at the SKU and regional level before making faster promises that increase sales but eliminate margin.

Send us Fan MailMost Amazon brands do not need more traffic. They need fewer distractions.In this episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down why many brands stall on Amazon not because they lack SKUs, campaigns, keywords, tools, or traffic, but because the account has become too bloated to scale efficiently.The core idea is simple: everything you think you “have to do” on Amazon may actually be optional unless it helps the customer click, convert, buy, review, and keep the flywheel moving.Using Elon Musk’s “algorithm” framework, this episode looks at a better way to approach Amazon catalog optimization:Question every requirementDelete anything you canSimplify what remainsAccelerateAutomate lastMost Amazon accounts get this order wrong. Brands jump straight to speed, tools, automation, and campaign expansion before asking whether the catalog, listings, variations, or ad structure deserve to exist in the first place.Mr. Will shares a real operator example from a dog leash and harness brand doing around one million dollars on Amazon. On the surface, the business looked healthy. Revenue was steady, the catalog was full, and the team was constantly launching new colors, styles, and ideas. But underneath, the account was carrying hundreds of variations, aged inventory, storage fees, wasted ad spend, underfunded winners, and cash tied up in products that were not moving.The answer was not more traffic.The answer was focus.In this episode, we cover:Why more SKUs often create more drag, not more growthHow aged inventory quietly eats marginWhy top-line revenue can hide catalog and inventory problemsHow too many variations can confuse customers and weaken conversionWhy ad spend should be earned by performance, not spread evenly across the catalogHow pausing underperforming spend can improve Tacos and growthWhy automation only works after the account is cleanHow to separate real growth opportunities from catalog noiseWhy Amazon catalog optimization often starts with deletingThe one question every seller should ask before adding anything newThe leash brand’s breakthrough came when the account was simplified around the products that were actually driving demand. The catalog was cut down, listings became cleaner, ad spend was concentrated around proven performers, and budget moved toward top converting SKUs, high-intent keywords, and proven placements.That is the bigger lesson: Amazon growth does not always come from doing more. Many times, it comes from doing less, better.At BellaVix, we help brands turn marketplace complexity into clear operating plans. That means cleaning up catalogs, rationalizing SKUs, tightening listings, restructuring campaigns, focusing budget on what has earned it, and building feedback loops that help teams make better decisions with less noise.BellaVix has helped brands sell over five hundred million dollars on Amazon and is a Verified Ad Partner, but the real work is helping brands stop scaling complexity and start scaling what already works.The question worth asking:If you cut your catalog in half tomorrow, would your business suffer, or would it finally focus?Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.

Send us Fan MailAmazon’s ad auction is headed to court, Good Good Golf turned one bad advertisement into a distribution crisis, and Walmart made a purse out of rotisserie chicken packaging. Ecommerce had a week.In this episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down the Federal Trade Commission’s challenge to Amazon’s advertising auctions, new insurance requirements for Amazon sellers, fourth quarter cost pressure, AI-powered product discovery, Sephora’s TikTok Shop strategy, and two completely different lessons in creating brand attention.What is the FTC alleging about Amazon’s advertising auctions?The FTC and twenty-two state attorneys general allege that Amazon used undisclosed reserve prices inside Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display auctions. According to the complaint, approximately 1.2 million advertisers paid more than $20 billion in additional advertising costs.Amazon disputes the allegations and says advertisers never paid more than their submitted bids. There has been no court ruling, refund program, or announced change to Amazon’s advertising auctions.Mr. Will explains why sellers should preserve historical campaign and billing reports while continuing to make advertising decisions based on conversion, ACoS, TACoS, contribution margin, and total sales performance. The lawsuit does not make Amazon’s advertising data useless, but it challenges the assumption that every increase in CPC comes from another advertiser bidding more aggressively.Read the FTC complaint against Amazon.Which Amazon sellers now need commercial liability insurance?Beginning November 2, sellers offering products in categories subject to enhanced safety requirements must carry at least $1 million in commercial liability insurance, regardless of monthly Amazon sales.The affected categories include children’s products, cosmetics, ingestible products, and products containing lithium batteries. Sellers need to confirm that their policies cover the actual products being sold and that the legal business name matches the information in Seller Central.This turns insurance into a product-level condition of marketplace access rather than a requirement limited to larger sellers.Why are fourth quarter margins facing more pressure?Canada’s new countertariffs take effect September 8, with rates of 15%, 25%, or 50% applying to selected U.S.-origin products. Exposure depends on the product’s classification and legal country of origin, not simply the warehouse from which it ships.At the same time, Amazon Shipping is joining USPS, UPS, and FedEx in applying holiday surcharges. Walmart Marketplace is also extending the return window for most eligible purchases made between October 1 and December 31 through January 31.Brands need to account for tariffs, carrier surcharges, promotional discounts, and January returns before judging holiday profitability. Fourth quarter revenue that returns after the margin has already been spent is not profitable growth.How is Alexa Plus changing product discovery on Amazon?Amazon has completed the U.S. rollout of Alexa Plus and included unlimited access with Prime. Customers can now describe a problem, compare options, and narrow their choices before viewing a traditional search results page.Amazon reports that more than 350 million shoppers used Alexa for Shopping during the previous twelve months and that those users spent approximately 40% more per order. These are Amazon-reported figures, but they point toward a larger shift in how shoppers discover products.There is no confirmed Alexa Plus optimization tool or secret conversational ranking formula. Sellers should focus on accurate attributes, compatibility information, use cases, reviews, and catalog consistency. AI cannot confidently recommend information the brand never provides.Read Amazon’s Alexa Plus announcement.Why is Target using AI to build larger baskets?Target says customers who create back-to-school wish lists generate approximately 45% more demand within the category. Its AI recommends products that may be missing based on browsing activity, previous purchases, school requirements, and similar customer behavior.The opportunity is no longer limited to ranking for an individual keyword. Brands also need retailers to understand which products belong together within a broader shopping mission.What is Sephora doing on TikTok Shop?Sephora is launching the Sephora Drop Shop, a TikTok Shop experience built around exclusive monthly product releases, creator content, teasers, interactive experiences, and live reveals.This is not Sephora uploading its entire catalog to another marketplace. It is using channel exclusivity to combine entertainment, product discovery, scarcity, and checkout within one coordinated launch.Participating brands gain access to TikTok’s audience, but Sephora controls product selection while TikTok controls the discovery environment. Inventory commitments, creative ownership, reporting access, promotional timing, and post-exclusivity pricing all need to be clear before participation.How did one advertisement become a distribution crisis for Good Good Golf?Good Good Golf published an advertisement showing a male personality shoving a female employee while promoting a Callaway driver. The advertisement was deleted, but the commercial consequences continued.Callaway ended the partnership. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy removed Good Good merchandise. The company lost sponsorship and media opportunities, and its chief executive officer and president left the business.This was more than social media backlash. It became distribution risk.Brands working with creators and retail partners need clear conduct standards, content approval rights, takedown requirements, and termination provisions. Retailers can remove a product faster than a brand can complete a traditional crisis response.Why did Walmart make a rotisserie chicken purse?Walmart transformed its rotisserie chicken packaging into a limited-edition purse priced at $5.97, the same price as the actual chicken. It sold out within hours and quickly appeared on resale marketplaces.The campaign worked because Walmart built on a product customers already recognized, purchased, joked about, and discussed online. It did not manufacture a random viral moment.Good Good Golf and Walmart both created attention, but only one strengthened the relationship between the brand, its retail partners, and its customers. The difference is judgment.The takeaway: Marketplace success increasingly depends on connecting advertising, compliance, logistics, product data, and brand governance. The operator’s job is to connect those decisions before the marketplace connects them for you.Selling on Giants delivers operator-focused ecommerce news and marketplace strategy for brands growing across Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, Target, and the broader retail ecosystem.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level coverage of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, AI commerce, retail media, marketplace strategy, and the changes actually affecting ecommerce operators.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond the headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailHow do you know if your Shopify ads are actually making money?In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire sits down with Adam Callinan, founder of Pentane, to break down the financial math behind profitable DTC growth.The conversation centers on one critical concept: contribution profit.Adam explains why metrics like ROAS, AOV, LTV, and revenue don't tell the whole story, and how DTC founders can use contribution profit to understand whether a campaign, promotion, or pricing change is actually creating value for the business.In this episode, we cover:- Why contribution profit matters more than revenue alone- How DTC brands can determine the right Shopify ad budget- The limitations of relying on ROAS to measure profitability- How pricing, discounts, and bundles impact your bottom line- The financial guardrails founders should establish before scaling- How BottleKeeper used Facebook video ads to accelerate growth- Why operating with constraints can actually create an advantage- How Shopify and Amazon revenue should be viewed together- Where brands lose visibility between ad spend, COGS, fulfillment, discounts, and profit- How real-time financial intelligence can improve marketing decisions- What separates DTC brands that scale sustainably from those that simply grow revenueAdam also shares what he is building with Pentane, a platform designed to help eCommerce operators connect financial data with marketing and operating decisions.If you're a Shopify brand, DTC founder, eCommerce operator, or marketer spending money on ads and trying to scale profitably, this conversation is for you.Learn more about Pentane: www.pentane.comFree Profit Masterclass: www.theprofitmasterclass.comConnect with Adam Callinan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammcallinan/ If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and follow Selling on Giants for more conversations with eCommerce founders, operators, and industry experts.

Send us Fan MailYour Q4 promotion can look profitable today and lose money before the first holiday order reaches the customer.In this September 1, 2026 episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire, cofounder of BellaVix, breaks down the marketplace changes putting pressure on ecommerce margins, from holiday shipping surcharges and Canadian tariffs to Amazon’s advertising auction lawsuit and TikTok’s influence on Amazon sales.The connection is bigger than any individual update. Brands cannot manage advertising, inventory, fulfillment, and promotions separately and expect the numbers to work together.Why are holiday shipping costs a bigger risk this year?USPS, UPS, and FedEx are introducing overlapping peak season increases. These charges can stack with fuel, residential, dimensional weight, and delivery area fees, making low-priced and oversized products especially vulnerable. Will explains why brands need to review contribution margin by product, package, and destination before committing to holiday discounts or free shipping offers.What does the FTC lawsuit mean for Amazon advertisers?The FTC and 22 states allege that Amazon inflated advertising auction prices through undisclosed pricing practices. Amazon denies the allegations, which have not been decided by a court. Will examines the transparency issue and why the filing alone is not a reason to cut advertising. Budget decisions still need to reflect conversion, incrementality, TACoS, and contribution profit. Read the Reuters coverage.Does TikTok Shop drive sales on Amazon?TikTok can create product discovery while Amazon captures the purchase. The episode explores research showing that shoppers often move to Amazon for price comparison, reviews, Prime delivery, and checkout. Will explains how to compare creator activity with Amazon branded searches, sessions, conversion, and sales without automatically crediting Amazon advertising for demand generated elsewhere.Why is Amazon discounting fulfillment for TikTok Shop?Amazon is offering eligible TikTok Shop orders a 35% discount on Standard and Expedited Multichannel Fulfillment rates through a 12-month promotion. Shared inventory can help brands respond to creator-driven demand without maintaining separate stock pools. The operating question is whether the model remains profitable after the discount ends, including creator commissions, platform fees, returns, and integration costs.How do Canada’s new tariffs affect marketplace sellers?Canada’s announced retaliatory tariffs take effect September 8 and cover approximately $20 billion in annual U.S. imports. Exposure depends on product classification and legal country of origin, not simply the location of the shipping warehouse. Will discusses why brands need to review inventory in transit, marketplace pricing, and promotional commitments with their customs broker or importer of record. Read the Reuters coverage.Should sellers pay for Amazon Sub Same Day delivery?Faster delivery can improve conversion, but a sales increase does not automatically mean a profit increase. Will examines Amazon’s optional paid placement opportunity for selected FBA sellers and explains why tests should measure incremental orders and contribution profit, including whether customers would have purchased with standard Prime delivery anyway.What is changing with Amazon seller-fulfilled enforcement?Amazon is narrowing enforcement for certain seller-fulfilled performance problems to the affected offer. That can reduce disruption across healthy listings, but losing one hero product can still create a significant revenue problem. Sellers need offer-level monitoring rather than relying only on account-wide performance averages.The takeaway: build one operating plan that connects where demand starts, what it costs to convert and fulfill, and how much profit remains after every platform takes its share.Selling on Giants delivers operator-focused ecommerce news and marketplace strategy for brands growing on Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and beyond.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level coverage of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, AI commerce, retail media, tariffs, marketplace strategy, and the changes actually affecting eCommerce operators.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailMost sellers think competition is the problem. But what if too many options, too many SKUs, and too many competitors are actually the system working?In this episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down why crowded marketplaces are not always a warning sign. In many cases, competition is proof that demand already exists, and the brands that know how to read that demand can turn a noisy category into a source of intelligence.The episode starts with the famous story of Boris Yeltsin walking into a regular grocery store in Houston in 1989 and being shaken by what he saw. Fully stocked shelves. Endless product choices. Multiple brands, flavors, pack sizes, and price points. It was not luxury that made the store powerful. It was normal abundance.That grocery store represented something bigger than food. It showed the strength of a system where millions of small decisions from businesses and consumers created more variety, more feedback, and better outcomes than one central plan ever could.That same idea applies directly to Amazon, Walmart, Target, and modern marketplace strategy.Amazon is not just a marketplace. It is a real-time feedback loop. Sellers launch products, customers click or do not click, ads test demand, listings convert or fail, reviews build or stall, competitors respond, prices shift, and the algorithm reallocates visibility based on what the market is telling it.In this episode, we cover:Why competition is not just a threat, but useful market intelligenceHow crowded categories reveal demand, price points, review gaps, and customer objectionsWhy Amazon rewards brands that test, learn, adapt, and double downHow too much internal planning can delay the feedback sellers need mostWhy every SKU, click, conversion, and failed campaign can become useful dataThe difference between random chaos and structured experimentationHow brands can use marketplace signals to improve listings, pricing, creative, and ad strategyWhy trying to outsmart the market is usually weaker than building a system that learnsHow BellaVix helps brands create feedback loops across listings, ads, pricing, promotions, and merchandisingWhy choice wins because choice creates learningThis episode is for Amazon sellers, ecommerce founders, brand operators, and marketplace teams that feel stuck in crowded categories and are trying to decide whether the opportunity is still worth pursuing.The answer is not always to pull back. Sometimes the better answer is to study the category more closely.Competitors show you what customers already buy. Reviews show you what customers care about. Pricing shows you what the market accepts. Creative shows you what messages are being tested. Search results show you where demand already exists.The brands that scale are not always the ones with the cleanest plan before launch. They are often the ones that create better feedback loops, test with discipline, and respond faster than everyone else.At BellaVix, we help brands turn marketplace complexity into clear operating plans. That means structured testing across listings, pricing, ads, creative, promotions, and merchandising, with real performance data guiding what gets scaled and what gets cut.BellaVix has helped brands sell over five hundred million dollars on Amazon and is a Verified Ad Partner, but the real work is helping brands stop guessing from a boardroom and start learning from the market.The key question:Are you using a crowded category as an excuse, or are you using it as a source of intelligence?Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.

Send us Fan MailOzempic is influencing the Halloween aisle while Walmart and AI reshape how consumers discover, buy, and receive products.In this August 25th episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down why Hershey is expanding beyond traditional candy as GLP-1 medications reshape consumer snacking, how Walmart is building a complete marketplace flywheel, and why AI-referred shoppers are becoming some of the most valuable visitors in eCommerce.Why is Hershey expanding beyond traditional Halloween candy?Hershey is adding popcorn, cheese puffs, pretzels, and other savory snacks to its Halloween assortment as consumers become more health conscious and GLP-1 medications influence appetite, portion size, and snacking behavior. Chocolate remains the preferred Halloween treat, but Hershey sees an opportunity to serve the entire occasion instead of defending a narrow definition of the candy category.The company’s zero-sugar candy, mint, and gum business grew more than 4 times between 2020 and 2025. Hershey is also using AI to shorten product development by roughly 3 months and identify changes such as the rise of trunk-or-treat events. Ozempic is shorthand for a much wider GLP-1 trend, and the immediate retail effect is not the disappearance of candy. It is a shift in portions, formats, ingredients, and occasions.Why is Walmart Marketplace growing so quickly?Walmart is connecting marketplace assortment, fulfillment, stores, shopper data, and advertising into one reinforcing system. Walmart’s global eCommerce business grew 23% in the second quarter, while Walmart eCommerce in the U.S. grew 24%. Walmart Marketplace net sales increased more than 50%, Walmart Connect grew 43%, and store-fulfilled delivery increased 40%.Nearly half of Walmart’s marketplace volume now flows through Walmart Fulfillment Services. Marketplace expands product selection, Walmart Fulfillment Services improves delivery, more transactions create better shopper data, and Walmart Connect turns that data into advertising revenue. That revenue helps Walmart continue investing in price, technology, and fulfillment.What does delayed back-to-school shopping signal for the holidays?National Retail Federation data shows that shoppers had completed only about 44% of their back-to-school lists by early August, compared with 23% in early July. Consumers are beginning their research, but many are waiting longer to finish purchases as they spread spending across paychecks, wait for promotions, or delay decisions until they know exactly what is required.Brands may see early traffic without matching conversion, assume demand is weak, and cut advertising or increase discounts too soon. If purchases arrive within a shorter window, advertising costs rise, inventory tightens, and there is little time to recover. Holiday planning needs to account for a longer research period followed by a more compressed conversion window.Why are Amazon drones and Home Depot’s 3-hour delivery important?Amazon plans to expand Prime Air drone delivery from 11 locations to nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of the year. More than 60% of the products customers frequently purchase from Amazon meet the basic size and weight requirements, with delivery available in as little as 30 minutes. Home Depot is also rolling out 3-hour delivery nationwide by using more more than 2,000 stores as local fulfillment hubs.The larger trend is the move from planned convenience to immediate problem solving. A product is now competing against the fastest way the customer can solve the problem. Two-day delivery once felt remarkable. In more categories, it is beginning to feel slow.Are shoppers coming from AI tools actually buying?Yes. Adobe Analytics found that traffic arriving at U.S. retail websites from AI tools increased 62% year over year in July. Compared with October 2024, AI referral traffic increased more than 1,200%.The quality of that traffic is the bigger story. AI-referred shoppers generated 53% more revenue per visit and converted at a rate 60% higher than other website traffic. This was the 11th consecutive month that AI traffic outperformed other traffic on conversion. These shoppers also stayed longer, bounced less often, and added products to their carts more frequently.AI tools are completing part of the research before the shopper reaches the retailer. A customer can describe a need, compare options, narrow the decision, and then click through with stronger purchase intent. Traditional search often provides a list of possible answers. AI increasingly attempts to recommend one answer, which makes the selected position more valuable and may make second place less visible.How can brands prepare for AI-driven product discovery?The first step is not publishing hundreds of generic articles written by AI. It is making product information easy for people and machines to understand. Specifications, ingredients, compatibility, sizing, pricing, availability, use cases, customer questions, and policies need to be accurate and consistent across the brand’s website and marketplace content.Adobe found that 39% of the retail homepages in its broader sample were not fully machine readable. Brands can begin testing by asking several AI assistants to recommend products in their category. They should document whether the brand appears, whether the information is accurate, which competitors receive the recommendation, and which sources the AI appears to trust. AI discovery is not replacing Amazon, Google, or retail media overnight, but waiting for perfect attribution gives competitors time to establish authority first.How are tariffs changing eCommerce pricing decisions?New U.S. tariffs of 50% took effect on roughly $20 billion in Canadian exports, and Canada announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning September 8th. Brands importing Canadian products or components may face higher landed costs, while brands selling into Canada may need another pricing adjustment. Exposure depends on product classification and current treatment.Major retailers may also be operating with different economics. Walmart recognized nearly $2.9 billion in tariff refunds during the quarter. Target recognized almost $1 billion, and Ross received roughly $250 million. These one-time benefits can give a retailer room to promote inventory while a brand’s next replacement order still arrives at a higher cost. Matching a competitor’s price without understanding why it can afford the promotion is how brands win the sale and lose the business. Price the next unit, not the last unit.What do K Pop Demon Hunters and Labubu teach eCommerce brands?The Christian metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix and a concert promoter over the name as the K Pop Demon Hunters franchise expands into live events and merchandise. Netflix disputes the allegations, and no court has ruled that infringement occurred. For operators, the lesson is that Amazon Brand Registry protects rights a brand already owns. It does not provide trademark clearance or determine whether a name is safe as the brand expands into new products, categories, events, or merchandise. Success makes intellectual property conflicts more expensive, so brands need to understand their rights before the viral moment.Pop Mart offers the other side of viral growth. The Monsters family, which includes Labubu, generated more than 4 billion yuan during the first half of the year, but its share of company revenue declined from nearly 35% to 26%. Twinkle Twinkle revenue increased more than 580%, and 6 Pop Mart franchises each generated more than 1 billion yuan.The strategic win is not simply creating one viral character. Pop Mart is using the attention, cash flow, and customer acquisition from Labubu to build a portfolio that does not depend entirely on Labubu. Durable companies turn a cultural moment into distribution, customer relationships, new products, and repeatable growth. Virality is rented. A portfolio is owned.What is the common thread across this week’s retail news?Commerce is becoming more compressed. Consumers research earlier and buy later, retailers deliver faster, and AI shortens product discovery. Tariffs, health trends, and pop culture are also forcing faster decisions.The answer is not simply to move faster. Brands need an operation that moves quickly without losing control of inventory, margin, compliance, or advertising.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level coverage of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, AI commerce, retail media, tariffs, marketplace strategy, and the changes actually affecting eCommerce operators.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire sits down with Gavin Trippe of P1 Commerce to reveal one of the biggest problems facing growing eCommerce brands: the disconnect between marketing and finance. When CMOs and CFOs operate from different playbooks, brands can end up scaling the wrong channels, misreading attribution, and wasting marketing dollars without understanding what is actually driving incremental growth.Gavin shares how brands can build a measurement system that connects marketing performance to real financial outcomes—and why omnichannel growth across Amazon, DTC, retail, and owned channels requires a very different way of thinking about marketing spend.In this episode, we discuss:• Why marketing and finance teams often disagree on what’s actually driving growth• The hidden cost of misalignment between CMOs and CFOs• Why traditional attribution is becoming harder to trust• How brands can build a shared growth model across marketing and finance• The difference between channel performance and true business impact• How incrementality, MMM, and forecasting can improve decision-making• Why eCommerce brands need to measure total omnichannel growth—not just DTC revenue• Where brands are wasting money because of poor measurement• How AI could change attribution, forecasting, and marketing measurementThe big takeaway: If you can't confidently answer what is incremental, you can't confidently scale.Connect with Gavin Trippe & P1 Commerce:Website: https://p1commerce.com/ LinkedIn (Gavin Trippe): https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintrippe/ LinkedIn (P1 Commerce): https://www.linkedin.com/company/p1commerce/🎧 Subscribe to Selling on Giants for more conversations with eCommerce operators, marketplace experts, and industry leaders shaping the future of Amazon, Walmart, DTC, and omnichannel commerce.

Send us Fan MailThis week on Selling on Giants, the biggest eCommerce story starts somewhere unexpected: Taylor Swift.Bridal brands are already preparing products around the expected look of Swift’s wedding dress before most consumers have even seen it. That is a perfect example of how modern demand gets created. Culture creates attention, social media amplifies it, AI helps shoppers narrow their choices, and marketplaces compete to capture the transaction.At the same time, TikTok Shop is proving that social commerce is becoming much more than impulse buying.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:The Taylor Swift effect on eCommerce demandBrands are reacting to a cultural moment before traditional search demand fully forms. The lesson for sellers is not to chase every trend, but to connect social listening, Google Trends, marketplace search data, inventory, and merchandising so the business can recognize real demand early.TikTok Shop passes major retailers in online spendingConsumer Edge data reviewed by Business Insider estimates TikTok Shop represented roughly two percent of U.S. online retail spending in July, putting it ahead of Target, Costco, and Home Depot online within that dataset.Repeat purchasing is also increasing, while shoppers over thirty five represent one of TikTok Shop’s fastest-growing customer groups.TikTok Shop is increasingly behaving like a real marketplace where catalog quality, reviews, pricing, promotions, inventory, fulfillment, paid media, and search optimization matter alongside creators.Europe’s new packaging compliance rulesThe European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation became generally applicable on August twelfth.For brands selling packaged products into Europe, packaging is becoming a market-access issue involving producer registration, extended producer responsibility, labeling, documentation, and potentially authorized representatives.New Canadian tariffs take effectBeginning August nineteenth, specified Canadian imports face an additional fifty percent tariff, including certain products that qualify under USMCA.Sellers sourcing from Canada need to verify HTS classifications, exclusions, customs-entry dates, and actual landed-cost exposure rather than reacting to the headline rate.The de minimis door stays closedA federal trade court upheld the administration’s authority to suspend the de minimis tariff exemption in the case before it.Cross-border sellers should stop building long-term forecasts around a return to the old duty-free low-value parcel model.Country-of-origin enforcement gets tougherThe White House is increasing scrutiny of potential tariff transshipment and country-of-origin claims.Brands that shifted manufacturing from China into Vietnam, Mexico, India, or other markets need documentation showing where meaningful manufacturing and substantial transformation actually occur.Walmart keeps building its fulfillment networkWalmart is evaluating a roughly one point five million square foot fulfillment facility in New York.The building itself is only proposed, but the strategy matters. Walmart continues investing in the physical infrastructure needed to make WFS and Walmart Marketplace more competitive with Amazon.Consumers are warming up to AI purchasingNew consumer research suggests shoppers are increasingly comfortable allowing AI agents to recommend products and, under certain conditions, make purchases.That changes the role of product data. Titles, attributes, specifications, compatibility, pricing, availability, reviews, and return policies increasingly help determine whether an AI system understands and recommends a product.The bigger takeaway:eCommerce is becoming more cultural at the top of the funnel and more operational underneath it.Attention can create demand overnight, but brands still need clean product data, compliant packaging, accurate landed costs, strong inventory placement, and reliable fulfillment to turn that attention into profitable growth.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level coverage of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, AI commerce, retail media, tariffs, marketplace strategy, and the changes actually affecting eCommerce operators.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates focuses on the systems underneath eCommerce growth as brands move deeper into Q4 planning.Amazon is changing how seller financing interacts with marketplace rights, Sponsored Products are expanding into creator content, Item Highlights are officially live, and AI-generated people now carry new disclosure requirements. Walmart is pushing further into connected TV and seller search intelligence, while TikTok Shop continues evolving from a social-commerce experiment into a real marketplace.At the same time, tariff changes and refund uncertainty are making Q4 profitability harder to forecast even when inventory is already in place.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:Amazon’s updated Business Solutions Agreement: Beginning August twenty fourth, Amazon’s agreement adds new language prohibiting sellers from assigning or pledging rights or obligations under the BSA. This does not mean sellers cannot borrow money. It does mean brands using financing tied specifically to Amazon disbursements or marketplace proceeds should review those agreements before Q4 inventory is fully financed.Sponsored Products expand into creator content: Amazon Sponsored Products can now appear in content from members of the Amazon Influencer Program. Existing bids, targeting, and budgets can extend into these off-Amazon placements, which means brands may see a different traffic mix without creating new campaigns. Sellers should monitor off-Amazon spend, CPC, conversion rate, ACoS, ROAS, inferred search terms, and which ASINs perform best in creator-driven environments.Amazon Item Highlights are officially live: Amazon’s new title structure now splits two hundred searchable characters into a seventy five character Item Name and one hundred twenty five character Item Highlights field. Amazon says both fields contribute to search and neither receives greater ranking priority. The real opportunity is cleaner merchandising, not keyword stuffing.AI-generated people now require disclosure metadata: Amazon is adding compliance requirements for photorealistic AI-generated people used in product images, videos, and A+ Content. Brands using synthetic models should add AI disclosure checks to their creative QA process before uploading Q4 assets.Walmart completes its Vibe.co acquisition: Walmart officially closed its acquisition of Vibe.co, bringing a self-service connected TV platform into the Walmart Connect ecosystem. If Walmart successfully combines self-service CTV buying with shopper data and closed-loop sales measurement, streaming TV could become much more accessible to mid-market marketplace brands.Walmart Search Insights gets more useful: Walmart’s Search Insights tools help sellers diagnose exactly where performance is breaking down across impressions, clicks, add-to-cart activity, and sales. The lesson is simple: not every low-sales listing needs more advertising. Sellers need to determine whether the real problem is discoverability, click-through, conversion, pricing, reviews, content, or fulfillment.Walmart shipping APIs are changing: Walmart deprecated older Simplified Shipping Settings API endpoints and is moving to SSS two point oh. Sellers using third-party software, agencies, or internal development teams should confirm migration plans before Q4.TikTok Shop keeps growing: Third-party estimates suggest TikTok Shop generated more than fifty billion dollars in global GMV during the first half of twenty twenty six, with the United States becoming its largest national market. The most important signal is that the Shop tab reportedly generated more attributed GMV than video or livestream commerce. TikTok Shop is increasingly behaving like a traditional marketplace where catalog quality, reviews, pricing, merchandising, inventory, and fulfillment matter alongside creator content.Q4 inventory may be ready, but margins are not: Retailers pulled holiday inventory forward, but tariff exposure, potential Section two thirty two expansions, and ongoing refund processing mean landed-cost assumptions are still moving.. Brands need to separate the cost of inventory already in the warehouse from the cost of replenishing that same inventory today.The bigger takeaway:The second half of twenty twenty six is becoming less about chasing more traffic and more about strengthening the systems underneath growth.Review financing agreements. Watch where Amazon ads are spending. Clean up Item Highlights. Add AI creative compliance to the workflow. Confirm Walmart integrations. Treat TikTok like a marketplace if shoppers are using it like one. And rebuild Q4 margin models using current landed costs, not assumptions from three months ago.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what platform updates actually mean for sellers.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailAmazon is investing heavily in interactive 3D product models, and this shift could change how brands compete on the marketplace.In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire sits down with Ganesh Singh, Co-Founder and COO of 3Dimages.ai, to discuss why Amazon is prioritizing 3D content, which products benefit the most, and whether creating 3D assets is actually worth the investment.You'll learn how 3D models help customers better understand products, improve conversion rates, reduce uncertainty before purchase, and create reusable assets for Amazon Ads, Brand Stores, and external marketing.In this episode:- Why Amazon is investing in 3D product models - How 3D differs from images and video - Which products benefit the most from 3D - The impact on conversion rates and customer confidence - Common mistakes brands make with 3D implementation - How to evaluate the ROI of 3D assets - The future of AR, AI, and immersive shopping on Amazon - Why 3D could become a standard part of every competitive listing If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and share it with someone looking to stay ahead on Amazon.Connect with Ganesh Singh & 3Dimages.ai:- Website:  https://www.3dimages.ai/ - LinkedIn (Ganesh Singh): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ganesh-singh-157565169/ - LinkedIn (3Dimages.ai): https://www.linkedin.com/company/3dimages/ 🎁 Exclusive for Selling on Giants listeners: Use code 3DTEST15 to receive 15% off your first 3D model with https://www.3dimages.ai/ #AmazonFBA #AmazonSeller #AmazonMarketing #eCommerce #3DModels #AugmentedReality #AmazonAds #AmazonListingOptimization #RetailInnovation #SellingOnGiants

Send us Fan MailMost ecommerce brands do not lose because Amazon gets harder. They lose because the operator behind the business becomes the bottleneck.In this episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down the founder discipline required to scale on Amazon, Walmart, Target, and other marketplaces without letting ego, overcommitment, or emotional decision-making take over the business.Using Napoleon’s idea that the most permanent victories are the ones we win over ourselves, this episode looks at what really holds marketplace brands back. It is not always competition. It is not always ad costs. It is not always the algorithm. Many times, the issue is the founder’s inability to say no, delegate, protect the team, and build systems that can operate without them being involved in every decision.Mr. Will shares a personal story from the early days of BellaVix, including what happened when saying yes to the wrong scope caused a client relationship to break down. A beauty brand was performing well on Amazon, but when the client asked BellaVix to take over social media, the decision to say yes created execution issues, weakened confidence, and eventually cost the relationship.That lesson became part of a bigger leadership shift: the goal is not to be the hero in every part of the business. The goal is to build a team, create systems, and lead with enough discipline that the company can scale beyond the founder’s personal capacity.In this episode, we cover:Why founders often become the biggest bottleneck in their own businessHow saying yes to the wrong opportunities creates hidden costsWhy team trust breaks before the business breaksHow poor boundaries show up as stress, burnout, and bad decisionsWhy discipline beats constantly changing strategyHow emotional decisions around A-Costs, Tacos, and Row-Az create inconsistencyWhy boring, repeatable execution wins in ecommerceHow BellaVix helps brands turn marketplace complexity into clear operating plansWhy most sellers do not lose to competition, but to inconsistencyThe leadership mindset needed to scale without becoming the ceilingThis episode is for ecommerce founders, Amazon sellers, brand operators, and marketplace teams that want to grow but feel stuck in the same cycle: reacting to every performance dip, chasing every new tactic, saying yes too often, and carrying too much of the business personally.The market is harder today. Fees are higher. Ads are more expensive. Competition is real. Platform rules keep changing. But some brands are still growing because they operate with discipline. They know what matters. They review the data. They improve listings. They test creative. They allocate budget with purpose. They do not panic every time the numbers move.The brands that scale are not always the flashiest. They are usually the most consistent.At BellaVix, we do not chase hacks. We build systems. We help brands create clear KPIs, structured weekly reviews, stronger conversion strategies, better budget allocation, and team ownership across Amazon and Walmart marketplace operations. BellaVix has helped brands sell over five hundred million dollars on Amazon and is a Verified Ad Partner, but the real value is helping teams turn complexity into execution.If your brand is growing but feels heavy, this episode is a reminder that the next stage of scale may not require another tactic. It may require a better operating rhythm, stronger boundaries, and a founder willing to stop being the bottleneck.The question is simple:Are you building a business that scales, or one that depends on how you feel that day?Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.

Send us Fan MailAmazon’s marketplace keeps growing, but advertising is growing even faster.This week on Selling on Giants, Will Haire breaks down what Amazon’s latest earnings reveal about the rising cost of visibility and how agentic shopping is changing product discovery.You’ll also learn:Why Amazon’s August 24 Business Solutions Agreement update deserves immediate reviewWhat the Nike and Lululemon lawsuits mean for strikethrough and reference pricingHow Walmart Connect’s new negative keywords can reduce wasted ad spendHow Walmart Virtual Packs create multipacks without separate physical inventoryWhy Walmart sellers need to check Late Shipment Rate and lag-time settingsWhat the Federal Reserve’s divided rate decision means for Q4 inventory and financingThe common thread is simple: marketplace growth now depends on connecting advertising, pricing, inventory, financing, and compliance before peak season exposes the gaps.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what platform updates actually mean for sellers.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailWhy better tools do not make Amazon easierAmazon has become more efficient for sellers. Products can launch faster, listings can be optimized faster, ads can be automated, and content can be generated almost instantly. But when everyone gets access to those same efficiencies, the baseline moves.How Jevons Paradox applies to eCommerceJevons Paradox originally explained why more efficient coal usage led to more coal consumption, not less. The same principle applies to Amazon. Better tools bring in more sellers, more listings, more ads, more capital, and more competition.Why progress does not always feel like progressYour conversion rate may improve. Your listings may get cleaner. Your creative may perform better. Your campaigns may become more efficient. But if the entire category is improving around you, those gains get absorbed into the new competitive baseline.Why Amazon can feel like Sisyphus pushing the rock uphillYou optimize, improve performance, lower A-Costs, clean up your catalog, and gain ground. Then the market adjusts. Competitors enter, costs rise, Amazon changes rules, reviews shift, and you have to start pushing again. That does not mean something is broken. That is the game.Why efficiency alone is not an advantage anymoreWhen everyone has better data, automation, AI tools, and reporting, optimization becomes table stakes. The advantage moves higher into strategy, positioning, creative, offer clarity, margin discipline, audience building, and brand durability.What Amazon ads reveal about the broader marketplaceAdvertising is the clearest example because CPCs, ROAS, DSP, T A-Costs, and lower funnel efficiency show the pressure quickly. But the lesson is bigger than ads. This is about how Amazon, marketplaces, and eCommerce systems mature over time.Why brands need to build for durabilityThe question is not how to make Amazon easier. The better question is how to keep winning as Amazon gets more competitive. That requires stronger systems, better margins, clearer positioning, stronger creative, and the discipline to think beyond short-term efficiency.The bigger takeaway:Amazon did not get harder because the tools got worse.Amazon got more efficient, and more people showed up.That means the next advantage does not come from using the same tools as everyone else. It comes from building a brand that can survive when everyone else becomes more efficient too.The edge is not in surface-level optimization. It is in durability.Follow Selling on Giants for operator-level breakdowns on Amazon strategy, marketplace growth, retail media, eCommerce leadership, advertising, AI commerce, and what it really takes to build a brand that holds up as the market gets more competitive.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates examines how new tariffs, marketplace regulation, artificial intelligence, fulfillment costs, and platform loyalty programs are reshaping eCommerce heading into Q4.The expected tariff relief did not arrive. Amazon and Walmart sellers are facing new landed-cost calculations, Congress is proposing stronger protections for suspended marketplace sellers, TikTok is testing its own Prime-style membership, and AI assistants are moving closer to selecting products and completing transactions.For marketplace operators, the platforms are becoming more powerful, but they are also facing greater scrutiny over pricing, seller enforcement, advertising automation, and control of the customer relationship.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:New tariffs and Q4 landed costsThe temporary ten percent import surcharge expired, but new Section 301 tariffs of ten percent or twelve and a half percent took effect across imports from sixty trading partners.Brands need to review country of origin, HTS classifications, product exemptions, customs entry dates, and the effect of higher duties on contribution margin before approving Q4 purchase orders, pricing, or promotions.New tariffs on certain Canadian importsCovered Canadian products are scheduled to face an additional fifty percent duty beginning August nineteenth. This does not apply to every Canadian product, but it reinforces that North American sourcing is not automatically protected from trade disruption.The Online Sellers Bill of RightsProposed federal legislation would establish new standards for how dominant marketplaces notify, investigate, suspend, and withhold funds or inventory from third-party sellers.The bill is not yet law, but it signals that seller suspensions, frozen funds, automated appeals, and marketplace due process are becoming national policy issues.Amazon marketplace enforcement scrutinyA Senate inquiry is reportedly examining allegations that intermediaries offered to bribe Amazon employees to reverse suspensions or provide marketplace advantages.The allegations remain under investigation, but sellers should avoid anyone promising guaranteed reinstatement through internal Amazon contacts.Amazon pricing and channel conflictCalifornia’s ongoing case against Amazon raises questions about how Amazon’s pricing policies may influence prices across Walmart, Target, direct-to-consumer websites, and other retail channels.Brands need centralized pricing governance because one discount can affect Featured Offer visibility, Vendor Central negotiations, wholesale relationships, and margin across every channel.Amazon Business reaches sixty billion dollarsAmazon Business now generates sixty billion dollars in annualized gross sales and serves more than eleven million organizations.Sellers should review business-only pricing, quantity discounts, recurring orders, bulk fulfillment, pallet delivery, and product content designed specifically for commercial buyers.Amazon Ads expands automationAmazon introduced new Brand Plus and Performance Plus features involving first-party audiences, AMC data, audio inventory, Prime Video signals, and automated Streaming TV buying.The opportunity is stronger campaign optimization. The risk is allowing Amazon’s systems to make more decisions without understanding where budgets are being spent.TikTok Shop Plus tests a Prime-style membershipTikTok is testing a paid U.S. membership that may include free shipping, coupons, and product discounts.The unresolved seller question is who funds those benefits. Brands need to understand the effect on shipping costs, commissions, discounts, returns, and contribution margin before participating.Facebook Marketplace launches a seller appMeta introduced Seller, a dedicated application for frequent Facebook Marketplace sellers. The app includes bulk listings, inventory management, buyer messages, performance reporting, relisting, and AI-assisted listing creation.FedEx announces holiday demand surchargesFedEx released its 2026 peak-season fees, including increased charges for residential deliveries, expedited services, additional handling, oversized packages, and Ground Economy shipments.DTC and merchant-fulfilled sellers should model Q4 shipping costs now rather than discovering in November that holiday orders are no longer profitable.Shein feels the impact of tariff changesShein reported declining U.S. revenue and a quarterly loss as the end of duty-free de minimis treatment increased costs.The company remains a major global competitor, but its results show that ultra-low-cost cross-border retail is losing part of its structural advantage.Microsoft Copilot moves toward eCommerce checkoutA new agentic-commerce integration from ESW is designed to support product discovery, checkout, and payment through Microsoft Copilot.AI shopping is moving from answering product questions toward becoming a transaction channel. Product titles, specifications, compatibility, availability, pricing, and structured catalog data will increasingly determine which products AI systems recommend.The bigger takeaway:Profitable growth is becoming more operationally demanding.Brands need to understand landed cost, protect seller accounts, centralize pricing, monitor advertising automation, model holiday fulfillment expenses, and improve product data for both traditional search and AI-assisted shopping.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what platform updates actually mean for sellers.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailDrone delivery isn't science fiction anymore—it's already changing the way products move from businesses to customers.In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will sits down with Beth Flippo, CEO of DEXA, one of only a handful of FAA-certified drone delivery operators in the United States. Beth shares how autonomous drones are reshaping last-mile logistics, reducing delivery times to as little as 11 minutes, and giving local retailers a powerful new way to compete with e-commerce giants.Together they discuss:-How drone delivery actually works today-What it took to become one of the few FAA-certified drone airlines-Why last-mile delivery is the most expensive part of e-commerce-How drones could help local retailers compete with Amazon-The future of autonomous logistics, AI, and robotic delivery networks-Why companies like Kroger, Grubhub, and Wonder are already embracing drone delivery-What the next 5–10 years of retail and logistics could look likeWhether you're an e-commerce operator, retailer, logistics professional, or simply fascinated by emerging technology, this conversation offers an inside look at one of the biggest shifts coming to retail and supply chains.If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and share it with someone interested in the future of retail and technology.Website: https://flydexa.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flydexa/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flydexa/X: https://www.instagram.com/flydexa/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flydexa/#DroneDelivery #Ecommerce #LastMileDelivery #RetailInnovation #Logistics #SupplyChain #ArtificialIntelligence #AutonomousVehicles #SellingOnGiants #DEXA #RetailTechnology #Amazon #FutureOfRetail

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates examines how Amazon, TikTok, Google, DoorDash, Instacart, and the payment industry are competing to control more of the customer journey.The biggest shift in eCommerce is no longer happening only on the traditional search results page. Product discovery is moving into AI conversations, social content, delivery apps, retail media networks, and connected checkout experiences.At the same time, tariffs, marketplace compliance, global logistics, and payment consolidation are changing the economics behind every transaction.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:Tariff uncertainty and Q4 landed costsThe temporary ten percent United States import surcharge is approaching its current expiration date, while new tariffs on certain Brazilian goods and additional forced-labor-related trade actions remain in development.Brands preparing Q4 purchase orders need to review country of origin, HTS classifications, customs entry dates, exclusions, and multiple landed-cost scenarios before finalizing pricing or promotional plans.Amazon account deactivation and Account HealthAmazon published a new prevention and reinstatement guide covering performance metrics, intellectual property complaints, authenticity concerns, restricted products, identity verification, tax records, and INFORM Act requirements.The real operator lesson is that Account Health needs a daily owner. Sellers should organize invoices, authorization letters, compliance documents, and supplier records before Amazon requests them.Amazon expands Global Warehousing and DistributionAmazon expanded GWD into Shanghai and added support for Free on Board shipping terms. China-sourced sellers can now compare Amazon’s upstream warehousing and replenishment model against freight forwarders, overseas warehouses, third-party logistics providers, AWD, and direct-to-FBA shipping.The potential benefit is lower storage and more automated replenishment. The tradeoff is greater dependence on Amazon throughout the supply chain.Amazon Alexa creates a second product-discovery shelfNew research found that many Alexa for Shopping recommendations did not appear among the corresponding top organic Amazon search results.That means sellers may soon be optimizing for two different discovery systems: traditional keyword-based search and AI-generated recommendations based on shopper intent, attributes, specifications, compatibility, and use cases.TikTok Shop tests platform-managed growthTikTok is reportedly recruiting sellers for a managed-services pilot in which the platform would oversee advertising, creator recruitment, content production, listing optimization, and creative testing.Brands approached for the program need to model the full cost, including service fees, commissions, advertising, samples, fulfillment, returns, and product margin. They should also clarify creative ownership, reporting transparency, pricing control, and creator relationships.AI-generated videos flood TikTok ShopSynthetic product demonstrations and AI avatars are creating faster content production, but also introducing new risks around inaccurate claims, weak disclosure, and loss of brand control.TikTok Shop sellers should create a formal AI affiliate-content policy and regularly review the videos generating the most traffic and sales.DoorDash becomes a Shopify sales channelEligible Shopify merchants with physical stores can now publish products directly to DoorDash while keeping product, inventory, and order management inside Shopify.This gives local retailers another way to reach nearby customers seeking same-day or one-hour delivery, but merchants still need to account for commissions, store labor, packaging, refunds, and channel-specific pricing.Google AI Mode connects with InstacartGoogle AI Mode can now help shoppers build a grocery list and move selected products into an Instacart cart.Search is beginning to move from answering questions to executing shopping tasks. Product availability, attributes, imagery, retailer content, category placement, and structured data increasingly influence which products AI places into the basket.Instacart expands beyond groceryInstacart partnered with Tractor Supply to offer same-day delivery from more than twenty-four hundred locations, including pet products, livestock supplies, tools, hardware, lawn products, and outdoor merchandise.Delivery platforms are becoming broader marketplaces built around local inventory and immediate fulfillment.Stripe and Advent make a bid for PayPalStripe and Advent International reportedly offered more than fifty-three billion dollars to acquire PayPal. The offer has not been accepted, but the potential combination highlights the growing value of merchant infrastructure, wallets, Venmo, buy now pay later, fraud prevention, checkout data, and AI-enabled payments.The bigger takeaway:Platforms increasingly want to control discovery, advertising, content, inventory, fulfillment, payments, and the customer relationship.The answer is not to chase every new channel.Serious operators need to understand who controls the customer data, who owns the creative, where the inventory sits, how the platform makes money, and whether the brand still controls its economics.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what platform updates actually mean for sellers.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis episode of Selling on Giants takes on founder burnout from a different angle.Most people treat burnout like a workload problem. Too many meetings, too many emails, too many fires, and too many people needing something at the exact same time. The usual advice is to hire more people, delegate better, take a vacation, or finally get a hobby that does not involve checking Slack between sets at the gym.But that diagnosis misses the deeper issue.Founder burnout is not always caused by working too much. Sometimes it comes from building a life where nothing exists outside of work anymore.In this solo episode, Mr. Will breaks down the idea of a leisure deficit, inspired by philosopher Joseph Pieper’s view that leisure is not laziness or idleness. Leisure is the space where meaning, perspective, creativity, and connection are rebuilt.And for founders, that space often disappears first.In this episode, we cover:Why burnout is often misdiagnosedBurnout is usually framed as exhaustion from workload, but for many entrepreneurs, the real issue is that every part of life has become useful, optimized, monetized, or tied back to the business.How entrepreneurship turns everything into outputTime becomes a resource. Conversations become transactions. Rest becomes recovery for more work. Even family time can become something you are physically present for while mentally still working.Why productivity can become dangerousProductivity looks responsible, but when it becomes the only scoreboard, people become outputs, time becomes units, and leadership becomes transactional. The business may still hit numbers, but the culture starts to thin out.Why fulfillment is socialYour best memories are probably not dashboards, revenue milestones, or optimized workflows. They are shared experiences with people. A real conversation. A dinner where nobody is rushing. A win celebrated together. Success can scale alone, but fulfillment usually does not.What leisure actually meansLeisure is not scrolling, zoning out, or doing nothing while your brain keeps running. Real leisure is presence. It is being engaged in something that has no immediate business purpose.Why founders lose creativity inside the grindThe best ideas usually do not arrive while staring at a screen. They come when your brain finally has space. On a walk, in the shower, mid-conversation, or during a moment that does not look productive on a calendar.The hidden business cost of burnoutA leisure deficit does not only hurt the founder. It hurts the company. When leaders are constantly in the weeds, they stop coaching, stop developing people, stop thinking long term, and eventually stop creating leverage.Mr. Will’s personal storyThis episode ends with a personal story about taking on a major enterprise client, saying yes to too much, burning out team members, losing weight, missing family time, and realizing that growing one client came at the expense of BellaVix, his team, and his health.The bigger takeaway:You do not fix burnout by working less.You fix it by living more.By creating space that is not tied to output. By being present in moments that do not serve the business. By reconnecting with people as people, not as functions inside a schedule.Because fulfillment is not built in the work.It is built around it.Follow Selling on Giants for operator-level conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketplace growth, Amazon strategy, eCommerce operations, and what it really takes to build a business without losing yourself in the process.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates focuses on what marketplace operators should do now that Prime Day is behind us and Q4 planning is already underway.Amazon is opening holiday deal submissions, changing how sellers compete for the Featured Offer, expanding Seller Central passkeys, adding B2B pallet delivery, and pushing Amazon DSP deeper into full-funnel media. Walmart is doubling down on value, AI shopping, and marketplace maturity, while broader retail updates continue pointing toward one theme:The second half of the year will reward operators with cleaner systems, better data, stronger inventory planning, and sharper execution.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:Amazon Featured Offer changesAmazon is removing the separate Featured Offer eligibility requirement for more sellers. That does not mean every seller can win the Buy Box. It means more offers can compete, while price, delivery speed, account health, inventory, and customer experience remain the deciding factors.Holiday deal submissions are already openAmazon opened holiday deal submissions on July eighth, including Best Deals, Lightning Deals, and Prime Exclusive Discounts. Q4 planning is not a future project anymore. Brands need to identify hero ASINs, confirm inventory, model margins, and submit eligible deals early.Amazon holiday fulfillment guidanceAmazon’s holiday fulfillment timelines and peak season fee guidance reinforce that Q4 is usually won before October. Sellers should work backward from inbound deadlines, manufacturing schedules, freight timelines, AWD utilization, and FBA replenishment plans.Seller Central passkeys for secondary usersAmazon is expanding passkeys for secondary users, making account access more secure for employees, agencies, contractors, and partners. Sellers should audit user permissions, remove outdated access, and eliminate shared logins.Amazon Business pallet deliveryAmazon Business introduced pallet delivery for eligible FBM orders, giving commercial buyers a better option for larger shipments. This matters for brands selling industrial, healthcare, foodservice, janitorial, office, or bulk products.Amazon DSP expands into Spotify podcast adsAmazon DSP now supports buying Spotify podcast inventory, showing that Amazon Advertising continues moving beyond marketplace search into a broader full-funnel media ecosystem.Prime Day advertising lessonsPost-event analysis shows the best advertisers were not simply the biggest spenders. They adjusted budgets, watched pacing, protected inventory, and optimized during the event instead of waiting for next-day reports.AI across eCommerce softwareAI is becoming embedded into product content, merchandising, customer engagement, marketing automation, and workflow tools. The opportunity is not using AI for the sake of it. The opportunity is using AI to reduce repetitive work while protecting quality and operator judgment.Walmart price cuts and consumer value pressureWalmart and Sam’s Club are lowering prices across seasonal grocery and household staples, reinforcing that shoppers are still spending but remain highly value-conscious.Walmart Sparky and AI shoppingWalmart’s Sparky AI assistant continues showing how AI shopping tools may influence discovery, comparison, and conversion. Sellers need complete product data, strong images, accurate attributes, reviews, and clear positioning so AI systems can understand and recommend their products.USPS, trade policy, Google Merchant Center, and CostcoShipping changes, trade policy hearings, Google product feed updates, and Costco’s June sales results all point to the same operating reality: costs, data quality, sourcing, and value communication matter more heading into the second half of the year.The bigger takeaway:The second half of 2026 is not about chasing every platform update.It is about building a cleaner operating system.Better inventory planning. Cleaner product data. Stronger access controls. Sharper promotional strategy. Smarter ad pacing. Better shipping math. More disciplined pricing. And a clear answer to the question every shopper is asking:Why should I buy this product now, from this brand, instead of the alternative?Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what platform updates actually mean for sellers.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailFor years, brands focused on keyword density, search volume, and traditional SEO tactics. But Amazon's product discovery engine is evolving, and AI is changing how listings are understood, ranked, and recommended.In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire sits down with Jon Tilley of ZonGuru for a live working session exploring the future of Amazon listing optimization. Instead of another theory-heavy discussion, they demonstrate how AI is reshaping product listings and why many brands are still optimizing for an Amazon algorithm that no longer exists.Using a real client example, they walk through how AI analyzes brand positioning, customer reviews, competitors, and product attributes to build listings that are designed for both human conversion and machine understanding.What You'll Learn: Why keyword-first Amazon listings are becoming outdated  How AI-driven product discovery is changing Amazon SEO  The difference between keyword optimization and structured product understanding  Why listing structure matters more than keyword stuffing  How AI analyzes reviews, competitors, and brand positioning  A live demonstration of ZonGuru's Helix AI transformation process  Practical strategies brands can implement today Whether you're an Amazon seller, brand owner, agency, or eCommerce marketer, this episode will help you prepare for the next evolution of Amazon search and product discovery.https://www.zonguru.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/zonguru/Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry leaders covering Amazon strategy, retail media, AI, eCommerce growth, and marketplace innovation.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates moves beyond the Prime Day revenue headlines and focuses on what marketplace operators should do next.Prime Day generated record online spending, but smaller baskets and value-focused purchasing made profitability more important than top-line growth. Consumers continued spending, but they concentrated more heavily on lower-priced essentials, beauty, supplements, grocery, and products they could easily justify buying.For Amazon and Walmart sellers, the real question is not whether sales increased.It is whether the event left the business stronger.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:The post-Prime Day profitability test: Why sellers should review contribution margin by ASIN, TACoS, new-to-brand customers, inventory burn, organic ranking, Subscribe and Save growth, and repeat-purchase opportunities instead of celebrating revenue alone.Why record sales can hide weak economics: A strong promotional event can still damage profitability when discounts deepen, advertising costs rise, baskets shrink, and customers concentrate around lower-ticket products.Amazon Seller Central passkeys: Amazon is expanding passkey access across Seller Central, allowing sellers to authenticate through Face ID, fingerprints, or device PINs. The rollout is also a reminder to audit users, administrator access, agency permissions, and backup account owners.Amazon Business delivery requirements: Seller-fulfilled offers serving Amazon Business customers will need to meet a new Business Hour Delivery Rate standard. FBM sellers should review carrier selection, warehouse cutoffs, handling times, delivery settings, and shipping automation before enforcement begins.Why Amazon’s marketplace is becoming more professional: Third-party sellers still represent the majority of Amazon unit sales, but stricter compliance, higher advertising costs, stronger security requirements, and measurable fulfillment standards continue raising the barrier to entry.Prime Day advertising beyond Sponsored Products: Prime Day continued evolving into a full-funnel media event across Sponsored Brands, video, Amazon DSP, connected television, and external traffic. Sellers need to separate branded demand capture from real customer acquisition.AI shopping and machine-readable product data: Shopping assistants are becoming another interface between consumers and products. Titles, attributes, specifications, images, reviews, availability, pricing, and product feeds increasingly influence whether AI can understand and recommend a product.Walmart’s July integration deadline: Walmart is moving Solution Provider integrations toward OAuth two point oh. Sellers should confirm that feed tools, inventory platforms, ERP systems, agencies, and internal applications are prepared before existing access methods are retired.Walmart and Amazon race toward instant commerce: Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Now show how localized inventory and quick commerce are pushing delivery expectations from days toward minutes. The long-term advantage may come from better inventory placement, not simply better advertising.Target Plus and curated marketplace growth: Target continues expanding its invitation-only marketplace with established brands while maintaining a more selective operating model than Amazon or Walmart.North American trade uncertainty: The United States did not agree to renew the USMCA in its current form during the latest review. No immediate changes have occurred, but brands sourcing from Mexico or Canada should continue monitoring negotiations and modeling tariff exposure.The bigger takeaway:The market is not getting easier.It is getting more operational.The brands best positioned for the second half of the year will have cleaner account access, stronger profitability reporting, structured product data, reliable fulfillment, better inventory placement, and enough discipline to separate promotional revenue from durable growth.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns covering Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace operations, AI commerce, supply chain strategy, and what platform updates actually mean for sellers.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis episode of Selling on Giants takes a different look at Amazon PPC, keyword stuffing, and why most ad accounts do not need more campaigns, more keywords, or more daily adjustments.They need subtraction.Using Bruce Lee’s philosophy from Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Mr. Will breaks down why high-performing Amazon ad accounts are not built by adding endless layers. They are built by removing what does not work, focusing on what actually lands, and simplifying the system so the signal becomes clear.Bruce Lee’s idea was simple: do not add moves for the sake of adding moves. Strip away what is unessential. Keep what works under pressure.Amazon advertising works the same way.In this episode, we cover:Why most Amazon PPC accounts are overbuiltMany accounts look sophisticated from the outside, with hundreds or thousands of keywords, dozens of campaigns, overlapping match types, competitor campaigns, defensive campaigns, and constant bid changes. Under the hood, much of that structure creates noise instead of performance.Why every keyword is a punchEvery keyword is an attempt to land with the right shopper at the right moment. The question is whether those punches are actually landing, or whether the account is spending money swinging at traffic that never converts.Why adding feels like controlWhen performance drops, sellers usually add more campaigns. When A-Costs rises, they add more keywords. When sales slow, they test another tactic. It feels productive, but Amazon does not reward activity. It rewards outcomes.Why context beats rigid PPC rulesRules like “always negate after X clicks” or “always scale low A-Costs” can be useful, but only when the operator understands the situation behind the metric. A keyword with no sales might need to be cut, lowered, isolated, or given more time depending on context.What BellaVix removes firstThe episode breaks down the practical subtraction process, including irrelevant traffic, non-converting spend, overlapping campaign structure, low-value tactics, and over-optimization caused by reacting to unstable data.What high-performing accounts keepOnce the noise is removed, the account should be built around high-intent keywords, clear campaign roles, bidding tied to real math, non-brand growth, and decisions grounded in context instead of guesswork.Why simple does not mean easySimple accounts are easier to understand, faster to manage, and better at revealing what is actually working. But simple still requires judgment, discipline, and knowing when to push, pull back, cut, or leave the account alone.The bigger takeaway:You do not need more keywords. You need better ones.You do not need more campaigns. You need clearer ones.You do not need another strategy stacked on top of a cluttered account. You need less of what is not working.This episode is for Amazon sellers, brand owners, marketplace operators, and ad managers who are tired of confusing activity with progress and want a cleaner way to think about profitable growth.The question is simple: are your keywords landing, or are you hoping one eventually does?Follow Selling on Giants for operator-level breakdowns on Amazon PPC, marketplace strategy, Walmart growth, retail media, and the systems that help brands scale profitably.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates breaks down what happened after Prime Day and what it tells us about the second half of eCommerce in 2026.Prime Day beat expectations, but the headline sales number does not tell the whole story. U.S. online spending grew strongly, but average order value declined, household spend softened, and shoppers leaned heavily into lower-ticket products, essentials, grocery, household items, supplements, and consumables.The consumer is still spending.They are just spending more intentionally.In this episode, Mr. Will covers:Prime Day beat expectations, but baskets got smallerPrime Day delivered strong top-line growth, but smaller average orders show that shoppers were more value-conscious. For sellers, the post-event review cannot stop at revenue. Brands need to look at contribution margin, inventory depletion, new-to-brand customers, Subscribe and Save enrollment, organic rank movement, ACoS, TACoS, and ROAS.AI shopping traffic is no longer experimentalAI-referred shopping traffic surged during Prime Day and converted better than many traditional sources. That is a major signal for Amazon sellers, DTC brands, and marketplace operators. AI discovery is becoming measurable, which means product data, structured attributes, clear bullets, reviews, images, and product feeds matter more than ever.Amazon’s Item Highlights and title changesAmazon’s new Item Highlights field, combined with the upcoming 75-character title limit, shows that listing optimization is entering a new phase. Sellers can no longer rely on keyword-stuffed titles. Titles, highlights, bullets, images, attributes, and A+ Content need to work together as one structured listing system.FBM handling times and operational disciplineAmazon’s new seller-fulfilled handling time requirements are now live. Sellers need accurate SKU-level handling times or Amazon may adjust them based on historical performance. This impacts delivery promises, conversion, Buy Box eligibility, and Seller Fulfilled Prime performance.The INFORM Act as an account health issueAmazon is reminding high-volume sellers to keep business information, identification, bank details, tax information, and annual certifications current. Compliance is no longer background paperwork. It is part of account health and long-term marketplace stability.Walmart acquires Vibe.co and moves deeper into connected TVWalmart’s planned acquisition of Vibe.co shows that Walmart is building a full-funnel advertising platform, not just a marketplace. Walmart Connect, VIZIO, first-party shopper data, closed-loop measurement, and self-service connected TV could make streaming advertising more accessible to marketplace brands.Walmart Sparky and AI-powered shoppingWalmart’s Sparky AI assistant is becoming part of the shopping experience, including live commerce. Alongside Amazon, Google, OpenAI, and Shopify, Walmart is rebuilding product discovery around conversational AI and machine-readable product data.WFS long-term storage fees and Walmart Marketplace maturityWalmart Fulfillment Services is introducing long-term storage fees for aging inventory. This brings Walmart closer to the FBA model and reinforces that inventory planning, sell-through, bundling, liquidation, and SKU discipline matter more as Walmart Marketplace matures.Walmart product claims enforcementWalmart is tightening policy around Made in USA, biodegradable, compostable, PFAS, and other product claims. Sellers need to make sure packaging, images, descriptions, attributes, and marketing claims are accurate and supported.FedEx, tariffs, and supply chain pressureFedEx results suggest parcel demand remains healthy, but shipping costs and carrier margins are still under pressure. At the same time, new tariff proposals tied to forced labor enforcement could expand sourcing complexity beyond China. Sellers need to stress test landed costs, shipping assumptions, supplier documentation, and margin sensitivity before peak season.The bigger takeaway:Prime Day may be over, but the real work starts now.The strongest brands will not be the ones that only celebrated top-line sales. They will be the ones that review margins, clean product data, fix listings, audit compliance, protect inventory, and prepare for the next wave of platform changes.The market is still growing.It is just getting less forgiving.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, eCommerce profitability, and what actually changes for brands responsible for growth.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants, we sit down with Ian Walker, President and Co-Founder of Hippie Snacks and Left Coast Naturals, to unpack what it really takes to build a successful retail brand.From humble beginnings selling at a farmer's market nearly 30 years ago, Ian has grown the business into a leading manufacturer, brand owner, and distributor supporting more than 40 natural food brands across North America. Along the way, he's learned firsthand why retail success requires far more than simply landing shelf space.Ian shares practical advice on:- How to determine if your brand is truly ready for retail.- The biggest mistakes digital-first brands make when expanding into stores.- Why understanding retailer, distributor, and manufacturer margins is critical.- How to budget for listing fees, promotions, advertising, and trade spend.- The importance of starting with core retailers and expanding region by region.- How private label, distribution, and diversified revenue streams can help fund long-term brand growth.- Why curiosity, patience, and continuous learning are some of the greatest competitive advantages in consumer products.Whether you're selling on Amazon, building a DTC brand, or preparing to enter retail for the first time, this conversation offers a realistic look at the financial and operational challenges of omnichannel growth—and the strategies that help brands succeed for the long haul.If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and follow Selling on Giants for more conversations with founders, operators, and industry experts helping brands scale across Amazon, retail, and beyond.Website: https://www.leftcoastnaturals.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leftcoastnaturals/#Twitter: https://x.com/leftcoastfoodsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/left-coast-naturals/

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates breaks down the biggest retail promotional window of the summer.Amazon Prime Day is the center of gravity, but it is no longer the only event competing for shopper attention. Walmart Deals, Target Circle Deal Days, Best Buy Tech Fest, TikTok Shop promotions, DTC websites, email offers, Google Shopping, and retail media campaigns are all fighting for the same customer during the same week.The customer is not thinking about retailer calendars.They are thinking:Everything is on sale.In this episode, we cover:Amazon Prime Day is the main eventAmazon Prime Day remains the center of gravity, with major discounts, daily deal drops, Amazon Haul promotions, and Alexa for Shopping becoming part of the customer discovery experience.Why Amazon Haul mattersAmazon Haul’s aggressive discounting shows how Amazon is pushing value-conscious shoppers toward lower-priced products, creating greater pressure on private-label brands, low-ASP sellers, and price-sensitive categories.Alexa for Shopping and AI-driven discoveryAmazon is training shoppers to delegate more of the buying process to AI. That means sellers need listings that are clear to both humans and shopping agents, with strong product data, attributes, reviews, pricing, and fulfillment signals.Amazon’s upcoming title changesStarting July 27th, Amazon’s title structure changes will force sellers to rethink keyword-stuffed titles, searchable fields, Item Highlights, and how listing content works together after Prime Day.Walmart Deals is no longer a side eventWalmart Deals is running directly against Prime Week traffic, supported by Walmart Plus, Walmart Connect, Sam’s Club Connect, and a stronger retail media infrastructure.Walmart Connect and full-funnel retail mediaWalmart’s growing retail media stack, including first-party audiences and off-platform measurement, shows that Walmart is becoming a more serious advertising ecosystem for marketplace sellers.Target, Best Buy, TikTok Shop, and DTC competitionTarget Circle Deal Days, Best Buy Tech Fest, TikTok Shop Deals For You Days, and brand websites are all part of the same promotional moment. Shoppers are comparing across platforms, not shopping in isolated channels.Why execution matters more than discountsThe deepest discount does not matter if the listing does not convert, the Buy Box is unstable, the campaign runs out of budget, or the hero product goes out of stock.The bigger takeaway:Prime Day has become the summer version of Black Friday, but even that framing may be too narrow now.This is a retail-wide promotional battle.Amazon is still the main event, but Walmart, Target, Best Buy, TikTok Shop, and DTC brands are all fighting for the same consumer attention.Promotions amplify fundamentals.They do not replace them.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.

Send us Fan MailThis episode of Selling on Giants breaks down why some eCommerce founders always seem to catch a break while others stay stuck, even when they are operating in the same market, using the same tools, and facing the same competitors.The easy explanation is luck.But after working across enough Amazon, Walmart, Target, and broader marketplace accounts, the pattern looks different. Some brands are not luckier. They interpret signals differently, move faster, stay engaged longer, and treat setbacks as feedback instead of failure.In this episode, we cover:Why “luck” is often behavior, not randomness Psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman’s research on luck shows that lucky people tend to notice more opportunities, act faster, expect better outcomes, and reinterpret setbacks in ways that keep them moving.Why opportunity usually looks like a problem first In eCommerce, opportunity rarely shows up cleanly. It often looks like rising CPCs, crowded categories, slower reviews, weak conversion, or a launch that does not match the forecast.How two founders can see the same data differently One founder sees rising ad costs and says the category is too expensive. Another sees demand and starts improving the offer, listing, creative, pricing, and conversion path.Why speed matters more than perfection The cleanest brand on day one does not always win. The brand that learns faster usually does. Real data comes from being live, testing, and listening to the market.How failure separates operators A weaker operator sees failure as a verdict. A stronger operator sees it as feedback. That one word, “yet,” keeps a team in the game long enough to improve the offer, creative, pricing, positioning, or product strategy.Why expectations shape execution Mindset is not soft. It affects budget decisions, testing cadence, risk tolerance, and how quickly a founder responds to data.The market is hard, but some brands are still growing Costs are up. Competition is real. Advertising is more complex. Review building is harder. Consumers are more selective. And still, some brands are finding ways to win.The bigger takeaway:Luck is not always random.A lot of the time, luck is how you interpret what is in front of you.Same market. Same challenges. Same inputs. Different approach.The brands that move forward treat data as feedback, act before the window closes, and stay engaged after others stop. They do not ignore problems. They simply do not let problems decide what happens next.The edge is not magic. It is perception. Behavior. Speed. Resilience.If you are building on Amazon, Walmart, Target, or across marketplaces, this episode gives you a practical way to think about momentum, setbacks, and why some founders seem to create more opportunity than others.Follow Selling on Giants for operator-level breakdowns on marketplace strategy, Amazon growth, Walmart expansion, eCommerce leadership, and what it really takes to build a stronger brand.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants is focused on one thing: last-minute preparation before the biggest promotional window of the summer.Amazon Prime Day runs June twenty third through June twenty sixth. Target Circle Deal Days runs during the same window. Walmart Deals starts one day earlier, on June twenty second, and runs through June twenty eighth.That means consumers are not thinking about this as one Amazon event. They are thinking, everything is on sale.They will compare Amazon, Walmart, Target, brand websites, Google Shopping, email offers, Meta ads, TikTok content, and whatever promotion gets in front of them first. For sellers, that makes this more than a marketplace event. It is a retail-wide battle for attention, trust, inventory, and conversion.In this episode, Mr. Will breaks down the final actions brands can still take one week out. At this stage, the goal is not to rebuild the strategy. Inventory should already be moving. Promotions should already be approved. Budgets should already be aligned. The job now is to remove friction before traffic arrives.In this episode, we cover:Amazon Prime Day hero ASIN auditsWhy brands need to review top-performing ASINs like first-time shoppers, checking main images, reviews, pricing, A plus Content, mobile experience, and the first three images before expensive event traffic hits.Amazon ad cleanup before CPCs riseHow sellers can use recent search term reports to remove waste, cut irrelevant traffic, clean up high-spend non-converting terms, and stop funding keywords that already proved they do not convert.Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, video, and placement coverageWhy Prime Day shoppers do not move in a straight line, and why brands need visibility across Top of Search, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Brand Video, Product Pages, and Brand Store pathways.Subscribe and Save, bundles, and cross-sell opportunitiesHow brands can turn first-time Prime Day buyers into longer-term customers by reviewing Subscribe and Save offers, Brand Store navigation, bundles, and complementary product paths before customers leave.Inventory alignment with advertisingWhy brands should protect hero ASINs first, align spend with available inventory, and avoid pushing traffic into products that may run out of stock during the event.Walmart Deals preparationWhat sellers should check before Walmart Deals, including Buy Box ownership, Walmart Connect coverage, listing quality, WFS inventory, fulfillment speed, and competitive pricing.Target Circle Deal Days preparationWhy brands active through Target and Roundel should review budgets, campaign caps, promotional participation, product content, hero SKUs, and inventory before Circle Deal Days begins.DTC and website readinessWhy brand websites still matter during Prime Day week, including summer sale landing pages, email and SMS capture, retargeting, bundles, and pre-event email campaigns.Team readiness and reportingWhy every brand needs clear owners for budget pacing, Buy Box checks, pricing, inventory monitoring, promotion issues, dashboards, and escalation before the event starts.The bigger takeaway:Prime Day has become the summer version of Black Friday.Amazon is still the center of gravity, but Walmart, Target, and DTC brands are all competing for the same shopper during the same promotional window.The winners will not always be the brands with the deepest discounts. They will be the brands with the strongest operational execution, cleanest customer experience, best inventory discipline, and fewest surprises.Promotions amplify fundamentals.They do not replace them.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants: Going Retail, Will sits down with Kristyn Carriere, co-founder of 7 Summits Snacks, to discuss the realities of building a food brand and successfully expanding into retail.7 Summits Snacks was born from a unique partnership between two sisters—Kristyn, a food scientist, and her sister, a former Canadian decathlete. Together, they created a functional chocolate energy bar that delivers great taste, premium ingredients, and performance-focused nutrition for active consumers.During the conversation, Kristyn shares how the company launched through a crowdfunding campaign during the pandemic, built an early e-commerce presence, and eventually grew retail into 75% of the business. She explains why listening to customer feedback played a critical role in deciding where and how to expand.Will and Kristyn explore some of the biggest lessons brands should understand before entering retail, including the importance of shelf positioning, packaging design, pricing strategy, and understanding the competitive landscape. Kristyn also offers practical advice for founders on working with retail buyers, conducting customer research, and ensuring their products stand out in crowded categories.The episode highlights the differences between selling online and in-store, and why success in retail requires brands to think beyond simply having a great product. From understanding customer purchasing behavior to designing packaging for specific retail environments, Kristyn provides actionable insights for brands considering the move into physical retail.The discussion wraps up with a preview of 7 Summits Snacks' newest innovation—a protein-focused chocolate snack designed to meet growing consumer demand for high-protein options while staying true to the brand's chocolate-first philosophy.Whether you're a digital-first brand exploring retail opportunities or a founder looking to strengthen your retail strategy, this episode offers valuable lessons from a company actively navigating both channels.Website: https://sevensummitssnacks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/7summitssnacksFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/7SummitsSnacks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seven-summits-snacks/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyncarriere/

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down the June ninth marketplace updates shaping Amazon sellers, Walmart operators, retail media teams, and eCommerce brands preparing for a more connected and more demanding commerce environment.The theme this week is clear: eCommerce is not getting less complex. It is getting more connected.Amazon is turning Sponsored Brands into richer discovery experiences with Brand Gallery. Amazon is also pushing AI-powered visual search, making creative assets part of product discoverability. Reddit is becoming more important for GenAI visibility as AI systems learn from real customer conversations. Walmart’s internal AI usage is so high the company had to cap access, showing that AI adoption is moving from experimentation into daily operations.At the same time, DHL’s ten billion dollar USPS deal shows how last-mile delivery is becoming shared infrastructure. Tariff policy and import volatility are putting pressure back into supply chain planning. McKinsey’s consumer research shows shoppers are still spending, but they are far more selective. Retail bankruptcies continue exposing weak operators. And brands are preparing for World Cup demand without needing official sponsorship rights.In this episode, we cover:Amazon Sponsored Brands Brand GalleryAmazon introduced Brand Gallery for Sponsored Brands, giving advertisers a richer way to showcase multiple products and brand assets. This is another signal that Amazon advertising is moving beyond single-ASIN transactions and toward brand discovery, catalog exploration, and customer lifetime value.Amazon AI visual searchAmazon’s AI image generator for search bar queries shows that shoppers may increasingly search with concepts, aesthetics, and outcomes instead of exact keywords. For sellers, that means product photography, lifestyle imagery, structured data, and creative quality are becoming part of search visibility.Reddit and GenAI visibilityAI search engines and large language models increasingly rely on Reddit discussions to understand products, categories, buying advice, and customer sentiment. In an AI-driven world, authentic reputation may become one of the most valuable marketing assets a brand can build.Walmart’s internal AI adoptionWalmart reportedly capped usage of an internal AI tool after employee demand exceeded expectations. The bigger signal is that AI is becoming operational infrastructure inside companies, not just a customer-facing commerce trend.DHL’s ten billion dollar USPS partnershipDHL’s last-mile delivery deal with USPS shows that fulfillment infrastructure is becoming more interconnected. Even major logistics providers are choosing partnership over duplication as the last mile remains expensive and difficult to operate profitably.Tariffs, forced labor enforcement, and import timingTrade policy uncertainty and NRF’s import forecast show that supply chain planning is back in focus. Brands are pulling inventory forward to manage tariff risk, freight uncertainty, and peak-season readiness, but that also creates cash flow and forecasting pressure.The selective consumerMcKinsey’s latest consumer research reinforces that shoppers are still spending, but they are asking harder questions before they buy. Value does not always mean cheapest. It means the purchase feels smart, trustworthy, and worth the money.Retail bankruptcies and operational disciplineRetail bankruptcies continue showing that revenue does not protect businesses. Weak margins, poor inventory management, high fixed costs, and failure to adapt continue separating strong operators from fragile ones.World Cup marketing without official sponsorshipsBrands are finding ways to participate in World Cup demand through cultural relevance, watch parties, social content, fan experiences, and seasonal campaigns without paying for official sponsorship rights.The bigger takeaway:Advertising connects to creative. Creative connects to search. Search connects to AI interpretation. AI interpretation connects to customer conversations. Supply chain connects to ad efficiency. Inventory connects to ranking. Fulfillment connects to customer trust. And cultural relevance connects to demand.The edge is not in hacks.It is in execution, clean systems, and fast decisions.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, supply chain risk, and what actually changes for brands responsible for growth and profitability.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis episode of Selling on Giants breaks down why so many eCommerce founders stay busy, grow revenue, and still feel stuck.The problem is not effort. It is incentive design.Using the game theory concept of the Stag Hunt, this episode explores the difference between chasing short-term wins and building the systems, teams, and trust required to scale.In the beginning, every founder hunts rabbits. They run the ads, fix the listings, answer customer service emails, chase invoices, and handle whatever is on fire that day. Rabbits keep the lights on, and early in the business, that matters.But eventually, survival behavior becomes the ceiling.If every important decision still runs through the founder, the company is not truly scaling. It is staying dependent on one person’s urgency, judgment, and control.In this episode, we cover:Why founders get trapped chasing rabbits Short-term wins feel productive because there is movement, but movement is not always progress.What the Stag Hunt teaches about leadership Bigger outcomes require trust, coordination, patience, and credible commitment from the team.Why ecommerce rewards reactive behavior Amazon sales data, ad dashboards, rankings, inventory, and reviews all create urgency, which can train founders to chase the next immediate problem instead of building long-term leverage.How control becomes the ceiling Founders often believe control protects the business, but at a certain stage, too much control prevents the team from maturing.Why teams need shared context People make better decisions when they understand the larger outcome, not just the task in front of them.Why tactics are not enough to scale More ads, more products, more channels, and more activity do not matter if the operating system underneath the business is weak.The operator takeaway:Rabbit hunting keeps the business alive. Stag hunting is how the business scales.The best founders eventually stop asking, “What can I fix today?” and start asking, “What system are we building that makes the next stage easier?”That shift changes everything.It impacts hiring, delegation, accountability, strategy, marketplace expansion, advertising, and leadership. It is the difference between a founder-owned job and a company that can compound without everything depending on one person.The bigger picture:If you are building on Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, or across marketplaces, the question is not only what tactic should come next. The better question is whether your team is aligned around the bigger hunt.The edge is not in more activity. It is in trust. Coordination. Clear priorities. Better systems.Follow Selling on Giants for operator-level breakdowns on eCommerce leadership, marketplace strategy, Amazon growth, Walmart expansion, and what it really takes to build a durable brand.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down the June second eCommerce updates shaping Amazon sellers, Walmart operators, retail media teams, and brands trying to grow in a marketplace environment that keeps getting more complex.The theme this week is clear: eCommerce is still growing, but growth is not being handed out evenly.Amazon is tightening Brand Registry and identity verification. AI shopping agents are becoming the new layer between customers and products. Google wants more of the checkout experience. Meta is opening its ad ecosystem to third-party AI tools. Walmart is turning last-mile fulfillment into infrastructure. Consumers are still spending, but they are becoming harder to win.In this episode, we cover:Amazon Brand Registry rejections and verification frictionAmazon opened up more guidance around Brand Registry enrollment rejections, appeals, and trademark verification. For sellers, this is not paperwork anymore. Brand Registry is foundational infrastructure because it unlocks A+ Content, Brand Stores, Sponsored Brands, Brand Analytics, and brand protection tools.Why identity verification is becoming marketplace infrastructureAmazon is reminding sellers to keep identity, ownership, banking, business records, and verification documents clean and current. A simple account update, EIN change, ownership change, banking update, or marketplace expansion can trigger additional review if documentation does not line up.The rise of AI shopping agents and agentic commerceAI agents are becoming a major layer in product discovery. Instead of shoppers manually browsing search results, AI systems may compare reviews, check pricing, evaluate availability, and recommend products before the customer ever visits a website.Why product feeds are becoming the new SEOProduct data, structured attributes, pricing accuracy, inventory availability, taxonomy, review signals, and catalog consistency are becoming strategic assets. If AI systems cannot clearly interpret your product, your brand may become harder to recommend.Google’s universal shopping cart and the fight for checkout controlGoogle’s unified shopping cart shows that the company wants to move deeper into the transaction layer, not just search and discovery. The battle for eCommerce is increasingly about who owns the decision layer between the consumer and the purchase.Meta opens advertising to AI toolsMeta is expanding third-party AI integrations inside its advertising ecosystem. Campaign creation, optimization, audience management, and creative workflows are becoming more automated, which shifts the value of operators and agencies toward strategy, creative direction, and data interpretation.McKinsey’s consumer research and the selective shopperConsumers are still spending, but they are more intentional. They want value, quality, convenience, trust, and a clear reason to buy. Weak positioning and unclear offers are getting exposed faster.Target’s World Cup activation and cultural commerceTarget’s soccer event tour shows how retailers are becoming media and lifestyle platforms. Major cultural moments like the World Cup create opportunities for brands that plan inventory, creative, and retail media early.Walmart passes one million drone deliveriesWalmart’s drone milestone is not really about drones. It is about last-mile infrastructure. Walmart is using stores, delivery, pickup, Walmart+, marketplace growth, and retail media to build a commerce ecosystem that competes directly with Amazon on convenience.U.S. eCommerce keeps taking retail shareCensus data shows eCommerce sales grew faster than total retail sales in Q1 twenty twenty six. The channel is still expanding, but brands need to ask whether they are growing faster than the market or quietly losing share.The bigger takeaway:The next phase of eCommerce will not be won by brands that only chase traffic.It will be won by brands that are easier to trust, easier to understand, easier to fulfill, easier for AI systems to interpret, and easier for customers to justify buying.The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution, clean systems, strong data, and fast decisions.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what actually changes for brands responsible for growth and profitability.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants: Going Retail, we sit down with Chris MacLean, co-founder of Yew Healthy Aging Nutraceuticals, to explore what it really takes to launch a science-backed wellness brand into retail.Unlike many modern brands that begin online and later expand into stores, Yew Healthy Aging chose a retail-first strategy — focusing on independent pharmacies, specialty health retailers, and education-driven partnerships from day one.Chris shares:- Why the team spent three years developing their products before launch- How their pharmaceutical and biopharma backgrounds shape product development- Why education and trust are critical in the nutraceutical industry- The realities of launching into retail as a premium health brand- Sustainability initiatives behind their packaging and ingredient sourcing- How independent pharmacies and healthcare practitioners became key retail partners- What founders should know before bringing technical or science-based products to marketThe conversation also dives into product formulation, Health Canada regulations, retail readiness, expiration considerations, consumer education, and the future of longevity-focused wellness products.Whether you’re building a CPG brand, entering retail for the first time, or interested in the future of healthy aging, this episode offers practical insights into launching thoughtfully in a highly competitive category.🎧 Listen now to hear how Yew Healthy Aging is combining science, sustainability, and retail strategy to redefine longevity products for modern consumers.Website: https://yewlongevity.com/pages/the-scienceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yewnutraceuticals/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yewnutraceuticalsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yew-nutraceuticals/?originalSubdomain=ca 

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down the May twenty sixth marketplace updates shaping Amazon sellers, Walmart operators, retail media teams, and eCommerce brands preparing for a more demanding commerce environment.The theme this week is simple: commerce is becoming more intelligent on the front end, but more demanding on the back end.Platforms are getting smarter. AI is changing how products are discovered. Walmart is building a serious commerce infrastructure engine. Amazon is preparing sellers for Prime Day return disputes. Supply chain risk is still very real. And consumers are still spending, but far more selectively.In this episode, we cover:Amazon SAFE-T claims and Prime Day return riskAmazon is encouraging sellers to prepare SAFE-T claim workflows ahead of Prime Day. For FBM sellers, Seller Fulfilled Prime, high-ticket items, electronics, and seasonal categories, return fraud and reimbursement disputes are not edge cases. They are part of the operating model.Why sellers still want buyer blocking toolsSeller Forum discussions show growing frustration around repeat return abuse, fraudulent claims, switcheroo returns, and limited seller-side protection. Amazon continues to prioritize marketplace openness and customer trust, which means sellers need better documentation, margin discipline, and return workflows.Walmart’s Q1 FY27 results and marketplace growthWalmart reported strong growth across eCommerce, advertising, marketplace, membership, and store-fulfilled pickup and delivery. The bigger signal is that Walmart is no longer just a traditional retailer adapting to eCommerce. It is becoming a commerce infrastructure platform competing more directly with Amazon.Why Walmart can no longer be treated as a secondary channelWalmart Connect, marketplace expansion, fulfillment positioning, membership behavior, and omnichannel logistics are becoming more important. Brands that treat Walmart like an afterthought will fall behind as the platform matures.Supply chain risk from the Strait of HormuzGeopolitical disruption can quickly impact fuel, resin, plastic packaging, food logistics, freight, warehousing, and last-mile delivery economics. eCommerce may feel digital, but the physical supply chain still controls margin.Retail crime as commerce infrastructure riskOrganized retail crime and cargo theft are no longer only store problems. They affect inventory, marketplaces, unauthorized sellers, pricing stability, brand protection, and sourcing documentation.AI shopping agents and the future of product discoveryAI agents, ChatGPT product feed ads, Google’s universal commerce protocol, Shopify AI search insights, and Amazon’s shift toward Alexa shopping agents all point in the same direction. AI is becoming the interface layer between customers and products.Why product data is now strategic infrastructureClean titles, complete attributes, accurate pricing, review quality, product feeds, metadata, and cross-platform consistency will become more important as AI systems compare, recommend, and help purchase products.The consumer is still spending, but more selectivelyRecent retail earnings show a consumer that has not disappeared, but has recalibrated. Value, trust, convenience, promotions, and strong positioning matter more, while weak mid-tier products face more pressure.The bigger takeaway:The next stage of eCommerce is not just about being better at selling.It is about being harder to break.The brands that win will have cleaner data, stronger documentation, tighter margins, better fulfillment, clearer product positioning, and enough operational discipline to survive a market where platforms and customers are both getting more demanding.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, supply chain risk, and what actually changes for brands responsible for growth and profitability.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis episode of Selling on Giants takes a deep look at the business models behind Fanatics and Starter, and why their stories matter far beyond sports merchandise.Starter became one of the most iconic sports apparel brands of the nineteen nineties. Starter jackets were cultural status symbols across the NFL, NBA, NHL, college sports, and streetwear. The brand had relevance, demand, and identity.But underneath that cultural momentum was a structural weakness.Starter relied heavily on wholesale distribution, traditional retail cycles, and slower operational systems. It had brand heat, but it did not fully control the customer relationship, fulfillment speed, or demand response.Fanatics represents a different model.Instead of operating like a traditional sports merchandise company, Fanatics built a vertically integrated commerce engine. It controls licensing relationships, manufacturing, ecommerce infrastructure, fulfillment, customer data, and real-time demand response.That gives Fanatics a major advantage when demand spikes. When a team wins a championship, a player gets traded, or a major sports moment happens, Fanatics can react quickly and capture demand while attention is still high.This episode breaks down why that matters for modern eCommerce operators.In this episode, we cover:The rise and decline of StarterHow Starter became a cultural force, why the brand mattered, and what structural weaknesses made it vulnerable when retail changed.Why Fanatics built a stronger operating modelFanatics is not just a merchandise company. It is an infrastructure company built around speed, licensing, fulfillment, and customer data.Vertical integration as a competitive advantageThe more of the value chain a company controls, the more margin, data, and flexibility it can capture.Why brand heat is not enoughCultural relevance can create demand, but infrastructure determines how much of that demand a company actually captures.What marketplace sellers can learn from thisAmazon, Walmart, Shopify, and DTC brands face the same strategic question: what part of the customer journey do you actually control?Why infrastructure matters more as markets changeAd costs rise, fees increase, fulfillment gets more expensive, and platform rules shift. Durable businesses are built to absorb those changes.The operator takeaway:Starter had culture, but Fanatics built control.That is the real lesson.Strong branding matters, but branding without operational durability becomes fragile. The best eCommerce brands are not just better marketers. They are better system builders.They understand their supply chain, fulfillment model, data, customer relationship, pricing power, and channel dependency.As commerce evolves, the advantage is moving toward brands that control more of the infrastructure underneath their growth.The edge is not in hype. It is in control. Vertical integration. Operational speed. Infrastructure ownership.If you are building a brand on Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, or across multiple marketplaces, this episode gives you a practical way to think about long-term durability, not just short-term performance.Follow Selling on Giants for operator-level breakdowns on marketplace strategy, eCommerce growth, retail trends, and the business models shaping the future of commerce.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down the May nineteenth eCommerce updates shaping Amazon sellers, marketplace operators, retail media teams, and brands trying to protect margin in a more complex operating environment.The theme is clear: the brands that win from here are not necessarily doing the most. They are operating the cleanest.Amazon is tightening expectations around inventory, customer service, intellectual property, and operational discipline. Retail media is becoming a required cost of visibility. AI is changing how products are discovered. Marketplaces are competing through infrastructure, payments, data, and seller workflows.In this episode, we cover:Amazon pushes FBA Liquidations as inventory pressure risesAmazon is promoting FBA Liquidations as a way for sellers to recover some value from excess, idle, unfulfillable, or customer-returned inventory. The hard truth is that recovery rates are usually low, often around five to ten percent of average selling price before fees. The real value is stopping storage fees, aged inventory surcharges, and the financial bleed tied to inventory that should no longer be sitting in FBA.Buyer satisfaction scoring gets more detailed for FBM sellersAmazon replaced the old yes or no survey with a one-to-five satisfaction rating for self-fulfilled sellers. This gives sellers more nuanced feedback, but it also raises the bar on measurable customer service quality. Buyer contact rate, response time, and dissatisfaction rate are no longer soft support metrics. They are operating standards.Amazon reinforces intellectual property complianceAmazon is increasing education around trademarks, copyrights, patents, counterfeit complaints, sourcing authorization, and Brand Registry. The operator takeaway is simple: sellers need clean documentation before there is a problem. Once an IP complaint hits, the seller is already playing defense.Amazon cancels planned SP API feesAmazon reversed planned SP API usage fees that were expected in May twenty twenty six. That matters because SP API powers reporting tools, inventory systems, advertising software, repricers, dashboards, and automation workflows. The reversal protects the economics of third-party tools for now, but sellers should continue watching how Amazon manages data access and ecosystem control.Etsy launches a ChatGPT shopping experienceEtsy’s ChatGPT-powered shopping experience shows how product discovery is moving from exact keywords toward natural language intent. Instead of searching only by product terms, shoppers can describe style, use case, mood, and preference. That makes clear positioning, strong attributes, descriptive language, and visual storytelling more important.Agentic marketplaces are comingAI agents may soon compare products, evaluate reviews, analyze specs, and assist with purchases. That means listings must be understandable to machines as well as humans. Structured data, complete attributes, pricing clarity, review consistency, and trust signals will matter more.Retail media becomes shelf spaceRetailers are increasingly tying visibility, discovery, and merchandising to media spend. Advertising is no longer separate from retail performance. It is becoming part of distribution economics, which means sellers need to evaluate total contribution profit, not isolated ROAS.Amazon expands self-service measurement studiesAmazon is giving advertisers more direct access to measurement tools. That creates opportunity for better allocation, incrementality analysis, and funnel strategy, but more data only helps when operators know how to interpret it.The bigger takeaway:Amazon is becoming less forgiving toward inventory and compliance weakness. Customer service is becoming more measurable. AI is changing how products are found. Marketplaces are competing through infrastructure. Retail media is becoming shelf placement.The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution, clean data, clear systems, and fast decisions.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, and what actually changes for brands responsible for growth and profitability.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants, Will sits down with Dawn Chapman, founder and CEO of Lazy Daisy Café and Lazy Daisy Foods, to discuss how a beloved neighborhood café in Toronto evolved into a growing consumer packaged goods brand now carried in over 200 stores across Canada.Dawn shares the story behind Lazy Daisy’s homemade, farm-inspired food philosophy and how customer demand for their famous buttermilk biscuits sparked the transition from cafe to retail. The conversation explores the challenges of entering the CPG world, the steep learning curve of scaling production, and how the pandemic became an unexpected catalyst for expansion into frozen baked goods.They also dive into what it takes to maintain product quality while growing nationally, the realities of retail distribution, and why emotional connection and comfort food continue to resonate with consumers. From independent cafe owner to grocery shelves across Canada, Dawn offers an honest look at building a food brand rooted in community, authenticity, and persistence.Website: https://www.lazydaisyfoods.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lazydaisystoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3IbKe-XyPw5RKLncByETgTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCP3IbKe-XyPw5RKLncByETg Pinterest: https://www.tiktok.com/@lazydaisyscafe

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down how Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, Meta, and the broader retail ecosystem are moving toward a more structured, automated, and AI-mediated version of commerce.The theme this week is clear: platforms are not just helping customers buy. They are shaping what customers see, how products are explained, how ads are sequenced, and how brands are measured.In this episode, we cover:Amazon Business pushes seller certificationsAmazon is encouraging sellers to upload certifications to improve visibility with B2B buyers. For procurement-driven categories, certifications can become a real advantage by helping sellers appear in searches tied to diversity, compliance, quality, and institutional purchasing requirements.Lithium battery compliance tightensAmazon is expanding documentation, testing, inspection, and listing attribute requirements for lithium batteries and battery-powered products. Sellers in electronics, toys, fitness, beauty devices, and rechargeable household products should audit compliance before suppressions happen.Prime Video ads become sequentialAmazon is turning streaming into a more performance-oriented ad channel by allowing Prime Video ads to change based on what viewers have already seen. Creative strategy now needs to think in sequences, not isolated ads.Amazon launches “Join the Chat” AI shopping assistanceProduct pages are becoming source material for AI. Amazon’s AI can summarize listings and answer shopper questions, which means clear bullets, complete attributes, strong reviews, and consistent positioning matter more than ever.Google adds more links to AI OverviewsAI search is becoming competitive real estate. Ranking alone is no longer enough. Brands need content that is clear, structured, authoritative, and easy for AI systems to cite.AI investment is rising, but impact remains unevenCompanies are spending more on AI, but many are not seeing measurable ROI because tools are not the same as operational integration. The advantage still comes from execution, workflow design, and clean data.Apparel spending softensDiscretionary demand is becoming more selective. Apparel brands and sellers should watch inventory depth, hero Skews, conversion trends, and promotional pressure closely.Commerce moves into media and contentSports Illustrated’s shoppable content shows how product discovery is moving beyond marketplaces and into editorial, creator, lifestyle, and entertainment environments.Walmart expands its beauty strategyWalmart is investing in premium, trend-driven beauty experiences, showing that retailers are competing on discovery, trust, and category perception, not just price.Shopify, Meta, and AI agents reshape operations and shoppingShopify’s ChatGPT and Claude connectors show how ecommerce operations are becoming conversational, while Meta’s AI shopping assistants point to a future where Instagram becomes an even stronger discovery and recommendation layer.The bigger picture:Commerce is becoming more AI-mediated, more measurable, more structured, and more controlled by the platforms that own the customer interface.The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution, clean data, clear systems, and fast decisions.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailAmazon has officially confirmed Prime Day for June 2026, and the timeline is tighter than most operators expect. This episode of Selling on Giants is a focused breakdown on how to prepare without overcommitting inventory, overspending on ads, or damaging margins.This is not about hype. This is about execution.Key dates you need to know:May 27th: Target for minimal shipment splits into FBA June 5th: Final window for optimized shipment placement Prime Day (June): Expected four-day event with major demand spikes on Day 1 and Day 4 If inventory is not moving now, you are already behind.Inventory strategy that protects your business: Plan for 2.5x your average daily sales velocity across the four-day window  Push to 3x only if your category supports demand spikes Avoid overcommitting inventory that leads to post-event liquidation Not all products benefit equally from Prime Day. Categories driven by urgency or necessity will not see the same lift as impulse or lifestyle purchases.Promotions that actually convert: Every brand should run something: Lightning Deals, Best Deals, or coupons Use coupons if you do not qualify for deals or need margin flexibility  Test $ off vs % off — higher perceived value often wins Prime Day is one of the few times where increased traffic can carry promotional performance.Advertising approach by experience level:For newer sellers: Start with automatic campaigns to build data  Layer into manual targeting campaigns Use Sponsored Products, then expand into Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display For advanced operators: Build audiences 2–3 weeks ahead of Prime Day Use contextual, intent-based, and demographic targeting Focus on converting existing audiences, not starting from zero Where brands waste money (and how to avoid it): Over-investing in short bursts of full-funnel advertising  Expecting immediate returns from mid and upper funnel campaigns  Cutting spend immediately after the event and losing momentum Prime Day rewards preparation and consistency, not last-minute spend spikes.Real operator insight: Overstocking without demand leads to liquidation and margin loss  Not all categories benefit equally from the event  Advertising needs to align with long-term strategy, not short-term bursts The bigger picture:Prime Day is not a make-or-break event. It is a controlled opportunity to accelerate performance if executed correctly. Be ready, not reckless  Anchor decisions to real data  Protect margins while capturing demand  Focus on execution over volume The edge is not in doing more. It is in doing the right things at the right time.If you are selling on Amazon and preparing for Prime Day, this episode gives you a clear, operator-level framework to execute with confidence.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly insights on what actually impacts your business.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants, we sit down with Marina Mushlovina and Nila Cook, founders of Neo Naturelle, to unpack how they turned a personal skincare need into an award-winning brand.Neo Naturelle focuses on women experiencing hormonal changes like perimenopause and menopause—an often overlooked market. Built on their backgrounds in chemistry and food science, the founders created products rooted in real needs, validated through direct customer feedback.The conversation dives into:- Building a brand from scratch — starting online, then pivoting into retail post-COVID- Finding and owning a niche — serving women 40+ with hormone-focused skincare- Changing the narrative around aging — positioning it as something to embrace, not fight- Retail expansion lessons — from consignment strategies to navigating large retailer risks- Bootstrapping growth — using customer interaction and grassroots efforts to refine products and messaging- What actually drives retail success — strong margins, storytelling, and ongoing in-store supportThey also open up about the realities of entrepreneurship—self-doubt, financial risk, and the importance of resilience—while sharing how awards and customer testimonials helped validate their journey.If you're building a brand or considering retail expansion, this episode is packed with practical insights on how to grow sustainably while staying true to your mission.Learn More: https://neonaturelle.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neonaturelle/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neonaturellecosmetics/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/neonaturelle/

Send us Fan MailIn this week’s Selling on Giants News & Updates, we break down what is actually happening across Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce landscape and what it means for brands, operators, and even consumers.Here’s what we’re covering:Amazon Compliance Is Getting Stricter Restricted product violations are rising across categories, and enforcement is becoming more automated. Listings are getting flagged unexpectedly, appeals are being denied quickly, and even legacy products are triggering account health issues. Takeaway: Compliance is no longer reactive. It needs to be treated as a core part of operations.Prime Day Is Moving Earlier Amazon continues to push deadlines forward. Deals, pricing, and inventory decisions now need to be locked in weeks ahead of the event. Takeaway: Prime Day is no longer a last-minute push. It is a planned campaign that requires early commitment.Amazon Expands Beyond Its Marketplace Multi-Channel Fulfillment is now expanding globally, allowing brands to use Amazon as their fulfillment layer across channels. Takeaway: Operations become simpler, but dependency on Amazon increases.Walmart Is Building a Controlled Ecosystem Walmart is integrating stores, fulfillment, AI, and eCommerce into a single system designed for speed and efficiency. Takeaway: Inventory placement, delivery speed, and execution now determine performance.Retail Media Is Moving Up the Funnel Walmart Connect is simplifying connected TV ads, and Amazon is expanding DSP placements like Kindle lockscreen ads. Takeaway: Brands are now competing before the customer even starts searching.Search Is Shifting from Rankings to AI Answers With GenAI, visibility is no longer just about ranking. It is about being cited and referenced in AI-generated responses. Takeaway: Content needs to be structured for clarity, authority, and trust, not just keywords.Operational Risks Are Increasing USPS is tightening enforcement on underpaid postage, leading to shipment delays and rejections. Takeaway: Small operational errors now have larger consequences.Platform Economics Are Changing BigCommerce is introducing new fees tied to payment providers, pushing brands toward native systems. Takeaway: Platform decisions now directly impact margins.AI Is Automating Advertising Execution Meta is expanding AI tools that simplify campaign setup and optimization. Takeaway: Execution becomes easier, but strategy and creative become the differentiators.The Bigger PictureAutomation is increasing.Control is tightening.The systems are getting better, but they are less forgiving.Brands that focus on clean data, clear strategy, and strong execution will adapt faster and capture more value.If you are running an eCommerce brand or managing marketplace growth, this is one of those moments where understanding how the system works matters more than ever.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down a major shift happening across Amazon, Walmart, and the broader marketplace landscape. The headlines may look unrelated, but they all point in the same direction.Platforms are moving beyond transactions and into infrastructure, while operators face increasing pressure across fulfillment, compliance, and discovery.Top stories this week:Amazon expands Multi Channel Fulfillment for Shopify globallyAmazon extends its MCF Shopify integration into Europe, Japan, and Canada, positioning itself as the fulfillment layer for direct-to-consumer brands. Efficiency increases, but so does dependency.eigh to Z claims continue to create frictionEven with Buy Shipping and proper documentation, sellers report inconsistent outcomes. The process is clear, but enforcement remains unpredictable, shifting risk toward the seller.VAT complexity increases for EU expansionGlobal growth introduces operational overhead, including registration, reporting, and tax compliance across multiple countries. Expansion is no longer plug and play.Operational pressure is building:Supply chain diversification becomes more complexNew restrictions in China slow down efforts to shift manufacturing, increasing friction in sourcing and planning.Distribution expectations continue to riseSpeed, reliability, and automation are now baseline requirements, not differentiators. Fulfillment performance directly impacts conversion.Amazon tightens advertiser payment structuresLess flexibility in billing ties ad spend more closely to cash flow, requiring tighter control and faster optimization.Discovery and behavior shifts:AI-driven shopping adoption increasesMillennials and Gen Z are using AI tools to guide purchasing decisions, shifting discovery from search to assisted selection.AI traffic grows, but remains inconsistentTraffic from AI sources is increasing, but conversion and intent vary widely, making it an additive rather than foundational channel.Conversational and voice-based advertising emergesNew formats like Alexa-based ads signal a move beyond screens into interactive discovery environments.Retail and marketplace evolution:Walmart pilots store-based fulfillmentPhysical stores become logistics nodes, improving delivery speed and raising expectations across ecommerce.Sam’s Club connects in-store experience with dataOffline interactions become measurable, giving retailers more control over customer insights and performance tracking.Marketplace expansion acceleratesBrands continue to diversify across platforms to reduce dependency, increasing operational complexity but improving stability.The bigger picture:Platforms are expanding into infrastructureCosts and complexity are increasingDiscovery is becoming fragmented and AI-drivenRisk is shifting toward the operatorExecution is becoming the primary differentiatorThe edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.If you are operating on Amazon, Walmart, or scaling across marketplaces, this episode provides a clear operator-level perspective on what is changing and how to respond.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Selling on Giants, Will sits down with Milton and Gisela, founders of Not Bad Snacks, to explore what happens when a digital-first brand takes its first steps into retail.Not Bad Snacks is a Vancouver-based better-for-you snack brand built around the idea that healthy snacks shouldn’t be boring. Known for their clean ingredients and bold flavors, the brand has been growing through direct-to-consumer channels, local events, and a strong community presence.Learn more: https://notbadsnacks.caFollow them: https://instagram.com/notbadsnacksThis conversation breaks down that transition from online to retail, and what founders often underestimate along the way.You’ll learn:- How real customer demand (not just strategy) pushed the brand toward retail- Why local events became a key proving ground for product-market fit- What actually needs to change before approaching retail buyers (pricing, packaging, case packs, shelf presence)- How retail buyers evaluate products—velocity, margins, and category fit- Early signals that indicate retail success, including reorders and in-store feedback- Why retail is still a relationship-driven business—and how that impacts growthMilton and Gisela also share honest insights into the learning curve of entering the CPG space for the first time, from operational challenges to pitching buyers and navigating new stakeholders beyond DTC.If you’re building an eCommerce brand and considering retail expansion, this episode offers practical, real-world perspective on what it actually takes to make that leap—and what to pressure test before you do.Follow Selling on Giants for more conversations with founders and operators scaling across Amazon, Walmart, and retail.Follow BellaVix:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bellavix/ Website: https://www.bellavix.com/

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down a clear shift happening across Amazon, Walmart, and the broader marketplace landscape. It is not one major update. It is a series of smaller changes that all point in the same direction.More platform control. More operational pressure. Less room for error.If you are responsible for performance, this is the environment you are operating in.Top stories this week:Amazon launches “Unmet Demand” insights A new feature inside Product Opportunity Explorer highlights high search, low conversion opportunities. Strong in theory, but still too broad for direct execution. Useful for validation, not decision-making. eigh-to-Z claims remain inconsistent despite clear process Sellers follow the rules, provide documentation, and still absorb losses. The issue is no longer understanding the process. It is trusting the outcome. Amazon doubles down on AI infrastructure AI is not a feature. It is becoming the system that drives search, ads, and visibility across the platform. Google search shifts toward AI-generated answers Ranking matters less. Selection matters more. Fewer links, more synthesized results, and tighter competition for visibility. Operational pressure building across the board:Supply chain complexity impacts scalability Categories like fragrance highlight how sourcing, compliance, and production variability affect margins and inventory. Packaging costs becoming volatile Material costs, sustainability requirements, and supply disruptions turn packaging into a variable cost center. Variation enforcement tightens on Amazon Review consolidation strategies are being phased out. Each Skew must now build its own credibility, increasing launch cost and time. Retail and demand signals:Walmart leans into cultural product drops Limited-time collaborations show a shift toward event-driven commerce and demand creation. Easter spending hits record levels Demand remains strong, but consumers are more price-sensitive and value-driven. Discovery and advertising shifts:Conversational ads expand with Alexa+ Voice-based interaction introduces new discovery surfaces beyond search and scrolling. Community and AI reshape visibility Reddit, AI-generated results, and conversational interfaces influence perception before customers reach listings. Macro trends shaping the market:Potential tariffs on digital goods WTO developments introduce uncertainty around costs tied to software, tools, and services. Shift toward profitability and efficiency Growth-at-all-costs is fading. Operators are focusing on margin, retention, and disciplined execution. The bigger picture: Platforms are taking more control  Costs are increasing across the board  Discovery is becoming fragmented  Consumers are more selective  Operations are more complex The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.If you are operating on Amazon, Walmart, or scaling across marketplaces, this episode gives you a clear operator-level breakdown of what matters right now and how to respond.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants goes deep on one of the most important updates sellers have seen this year, Amazon’s so-called “temporary” three point five percent fulfillment surcharge and what it actually means for your business.This is not just another fee update. This is a continuation of a pattern.If you are operating on Amazon, this episode breaks down what is really happening behind the scenes and how to respond like an operator, not a spectator.Main focus this week:Amazon introduces a 3.5% fulfillment surcharge Positioned as temporary, but sellers know how this plays out. Costs increase, margins compress, and the burden shifts downstream. Margin pressure compounds across the board Rising ad costs, tighter competition, and pricing sensitivity are already limiting flexibility. This adds another layer of pressure. Seller control vs platform control Amazon continues to centralize decision-making across fulfillment, data, and expansion tools, while sellers absorb more variability. What serious operators should be doing now:Reduce fulfillment costs at the unit level Packaging optimization, dimensional adjustments, and SIPP qualification all directly impact fee exposure. Reevaluate fulfillment strategy Fulfilled by Merchant becomes more relevant for specific SKUs where FBA economics no longer make sense. Control participation in promotions Prime Day and other events require discipline. More volume does not always equal more profit. Test pricing, don’t guess Incremental price adjustments paired with conversion monitoring become critical in a constrained environment. Diversify beyond Amazon Walmart continues to expand reach, TikTok offers lower acquisition costs, and DTC provides control. Dependency is now a risk. Additional shifts shaping the market:Amazon tightens ecosystem control From fulfillment standardization to guided expansion tools and closed data environments, control continues to consolidate. Discovery moves beyond search Reddit, AI-driven answers, and community-driven content are influencing visibility before customers reach product pages. AI moves from reporting to decision-making Systems are starting to execute on pricing, inventory, and campaign decisions, shifting the role of the operator. Product data becomes infrastructure PIM systems and structured listings are now required to scale across Amazon, Walmart, and emerging channels. AI-driven advertising emerges Early signals show product feeds and shopping placements entering AI environments, creating new acquisition channels. Regulatory complexity increases State-level regulations introduce more fragmentation, adding operational overhead and compliance challenges. The bigger picture: Costs are rising  Control is consolidating  Discovery is shifting  Complexity is increasing The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.If you are an eCommerce brand selling on Amazon, Walmart, or scaling across channels, this episode gives you a clear, operator-level breakdown of what matters right now and how to respond with confidence.Follow Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating co

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down the real shifts happening across Amazon, Walmart, retail media, and AI-driven commerce. This is not a surface-level recap. This is an operator’s view of what actually changes when you are responsible for the P and L.The pressure is building across multiple fronts at the same time, and the brands that adapt fastest will hold their position.Top stories this week:Amazon linked account enforcement tightens Amazon is now treating seller accounts as a single entity. One violation can take down multiple accounts, and recovery depends on resolving the root account first. This is a structural risk, not an isolated issue. DD+7 reserve policy creates cash flow pressure Sellers are now waiting longer to access funds, creating real constraints on inventory, ad spend, and daily operations. This is not just a policy change, it is a financial shift. Retention marketing faces new regulation Pennsylvania’s proposed bill introduces stricter rules around email and SMS marketing. More consent, less flexibility, and reduced ability to re-engage customers. Ulta expands store fulfillment capabilities Speed is becoming the baseline. Inventory positioning now directly impacts visibility and conversion, not just delivery time. Platform and discovery shifts:AI reshapes product discovery (Sephora + Gen AI search) Discovery is moving from keyword search to guided interaction and AI-generated answers. Visibility now depends on structured, clear, and complete product data. Meta and TikTok push AI and creator-led commerce Discovery is shifting from intent-based search to algorithm-driven exposure. Creators and AI are becoming primary drivers of product visibility. Walmart expands into connected TV commerce Product discovery is moving into content environments, reducing reliance on traditional ecommerce entry points. Operational and marketplace signals:Etsy reinforces listing quality as a ranking factor Complete, accurate, and structured listings are now required for visibility. Keywords alone are no longer enough. NRF highlights growing regulatory pressure Labor, supply chain, data, and compliance are all tightening at the same time, increasing operational complexity. Brands experiment with alternative acquisition channels Rising costs are pushing brands to test lower-cost tactics like offline marketing to maintain efficiency. The bigger picture: Compliance is tightening  Cash flow is getting tighter  Discovery is shifting toward AI and content  Platforms are consolidating control  Customer acquisition is getting more expensive The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.If you are an eCommerce brand operating on Amazon, Walmart, or beyond, this episode gives you a clear operator lens on what matters right now and how to respond with confidence.Follow the show for weekly breakdowns of what is actually changing in eCommerce, and how serious operators are adapting in real time.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating complexity with discipline.

Send us Fan MailThis week’s Selling on Giants breaks down the biggest shifts impacting Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce landscape, with a focus on compliance risk, customer behavior, and tightening margins.These are not surface-level updates. This is how operators are responding in real time.Top stories this week:“Made in USA” enforcement is tightening A new executive order increases scrutiny on product claims. If your listings are not fully compliant, you are exposed to suppression, penalties, and account risk. Amazon buyer abuse and feedback threats Customers are leveraging negative feedback to push refunds and concessions. Learn how to protect your rating without sacrificing margin. NRF forecasts 4.4% retail growth Demand is steady, but competition is tightening. Growth comes from execution, not market lift. Walmart UPC and GTIN exemption friction More visibility into denials, but the process remains inconsistent. Listing velocity now depends on structured, precise submissions. Additional insights covered:Shipping pressure from USPS losses Rising costs and service variability are forcing brands to rethink carrier strategy. Amazon returns and recovery data expansion New visibility into return reasons and costs creates opportunities to improve contribution margin. Target’s $915M retail media growth Paid visibility is becoming a baseline requirement across retail platforms. Sam’s Club and the participation era Membership, retention, and customer ownership are becoming central to growth. Shift away from third-party tools Amazon continues to pull sellers into its native ecosystem, changing how brands operate. The bigger picture: Compliance is tightening  Customer behavior is more aggressive  Growth is steady, not explosive  Margins are under pressure  Platforms are taking more control The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.If you are an eCommerce brand operating on Amazon, Walmart, or beyond, this episode gives you a clear operator lens on what matters right now and how to respond.Like, follow, and subscribe to stay ahead of what is actually changing in eCommerce.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating complexity with discipline.

Send us Fan MailConsumers everywhere are noticing something strange.Your favorite snack looks the same. The price looks the same. But somehow… the product inside feels smaller.Welcome to the era of shrinkflation.In this episode of Selling on Giants, we break down why products across grocery stores and marketplaces are quietly getting smaller — and why inflation is only part of the story.The bigger shift is happening behind the scenes.Modern retail economics — especially the rise of Amazon, eCommerce logistics, and marketplace fulfillment costs — are creating powerful incentives for brands to design smaller, lighter, and more efficient products.What looks like shrinkflation on the shelf may actually be margin engineering driven by logistics, packaging optimization, and marketplace economics.This episode connects the dots between consumer trends, global retail strategy, and the operational realities brands face when selling across Amazon, Walmart, Target, and other modern commerce platforms.Along the way, we look at some real-world examples making headlines right now — from shrinking chocolate bars to evolving product packaging strategies.Because once you understand the economics behind it, shrinkflation stops looking like a mystery… and starts looking like a system.In this episode we cover:• The rise of shrinkflation and why brands reduce product size instead of raising prices • Why consumers notice price increases more than quantity changes • The Reese’s example and how iconic products make shrinkflation visible • Cadbury and the global chocolate shrink trend happening across Europe • How Amazon fulfillment fees and shipping costs influence product design • Why smaller packaging improves logistics efficiency in eCommerce • The growing policy debate around shrinkflation transparencyKey takeawayProducts are getting smaller not only because of inflation, but because modern retail and marketplace economics reward smaller, more efficient product designs.As eCommerce continues to reshape global retail, packaging, product sizing, and fulfillment efficiency will play an increasingly important role in how brands manage margins.Shrinkflation may not be a temporary trend.It may be the future of retail product design.If you enjoy the show• Leave a review • Share the episode with another brand operator • Subscribe for weekly insights on Amazon, Walmart, Target, and the evolving marketplace economyYour support helps more operators understand how modern retail really works.Selling on GiantsReal insights on Amazon, marketplaces, and the changing economics of modern retail.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating complexity with discipline.

Send us Fan MailThis week on Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down several major shifts shaping eCommerce, Amazon selling, and retail strategy. From AI entering Seller Central to retail media becoming a billion-dollar business, the rules of marketplace growth are evolving fast.The common thread across this episode is simple. Platforms are becoming smarter, more automated, and more data-driven.Key topics in this episode include:Amazon Adds AI to Seller Central Analytics Amazon is embedding generative AI directly into Seller Central to help sellers analyze sales trends, advertising performance, and inventory movement via natural-language questions. For smaller brands, this could function like having a built-in analyst. For experienced operators it speeds up pattern detection across complex data sets.Agentic Commerce and the Rise of AI Shopping Agents New research from McKinsey highlights the next phase of online commerce. AI systems will not only recommend products but may soon execute purchases on behalf of consumers. That means product discovery could shift from human browsing to machine-driven decision making.Target’s Advertising Business Keeps Growing Target generated $915 million in advertising revenue in 2025 through its Roundel media network even while retail sales remained soft. This reinforces a massive industry shift where retailers are evolving into media companies and brands increasingly pay for visibility inside retail ecosystems.Amazon Expands Product Opportunity Explorer A new “Saved Opportunities” feature allows sellers to track niches and product ideas directly inside Seller Central. This signals Amazon’s continued push to keep product research and demand validation inside its own platform rather than relying on third-party tools.Tariffs, Supply Chains, and Retail Cost Pressure Costco is proactively adjusting sourcing strategies as tariffs begin influencing global supply chains again. Brands should expect renewed pressure on margins as retailers negotiate pricing with suppliers.Returns Continue to Drain Retail Profitability Retailers processed roughly $706 billion in product returns in 2025. Operational gaps and omnichannel returns like buy online return in store are becoming major margin challenges across retail.Celebrity Backed Brands Continue to Reshape CPG Kim Kardashian has joined energy drink startup Update as a co founder as the brand launches into Walmart with a paraxanthine based formula targeting wellness focused consumers.The Bigger ThemeThe future of commerce is becoming increasingly automated and data driven.Retailers are building media businesses.Platforms are embedding AI into operations.And shopping behavior itself may soon be influenced by autonomous AI agents.For brands and marketplace operators, the companies that adapt fastest to these structural changes will have the strongest advantage.If you sell on Amazon, operate across marketplaces, or care about the future of retail, this episode provides the operator-level perspective behind the headlines.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating complexity with discipline.

Send us Fan MailAmazon Tightens Capital. Ads Demand Discipline. AI Compresses Competition.This week’s Selling on Giants episode breaks down the structural tightening happening across Amazon, retail media, AI search, and global retail infrastructure. None of these shifts are cosmetic. Each one affects capital flow, attribution control, data visibility, and long-term margin durability.Here’s what serious operators need to understand right now:Amazon DD+7: A Working Capital Shift, Not a Fee Increase• Funds now release seven days after confirmed delivery • The reserve clock starts at delivery confirmation, not shipment • No manual overrides if Disburse on Demand is not enabled • Cash conversion cycles quietly extendThis is not emotional. It is arithmetic. If you front inventory, freight, ads, and payroll, payout timing matters. Extended float increases working capital needs and magnifies debt cost exposure. Strong brands model this. Weak capital structure gets exposed.Sponsored Products: Is Your Account Maintained or Just Running?• Do you know your break-even ACOS? • Are bids tied to Revenue Per Click math? • Are budgets open on winners and capped on waste? • Can your team diagnose which lever moved when ACOS shifts?Most accounts do not fail because Amazon is “rigged.” They fail because margin math, search term hygiene, and structural clarity are missing. Discipline, not emotion, separates scalable ad accounts from expensive ones.Meta Targets Retail Media Budgets• Closed-loop measurement improvements • Retail data integrations • Direct competition for Amazon and Walmart ad dollarsThis is budget warfare, not branding. Attribution is becoming the battleground. Platforms that prove incremental sales impact win allocation. Habit-based budget placement is losing power.AI Shopping Behavior Is Changing Product Discovery• Consumers use AI tools upstream to compare products • Listings are being summarized before shoppers land on Amazon • Clarity and differentiation matter more than keyword stuffingAI compresses competition. If your PDP cannot be summarized clearly in one paragraph, positioning is weak. Structured, benefit-driven content wins.Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol• Standardized product data requirements • Structured, machine-readable commerce feeds • Data integrity over keyword tricksSEO is shifting from content optimization to data architecture discipline. Messy feeds and incomplete attributes quietly erode visibility over time.McKinsey Grocery Report: Growth Paradox in MENA• Consumer confidence rising • Premium willingness increasing • Formal grocery growth laggingThe issue is not demand. It is execution and format relevance. Retail expansion alone does not guarantee velocity. Brands must align assortment, positioning, and innovation to how shoppers actually buy.The Big PatternCapital discipline is tightening. Ad discipline is tightening. Data standards are tightening. Execution tolerance is shrinking.This is not a panic cycle. It is a precision cycle.Strong operators model cash, margin, attribution, and velocity. Undisciplined brands feel friction first.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating complexity with discipline.

Send us Fan MailThe Supreme Court just struck down the administration’s sweeping Liberation Day tariffs — and the impact on Amazon sellers is bigger than the headline suggests.In this February 2026 edition of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down what the ruling actually means for importers, marketplace operators, and brand owners navigating volatile cost structures.This is not political commentary. It is operational analysis.Here’s what you’ll learn:What ChangedThe Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that tariffs issued under IEEPA were unlawfulThe 10% baseline tariff and country-specific tariffs up to 50% lose their legal foundationOver $100 billion collected now sits in legal limboWhat Has NOT ChangedSection 301 (China tariffs) remain intactSection 232 (national security tariffs) remain intactA new 10% tariff was quickly introduced under Section 122Trade policy volatility is still very much aliveWhy This Matters for Amazon SellersTariffs directly affect landed cost, and landed cost determines:Contribution marginBreak-even ACOSAllowable TACoSAdvertising aggressionInventory planningEven a 10% shift in cost can reduce contribution margin by 20% or more.That changes everything.Refund Opportunities — And ComplicationsIf you paid IEEPA-based tariffs:You may have exposure to potential refundsThere is no clear federal refund framework yetTrade attorneys expect administrative claims and possible litigationTimeline uncertainty remainsStrategic question: If capital is returned months from now, do you reinvest, hedge, or stabilize?Second-Order EffectsIf tariffs normalize toward pre-tariff levels:Gross margins improveAd auctions heat upPromotional intensity increasesPrice competition acceleratesCost relief often leads to competitive aggression.Sourcing RealityMany brands diversified manufacturing during tariff pressure:VietnamIndiaMexicoDomestic optionsThose shifts required new tooling, freight lanes, and working capital cycles. Even if tariffs decline, most brands will not fully reverse course.Trade policy is now a structural operating variable.Reverse Logistics & Margin DisciplineReturns are a growing margin leak across eCommerce.AI is now being used to:Predict high-return ordersAutomate SKU-level disposition decisionsImprove recovery ratesReduce idle inventory velocityWhen tariffs compress margin on the front end and returns erode margin on the back end, disciplined operators win.Strategic TakeawaysSeparate cost assumptions from strategyAudit IEEPA exposure cleanlyStress test break-even ACOS quarterlyMaintain supplier optionalityAssume volatility as the baselineThe headline says tariffs were struck down.The operator takeaway: uncertainty remains.If you sell on Amazon, Walmart, or Target, trade policy is no longer background noise. It is a core P&L driver.Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigating complexity with discipline.