When Amazon announced a new way of notifying its sellers of buyer-initiated cancellation requests, numerous sellers opposed it for several reasons, one of which was the inconvenience this could cause. However, despite their opposition, Amazon continued to implement this change, which became effective on May 23, 2022.
Before the update, Amazon had announced through the Seller Forums that sellers would no longer receive cancellation-request notices through the buyer-seller messaging system as of April. Amazon delayed this and added that they would continue sending notifications for all buyer-initiated order cancellation requests through email, not via messaging.
Through the transition
Customers could submit their requests through the Buyer-Seller Messages or through the new cancellation process on the Manage Order page. With these changes, Amazon advised sellers to monitor both channels during the rollout phase, which only resulted in more frustration.
A workaround? To address this issue better, some suggested that Amazon should create a drop-down filter that includes a filter for cancellation requests. This way, sellers can quickly locate the cancellation requests instead of searching through all orders and messages.
Still, without a proper and convenient system, Amazon sellers are worried that this change in addressing cancellation requests will affect their performance metrics.
TL;DR
Amazon has finally started identifying private-label brands in search results by placing one of two new badges: “Amazon brand” or “Exclusive to Amazon.”
Some of the known brands owned by Amazon include Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials. However, many brands under Amazon Our Brands do not have an obvious connection with the company; instead, most of these brands are from sellers who joined the Amazon Accelerator program rather than being directly owned by Amazon.
Show me your badge
On search results, Amazon now publicizes private label brands as “Amazon brands” to help distinguish the differences. Meanwhile, brands sold exclusively on the Amazon marketplace but are also part of the Our Brands program are identified as “Exclusive to Amazon.”
Even though no other online marketplace has the same badging feature, Amazon decided to become transparent to its customers through these changes, making identifying Amazon private label brands easier.
Ulterior motives? Though this does help bring some clarity, the chance that this is Amazon’s preemptive response to continuing antitrust inquiries centered around its private-label efforts is likely. Amazon denied modifying the SEO algorithms to feature its brands on the SERPs. So, this additional badging makes Amazon more transparent to its buyers, even if only a few would notice and care.
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💲 Have you ever waited for a limited product release, only not to have the opportunity to purchase, leaving you disappointed that resellers have already hoarded and sold them at a higher price? This is what Amazon wants to end, especially when it comes to high-demand, low-supply products.
✉️ The e-commerce giant is launching a new invite-based ordering experience for such products to help prevent inventory shortages and price gouging by resellers and bots. It aligns with Amazon's goal to provide genuine customers with a positive buying experience.
🎮 This invite-only strategy will be launching in the United States, starting with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X game consoles sold and fulfilled by Amazon.
With this, shoppers can identify listings that have "available by invitation" if these products are part of the program. The product page will also indicate that it's a "high-demand item with limited quantities," with a disclaimer that Amazon "won't be able to grant all requests."
Interested buyers can click on this link if they want to request to receive an invitation. Amazon will then remove any bot-like submissions and send invitations to authentic shoppers. The factors considered to determine the validity of an authentic shopper include purchase history and when the user created the account.
If Amazon grants a shopper's invitation to purchase, they will receive an offer email with instructions on how to buy the product. It's important to remember that the offer will only be valid for a limited time. Failure to purchase the product before the invitation expires frees up the slot and will open up to the following eligible user.
Although this is only available to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in the United States, they plan to expand this to other countries and products in the future.
If you're new to selling on Amazon, Posts are an effective way to boost your brand's visibility and sales. This feature lets you promote customer awareness without spending to get your content out.
Posts appear on a feed, a custom line-up of your brand's shoppable posts. Users can click on them, which will lead them to the product's detail page. Aside from the feed, Amazon can also place your Posts on product page carousels, related brand feeds and category-based feeds.
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