📶 Amazon's fulfillment fees rose by over 30% in the last two years. Although the growth was gradual, these periodical fee jumps contributed to an overall significant increase.
It's safe to say that Amazon is passing off its growing costs to third-party sellers, and since most Amazon sellers use FBA, they and their customers are easily affected by it.
Here's an example of this increase with a standard 1lb item:
💵 This increase alone is 45%. Data shows that smaller items are about 30% more expensive to fulfill. On the other hand, large and heavy items are only 20% more expensive.
Fees show a downward trend after the holiday but only up to a point. So far, there are no signs of a decrease anytime soon - even if the conditions that led them to increase their fees are no longer relevant.
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It's no secret that TikTok is consistently drawing viewers to its app. The short-form content platform addresses the public's short-term attention span. Now it looks like Amazon is going to follow suit.
Amazon has been testing a feed on its app that enables shoppers to scroll through photos and videos of products posted by other users. This feature is called Inspire. Through this, customers can like, save, and share content as they shop.
Alyssa Bronikowski, an Amazon spokesperson, said they are "constantly testing new features to help make customers' lives a little easier." Wall Street Journal was the first one to report on this test.
Citing an anonymous source, they mentioned that Amazon is currently testing the feature among a small number of Amazon employees, which isn't unexpected. In the past, Amazon has employed its staff to test features like the "Amazon brand" or "Exclusive to Amazon" badges.
So far, the experimental TikTok-like feed mostly shows photos. But if the feature is rolled out, Daniel Buchuk, a researcher of Watchful Technologies, foresees that Inspire will be video-heavy to engage better and attract customers.
In 2021, Amazon pledged $150 million over four years to empower Black entrepreneurs by launching Black Business Accelerator (BBA). Over the last year, BBA helped Black business owners grow their businesses and maximize the opportunities of selling on Amazon by providing access to strategic business education and coaching, financial assistance, and marketing and advertising support.
In honor of Black Business Month and the first anniversary of BBA, Amazon launched a new business badge that will allow customers to identify and discover Black-owned businesses on the marketplace easily. This badge currently appears on detail pages for a subset of eligible product offers and within Search in Amazon's US store.
In addition, Amazon is sponsoring Boss Women Media's Black Girl Magic Digital Summit, which premiers on Prime Video on August 27 at 2 p.m. CDT. This annual event seeks to educate, empower, and equip Black women for success by sharing resources and stories and creating a community of powerful allies.
Furthermore, it will feature various panel discussions on entrepreneurship and business growth, professional development, and financial resources. Finally, notable Keynote speakers, business owners, and participants of Amazon's BBA will participate and contribute to this summit.
Helium10's The Ultimate Guide to Amazon Product Research could be the right read for you if you're struggling with product research. This guide answers questions and provides practical advice for selecting your next product.
The guide covers: