You made it through 2025, and then some.
Here’s the second part of this year’s chaos, wins, and everything in between.
- Warehouses were overwhelmed 📦
- When ads backfire, brands feel it 😬
- Shoppers follow AI links at scale 📈
- Canada Post strike froze shipments 📦
- Hackers targeted peak season traffic 💳
- Sellers get relief as fees drop ✂️
JULY HIT DIFFERENT
Fulfillment cracked under pressure
Ahead of Prime Day, sellers said trucks were turned away from Amazon’s Nottingham fulfillment center for being “full.
Forum posts followed. A seller reported £20,000 in lost sales from month-long delays. Amazon denied “unexpected delays,” but doubts lingered.
As we wrap the year: Fulfillment failures aren’t if, they’re when. Sellers who survive have backups in place. Do you?
AUGUST GOT LOUD
Wordplay went awfully wrong
Remember the viral American Eagle ‘Great Jeans’ campaign led by Sydney Sweeney that sparked instant backlash?
Critics flagged loaded language, beauty-standard issues, and a mismatch between the ad’s tone and the brand’s stated values.
Forbes later outlined key lessons: intent ≠ impact, language carries weight, and rushed pivots can make things worse.
As we wrap the year: Be careful what you put out there, once the internet reacts, there’s no quiet reset.
SEPTEMBER SHIFTED TRAFFIC
AI started sending buyers
AI quietly moved from novelty to traffic engine, sending shoppers directly to retail sites at scale. What began as chatbots turned into real acquisition.
The numbers spiked fast: AI-referred retail traffic surged 4,700%. And it wasn’t junk, shoppers trusted AI links, stayed longer, and conversion gaps shrank sharply.
As we wrap the year: AI isn’t replacing search, it’s reshaping it.
OCTOBER CROSSED BORDERS
Shipping froze overnight
Canada Post cuts triggered a nationwide strike, freezing mail and parcels across the country.
Marketplaces reacted fast. eBay extended delivery windows and protected Canadian sellers from defects and INR claims. Sellers scrambled to reroute shipments and manage expectations.
As we wrap the year: When national shipping stalls, flexibility becomes an advantage.
NOVEMBER GOT TRICKY
Holiday scams surged
Amazon warned 300M users about phishing and impersonation attacks targeting shoppers and sellers. Fake delivery alerts, shady ads, and unsolicited calls ran rampant.
As we wrap the year: Scams don’t just steal data, they shake buyer trust.
DECEMBER SCORED
Amazon eased fees
After pressure from Shein and Temu, Amazon E.U. cut clothing and accessory referral fees starting December 15, one of its largest fee reductions ever. Sellers welcomed the relief ahead of the new year.
As we wrap the year: Even in a chaotic marketplace, smart sellers can win.
