Bezos just got Zucked.
In a billionaire shake-up that feels more Silicon Valley soap opera than spreadsheet stat, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg has officially dethroned Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the world’s second-richest person.
- Amazon may have distorted your performance data
- Walmart's $75K seller incentives
- Will a week-long boycott matter to Amazon?
- Avoid these costly inventory mistakes
AMAZON NEWS
If you’ve been adjusting bids lately and your performance numbers felt a little…off, you weren’t imagining things.
According to a LinkedIn post, Amazon dropped a quiet update in the Campaign Manager: from Jan 28 to Mar 5, the Sponsored Products metrics shown on the "Bid Adjustments: All Placements" page may have been incorrect.
👼 The silver lining
Amazon says the glitch only affected how data was displayed, not how your ads were delivered or billed. Your budget was safe—but your optimization decisions? Maybe not so much.
💥 The impact
If you made any bid tweaks during that stretch, you could’ve been optimizing on faulty data. The issue was fixed on April 17, and clean metrics are now live in your reports.
TL;DR: Amazon fumbled the numbers for over a month. The data’s fixed—but you might want to double-check your moves.
TOGETHER WITH WALMART MARKETPLACE
Walmart’s latest New-Seller Savings is too huge to miss
If you have an eCommerce business, pause your scroll for this one. Walmart has launched its biggest offer ever for
New-Seller Savings 2025, its incentive program for new sellers.
If you’ve never applied to Walmart Marketplace before, that would be you, which makes you eligible for up to $75K in incentives* once you start selling. Here’s a breakdown of the savings:
Up to 75% off base referral fees to maximize your profits. And, Walmart only charges a competitive referral fee when you make a sale—no setup or monthly fees, ever.
Up to 50% off storage fees and 25% off fulfillment fees** (a $2K total value) when you outsource your shipping to Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) and enjoy scalable fulfillment for any business size.
$1K in advertising credits with Walmart Connect*** to showcase your products to millions of shoppers on Walmart's website, app and third-party websites.
Be sure to take advantage of this unprecedented offer and the endless opportunities on Walmart.com.
Join Walmart Marketplace today.
*Conditions apply.
BITES OF THE WEEK
- Big Spender: The U.S. is Temu's biggest market with a gross merchandise value of $47.5B.
- TikTok Lawsuit: The state of Alabama is suing TikTok for causing mental health crises with its content.
- May Updates: Check out this week's rundown of the latest ecommerce tools and features.
- Affiliated Evolution: Digital commerce and marketing are changing thanks to the rise of Affiliate Marketing.
HOT TOPIC
Shoppers strike with week-long Amazon boycott over ‘greed’
Mark the dates: From May 6 to May 12, a second wave of major consumer boycotts is hitting Amazon.
USA Today reported that The People’s Union is calling on shoppers to steer clear of Amazon and all its affiliates. —Whole Foods, Prime Video, Audible, Twitch, Kindle, and more.
📣 What's this all about?
Organizer John Schwarz says the protest is about more than just Amazon. The core issues:
- Corporate backlash: Corporate greed and the rollback of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs
- Tariff transparency fight: Alleged market manipulation and Bezos’ refusal to show tariff-related price hikes
- Bigger frustrations: A broader frustration with economic inequality and shifting federal DEI priorities
🤔 Will it make a dent?
Some past efforts have dented company sales and reputation. But when it comes to Amazon, it’s still up in the air. Some data even shows traffic going up during past boycotts.
The results may vary, but it's best to stay prepared for a dip in your numbers over the coming days.
ACTIONABLE ADVICE
5 inventory issues that could drain your margins
Stockouts, spoilage, warehouse chaos—every seller hits these roadblocks at some point. The good news? Most are totally fixable.
The Retail Exec listed 5 common (and costly) inventory challenges—and the fixes that actually work:
- Stock imbalance. Overstock drains cash. Stockouts kill sales. At the root? Bad data and zero demand visibility. ⚖️
- Fix: Ditch the spreadsheets for real-time tracking. Barcode and RFID systems give you instant inventory updates—no guesswork.
- Seasonal demand swings. Holidays stay on the calendar. Shopper behavior? Not so much.
- Fix: Segment your catalog. Forecast seasonal SKUs separately from evergreen ones to stay agile when demand shifts.
- Real-time tracking (or lack of it). When your systems don’t sync live, you’re stuck chasing ghosts—delayed orders, double-sells, and fulfillment chaos. ⌚
- Fix: Centralize your inventory data. A cloud-based system keeps your warehouses, sales channels, and ops teams fully in sync.
- Obsolete or damaged stock. Inventory loss doesn’t always make a sound, but it always hits your margins.
- Fix: Audit often. Flag SKUs with zero movement in the last 60–90 days and move them out before they become dead weight.
- Supply chain disruptions. You can’t stop delays, but you can prepare for them. 🛑
- Fix: Run “what-if” drills. Simulate supplier drops, port backups, or raw material delays so you’ve got a playbook ready.
💡 Bonus tip: Fix the flow
Inventory headaches are part of the game—but they don’t have to cost you the win. Streamline receiving with clear SOPs for check-in, labeling, and shelf placement. A smoother floor = faster fulfillment.
And remember to tackle these challenges before they snowball.
