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BIG IDEA

Bullet points are crucial in showcasing your product's features and benefits. They provide a quick way for customers to get important information at a glance.

But one seller took to Seller Central their concern about bullet points that are now hidden by default on Amazon. Their main worry: How will they optimize their listings if the key information is not visible?

🙅 A bad move

OP and most sellers on the thread don't think hiding bullet points is a good idea. Although it's unclear if this will be permanent or is still in A/B testing, they already expressed frustrations in their comments.

Some say it could be caused by a technical glitch, listing violations, or browser-related issues. Others think this only affects specific categories because they can still see bullet points in some listings. But if this becomes the new rule, sellers may face some big problems because:

• Product titles don’t convey enough information. Amazon has strict rules for product titles, such as a maximum word count of 200 characters (including spaces). Hence, most sellers rely on elaborating more through product listing descriptions.
• It's inconvenient for customers. Bullet points are now placed under the "About This Item" part—something most people don't like to check. They’d need to click on a drop-down button to access this part. Shoppers like to see information right up front, which is perfect on the main product details page.
• This could increase return rates. If customers buy a product whose features they don't understand, they'll likely return it.

What do sellers want?

Simple: Keep the bullet points visible by default. If the goal is to reduce listing clutter, Amazon can provide the option to hide the bullet points.

An Amazon rep chimed in on the thread, reassuring sellers they're listening to their concerns. So, if you're worried this issue will affect your products' visibility, send your feedback to remind Amazon of its mission to be a customer-centric and (slightly) seller-friendly platform. 📣

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BITES OF THE WEEK

• Free Webinar for Resellers: Seller University has a free webinar series to help new resellers learn best practices. Get your questions ready, as each webinar has a 30-minute Q&A session with Amazon experts. - Seller Central
• No Racy Images Allowed: Amazon has updated its image listing guidelines for adult DVDs, books, magazines, and calendars. You must update your images by September 27 to avoid restrictions. - EcommerceBytes
• Higher Minimum Free Shipping Spend: As another cost-cutting measure, Amazon has increased the minimum free shipping spend for non-Prime customers to $35 in some areas. We’re yet to see how customers will react. - TechCrunch
• Sellers Bid Amazon Goodbye: More and more sellers are leaving Amazon due to high costs and competition. It appears they’re diversifying to different sales channels to overcome selling challenges. - Forbes
• Jassy Wants Office-based Employees: Despite pushback from many employees, Andy Jassy is sticking to his decision for employees to return to the office three days a week. He said employees can leave if they don’t want to comply. - The Verge

AMAZON NEWS

Sellers raise issues with the new USPS Ground Advantage shipping option

Last July, Amazon announced they're adding USPS Ground Advantage as a new shipping option for their "Buy Shipping" program. On August 24, the retailer officially included it in its shipping-label program, as reported by EcommerceBytes.

🚚 New option = new challenges

If you ship via the existing U.S. Postal Service (USPS) services, you can still use First-class Package Service (FCPS) and Parcel Select labels until September 30. This grace period should be enough to print labels for products with equivalent Ground Advantage rates.

Some sellers struggled with the change. They reported several problems, like local USPS branches rejecting or returning packages with old shipment labels and even formatting issues.

Amazon assured everyone that they’re looking into these concerns. They also mentioned that they've informed USPS about these problems.

To learn more about USPS Ground Advantage, visit the official website.

ACTIONABLE ADVICE

6 tips for avoiding holiday stockouts

The holidays are coming! Now’s the best time to prepare for your worst possible enemy this season—stockouts. Otherwise, you'll not only lose sales, but Amazon will also lower your listing’s visibility.

📦 To prevent this from happening, here are 6 proven tips from eComEngine:

• Maintain accurate forecasts. Most inventory problems are caused by inaccurate sales predictions. Base these from your previous sales’ data, not your gut feeling. Then, analyze it using demand planning tools to determine which products will most likely sell out.
• Order in small quantities. You may be tempted to stock up on fast-selling items—DON'T. Otherwise, it’ll be a potential problem when demand suddenly drops.
• Have backup suppliers. With the current supply chain issues, it's safe to have alternative sources to ensure you can meet demands even in emergencies. 🤝
• Reduce your ad spend. Doing so will maintain your good fulfillment performance until you have enough stocks to hype your ads again.
• Increase prices. But only for in-demand, low-stock products. Also, make sure your prices are optimized and reasonable. 
• Keep safety stock. The key is to have a just-enough buffer that'll allow you to meet unexpected orders while avoiding high storage fees. 🔑 

💰 Additional tip: Set aside emergency cash

This way, you can survive unforeseen logistics issues, like shipment delays and damages due to calamities. Better prepared than sorry.

If you want to practice the tips above, try applying them to your Prime Big Deal Days inventory. Speaking of which, note that your inventory for this event should reach U.S. fulfillment centers by September 12.