Can you believe we’re past halfway through August now? Time surely flies fast in the ecommerce universe. Soon enough, everyone will be planning and polishing their holiday tactics.
But who said you can’t look back at some juicy things in the past while contemplating about the future? Just like what we did in today’s week-starter.
- Sellers’ thoughts on a consultant’s bribery scandal 🗯️
- Marketing challenges and their solution 💎
- Walmart’s strong Q2 and higher projected earnings 💵
POST OF THE WEEK
AMAZON NEWS
Remember when news broke out about Amazon Sellers Group (ASGTG) founder Ed Rosenberg last year? Well, a lot has happened since—and sellers have a lot to say, too!
👀 But first, a throwback
- In July 2023, Rosenberg was sentenced in Seattle for his role in an international bribery scheme that helped his clients. He got 2 years of probation, with a year of home confinement, and was fined $100,000.
- According to court records, Rosenberg and his co-conspirators used illegal tactics to steal confidential data from Amazon, then bribed insiders to get Amazon’s internal annotations to help sellers craft appeals for reinstatement.
- This wasn’t the only reason for his sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Miriam Hinman noted that Rosenberg committed a serious crime by corrupting Amazon employees, stealing from Amazon, and abusing the platform for personal gain.
This article on Medium summarizes this incident. In his apology post on LinkedIn, he admitted to the misconduct, saying others shouldn’t do what he did.
🖊️ What’s Ed Rosenberg doing now?
In July 2024, Rosenberg took his personal defense up a notch by compiling some sellers’ opinions on the scandal. Here’s some of them, summarized:
- “When it comes to Amazon vs. someone who tries to help suspended sellers, I’m not going to rush to defend Amazon or assume they have the best intentions.” - Nate McAllister
- “It was very clear from the very beginning! It is very convenient to catch a good guy instead of real bad actors!” - @MariaVinnikUSA
- “Are we going to see the same for @ed_rosenberg soon?” - @joelwolh’s response to the news that the DOJ vacated the guilty pleas of 2 men Amazon accused of taking part in a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme.
- “If Amazon was transparent and told suspended sellers the actual issue, the sellers wouldn’t have been desperate and Ed wouldn’t have felt the need to ‘cheat’ as the only way to help a suspended seller… Someone needs to get after Amazon and their (sometimes) unfair policies.” - Ed Urbanlak
What do YOU think?
We’d love to hear your thoughts about this, too! Do you think Ed Rosenberg was wrongfully accused? Reply to this email below to share your opinions! 👂
PS. As a community for Amazon and other ecommerce platforms, we at SellerBites are more than willing to listen to any issue you encounter and publish a report on it.
TOGETHER WITH STORI AI
4 major marketing challenges and how to overcome them
You probably have a lot of products to sell and even more things to do. But what if in your busyness, you’re missing out on marketing your products?
These situations might be familiar to you:
- You have dozens (or hundreds) of products to offer and sell;
- You have to prepare the content (posts, images, blogs, etc) and schedule them;
- Doing all this takes a lot in terms of time, money, and/or people–resources that you may not have at the moment; and
- You’re probably still not using AI tools.
We have a solution for you!
STORI AI does it all so you don’t have to do it yourself. Within minutes you can:
✅ Create a brand (for consistent communication style and tone)
✅ Generate and edit content (images, text, etc)
✅ Automatically convert product shots into posters
✅ Publish and schedule it on (almost) every social channel
Of course, it’s better to experience all of this yourself. So, try STORI for FREE by clicking on the link below. 👇
Elevate my brand’s communication
BITES OF THE WEEK
- Beyond Brand Dilution: Luxury brands can use Amazon strategically without compromising their high-end identity.
- TikTok’s Appeal: There's a debate on whether TikTok is protected by the First Amendment.
- Asia-Pacific Commerce: Here’s what 7,000 consumers across 14 markets think about the seamless commerce in Asia Pacific.
ECOMMERCE NEWS
Walmart announced Q2 revenue and higher earning projections
It has been an extra good quarter Q2 for Walmart, which recently revealed how much it earned in the quarter—a whopping $169.3 billion! Following this 4.8% year-over-year increase, the retailer confidently upped its expected earnings for the rest of the year.
Supermarket News shared more details of this big accomplishment.
📈 Q2 HIGHlights
- U.S. sales reached over $115 billion, 4.1% higher than last year.
- Global ecommerce sales increased by 21%, mainly driven by store pickup & delivery. 📦
- Walmart Connect, Walmart’s advertising arm, achieved a 30% increase in the U.S.
- Global inventory fell by 2.0%, indicating healthy in-stock levels.
- Membership income multiplied by 14.4% YOY.
- And the brightest highlight of them all—Walmart’s 2025 consolidated net sales projection increased from 3%–4% to 3.75%–4.75%! ✨
What’s Walmart’s secret?
Based on the company’s most recent efforts, its ultimate weapon for success is the combo of collaborations and technology.
- Walmart partnered with Denali to release a new depackaging process that’ll improve operational efficiency.
- In July, the retailer opened a high-tech distribution center in Lancaster.
- Regarding its grocery business, Walmart leverages Agritask’s tech to guarantee fresh produce.
📍 Moral lesson: Seeking partnership isn’t a sign of weakness. In some cases, it shows how smart you are in making strategic business decisions.
To know more about Walamrt’s strong Q2 standing, read the full report here.
