How small businesses are using AI to level up

It seems like everyone’s already preparing for the holiday rush. What are you up to lately? Join our Facebook group for FREE to see what other sellers are doing right now. 👀

• Here’s how small businesses are using AI to scale 🤖
• Are your Walmart ads working? 📱
• China’s stricter policies against ecommerce sellers’ tax evasion ⭕️
• Fix these common issues before the holidays 🎄

HOT TOPIC

Small business owners are finding AI is no longer a “nice-to-have” — it’s becoming a daily tool for productivity, creativity, and customer engagement. 

In a Reddit thread, sellers across industries are sharing practical ways AI is boosting operations.

• Communication & translation: AI helps bridge language gaps, translating emails, messages, and even drawings to make international client projects seamless.
• Content creation: From product images and ad creatives to written content, AI is reducing the need for external photographers or writers.
• Research & reports: Tools like Perplexity and Claude assist with quick research, report generation, and analytics.
• Automation & internal tools: Small teams are using AI coding tools to automate workflows, build finance trackers, content generators, task reminders, and even team well-being apps.
• Customer & data handling: AI models are helping with feedback analysis, email classification, and product description generation on e-commerce sites.
• Marketing & outreach: AI supports lead qualification, campaign automation, content generation, and more — with curated AI tool lists available for marketers to explore.
• Learning & guidance: Apps with AI assistants provide personalized tips and suggestions for daily business tasks.

💡 Veteran seller insights

AI can touch nearly every aspect of a small business — from internal operations to customer-facing tasks. There are more insights, tools, and examples in the original thread, so sellers should dive in to see what fits their business best.

Are you using AI to power your businesses? Reply to this email on how you’re doing that!

TOGETHER WITH SELLERBOARD

Are Your Walmart Ads Really Profitable?

Selling on Walmart? Then you know how tricky it is to figure out what you’re really making. Revenue looks good, but once you factor in commissions, ads, shipping, refunds, and overhead, the numbers often don’t add up.

That’s why Sellerboard built the new Walmart Dashboard.

With sellerboard, you get:

• All costs in one view: COGS, ads (account + product level), shipping, refunds, and overhead.
• SKU-level profit insights: See which products pay and which drain.
• Shipping profiles: Assign costs by weight, region, or season to reflect real logistics.
• Amazon + Walmart together: Manage both marketplaces in a single dashboard — or use it for Walmart only.

No more guessing games. No more spreadsheets. Just clear, accurate profitability tracking designed for Walmart sellers.

Start your 3-month free trial

BITES OF THE WEEK

• AI Boosts Business Buying: Amazon Business unveils AI-powered Assistant, Savings Insights, and anomaly monitoring for smarter, faster procurement decisions.
• Delivery Costs Surge: Maersk warns last-mile shipping now consumes 40% of logistics spend, urging strategic parcel management.
• FBA Grade Expands: Amazon’s Grade and Resell adds five categories, smarter tools, and opt-in ASIN control for sellers.
• Jewelry Listings Updated: Amazon now requires “fine” or “fashion” classification, plus detailed pearl, metal, and material attributes.

ECOMMERCE NEWS

China drills down on tax evasion by ecommerce sellers

Chinese tax authorities are stepping up enforcement on online marketplaces, including Amazon, to ensure sellers report accurate sales and pay the right taxes. 

According to Tech in Asia, platforms now must submit Chinese merchant sales data, with Amazon starting in mid-October.

This means:

• VAT obligations: Chinese sellers without proper export documentation may face 6–13% value-added tax on domestic sales.
• Platform reporting: Amazon, AliExpress, Temu, and Shein are all sharing sales data, letting authorities spot discrepancies quickly.
• Seller impact: Many Chinese merchants received immediate payment demands once their sales info was submitted.
• Cross-border implications: Chinese merchants make up over half of Amazon’s global sellers, so mismatches could trigger major tax bills.
• Compliance opportunities: Tax-tech providers and logistics partners can help sellers generate correct export paperwork and handle VAT filings efficiently.

👀 They’re going hard on China-based merchants

It’s no secret that Amazon has sellers from China, and there are U.S.-based sellers who get their goods from China. Either way, it looks like China’s cracking down on their e-commerce sellers.

Sounds fair. But with Trump’s tariffs in place, along with these stricter tax and payment regulations, could these affect the goods’ prices?

ACTIONABLE ADVICE

Fix common issues before the holiday rush hits

The holiday shopping surge is about to kick off, and Amazon wants sellers to tighten up their operations before the chaos begins. 

Now’s the time to scrub your account for common issues that could sabotage your biggest sales season.

• Deal issues: Watch “Needs attention” alerts in your Deals dashboard. Check prices aren’t over max limits and quantities aren’t below minimums.
• Coupon & discount errors: Review coupon validation errors, resolve any pricing discount conflicts, and fix bulk upload issues.
• Order management: Set up order handling capacity to manage holiday volume without delays.
• Customer service: Monitor A-to-Z claims and Feedback Manager daily to stay on top of issues.

🎄 Keep your account healthy, keep sales flowing

A clean, proactive approach helps prevent preventable hiccups. Stay on top of these tasks, and your holiday season will run smoother than ever.