Shoppers now blame sellers for delivery delays

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Mark your calendars—Amazon’s pulling back the curtain on Q2. 🗓️

On July 31, they’re hosting a live conference call to break down their financial results, with all the juicy details (and slides) available for replay after.

Got predictions?

• Buyers point fingers at sellers for late deliveries 🚚
• How The Perfume Spot scaled big with Walmart 🛍️
• Snag $100 off your pass to Amazon Accelerate 2025 🎫
• New Fee Explainer helps decode seller charges 🧾
• Sign up for Walmart Insiders to get one growth hack every week. 🛒

BLACK MARKET

Here’s the brutal truth: if a customer’s box shows up late, wet, or missing, they think that’s your fault. Like it or not, delivery is part of your brand experience now.

According to Retail Dive, only 39% of shoppers blamed the carrier for delivery delays in 2025—down from 83% in 2022. 🙈

🚚 Your biggest liability

Shoppers expect speed—and when that doesn’t happen, they want someone to blame. 

• Late deliveries are dealbreakers. 75% of consumers say last-mile delivery issues are their biggest frustration.
• Speed over price. Nearly 1 in 3 care more about fast shipping than low prices or a wide selection.
• Gen Z wants it now. Younger consumers are driving demand for speed, while older buyers still prioritize cost.

So yeah, delivery delays are no longer just annoying, they’re brand-breakers.

🕹️ Give shoppers control, or lose the sale

It’s not just about how fast you ship, it’s about how much control customers have.

• 66% of shoppers are more likely to buy if they can track their package in real time.
• 54% want to choose when their order arrives—day, time, the whole deal.
• 44% want some kind of package protection, like insurance or guaranteed replacements.

Shipping visibility used to be a nice touch—now it’s a conversion tool. If you don’t own delivery, shoppers assume you don’t own your brand. That box on the porch is your business. 🫵

TOGETHER WITH WALMART MARKETPLACE

See how The Perfume Spot went from small storefront to e-Commerce juggernaut

When The Perfume Spot started it was just a small store on Staten Island. Now, they’re an e-commerce juggernaut with a team of 25 people and 8 figures in sales each year. How? In part by selling on Walmart Marketplace. 

With Walmart Marketplace, The Perfume Spot was able to instantly reach millions of shoppers, access powerful tools for scale, and sell on a platform invested in their success.  

Could you be the next Walmart success story? Sign up today to see. It just takes a few minutes to get started. 

Sign up now

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AMAZON NEWS

Get $100 off Amazon Accelerate 2025 tickets

Registration for Amazon Accelerate 2025 is officially open, and if you’re even thinking about going, this might be your sign to lock it in. 

Amazon’s offering a $100 early-bird discount and travel perks to reel sellers in the door.

💸 Save now, spend later

The event returns to the Seattle Convention Center this fall, and yes—there are legit reasons to RSVP early (beyond the fact that seats fill up fast). 

• Early bird discount: Save $100 on tickets until August 3.
• Bring the crew: Buy 3 tickets, get the 4th free—perfect for teams.
• Hotel + flight perks: Score discounted rates near the venue plus airline promo codes.

Amazon’s “Show Your Badge” program is also back, giving attendees access to exclusive local deals:

• Local deals: Discounts at Seattle restaurants, museums, and attractions.
• More coming soon: Full list of perks drops in August, so don’t toss that lanyard.

🗓️ Sessions, strategies, and seller talk

The full agenda hasn’t dropped yet, but based on past Accelerate events, expect product announcements, insider panels, and plenty of Seller Central deep dives. 

It’s Amazon’s most seller-centric event of the year, with a little less fluff and a lot more access.

CASH CORNER

Amazon rolls out Fee Explainer tool

Amazon has launched a new Fee Explainer tool inside the Payments dashboard, aiming to finally answer the age-old seller question: “What is this charge for?”

The tool is meant to break down individual charges with definitions, variables, and actual math—right inside your transaction view.

📊 What it should help with

For now, the tool covers 9 core fee types, including:

• Subscription fees – Your monthly cost to keep your Amazon account active
• Referral fees – A percentage of each sale Amazon takes
• Closing & return fees – Charges for refunds, returns, or admin processing
• Service extras – Add-ons like removal fees or penalties for high return rates

To use it: 

• Go to your Payments dashboard
• Open Transaction View
• Select a transaction
• Click the fee amount for a full breakdown

🧠 Why this could be a game changer

Amazon says the Fee Explainer brings:

• Real-time transparency into fee logic
• Better forecasting for smarter pricing and listing decisions
• Context and examples for specific charges
• No more guesswork, all the info lives in your dashboard

Basically, it should save you from digging through outdated help docs just to understand a $3.71 refund charge.

🤔 So... what’s the catch?

Some sellers are already flagging issues: confusing line items like “other chargeback –$80.00” still show up with zero useful explanation. Others report duplicate or unclear deductions, even with the new tool active.

So yep, while this update moves in the right direction, it’s not exactly the holy grail of fee clarity just yet.