🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker

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Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world.

As always, Ross Walker is here to unpack everything happening in the world of ads, and Armin Alispahic will take us through the latest in operations and organic trends.

This month's lineup is packed: from fresh product updates out of Accelerate, to the ongoing rise of AMC, plus a whole assortment of operational and merchandising developments.

Let's dive in.

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The workflow to create AMC audiences, the workflow to see insights, and the UI for creating queries have all been massively improved. So the barriers to entry from a technical standpoint have probably never been lower.

Ross Walker

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss:

• Amazon Accelerate Announcements:

• End of commingled inventory and its implications for brands and resellers.

• Introduction of AI-powered agentic assistance within Seller Central: potential and early impressions.

• Overhaul of seller and vendor reporting, including launch of native profit analytics and scenario modeling tools.

• Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) for All:

• Major update enabling direct access to AMC from the ad console: what this change unlocks for brands and agencies.

• Limitations for connecting with third-party software and practical applications like audience targeting for Prime Day.

• Merchandising and Assortment Management:

• Increase in maximum seller-funded discounts for Subscribe & Save (from 15% to 20%) and the business strategy behind it.

• Introduction of virtual multi-packs, including hands-off automated creation and improved placement in product variations.

• Creator Connections Program Update:

• Shift from an affiliate-only model to allowing upfront sponsorships for creators and publishers.

• Implications for brand awareness strategy, influencer selection, content ownership, and budget lines.

• Supply Chain and Inventory Updates:

• Changes to FBA liquidation and donations programs: what sellers need to watch out for.

• New partial refunds capability and its pros and cons for brands.

• Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) is now expanding direct integrations with Shopify and Shein (joining Walmart), and new MCF dashboards for improved cross-channel fulfillment visibility.