George's Blog

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Mar 10, 2025 12:00AM

Amazon is ending secondary user access for third parties. Requiring agencies, freelancers, and consultants to register through the Solution Provider Portal by August 31, 2025. This change aims to enhance security but may pose challenges for service providers.

Vanessa Hung | Link to post

Say goodbye to secondary user access. Here’s what Amazon is doing instead

For years, managing Amazon accounts as an agency, freelancer, or consultant meant one thing: secondary user permissions. You got invited, logged in, and got to work.

Now? That’s about to change.

Amazon is transitioning secondary user access for third parties and replacing it with a structured vetting process inside the Solution Provider Portal (SPP).

🚨 What’s Changing?
🔹 Agencies & service providers will now need to register and get vetted through SPP before accessing seller accounts.
🔹 Secondary users will ONLY be for sellers’ direct employees.
🔹 Freelancers, VAs, and consultants working with multiple sellers will now be classified as third-party providers, meaning they need to register in SPP.

So, this means that:

If you are a seller, you must verify who you are inviting to your account. Amazon will now ask you to declare if the invitee is an internal employee or an external service provider. If you misclassify someone, your account could be affected.

If you are an agency or service provider, secondary user access will no longer be an option. You need to register in SPP to continue managing client accounts.

If you are a freelancer or VA working with multiple sellers, Amazon now considers you a third-party provider. This means you must go through Amazon’s vetting process just like an agency.

💡 The Deadline? Amazon is rolling this out in batches, but by August 31st, 2025, secondary user access will no longer be an option for external providers.

This is a significant change, and let’s be honest, it will create challenges.

For sellers, this means more control over who can access their accounts and more responsibility to manage permissions properly.

For agencies and freelancers? This ends the "just get invited as a secondary user" era. Amazon is cracking down to ensure all third-party access is structured, vetted, and controlled.

And let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: Many freelancers and VAs don’t have passports or formal IDs that Amazon requires for verification. This could disrupt the entire Amazon consultant industry.

📢 So, NOW is the time to start transitioning. Amazon is sending out messages in waves, so If you get a message from Amazon about this, do not ignore it.

👀 Find the link to register in the comments

But what's your take? Is this a step toward better security, or will it create more barriers for Amazon sellers?

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Mar 10, 2025 12:00AM

TikTok Shop is expanding in Europe amid US uncertainty. Hiring aggressively, it aims to replicate its U.S. success with a content-first commerce model. Despite regulatory challenges, TikTok is committed to its global e-commerce strategy.

Marketplace Pulse | Link to post

TikTok Shop is rapidly expanding into Europe while facing existential uncertainty in the United States. The platform is now hiring for nearly 100 TikTok Shop-specific roles across Europe, focusing on countries like Germany, France, Spain, and Italy—the same markets Amazon first targeted in its European expansion beyond the UK.

TikTok Shop sold an estimated $9 billion in goods in the U.S. last year. It was banned in January, along with the rest of TikTok, but for less than a day. On January 20th, a 75-day lift on the ban was granted while a potential sale to American owners was explored.

This regulatory rollercoaster—from operational to banned to operational again in less than 48 hours—highlights the precarious position TikTok occupies in its largest Western market. With this looming threat, TikTok’s European push represents both a hedge against U.S. regulatory action and part of a broader global strategy.

The company is aggressively recruiting talent, with over 4,400 open positions globally. More than a quarter of these openings are for TikTok Shop roles, signaling the company’s commitment to its e-commerce ambitions regardless of U.S. challenges. Despite the pending ban, TikTok is still hiring for more than 2,200 positions in North America.

Analysis of TikTok’s hiring patterns relative to its GMV gives insight into its short- to medium-term directives. While Asia accounts for 68% of TikTok Shop’s estimated GMV, it only represents 36% of open roles. North America makes up 27% of GMV but 55% of open positions. Notably, Europe now shows a similarly aggressive pattern of investment relative to current revenue, with 5% of global GMV but 8% of hiring activity.

TikTok Shop Estimated GMV vs Open Job Roles

TikTok Shop is already well-established in the UK with its “Fulfilled by TikTok” (FBT) service—similar to Amazon’s FBA model—handling warehousing and fulfillment for sellers. The platform began inviting sellers in Spain to join in December 2024, though without fulfillment services yet.

Key logistics positions, such as Head of Logistics in Munich and Fulfillment Operations Manager in Madrid, suggest that TikTok is preparing to launch fulfillment capabilities across continental Europe. This would replicate the strategy that powered its rapid U.S. growth, where offering guaranteed delivery times and streamlined returns helped drive adoption.

TikTok Shop Key European Logistics Roles

TikTok Shop’s unique content-first approach to commerce has demonstrated significant power in the U.S. While Amazon, Walmart, and other internet retailers are search-first shopping platforms where most sales happen because shoppers search for specific items, TikTok is fundamentally different. TikTok is content-first, with discovery happening through videos in feeds rather than search queries.

When TikTok first launched shopping in the U.S., it aggressively turned the dial on shopping-related content, flooding feeds with product recommendations.

The European expansion is following a similar blueprint but with a stronger foundation. TikTok has learned valuable lessons from both its successful UK operation and its rapid U.S. scaling. European e-commerce presents different challenges, with varying fulfillment expectations, payment preferences, and regulations across countries. However, the fundamental content-driven commerce model that succeeded elsewhere should translate well.

TikTok Shop represents the evolution of social commerce, something Facebook and Instagram tried and largely abandoned. As it expands across Europe, TikTok Shop will likely continue to reshape how millions of consumers discover and purchase products. The company’s significant hiring efforts across multiple continents show it’s playing the long game, regardless of immediate regulatory headwinds.

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Mar 10, 2025 12:00AM

Tariffs are causing unpredictable costs, raising prices, and hurting industries. A strategic, consistent tariff plan is needed to protect U.S. strengths and avoid economic harm.

Molson Hart | Link to post

I just paid over $20,000 in tariffs on two containers.

Regardless of whether tariffs are good for the USA (and the world), they need to be executed better.

We committed to purchasing these goods before Trump was elected, when there was 0% duty.

We shipped them before February 1st, so the tariff was not supposed to apply, but it is being applied because they are arriving after March 4th.

Sea shipping is slow, and so is going through the Panama Canal to get to Houston; we can't control this.

So this is $20,000 in unpredictable costs that we must shoulder. We went from paying $100,000 in goods costs to $120,000.

When we're selling these goods to a retailer at a price decided months ago we go from profitable to losing money.

And this tariff is not protecting a toy industry in the USA. The product is stuffed animals. We have a 20% tariff right now.

Even with a 200% tariff, I'm not sure if you could make these products in the United States.

And because we've had 25% tariffs put on Mexico twice, and then taken off twice, we won't be running down to Mexico, which has nowhere near the supply chain China does, to make our products.

And because on April 1st, there is a plan to have reciprocal tariffs on all countries, Vietnam and Indonesia should have duties that are as high as China's. So, that's not an option either.

So, I suppose, for now, the plan is to just make toys more expensive, no matter where they are made.

We cannot eat these cost increases, nor will our manufacturers. Thinking otherwise is magic.

So our retail prices will go up, not 20%, but probably 10-15% to account for not only the cost increase, but all the the extra work we need to do from arguing with customs brokers to the uncertainty.

These products are useful to parents, schools, and children.

But since these tariffs won't start a manufacturing renaissance in the United States because our supply chain is worse than other countries and because our labor is way more expensive both actually and effectively, they are a tax.

Toys, along with many other imports, will get more expensive and will be purchased less.

The United States needs to decide what it wants to do. Our president has built a lot, and I respect that, but I'm not sure he's ever manufactured anything.

Many of the products we use are not as simple as steel where, if certified, product from one country is interchangeable with that of another.

Most products are not like that. You can't say "we're going to build top of the line chips from Taiwan in Arizona, starting tomorrow". Bananas don't grow in the USA. There is no supply chain for stuffed animals in the United States or Mexico and what is in Southeast Asia is mostly imported from China.

What we need is a plan.

Stuffed animals will never be made in the United States. The labor costs are just too high. They can't be made with robots; we're far from that.

Let's put tariffs on the products that play to America's strengths or things that we need to make ourselves like medical equipment and food (because in war, you can't get that from other countries) and let's apply those tariffs to all countries instead of just the ones that we don't like this week.

And let's not do it on arbitrary timelines.

No one is going to build a factory in America when tariffs every other week are on and off.

Our administration's term is 4 years. Let's add 5% tariffs per year, until it hits 20% in year 4, no going back.

Yes, our system is such that when you have a new president, you have a new tariff regime, but our last president kept the tariffs made by our previous one.

Good policy is good policy.

We need a plan that's certain that plays to America's strengths, not ambiguous volatility.

And if we don't get that, we're going not only get higher prices, but a major recession, if not worse, in our industry, because this is going to hurt a lot, and not just jobs overseas, but jobs here in the USA.

So I hope the administration takes this feedback and uses it to adjust the strategy instead of doubling down on it.

PS if anyone knows how I can get some sort of exclusion for this $20,000 in tariffs on product purchased before president was elected, shipped before February 1st, please reply!

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Mar 10, 2025 12:00AM

Building Amazon software is challenging. Understanding available and unavailable data is crucial. Explore key APIs like SP-API, Advertising API, and others to effectively develop tools without wasting resources.

Scott Needham | Link to post

Building software for Amazon businesses is hard.

There is the data Amazon gives you, and then there is the data they don't.

But if you don't know where to look, you'll spend months spinning in circles and never build software that actually makes a difference.

So if you have ever thought about building an Amazon tool, or hiring someone to improve your internal operations, this post is for you.

I'll list all the APIs and what they're best for.

CONTEXT:

There are not a lot of Amazon marketplace software developers that truly understand the end to end picture. What's the data that Amazon provides to you, what's the data that Amazon doesn't. You consider hiring a contractor, or perhaps a full time developer to improve your systems but you don't want to risk time and capital.

I have seen this story play out. I know of companies that have spent seven figures and have been forced to scrap the whole thing.

On the flip side, SmartScout launched with $25k spent and two months dev time. We built something good enough 75 people paid on the first day. While I would love for this to be the full story, I spent 7 years as an Amazon developer for my selling business.

Now. For the list.

Amazon Selling Partner-API (SP-API). This is the core API for getting information from your selling business. This now has merged for both 3P and 1P sellers. You get order information. FBA information. You can make content updates, submit feeds, check products and lots of stuff.

What you don't get.... Keyword data, review data, information on competition such as price history/buy box.

Amazon advertising API. Because Amazon wanted to make a new API and force sellers/developers to manage data in two places. This has all advertising data. All of it. They've put soooo much resources into this. It's very active.

Product Advertising API. This is an amazing API. So amazing that sellers aren't allowed to use it. It's for affiliates. If you try and use this for your selling business, be prepared to get kicked off. I've been kicked out.... like 10 times.

SmartScout API. This is basically our data. It can be your data. It's not free. I owe people money.

Keepa API. A great API for pricing and sales rank history. It's amazing what they have here, it's also amazing what they don't have. The pricing scales with you. Very pricey if you want to scale.

Rainforest API. This is a great API for getting all types of search results. It can get expensive but you definitely can build something off of this. I probably wouldn't build an Amazon wide tool, would be prohibitively expensive. Also, new ownership. You ruined the amazing UX this had. Seriously. It's clunky.

Jungle Scout API. They have a variety of APIs with Cobalt and others. High quality.

Merchant Words API. Excellent if you just want keyword data. I've seen this tested out. It's good.

SellerApp. I've heard good things. I've tested it as well. A wide variety of things you can do with it.

If you want to hoof it yourself. You can always leverage all the proxy and scrapers out of Eastern Europe. They're good.

If you want to hoof it yourself and pay the least amount of possible. You can build your own scraper farm. Here's the thing... the amount of time you'd spend and payment to servers, you might as well just use an API. Trust me. This is the last decade of my life. You don't wanna play Amazon's captcha game.

If you made it here, give yourself a break. Go take a 5 minute walk. This was a lot to write. Send it to your dev team and hopefully we all build applications that replace our jobs. Wait... don't do that.

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Mar 10, 2025 12:00AM

Video completions drive sales. High Video Complete Views correlate with better sales and conversions. Progressive retention through video quartiles and active engagement, like unmutes, are crucial for success. High VTR alone doesn't guarantee conversions.

Prem Gupta | Link to post

Recently, we conducted tests with multiple videos for the same products to determine which ones are the most interactive and perform best. After thoroughly analyzing the trends in the video campaign performance, we have identified the following key findings.

✅Video Complete Views Drive Sales and Conversions

Campaigns with high Video Complete Views (e.g., Campaign 22: 1,343 completions, $979.77 sales; Campaign 25: 862 completions, $1,215.23 sales) consistently show higher sales, ROAS, and conversion rates compared to those with low completions (e.g., Campaign 1: 2 completions, $0 sales).

Trend: Full video retention is a strong predictor of sales success, as it indicates viewers are engaged enough to watch the entire message, likely including the CTA.

✅Progressive Retention Through Quartiles Matters

Campaigns with a steady drop-off from First Quartile to Complete Views (e.g., Campaign 25: 7,226 → 862; Campaign 22: 6,503 → 1,343) outperform those with sharp declines (e.g., Campaign 2: 57 → 21; Campaign 1: 8 → 2).

Trend: Videos that maintain viewer interest through each quartile are more likely to convert, as they keep viewers engaged long enough to act.

✅High VTR Doesn’t Guarantee Success

Campaign 2 (VTR: 22.7%, $0 sales) has a high VTR but poor sales, while Campaign 25 (VTR: 13%, $1,215.23 sales) succeeds with a lower VTR but strong completions.

Trend: VTR is an early engagement metric but doesn’t ensure conversions without sustained retention (completions).

✅Video Unmutes Indicate Active Engagement

Campaigns with higher Video Unmutes (e.g., Campaign 25: 22 unmutes, $1,215.23 sales; Campaign 22: 13 unmutes, $979.77 sales) tend to have better sales and conversion rates compared to those with zero unmutes (e.g., Campaign 1, Campaign 2: 0 unmutes, $0 sales).

Trend: Unmutes reflect active viewer interest, which correlates with higher likelihood of purchase.

✅5 Second Views and 5 Second View Rate as Early Indicators

Campaigns with high 5 Second Views and 5 Second View Rate often have better overall engagement (e.g., Campaign 25: 9,479 5 Second Views, 5.8% rate; Campaign 22: 8,027 5 Second Views, 10.5% rate), but this doesn’t always translate to sales if later engagement drops (e.g., Campaign 2: 48 5 Second Views, 18.8% rate, $0 sales).

Trend: Early retention (5 Second Views) is a good starting point, but sustained engagement through quartiles is necessary for conversions.

✅vCTR vs. Conversion Rate

Campaign 1 (vCTR: 10.7%, conversion rate: 0%) shows high click-through from views but no conversions, while Campaign 6 (vCTR: 6.22%, conversion rate: 31.3%) has a slightly lower vCTR but excellent conversions.

Trend: High vCTR can indicate clickable content, but without strong retention (completions), it doesn’t lead to sales.

Based on the trends above, we are working on key recommendations to improve video performance and address these challenges. We will share them soon.

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Mar 10, 2025 12:00AM

Visual search is crucial for Amazon sellers. Optimize images with high quality, metadata, and structured data to enhance discoverability and conversions. Use Google Merchant Center for better visibility in search results.

Kevin King | Link to post

Why Visual Search & Image Optimization are Essential for Amazon Sellers

E-commerce is evolving rapidly towards visual search. Shoppers increasingly prefer finding products through images rather than lengthy descriptions.

🔍 Visual Search is Here to Stay: Consumers use tools like Google Lens and Amazon Camera Search to find products quickly. For instance, if a customer spots an appealing mug at a café, a quick photo through Google Lens can reveal similar products online—including yours, if properly optimized.

📷 Stand Out with Image Sets: On Amazon, shoppers rely heavily on detailed images from various angles, lifestyle scenarios, and comparisons. Listings with comprehensive visual presentations naturally earn higher conversions.

Google Lens alone handles over 20 billion monthly searches, with 20% related directly to shopping. Ignoring visual search optimization means forfeiting potential sales to competitors.

Optimizing for Visual Search: Key Steps for Amazon Sellers

✅ High-Quality Images: Sharp, clear images facilitate better recognition by visual search technologies.

✅ Optimize Image Metadata: Use keyword-rich filenames, alt text, and EXIF data to enhance image discoverability.

✅ Leverage Google Merchant Center: List your products to appear prominently in Google's visual search results.

✅ Structured Data (Schema Markup): Implement structured data markup to improve search engine categorization and image visibility.

✅ Multiple Image Angles & Sets: Include diverse angles, lifestyle images, packaging photos, and informative graphics to significantly improve your visibility and conversions.

Google Merchant Center & Structured Data Integration

Integrating Google Merchant Center or structured data markup ensures your products appear effectively in search results and Google Lens.

Google Merchant Center Setup:

1. Sign up on the Merchant Center site.
2. Enter your business details and agree to terms.
3. Add your products individually or through bulk uploads.

Structured Data Implementation:

1. Insert schema markup into your site’s HTML.
2. Use automation plugins if using platforms like WordPress.
3. Validate implementation using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.

Optimizing your product images isn't optional—it's essential. Begin refining your visual strategy today to stay ahead and capture sales in the evolving landscape of visual commerce.

Want to learn more about how to optimize for visual search? Read the rest of this article by subscribing to my newsletter at BillionDollarSellers.com.

♻️ Repost to keep your seller community informed

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Mar 03, 2025 12:00AM

Price increase from £18 to £21 led to a conversion drop from 30% to 22% and a 10% rise in ACOS. Focus on enhancing product value, use targeted ads, and test strategies like time-limited offers to adapt to price changes.

Snehil Shreya | Link to post

💡 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲? 🤔
Let me share something, I recently observed with one of our clients who’s selling menstrual cups on Vendor Central account. One of their top selling products, previously priced at £𝟭𝟴, was increased to £𝟮𝟭. Now, at first glance, you might think a higher price equals higher sales, right? After all, a higher AOV can look promising. But here's what actually happened:

🔻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟯𝟬% 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟮%
🔺 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗖𝗢𝗦 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝟭𝟬%
As you can see, the price hike didn't deliver the expected results in conversions, and the seller is now facing higher costs with fewer sales.

Now, the question is: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲? 🤔
One immediate solution that comes to mind is running coupons or vouchers, but here’s the thing:
🟢 Customers are sharp. If they notice the price increase, they may assume the coupon is just bringing the price back to where it was before. This could make them less likely to engage.
🟢 Sellers bear the cost of the voucher, meaning they might not be seeing the ROI they’re hoping for.

𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?

🔑 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲: Instead of directly trying to offset the price hike with a voucher, create more value in your listings. Enhance your A+ content to highlight product features, benefits, and differentiate why it's worth the price increase. If the customer feels they’re getting more for the price, they may be less sensitive to it.

🔑 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝘀: Since conversions are down, increasing visibility through well targeted PPC campaigns could help you offset the lower conversion rate.

🔑 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: Use coupons strategically, but try to create urgency with time limited offers or discounts. Customers may appreciate the urgency and still feel like they’re getting a deal.
The key here is adapting and evolving your strategy based on how price changes are affecting the overall performance.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this! Have you faced something similar? Drop your comments below! 👇

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Mar 03, 2025 12:00AM

Sales soared from £1,206 to £6,291 in seven months. By refining campaigns and targeting high-intent shoppers, conversion rates improved and reliance on ads decreased. A strategic, data-driven approach led to sustainable growth.

Snehil Shreya | Link to post

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵:
Every struggling account has a story, and this one was no different. When we took over this account in June, the brand faced two key challenges:
🔴 Low ratings & reviews, impacting trust.
🔴 High Average Order Value (AOV), making conversions difficult.
On top of that, only auto campaigns were running, leading to wasted ad spend and limited control over targeting. Instead of chasing quick wins, we focused on building a long term strategy that would drive sustainable growth.

We took a top to bottom approach to convert shoppers from awareness to purchase efficiently:

✔ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻: We started by refining the auto campaigns to capture more relevant traffic while minimizing wasted spend. To expand reach, we introduced broad match campaigns with controlled bidding and tested different audience segments. Since trust was a key issue, we focused on increasing visibility on few high rated products initially.

✔ 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Once awareness was in place, we shifted our focus to making our ads more precise. We analyzed search term reports to identify high converting keywords and added negative keywords to eliminate irrelevant clicks. Category and competitor targeting helped us capture shoppers actively exploring similar products, while bid adjustments ensured our ads appeared in the most effective placements.

✔ 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: As we gathered data, we focused on high intent shoppers. Exact match campaigns helped us capture buyers who were ready to purchase, while remarketing campaigns ensured we stayed in front of those who had previously engaged. Since AOV was a concern, we strategically leveraged promotions and discounts to make the purchase decision easier.

✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀:
👉 Sales jumped from £1,206 in June to £6,291 in January
👉 MoM Growth: +99.3% in December, +622.3% YoY growth in January
👉 Organic sales increased, reducing reliance on ads over time.
👉 Conversion rates improved month over month as targeting became more precise.

This case study proves that a structured, data driven approach delivers long term success. It’s not just about increasing spend- it’s about spending smartly.

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