#159 - $100 billion River of Returns, Amazon Aggregators Falter, and more
Hot News
Software Aggregators Thrive While Amazon Aggregators Falter
Software aggregators focused on Amazon seller tools are securing nine-figure exits. In contrast, brand aggregators continue massive layoffs, with Carbon6’s recent $210 million sale to SPS Commerce validating the software model’s superior resilience. Just as Carbon6 celebrates its exit, SellerX – once a leading Amazon brand aggregator with over $1.4 billion in funding – announced layoffs of 170 employees, representing 20% of its workforce, and a dramatic reduction from 67 brands to just 19.
marketplacepulse.com
How Amazon Manages Its $100 billion River of Returns
Digital platforms have become central to managing returns in e-commerce, offering efficient solutions for retailers to handle the growing flood of returned items. These circular marketplaces and auction platforms streamline the returns process, reduce costs, and help recover value from returned merchandise. Digital platforms have transformed returns management in several ways. They have contributed to automating the returns process, reducing manual effort, and improving efficiency.
substack.com
79+ Brand New Ecommerce Statistics for 2025
Online shopping isn’t exactly new, but it’s still hot and growing at a staggering rate. Ecommerce companies generate trillions of dollars in sales every year. The ecommerce ecosystem is made up of buyers, sellers, resellers, marketers, and influencers — all contributing to an industry that looks to become the default method of shopping in the near future. Just how big is the ecommerce industry? Here’s one way to put it into perspective.
explodingtopics.com
Good to Know
Amazon’s FBA Playbook Is Creating A New Wave Of Digital Entrepreneurs
Amazon has grown from a direct retailer to a thriving marketplace with third-party sellers now bringing in 61% of its total sales. This creates opportunities for founders like Ron Earley, CEO of Greywolfe Investing, a wholesale automation company specializing in Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) services. Thanks in part to the FBA business model Amazon's marketplace has seen incredible growth, with independent sellers hitting new revenue milestones garnering the attention of the next era of digital entrepreneurs and investors alike.
forbes.com
Amazon sunsets its TikTok-like feature Inspire in favor of AI-powered chatbot Rufus
Amazon has discontinued Inspire, its TikTok-esque feature within the company’s shopping app, as it ramps up its bet on artificial intelligence. Some Amazon sellers recently noticed the absence of Inspire on Amazon’s mobile app. In one example on LinkedIn, an Amazon seller posted a screenshot of an error message saying, “Thank you for using Amazon Inspire to discover and shop new products on Amazon. Please note that Amazon is no longer available in the Amazon shopping app.” From there, the message redirects shoppers to its AI-powered shopping chatbot Rufus.
modernretail.co
Some 41% of U.S.-based enterprise brands and retailers planned to use an Amazon-sponsored program — such as Vine or Born to Run— to help drive sales in 2025, according to the recently released “State of the Amazon Seller 2025” report from Jungle Scout. In January 2025, Jungle Scout queried nearly 1,500 Amazon vendors, marketplace sellers, and folks just getting started with the platform. About 75% of respondents came from the United States, and 47% worked at a “large brand or retailer.”
practicalecommerce.com
Annual net sales of Amazon in selected leading markets from 2014 to 2024
With 438 billion U.S. dollars in net sales, the United States were Amazon’s biggest market in 2024. Germany was ranked second with 41 billion U.S. dollars, ahead of the UK with 37.9 billion U.S. dollars. Founded in 1994, Amazon has grown into one of the biggest e-commerce marketplaces and cloud computing platforms worldwide. In 2020, Amazon was ranked first in terms of company revenue among global publicly traded internet companies. With an annual revenue of approximately 386 billion U.S. dollars, the e-retailer ranked far ahead of closest competitors Google (181.7 billion U.S. dollars) and Alibaba (109.5 billion U.S. dollars).
statista.com
Walmart finally fell behind Amazon in revenue
Well, it finally happened: Amazon’s top-line numbers beat Walmart’s. AmazonAMZN $212.65 (1.71%) brought in a record $187.8 billion in sales last quarter, surpassing the $180.6 billion WalmartWMT $98.57 (1.88%) reported today. Walmart stock is selling off ferociously, down 8% premarket, on expectations of slowing growth even though overall, the company saw a strong holiday season.
sherwood.new
Global net revenue of Amazon from 2014 to 2024, by product group
In 2024, Amazon's net revenue from subscription services segment amounted to 44.37 billion U.S. dollars. Subscription services include Amazon Prime, for which Amazon reported 200 million paying members worldwide at the end of 2020. The AWS category generated 107.56 billion U.S. dollars in annual sales. During the most recently reported fiscal year, the company’s net revenue amounted to 638 billion U.S. dollars. Amazon is one of the biggest online companies worldwide. In 2019, the company’s revenue increased by 21 percent, compared to Google’s revenue growth during the same fiscal period, which was just 18 percent.
statista.com
Italy probing Amazon over 1.2b euros in third-party seller VAT
The total claim against the online retailer, including penalties, could rise to as much as three billion euros ($3.14 billion), a source in Italy's financial crimes police said. The preliminary investigation, confirmed by a source within the Milan prosecutors' office, involves a three-year period from 2019 to 2021. An Italian law in 2019 made e-commerce businesses responsible for the VAT owed by its third-party sellers outside the European Union selling goods to customers in Italy.
france24.com
Annual operating income/loss of Amazon from 2014 to 2024, by segment
In 2024, the annual operating income of Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) business amounted to approximately 24.9 billion U.S. dollars, up from the previous year. Despite being primarily known as an online retailer, the company's cloud business AWS generated the most operating profit out of all the key operations segments. Being one of the main cloud providers, AWS counts several big tech groups among its spenders – from Netflix to Adobe, and from Sony to X.
statista.com
Amazon Tops Walmart in Q4 Sales, Marking a Historic Shift
E-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN, Financial) achieved its milestone by surpassing retail giant Walmart with its latest quarterly revenue exceeding Walmart's in the first such occurrence in history. Amazon produced $187.8 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, which exceeded Walmart's (WMT, Financial) quarterly revenue of $180.5 billion. Amazon demonstrates its market dominance through its diversified business segments, which extend from retail sales to cloud computing via Amazon Web Services, advertising, and third-party seller operations.
gurufocus.com
Amazon and TradeBridge Launch Term Financing for Sellers
Amazon and TradeBridge today announced the launch of Term Financing, a new offer designed to support the continued growth of businesses selling on Amazon. This collaboration offers eligible sellers access to funds of up to £5 million based on their Amazon business revenue and performance. Term Financing provides a straightforward funding solution for Amazon sellers looking to expand their operations. The application process is simple and fast, with no obligation, and no hidden fees. Applicants can expect to hear a response in as little as 2 hours, and finance terms are clearly stated upfront.
channelx.world
Temu vs. Amazon: How is Temu Different from Amazon?
Temu is an online marketplace platform owned by PDD Holdings, the same company that founded Chinese e-commerce company Pinduoduo. It was founded in the United States in September 2022 and quickly gained popularity due to its low prices and extensive social media advertising. According to a February 2023 report by CNN, Temu was the most downloaded app, just seven months after its release. Specializes in affordable products, including electronics, home essentials, fashion, and beauty items, sourced mainly from Chinese manufacturers.
globalsources.com
The Hidden Costs of Traditional E-Commerce: Small Businesses Struggle to Keep Up
E-commerce fees are increasingly burdening small businesses, squeezing their profit margins and threatening their sustainability. It’s time to explore how these rising costs impact small enterprises and what can be done. The rise of e-commerce has revolutionized the way customers shop and how businesses market their products. In the digital age, consumers can now purchase products from virtually anywhere in the world with just a few clicks of a button. Many ambitious business owners recognize the impact of e-commerce, viewing it as a secure and adaptable sector with numerous success stories.
martechcube.com
Amazon takes half from merchants
Grappling with slowing sales growth and rising costs, Amazon.com Inc. is squeezing more money from the nearly 2 million small businesses that sell products on its sprawling online marketplace. For the first time, Amazon’s average cut of each sale surpassed 50% in 2022, according to a study by Marketplace Pulse, which sampled seller transactions going back to 2016. The research firm calculated the total cost of selling on Amazon by tallying the commission on each sale, fees for warehouse storage, packing and delivery, as well as money spent to advertise on a site where hundreds of millions of products jostle for attention.
postguam.com
There are probably few people in the world who do not know what Amazon is. Anyone who ever searched for a product to buy online was directed to this retailer. As Amazon constantly grabs the headlines in the news about financial markets or wealthy businesses, even those who do not shop on the internet have still heard about Amazon’s success or Jeff Bezos’s riches. Yet, although Amazon is constantly in the news, there are some less widely circulated facts about the company.
investing.com
Tips and Tricks
What Are Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), and How Do They Work?
Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), now known as Amazon Ads, is a powerful suite of advertising tools designed to help sellers promote their products, increase visibility, and drive sales. Although Amazon officially rebranded AMS to Amazon Advertising, many sellers still refer to it by its original name. With millions of products competing for attention on Amazon, simply having a great product listing isn’t enough. Amazon Advertising allows sellers to strategically position their products in front of potential buyers through targeted ads.
junglescout.com
20 Best Sources of Distributors for Amazon FBA
As e-commerce continues to expand, Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program remains a cornerstone for many online retailers, providing a streamlined approach to storage, packaging and shipping. However, the success of an Amazon FBA business heavily relies on sourcing products from reliable distributors. In this article, we will explore key considerations and identify some of the best platforms to find distributors for Amazon FBA sellers.
globalsources.com
Why Every Seller Should Be Using Amazon’s Automation Tools
The e-commerce industry is dynamic and competitive, demanding sellers to juggle multiple responsibilities, from managing inventory to marketing strategies. In this digitally fast-paced world, leveraging technology smartly is not an option anymore but a necessity. Amazon, one of the largest online marketplaces globally, deeply understands this need and offers automation tools designed to simplify selling. Amazon’s automation tools are a game-changer for maximizing efficiency and profitability. These tools are digital solutions designed to streamline the aspects and processes of selling on this platform.
businessnewsthisweek.com
Podcasts
Viral Content Creation For TikTok
Join us for an exciting conversation on the Serious Sellers Podcast by Helium 10, where we explore strategies for going viral on TikTok and harnessing its e-commerce potential. Our special guest, Liz Herrera aka “Hurricane Liz,” a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur, shares her incredible journey from selling Pokémon cards in her college dorm room to becoming a successful figure in the Amazon world. Liz opens up about her early ventures in retail arbitrage, the challenges she faced during the Black Friday poker incident, and how she adapted by launching her first private-label product.
helium10.com