#180 - Amazon Major Changes in 2026, AI Shopping Tool, and more
Hot News
Amazon rolling out these major changes in 2026
Amazon is gearing up for significant changes in 2026, affecting everything from how sellers do business to what customers see on Prime Video. The company is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, expanding its delivery network, and planning new features for shoppers and viewers. One of the most notable ongoing trends is Amazon’s increasing use of AI across its operations. In a recent Amazon blog post, the company detailed how artificial intelligence is driving its retail, cloud, and entertainment platforms. Amazon has already introduced generative AI features for product listings and is building new tools for sellers and customers.
msn.com
Amazon's AI shopping tool lists products without seller permission
Amazon's "Buy For Me" AI tool automatically lists products from third-party websites on its marketplace without seller consent, with retailers discovering their enrollment through unusual orders and requiring manual email requests to opt out. Sellers report significant problems including incorrect product images, persistent shell listings that divert search traffic from their own websites, and contract violations with wholesale partners who prohibit Amazon sales. Amazon defends the program as helping customers discover new brands while simultaneously pursuing legal action against companies like Perplexity for scraping its own marketplace with AI tools.
the-decoder.com
A Decade of E-Commerce Volatility Ends
Widespread predictions of disrupted U.S. holiday sales due to escalating tariffs proved unfounded. According to Adobe Analytics, online spending on Cyber Monday hit $14.25 billion, up 7.1% year over year, while Black Friday reached $11.8 billion, up 9.1%. Adobe projects the full 2025 holiday season to reach $253.4 billion, up 5.3%. Despite unprecedented tariff levels – customs revenue surged nearly $120 billion in fiscal year 2025 – consumer spending patterns remained remarkably consistent.
marketplacepulse.com
Good to Know
Amazon Scrapes Listings, Places Orders on Indie Seller Stores
Sellers who don’t sell on Amazon were shocked to see their store listings appear in its shopping app under Shop Direct and Buy for Me features. They learned that Amazon had scraped their web stores, displayed their listings in the Amazon shopping app, and in some cases placed orders on the sellers’ sites on behalf of Amazon buyers. While the potential for greater visibility and increased sales sounds like a positive, merchants have legitimate concerns – but they learned that instead of having the choice to opt in to the program, Amazon required them to opt out if they didn’t like it, even those with whom Amazon has no relationship.
ecommercebytes.com
In an increasingly crowded e-commerce landscape where a split-second impression determines a sale, Amazon photographer, EtherArts Product Photography & Graphics studio, announced the launch of its comprehensive Amazon Optimization Package. Designed to bridge the gap between “just a photo” and a high-converting digital storefront, the new service provides a turn-key solution for Amazon sellers, combining professional studio photography with custom-designed A+ Content (formerly Enhanced Brand Content). Without the hassle of multiple vendors juggling each phase, EtherArts brings the convenience of the Umbrella Amazon Optimization Suite, which reduces turnaround time and improves quality of the listings as per the A9 Algorithm.
freep.com
Amazon Has Big Changes Planned For 2026 - Here's What To Look For
E-commerce giant Amazon is about to close out an impressive 2025 and is looking forward to an even bigger 2026. Fans of shopping at Amazon for groceries can look forward to an expansion of stores across the next year. Amazon is going all-in on its robotaxi service, not for deliveries, but to transport people. And for those who sell products on Amazon, there is a massive change in that sellers must label and prepare products for shipping themselves, a service that was previously handled by Amazon.
bgr.com
Amazon splits variation reviews in bid to stop misleading ratings
Amazon announced on January 7, 2026, through its Seller Forums a substantial modification to how customer reviews distribute across product variations. Starting February 12, 2026, the e-commerce platform will restrict review sharing between variations that exhibit significant functional differences, according to the official announcement. The change affects millions of product listings where sellers currently group distinct items under single parent ASINs.
ppc.land
Feds: Amazon staffers took bribes to prop up sketchy merchants, products
Sketchy merchants have been bribing Amazon employees and contractors to reinstate unsafe and counterfeit products on the e-commerce site and manipulate reviews, according to the U.S. Justice Department. On Friday, federal officials announced indictments against six suspects who allegedly paid more than $100,000 to Amazon employees and contractors in commercial bribes. “In exchange for bribes, and the promises of such bribes, the Amazon insiders baselessly and fraudulently conferred tens of millions of dollars of competitive benefits upon hundreds of 3P (third-party) seller accounts,” the indictment claims.
mashable.com
Amazon Canada implements strict ownership verification to meet KYC rules
The e-commerce landscape for third-party sellers in North America is undergoing a structural shift as regulatory authorities increase pressure on digital platforms to verify the identities behind corporate entities. Amazon.ca has begun requesting a specific Self-Attestation document from its selling partners, a formal declaration designed to identify the individuals who ultimately own or control business accounts. This requirement is not merely an internal policy update but a response to revised Canadian Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, which mandate a deeper level of transparency before financial disbursements can be processed.
ppc.land
Former Amazon Employee Creates Planet124.com to Challenge Traditional Marketplace Fee Structures
Drawing on insider experience from one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms, McKinley Private Holding Co. has launched Planet124.com with a disruptive business model. The marketplace offers sellers product listings for a simple five-dollar monthly subscription with zero commission fees, marking a significant departure from conventional online retail platforms. The e-commerce landscape is experiencing a seismic shift as Planet124.com introduces a business model that fundamentally reimagines how online marketplaces generate revenue. Founded by McKinley Private Holding Co. and built by a former Amazon employee, the platform leverages deep industry knowledge to address one of the most persistent challenges facing online sellers: excessive transaction fees that erode profit margins and limit business growth potential.
financialcontent.com
E-commerce giant Amazon is poised to conclude 2025 on a high note, with ambitious plans for an even more expansive 2026. Grocery shoppers can anticipate a significant expansion of physical stores, enhancing their options for shopping. Additionally, Amazon is doubling down on its robotaxi service, focusing on passenger transport rather than deliveries—a novel shift that reflects the company’s aspiration to innovate and adapt its service offerings. Amazon has solidified its market leadership, boasting the largest U.S. market share in the e-commerce sector, outpacing competitors like eBay and Walmart.
ssbcrack.com
Amazon AI scraping project creates unauthorized listings for small brands
The intersection of artificial intelligence and e-commerce reached a new point of friction this week as independent retailers discovered their proprietary product data being harvested for a secretive Amazon initiative. This program, identified by industry observers and affected sellers as Project Starfish, involves the automated scraping of independent business websites to generate AI-powered listings within the Amazon Shopping app.
ppc.land
Tips and Tricks
The Best Amazon Ads Tools in 2026: Top Platforms to Maximize Your PPC Performance
Running Amazon ads keeps getting more competitive every year. With rising CPCs, shifting search behaviors, and new ad formats popping up, manual management just doesn't cut it anymore. The smartest sellers and brands turn to specialized platforms that handle the heavy lifting-automating bids, uncovering high-value keywords, eliminating wasted spend, and delivering real-time insights. These top platforms stand out in 2026 because they combine advanced automation with deep data analysis, often powered by AI and machine learning.
bignewsnetwork.com
Podcasts
The $3M Amazon Seller Who Still Sells His First Product
Andrew Engle transitioned from mechanical/manufacturing engineering to becoming an Amazon seller after identifying where the real money was: selling products on Amazon, not services. In 2019, he launched his first product, found using Helium 10 (Black Box) and guided by Freedom Ticket, and it took off quickly. Within about two years, the “side hustle” out-earned his job, and he went all-in.
helium10.com