When was the last time you’ve skipped over a seemingly pointless email or software update, just to have it come back to haunt you?
It’s not been too long for me.
Just last year I deleted two much-coveted concert tickets based purely on the email’s headline, “A Night You’ll Never Forget”
Sounds spammy, right? My fiance didn’t think so. Thankfully they were recoverable.
Around the same time, a friend of mine deleted his entire DNA results because he thought “23andMe” was a spam email for a Micheal Jordan-themed summer basketball camp for youth (or so he says).
To be fair, it’s easy to miss important communications these days. After all, we’re constantly bombarded with emails, SMSs, DMs, likes, follows, Tweets, twitches, and TikToks.
But I mention time and time again that Amazon updates are of utmost importance.
Yes, they’re easier to skip than leg day, but when they have an impact on your bottom line, it’s best to take the time to educate yourself on the platform’s changes.
Luckily, I’ve done this for you. Here are some important Amazon FBA updates to consider this year.
#1 – Frequently Returned Item Badges
We’ve all ordered items from Amazon only to discover they’re not exactly how they appeared on the listing.
…Curse words ensue.
You either go through the headache of returning it or keep it and try to make it work (it usually doesn’t).
These predatory practices are rampant on Amazon, and unfortunately, the platform is ripe with sellers that will do anything to make a quick buck, including selling faulty products or marketing a different one altogether.
I’ve personally lost thousands of dollars on such monstrosities.
But Amazon has introduced a new weapon to keep consumers informed of frequently returned items to their warehouses.
Unleash the “Frequently Returned Items” badge.
This badge appears on listings to warn shoppers when an item has been frequently returned, otherwise it screams “Don’t Buy Me.”
It’s absolutely great.
The frequently returned item badge is a dunce hat. It’s Amazon communicating to sellers that they’ve misbehaved, and it’s time that everyone knows.
I believe it’s an amazing addition and a great step for Amazon. Not only are they protecting customers from low-quality merchandise, but it’s also a blow to predatory practices, made even worse by the increased cost of living and inflation.
But this won’t only impact Amazon’s bad actors.
The bad news is this makes the stakes higher for everyone. Beginner sellers should be extra careful when sourcing, labeling, shipping, etc. because a few returned items, even if your intentions are good, could result in the badge appearing on your listing. There’s even less room for mistakes.
So make sure you do your research.
#2 – The Fake Review Crackdown Continues
Did you know you can buy fake reviews for Amazon products?
Did you know doing so could land you in big-time trouble?
Amazon is continuing its highly publicized campaign against fake reviews. But what’s happening at large sounds like the beginning of a political thriller.
The Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for consumer protection in the U.S., has issued its first lawsuit against an organization that used “deceptive review tactics” to trick Amazon customers.
The lawsuit dealt with deceit around product variations, which resulted in “best sellers” badges given to unworthy accounts.
The probe into the matter was surprisingly deep, meaning that both Amazon and the feds are taking online fraud and deceptive e-commerce practices seriously.
Amazon’s even gone as far as banning some Chinese electronics manufacturers from its platforms altogether.
All in all it’s good news. It protects consumers from predatory practices and is an additional step in getting rid of bad actors that plague Amazon and give us all bad reps.
#3 – Amazon’s Customer Engagement Tool Keeps Getting Better
Amazon’s constantly updating seller central with new tools, tips, and portals.
But their customer engagement tool is in a league of its own, and they’ve been making great strides to enhance it even further.
The tool allows you to engage directly with followers of your brand through personalized promotions, announcements of sales and discounts, and even email marketing.
Yes, you heard that right, Amazon allows you to create email campaigns directly from their platform.
It’s almost like having an extra social media account for your brand through Amazon, but you don’t have to be shy about pitching products.
Of course it comes with limitations, but the tool allows you to keep tabs on performance metrics and gives insight into the impacts of your marketing campaign.
Truth be told, there are probably other ways to do this, but these integrated features really help cut down on marketing and advertisement dollars, and free up time to focus on other parts of your business (or leisure). And I love seeing Amazon making it easier for sellers and buyers alike.
However, the tool does require Brand Registry, which will require a few extra steps.
Investing in Amazon FBA can be intimidating.
Product research, registering an LLC, international shipping, and brand registry…where do you even start?
There’s tons of room for expensive errors.
Learn how my Amazon Wealth Accelerator can streamline your Amazon FBA journey without all the costly and time-consuming mistakes.
