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Amazon News: FTC Warnings, Prime Day Records, & New Tools to Boost Your Sales

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Hey Fellow Amazon Sellers,

We’re back with another packed edition of our weekly Amazon Seller School newsletter—bringing you the latest marketplace updates, policy shifts, and tech advancements that could impact your business.

Let’s dive in!

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News

FTC Warns Amazon and Walmart over Sellers’ ‘Made in USA’ Claims

The FTC issued warnings to Amazon, Walmart, and several brands for allowing deceptive “Made in USA” claims from third-party sellers on their marketplaces. These claims violate FTC rules, which require products labeled as “Made in USA” to be “all or virtually all” made domestically.

Amazon sellers should carefully audit their listings to ensure compliance with these regulations to avoid potential penalties or account issues. This enforcement highlights the FTC’s increasing scrutiny of marketplace sellers and the importance of accurate product claims.

Adobe: Prime Day Expected to Drive $23.8 Billion in Online Spend Across U.S. Retailers

Adobe forecasts that Prime Day will generate $23.8 billion in online sales from July 8-11, a 28% increase over last year and equivalent to two Black Fridays. Mobile shopping is expected to account for over half of all purchases, with deep discounts driving consumers to “trade up” to higher-ticket items.

Back-to-school shopping is also contributing to the surge, with categories like backpacks, kids’ apparel, and tech essentials seeing significant spikes. Amazon sellers should note the growing role of generative AI and influencer marketing in shaping shopping behavior during this peak period.

Amazon Launches Custom Analytics — A Game-Changer for Sellers

Isaac Gross highlighted Amazon’s new “Custom Analytics” tool, calling it a major leap forward for sellers looking for advanced insights. This feature lets sellers build business intelligence dashboards with access to hundreds of metrics from reports like Inventory, Coupons, and Search Query Performance.

Sellers can create customized views or use Amazon’s templates to monitor key metrics, making this feel more like Tableau or Power BI than traditional Seller Central. For Amazon sellers, this tool reduces reliance on third-party apps and helps drive smarter, data-backed decisions.

OpenAI Quietly Adds Shopify as a Shopping Search Partner

OpenAI has quietly integrated Shopify as a shopping search partner for ChatGPT, expanding its shopping-rich search results alongside Bing. This means Shopify-hosted merchants are now being surfaced more frequently in ChatGPT’s shopping searches, alongside platforms like Amazon and Turbify.

Products are displayed with rich content like images, pricing, and reviews, with data drawn from structured site information and third-party providers. For Amazon sellers, this signals yet another evolving search channel where consumer discovery is being shaped by AI partnerships.

AI Search Is Expanding the Funnel, Not Replacing It

AI search is changing how consumers shop, blending traditional Google searches with AI tools for decision-making and recommendations. Consumers start with broad searches but turn to AI for detailed plans and purchase decisions.

For Amazon sellers, this highlights the need to optimize for both traditional search and AI-driven platforms to capture intent at every stage. Adapting to this shift can help sellers stay competitive as buyer behavior continues to evolve.

Trump’s Trade War Pushes Back Temu and Shein — For Now

President Trump’s latest tariffs are pressuring low-cost Asian retailers like Temu and Shein, including removing tax-exempt shipping status and raising import costs up to 54%. Both companies paused direct shipping to the U.S. but are adapting through U.S. warehouses and strategic adjustments.

Experts warn this retreat may be temporary, as both brands are highly flexible and could still benefit from price-conscious U.S. shoppers. For Amazon sellers, this means competition from these low-cost rivals may return—and staying competitive on price and sourcing remains critical.

From Garage to $2.4 Trillion: How Amazon’s ‘Day 1’ Mentality Built an Empire

Jeff Bezos launched Amazon in a rented garage, packing books with his wife and holding early team meetings at Barnes & Noble before building the global giant we know today. His relentless focus on customer obsession, long-term thinking, and scale over profits led to Amazon’s transformation into a platform spanning e-commerce, AWS, and AI.

Amazon’s foundation of scrappiness and innovation continues today, with lessons for sellers on how vision, adaptability, and operational discipline can fuel massive growth. For Amazon sellers, this history highlights why understanding Amazon’s core values and evolving infrastructure is key to long-term success on the platform.

See Trending Products with New Marketplace Product Guidance Features

Amazon has updated its Marketplace Product Guidance tool to help sellers identify global growth opportunities by showing demand across multiple international stores. Sellers can now see product recommendations for France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, Australia, UAE, US, UK, and Saudi Arabia—all in one place.

New Category Insights also reveal top-performing products in your current categories, including revenue, units sold, and successful recent launches. These updates give Amazon sellers more actionable data to expand strategically and grow faster in global markets.

How Amazon is Changing the US Trademark System

Amazon’s Brand Registry has drastically increased the number of small businesses applying for trademarks to boost search rankings and protect their brands on the platform. This surge in applications has overwhelmed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, leading to significant delays for all applicants.

The rise of “nonsense marks” and descriptive trademarks is a direct result of sellers trying to game Amazon’s search algorithm through Brand Registry eligibility. For Amazon sellers, this highlights the growing importance of trademarks not just for legal protection but for visibility and competitiveness on the platform.

Seller Tips & Tricks

10 Ways to Source Amazon FBA Wholesale Suppliers

This article breaks down 10 proven strategies to help Amazon sellers find reliable FBA wholesale suppliers, from using AI tools like Seller Assistant to tapping into trade shows and curated supplier lists. These methods focus on identifying trusted U.S.-based distributors, leveraging data to evaluate brands, and building relationships with niche or local suppliers.

For Amazon sellers, these tactics provide multiple pathways to source profitable inventory, reduce risk, and grow their wholesale business efficiently. Tools like Seller Assistant’s Brand Analyzer and Sourcing AI are highlighted as key resources for saving time and increasing sourcing accuracy.

Proven Strategies to Get More Reviews and Ratings on Amazon in 2025 – Boost Credibility & Sales Fast!

This article shares safe, compliant strategies for Amazon sellers to increase reviews and ratings in 2025, emphasizing the importance of social proof for ranking and conversion. Key tactics include using Amazon’s “Request a Review” feature, Amazon Vine, ethical product inserts, and post-purchase email follow-ups.

It also highlights newer tools like Brand Tailored Audiences and stresses that exceptional customer experience remains critical for earning authentic reviews. For Amazon sellers, following these methods can boost credibility, improve search visibility, and drive long-term growth.

Ignore Conversion Rate Optimization Metrics, and Your Profit Margins Will Ignore You!

Amazon sellers must prioritize Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) to maximize profits and avoid wasting ad spend. Key Amazon metrics like Unit Session Percentage, Buy Box Percentage, and Click-Through Rate directly impact both sales and visibility.

Optimizing DTC websites is equally critical, with metrics like bounce rate, checkout completion, and LTV helping improve performance across all sales channels. A unified CRO strategy across Amazon and DTC ensures more efficient growth, better profitability, and protection against policy risks.

Share of Voice on Amazon: How It Helps You Dominate the Marketplace

Share of Voice (SOV) measures how often your brand appears in Amazon search results, ads, and product listings compared to competitors. For Amazon sellers, tracking and improving SOV is key to increasing visibility, conversions, and long-term growth.

Strategies like optimizing listings, keyword targeting, and leveraging ad types such as Sponsored Products, Brands, and Display help boost SOV. High SOV leads to better organic rank, stronger brand perception, and more opportunities to capture market share.

Master Amazon Account Health with Free Webinars

Amazon is offering a free, three-part webinar series to help sellers improve and protect their Account Health Rating. These sessions will cover how to handle violations, appeal decisions, and communicate effectively with Amazon’s Account Health Support team.

Attending can help sellers stay compliant and avoid costly account suspensions. Each session includes live Q&A for actionable strategies directly from Amazon.

Video of the Week

How to Verify if a Distributor or Brand is Legitimate


Strong Opinions

PPC Is Not an Art — It’s Automation and Logic

Max Sigurdson-Scott argues that Amazon PPC success no longer requires expensive agencies or so-called “experts.” He runs his account profitably using rule-based automation through Scale Insights, which handles bids, budgets, and optimizations through logic, not guesswork.

For Amazon sellers, this highlights the importance of automation over opinion when managing ad spend. Efficient systems can now outperform most human-managed PPC strategies with minimal oversight.

Top Upcoming Amazon Events

Stay sharp, stay compliant, and stay ahead. We’ll be back next week with more crucial updates and seller strategies!

God Bless,

Todd Welch
Amazon Seller School

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