🧂 How Amazon saved a small spice brand

West African seasoning company POKS Spices shut down its D2C website and went all-in on Amazon.
The reason: traffic and visibility — even if Amazon takes up to 40% of the profit in fees.

“We were burning money on ads with no results. Amazon gave us sales — but took away our independence,” says the founder.

📊 It’s the eternal e-commerce dilemma: stay independent and invisible, or dependent and profitable.

🇮🇹 Italy declares a “tax war” on Chinese fast fashion

The Italian government is introducing extra levies on Chinese fashion imports to protect local brands.
Targets include Shein and Temu.

The tax will apply to each clothing unit imported or shipped directly to customers.

👗 Experts say this could mark the beginning of a Europe-wide tariff movement against ultra-cheap fashion.
Meanwhile, Chinese retailers are already looking for new logistics workarounds.

📈 Amazon Gearing Up for Q3 2025 Earnings Report: What Are Investors Watching?
The entire financial world is holding its breath! On October 30, 2025, Amazon will publish its financial results for the third quarter. This time, analysts are paying especially close attention.

Following a period of rapid E-commerce growth that is now showing signs of stabilization, investors are focused on other growth drivers:

AWS (Amazon Web Services): The cloud division is the company's main growth engine. Strong figures and accelerating development rates are expected.

Advertising: This segment is also gaining momentum and becoming a significant part of revenue.

Analysts believe that to maintain strong investment interest, Amazon must demonstrate not just growth, but an acceleration of AWS growth. This will be the key indicator of the company's resilience and innovation in the current economic climate.

👉 Do you think Amazon will manage to beat expectations? Or are we in for another confirmation of a market slowdown?

#Amazon #Finance #AWS #Investing #ECommerce #Earnings

Alibaba Kicks Off Singles’ Day with a Powerful AI Revolution! 🤖

Alibaba (Tmall) and JD.com have already launched their massive Singles’ Day (11.11) sales—and this year, they’re betting big on artificial intelligence!

Amid a global economic slowdown, the Chinese giants are stretching the sales period to nearly five weeks and have announced an unprecedented use of generative AI, including their in-house model Tongyi Qianwen.

What’s changing for buyers and sellers?

➡️ Smarter Search: AI understands your queries better than ever.
➡️ Personalized Recommendations: Only what truly fits your needs.
➡️ Virtual Try-Ons: AI helps you "try on" clothes and products.
➡️ Enhanced Catalogs: More detailed product descriptions and images.

Alibaba plans to inject 50 billion yuan (~$7 billion) in coupons and subsidies to boost demand. It’s the first Singles’ Day where AI plays a central role in every stage of shopping!

Ulta Beauty launches its own marketplace — UB Marketplace

U.S. beauty retailer Ulta Beauty has officially entered e-commerce with the launch of UB Marketplace.
The new platform already features over 100 brands across beauty, skincare, and lifestyle categories.

It blends established and indie labels, creating fresh competition for Amazon and Walmart in the beauty sector.

💡 Insight: Beauty brands are shifting from mass marketplaces to curated ecosystems where they can control pricing, content, and brand image.
📈 “Branded marketplaces” are becoming the next big retail trend.

🔗 💼 Amazon launches “Seller Challenge” — three lifelines for sellers

Amazon introduced a new feature called Seller Challenge, giving sellers three “lifelines” over 180 days — a chance to appeal bans, penalties, or moderation mistakes.

When a seller faces a disputed decision, they can use a lifeline to request a review without losing account status or ranking.

Amazon is softening its image — for the first time, sellers actually get a second chance.
This move could reduce complaints and rebuild trust in the platform.

🧲 Boy Swallows 100 Magnets Bought on Temu — Investigation Launched

In New Zealand, a child was hospitalized after swallowing a hundred magnets purchased from Temu. Local authorities are now investigating the safety of products sold on the marketplace.

🟢 Amazon Launches AI Shopping Assistant

Amazon is rolling out a new feature called “Help Me Decide”, designed to help shoppers make smarter choices using artificial intelligence.

The AI tool will compare products, analyze reviews, and recommend the best options for each user.

Almost every fifth largest brand in 2025 is from retail data Interbrand.

Since 2024 the number of retail in the ranking has decreased from 22 to 19 — Nike, Starbucks, KFC, and Jordan have left. Only UNIQLO has replaced them. The top three remains unchanged:

1. Amazon (third place in the overall standings, +7% to $319.9 billion);

2. McDonald's (9th place, same $53 billion);

3. Louis Vuitton (12th place instead of 11th, -5% to $48.4 billion).

Additionally:

📍Two retailers, Hermes (+18%) and LEGO (+19%), were included in the list of the fastest-growing brands.

📍Gucci (-35%), H&M (-13%), and Dior (-10%) experienced the sharpest decline.

📍 In total, the value increased for 12 brands and decreased for six.

📍Interbrand believes that Burberry, Jordan, KFC, and Starbucks have a good chance of being included in the next ranking.

The evaluation is based on the following factors:

📍 the company's financial performance;

📍the role of the brand in these results;

📍the strength of the brand, as measured by loyalty.

🔗 Amazon holds 43% of global e-commerce traffic — Visual Capitalist report

Amazon remains the world’s largest online marketplace.
According to Visual Capitalist, in 2025 the company accounts for 43% of all global e-commerce website visits, nearly double the share of its closest competitors, eBay and Temu.

The growth is driven by the expansion of Prime membership, the launch of Amazon’s own logistics network in Southeast Asia, and integration with offline retail partners.

Analysts note that Amazon is rapidly transforming into a global infrastructure platform, enabling even competing merchants to use its fulfillment and delivery network.

📈 For sellers: being on Amazon is no longer just a sales channel — it’s becoming part of the entire logistics and customer experience ecosystem.

🔗 European marketplaces strengthen their positions in global trade

A new MarketScreener ranking places four European platforms — Allegro, Zalando, Otto, and Vinted — among the top 10 global marketplaces.

This development reinforces Europe’s standing in cross-border e-commerce, a field long dominated by Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress.

Analysts attribute the success of European players to a focus on regional specialization, localized content, and flexible logistics systems.

💡 For sellers: the European market is becoming increasingly accessible — expansion is now possible not only through global giants but also via localized platforms with loyal audiences.

🤖 Amazon’s Robot Revolution: 750,000 Machines to Replace Tens of Thousands of Workers?

Amazon currently operates over 750,000 robots across its warehouses. Reports suggest that each packaging robot has the potential to replace up to 24 human workers.

As automation accelerates, a pressing question arises — how will corporations address the looming issue of mass unemployment caused by the rapid replacement of human labor with machines?

💥 AliExpress Joins the Global Price War

AliExpress Brand+ has launched a new price-match policy — prices will now be automatically compared with Amazon, Temu, Shein, and eBay.
The platform pledges to maintain the “best price” across thousands of listings.

💡 What this means for sellers: competition in the low-price segment is intensifying. You’ll need to update your pricing more frequently and keep a close eye on discounting rivals.
AliExpress is officially stepping into the global battleground of e-commerce pricing.

Temu and Shein Are Disrupting Germany’s E-Commerce Market

According to the EHI Retail Institute, Temu and Shein are rapidly capturing the German e-commerce market.
Temu’s revenue nearly quadrupled to €3.4 billion, while Shein jumped from 18th to 7th place with €1.1 billion in sales.

No Western marketplace has shown comparable momentum. Both Chinese platforms leverage ultra-low pricing, TikTok-style marketing, and lightning-fast adaptation to local trends.
📉 Experts warn this could pressure domestic brands and accelerate consolidation among mid-tier players.

🚀 Amazon, Temu, and Shein Gain Over a Million New Shoppers in One Year

A recent Roy Morgan study shows that Amazon and Temu each added around 1 million new users, while Shein gained about 600,000 within the last 12 months.

This growth comes from aggressive marketing, massive product expansion, and faster logistics.
Amazon strengthens its ecosystem through Prime Video and AI-driven recommendations, Temu wins with ultra-low pricing, and Shein keeps pushing influencer collaborations.

💡 For sellers, this signals a new wave of traffic across major global platforms. Now’s the time to test cross-border listings and adapt product cards for English-speaking audiences.

🌍 Global Marketplaces Are on Track to Hit $1 Trillion by 2030

According to Dojo Business, the global online marketplace sector is valued at $580 billion in 2024 and could surpass $1.06 trillion by 2030.

Growth is being driven by the rapid expansion of ecosystems like Amazon, Temu, and Alibaba — as well as the integration of AI tools for analytics, inventory, and ad management.
Experts say marketplaces are evolving into a standalone industry growing faster than traditional e-commerce.

📊 For sellers, this means rising competition, higher standards for content quality and data speed, and that international expansion will soon shift from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have.”

💰 Temu Offers $1,000 Bonuses to Attract U.S. Retailers
Temu is on the offensive — the platform is offering generous payouts to intermediaries to bring U.S. retailers on board. This move comes amid rising tariffs and efforts to strengthen its presence in Western markets.

💡 What this means for sellers:
Temu is actively seeking new partners — joining the platform may become easier.
Higher import tariffs are pushing platforms to localize supply chains — a chance for manufacturers and wholesalers.
Consider Temu as an additional sales channel alongside Amazon or eBay.

📦 Amazon to Raise Fulfillment Fees Starting January 2026
Beginning January 15, 2026,

Amazon will increase the cost of storage and delivery through FBA. The reason? Rising tariffs, higher logistics costs, and regulatory pressure.

💡 What sellers should know:
Recalculate your cost structure and margins now.
Consider switching to FBM or a hybrid model to stay flexible.
Focus on lightweight, fast-moving products to minimize profit loss.

🟡 Amazon: Striking Back at Temu and Shein

💥 Amazon is officially launching a budget marketplace that many are already calling the “anti-Temu.” The platform — currently being tested under the Bazaar and Haul brands — offers ultra-cheap products from Asian suppliers.

Why is Amazon doing this?
📦 To stop losing price-sensitive shoppers migrating to Temu and Shein.
🌍 And to win back Gen Z — the audience obsessed with trends and “haul content.”
🔍 Interestingly, this is one of the first times Amazon has so openly mirrored the strategy of its Chinese rivals.

💡 Even giants are now playing by the rules of “cheap fun.” If you’re a seller — it’s time to rethink your product mix for this new era of smart shopping.

🧨 SHEIN Scandal: Investigation Over “18+ Dolls”

SHEIN is once again under fire — French authorities have launched an investigation into the sale of adult dolls that allegedly resemble children. The reputational crisis could deal a serious blow to the brand.

💡 What sellers should know:
A brand’s reputation can directly affect its partners — make sure your product range raises no red flags with marketplaces.
New content moderation rules and category filters may soon follow.
If you work with Asian suppliers, double-check product compliance and category alignment.

🛒 Etsy Announces CEO Change and Predicts a Decline in Active Sellers

Etsy has announced that starting January 1, 2026, Kruti Patel Goyal will become the new CEO, while current head Josh Silverman will transition into the role of Executive Chair. The company also reported a drop in the number of active sellers and expects softer sales growth moving forward.

Takeaway for sellers:
Management changes often signal strategic shifts — it's worth monitoring upcoming updates to platform policies and seller conditions.