Latest / Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast / Walmart Lets AI Shop, Amazon Extends Black Friday & UPS Hikes Rates

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Walmart Lets AI Shop, Amazon Extends Black Friday & UPS Hikes Rates · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is preparing to let artificial intelligence shop for its customers.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon just extended its Black Friday deal deadline without giving sellers more time to get inventory into fulfillment centers.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: And UPS is raising shipping rates right in the middle of the holiday season.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, Amazon may be testing something we haven't seen before: real-time conversations between sellers and customers, potentially changing how brands handle questions before somebody makes a purchase.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: There's a common thread running through all of this.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: The platforms are making shopping more convenient, but they're also shifting more responsibility onto the brands selling through them.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: And with consumers becoming more selective about where they spend their money, that responsibility is getting expensive.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Will, and welcome back to Selling on Giants, where we break down what's changing across e-commerce and what it actually means for the people running these businesses.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with Walmart, because I think its latest artificial intelligence announcement tells us quite a bit about how the next generation of online shopping might work.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart announced something called Agent Profiles, along with a new agent gateway designed to let outside artificial intelligence assistants shop directly on behalf of customers.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: The concept is straightforward.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: A customer could authorize an AI assistant to make purchases, set spending limits of$50,$100, or$200, and review which purchases the assistant makes.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart also says these agents won't receive customers' credit card information, and they'll see the same prices ordinary shoppers see.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart plans to launch agent profiles within about a month, while the gateway is still preparing for a developer beta.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: So we're not talking about a fully operational shopping channel that sellers need to optimize tomorrow.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I think the bigger development is Walmart's philosophy toward artificial intelligence.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon has generally taken a more restrictive approach toward outside shopping agents accessing its platform.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is moving in a different direction by establishing rules for how those agents can interact with its marketplace.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: And here's why that matters for sellers.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: For years, we've focused on optimizing listings for the customer browsing a product detail page.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Strong titles, compelling imagery, relevant keywords, and persuasive content all help shoppers make purchasing decisions.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: But artificial intelligence doesn't necessarily browse the same way a human does.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: It needs to interpret product attributes, pricing, availability, compatibility, and delivery promises before deciding which products deserve a recommendation.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart's marketplace leadership has already acknowledged that this could create opportunities for lesser-known brands, but only if their product information is good enough for these systems to understand.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's an important distinction.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: An AI assistant doesn't care how much your brand spent developing its packaging or how impressive your brand story sounds.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: It needs reliable information to determine whether your product actually solves the customer's problem.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: If your catalog has incomplete attributes, inconsistent variation information, or inaccurate inventory, you're potentially making it harder for the next generation of shoppers to discover your products.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: My recommendation isn't to run out and buy another artificial intelligence optimization platform.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's to get the fundamentals right first.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Clean up your catalog, understand the questions customers ask, and make sure your product information supports an accurate recommendation.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because the brands that already struggle with basic catalog management aren't suddenly going to become better operators because artificial intelligence enters the picture.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: And interestingly, while Walmart is looking at how agents interact with shoppers, Amazon may be experimenting with giving sellers a more direct way to communicate with customers themselves.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: I shared something on LinkedIn this week after spotting an enable real-time chat option inside Amazon Seller Central's buyer messages section.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: The feature was marked as a beta, and another seller independently reported seeing the same option.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Amazon hasn't officially announced a broader rollout, so we don't know which accounts qualify, how customers initiate conversations, or what response time expectations might come with the feature.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: But think about the opportunity if this develops into a meaningful shopping tool.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: A customer considering an expensive product might have a question about compatibility, sizing, or functionality.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Being able to answer that question immediately could eliminate enough uncertainty to help complete the purchase.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: The challenge is that live chat also creates a staffing expectation.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: If your team isn't prepared to respond quickly, turning on another communication channel could create more operational problems than it solves.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'd watch this one closely, but I wouldn't rush to enable it without understanding how the support process works.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that balance between convenience and operational responsibility becomes even more important as we move toward Black Friday.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart just announced 14 days of promotional events this holiday season, compared with 10 days last year.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Its early Black Friday event runs November 12th through the 15th, followed by another event from November 23rd through the 29th, and Cyber Monday promotions extending through December 2nd.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: TikTok Shop is running its own Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign from November 11th through November 30th.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, Amazon has extended its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal sourcing window to November 13th, giving sellers additional time beyond the original October 20th deadline.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: And here's where I think some brands are going to make a mistake.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon extending the promotional deadline doesn't mean it's extending the inventory deadline.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: The October 28th recommended arrival deadline for FBA inventory using Amazon optimized shipment splits hasn't moved.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's Wednesday, and sellers are already operating against a very tight fulfillment calendar.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's also some ambiguity around which deal types qualify for the extension.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon's notice specifically discusses prime exclusive discounts, so sellers need to check their own deals dashboard rather than assuming every lightning deal or promotional opportunity remains available.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: More importantly, we need to stop assuming that more promotional days automatically translate into more profitable sales.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Consumer sentiment remains weak, and holiday forecasts are pointing in different directions.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Some researchers expect modest retail growth, while others anticipate declining spending.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: That tells me customers are still looking for value, but we shouldn't assume every category is going to experience the same increase in demand.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you're discounting products in early November, participating in Black Friday, and running additional Cyber Monday promotions, you're potentially competing for the same customer's wallet several times.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, Amazon's peak fulfillment fees are already active.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Add promotional fees, advertising costs, and discounting, and a campaign that looks successful on the sales dashboard might contribute very little to the bottom line.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: My position is pretty simple.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: A longer holiday season isn't permission to discount your products for 30 straight days.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's an opportunity to be more deliberate about when you promote, which products you prioritize, and where your inventory generates the best return.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: This is one of the challenges we help brands work through at Bellovics.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: We've helped brands sell over$500 million on Amazon.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: And as a verified ad partner, our focus is connecting advertising, inventory, catalog strategy, and marketplace operations into a plan that actually makes financial sense.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of brands don't need more dashboards or another campaign recommendation.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: They need experienced people who can prioritize the right decisions and execute consistently across the account.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's the hands-on approach we take, and you can learn more at Bellovics.com.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, speaking of protecting margins, shipping costs are about to become another major consideration.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: UPS announced an average rate increase of 5.9% beginning December 21st, affecting ground, air, and international services.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: FedEx is planning a similar average increase beginning January 4th.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: But the headline percentage doesn't tell the entire story.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: UPS is also changing certain delivery area surcharges, shipping zone classifications, and the minimum billable weight for packages requiring additional handling.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Small business rate schedules are changing as well, and there are additional fuel and package surcharges to consider.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: The actual increase a seller experiences could look very different from that average 5.9%.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: If you're shipping lightweight products to nearby customers, your exposure may be relatively manageable.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're shipping heavier products, operating across several fulfillment locations, or serving customers in expensive delivery zones, your costs could move considerably more.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: And here's something I want sellers to remember.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Shipping is not a fixed expense just because your fulfillment partner gives you a rate sheet.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Your actual shipping expense depends on package dimensions, weight, delivery distance, carrier selection, and increasingly complicated surcharge structures.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart has been expanding its approved carrier network and recently added UPS groundsaver rates to ship with Walmart for eligible lightweight parcels.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: That gives sellers more options, but switching carriers solely because the label is cheaper can become an expensive decision if delivery performance suffers.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'd be comparing actual shipping invoices against projected rates and looking at which products or delivery zones create the biggest exposure.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't adjusted your fulfillment model for peak season and upcoming rate increases, your profitability forecast is probably optimistic.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: And while we're talking about the cost of delivering orders, Amazon is also making headlines around the cost of getting those products back.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: A seller-shared Amazon notice indicates that starting December 18th, most eligible seller-fulfilled returns in the United States will require prepaid return labels, with exceptions for heavy and bulky products.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I want to be careful with this one because the original notice has been circulating through seller forums and sellers are debating what actually changes.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Prepaid return labels are already a normal part of Amazon's seller-fulfilled return process.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: The open question is whether Amazon is eliminating certain address-only return options and how sellers will handle the cost of shipping on buyer-faulted returns.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Until Amazon clarifies the requirements, I wouldn't make major policy changes based on forum interpretations.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Review the notice inside your own seller central account and make sure your return process is prepared.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: What we do know is that Amazon has made its extended holiday return window a permanent annual policy.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: For this season, most qualifying purchases made from November 1st through December 31st can be returned through January 31st.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's important because the sale might happen in November, but the financial impact of the return could arrive months later.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you're evaluating fourth quarter profitability without accounting for expected returns, you're not looking at the complete picture.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: And before we wrap up, I want to share something interesting from TikTok Shop that illustrates how established retailers are adapting to this environment.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: QVC, the television shopping company that's been demonstrating products for decades, is now producing approximately 200 hours of live content every week on TikTok.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: What's interesting isn't simply the amount of content.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's how differently QVC approaches selling on the platform.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Traditional television segments might spend seven or eight minutes explaining a product.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: On TikTok, the company is working with much shorter hooks, faster demonstrations, and hosts specifically trained for that audience.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: QVC also evaluates metrics like click-through rates and click-to-order rates rather than focusing entirely on revenue from individual live streams.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lesson here for brands investing in creators and social commerce.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: The objective isn't to find somebody with a large audience and hope they generate sales, it's to understand which content actually moves a customer from interest to purchase and then create more of what works.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: If a creator consistently converts customers, I would rather invest in developing that relationship and producing repeatable content than continuously send products to new creators without understanding the return.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: QVC might be one of the oldest names in home shopping, but it's showing that the fundamentals of selling still matter, even when the technology and audience change.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really the theme of this week's news.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart wants artificial intelligence to help customers shop.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is experimenting with more direct customer communication.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: TikTok is extending the shopping season, and carriers continue raising the cost of getting products delivered.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Every platform is working to make commerce faster and more convenient, but none of that eliminates the responsibility brands have to manage their operations, understand their margins, and deliver on their promises.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: The brands that win aren't necessarily the ones adopting every new feature first.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: They're the ones that know which opportunities are worth pursuing and have the discipline to execute without losing control of the business.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I've got for you this week.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you're getting value from selling on Giants, make sure you're subscribed and consider leaving us a rating or review.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: It helps more marketplace operators discover the show, and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to support us.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Will, and this is Selling on Giants.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your teams focused, protect your margins, and let's finish the fourth quarter with purpose.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'll catch you next week.