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Amazon Passkeys Are Becoming Mandatory: What Sellers Must Fix Before Q4 · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Picture this.
• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: It is 8 o'clock on the morning of October 6th.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon's first major deal drop is live.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Target launches its competing event.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is already one day into a week of promotions, and the person responsible for your Amazon advertising discovers that the team's shared seller central login no longer works.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: That is not a cybersecurity edge case.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: That is a Q4 revenue problem.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Will, host of the Selling on Giants podcast, where we break down what is changing across e-commerce and what marketplace operators should actually do about it.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This week, seller central access is changing just as the biggest retailers collide over October demand.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Consumers are still spending, but financing and fulfillment are getting more expensive.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: And Amazon's fight with Meta is showing us who intends to control AI shopping.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with Access, because Amazon's passkey rollout is about to expose every business still treating one shared password as an account management system.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is notifying sellers that pass keys will begin becoming mandatory on a rolling account specific basis in late September.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Once the requirement reaches an account, regular sign-in moves away from passwords and toward a fingerprint, facial recognition, or device pin.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Passwords remain available for recovery, but they are no longer the normal way into the account.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon recommends registering pass keys on at least two devices, but the larger change is that a pass key is tied to a user and a device.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: It is not designed to become the new credential everyone shares.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: If an employee, agency partner, contractor, or virtual assistant still signs in through the primary account, that workaround is reaching the end of the road.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Each person needs an individual secondary user account, their own pass key, and permissions that match the work they actually perform.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Handle this as an immediate Q4 access audit.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: List everyone who touches each account, replace shared credentials with named users, confirm the recovery process, and register a backup device for the owner.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Then test advertising, inventory, customer service, payments, and account health.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Do not wait for Amazon to activate the requirement and discover during an escalation that the only person who can recover the account is on vacation.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Access governance just became revenue protection.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: That timing matters because October 6th is becoming one of the most crowded shopping days on the calendar.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days runs October 6th and 7th.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Target Circle Deal Days runs on the same two dates with Select Early Access beginning October 5th.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart starts its event on October 5th and continues through October 11th.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Three major retailers are going after the same customer, promotional dollars and inventory.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is also changing the event's rhythm.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: New deal drops arrive at midnight, eight in the morning, and one in the afternoon Pacific time.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Alexa for Shopping can monitor prices and automatically purchase selected items when they reach a customer's target.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: That creates multiple demand windows instead of one opening rush.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Brands need pacing rules that account for the full day, not a campaign that spends half its budget before breakfast on the West Coast.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon also extended its Prime Big Deal Days deal submission window through September 22nd.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you're listening on release day, that deadline is today.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon says event pricing will not count against the 30-day and 60-day pricing look back used for Black Friday week and Cyber Monday eligibility.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: That flexibility is useful, but Prime Big Deal Days does not replace Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or December demand.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Make the operator decisions before traffic arrives.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Assign inventory by channel.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Choose the products receiving the deepest discounts, set each marketplace budget, and protect enough stock and margin for the rest of Q4.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Once the event begins, the brand that already made those decisions has an advantage over the brand trying to rebuild its plan from hourly sales reports.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: The broader economy is giving operators another reason to plan conservatively.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: August retail and food service sales reached an estimated$773.9 billion.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: That was up 1.2% from July and 6% from August of last year.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: The consumer is still spending.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: But the Census Bureau's sales figure is not adjusted for price changes.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Part of that growth can come from customers paying more, not necessarily buying more units.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: On the same day, the Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate range by one quarter point, bringing it to 3.75% through 4%.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: It was the first increase in three years, and the Fed says inflation remains elevated.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: For marketplace brands, those reports belong together.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Revenue may look healthy while unit growth, financing costs, and contribution margin tell a weaker story.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Inventory loans cost more, excess inventory costs more, and the customer may still expect a discount.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Stress test the holiday plan for flatter unit growth, deeper competitive discounts, and elevated inventory carrying costs into next year.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Track units, average selling price, conversion, and contribution margin separately.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Q4 does not need a collapse in demand to disappoint.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: It can miss the profit plan simply because the cost of serving that demand rises faster than sales.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: If your team is trying to connect advertising, catalog, inventory, compliance, and profitability while the rules keep moving, that is where Belovics comes in.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: We have helped brands sell more than$500 million on Amazon, and Bellovic is a verified ad partner.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Our focus is hands-on strategy that turns marketplace complexity into a clear operating plan your team can actually execute.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can learn more at Bellovics.com.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Two shorter operational updates reinforce that same margin pressure.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: First, FedEx's new international demand surcharges took effect September 21st.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: US bound shipments from Canada, Europe, China, Hong Kong, India, and other markets now carry added per pound charges.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: A 40-pound shipment from China can pick up more than$20 before fuel and other fees.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Review every international shipment by origin, service level, and chargeable weight before approving an emergency replenishment.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: The fastest option may protect inventory availability while quietly eliminating the profit from the units being rushed in.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Second, Amazon is putting Quebec's French language requirements directly in front of sellers.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is not a new law or enforcement date.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: It is a reminder that compliance extends beyond the detail page to the product, packaging, instructions, inserts, and safety information.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: A translated listing does not fix an English-only box.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Before printing a large packaging run or sending more Canadian inventory, verify that French appears where required and with the proper prominence.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's zoom out because the most important long-term story this week is a fight over who gets to stand between the customer and the marketplace.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon blocked Meta's new Muse AI agent from shopping on Amazon.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon says the agent accessed its store without authorization, failed to identify itself properly, and created concerns around customer credentials.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Meta has said Muse cannot access sensitive login or payment information.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: There is no new seller central policy here, and sellers do not need to change a listing today.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: But the strategic issue is much bigger than one blocked bot.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: AI agents want to research products, compare options, and complete purchases.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Marketplaces want control over their catalogs, customer relationships, advertising, attribution, and checkout.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Whoever controls that layer can influence which products enter consideration before the shopper visits a product page.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sellers cannot control the negotiation between Amazon and Meta, but they can reduce dependence on one closed discovery system.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: Keep product information consistent across Amazon, your direct-to-consumer site, approved retail feeds, and other marketplaces.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure an external agent can understand the product without scraping one Amazon listing.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Pinterest's announcement this week shows where the opportunity is heading.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: The platform is introducing visual search ads that allow eligible advertisers to bid for placement in visual search results and pin close-ups.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Pinterest says its users conduct more than 80 billion searches each month.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Most of them visual and more than half carry commercial intent.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: The product image can now become the search query, matching signal and advertising inventory all at once.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: But there is a warning underneath all this AI expansion.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: SiteCourse surveyed more than 4,000 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Among Gen Z respondents, 83% believe AI can be beneficial when used responsibly.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: At the same time, 74% say they can identify AI-generated content, and 89% believe brands need to improve digital authenticity.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Nearly 70% say they have reduced engagement, switched brands, or stopped using a brand after an experience felt untrustworthy, inconsistent, or inauthentic.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: That does not mean brands should stop using AI.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: It means AI needs a real job.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Use it to help customers find the right product, understand reviews, compare options, get accurate inventory information, or solve a routine service issue faster.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Do not use it to flood the catalog with generic copy, unnatural imagery, unsupported claims, or automated answers that send customers in circles.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Before Q4 peaks, conduct a trust audit.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Review AI-assisted copy and creative, test promotions at checkout, verify delivery promises, preserve real customer proof, and give shoppers a route to a human when automation fails.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: The competitive advantage will not come from producing the most AI content.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: It will come from using AI at scale without making the customer experience feel manufactured.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: This week's stories all point to the same operating reality.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Access is becoming individual.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Holiday demand is becoming more compressed.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Revenue is becoming more expensive to finance and fulfill.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Product discovery is moving beyond keywords, and customer trust is becoming harder to recover once automation gets it wrong.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: The brands that win Q4 will not be the ones reacting fastest to every headline.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: They will be the ones that make the important decisions before the pressure arrives.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode helped you think differently about the week ahead, follow Selling on Giants, subscribe wherever you listen, and leave a review.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: It helps more marketplace operators find the show, and I genuinely appreciate the support.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Will, signing off from Selling on Giants.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Keep the account secure, protect the margin, and keep moving forward.