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Amazon Brand Verification, AI Shopping Agents, Walmart Drone Delivery, and the New eCommerce Growth Gap · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Selling on Giants.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Mr.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Will, and this week we are looking at a set of updates that all point to the same uncomfortable truth.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: E-commerce is still growing, but the operating environment is getting more demanding.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is tightening trust and identity verification.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: AI is becoming the new layer between customers and products.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is turning fulfillment into infrastructure.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Google wants more of the checkout experience.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Meta is opening the door for AI-driven ad operations.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: And through all of it, consumers are still spending, but they are asking harder questions before they buy.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: That is the real theme this week.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Growth is still there, but it is not being handed out evenly.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: The next phase belongs to brands that are cleaner, faster, more trustworthy, and more durable than the competition.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Not louder, not busier, not the brand with the most dashboards and the most meetings, the brand with the best operating system.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with Amazon, because the first two updates are not flashy, but they matter more than sellers want to admit.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon opened up more public guidance around brand registry enrollment rejections, appeals, and trademark verification.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: On paper, this looks like a QA about application issues.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: In practice, it is another reminder that brand registry is no longer an administrative checkbox.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: It is foundational marketplace infrastructure.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon outlined the common reasons applications get rejected.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: The trademark is not active, pending, or properly registered.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: The brand name does not exactly match the trademark record.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: The applicant is not properly affiliated with the trademark owner.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: There are account health concerns, there are email associations with blocked accounts, product images do not show the brand permanently affixed to the product or packaging.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: The verification code goes to the trademark correspondent on file and does not get submitted within the required window.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: None of that sounds complicated until you are the seller with an active trademark, valid documentation, and three generic rejection emails that tell you absolutely nothing useful.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: That is where the seller frustration is coming from.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: The published policy is one thing, the actual experience is another.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And for agencies, this matters because brand registry delays can stall an entire Amazon launch.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Without brand registry, you lose access to A content, brand stores, sponsored brands, brand analytics, report of violation tools, and many of the protection features that make the account easier to defend.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you are launching a brand, cleaning up a catalog, protecting intellectual property, or trying to build a real presence on Amazon, brand registry is the gate.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: If that gate gets stuck, everything behind it slows down.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: The operator takeaway is simple.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Treat brand registry like a launch critical work stream, not like paperwork someone can finish after the listing is built.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Before you apply, verify that the trademark spelling matches exactly, including spaces, punctuation, and capitalization.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Confirm the trademark correspondent is reachable.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure branding is permanently printed or affixed to the product or packaging.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Review account health, prepare ownership, manufacturing, and sourcing documentation in advance.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever possible, have the trademark owner submit the application directly.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: This connects cleanly to Amazon's updated identity verification guidance.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is reminding sellers to complete identity verification accurately and quickly, and the common delay reasons are painfully familiar.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Blurry documents, cropped IDs, name mismatches, expired documentation, bank statements older than 90 days, incomplete submissions, business records that do not match the account, beneficial owner information that is outdated or inconsistent.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Again, this looks like onboarding advice.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: It is not.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: This is marketplace trust infrastructure.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is tightening know your customer standards, anti-fraud controls, beneficial ownership verification, business legitimacy reviews, and cross-account linkage checks.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Sellers still treat identity verification like an admin task.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon increasingly treats it like a trust and compliance requirement.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: That becomes especially important during account changes, new LLC formation, EIN changes, ownership updates after acquisitions, primary contact changes, banking changes, international expansion, and address changes can all trigger additional review.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: A seller may think they are making a simple update, but Amazon may see a risk signal that needs verification.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: The brands that maintain clean legal, financial, and ownership records are going to move faster.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: The brands scrambling to find documentation after Amazon asks for it are going to lose time.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: And on Amazon, lost time usually becomes lost sales.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is not glamorous work, but clean records are becoming a competitive advantage.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: If your business information, tax records, bank details, licenses, and ownership documentation are scattered across inboxes and old Dropbox folders, you are not organized.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: You are waiting for Amazon to make the mess expensive.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's shift from Amazon compliance into the bigger AI commerce story because this week we have several updates that all say the same thing in different ways.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: The future battleground may not be the search results page.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: It may be the AI agent making the recommendation before the customer ever visits a website.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: AdWeek covered the rise of a genetic advertising and commerce protocols where AI agents can discover products, compare options, access inventory, evaluate pricing, make recommendations, and potentially complete transactions on behalf of consumers.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds futuristic until you connect it with what we have been seeing across the industry.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: OpenAI is moving into product feed ads inside ChatGPT.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: Google is expanding commerce protocols and building more shopping infrastructure.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Shopify is telling merchants to think about AI search discoverability.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is shifting attention toward Alexa-powered shopping agents.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Meta is opening its ad ecosystem to third-party AI tools.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is no longer a thought experiment.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: The industry is building the plumbing.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Historically, brands optimize for search engines, marketplaces, social platforms, product pages, websites, and shopping carts.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: The next layer is AI agents.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of a shopper typing best protein powder for recovery, an AI agent may research the options, compare reviews, check pricing, review availability, and recommend a product based on the shopper's preferences.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually, that agent may complete the purchase too.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: That changes what matters.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: AI agents do not understand beautiful branding the same way humans do.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: They rely on structured data, product attributes, specifications, pricing, availability, reviews, taxonomy, fulfillment signals, and trust indicators.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: If your product data is messy, incomplete, inconsistent, or hard to interpret, you are making your product harder for machines to recommend.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is where sellers need to get serious.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Product feeds are becoming what SEO was 10 years ago.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Feed quality, structured attributes, accurate inventory, clean taxonomy, strong product information, and consistent catalog data across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, Google Merchant Center, and retail media systems are going to matter more.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: The brands that treat feeds like back office maintenance are going to struggle when those feeds become the source material for AI shopping recommendations.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: The same logic applies to Google's new universal shopping cart functionality.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Google announced a unified shopping cart experience that allows consumers to add products from multiple merchants into one Google shopping cart.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: On the surface, that sounds like convenience.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Underneath, it signals something much bigger.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Google does not want to be only the discovery layer.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Google wants more influence over the transaction layer.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Historically, the flow was simple.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: A consumer searched, Google sent traffic, the merchant owned the website and checkout.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: That line is blurring.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Google has shopping graph, merchant center, AI search, product feeds, commerce protocols, and now more cart functionality.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: OpenAI wants commerce inside ChatGPT.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon wants Alexa to become a shopping agent.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Meta wants AI embedded into advertising and discovery.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone is trying to own the decision layer between the consumer and the transaction.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: For brands, this creates a real strategic issue.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: The more commerce moves into aggregated interfaces, AI assistance, and universal carts, the less control individual merchants have over the customer journey.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: That does not mean owned websites stop mattering, but it does mean product feed quality, pricing accuracy, availability data, merchant trust, and conversion friction matter more.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: If Google is making the cart easier, your job is to make sure your product is eligible, accurate, available, competitive, and trustworthy enough to be included in the decision.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Meta's update fits this same pattern from the advertising side.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Meta is opening its ad ecosystem to third-party AI tools, allowing outside platforms to integrate more deeply into campaign creation, optimization, audience management, creative workflows, performance analysis, and campaign operations.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: This is another signal that ad platforms are shifting from tools to autonomous systems.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: The old world of advertising was more manual.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Advertisers controlled targeting, bids, audience segmentation, budget pacing, creative testing, and placement decisions.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: The new world is increasingly machine driven.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: AI handles more of the execution, and the operator's job moves upstream.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Strategy, creative direction, offer development, product prioritization, data interpretation, and cross-channel orchestration become more valuable than button pushing.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: That is uncomfortable for agencies that built their value around manual optimization.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: If the platform can automate more of the mechanics, then the agency has to bring sharper judgment.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Where should the client invest?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: What products deserve budget?
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: What creative angle should be tested?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: What does the data actually mean?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: When should we scale?
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: When should we protect margin?
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: When is the platform optimizing toward a metric that is not actually good for the business?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Automation does not remove the need for operators, it removes the hiding places for weak operators.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is where I want to pause for a second because this shift is exactly why Bellovic is focused on more than campaign management.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: The work is not just launching ads, adjusting bids, or optimizing listings.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: That work matters, but the bigger value is knowing how to interpret what the marketplace is telling us and turn complexity into a clear plan.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Bellivix has helped brands sell over$500 million on Amazon, and we are a verified ad partner.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: But the badge is not the point.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: The point is execution with judgment.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: AI tools, retail media platforms, Amazon systems, Walmart infrastructure, product feeds, catalog data, and marketplace compliance are all becoming more connected.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Brands do not need more disconnected tactics.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: They need an operating plan that understands how these pieces work together.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: If your team is trying to grow across Amazon, Walmart, and emerging commerce channels, and the complexity is starting to outrun the structure underneath it, visit Belovics.com.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's move into the consumer side because McKinsey's latest state of the US consumer research reinforces something operators are already feeling.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Consumers are still spending, but they are becoming much more intentional.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: The consumer has not disappeared.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: The consumer has become harder to win.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: That distinction matters because a lot of brands misread weak conversion.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: They assume consumers are not buying.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: In reality, consumers may still be buying, but they are asking harder questions.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Is this worth the money?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Is the quality obvious?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Do I trust the brand?
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a cheaper alternative?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Does the product solve the problem better?
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Do the reviews support the claim?
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Is the convenience worth the price?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Consumers are looking for value, but value does not always mean cheapest.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: That is the trap.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Value means the purchase feels smart.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: A premium product can still win if the quality, durability, outcome, convenience, and trust are clear.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: But if the value proposition is vague, the shopper has every reason to compare, delay, or switch.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Brand loyalty is also becoming more fragile.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Consumers are more willing to try alternatives, test private label products, compare options, and trade between brands depending on the category.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: That means brands have to keep earning attention and trust.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: You do not get to coast on old loyalty when every platform is making comparison easier.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: For e-commerce operators, this should push work into positioning, conversion optimization, creative messaging retention, review quality, and margin protection.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Advertising alone cannot solve weak value perception.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: More traffic will not fix a product page that does not explain why the product is worth buying.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: A bigger discount will not fix a brand that has trained customers to wait for deals.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: And a polished ad will not fix a product that does not feel meaningfully different from the next option.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: This connects to Target's World Cup event tour, which is less about soccer and more about attention.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: Target is using the upcoming FIFA World Cup to create fan experiences in four US cities.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: And while that sounds like a retail activation, it reflects a bigger trend.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Retailers are becoming media and lifestyle platforms.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: They are not only fighting for transactions, they are fighting for cultural relevance.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: The World Cup is going to generate massive attention across sports media, streaming, social platforms, retail promotions, and brand sponsorships.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Target wants to be part of that attention economy.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: That matters for sellers because major cultural moments create demand spikes in categories like sporting goods, food and beverage, party supplies, apparel, home entertainment, electronics, outdoor products, and anything tied to gatherings and fandom.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: The brands that prepare early usually outperform the brands reacting once the demand is already visible.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: That means promotional calendars, retail media campaigns, inventory planning, creative refreshes, and product positioning should happen before the event, not while everyone is already searching.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then there is Walmart, which announced it has surpassed 1 million drone deliveries.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of sellers will roll their eyes at that and call it a PR headline.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Fair enough, but the real story is not drones.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: The real story is last mile infrastructure.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart has been investing heavily in store fulfillment, same-day delivery, Walmart Plus, marketplace expansion, local inventory positioning, retail media, and alternative delivery models.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: Drone delivery is one piece of a broader strategy.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is using its physical footprint to compete against Amazon's convenience advantage.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Stores are becoming warehouses, pickup hubs, delivery nodes, inventory staging locations, and local fulfillment engines.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: That changes how brands should think about Walmart.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: The question is not whether drones become the dominant delivery method tomorrow.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: They probably will not.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: The question is how quickly Walmart can reduce distance, reduce friction, and make convenience part of the product experience.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Delivery speed and reliability are becoming product features.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: Customers do not evaluate only the item anymore.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: They evaluate whether they can get it quickly, reliably, and with minimal friction.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: This connects directly to the U.S.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: Census Bureau's Q1 e-commerce sales report.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: US e-commerce sales reached$326.7 billion in Q1 2026, up 2.7% quarter over quarter and 9.8% year over year.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Total retail sales reached$1.93 trillion, growing 1.5% quarter over quarter and 3.9% year over year.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: E-commerce accounted for 16.9% of all US retail sales, up from 16% a year ago.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: That is one of the most important data points in this whole update.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: E-commerce grew 9.8% while total retail grew 3.9%.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: The consumer may be more selective, but online commerce is still taking share from traditional retail.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Growth has normalized, but the channel continues expanding faster than the rest of retail.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: So the question is not whether e-commerce matters.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: That question is settled.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: The better question is whether your brand is growing faster than the market.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: If e-commerce is growing nearly 10% and your brand is growing 5%, you may be growing on paper, but you are losing share.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: That is the kind of uncomfortable math operators need to look at honestly.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: The opportunity remains substantial, but competition keeps intensifying.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: The brands capturing growth are usually executing better on advertising, conversion, inventory management, product differentiation, retention, and operational discipline.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: The pie is growing, but not every brand gets a bigger slice by default.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: When you connect all of this together, the pattern is clear.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is tightening brand and identity verification because trust is becoming infrastructure.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: AI agents and commerce protocols are changing how products get discovered, compared, and purchased.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Google wants more control over the cart.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: Meta is pushing ads toward AI-assisted operations.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: Consumers are still spending, but they are more selective.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Target is using cultural moments to build relevance.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is investing in last mile convenience.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Census data shows e-commerce is still taking share from traditional retail.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: The next phase of e-commerce will not be won by brands that only chase traffic.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: It will be won by brands that are easier to trust, easier to understand, easier to fulfill, easier for AI systems to interpret, and easier for customers to justify buying.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: That means clean documentation, clean product data, stronger creative, better value communication, better feed management, better fulfillment, better margin discipline, better channel strategy, less chaos pretending to be growth.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: The edge is not in hacks.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: It is in execution, clean systems, and fast decisions.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode helped you connect the dots, share it with someone on your team or another operator trying to make sense of where commerce is heading.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are getting value from the show, take a second to leave a review so more sellers can find Selling on Giants and stay ahead of what is actually changing.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Mr.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Will here signing off from Selling on Giants.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Let's keep building.