Latest / Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast / Amazon’s Star-Only Ratings Backfire, Walmart Courts Collectors, and TikTok Hits the Mall

Transcript

Amazon’s Star-Only Ratings Backfire, Walmart Courts Collectors, and TikTok Hits the Mall · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Selling on Giants, e-commerce news and updates for the week of August 5th.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Will, host of the Selling on Giants podcast.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Every week I break down what's happening across Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't have to scroll through forums or decode vague press releases.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into it.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon seller feedback update, star ratings, no context, no appeal.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: We're starting with a seller bombshell, straight from the forums.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon is introducing star-only seller feedback.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: As of August 4th, customers can rate you with stars, no comments.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: That means no explanation, no way to know if it's about the product, the shipping, or their mood that day.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: FBA sellers are furious.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: One post reads, This is terrible.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: 100% of my negative feedback was due to FBA delivery issues.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Those used to be removed.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm stuck.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the kicker.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: If a customer leaves fewer than four stars with no comment, you can't even appeal it.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: The feedback manager literally disables the button.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon says they'll auto-suppress irrelevant ratings, but ask anyone who's filed a case lately.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Trusting the bot is like trusting your cat to file taxes.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: So what can you do about this update?
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Watch your feedback manager, flag weird patterns fast, and if your merchant fulfilled, keep receipts.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be a ride.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, Walmart is throwing a party for collectors.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Let's change gears.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart just showed up at the National Sports Collectors Convention, a major flex in the collectible space.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: They featured heavyweights like Dave and Adams, Hit Parade, and Golden.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't grocery aisle inventory, it's high-value, authenticated goods, and Walmart wants in.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The takeaway?
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is curating verticals, and if you're in trading cards, memorabilia, or niche collectibles, this is a real opening.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Online now, omnichannel later.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: Back to Amazon and back to chaos.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Handmade sellers crushed by silent reclassification.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Sticker sellers in handmade got blindsided last week.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Listings that once ranked in handmade decorative stickers were randomly shoved into categories like mailboxes or scrapbooking, traffic vanished, BSR wiped, no warning.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: One seller said, This is the worst week I've had in seven years.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: I went from 15 sales a day to zero.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the fix: download your category listing report.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Open a case, but don't say handmade.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Just say it's the wrong category.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Ask for a catalog specialist.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Remap to the next best viable category.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And monitor this weekly moving forward.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because once a listing is misfiled, Amazon's bots will keep reinforcing the mistake.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Quick sidebar, because if you're trying to make sense of all this, that's literally what we do.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: At Bellavics we've helped brands sell over$500 million on Amazon.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: We're a verified ad partner and we specialize in hands-on growth strategies that turn marketplace chaos into clear plans.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's ad strategy, catalog cleanup, or resolving a reclassification nightmare, we do this all day.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Head to Bellovics.com if you want a team that knows what the inside of Seller Central really looks like.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, back to the news.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon quietly adds return reduction recommendations to voice of customer.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a win.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon added a new tab inside the Voice of Customer dashboard called Return Reduction Recommendations.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: It highlights listing issues based on return reasons, smart content tweaks, financial savings from fewer returns, and category benchmarks.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of the rare features that helps your bottom line without spending a dime.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't checked it out, now's the time.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Speaking of bottom lines, Amazon retail, flat.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon ads, booming.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Q2's in and the numbers don't lie.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Retail is stagnant, AWS is up 13%, ads up 22% to$15.7 billion.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you're wondering where Amazon's focus is, look at the money.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: That means more ad inventory, smarter tools, and yes, higher CPCs.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you're still treating ads like a bolt-on, not the main engine, you're falling behind.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pivot to another platform evolving fast, TikTok.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: TikTok takes over the mall, literally.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: TikTok is partnering with Rockbot and Westfield to stream viral content in shopping malls.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, TikTok's on giant screens right next to Auntie Ann's.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Why does this matter?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because TikTok isn't just chasing eyeballs anymore, it's chasing real-world shopping behavior.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: If your brand has TikTok momentum, this opens up new discovery touch points.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's another reason to take affiliate content, TikTok shop, and creator partnerships seriously.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Back to Walmart, where trust and safety is the new motto.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart just rolled out a new vision for marketplace enforcement.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: AI to flag sketchy listings, stricter onboarding, transparency and seller scores.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: For good sellers, this is great.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Fewer scammers, more trust.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the margin for error is shrinking.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your documentation tight and don't assume compliance is optional.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's a prerequisite.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Speaking of prep, Walmart's already in holiday mode.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is telling sellers to prep for Q4 now.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Top of their list.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Optimize listings, ship to WFS by mid-October, submit deal requests early, turn on fast shipping, audit your defect rates.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: The takeaway: if you're not prepping for Q4 and Q3, you're already behind.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Big picture retail trends?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's zoom out.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: E-commerce isn't a disruptor anymore, it's just retail.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: According to Colliers and Retail Dive, brick and mortar still accounts for over 76% of retail sales.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the kicker.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: One in three online orders are now fulfilled by stores.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: DTC brands are opening physical locations, and in-store returns are driving new purchases.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: We're not in the digital replaces retail era anymore.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: We're in the everything blends era, and that means operational agility, curbside, in-store returns, real-time inventory matters more than ever.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Granger's CEO would agree because B2B is all in on digital too.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Over 80% of Granger's US sales now come from digital.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: They're improving site speed, relevance, automation, everything that makes buying easier.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Their secret?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Invest in infrastructure now so customers don't leave later.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: And Kroger's not far behind, retail media just got a promotion.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Kroger just merged its ad unit, KPM, with its data science arm 8451 degrees.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: This means smarter audience targeting, better campaign performance, and cleaner attribution.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Retail media isn't a side hustle anymore.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's core infrastructure.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not on top of how your ad dollars are performing in these ecosystems, you're flying blind.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's your selling on giants, e-commerce news and updates for the week.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: We covered Amazon's risky new feedback update, handmaid's category collapse, Walmart's collectibles and compliance plays, TikTok's Maul Move, Q4 Prep, and why return tools and retail media matter more than ever.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: If this saved you hours of forum scrolls or slack debates, leave a review wherever you're tuning in.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: It helps us grow and keeps the real talk coming.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Will, host of the Selling on Giants podcast.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: See you next week.