Latest / Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast / Amazon’s Holiday Power Play, Walmart’s Search Shake-Up, and How Sellers Can Win Q4

Transcript

Amazon’s Holiday Power Play, Walmart’s Search Shake-Up, and How Sellers Can Win Q4 · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Selling on Giants, e-commerce news and updates.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Will, host of SOG, where we turn the week's Amazon and Walmart chaos into clear seller-ready strategy.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into it.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon's holiday power move, personalization goes bulk.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon's making your Q4 playbook personal, literally.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: The company just upgraded Amazon custom, letting sellers upload bulk configurations so shoppers can personalize text, images, or logos across multiple listings at once.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Setup now takes about an hour, right in time for the personalized gift wave expected to dominate this holiday season.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Personalization isn't a gimmick anymore.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's a conversion lever.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon's even hosting a live QA on October 23rd to help sellers master registration and fulfillment.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: So here's the quick play.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Pick your top three giftable SKUs, use the template spreadsheet to add options in bulk, and feature the results in A content.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Clear preview images, transparent timelines, and a solid return policy keep customers confident.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you sell gifts, give buyers a way to make them theirs.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Personalization wins the cart this Christmas.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: And while Amazon's betting on emotion, Walmart's quietly monetizing attention.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart goes full Amazon on search results.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Remember when Walmart's leadership said it would never sell the top of its search page?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: That promise just expired.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Modern retail reports that 97% of Walmart's searches now include ads, and the first organic result usually doesn't show until slot 9.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Ad revenue hit$4.4 billion last year, up 27%, and almost a third of Walmart's operating income now comes from advertising.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Former Amazon exec Seth Delaire has officially brought the playbook over.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: For sellers, that means sponsored products aren't optional.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're your ticket to visibility.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart's even nudging brands to raise ad budgets by 25% heading into holiday.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Organic discovery is fading.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not paying to be seen, you're paying in missed traffic.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, while Walmart's selling visibility, Amazon just finished testing its Q4 demand engine.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Prime big deal days, 2025.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Value still wins.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon's fall sale proved something important.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Consumers aren't spending less, they're spending smarter.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: 90% of shoppers knew about the event ahead of time.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: 61% had already shopped July Prime Day, and one in three called this their main reason for buying.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: The October sale is officially part of the retail calendar.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Average order value slipped from$53 in July to 45 in October, and half the carts were under 20 bucks.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Brands that planned early saw the best lift.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Belvic's operations specialist CeCe Diaz reported major lightning deal momentum when paired with continuous ad coverage.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Advertising specialist Paula Salcito warmed audiences before the sale and retargeted them mid-event, hitting conversion goals before day two.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: The playbook's clear.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Build awareness first, discount second.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's how you turn deal days into data-driven sales spikes.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And speaking of turning data into dollars, let's talk about what we do at Bellavics.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Commercial Break, full funnel advertising meets streaming TV.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Before we jump to global keyword strategy, a quick note.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you're wondering how to connect Amazon, PPC, DSP, and even streaming TV without burning budget, that's literally our day job.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: At Bellavic, we help brands run full funnel campaigns that follow the customer from product search to prime video.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Picture this: a shopper sees your sponsored product on Amazon, gets retargeted through DSP mid-scroll, then catches your streaming TV ad on FreeV while binge watching their favorite show.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's not hype, that's precision storytelling powered by data.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: We're verified Amazon advertising partners who've helped brands sell over half a billion dollars online.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you want your ads working in harmony instead of silos, head to Bellovics.com.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, back to the news.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Think global, search local, winning keywords in non-English markets.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Expanding internationally isn't about translation, it's about interpretation.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: In Europe, run automatic campaigns first, then pull high converting terms into exact match manuals for precision.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: In Japan, juggle hiragana, katakana, romaji, and kanji.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Use both auto and manual targeting to catch every spelling.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Middle Eastern markets reward bilingual targeting in English and Arabic, and in Mexico, campaigns that mix Spanish with US English terms pull double traffic.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Treat every region like its own ecosystem.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Localization wins reach, translation alone doesn't.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if localization is the science, Walmart's Spark community is the field research.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Inside Walmart's Spark community, where real shoppers call the shots.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart's secret weapon for understanding buyers isn't AI, it's actual people.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: The Spark community is an invite-only panel of verified shoppers who test products, review packaging, and share feedback backed by receipts.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: When they say they bought your product, there's proof.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Brands are using Spark Insights to shape launches before spending on ads.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: One supplier discovered shoppers preferred resealable packaging two to one and avoided a costly redesign.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: With cross-shopping data spanning Amazon, Target, and Costco, Spark gives sellers a panoramic view of consumer behavior.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Think of it as real-time RD, powered by Walmart's customers themselves.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And if Walmart's using data to predict taste, Etsy's leaning into emotion.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Etsy's Holiday Mood Board.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sentiment sells.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Etsy's Fall and Winter Trend Report reads like a cozy core forecast, Nona Holiday, Supper Club, Playhouse, Gothmus, Shiver the Season, and Nutcracker Core.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Buyers want warmth, nostalgia, and personality.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Searches for engraved cutting boards are up 60%, ruffled linens up 70%, and dopamine decor up 40.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: For sellers, authenticity is the algorithm.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Update your listings, lean on storytelling, and show the human hands behind your products.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: That emotional pull is this year's conversion trigger.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: And while Etsy plays the heartstrings, Walmart's striking a very different chord, electric guitars and superhero capes.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart takes over.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Comic Con when fandom meets fulfillment.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: At New York Comic Con, Walmart ditched the vendor booth for a full-on fanverse.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Booth 2821 transformed into the Walmart Multiverse, complete with interactive quests, QR code shopping, and live signings from Todd McFarland, Tom King, and Stan Sakai.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Exclusive runs from Marvel, DC, Image, and Skybound sold out within hours.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: But the real headline was Walmart's new partnership with Shortboxed, the Premium Comic Marketplace.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: 75,000 authenticated books from top dealers are now live on Walmart Marketplace, marking the retailers' biggest collectibles push ever.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: For sellers, it's proof Walmart's leaning into community-based commerce where fandom and retail merge.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: And speaking of merging data and creativity, Metapixel, the tiny code with massive ROI.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: One line of JavaScript.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's the difference between a struggling campaign and one that scales.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: The Metapixel tracks shopper behavior from click to checkout, letting Meta's algorithm learn who buys when and why.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: One merchant jumped from a 0.3 to 27% conversion rate by simply fixing broken tracking.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Shopify users have it easy now.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: The Facebook and Instagram app integrates both the Pixel and Conversion API, combining browser and server data to reveal true ROAS.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: If your Pixel's misfiring, your ads are too.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Check it, fix it, and watch your efficiency skyrocket.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, precision isn't just for ads.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's the backbone of Q4 logistics.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Peak season survival guide.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: What Amazon shippers must prioritize.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon Accelerate's logistics team delivered one clear message.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Holiday success starts weeks before the rush.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Mark these dates.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: October 9th for Amazon warehousing and distribution, October 20th for minimal shipment splits, and October 30th for optimized splits.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Miss them, and your inventory might arrive after your shoppers do.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: FBA's Karen Shen reminded sellers to maintain balanced stock across SKUs and rely on demand forecast tools to avoid reactionary restocks.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Accuracy matters even more than speed.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon prioritizes shipments that hit their delivery appointments on the dot.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: With West Coast congestion expected, route through central or east coast centers whenever possible.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Schedule deliveries seven days ahead, aim for off-peak hours, and double check every label.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Peak season isn't one by the fastest, it's one by the most precise.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's your selling on Giants news and updates for the week.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: We covered Amazon's personalization play, Walmart's ad-driven search pivot, prime big deal days insights, global keyword strategy, the Spark community, Etsy's emotional holiday trends, Walmart's Comic Con takeover, the power of the MetaPixel, and Amazon's shipping game plan.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: If this saved you hours of forum scrolls and Slack debates, subscribe to the newsletter and leave a review wherever you're listening.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: It keeps the lights on and keeps the news seller ready.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Will from Bellavic.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: See you next week.