Amazon’s New Party Trick: Delivery Selfies for MCF
Amazon Logistics has a new way to flex: delivery photos for Multi-Channel Fulfillment orders. Think of it as a “proof of life” shot for your packages, minus the ransom note.
Here’s the rundown:
- Email it forward: Add your customer’s email when you create the order, and Amazon will send them a Swiship tracking link with the glamour shot included.
- DIY sharing: Want to play middleman? You can send the Swiship link directly (tracking number + zip code required).
- API nerds rejoice: Photos can also be pulled through the getFulfillmentOrder SP-API call.
A few ground rules: pics have to be high-quality, and no human photobombs allowed.
Why you care:
fewer “where’s my order?” emails and more customer confidence, especially on your DTC site. It’s Amazon’s way of making your MCF orders feel a little more… Prime-ish.
Amazon Wants You to Put a Ring on FBA
Amazon has decided it’s time to make FBA offers harder to ignore. FBA Enrollment Opportunities are now baked right into Manage All Inventory, no more bouncing between tools like it’s a choose-your-own-adventure novel.
What’s new:
- You’ll now see up to 50 daily recommendations on which of your FBM listings should be flirting with FBA.
- Data points include eligibility for promos, sales history, Featured Offer win rate, and conversion rates. Basically, all the tea on why your listing might do better under Amazon’s roof.
- The old tool isn’t going anywhere, but Amazon clearly wants sellers living inside Manage All Inventory.
Why it matters:
Instead of guessing which SKUs are worth the FBA upgrade, Amazon is serving you a neatly packaged list with the promise of “potential sales uplift.” Translation: more revenue with fewer clicks.
The takeaway:
If you’ve been dragging your feet on moving FBM products into FBA, this is Amazon’s way of saying, “Enough already, get on board.”
Google Reveals New AI Marketing Tools Ahead of Holiday Mayhem
Google just dropped some tools that are basically the marketing equivalent of giving your brand a GPS right before Black Friday starts. These features are designed to grab shopper attention when intent gets fuzzy (you know, “I want something festive but I’m not sure what”).
What’s New
- AI-Max-ified Search Ads (globally in beta): Instead of only reacting to keywords, Google will surface products right inside AI search summaries. A vague search like “how to decorate a small apartment for the holidays” could now pull your product into the spotlight.
- YouTube and Local Targeting Upgrades: Brands can target by channel (online, in-app, in-store) and even zoom in on shoppers nearby. Plus, YouTube masthead ads just went shoppable.
- Creative Tools at Scale: Product Studio now lets you batch-edit image backgrounds, and Google’s Imagen 4 text-to-image model is being baked into Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns.
- Retention and Loyalty Push: New features in Performance Max and Standard Shopping let you set loyalty goals and reward repeat customers with perks.
Why It Matters
You can now show up in more searches, even when people don’t know exactly what they want. Creative production gets faster and cheaper. Retention takes center stage. And you can target spend with more precision across channels and geos.
Action for Sellers
- Audit your catalog for products that fit into broad, seasonal or “inspirational” searches.
- Prep scalable creative assets; clean product images, lifestyle shots, and flexible backgrounds.
- Track loyalty metrics like repeat purchase rates so you can use the retention features out of the gate.
- Test these tools early in Performance Max and shift budgets quickly once you see what’s working.
Google Opens the Door to Criteo Retail Ads
Starting this holiday season, advertisers will be able to buy retail ads powered by Criteo directly through Google’s Search Ads 360. Translation: instead of building relationships with dozens of retail media platforms, you’ll soon tap into that inventory with the same workflow you already use for Search and Shopping.
The program launches in beta across the Americas, with plans to expand globally and move beyond sponsored product ads into display and video. Retailers in Criteo’s network will opt in, giving brands a broader stage without the extra paperwork.
Why It Matters
This lowers the barrier to entry for retail media, unifies measurement, and makes planning across Google and retail channels a whole lot easier. More demand could mean more competition, but for advertisers it’s a net win—less complexity, more reach.
What Sellers Need to Know
Google is integrating Criteo’s retail media network into Search Ads 360, starting with sponsored product ads in the Americas and expanding globally. This means you can buy retail ad placements across Criteo’s network of retailers through the same platform you already use for Google campaigns.
For sellers, the move simplifies retail media buying, centralizes reporting, and could make it easier to test new retail channels without separate contracts or platforms. Competition will likely increase as access expands, so expect more demand for the same inventory. Early adoption will help you benchmark costs and returns before the market crowds in.
Deloitte Forecasts a $310B eCommerce Holiday
Deloitte is calling for U.S. holiday retail sales to rise about 3 percent, reaching $1.61 to $1.62 trillion. The real bright spot is online, where eCommerce is projected to grow 7 to 9 percent, hitting up to $310.7 billion in sales.
Shoppers will have a little more spending power thanks to disposable income climbing 3 to 5 percent, but Deloitte expects them to stay laser-focused on value. Translation: deals, bundles, and promotions will drive attention, while brands that can’t prove their worth risk being ghosted at checkout.
Seller Takeaway
Holiday growth is happening online, not in-store. If you haven’t already locked in your pricing strategy, tightened inventory, and polished your product pages, now’s the time. Lean into promotions that feel meaningful, bundle where it makes sense, and make sure your digital shelves are fully ready to catch that $310 billion wave.
How Ulta Beauty Is Doubling Down on AI
Ulta Beauty isn’t dabbling in AI, it’s building an empire on it. From customer-facing tools like generative AI hair try-ons and AR skin analysis to back-end efficiency engines in supply chain and scheduling, Ulta is weaving artificial intelligence into every layer of its business.
The retailer’s GLAMlab app lets shoppers preview hairstyles and analyze skin tone with AI, while machine learning engines quietly power personalized recommendations. Behind the scenes, AI is tightening operations, cutting waste, and improving payroll accuracy. Ulta is also betting on the future through its Prisma Ventures fund, investing in startups that push the boundaries of computer vision and AI-driven discovery.
But the bigger story is what’s next. After modernizing its tech foundation, Ulta is preparing to unleash AI agents, autonomous digital assistants designed to help both employees and customers. Think store associates pulling up past purchases in real time, or digital advisors guiding shoppers toward products that fit their unique profiles. Leadership expects these agents to accelerate in 2026, positioning Ulta as one of the first major retailers to make agentic AI a core business tool. Governance is baked in too, with an AI council and tiered associate training programs ensuring ethical use, compliance, and trust.
Seller Takeaway
Ulta’s AI play is a masterclass in how brands can fuse flashy customer experiences with gritty operational efficiency. Digital try-ons and personalization reduce friction at purchase, while AI-driven supply chain and staffing improvements protect margins. The looming shift to AI agents signals where the entire retail industry is headed toward real-time, data-driven interactions that make both associates and customers smarter.
For sellers, the lesson is clear: AI is not just about novelty, it is about building the infrastructure to scale personalization and efficiency together. Brands that start laying that foundation now will be ready to deploy agents and advanced tools when the market fully tilts in that direction. The retailers who wait risk being left behind while competitors turn AI into a competitive moat.
Online Grocery Sales Hit $11.2B in August
U.S. online grocery sales jumped about 14 percent year over year in August, hitting $11.2 billion. Delivery and ship-to-home methods powered most of the gains, while pickup lagged behind.
Delivery grew fastest (about 30 percent) as average order values (AOVs) and active users climbed, ship-to-home saw nearly 19 percent growth, but pickup declined 4 percent due to fewer repeat orders and inflation-squeezed spending. More households used more than one receiving method, and orders per online grocery user rose to an average of 2.7.
Seller Takeaway
The shift is clear: convenience wins. If your grocery business relies heavily on in-store pickup, it’s time to reassess. Beef up your delivery capability, optimize ship-to-home offerings, and ensure your digital storefront is frictionless. Value still matters, so maintaining competitive pricing and nailing promotions will help offset inflation worries. Firms that can manage multiple fulfillment methods and deliver seamless online experiences are going to get the disproportionate slice of this growing pie.
Pattern Eyes $2.6B Valuation in U.S. IPO
Pattern Group is preparing to go public, targeting a valuation of up to $2.64 billion. The company and some existing investors plan to sell around 21.4 million shares priced between $13 and $15 each, with the potential to raise $321 million.
Pattern positions itself as a marketplace accelerator, helping brands scale across more than 60 online platforms including Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and Mercado Libre. It combines technology with hands-on support in pricing, content, forecasting, and customer service.
The financials are strong. In 2024, Pattern posted revenue of $1.80 billion, up 31 percent year over year, with net income nearly doubling to $42.5 million. Adjusted EBITDA reached $101 million, a 138 percent increase over two years. In the first half of 2025, revenue rose 35 percent year over year to $1.14 billion, with profitability climbing in step. Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan are underwriting the IPO, and Pattern will trade on Nasdaq under ticker PTRN.
Seller Takeaway
Pattern’s IPO signals a new chapter for marketplace operators. The aggregator bubble showed what happens when outside capital floods Amazon, multiples spiked, ad costs inflated, and many sellers got squeezed. The model collapsed because scale without operational depth isn’t sustainable. Now investors are rewarding businesses that show diversified revenue, real profitability, and strong retention.
For sellers, the lesson is clear: resilience matters more than hype. Focus on fundamentals like margin, repeat purchase rates, and multi-channel presence. Learn from the aggregator collapse, brands that protect customer trust, maintain pricing power, and diversify beyond Amazon are the ones that will not just survive but attract meaningful capital.
Retail Compliance: It’s Complicated
As retail chains tighten fulfillment and supplier standards, the compliance burden for brands and sellers is growing fast. Overlapping requirements, conflicting objectives, and increasingly strict specifications are adding cost, complexity, and risk.
Retailers want more from suppliers: perfect labeling, accurate dimensions, specific packaging, timely delivery windows, minimum product conditions, data sharing, and more. Different retailers often have different rules, which means brands or vendors selling to multiple retailers must juggle multiple sets of compliance requirements.
Failing compliance can result in chargebacks, rejected shipments, penalties, late fees, or even delisting. Sellers are having to invest in more robust systems, audits, training, and sometimes even changes in materials or production just to meet baseline requirements.
Seller Takeaway
Compliance is not just a cost center, it is a gatekeeper. You cannot sell into many of the biggest retail channels if you cannot meet their rules. Because rules differ by retailer, brands with a multi-channel strategy need to map out all compliance requirements early.
Investing in systems to track compliance, such as packaging specs, labeling, documentation, and delivery standards, pays off. It reduces chargebacks, missed deadlines, and the costs of rework.
Compliance can also be a competitive lever. If many of your peers struggle here, being reliable and consistently compliant can become part of your brand promise. Retailers will prioritize vendors who “just work.”
Finally, expect further tightening. Supply chain scrutiny, sustainability regulations, and retailer demands around traceability and data transparency are growing. Planning ahead gives you breathing room rather than forcing you to play catch-up.
Seller Hacks & Tips from Walmart: Attribution & Categorization
- Pick the right category, type group & product type early
Before listing, spend time choosing the correct Product Category, Product Type Group, and Product Type. These set which attributes Walmart shows to customers and which filters/search facets your item appears under. The wrong category = fewer eyeballs and more confusion. - Leverage attributes fully
Every item must include required attributes like size, color, material, etc. Use them not only in your attribute fields but also in your title, description, key features. These feed Walmart’s search engine and external ones (Google, etc.), so pulling in as many relevant, accurate attributes as possible helps with discoverability. - Avoid vague or “miscellaneous” product types
If Walmart’s system classifies your item into a Default or Miscellaneous Product Type, that’s a signal your setup may be hurting you. You can request a change via the listing quality dashboard. Doing so makes your listing cleaner and improves customers’ ability to find your item when filtering. - Keep standards consistent
Use consistent attribute naming, format, and capitalization. If your item type requires “material,” for example, don’t leave it blank or write “cotton / polyester blend” in some listings and “cotton/poly” in others. Consistency helps Walmart’s classification algorithms and improves shopper trust and filtering accuracy. - Monitor classification correctness over time
Your product type assignment might be changed by Walmart’s internal classification even after you’ve set it. Keep tabs on your listings, especially new ones, to ensure they remain properly classified. If something gets mis-classified, submit it via the “Report Issue” in the Listing Quality dashboard before the error impacts visibility or conversion. - Attribute data = visibility + discovery outside Walmart
Well-filled attributes don’t just help Walmart’s search, they help external search engines and comparison tools. If your item has strong, relevant attribute data, you’re more likely to pop up in Google Shopping, voice search, affiliate sites, etc. That means extra traffic with little extra work.
Target Reboots Style on Instagram with Its Fall Campaign
Target is getting into full fall mode. The retailer is relaunching its @TargetStyle Instagram account with a fresh creative vision timed for New York Fashion Week. The “Forever Fall” campaign rolls out lookbooks for transitional outfits, features micro influencers in New York, and leans heavily into seasonal décor, snacks, candles, and other merch from in house brands like Hearth & Hand with Magnolia and Good & Gather.
They’ve also brought back the “Teammates of Target” YouTube series, spotlighting more human stories, including family ties, and pushed more than 1,500 Halloween items into stores early. Most are priced under $25, some as low as $1.
Target’s comeback attempt comes as it looks to reverse declines in same-store sales and build excitement heading into Q4.
Seller Takeaway
Seasonality still works when done right. Target is using Instagram, influencers, and early seasonal drops to generate buzz well ahead of the peak season. For brands and sellers, this highlights two things: timing matters, and so does storytelling.
If you want to ride the wave, think about launching your seasonal products earlier, aligning creative content with your brand voice, and using social channels to build anticipation. Pricing tiers also matter, Target is leaning on affordably priced products to make “newness” accessible.
Don’t underestimate micro influencers. They’re cheaper, often more authentic, and when paired with strong visuals can drive discovery. Finally, think about your mix of owned content, influencer content, and user-generated material. Target is clearly pushing a blend to maximize reach and engagement.
McKinsey: Consumers Hunt for Value Early This Holiday Season
US shoppers are entering the 2025 holiday season with their wallets already open, but their spending mood cautious. Inflation and affordability are still top concerns, many are planning to spend about as much as last year, but shifting dollars toward essentials and gifts over discretionary treats. McKinsey’s survey of more than 4,000 consumers shows plenty of prep already underway, deals are being scouted, lists are being made, purchases are creeping into August and September.
A few key moves to watch: smaller pack sizes are catching on, brand switch requests are rising, and value channels are getting more love. Gifting is becoming more utilitarian, people want presents that feel useful, not just fun. Personalized promotions and loyalty perks are no longer nice extras, they are expected. Generative AI tools and agentic AI are helping brands respond more dynamically and deeply with shoppers. Retailers able to adapt early on assortment, merchandising, pricing, and promo timing are likely to win.
Seller Takeaway
Consumers are shopping early, hunting value, and being more deliberate than ever. If your strategy still leans on November and December for lift, you’re running behind.
Align your assortment now toward “needed” over “nice to have,” while keeping a few premium or aspirational SKUs for gifting or escape shopping. Promotions need to be meaningful and predictable, consider guarantees, loyalty rewards, or early bird discounts to capture demand before Black Friday.
Personalization is not optional. AI and analytics will separate brands that just throw promo noise from those that feel relevant. Use micro segments, tailor offers, and lean into consumers’ historic behavior. Operational excellence will be tested across supply, inventory, packaging, and fulfillment, slipping at any point will cost trust when shoppers are comparison shopping and value conscious.
State Retail Leaders Focus on AI, Policy, and Trade at 2025 Conference
At the 2025 Council of State Retail Associations conference in Chicago, retailers and state associations dug into what’s keeping them up at night, especially the impact of AI, rising tariff pressure, and widespread policy uncertainty.
What’s Top of Mind
- AI is no longer optional. It is being used across the board, from supply chain and warehouse operations to chatbots and customer personalization, both online and in store.
- Regulation is catching up with innovation. State legislatures introduced more than 1,000 AI related bills last year, with the push to shape laws that protect privacy and ethics without strangling innovation.
- Tariffs and trade policy remain a major risk. Retailers are feeling the impact on pricing and product availability, especially smaller vendors. Many are spreading out sourcing or pushing for more stable trade policies.
Seller Takeaway
Retail is being shaped as much by policy as by consumer behavior. Businesses that ignore regulatory trends put themselves at risk.
Start by mapping the AI tools you are using or planning to use and confirm they comply with both current and emerging rules around data usage, privacy, and ethics. Companies that wrap governance around innovation will be more resilient.
Keep a close watch on your supply chain. Tariffs add cost and risk, and diversifying suppliers with backups can protect you from disruptions or sudden policy shifts.
Finally, get involved in advocacy through trade groups or state associations. The cost of staying passive and only reacting may be far higher than the cost of helping shape the policies that will guide your business.
Instacart Brings Ads into 3,500 Convenience Stores via Vroom Delivery
Instacart is expanding its retail media game. Through a partnership with Vroom Delivery, the Instacart Carrot Ads system will power sponsored product and display ads across 3,500 convenience stores nationwide. This gives more than 7,500 brands already using Instacart Ads a way to reach customers in local convenience stores using the same tools they already know.
Retail media is moving beyond groceries into convenience and local retail. Smaller stores gain access to ad capabilities, brands get new inventory to buy, and consumers see more relevant ads where they shop spontaneously.
Seller Takeaway
Convenience stores are becoming a new retail media frontier. If your brand sells snacks, drinks, impulse buys, or everyday essentials, you can now target ads in the very places consumers make spur-of-the-moment decisions.
Test running display or sponsored product ads in these local stores to see how performance compares to grocery or online spend. Be ready with smaller pack sizes, sharper visuals, and messaging that works in a grab-and-go mindset.
Since this runs on Instacart’s existing ad platform, you do not need to reinvent your campaign setup, just adapt creatives and budgets. For smaller retailers, this opens a new ad revenue stream; for brands, it creates more touchpoints to connect with customers outside traditional grocery or big box channels.
Walmart’s Scintilla Digital Landscapes Sheds Light on What Shoppers Do Before They Buy
Walmart has updated its Scintilla Digital Landscapes module, giving suppliers and merchants sharper views into the pre-purchase journey. The tool delivers anonymized, aggregated insights from Walmart.com and the Walmart app so brands can see where shoppers start, how they discover products, what they abandon, and what pushes them to buy.
Key features now available include:
- Traffic metrics showing where shoppers come from, such as external sites, search compared to non-search browsing, and app compared to site, so you can optimize ad spend.
- Conversion stats that help identify whether issues are tied to imagery, listings, or missing information.
- Digital basket data covering what gets added compared to abandoned, useful for bundling, improving PDPs, or adjusting pricing.
- Search behavior metrics, including keyword trends and share of voice, helpful to refine campaign targeting and SEO.
Walmart shared an example with E.T. Browne, which saw a spike in sales of one product without knowing the reason. Digital Landscapes revealed that the driver was a viral TikTok video, allowing the brand to adjust forecast and replenishment in time to keep up.
Seller Takeaway
As advertising costs rise and shopper attention fragments, knowing where and why customers drop off or commit is becoming essential.
If you sell on Walmart or plan to, take advantage of this module. Use traffic insights to direct ad dollars where they make the biggest impact. Tap basket abandonment data to fix leaks such as weak images or missing information. Optimize product detail pages using keyword and search behavior trends.
When social media or viral moments drive unexpected demand, tools like Digital Landscapes can help you react quickly. That agility can mean the difference between capturing a viral sales wave or missing it entirely.
Etsy Seller Hacks & Tips
- Use all available tags, attributes & categories
Make sure your listings have the right categories and attributes filled out. Also use tags strategically—think of what buyers will actually type in. The more complete & accurate these are, the more chances your items show up in searches. - Optimize titles for clarity & relevance, not fluff
Put what your item is and what makes it unique early in the title (material, color, size etc). Leave out subjective words (“perfect,” “beautiful”) or things buyers don’t tend to search for. Titles should help get the click; tags & description fill in the rest. - Photos do heavy lifting
Use as many of Etsy’s allowed photos as you can. Show multiple angles, close-ups, lifestyle scenes (product in use), clean backgrounds. Lighting & resolution matter. The first image is especially important—it encourages the click from search results. - Price smartly & factor in all hidden costs
Consider production, shipping, packaging, fees. Etsy data suggests that shipping pricing influences whether someone clicks buy. Sometimes rolling some shipping cost into the item price can improve conversion while keeping total cost to buyer reasonable. - Set realistic delivery & processing times
Shoppers dislike surprises. If you regularly estimate too short and then delay, you lose trust & can hurt reviews. If you can fulfill faster, that’s a plus; if not, set expectations clearly. Use Shipping Profiles wisely. - Use description & About section to tell a story
Buyers on Etsy often want to buy from a person, not just a product. Use description for size/material/details etc, but also include your brand’s story, how items are made, what inspires them. Helps build trust & loyalty. - Encourage & maintain high reviews / service quality
Great ratings help with Etsy’s search ranking. The Search Visibility tools and Etsy’s algorithms favor shops & items with solid customer reviews, clear policy info, and good service history. - Monitor & iterate using Etsy’s tools
Use the Search Visibility page (in Shop Manager) to get insights & recommendations. See which listings are underperforming, test tweaks to images, tags, titles, and measure results. Small improvements add up.
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