Holiday Personalization Play: Amazon Custom Adds Bulk Options
Amazon is betting big on customization this holiday season. Sellers can now let shoppers personalize products directly from their listings—with new tools that make setup faster than ever. The latest update to Amazon Custom introduces bulk configuration uploads, meaning you can add text, image, and logo personalization to multiple listings in one go.
The timing couldn’t be better. Personalized gifts are expected to dominate Q4 demand, and Amazon’s Custom registration process typically approves sellers within an hour.
Why it matters
Personalization isn’t just a novelty—it boosts engagement and conversion rates, especially for giftable SKUs. Amazon is also hosting a live Q&A on October 23 with the Customized Products team to answer questions on registration, listing creation, and fulfillment.
How to get started
- Register for Amazon Custom under your Professional plan.
- Decide which SKUs should offer customization (text, image, or logo options).
- Download the template spreadsheet to build options in bulk, then upload through the “Option Chooser” in the configurator.
- Set clear handling times and adjust return policies for made-to-order products.
- Promote your new custom SKUs with Sponsored Products and A+ content that shows examples of personalization.
What to watch
Avoid friction. Show clear preview images, set realistic production timelines, and confirm your return policy matches Amazon’s guidelines for custom products.
Bottom line:
If you sell anything giftable, add at least one customizable option before Black Friday. Start with your top three SKUs, roll it out in bulk, and make personalization part of your holiday playbook.
Walmart’s Search Results Now Mirror Amazon’s—and That’s By Design
Back in 2019, Walmart’s eCommerce chief Marc Lore drew a sharp contrast between Walmart and Amazon, saying the retailer would never sell the top slots in search results. Fast forward six years and that line has quietly disappeared. Sponsored listings now dominate Walmart’s search pages, pushing organic results further down, just like Amazon.
A review by Modern Retail found that ads now appear in 97% of Walmart searches, with roughly a quarter of sponsored listings sitting above the fold. The first non-ad result often doesn’t show until the ninth slot. For sellers, that means visibility now has a price tag.
Why sellers should care
Advertising is now core to Walmart’s business model. The retailer’s ad revenue hit $4.4 billion in 2024, up 27% from the previous year, and nearly a third of its total operating income now comes from ads. Walmart’s Chief Growth Officer Seth Dallaire, a former Amazon executive, has clearly borrowed from the same playbook: use ads to fuel marketplace growth, and use that growth to sell more ads.
The impact for brands
Walmart’s search ad spend jumped 53% in Q4 of 2024, and the company is reportedly asking brands to increase budgets by at least 25%. For sellers, that means organic discovery is no longer enough. Sponsored Products are now table stakes for staying visible, especially in crowded categories like batteries, apparel, and home goods.
Walmart insists it’s balancing relevance with revenue, using AI to tailor which mix of ads and organic listings each shopper sees. And so far, it’s working. U.S. eCommerce sales rose 26% in Q2 of 2025, proving that customers aren’t tuning out the ad load, at least not yet.
The takeaway
Walmart has fully embraced the pay to play era. Sellers who invest early and optimize smartly for Sponsored Products will own top-of-search real estate when it matters most. Those who don’t will be scrolling to find themselves.
Amazon’s Fall Prime Big Deal Days 2025: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What Sellers Learned
Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days event proved that shoppers are still showing up for deals even as inflation and tariffs continue to weigh on household budgets. Consumers used the two-day sale to stock up on everyday essentials and secure early holiday gifts, signaling a shift toward value-driven spending this season.
According to Numerator, 90 percent of participants were aware of the sale ahead of time and 61 percent had also shopped during July’s Prime Day. One in three said the October event was their main reason for shopping, showing that Amazon’s fall sale has officially earned a spot on the retail calendar.
Still, shoppers were more restrained. Average order value fell from $53 in July to $45 in October, and nearly half of all orders were under $20. The most popular categories were apparel, household essentials, home goods, beauty, and wellness, all reflecting a practical mindset focused on utility and savings.
What worked well
For brands that planned early, the results were strong. CeCi Diaz, an Operations Specialist at BellaVix who manages an account selling 3D kids toys, said her client saw a major lift during Lightning Deals, especially when paired with active ad campaigns that maintained visibility throughout the event. “Lightning Deals performed incredibly well once ads were layered in,” she said. “Momentum built faster, and conversion rates stayed high even after the deals ended.”
Paula Salcedo, an Advertising Specialist at BellaVix who oversees campaigns for a supplement brand, said her strategy focused on warming audiences before the event and then retargeting them during the promotion. “Pre-advertising made a huge difference,” she explained. “We built awareness ahead of time and pushed our best offers to those same audiences during Prime Big Deal Days. That approach helped us hit our conversion targets early.”
Their experiences reflect what many sellers saw across Amazon this season: the best outcomes went to those who combined smart planning with early engagement. Brands that entered Prime Big Deal Days with strong audiences and clear value messaging performed noticeably better than those that reacted mid-event.
How shoppers behaved
More than half of all shoppers compared prices before buying, with most looking at Walmart and Target. Those retailers ran overlapping events that helped create an unofficial early start to the holiday season. Walmart’s Holiday Deals and Target Circle Week both overlapped with Amazon’s sale, expanding consumer awareness and fueling traffic across all three platforms.
Even with tighter budgets, shopper satisfaction stayed steady. Fifty-eight percent of participants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the deals, and more than 80 percent said they plan to shop again for holiday items on Amazon within the next three months.
The takeaway
Prime Big Deal Days underscored that shoppers are cautious but still ready to spend when they see value. For sellers, the key to winning this season is preparation. Warm your audiences in advance, plan promotions that create urgency, and make sure your listings are optimized before the next sale window hits. Those who combine strategy with timing will capture the largest share of Q4 demand.
How to Optimize Keywords in Non-English Marketplaces
Expanding into non-English marketplaces like Japan, the Middle East, Europe, and Mexico means rethinking your keyword strategy. While these regions often have lower search volumes and lower CPCs than the U.S., they rely more heavily on generic search terms. To stay efficient and relevant, your campaigns must align with local search behaviors and language nuances.
Europe
European markets share similar linguistic roots, but each has its own quirks. For example, the Netherlands supports both English and Dutch, allowing bilingual targeting.
Key tactics:
- Focus on high-converting keywords identified through automatic campaigns, then migrate them into manual exact-match campaigns to improve precision.
- Identify top-performing ad placements based on click-through and conversion rates, and raise bids for those positions.
- Use multiple match types to explore new opportunities while filtering out poor performers through negative targeting.
- Expand reach with manual product targeting across categories and competitor ASINs.
A European seller of mosquito nets used manual keyword groups to reduce ACOS from 68% to 38%, while discovering over 20 new localized search terms such as “sineklik” (fly screen in Turkish).
Japan
Japanese search behavior is complex due to multiple writing systems—Hiragana, Katakana, Romaji, and Kanji—each affecting how queries are written and spaced.
Key tactics:
- Combine automatic and manual targeting to discover effective keywords across scripts.
- Use broad and phrase matches to scale reach, then isolate high-performing terms for exact-match campaigns.
- Emphasize manual targeting of competitor ASINs and categories to capture traffic from product detail pages.
A gardening gloves seller used automatic targeting to find top-performing terms like “園芸用手袋” (gardening gloves), then launched exact-match campaigns to boost conversions.
Middle East
Marketplaces in this region are bilingual. The UAE leans toward English, while Saudi Arabia favors Arabic.
Key tactics:
- Run campaigns in both Arabic and English to capture diverse audience segments.
- Use all four match types in automatic targeting and combine broad with exact matches for manual targeting.
- Add manual product targeting to broaden category reach.
Advertisers using both Arabic and English keywords with product targeting have seen strong traffic growth by covering multiple language entry points.
Mexico
Mexico’s marketplace bridges Spanish and English, with overlap from U.S. search terms.
Key tactics:
- Use Sponsored Products with all match types to uncover new keywords and traffic.
- Track Impression Share to secure premium placements.
- Repurpose high-performing keywords from Sponsored Products into Sponsored Brands video ads to protect brand traffic.
- Expand through category-based product targeting to capture related search traffic.
Takeaway for Sellers
Each marketplace rewards localized precision. Start with automatic targeting to discover high-value search behavior, then refine with manual targeting that reflects language patterns, match types, and cultural context. Testing both language variations and category targeting can help lower costs while maintaining visibility in emerging international markets.
If you’re managing multiple marketplaces, treat each language and region like its own micro-ecosystem. The sellers who localize keyword strategy, not just translate it, are the ones who consistently win visibility and conversions.
Inside Walmart’s Spark Community: How Real Shoppers Are Shaping the Shelf
If you’ve ever wondered how Walmart keeps its finger on the pulse of what real shoppers want, meet its not-so-secret weapon: the Customer Spark Community. This invite-only network of verified Walmart shoppers gives suppliers a direct line into customer sentiment, helping brands test products, tweak pricing, and shape packaging before it reaches the shelf.
Here’s the short version: Walmart’s Spark panel is not just another survey group. It is a living focus group powered by real shoppers, real receipts, and a lot of data.
What makes it different
Most research panels rely on general consumers who may or may not have actually bought your product. Walmart’s Spark Community taps verified shoppers backed by transactional data. That means when they say they bought your product last week, there is a receipt to prove it.
Compared to other panels, Spark members are more engaged, spend more time answering questions, and give fewer rushed or repetitive responses. They are also four times less likely to provide low-quality data and three times less likely to claim awareness of fake brands used as test questions.
For sellers, that means feedback you can trust and insights that actually lead to smarter decisions.
How brands are using it
Suppliers can run surveys, video feedback sessions, or even in-home product tests. The Spark Community’s Customer Perception tool lets you go beyond standard metrics by asking real Walmart customers to test new products or review existing ones from their homes.
One brand used it to test packaging for household items and discovered shoppers preferred resealable designs by a two-to-one margin. Another used it for early product concept testing and found the right price point before launch, saving thousands in advertising costs.
Walmart’s research team also runs custom projects to help suppliers find whitespace, refine go-to-market strategies, and uncover what truly drives purchase behavior.
Why it matters for sellers
Cross-shopping insights show that Spark members are not only Walmart buyers but also active shoppers on Amazon, Target, and Costco. This gives sellers a wider view of how their customers behave across retail platforms.
With Walmart investing heavily in hypertargeting, brands can now segment insights by household type, region, income, or even pet ownership to tailor their messaging and promotions with precision.
The bottom line
For marketplace sellers, Spark Community insights replace guesswork with real data. Whether you are deciding between two product designs or planning your next ad campaign, this data shows what actual Walmart shoppers care about.
Think of it as crowdsourcing your strategy, except the crowd happens to be your real customers.
Seller Trend Report: What Etsy’s Fall and Winter Data Says About 2025 Holiday Shoppers
Etsy dropped its Fall and Winter 2025 Trend Report, and it’s basically a mood board for how people plan to gift, decorate, and celebrate this season. The big theme? Emotion and individuality. Shoppers want gifts that feel personal, décor that sparks nostalgia, and a little shimmer to carry them through the holidays.
Here’s what sellers should be watching.
The Big Picture
Consumers are still spending, but they’re spending intentionally. Searches for personalized, cozy, and story-rich items are all trending up. Think engraved cutting boards, ruffled linens, or handmade jewelry that feels like it has a backstory.
Etsy’s data points to a season where shoppers want experiences, not just products, and that’s great news for small sellers who can deliver authenticity and craftsmanship that big-box stores can’t.
Trend 1: Nonna Holiday
Picture Nonna’s kitchen in December—warm light, red accents, and flour-dusted memories. This trend celebrates comfort and family through handcrafted pieces.
What to sell: embroidered towels, engraved cutting boards, ruffled table linens, and food-themed gift bundles.
Pro tip: Style photos like a family recipe book—soft lighting, checkered tablecloths, and storytelling captions.
Rising searches: decorative lampshades (+11,000%), ruffled linens (+70%), engraved cutting boards (+60%).
Trend 2: Supper Club
Dinner parties are back, but with flair. Supper Club is about elegant table settings, jewel tones, and the kind of glassware that makes guests say “where did you get that?”
What to sell: statement barware, embroidered napkins, and personalized hostess gifts.
Pro tip: Show your products in action—toast shots, candlelight, and chic tablescapes.
Rising searches: table settings (+1,000%), glassware sets (×12), cocktail napkins topping gift lists.
Trend 3: Play Haus
This one’s pure fun. Bright colors, bold designs, and a playful mix of nostalgia and modern kitsch. Think dopamine décor meets childhood joy.
What to sell: colorful ceramics, resin décor, whimsical jewelry, plush collectibles.
Pro tip: Lean into color and humor. Use short, punchy videos that show your product’s personality.
Rising searches: colorful accessories (+3,000%), dopamine décor (+40%), maximalist prints tripled.
Trend 4: Gothmas
Not everyone wants red and green. Gothmas brings in moody elegance with black lace, celestial themes, and candlelit drama.
What to sell: gothic candles, onyx jewelry, and silver accents.
Pro tip: Use shadowy imagery and metallic details in photos. Think “holiday at midnight.”
Rising searches: antique décor (+1,700%), gothic wallpaper doubled, solder jewelry (+1,500%).
Trend 5: Shiver the Season
If “arctic explorer meets disco ball” was a vibe, this would be it. Shiver the Season is all about frosted glamour and treasure-like accents.
What to sell: mixed-metal jewelry, iridescent ornaments, pearlized home décor.
Pro tip: Use reflective backgrounds and close-up videos to highlight shine.
Rising searches: gold jewelry (+18,000%), jewelry jars (+1,500%), leather poufs nearly doubled.
Trend 6: Nutcrackercore
Classic ballet meets fantasy décor. This trend captures old-world charm with a dreamy, pastel twist.
What to sell: velvet ribbons, ballet-inspired ornaments, crystal glassware.
Pro tip: Treat your product photos like a stage—soft lighting, vintage details, and a touch of sparkle.
Rising searches: emerald jewelry tripled, jewel-tone barware up double digits, ballet music boxes (+1,000%).
Takeaway for Sellers
This holiday season, sentiment sells. Shoppers want warmth, nostalgia, and individuality. Lean into storytelling, authenticity, and visual emotion in your listings. Whether you’re selling lace ornaments or dopamine-colored ceramics, buyers are craving connection, and Etsy’s data shows they’re willing to pay for it when it feels real.
Key move: Refresh your product titles, tags, and images now to align with these themes before the Black Friday traffic hits.
Walmart Takes Center Stage at New York Comic Con: Collectibles, Collaborations, and a Whole New Era for Fans
Walmart is stepping into the multiverse—literally. At this year’s New York Comic Con (NYCC), the retail giant is reimagining what collecting means for fans, creators, and the next generation of pop-culture buyers.
Michael Mosser, VP and Category Lead for Walmart U.S. Marketplace, says it best: “My first collectible was a 5-pack of Hot Wheels. That excitement of unboxing something rare never left me—and now we’re giving that same thrill back to fans at scale.”
A Collectible Universe Comes to Life
From October 9–12, Walmart’s booth (#2821) transforms into a three-part experience designed to merge fandom and commerce. Each “realm” of the Walmart Multiverse—The Hero-Verse, The Wonder Dome, and The Dark Realm—offers exclusive collectibles, interactive quests, and instant shoppable moments through QR codes.
Visitors can scan, shop, and play their way through limited-edition merch while unlocking digital puzzles for a chance to win rare exclusives like Marvel Zombies #1 or Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Exclusive Comics Worth Lining Up For
Walmart is going big on rarity this year, dropping collaborations with major publishers like Marvel, DC, Image, and Skybound. Collectors can score ultra-limited runs, including:
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 by artist Biliquis Evely (500 Virgin covers, 1,000 Trade Dress) with Tom King signing on Sunday.
- Usagi Yojimbo 1984 #1 Ashcan by Stan Sakai, limited to 750 copies, with Sakai signing on Saturday.
- Marvel Zombies #1 (four covers, 1,000 each).
- Transformers #25 and G.I. Joe #321 by Jae Lee, both limited to 750 copies.
- A VeeFriends special edition comic and sticker pack (7,500 bundles) signed by Gary Vee on Thursday.
- An exclusive McFarlane toy and comic set with a live signing from Todd McFarlane on Friday.
All signings, except King’s, will be authenticated by CGC with complimentary security bags for grading—an attention to collector detail that signals Walmart is serious about credibility in the hobby.
Not Just a Booth—A Full-On Experience
Beyond the collectibles, Walmart is launching the Walmart Delivers Lo-Fi Play Truck, a mobile gaming hub packed with retro video games, prizes, and nostalgia-driven merch. Fans can climb leaderboards, win swag, and have those same games shipped straight to their homes through the Walmart app.
The retailer is also hosting 25 exclusive livestreams on-site and through Walmart.com/live, bringing the energy of Comic Con to fans at home.
Big Industry Move: Shortboxed Joins Walmart Marketplace
In what may be the sleeper announcement of the weekend, Walmart revealed a partnership with Shortboxed, one of the most trusted comic marketplaces in the industry. The collaboration brings over 75,000 books from thousands of sellers—including top dealers like Reece’s Rare Comics and Harley Yee Rare Comics—straight to Walmart Marketplace.
It’s the first time Shortboxed has opened its inventory to another platform, making Walmart the exclusive home for a portion of its high-grade, authenticated catalog.
What This Means for Sellers
For eCommerce sellers and brands, this move is more than a marketing stunt. Walmart is turning its collectibles vertical into a destination—one built around authenticity, scarcity, and fan experience. The addition of Shortboxed signals that Walmart isn’t chasing trends; it’s building a serious ecosystem for collectors that rivals Amazon’s toy and entertainment categories.
Bottom line: Walmart isn’t just showing up at Comic Con. It’s taking the main stage. Collectors get credibility, fans get access, and sellers get a glimpse of where Walmart Marketplace is heading—a hybrid of culture, community, and commerce that could redefine the category.
Meta Ads Pixel Tracking, Explained: Why One Line of Code Can Make or Break Your Campaigns
By now, every eCommerce seller has heard of the Meta Pixel—but few fully understand how much it can impact sales performance. According to Armando Roggio’s latest piece, getting your Meta Pixel setup right can literally mean the difference between a struggling campaign and one that scales profitably.
One merchant he reviewed went from a 0.3% to 27% conversion rate—without changing the creative, audience, or landing page. The only fix? Correctly tracking conversions.
How the Meta Pixel Works
The Meta Pixel is a tiny snippet of JavaScript that connects your website to Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram). When a shopper clicks your ad and visits your store, the pixel tracks what they do—what they view, add to cart, or buy—and reports that data back to Meta.
Over time, Meta uses this data to learn who’s most likely to convert, refining which shoppers see your ads and when. Each cycle of data improves your targeting automatically, reducing wasted spend and boosting efficiency.
Think of it as the opposite of a billboard. Instead of throwing your message at thousands of drivers and hoping it sticks, the pixel shows your ad only to people who are statistically primed to buy—and learns from every click to make the next one count even more.
Shopify Integration Makes It Easier
If you sell through Shopify, Meta makes this process nearly plug-and-play. The Facebook & Instagram App uses both the Meta Pixel and Meta’s Conversion API to share key events like:
- PageView
- AddToCart
- InitiateCheckout
- Purchase
The Pixel pulls data from shoppers’ browsers, while the API transmits verified sales data directly from Shopify. Together, they close the gap between ad spend and performance measurement—letting you see exactly which ads drive sales and how to optimize future campaigns.
Why This Matters for Sellers
When the pixel is firing correctly, it answers three critical questions:
- What’s working? You can finally measure ad performance with precision.
- Who to target next? Meta’s algorithm learns from conversions to find similar buyers.
- How to improve? Campaigns evolve in real time based on actual purchase behavior.
Without accurate tracking, your campaigns are flying blind—and your ROAS will show it.
The Privacy Trade-Off
Meta’s targeting power comes from its ability to track user behavior across devices. When you install the Pixel, you’re effectively letting Meta watch how shoppers interact with your store. That raises obvious privacy considerations, so sellers need to be transparent and compliant with data policies.
Still, as Roggio points out, data-driven advertising isn’t optional anymore—it’s how sellers stay competitive. The real challenge is using that data responsibly, maintaining trust while still giving Meta the information it needs to optimize performance.
Bottom line: The Meta Pixel isn’t “set it and forget it.” It’s your campaign’s engine. If it’s misfiring, your ads are too. Take the time to check your setup—because sometimes one line of code can be worth 26.7 percentage points in conversion rate.
What Amazon Shippers Should Prioritize This Peak Season
With the holidays fast approaching, Amazon sellers and FBA shippers are racing to get inventory in place before the network crunch hits. At this year’s Amazon Accelerate 2025 conference, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) leaders laid out clear priorities for sellers who want to stay in stock, ship on time, and keep Prime promises intact.
The Non-Negotiables: Plan Early, Ship Smart
Peak season success starts weeks before the rush. According to Khyati Vaidya, Senior Manager of Product Management at FBA, shippers should lock in capacity, schedule early, and build a buffer for disruptions like port congestion and carrier shortages. “Think of this as a guide for navigating the holiday season with fewer surprises and more sales,” she told attendees.
Key inbound deadlines for FBA shipments:
- Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD): October 9
- FBA Minimal Shipment Splits: October 20
- FBA Amazon-Optimized Shipment Splits: October 30
The earlier inventory arrives, the faster it clears Amazon’s network. Delays caused by missed windows, inaccurate tracking, or carrier congestion can push products out of stock just as demand peaks.
Inventory Health = Holiday Readiness
FBA’s Karen Shen, Principal Product Manager, emphasized that maintaining minimum inventory levels across all SKUs is critical. “This enables us to spread your inventory close to as many customers as possible,” she said, allowing Amazon to place products strategically across fulfillment centers to optimize delivery times.
Shen also urged sellers to lean on demand forecasting tools for predictive insights. “Use your forecasts to adjust inventory strategy proactively, not reactively,” she added. The data from tools like Amazon’s restock recommendations or third-party forecasting platforms can prevent last-minute stockouts and smooth replenishment cycles.
The Delivery Window Matters
Even perfectly timed shipments can stall if delivery windows aren’t accurate. Amazon gives processing priority to shipments that arrive within their scheduled delivery appointments, Vaidya said. For sellers, that means coordinating closely with carriers and providing precise transit timelines and tracking IDs.
Key carrier guidance:
- Self-managed carriers: Provide an accurate 7-day delivery window for both domestic and international shipments.
- Amazon-managed carriers (AGL or Partner Carrier Program): Provide a ship date or freight-ready date—Amazon manages the rest.
- ShipTrack users: Maintain strict compliance with assigned delivery windows.
Vaidya noted that West Coast congestion tends to spike during the holidays. Sellers can reduce risk by routing shipments to Central or East Coast fulfillment centers instead.
How to Beat the Holiday Bottleneck
The golden rule is simple: precision beats speed. Schedule delivery appointments at least seven days in advance and, when possible, target off-peak hours like nights or weekends to avoid warehouse gridlock.
For sellers who manage their own shipping, this is the season to tighten every link in the logistics chain—clear labeling, accurate carton counts, and communication with carriers are non-negotiable.
The Takeaway
Amazon’s message to sellers this year is clear: logistics discipline is your competitive edge. Getting inventory in early, maintaining balanced stock across ASINs, and providing accurate delivery data are what separate smooth sellers from those stuck in December backlogs.
As Shen summed it up, “Peak season is won by those who plan ahead.”
Keep up with the latest Amazon and Walmart news updates and subscribe to our BellaVix newsletter 👇👇👇
Stop scrolling. Start knowing.
Give your eyes a break and catch this special edition of Selling on Giants: Weekly eCommerce News & Updates.
In just 10 minutes, we cover Amazon’s Holiday Power Play, Walmart’s Search Shake-Up, and How Sellers Can Win Q4.
Stay informed and stay ahead.
🎧 Now streaming on Buzzsprout and YouTube