Amazon: Evolving marketplace policies
Individual merchant registration halted: Amazon has ceased accepting new registration applications from individual merchants globally. This change, effective immediately, follows a prior trend where Amazon’s recruitment managers stopped accepting individual merchant information for new store openings. The move aligns with the U.S. Consumer Notification Act, effective June 27, 2023, mandating third-party sellers in the Amazon U.S. marketplace to provide and verify corporate information.
New listing rules effective January 1: Starting January 1, Amazon will implement updated listing weight rules and a comprehensive scoring standard for listings in 2024. The new scoring system emphasizes the completeness of listing content, with higher scores indicating more comprehensive listings. Sellers are advised to focus on enhancing title quality, filling in all key attributes, and improving image information to gain better traffic and conversion rates.
TikTok: Expanding e-commerce reach
Black Friday sales skyrocket: TikTok Shop’s “Black Friday Early Access” event witnessed a significant surge in sales, with the U.S. market’s Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) growing by 155% and the UK’s by 153%. The increase in orders and active product listings suggests a continued rise in consumer shopping enthusiasm, offering sellers on platforms like TikTok Shop a prime opportunity to boost sales.
Partnership with Real Authentication: TikTok announced a collaboration with Real Authentication for pre-listing authentication of second-hand luxury bags sold through its U.S. mini-stores. This partnership aims to assure buyers and retailers of the authenticity of their purchases, a crucial factor given the growing demand for luxury resale items.
Meta: Social media’s e-commerce integration
Amazon shopping on Facebook and Instagram: Amazon and Meta have partnered to enable shopping directly on Instagram and Facebook. This integration allows consumers to link their Amazon accounts with their social media profiles, facilitating in-app purchases from selected Amazon product ads. This move is expected to attract more shoppers to Amazon’s online store and enhance Meta’s appeal to advertisers.
Q3 user data surpasses TikTok: Meta’s third-quarter data from research firms like Apptopia and Evercore shows a resurgence in user growth for Instagram and Facebook, surpassing TikTok in several metrics. This growth is attributed to new product launches like Reels and Threads, despite a decline in app downloads for both Facebook and Instagram.
