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Marketplaces are sending a clear message this week. Risk, compliance, and execution now sit squarely with sellers, not the platforms. From Amazon brand protection and account health to Walmart returns, catalog limits, and AI-driven discovery, this episode breaks down how responsibility is moving downstream and why disciplined operators are pulling ahead.

In this episode, we cover:

Amazon brand protection remains reactive
Amazon reaffirmed how sellers must report unauthorized brand name changes. The workflow exists, but recovery is still slow, disruptive, and operationally expensive. Once a hijack happens, sellers are already behind. Clean Brand Registry status, documented ASIN ownership, and escalation readiness are no longer optional.

Account Health is now Amazon’s primary suspension prevention system
Amazon is positioning Account Health as a daily operational discipline, not a reactive alert center. Missed deadlines and incomplete documentation now carry real downside. Suspensions are increasingly execution failures, not policy surprises.

Why macro signals still matter for eCommerce operators
With Kevin Warsh nominated as the next Fed chair, rate expectations are shifting again. Softer short-term rates may support demand, but financing costs and capital discipline still matter. Operators need plans that work across uneven demand and funding environments.

Walmart tightens control on returns and catalog growth
Return exemptions are discretionary, not guaranteed. Item and selling limits are actively enforced. Walmart is rewarding clean execution and proven performance, not SKU volume. Growth is earned, not assumed.

Leadership changes signal platform direction
Walmart’s CEO transition points to continuity and scale with rising expectations. Target’s leadership reset suggests slower, more selective marketplace expansion. Sellers should align strategy to where each retailer is heading, not wait for policy relief.

Seasonal and emotional demand is still alive
Valentine’s Day spending is hitting record highs, reinforcing that demand has concentrated, not disappeared. Consumers still spend when the moment matters. Readiness, clarity, and fulfillment speed win in compressed timelines.

Retail therapy is reshaping conversion
Discretionary spending is flowing toward categories that deliver emotional payoff and immediate improvement. Listings that lead with outcomes convert better than those overloaded with specifications, especially in ad-driven traffic.

AI is compressing the funnel, not flattening marketplaces
Meta is betting on agentic shopping while Amazon and Walmart tighten control over how AI operates inside their ecosystems. AI rewards clarity, structured data, and clean execution. Vague positioning gets filtered out faster than ever.

Unified commerce is becoming table stakes
Retailers are moving from omnichannel talk to unified operating systems. Centralized inventory, fulfillment, and data are now required to meet rising platform expectations without creating internal chaos.

The through line
Platforms are no longer promising protection. They are demanding discipline. AI is not removing friction. It is relocating it. Demand still exists, but it rewards operators who execute cleanly, move early, and stay aligned with platform incentives.

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Ad fraud has the potential to drastically change online business, if we keep underestimating it.

In this episode of Selling on Giants, we sit down with Rich Kahn, Founder and CEO of Anura.io, to break down what ad fraud really looks like today and why it’s no longer a question of if you have fraud, but how much.

Rich has spent more than three decades in digital advertising. He didn’t set out to build a fraud prevention company — he built one after his own marketing platform was hit and he realized there was no credible solution on the market. So he built it himself.

This conversation goes beyond theory and headlines. We unpack how ad fraud actually works in the real world, how it hides inside legitimate-looking performance data, and why many brands don’t notice it until ROAS drifts, lead quality drops, and chargebacks show up months later.

What we cover in this episode:

• What ad fraud really is — and how it operates today
• The three main forms of fraud: bots, malware, and human fraud farms
• Why human-driven fraud is more common and affordable than most brands expect
• How fraud can inflate conversions and ROAS, not just hurt performance
• Why polluted data pushes ad platforms to optimize in the wrong direction
• Why affiliate and partner traffic often carries higher fraud risk
• The early indicators most teams overlook
• What you can do immediately to reduce exposure
• Why prevention beats trying to recover ad spend after the fact
• How AI-driven media buying is making fraud more sophisticated, not less

Guest Resources & Contact

Want to go deeper on fraud prevention, traffic quality, and performance protection?
You can access valuable tools, insights, and free resources from Anura, including their Ultimate Guide to Ad Fraud.

Website: https://anura.io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richkahn/

Highly recommended if you’re serious about protecting ad spend, improving attribution, and scaling with confidence.

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This week on Selling on Giants, the signal gets louder across every platform. Creative, pricing, and discovery all move faster, and the brands that win are the ones that can iterate quickly without letting fundamentals or compliance turn into the bottleneck.

We start inside Amazon’s ads stack where creative creation becomes more native and more iterative. Then we move into the less glamorous side of the business, chargebacks and dispute discipline. From there, we zoom out into the bigger shifts shaping two thousand twenty six: cross border pressure from Temu, tariff driven margin compression, AI powered shopping interfaces, and Walmart’s continued move toward curated category expansions.

Here’s what we break down in this episode.

Amazon Creative Agent inside Creative Studio
Amazon pulls more of the creative workflow into the ads stack so teams can concept, generate, and iterate faster. Creative velocity becomes a real performance lever once targeting and budgets are stable. We also cover where the tool performs well today and where you still need extra passes for labels, perspective, and in scale realism, plus what to prep now so you move fast with guardrails, not chaos.

Chargeback disputes are winnable, but outcomes stay buyer centric
Amazon reinforces tighter dispute windows and higher evidence standards, which means the cost of slow ops goes up. We explain why the operator move is treating disputes like cost control, not a one off appeal. We also walk through how to package documentation as patterns, build an escalation trail that holds up, and when a recovery partner like GETIDA becomes worth it for consistency and throughput.

Amazon’s Health AI agent inside One Medical and the bigger agentic signal
Amazon keeps pushing assistants from answers to actions in high intent workflows. The long term takeaway is that the moat becomes data access plus execution paths, not the chat interface. We also cover what stays the same: trust, privacy, compliance, and real outcomes still matter.

Temu closes the gap in cross border ecommerce momentum
Cross border keeps consolidating around platforms that reduce friction and uncertainty. This is a transparency and trust battle, not only a price battle. We cover what shoppers want most: landed cost clarity, credible reviews, and predictable delivery, and how brands protect conversion with tighter value communication and stronger differentiation.

Tariffs squeeze the margin math and there are few clean levers
Cost pressure forces hard tradeoffs between protecting conversion and protecting profit. We break down why doing nothing lets the algorithm decide through weaker rank and slower turns, how to run SKU level margin math and test pricing with intent, and how to build a trade down path with packs, bundles, Subscribe and Save, and smarter promo posture.

Retail’s AI commerce bet creates a reach versus ownership trade
Retailers chase demand through external AI shopping interfaces, but they risk giving up funnel control. We cover the two risks that matter most: data leakage and disintermediation, why clean structured product data becomes a competitive advantage in agent driven discovery, and how brands build retention off platform so the customer relationship is not rented forever.

The common thread
Speed is accelerating, discovery is shifting, and value pressure stays high. The teams that compound advantages are the ones that keep fundamentals tight, keep creative fresh, and make their catalog easy to trust and easy to recommend.

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This week on Selling on Giants, the signal is consistent across every platform. Retail is getting faster, more automated, and less forgiving, and the operators who win are the ones who build systems that hold up under pressure.

We start with fulfillment because it quietly decides margin, cash flow, and how much risk you carry into the year. Then we move into returns and buyer abuse, where the right documentation and escalation approach makes the difference between progress and endless loops. From there, we zoom out to the next discovery shift, ads inside ChatGPT style conversations, and what that means for product data, trust, and visibility. We also cover Walmart’s push into drone delivery, the retail tech trends that are becoming real infrastructure, and why Google core updates keep reshuffling traffic even when nothing is technically wrong.

Here’s what we break down in this episode.

Amazon fulfillment options for twenty twenty six, and when to use each
FBA, AWD, SFP, FBM, Multi Channel Fulfillment, and Remote Fulfillment
• Where each model fits based on velocity, margin, and operational control
• A practical primary lane plus backup plan approach that protects profit first

Buyer abuse that keeps repeating, and how to force progress
When support keeps looping you, the fix is almost always packaging this as a pattern, not one off incidents
• How to consolidate the story into one primary case with a clean timeline
• Evidence standards that hold up and reduce denial risk
• When to escalate, when to request buyer restriction, and how to use forums strategically

OpenAI brings ads to ChatGPT
Conversational discovery is becoming a paid surface, and that changes how brands win the decision moment
• Why product data becomes creative in chat based recommendations
• Why trust becomes the moat when ads show up inside a helper experience
• What to tighten now across titles, attributes, images, reviews, pricing, and inventory stability

Walmart and Wing expand drone delivery
Speed keeps moving from days to hours to minutes in certain categories
• What faster delivery changes for assortment strategy and repeat purchase behavior
• Why local availability and in stock performance becomes the whole game

Digital innovation in retail, minus the hype
The trend is less about pilots and more about systems that shape discovery and execution
• Retail agents, generative AI, and new sponsored surfaces that sit outside the search bar
• Social commerce pulls demand upstream, and content quality decides whether you capture it

Google core updates, explained
Core updates reshuffle intent, not only punish bad behavior
• How to diagnose drops using Search Console comparisons
• When to adjust page structure and helpfulness versus when to avoid panic edits

The common thread
Discovery is shifting, speed is accelerating, and platforms keep trading seller flexibility for buyer trust. Brands that run clean operations and make their catalog easy to recommend will compound advantages over time.

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This week on Selling on Giants, the platforms are sending a clear message. Control, speed, and accountability are no longer optional.

Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce ecosystem are tightening systems that directly impact margins, conversion, and account health. If you are running real volume, these are not background updates. They are operating constraints that need attention now.

Here’s what we break down in this episode.

Amazon ends high value return exemptions starting February eighth
All United States seller fulfilled orders must now use Amazon prepaid return labels, regardless of item value. Refund windows compress. Buyer seller messaging during returns disappears.
• Faster refunds improve buyer trust and conversion
• Premium and fragile brands take on more immediate financial exposure

This turns returns into a performance lever, not an ops afterthought.

Amazon introduces new Amazon Business B2B metrics
For the first time, sellers can clearly separate business buyer behavior from retail noise.
• B2B refund rates, feedback, and claims now live inside Business Reports
• Bulk order issues surface faster and more accurately
• Brands can finally evaluate whether Amazon Business deserves more focus or less

For established brands, this is required reading.

Walmart raises the bar on seller performance heading into twenty twenty six
Walmart continues to enforce one of the strictest performance frameworks in marketplace retail.
• Negative Feedback Rate becomes a core enforcement metric
• Product quality and expectation management now carry account level consequences
• Suppression, suspension, and termination move fast and appeals are not guaranteed

Disciplined operators benefit. Sloppy execution gets exposed.

Amazon changes how reviews are shared across variations
Starting February twelfth, reviews will no longer flow across functionally different variations.
• Cosmetic differences still share reviews
• Functional differences now stand on their own

This is a catalog hygiene moment, not a wait and see update.

Google and Walmart deepen their partnership
This is not a press release partnership. It is infrastructure alignment.
• Search intent moves closer to Walmart checkout
• Attribution improves and inefficiency gets exposed

Strategy matters more than tactics here.

Holiday eCommerce spending hits two hundred fifty eight billion dollars
The bigger signal is how shoppers are deciding.
• AI assistants are shaping discovery and comparison
• Funnels compress and clarity wins

Fundamentals beat shortcuts.

EU eCommerce compliance and why it feels so complex
Layered regulations, buyer first protections, and aggressive enforcement create friction.
• Successful brands enter selectively
• Documentation and claims alignment matter

USPS restricts access to package tracking data
This is a data access change, not a delivery disruption.
• Some third party tools may face new fees or break
• Sellers need to understand who is authorized to access tracking data

Fast refunds drive repeat orders more than discounts
Refund speed is now a loyalty lever.
• Faster refunds build trust
• Slow refunds often turn into negative reviews

The common thread
Platforms are trading seller flexibility for buyer trust. Operators who run clean systems, document everything, and manage experience intentionally will win margin and stability over time.

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January gets written off every year as a slowdown month. Sellers pull back spend, throttle inventory, and assume momentum won’t return until February.

That assumption is costly.

In this episode of Selling on Giants News and Updates, Mr. Will breaks down why January is not a dead zone. It’s a transition month driven by funded demand, elevated returns, and operational signals that quietly separate disciplined operators from reactive ones.

This episode is not about theory or motivation. It’s about how January actually behaves inside Amazon and across eCommerce, and how sellers should respond when the noise dies down but the signals get clearer.

Here’s what we cover:

Why gift cards make January one of the most misunderstood revenue windows of the year
• Gift cards represent already funded demand, not casual browsing
• Why January shoppers convert differently than Q4 shoppers
• Categories that consistently benefit when listings align with New Year intent
• How staying in stock while competitors slow down creates quiet share gains
• Why bundles, minimum spend offers, and AOV strategies outperform blunt discounting
• How January gift card traffic doubles as a customer acquisition moment, not just redemptions

Post holiday returns and why January is a returns season, not a cleanup week
• Why returns stay elevated well into mid January, even when December looks calm
• How refunds distort cash flow right as teams plan new spend and launches
• The hidden inventory lag caused by returned units stuck in inspection limbo

Amazon’s seller fulfilled refund update starting January 26, 2026
• The shift from two business days to four calendar days to process refunds
• Why more time does not mean less accountability
• How automated refunds impact SAFE T reimbursement eligibility
• Why Amazon is steering sellers toward the Guided Refund workflow

What to do when a customer pulls a switcheroo return
• Why this happens more often on high value FBM items
• How speed and documentation determine outcomes more than policy language
• Why photos and evidence matter more than explanations
• How to communicate with buyers without triggering escalation

Backend keyword myths and Amazon’s actual indexing rules
• Why only one Generic Keyword field matters, regardless of how many boxes appear
• The hard 250 character limit Amazon enforces
• What Amazon explicitly says to avoid including
• Why overstuffing backend keywords rarely moves rankings

Weather as a real time mindset signal for eCommerce performance
• How weather influences attention, emotion, and memory
• Why short term conversion swings are often mindset driven, not bid driven
• How creative performance shifts based on real world conditions
• Categories that are disproportionately affected by weather changes

When heavy, oversized products actually make sense for international expansion
• Why “domestic only” assumptions leave revenue on the table
• How international demand often shows up in analytics before sellers notice
• Why margin and scarcity matter more than product weight
• Categories where cross border freight consistently works

This episode is a behind the curtain look at January through an operator’s lens. No hype. No fear tactics. No forum folklore. Just how demand, returns, policy, and execution actually intersect when the calendar flips.

If you want to stay ahead of marketplace updates, AI driven retail shifts, competitive pressures, and growth strategies across Amazon, Walmart, and Target, subscribe to Selling on Giants

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2026 is not about chasing the next tactic.
It’s about understanding how platforms actually decide who wins.

In this episode of Selling on Giants News and Updates, Mr. Will breaks down what eCommerce brands need to prepare for in 2026 based on real platform signals, operator experience, and frontline insights from the BellaVix team.

This is not a hype driven predictions list.
It’s pattern recognition.

We cover how AI driven discovery, dynamic advertising, fulfillment gravity, and stricter compliance are quietly reshaping Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce ecosystem. The common thread is simple. Platforms are done rewarding effort. They reward outcomes.

What we break down in this episode:

• Why search is dissolving into AI driven decision making and how listings must shift from keyword targeting to intent resolution
• How rankings stop behaving like a shelf and start behaving like software, flexing by behavior, location, and confidence signals
• Why ads are becoming modular and maintenance focused, and where real growth actually comes from now
• How returns, repeat purchase, and post purchase behavior quietly outweigh branding at scale
• Why fulfillment is no longer a feature but gravity, pulling brands deeper into platform infrastructure
• How Walmart’s store native fulfillment changes the competitive equation
• Why content creation is getting easier while trust gets harder, pushing brands toward proof over polish
• What cross border expansion looks like when it becomes mainstream, not experimental
• Why external traffic and social commerce now influence platform visibility more than most sellers realize

We also address the uncomfortable reality many brands are facing heading into 2026.
More systems. More automation. Less margin for error.

Midway through the episode, Mr. Will shares how BellaVix helps brands cut through marketplace complexity with hands on execution, operational clarity, and alignment across strategy, advertising, and fulfillment.

If you sell on Amazon, Walmart, or anywhere eCommerce is becoming more algorithm driven and less forgiving, this episode gives you a clear mental model for what actually matters next.

This is not about predicting features.
It’s about understanding direction.

If you want to stay ahead of marketplace updates, AI driven retail shifts, competitive pressures, and growth strategies across Amazon, Walmart, and Target, subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly analysis rooted in real operator experience.

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The Frequently Returned badge is showing up on products that are well-reviewed, accurately described, and fully optimized. For many sellers, that has been the breaking point.

In this episode of Selling on Giants, we lead with what the badge actually represents today and why Amazon’s guidance only explains part of the story. While platforms continue to frame returns as a listing clarity issue, seller experience tells a more complicated truth.

What’s really driving returns right now

• Free returns have normalized buy-now, decide-later behavior
• Comparison shopping has moved into the checkout flow
• Customers increasingly order multiple variations with intent to return
• Items come back used, damaged, or unsellable, regardless of listing accuracy

The system captures the return.
It does not capture buyer intent.

That distinction matters, because the Frequently Returned badge is no longer just a quality signal. It is becoming a risk indicator that impacts visibility, Buy Box eligibility, fees, and long-term profitability, even for strong products with four point seven and four point eight star ratings.

From there, we connect returns to a much bigger shift happening across eCommerce.

Amazon’s RUFUS shopping assistant is not a convenience feature. It is a signal that discovery is moving away from traditional keyword search and toward AI systems that interpret intent, compare options, and decide what gets surfaced before shoppers ever scroll.

What AI-driven discovery changes for sellers

• Listings are no longer just sales pages. They are training data
• Clean attributes and structured catalog data matter more than keyword density
• Reviews, returns, and behavioral signals influence visibility faster
• Weak or inconsistent catalogs get filtered out earlier

This shift is not limited to Amazon.

Across retail, the same pattern is emerging

• TikTok Shop is shaping demand through creators and entertainment before marketplaces ever see the search
• Shopify is rolling out AI-powered discovery based on intent rather than keywords
• Walmart is consolidating AI into platform-level systems while tightening compliance requirements
• Checkout, discovery, and comparison are collapsing into fewer, faster decision moments

Platforms optimize for convenience and speed.
Sellers absorb the operational and financial volatility that follows.

We also break down why holiday returns are projected to hit one hundred sixty billion dollars, why returns should now be treated as a core operating cost instead of a support issue, and how sellers can think more strategically about pricing, variation strategy, and early warning signals before penalties appear.

Finally, we touch on Walmart’s recent updates, including tighter tax verification standards and the delayed Orders API change, as signs of how marketplaces are prioritizing scale, stability, and system-led decision making going forward.

If you sell on Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, or across multiple marketplaces, this episode connects the dots between returns, AI-driven discovery, and the quiet ways platform design is reshaping risk, visibility, and profitability.

This is not about chasing tools.
It is about understanding how selling actually works now.

If you want to stay ahead of marketplace updates, AI driven retail shifts, competitive pressures, and growth strategies across Amazon, Walmart, and Target, subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly analysis rooted in real operator experience.