Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Show

Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Show is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and businesses with the insights, strategies, and best practices needed to succeed across major eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and WooCommerce. Our podcast covers a broad spectrum of eCommerce topics, including product sourcing, inventory management, pricing, advertising, customer service, and fulfillment. We focus on the latest trends and developments within the industry, featuring interviews with experts, successful sellers, and thought leaders who offer valuable insights and actionable tips. Our mission is to be a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to build a successful online business on these leading eCommerce marketplaces.

  1. 3D AGO

    Infrastructure, Enforcement, and AI: Why Amazon Is Tightening the Screws While Building the Future

    Send a text Amazon is not slowing down. It is tightening standards while simultaneously building the next generation of retail infrastructure. In this February seventeenth, twenty twenty six edition of Selling on Giants, we break down what is actually changing across Amazon, retail media, AI commerce, and consumer behavior and what serious operators should be watching. This week’s episode connects the dots between fulfillment enforcement, AI driven discovery, capital investment cycles, and shifting shopper frequency. The common thread is professionalization. The margin for operational sloppiness is shrinking while the surface area for monetization expands. Here is what we cover: Amazon’s New Business Hour Delivery Rate Metric • What BHDR measures and why it is now visible inside Account Health • Why “informational” metrics rarely stay informational • How Amazon is signaling higher B2B fulfillment expectations OTDR Enforcement Gets Surgical on February Twenty Eighth • How listing level deactivations replace full catalog shutdowns • The growing importance of Shipping Settings Automation and Buy Shipping • Why Amazon’s fulfillment stack is becoming defensive infrastructure Amazon’s Two Hundred Billion Dollar Capex Bet • Why short term margin pressure signals long term control • How AI infrastructure investment will reshape search, ads, and fulfillment • What sellers should monitor instead of stock price headlines Retail Media Invades the Physical Aisle • Digital end caps at CVS and Kroger • Why in store merchandising is becoming programmable media inventory • What this means for trade spend and performance measurement Amazon Set to Surpass Walmart in Annual Revenue • Why the real story is revenue mix, not headline comparison • The structural advantage of AWS and advertising • Ecosystem versus ecosystem competition Shopify, Google, Bing, and the AI Commerce Layer • Who controls checkout in an AI agent world • Why structured product data is no longer optional • The fragmentation of discovery and consolidation of transaction rails Consumer Shopping Frequency Is Normalizing • Why daily online shopping is pulling back • How this impacts forecasting, retention, and average order value • The shift from growth tailwinds to operational precision Tariffs and Advertising Pressure • How macro trade policy affects digital ad budgets • Why margin modeling must include sourcing, pricing, and media The big takeaway: Amazon is raising performance expectations while investing heavily in AI and infrastructure. Retailers are monetizing every high traffic surface. AI is embedding itself into discovery and checkout. And consumer behavior is stabilizing. The brands that win in this environment will not be the loudest. They will be the most disciplined. If you are running Amazon, Walmart, or Shopify at scale, this episode is your operator briefing for the week. Follow us on Selling on Giants on LinkedIn for weekly insights.

    10 min
  2. FEB 10

    Amazon Tightens the Screws, Fulfillment Becomes Risk Management, and Clarity Beats Spend

    Send a text This week’s episode of Selling on Giants feels less like a collection of updates and more like a directional shift. Across Amazon, ecommerce, and brand marketing, the signal is getting louder and clearer. Platforms are done absorbing operational sloppiness, and the cost of getting the basics wrong is showing up faster and with fewer warnings. We start with Amazon’s updated enforcement around frequently returned items. If a vendor does not have a valid U.S. return address on file, Amazon will now dispose of high return inventory and bill the vendor for both the product and the disposal. This is not a new program and not a policy expansion. It is Amazon removing ambiguity and converting operational gaps directly into financial consequences. That same zero tolerance posture is showing up on the seller side as well. Sellers are receiving shipping address mismatch warnings even when Account Health looks clean and nothing operationally changed. Automated detection is firing before human review, and once the clock starts, sellers are forced into reactive support loops with little clarity. Clean configurations, minimal ship-from locations, and alignment between templates and reality are now as important as performance metrics. From there, we zoom out to brand marketing and culture. Super Bowl sixty once again proved that attention can be bought, but meaning cannot. The ads that worked trusted the audience, stayed culturally aware, and kept the brand front and center. The ones that failed relied on celebrity, spectacle, or jokes without payoff. The lesson is not about Super Bowl budgets. It is about signal efficiency. If your message is unclear at the biggest attention moment of the year, it will fail everywhere else too. That clarity gap is also showing up in consumer behavior. Valentine’s Day spending is rising, but consumers are adapting quietly to higher prices. Smaller bundles, fewer add-ons, and delayed purchases are becoming the norm. Seasonal demand no longer hides pricing misalignment. When value is unclear, churn does not show up loudly. It simply never comes back. We also break down Amazon’s Q4 growth, which reflects demand concentration rather than a broad retail rebound. Consumers are choosing where to buy, not necessarily buying more. Convenience and delivery reliability continue to win, making Amazon less optional during uncertain periods. Outside marketplaces, traffic is becoming more volatile. Google Discover updates reshuffled visibility quickly and without explanation, reinforcing that recommendation-based traffic is upside, not foundation. At the same time, Amazon’s physical retail experiments are better understood as ecosystem support moves, not retail disruption. We close with two bigger themes. Fulfillment is no longer a cost center. It is risk management. And in B2B, technology is not the blocker. Leadership and culture are. Across every story this week, the takeaway is the same. Gray areas are disappearing. Automation is moving faster than communication. Clean execution now matters as much as performance. If you operate inside these platforms, this episode helps you understand what is changing and how to stay ahead as the rules harden. Follow us on Selling on Giants on LinkedIn for weekly insights.

    9 min
  3. FEB 3

    Amazon and Walmart Shift Risk to Sellers, AI Reshapes Shopping, and Why Discipline Now Wins

    Send us a text 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. Follow us on Selling on Giants on LinkedIn for weekly insights.

    13 min
  4. How Ad Fraud Quietly Destroys eCommerce ROI with Rich Kahn

    JAN 29

    How Ad Fraud Quietly Destroys eCommerce ROI with Rich Kahn

    Send us a text 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.

    52 min
  5. JAN 27

    Amazon Creative Agent, Tariff Margin Pressure, AI Shopping Agents, and Temu’s Cross Border Surge

    Send us a text 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. Follow

    17 min
  6. JAN 20

    Fulfillment Plans for 2026, Buyer Abuse Playbooks, ChatGPT Ads, Walmart Drones, and the Retail Tech Shift

    Send us a text 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. Follow us on Selling on Giants on LinkedIn for weekly insights.

    18 min
  7. JAN 13

    Amazon Tightens Returns, Reviews, and Refunds While Walmart Raises the Bar for Sellers in 2026

    Send us a text 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. Follow us on Selling on Giants on LinkedIn for weekly insights,

    14 min
  8. JAN 6

    January Isn’t Dead, It’s Funded: Gift Cards, Returns, Refund Rules, and Hidden Seller Levers

    Send us a text 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

    14 min
5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Show is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and businesses with the insights, strategies, and best practices needed to succeed across major eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and WooCommerce. Our podcast covers a broad spectrum of eCommerce topics, including product sourcing, inventory management, pricing, advertising, customer service, and fulfillment. We focus on the latest trends and developments within the industry, featuring interviews with experts, successful sellers, and thought leaders who offer valuable insights and actionable tips. Our mission is to be a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to build a successful online business on these leading eCommerce marketplaces.