Walmart’s Bet on Agentic AI: A Glimpse Into Retail’s Future
Read full article on Digital Commerce 360
Walmart is leaning into Agentic AI, an emerging branch of artificial intelligence focused on autonomous task execution, to power what it calls the “store of the future.” These systems are designed not just to analyze data, but to make decisions and take action in real time, reducing friction in both customer and backend operations.
What Walmart Is Doing:
- AI driven inventory and fulfillment: Walmart is testing AI that can reorder stock, optimize shelf placement, and even run demand forecasting without human input.
- In store assistants: Think of AI agents guiding associates, managing tasks, and surfacing priority issues without needing constant direction.
- Customer experience enhancements: Walmart envisions personalized shopping journeys, tailored promotions, and chatbot style support powered by real time decision engines.
Why It Matters for eCommerce Sellers:
- Agentic AI is coming to marketplaces. As platforms like Walmart and Amazon automate more functions—ads, inventory, fulfillment—sellers who understand and align with these systems will have an edge.
- Listings, ads, and logistics may be AI managed. Expect more automation in product placements, dynamic pricing, and buy box competition.
- Increased pressure to perform. Agentic AI systems will likely reward sellers with clean catalog data, reliable inventory feeds, and strong conversion metrics while penalizing those who lag behind.
Strategic Recommendations:
- Prepare your catalog for automation. Clean, keyword rich, and structured listings will perform better in AI optimized systems.
- Invest in data hygiene. Ensure product attributes, pricing, and availability are consistently accurate across feeds.
- Stay flexible. As Walmart and Amazon deploy agentic systems, policies and best practices may change rapidly—sellers who adapt quickly will win.
This is more than a tech upgrade. It’s a foundational shift in how retail operates. If Walmart’s vision materializes, sellers will need to be both strategic and AI literate to stay relevant.
Target Plus Expands Third-Party Marketplace — But Growth Lags Behind Rivals
Read full article on Digital Commerce 360
Target Plus, the retailer’s invite-only third-party marketplace, continues to grow but at a slower pace compared to Amazon and Walmart. While the platform has steadily increased its seller count and assortment since launching in 2019, it still remains a highly curated and selective environment.
Key Highlights:
- Seller count is up, with Target Plus now offering products from more than 1,300 third-party brands.
- Assortment has expanded, especially in categories like home, apparel, and beauty but remains tightly controlled to protect Target’s brand image.
- Sales remain modest, with third-party sales representing a small fraction of Target’s overall eCommerce revenue.
What eCommerce Sellers Should Know:
- The invitation-only model limits accessibility. Sellers cannot apply to join Target Plus—partners are handpicked based on quality, brand alignment, and fulfillment capabilities.
- No ad platform yet. Unlike Amazon and Walmart, Target does not currently offer a self-service ad platform for third-party sellers, making it harder to drive visibility at scale.
- Strong branding required. Target favors brands that already have traction, clean catalog data, and strong DTC experience.
Strategic Takeaways:
- Best suited for premium brands. If your product aligns with Target’s merchandising strategy and you have solid DTC infrastructure, Target Plus could be a valuable long-term channel.
- Do not expect volume like Amazon. This is a brand-building opportunity, not a sales velocity play.
- Focus on operational readiness. Target expects fast fulfillment, clear catalog data, and strong customer experience.
As the third-party marketplace landscape matures, Target Plus offers an alternative path for brands that want curated exposure and long-term retail partnerships rather than the open scale of Amazon or Walmart.
New Vendor Central Chat Tools Help Vendors Troubleshoot ASINs Faster
Amazon has rolled out new chat-based tools in Vendor Central designed to save time and improve issue resolution for vendors. These features are only available in English-language accounts for now, but they mark a notable shift toward more self-service and real-time support.
What’s New in Vendor Central Chat:
- Featured Offer Troubleshooting: Quickly diagnose why a product may have lost the Buy Box.
- ASIN-Level Data Access: Instantly view sales and inventory levels to inform restocks and strategy.
- ASIN Title Verification: Ensure listings are accurate and compliant.
- Purchase Order Insights: Get clarity on canceled POs without opening a case.
- General Retail Process Q&A: Ask questions about Amazon’s retail workflows.
Why It Matters for Vendors:
Faster, self-directed support cuts down on case creation and wait times—especially during peak periods like Prime Day prep. For brands managing multiple ASINs or relying on consistent PO cadence, this is a major win.
Action for Your Team:
Encourage Vendor Managers to test the new chat functions and flag any common pain points that could be resolved more efficiently. Use the thumbs up/down feedback to influence future chat enhancements.
These updates are part of Amazon’s broader push to simplify Vendor Central and reduce dependency on case support. Keep an eye out for more automation features to roll out in the coming months.
Amazon Vendor Central Update: New “In Full Delivery” Chargebacks Start July 21
Amazon is simplifying PO compliance chargebacks under a new category: “In Full Delivery”, effective July 21, 2025. This change affects all vendors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Here’s what you need to know:
To stay compliant, you must:
- Not ship overages (no more units than ordered)
- Fill at least 95% of confirmed PO units
- Avoid changing PO confirmations more than 5 business days after the hand-off window starts
What’s changing:
Three current chargeback types — Not filled, Overages, and Down confirmed — will now fall under the single “In Full Delivery” chargeback.
Timeline:
- June 9–July 20: Chargebacks visible but not invoiced (use this time to update your systems)
- July 21 onward: New policy in effect, and chargebacks will be invoiced
Action Required:
Double-check your PO confirmation, ASN, and invoicing processes. Sync your teams (ops, finance, 3PLs) now to avoid unnecessary fees.
New Survey Reveals: Rising Tariffs Are Starting to Shape eCommerce Behavior
Read full article on Digital Commerce 360
A new survey from Digital Commerce 360 highlights how tariffs are beginning to influence consumer shopping habits—and the changes could have real implications for sellers this year. As costs rise due to trade policy shifts, shoppers are getting more price-sensitive and adjusting how they shop online.
Key Consumer Insights:
- 44% of shoppers say they’ve noticed price increases due to tariffs or supply chain issues.
- Nearly 1 in 3 consumers are reducing online purchases or switching to cheaper brands in response.
- 28% are comparison shopping more than usual, often across marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Temu.
- Only 15% say tariffs have no impact on their shopping behavior—down from 28% last year.
What This Means for eCommerce Sellers:
- Price sensitivity is rising. If you’re sourcing from tariff-affected regions (especially China), you’ll need to re-evaluate pricing strategies or look for ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality.
- Value messaging matters more. Brands that clearly communicate product quality, durability, or bundled savings are more likely to retain share.
- Marketplace competition is intensifying. With consumers more actively comparing prices, listing optimization and promotion timing will be critical to staying visible.
Strategic Recommendations:
- Audit your supply chain. Identify SKUs most impacted by tariffs and assess whether reshoring, nearshoring, or supplier diversification could offer relief.
- Bundle and upsell smartly. Help justify higher AOVs by offering value-packed bundles or limited-time deals to offset sticker shock.
- Leverage promotions carefully. Target price-conscious buyers using Brand Tailored Promotions, coupons, and strategic discounting—especially in Q3-Q4 when price sensitivity may peak.
Tariffs may not dominate headlines daily, but they’re reshaping buyer behavior in subtle ways. Brands that adapt early can stay ahead of the curve—and avoid margin erosion later.
New: Bulk Upload Up to 100 Amazon Coupons at Once
Amazon just made scaling promotions easier for sellers with a new bulk coupon upload feature. You can now create up to 100 coupons simultaneously using a single spreadsheet in Seller Central.
This includes:
- Standard coupons
- Subscribe & Save coupons
- Reorder coupons
Why this matters:
If you’re managing a large catalog or running recurring promos, this will drastically cut down on time spent creating offers individually. You can still create coupons one at a time, but the bulk option is ideal for major sales events or wide-reaching seasonal pushes.
Action for sellers:
Download the new bulk template in Seller Central and start planning your next round of promotions efficiently.
eCommerce Earnings Snapshot: Q1 2025 Shows Slower Growth, but Key Players Still Thrive
Read full article on Digital Commerce 360
Digital Commerce 360’s latest earnings roundup for Q1 2025 reveals a slight cooling in eCommerce growth across the board—especially compared to the pandemic-fueled highs of previous years. Still, major players like Amazon, Walmart, and Target posted solid performances, and several verticals showed resilience.
Key Takeaways for eCommerce Sellers:
- Amazon remains dominant, with a 13.2% YoY increase in online sales and continued investment in same-day delivery and AI-powered search tools.
- Walmart’s eCommerce unit grew 21% YoY, driven by marketplace expansion and strong grocery performance.
- Target’s online growth dipped, with YoY eCommerce sales down 3.1% as the retailer rebalances between digital and in-store demand.
- Specialty and DTC brands saw mixed results. Pet, home goods, and electronics categories held steady, while fashion and luxury showed signs of slowing.
What It Means:
Overall eCommerce growth is normalizing as consumer spending adjusts to inflation and shifts back to in-person experiences. That said, marketplace infrastructure and last-mile logistics are continuing to evolve rapidly—giving brands new ways to compete on speed and service.
Actionable Advice:
- Double down on marketplace strategy: With Amazon and Walmart seeing gains, it’s critical to optimize for both organic ranking and paid visibility.
- Diversify product mix: Consumer needs are shifting—monitor demand and pivot quickly toward more resilient categories.
- Streamline logistics: With fulfillment speed becoming a key differentiator, evaluate options for faster delivery or regional warehousing.
Sellers who stay agile, invest in data, and build platform-native brand experiences will be best positioned to navigate this slower-growth phase and scale smartly through Q2 and beyond.
Amazon Retires Posts Program — Say Goodbye to Free Visibility
Amazon has officially deprecated the Posts program as of June 3, 2025, with a full shutdown coming July 31, 2025. The program—once a promising free discovery tool for brands—saw declining impressions and never received the advertising integration many sellers hoped for.
Key dates:
- June 3: No new users or API access
- June 16: Last day to create new Posts
- July 31: Final shut-off
Our take: This is a loss. Posts offered a rare free marketing lever within Amazon’s ecosystem. Instead, brands are now being directed to Brand Tailored Promotions and Creator Connections—both of which require deeper investment and strategic oversight.
If you relied on Posts for brand visibility, it’s time to rethink your upper-funnel efforts. Focus on Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and Amazon’s influencer tools to fill the gap.
Amazon Enforces Stricter Title Rules in Flat File Uploads
Amazon has updated its title requirements for flat file uploads:
Any title that contains the same word more than twice will now be rejected.
This change applies during bulk uploads via Excel or TSV files. The update is part of Amazon’s broader effort to clean up search relevance and improve the customer experience.
Why it matters:
- Keyword stuffing (even if strategic) can now block listings from uploading
- Rejected titles could stall your new product launches or flat file updates
- Brands will need to revise naming conventions to comply with this rule
Action item: Review and revise your flat file templates—especially if you sell in categories where repeated keywords (e.g., “organic,” “natural,” “clean”) were commonly used for SEO gains.
Amazon Retires MYCE Tool — A Missed Opportunity for Brand Engagement
Read full article on Adweek
Amazon has officially phased out its Manage Your Customer Engagement (MYCE) tool, a program originally designed to let brands email Amazon “followers” with new product announcements and promotions. While the tool promised to bridge the gap between DTC-style marketing and Amazon’s closed ecosystem, most advertisers found it ineffective and underwhelming.
What Sellers Need to Know:
- Lack of transparency and targeting made MYCE a poor substitute for traditional email marketing. Brands couldn’t see who received emails, had no segmentation control, and couldn’t measure performance.
- Rigid creative controls prevented brands from personalizing their messages or testing different content formats—everything had to follow Amazon’s strict templates.
- Low adoption and minimal impact across the board meant most sellers either never used it or quickly deprioritized it.
Mr. Will’s Take:
As a seasoned Amazon advertiser, I’m not surprised to see MYCE go. The promise was there, but the execution never matched the potential. It was essentially a “black box” marketing channel—no insights, no targeting logic, no ROI tracking. That’s not how brands scale.
Sellers need data-backed tools and flexible creative environments to win. MYCE offered neither. Fortunately, we’re seeing better options emerge, like Brand Tailored Promotions and Creator Connections, which offer more personalization and performance visibility.
Strategic Recommendation:
If you were relying on MYCE (or considering it), shift that energy into:
- Brand Tailored Promotions for segmentation and conversions
- DSP retargeting to re-engage warm audiences
- External list-building for owned email strategies
- Creator-led campaigns that drive education and trust
MYCE’s sunset is another signal: Amazon is doubling down on tools that prove their value. So should you.
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