[Crew Review] Amazon extends UPS returns “experiment”

Last month, Amazon announced it’s allowing customers to use UPS to return seller-fulfilled items for a limited time. The “experiment” was supposed to end on October 2, but it’s now been extended beyond Halloween.

Why does this trouble sellers? 

Amazon Top Terms

We pulled out the top 10 terms that rose in popularity between October 2nd and October 15th. Check out the keywords that were making numbers during the Amazon Prime Early Access!

During the October Prime Day event, sellers were offering limited-time Lightning Deals, that’s why “lightning deals” is taking our #2 slot in today’s top movers.

Amazon Lightning Deals can be restricted by either a time limit or the number of products available in stock at that price point. These are offers that can only be found in the retailer’s special lightning deals section.

Products related to this keyword have already seen a drastic increase in their sales, selling 388 units per day to 960 units per day in the past few days.

TikTok Is Building Warehouses

It’s best known for its viral dance challenges, but TikTok has grown a lot since its humble beginnings in 2016. In 2021, it generated a total of $4 billion in ad revenue, and this number is expected to grow in the next few years.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is taking steps to become a serious player in e-commerce, particularly social commerce. This was evident in a few LinkedIn job posts that indicate TikTok is planning to build warehouses in the United States.

There’s still no confirmation, but a TikTok spokesperson told Axios that they’re aiming to provide "a selection of merchants which offer a range of product options as well as delivery options" to merchants in areas where it’s currently offering e-commerce programs. It’s even further speculated that the company will build its first warehouses in Seattle, the birthplace of Amazon.

This is not TikTok’s first move toward e-commerce, however. In 2021, it partnered with Shopify to provide the latter’s merchants with product links they can use as tags in TikTok posts.

TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform in the US. And with about a billion monthly active users, it has great potential to thrive in e-commerce, perhaps even challenging Amazon in the process.

Secrets of the $9M/Year eCommerce Business

We regularly invite guests on the EcomCrew podcast, but sometimes, we’re the ones sitting on the guest chair. Recently, Mike sat for an episode with the UpFlip podcast, a show that focuses on the behind-the-scenes of successful businesses.

In this episode, Mike talks about

• Common mistakes e-commerce sellers make
• Why it’s good to start your journey with Amazon
• The software and tools he used to grow multiple brands
• The importance of value-first marketing
• How to encourage good reviews and discourage negative reviews the white hat way

There’s also a fan blitz question segment towards the end where he answers questions submitted by listeners. Check out the podcast here.

Walmart’s Content Creator Platform

Influencers have been instrumental in the success of social commerce, and Walmart knows this well. “We know our customers are inspired by the content and stories they see from their favorite influencers in their social feeds every day,” says William White, the chief marketing officer at Walmart US.

This is why the company is launching the beta version of Walmart Creator, a program that provides content creators the tools they need to monetize shoppable Walmart products. Members are allowed to earn unlimited commissions by sharing product links to their social media platforms.

This program is similar to Amazon Influencers and Amazon Associates as well as to e-commerce features on TikTok.

Walmart may still be the king of brick-and-mortar stores, but it’s working hard to expand its reach online. This is further proof that social commerce is the next big thing, so business owners better know how to work with influencers for their e-commerce brand.

Google Makes Changes to Sponsored Search Results

We can all agree that the bolded two-letter “Ad” that indicates a Google search result is sponsored is easy to miss. It took quite a while for the company to take action, but it’s finally rolling out some subtle but important changes.

Instead of using “Ad,” Google will now use “Sponsored” in an effort to make it more prominent. In case you hadn’t noticed, this has been implemented for mobile devices and will be seen on desktops in the future.

There are other changes too, including

• Updating the size and shape of a website’s logo
• Adding site names to search results on mobile devices
• Displaying site names in search results
  
  

Need More People This Q4?

The last quarter of the year is usually the busiest for most e-commerce sellers. There’s an influx of orders (which is good), but it also means more work and more customers to deal with.

If you need to find temporary or project-based workers (or even hire one for a regular position), OnlineJobs.ph offers a database of qualified and experienced Filipino remote workers. We’ve personally used the site to find some of our longest-serving employees. Mike also sat down for an interview with the founder, John Jonas.

OnlineJobs.ph is the perfect first step when you’re looking to hire competent Filipino VAs, which is why we’ve partnered with them. Upgrading your account through our link will earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Check out OnlineJobs.ph to find your next rockstar employee.