[Crew Review] Deja vu for sellers as China returns to lockdown

Rehash

A recent COVID flareup in China has infected more than 15,000 people across 28 different provinces. China has fallen back on its zero-COVID strategy, with major production regions being hit by lockdowns…again.

Here’s what it means for your business.

Amazon Top Terms

We have done some digging and taken data from February 27th to March 12th to show you the biggest moving keywords in the space.

Gas prices are skyrocketing. Western countries have been avoiding Russian oil purchases due to Ukraine’s invasion, which, along with growing post-pandemic demand, has choked the global supply of oil.

As prices soar, police in the US and Canada are warning car owners to buy locking gas caps for their vehicles after an increase in gas thefts. For this reason, "gas cap lock" is our #2 keyword in today's top movers and has gone from selling from 30 units per day to 270 units per day over the past few days.

Amazon Splits Stocks

Amazon surprised Wall Street this week after it announced a 20-for-1 stock split and a $10 billion share repurchase authorization.

A stock split is when a company splits its number of existing shares to boost a stock’s liquidity. If you owned 1 share of Amazon at $20 before the split, that means you’ll be owning 20 shares at $1 each in a 20-for-1 arrangement. The overall dollar value of all shares stays the same, but this is generally regarded as a sign that the company is thriving.

This stock split could make Amazon shares more enticing to individual investors, as it lowers the company’s per share value—1 Amazon stock hovered at just over $3000, and the stock split is scheduled to go through on June 6.

Also announced was a $10 billion buyback allowance, suggesting that the company will be more friendly to shareholders and will double down on its own strengths under Andy Jassy’s new CEO-ship.

All-Time High

Speaking of Amazon thriving, the ecommerce and tech giant commanded a whopping 56.7% of all US ecommerce in 2021, an all-time high for the undisputed leader in online retail.

The data was gathered using a gross merchandise value method which backs out things like revenue from Amazon Web Services but includes the full dollar value of everything sold, even when an item is sold and fulfilled for a third party for a 10-15% selling commission.

Walmart is still second place, but CEO Doug McMillion has said that the brick-and-mortar giant’s business model is changing—thousands of Walmart stores now double as fulfillment centers, all to suggest that Amazon will not be the only major marketplace for online sellers moving forward.

The Name’s Bond…

More antitrust pressure could be coming Amazon’s way (or not), as Reuters reports that it could be days away from closing a deal that would have it acquire MGM Studios, the media production company responsible for blockbuster franchises like “Rocky” and “James Bond”.

Antitrust agencies in the US and EU have to determine if Amazon's $8.5 billion deal to acquire the nearly century-old studio breaks antitrust law. On the EU side, antitrust regulators are set to clear the planned acquisition without conditions. Afterwards, the US Federal Trade Commission will face a mid-March deadline to decide whether the deal violates antitrust law.

Amazon is already a formidable force on the ecommerce and cloud computing fronts, and this acquisition could have it trading blows with streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+.

Etc.

No-go. Antitrust authorities in India have decided not to pursue an inquiry that charges Amazon of rigging the marketplace to copy products from third-party sellers and favor its own private label brands.

Caught in the middle. Amazon and UPS are pointing fingers at each other in cases involving the former’s Buy Shipping Services, with sellers being caught in the middle.

Relocation. Amazon is moving its employees outside of downtown Seattle due to a recent spike in violent criminal behavior.

 

Older messages

[Webinar] Harnessing the power of influence

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Hey Reader, These days, it's common practice among ecommerce sellers to tap content creators to promote their products and get more eyeballs on their listing. While it seems logical to go with the

[Roundup] Here’s how you can level up your social media game

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

From scheduling posts in bulk to generating performance reports, social media management tools are great resources for ecommerce businesses to invest in, especially if you want to increase brand

[Crew Review] Is Amazon using forced labor?

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Stronger forces A non-profit watchdog reports that Amazon is working with suppliers that were linked to forced labor in China. These companies have been associated with “labor transfer” programs before

[Webinar] How to send external traffic to your Amazon listing

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Hey Reader, Being on the first page of product search results on Amazon is like being on the cover of a newspaper or magazine. To have a great product presented in an equally great listing and not have

[Brand Report] Maintaining a good BSR despite inflation

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Hey Reader, It's that time of the month again when we break down our monthly revenue and discuss what strategies worked and what didn't. We had our fair share of wins and losses–one quite

You Might Also Like

‘We found the thing that gives us joy’: Microchild on the microverse, music, and shared language

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

The wife and husband pair of Shannon Sengebau McManus and Jonathan Camacho Glaser are souls behind the band Microchild. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

🦅 Reminder: Masterclass with Jesse Pujji

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

At 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

[Webinar tomorrow] Canadian? How to Grow Your Amazon FBA Business as a Canuck

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Hey Reader, Are you a Canadian? No? Well, you should never skip a single line on an EcomCrew email but this is one exception and you can continue with your day. Yes? Then congratulations on hitting the

The state of ad serving for brands and agencies

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

How ad-serving technology is changing and unlocking new opportunities ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

♟️ OpenAI's smart chess move!

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Guess who's sweating? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

March Madness is here: Tap into the hype with these marketing plays

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

And more insights to drive smarter social strategies and ROI ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

ET: March 11th 2025

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Exploding Topics Logo Presented by: Exploding Topics Pro Logo Here's this week's list of rapidly trending topics, insights and analysis. Topic #1 Gruns (trends) Chart Gruns is a DTC startup

If SEO is dead…

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Here's a surefire way to fall behind your competition: Declare SEO as dead and stop optimizing your content. Sure, the strategies that worked five years ago may not work today, but businesses that

Niche = $$$

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Why Your Tiny Newsletter Could Be an Advertiser's Dream ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The Founder Institute targets first VC fund

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Startups join the M&A big leagues; Hinge Health files for IPO; stablecoin surges with regulation in play; VC-backed IPOs give up post-election gains Read online | Don't want to receive these