What changes to expect on Amazon in 2020?
This article lists major predictions regarding the coming changes on Amazon marketplace in 2020.
Amazon will end its Buyer-Seller Messaging Service
Amazon’s Buyer-Seller Messaging Service is a tool that allows Amazon’s third-party sellers to communicate directly with customers who have purchased their product. We believe Amazon will dissolve the system in 2020.
Why?
First, over the last two to three years, Amazon has made it increasingly difficult for its third-party sellers (especially sellers who use Fulfillment by Amazon), to communicate with shoppers who buy from them.
In March 2017, Amazon added a feature that allowed its U.S. customers to opt out of receiving messages in the messaging system. A year later, Amazon expanded this policy to its UK and Japanese markets.
On November 17, 2019 Amazon sent an email regarding seller messaging. It included specific limitations on what sellers can and cannot say in their communications to customers. Furthermore, they introduced limitations on the number of times sellers could request reviews and seller feedback.
Finally, Amazon has started introducing its own features that aim to replace buyer-seller messaging features.
Perhaps the biggest of these is the “Request a Review” button introduced on November 13. Instead of sending messages to customers, sellers can click a button in their orders window to send a customer a follow-up review request.
Would Amazon really do this?
Amazon has long told its sellers that it is a “customer comes first” company. Giving sellers free rein to Amazon’s customer base potentially exposes Amazons shoppers to manipulation, spam, and other practices by select bad-actor sellers, which clearly goes against Amazon’s customer-centric philosophies.
According to Amazon, the first line of defense against these bad actors is to ensure that Amazon controls seller messaging. And the easiest way for them to control messaging is to remove sellers’ ability to send messages.
Amazon will make sweeping changes in response to fake reviews
If there is one easy prediction for Amazon in 2020, it’s that Amazon’s crusade to end fake reviews on their retail platform will continue into the new year. Perhaps the greatest catalyst for Amazon making sweeping changes comes from the constant negative media attention.
In a report released by EcomCrew, the platform identified the top methods Chinese sellers use to manipulate Amazon. Chief among those mentioned was review manipulation. 50% of Chinese sellers use black-hat tactics to get around Amazon’s terms of service. For Chinese sellers, “reviews equal sales.”
What changes will Amazon make?
Here are a few of the ideas:
- Increased emphasis on the Amazon Brand Registry, including special features which “gate” casual sellers from having an expanded presence on the platform.
- Mandated English copywriting for listings.
- Algorithms that track review velocity. For example, if a product was launched 30 days ago, made 150 sales, and already has 75 reviews, Amazon will flag the listing for review.
- Seller accounts banned by banking/credit card information.
Amazon may end FBM for certain categories
First, FBM offers an avenue for “black hat” sellers to list counterfeit goods on other listings. Sometimes, these phony listings are dropshipped from other countries. This creates longer delivery times and damages the ratings of the product itself.
Second, Amazon cannot control the branding and messaging with FBM the same way they can with FBA.
While Amazon has guidelines in place for FBM sellers to follow regarding shipping times, the quality of packaging, and customer service follow-up, FBM sellers who fail to follow these shipping and customer service standards cannot be penalized by Amazon.
These individuals can really only be penalized through negative seller reviews (which are different from product reviews). And seller reviews are only visible when you click on the “more sellers” option — which most folks rarely do.
However, it’s not likely that Amazon will totally remove FBM functionality. Сategories with high-end, difficult-to-ship products — such as appliances, mattresses, and furniture — are likely to remain open to FBM sellers.
But Amazon could dissolve FBM for categories like Kitchen & Dining, Toys, and Sports & Outdoors, which tend to have lighter, more shippable items (compared to appliances, furniture, and mattresses).
At the very least, FBM merchants will have tighter restrictions on the types of products they can sell.
Source: JungleScout
