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In this August 12, 2025 episode of Selling on Giants – eCommerce News & Updates, host Mr. Will delivers a deep dive into the biggest marketplace changes and retail trends shaping Q4 strategy for Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and eCommerce sellers.
Amazon has officially lifted the calendar restrictions on Prime Exclusive Deals, allowing sellers to run them year-round instead of only during events like Prime Day. These promotions are exclusive to Prime members and come with high-visibility placements on the Amazon homepage, the Deals page, and in Amazon’s targeted customer emails. We break down how sellers can leverage this new flexibility to align promotions with inventory cycles, seasonal spikes, and strategic sales pushes without waiting for Amazon-led events.
On top of that, Amazon has opened submissions for Prime Big Deal Days, a major pre-holiday event that works like a second Prime Day and can help brands capture early seasonal shoppers before Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You’ll get key deadlines, submission steps, and strategic reasons to participate.
We also unpack Amazon’s clarification on deferred transactions — sales proceeds that are held for 7–14 days after delivery or up to 45 days for invoiced Amazon Business orders. Understanding where these funds are and when they release can help sellers improve cash flow forecasting, especially in high-volume Q4 periods.
From there, we look at Amazon Science’s “Modern Productivity Paradox” and their push toward AI agents that work with sellers instead of replacing them. This vision focuses on collaboration, context-aware recommendations, and higher-quality decision-making — potentially changing how future Amazon tools plan campaigns, optimize listings, and respond to market shifts.
In retail media, Criteo is holding its ground despite losing parts of major accounts like Target’s Roundel. Competitors such as Kevel, Moloco, and Vantage are attracting retailers with advanced programmatic tools and AI-driven solutions. For sellers, the takeaway is clear — your choice of retail media tech partner directly impacts targeting precision, measurement quality, and ROAS.
We also cover how generative AI shopping tools from ChatGPT to Google AI Overviews could disrupt affiliate marketing this holiday season, potentially cutting referral traffic from sites like Wirecutter. Sellers will need to adapt by creating their own review-style content, experimenting with hybrid commission models, and finding ways to surface products directly inside AI shopping tools.
Tariffs are another hot topic, with new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports adding an estimated $12.2 billion in monthly costs for consumers — about $47 per person. Many shoppers are avoiding Temu and Shein, opening opportunities for domestic brands and those sourcing from tariff-free regions, at least until the de minimis rule expires globally on August 29.
Despite cost pressures, July retail sales rebounded strongly. Core retail sales rose 1.55% month over month, with big gains in sporting goods, general merchandise, and clothing. Digital product sales jumped 25% year over year, signaling continued strength in deal-driven, seasonal buying.
We close with updates on Amazon Handmade’s reclassification project, which is moving products into standard product types for better discoverability, and eBay’s new Boost icon that pushes sellers toward higher ad spend in Promoted Listings — raising questions about the future cost of organic visibility.
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