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This week on Selling on Giants, the platforms are sending a clear message. Control, speed, and accountability are no longer optional.

Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce ecosystem are tightening systems that directly impact margins, conversion, and account health. If you are running real volume, these are not background updates. They are operating constraints that need attention now.

Here’s what we break down in this episode.

Amazon ends high value return exemptions starting February eighth
All United States seller fulfilled orders must now use Amazon prepaid return labels, regardless of item value. Refund windows compress. Buyer seller messaging during returns disappears.
• Faster refunds improve buyer trust and conversion
• Premium and fragile brands take on more immediate financial exposure

This turns returns into a performance lever, not an ops afterthought.

Amazon introduces new Amazon Business B2B metrics
For the first time, sellers can clearly separate business buyer behavior from retail noise.
• B2B refund rates, feedback, and claims now live inside Business Reports
• Bulk order issues surface faster and more accurately
• Brands can finally evaluate whether Amazon Business deserves more focus or less

For established brands, this is required reading.

Walmart raises the bar on seller performance heading into twenty twenty six
Walmart continues to enforce one of the strictest performance frameworks in marketplace retail.
• Negative Feedback Rate becomes a core enforcement metric
• Product quality and expectation management now carry account level consequences
• Suppression, suspension, and termination move fast and appeals are not guaranteed

Disciplined operators benefit. Sloppy execution gets exposed.

Amazon changes how reviews are shared across variations
Starting February twelfth, reviews will no longer flow across functionally different variations.
• Cosmetic differences still share reviews
• Functional differences now stand on their own

This is a catalog hygiene moment, not a wait and see update.

Google and Walmart deepen their partnership
This is not a press release partnership. It is infrastructure alignment.
• Search intent moves closer to Walmart checkout
• Attribution improves and inefficiency gets exposed

Strategy matters more than tactics here.

Holiday eCommerce spending hits two hundred fifty eight billion dollars
The bigger signal is how shoppers are deciding.
• AI assistants are shaping discovery and comparison
• Funnels compress and clarity wins

Fundamentals beat shortcuts.

EU eCommerce compliance and why it feels so complex
Layered regulations, buyer first protections, and aggressive enforcement create friction.
• Successful brands enter selectively
• Documentation and claims alignment matter

USPS restricts access to package tracking data
This is a data access change, not a delivery disruption.
• Some third party tools may face new fees or break
• Sellers need to understand who is authorized to access tracking data

Fast refunds drive repeat orders more than discounts
Refund speed is now a loyalty lever.
• Faster refunds build trust
• Slow refunds often turn into negative reviews

The common thread
Platforms are trading seller flexibility for buyer trust. Operators who run clean systems, document everything, and manage experience intentionally will win margin and stability over time.

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January gets written off every year as a slowdown month. Sellers pull back spend, throttle inventory, and assume momentum won’t return until February.

That assumption is costly.

In this episode of Selling on Giants News and Updates, Mr. Will breaks down why January is not a dead zone. It’s a transition month driven by funded demand, elevated returns, and operational signals that quietly separate disciplined operators from reactive ones.

This episode is not about theory or motivation. It’s about how January actually behaves inside Amazon and across eCommerce, and how sellers should respond when the noise dies down but the signals get clearer.

Here’s what we cover:

Why gift cards make January one of the most misunderstood revenue windows of the year
• Gift cards represent already funded demand, not casual browsing
• Why January shoppers convert differently than Q4 shoppers
• Categories that consistently benefit when listings align with New Year intent
• How staying in stock while competitors slow down creates quiet share gains
• Why bundles, minimum spend offers, and AOV strategies outperform blunt discounting
• How January gift card traffic doubles as a customer acquisition moment, not just redemptions

Post holiday returns and why January is a returns season, not a cleanup week
• Why returns stay elevated well into mid January, even when December looks calm
• How refunds distort cash flow right as teams plan new spend and launches
• The hidden inventory lag caused by returned units stuck in inspection limbo

Amazon’s seller fulfilled refund update starting January 26, 2026
• The shift from two business days to four calendar days to process refunds
• Why more time does not mean less accountability
• How automated refunds impact SAFE T reimbursement eligibility
• Why Amazon is steering sellers toward the Guided Refund workflow

What to do when a customer pulls a switcheroo return
• Why this happens more often on high value FBM items
• How speed and documentation determine outcomes more than policy language
• Why photos and evidence matter more than explanations
• How to communicate with buyers without triggering escalation

Backend keyword myths and Amazon’s actual indexing rules
• Why only one Generic Keyword field matters, regardless of how many boxes appear
• The hard 250 character limit Amazon enforces
• What Amazon explicitly says to avoid including
• Why overstuffing backend keywords rarely moves rankings

Weather as a real time mindset signal for eCommerce performance
• How weather influences attention, emotion, and memory
• Why short term conversion swings are often mindset driven, not bid driven
• How creative performance shifts based on real world conditions
• Categories that are disproportionately affected by weather changes

When heavy, oversized products actually make sense for international expansion
• Why “domestic only” assumptions leave revenue on the table
• How international demand often shows up in analytics before sellers notice
• Why margin and scarcity matter more than product weight
• Categories where cross border freight consistently works

This episode is a behind the curtain look at January through an operator’s lens. No hype. No fear tactics. No forum folklore. Just how demand, returns, policy, and execution actually intersect when the calendar flips.

If you want to stay ahead of marketplace updates, AI driven retail shifts, competitive pressures, and growth strategies across Amazon, Walmart, and Target, subscribe to Selling on Giants

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2026 is not about chasing the next tactic.
It’s about understanding how platforms actually decide who wins.

In this episode of Selling on Giants News and Updates, Mr. Will breaks down what eCommerce brands need to prepare for in 2026 based on real platform signals, operator experience, and frontline insights from the BellaVix team.

This is not a hype driven predictions list.
It’s pattern recognition.

We cover how AI driven discovery, dynamic advertising, fulfillment gravity, and stricter compliance are quietly reshaping Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce ecosystem. The common thread is simple. Platforms are done rewarding effort. They reward outcomes.

What we break down in this episode:

• Why search is dissolving into AI driven decision making and how listings must shift from keyword targeting to intent resolution
• How rankings stop behaving like a shelf and start behaving like software, flexing by behavior, location, and confidence signals
• Why ads are becoming modular and maintenance focused, and where real growth actually comes from now
• How returns, repeat purchase, and post purchase behavior quietly outweigh branding at scale
• Why fulfillment is no longer a feature but gravity, pulling brands deeper into platform infrastructure
• How Walmart’s store native fulfillment changes the competitive equation
• Why content creation is getting easier while trust gets harder, pushing brands toward proof over polish
• What cross border expansion looks like when it becomes mainstream, not experimental
• Why external traffic and social commerce now influence platform visibility more than most sellers realize

We also address the uncomfortable reality many brands are facing heading into 2026.
More systems. More automation. Less margin for error.

Midway through the episode, Mr. Will shares how BellaVix helps brands cut through marketplace complexity with hands on execution, operational clarity, and alignment across strategy, advertising, and fulfillment.

If you sell on Amazon, Walmart, or anywhere eCommerce is becoming more algorithm driven and less forgiving, this episode gives you a clear mental model for what actually matters next.

This is not about predicting features.
It’s about understanding direction.

If you want to stay ahead of marketplace updates, AI driven retail shifts, competitive pressures, and growth strategies across Amazon, Walmart, and Target, subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly analysis rooted in real operator experience.