Robyn Johnson

Owner of Marketplace Blueprint, Amazon and Marketplace Consultant / Trainer, 🎙Podcast Host (Marketplace Blueprint Podcast), ECommerce Nerd 🤓, and #disneydork

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Wow! @RyanJones just knocked it out of the park at #pubcon talking about AI and search. He also has a new tool that just launched https://t.co/VyYWjKNNJX. I so excited to play with this new tool. You should check it out too.

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

AMAZON UPC/GS1 RESTRICTIONS EXPANDED TO BUNDLES

Yesterday, Amazon announced a change to the bundle policy, which further restricts products needing a UPC that matches the brand at GS1.

The new policy only covers Grocery, baby, pet, and health/beauty products. It now says you can only list bundles created by the manufacturer and cannot mix brands in bundles. They will start enforcing this at the end of Q4 and give 30 days' notice.

If you have products created with mismatched or recycled UPCs, you need to start thinking about contingency or change plans. Even if you didn't do any bundles, we see an increasing number of UPCs locked down to match the ASIN brand and GS1 Brand.

This change will negatively impact many resellers. However, it will help brand owners manage their products and Amazon presence overall.

#amazonsellers #amazonfba #bundles #upc #gs1 #grocery

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Navah sharing about how sentence casing performed better in ads. Great insight into why this might be a result of the evolution of the SERPs to include more video.

Great data insights in her presentation.

#pubcon

[The Associated Press @AP]

BREAKING: The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports has reached a deal to suspend their strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract, a person briefed on the matter says. https://t.co/evnfIJsyJW

[Sean McGinnis ⛳ 🎬🏍️ 🎤 @seanmcginnis]

You cannot, and will never, outrun a unit economics problem in an e-commerce business.

Looked at a brand with ~65% COGS.

Is it any surprise it's not growing and unprofitable?

[Marketing O'Clock @MarketingOClock]

📚Must Read Article 📚

@AMZRobynJohnson has some Brand new tips for Amazon advertisers.💥

Read the article here: https://t.co/EROz1DdVUu

More news here: https://t.co/sDda5ZDtX5

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Anyone with experience running ads on Amazon knows that branded search advertising can have real value. While branded search advertising might not be as important for Google, on Amazon, your defensive strategy is just as important as your offensive strategy.

My newest article for @sengineland was just published going over the role of branded search on Amazon.

Thank you so much to Abe Chomali, Matt Snyder, and Josh Justice for contributing quotes.

#amazonseller #amazonfba #amazonads #amazonadvertising #amazonsellercentral #amazonvendorcentral

Optimizing for Amazon branded search: Best practices to boost visibility (https://t.co/zznT7iQWsm)

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

PRIME DAY REMINDER: PROFIT WATCH
This is your gentle reminder that discounts stack on Amazon. Customers can claim both discounts if you have multiple discounts (coupons, PEDs, and Lightning Deals) on a listing.

This is a great week to go through your Prime Exclusive Deals, Coupons, Sales, Best Deals, etc., to make sure that if customers stack a discount, you will still need to hit the minimum margin you need to be profitable on a per-item basis.

It is also a great time to check in with your advertising agency to let them know if you need tighter KPIs while these discounts are running so they can change the campaigns before Prime Day.

There are lots of excellent reasons to stack deals. We do this strategically with our clients all the time. I am not saying not to allow stacking discounts; I recommend it! As long as you have really thought out your margins and the goals behind each discount.

#amazonseller #amazonfba #amazonads #PrimeDay

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

AMAZON SELLERS: Seedageddon Update

Unfortunately, the errors have not dropped. If you have not appealed the policy violations, you must do so TODAY for violations that say they must be addressed by 7/1.

We started last night (24 hours after the initial claims) to work on getting these removed for our clients. We initially had some success calling Account Health. We either got lucky on those calls, or they have changed their minds on how to handle these.

Today's calls said to submit appeals for each ASIN with the appeal button. While they know it is a widespread issue, they still want us to file the appeal.

WHAT I RECOMMEND YOU DO:
While it can't hurt to try calling account health, it was not effective for our team today. If you want it noted on the account that you spoke to them before you submitted an appeal, it could still be good to do so.

SUBMIT APPEALS:
You need to submit an appeal for each ASIN manually. This is per 2 account health reps. Go to the violation and click "Submit Appeal."

Check the first two boxes. Then, in the text box, you want to:
-Clearly and concisely explain that you believe this product was flagged in error.
-Explain the product and reaffirm that it has no plant or seed elements (as long as that is true).
-Let them know you checked the listing for any keywords that you could see that might have flagged the listing as a seed or live plant and you cannot find any keywords that could have triggered the flag. (again, do this first, you have to certify this is true).
-Let them know that you cannot contact Seller Support to change the category as the product is in the correct category and list the category. (This is a good time to check that the product is in the correct category)
- Ask that the flag be removed.

WHAT NOT TO DO
I would not recommend closing the listings or ignoring the error. You want to have it on record that you took corrective action. We should always attempt to clear account errors; we should never ignore them.

You should not do what the flag suggests and contact Seller Support to change the category. They will not be able to help you. If your product is not a plant or seed- it should not bee the plant or seed category.

CALLING ACCOUNT HEALTH
If you have products essential for Prime Day or are concerned about submitting the appeal, it is okay to call Account Health. I only ask this—please be kind. This is not their fault. They are real people who deserve to be treated with respect at work.

I know this is not how any of us aim to spend our weekends. Happy to answer any questions.

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Amazon Sellers: If you woke up to a Restricted Products Policy Violation for selling seeds on products that are CLEARLY not seeds, you are not alone. Tens of thousands of these were sent out yesterday evening.

We got them for toys, home decor, clothing, and food products.

We are going to wait 24 hours to see if they drop off before submitting appeals. While I usually am an advocate to appeal these ASAP- this seems to be a glitch.

#botsgonewild #AlwaysOnAFriday #Amazon #AmazonSeller #AmazonFBA

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Amazon Sellers: If you woke up to a Restricted Products Policy Violation for selling seeds on products that are CLEARLY not seeds, you are not alone. Tens of thousands of these were sent out yesterday evening.

We got them for toys, home decor, clothing, and food products.

We are going to wait 24 hours to see if they drop off before submitting appeals. While I usually am an advocate to appeal these ASAP- this seems to be a glitch.

#botsgonewild #AlwaysOnAFriday #Amazon #AmazonSeller #AmazonFBA

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

@PPCKirk @AntBogarin I was going to say the same. Amazon KDP is asking if any portion of books or images is AI generated. I was talking with a friend about this and he was saying it could be out of concern for model collapse.

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

@FrshBakedDisney Casey Jr. - My son was super into trains for a while. One day I rode it 8 times.

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

@SusanEDub I always think of him saying that as he rolling down that grassy hill. So I would say something like a grass or field.

[Kirk Williams @PPCKirk]

One of the greatest arguments I can think of for not utilizing AI to write your content for you, is that it will stifle *your own* education. I am always amazed how much *I LEARN* when I write.

Writing for me is the literal exercising of my mind (can't outsource fitness, right?), it is through the process that I come out in a different place than I was.

I am convinced AI-Generated Content literally robs you of important learnings. I'm not saying it can never be used (I think it could be really helpful for Policy docs, FAQs, etc) but I think innovative writing and pondering shouldn't be outsourced for that reason. 🤔

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

@navahf @Optmyzr @BrookeOsmundson @keithgoode @shellyfagin @jesseseogeek @duchessjenm @methode I had such a great time! Thanks!

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Meet some of the awesome speakers at State of Seach next week in Dallas!

Starting in just a few minutes.

https://t.co/aJVmztxqWR

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

Happy Halloween from your neighbor stretching portraits.

#HauntedMansion #disney #disneyland

[Charles Patterson @CharlesPattson]

"Let's cancel the call"

[Lily Ray 😏 @lilyraynyc]

Something that is important to understand about the Helpful Content Update:

For impacted sites, an understandable knee-jerk reaction is to look at who is ranking in the SERP, which usually follows with “well they’re not that helpful either.”

Ok. Let’s pretend that the… (🧵)

[Robyn Johnson @AMZRobynJohnson]

I am so excited to be speaking at State of Search next month! I will be speaking on the importance of integrated search for Amazon.

I have a code for 75 dollars off registration if you want to join us.

https://t.co/lK9pUYDJsP