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This week on Selling on Giants, the signal is consistent across every platform. Retail is getting faster, more automated, and less forgiving, and the operators who win are the ones who build systems that hold up under pressure.

We start with fulfillment because it quietly decides margin, cash flow, and how much risk you carry into the year. Then we move into returns and buyer abuse, where the right documentation and escalation approach makes the difference between progress and endless loops. From there, we zoom out to the next discovery shift, ads inside ChatGPT style conversations, and what that means for product data, trust, and visibility. We also cover Walmart’s push into drone delivery, the retail tech trends that are becoming real infrastructure, and why Google core updates keep reshuffling traffic even when nothing is technically wrong.

Here’s what we break down in this episode.

Amazon fulfillment options for twenty twenty six, and when to use each
FBA, AWD, SFP, FBM, Multi Channel Fulfillment, and Remote Fulfillment
• Where each model fits based on velocity, margin, and operational control
• A practical primary lane plus backup plan approach that protects profit first

Buyer abuse that keeps repeating, and how to force progress
When support keeps looping you, the fix is almost always packaging this as a pattern, not one off incidents
• How to consolidate the story into one primary case with a clean timeline
• Evidence standards that hold up and reduce denial risk
• When to escalate, when to request buyer restriction, and how to use forums strategically

OpenAI brings ads to ChatGPT
Conversational discovery is becoming a paid surface, and that changes how brands win the decision moment
• Why product data becomes creative in chat based recommendations
• Why trust becomes the moat when ads show up inside a helper experience
• What to tighten now across titles, attributes, images, reviews, pricing, and inventory stability

Walmart and Wing expand drone delivery
Speed keeps moving from days to hours to minutes in certain categories
• What faster delivery changes for assortment strategy and repeat purchase behavior
• Why local availability and in stock performance becomes the whole game

Digital innovation in retail, minus the hype
The trend is less about pilots and more about systems that shape discovery and execution
• Retail agents, generative AI, and new sponsored surfaces that sit outside the search bar
• Social commerce pulls demand upstream, and content quality decides whether you capture it

Google core updates, explained
Core updates reshuffle intent, not only punish bad behavior
• How to diagnose drops using Search Console comparisons
• When to adjust page structure and helpfulness versus when to avoid panic edits

The common thread
Discovery is shifting, speed is accelerating, and platforms keep trading seller flexibility for buyer trust. Brands that run clean operations and make their catalog easy to recommend will compound advantages over time.

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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