Amazon Goes Full AI: Alexa Now Creates Custom Merch

Welcome to our weekly newsletter, Hunter's Insights!

In this special edition, we bring you essential Amazon updates and industry insights to keep you ahead in the fast-paced world of e-commerce:

🤖 Amazon Expands Alexa Shopping With AI-Powered Custom Merch Creation

⭐️ Amazon May Be Testing Restricted Access to Product Reviews

🔁 Amazon Gives FBA Sellers More Control Over Returnless Refunds

🆕 Amazon Begins Rolling Out the New Seller Central Experience

📊 Amazon Introduces Holiday Ad Budget Bid+ Multiplier for Q4 Promotions

💳 Amazon Expands Vendor Chargebacks Ahead of October Rollout

🚛 Amazon Introduces New Delivery Standards for Seller-Fulfilled Orders.

🤖 Amazon Expands Alexa Shopping With AI-Powered Custom Merch Creation

Amazon is improving Alexa Shopping by letting customers describe design ideas in natural language to create custom merchandise through Amazon Merch on Demand, keeping the entire process within Amazon's ecosystem.

Key Updates:

• Shoppers can generate custom products by describing ideas to Alexa.

• Products are fulfilled via Amazon Merch on Demand and are Prime-eligible.

• Sellers in the custom merchandise sector may need to prioritize catalog optimization and scalable production over design services.

This feature highlights Amazon's strategy of leveraging AI to connect shopper intent with purchasing, which may require sellers to rethink product differentiation in an AI-driven marketplace.

⭐️ Amazon May Be Testing Restricted Access to Product Reviews

Amazon is testing a change that limits full product reviews for some unauthenticated users, prompting them to sign in instead of showing review text. The overall star rating and AI-generated "Customers Say" summary remain visible.

Key Updates:

• Some logged-out users are being asked to sign in before viewing review text.

• The change appears to be an A/B test rather than a full rollout.

• If expanded, the update could make it more difficult for third-party tools and automated systems to access review content.

Most shoppers will likely notice minimal impact since many are signed in while browsing Amazon. This test may indicate Amazon's efforts to safeguard review data, curb scraping, and focus on its AI-generated review summaries.

🔁 Amazon Gives FBA Sellers More Control Over Returnless Refunds

Amazon has expanded its Returnless Resolutions settings, allowing FBA sellers to decide which products qualify for automatic refunds without requiring customers to return the item. The new controls can help reduce return processing costs, but they also require careful planning.

Key Updates:

• Sellers can configure returnless refund rules based on product price, category, and return reason.

• Eligible orders are automatically refunded without requiring the customer to send the product back.

• The feature is available under FBA Returns Evaluation & Ownership Settings.

While the feature offers greater flexibility, it isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. For low-value products, it may reduce costs, but for higher-value items, it could increase losses. Sellers should review margins and return patterns before applying returnless refund rules across their catalog.

🆕 Amazon Begins Rolling Out the New Seller Central Experience

Amazon is gradually making the redesigned Seller Central the default experience, replacing the classic interface over the coming months. While the update brings a cleaner layout, it also changes how sellers navigate many familiar tools.

Key Updates:

• The new Seller Central will become the default as Amazon phases out the classic experience.

• Tools are now organized into seven workspaces, with search playing a larger role in navigation.

• A new Action Center consolidates important tasks, notifications, and account issues in one place.

The redesign is more than a visual refresh—it's the foundation for Amazon's growing suite of AI-powered tools. Sellers should take time to explore the new layout now, before the classic experience is fully retired and familiar workflows disappear.

📊 Amazon Introduces Holiday Ad Budget Bid+ Multiplier for Q4 Promotions

Amazon has launched the Holiday Ad Budget Bid+ Multiplier, a new automation feature that helps advertisers maximize visibility during major holiday promotions. The tool automatically increases bids while eligible deals are live and returns them to normal once the promotion ends.

Key Updates:

• Bids can be automatically increased during Lightning Deals, Top Deals, and Prime Exclusive Discounts.

• Bid adjustments stop automatically when the deal ends, helping prevent unnecessary ad spend.

• The rollout coincides with the opening of holiday deal submissions, giving brands time to prepare for Q4.

For advertisers running holiday promotions, this feature could simplify campaign management during peak shopping events. By automating bid adjustments, brands can better align advertising with active deals while reducing the need for manual monitoring throughout the holiday season.

💳 Amazon Expands Vendor Chargebacks Ahead of October Rollout

Amazon has introduced new Vendor chargeback categories as part of its updated In Full Delivery program. While the changes are already visible in Vendor Central, most new charges won't become enforceable until October 1, 2026.

Key Updates:

• New chargeback sub-types for Down-Confirmation and Overages are now appearing in chargeback reports.

• Down-confirmation chargebacks for Direct Import and Domestic Long-Lead POs are currently for visibility only and become chargeable on October 1.

• The changes build on Amazon's In Full Delivery framework, which now combines several fulfillment-related compliance metrics under one category.

While these updates won't affect every vendor immediately, they reinforce Amazon's continued focus on supply chain accuracy. Brands should review their fulfillment processes now, as tighter compliance requirements are likely to become increasingly important over the coming months.

🚛 Amazon Introduces New Delivery Standards for Seller-Fulfilled Orders.

Amazon now requires sellers to maintain a 90% Business Hour Delivery Rate for seller-fulfilled Business orders, effective September 30. Orders must arrive during business hours, not just by the delivery date.

Key Updates:

• Sellers must maintain a 90%+ Business Hour Delivery Rate for Amazon Business orders.

• Accounts that remain below the threshold after October 30 may have their seller-fulfilled Business offers deactivated.

• The policy applies only to seller-fulfilled Business orders; FBA and Amazon Retail are not affected.

• Amazon recommends using Automated Handling Time, Shipping Settings Automation, and Buy Shipping to cover eligible shipments automatically.

For seller-fulfilled brands serving business customers, now is the time to review carriers, transit times, and shipping settings before the new requirement takes effect.

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