Amazon Just Changed Everything – Brands Can Now Steal Shoppers Off Amazon

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 Tests “Shop Direct” Links for Brand Searches 

🌐 Amazon Quietly Launches AlexaPlus.com, Expanding AI-Driven Shopping

🤖 Amazon Introduces AI-Powered A+ Content Quality Analysis

🔎 Amazon Begins Auto-Opening Rufus on Search Results

❓ Possible Change in Sponsored Brands Placement on Product Detail Pages

🚛 Amazon Brand Analytics Now Shows CVR by Delivery Speed

📉 Seller Central User Permissions UI Remains Problematic Post-Migration

🔗 Amazon Tests “Shop Direct” Links for Brand Searches 

Amazon has introduced a beta feature that allows certain brand searches to redirect shoppers to a brand's website instead of just showing Amazon listings. Shoppers may see a “Shop Direct” option leading them to the brand's direct-to-consumer (DTC) site.

Key changes include:

• Brand Name Searches: Some searches now show external DTC links with Amazon results.

• High-Intent Traffic: Brands can attract qualified shoppers directly from Amazon.

• Importance of Brand Signals: A brand's off-Amazon presence may affect its visibility.

• Expanded Role for Amazon: The platform is evolving into a place for brand discovery.

This shift indicates that visibility may rely more on brand strength and trust beyond Seller Central. If expanded, this feature could change how brands approach growth by linking their DTC experience and identity to their performance on Amazon.

🌐 Amazon Quietly Launches AlexaPlus.com, Expanding AI-Driven Shopping

Amazon has launched AlexaPlus.com, a new web platform linked to its advanced AI assistant, Alexa+. Rather than creating a separate shopping engine like Rufus, Amazon is positioning Alexa as the central hub for conversational product discovery and buying.

Key developments include:

• Web Access: AlexaPlus.com features a text-based chatbot accessible via desktop, supporting tasks like trip planning and information retrieval while maintaining context across devices.

• Generative AI: Alexa+ is powered by generative AI, enhancing its conversational abilities and enabling it to manage complex tasks and multi-step requests.

• Beyond Voice Devices: Alexa+ is expanding beyond Echo devices to websites and apps, signaling a shift toward conversational interfaces independent of hardware.

• Shopping Integration: Alexa+ can automate shopping tasks, such as triggering purchases when prices drop on Echo Show, indicating tighter ties between AI assistance and commerce.

Amazon aims to integrate AI into shopping, leveraging natural language and context awareness. This could enhance product discovery through Alexa+, improving recommendations and transactions across its ecosystem.

🤖 Amazon Introduces AI-Powered A+ Content Quality Analysis

Amazon has introduced an AI-driven Content Quality Analysis tool for A+ Content, designed to enhance listing performance. It evaluates A+ pages based on readability, completeness, visual appeal, and conversion effectiveness, drawing on insights from customer research and best practices.

What’s New:

• AI-Based Evaluation: Content is analyzed using insights from Amazon customers and patterns observed in top-performing ASINs within the same category.

• Actionable Recommendations: Suggestions are customized to each product’s unique features rather than relying on generic templates.

• Weekly Evaluations: Newly created or significantly updated A+ Content is reviewed weekly, enabling quick identification of areas for improvement.

• Clear Quality Labels: Content does not meet Amazon’s standards, with suggestions for improvement, or is acceptable but could be enhanced.

This update provides sellers with clearer guidance on how Amazon evaluates A+ Content quality and outlines potential changes that may help boost conversion performance over time.

🔎 Amazon Begins Auto-Opening Rufus on Search Results

Amazon is promoting its AI assistant, Rufus, by automatically displaying it in search results, both in native Amazon searches and for users coming from Google links, where it opens by default in the left navigation.

Here’s what’s happening:

• Rufus Auto-Opens on Search: The AI assistant loads automatically without waiting for user interaction.

• Persistent Left Navigation Placement: Rufus now consistently occupies screen space during browsing.

• Traffic Source Agnostic: Users coming from Google are also directed into the Rufus experience.

• Increased Adoption Efforts: This is the most assertive rollout of Rufus to date.

This strategy indicates that Amazon aims to make AI-assisted discovery a standard part of shopping, shifting how customers explore products from traditional keyword searches.

❓ Possible Change in Sponsored Brands Placement on Product Detail Pages

Amazon Ads has changed its placement behavior, with a Top Stripe-style ad appearing on Product Detail Pages for brands not running Display or DSP campaigns. This suggests that Sponsored Brands product collection ads may now be featured on PDPs, increasing inventory and blending ad formats.

Here are the key observations:

• A Top Stripe-like placement on PDPs was noted without any active Display or DSP campaigns.

• The ad format is consistent with the Sponsored Brands product collection.

• There are no visible bid adjustment controls for PDP placements within Sponsored Brands campaigns.

If this is indeed a new rollout, it could explain why advertisers currently do not have placement-level bid adjustments for PDPs in Sponsored Brands. Amazon may be testing expanded eligibility before introducing more refined controls.

🚛 Amazon Brand Analytics Now Shows CVR by Delivery Speed

Amazon has introduced delivery speed visibility within Brand Analytics under Search Catalog Performance. This update enables sellers to view clicks and purchases categorized by delivery time (same-day, 1-day, and 2-day), allowing for the calculation of conversion rates based on delivery speed for the first time.

Key findings include:

• Same-day delivery: Significant increase in conversion rate (CVR)

• 1-day delivery: Moderate drop-off in CVR

• 2-day delivery: Lowest CVR despite similar traffic

One analysis showed that the CVR rose from 21% (2-day) to 33% (same-day), reflecting a 57% increase without changes to ads or pricing.

Why does this matter:

• Delivery speed is a measurable factor in conversions.

• Faster delivery boosts CVR and ranking signals.

• ASINs with slower delivery may underperform despite strong demand.

Sellers can identify ASINs where 2-day delivery generates traffic but converts poorly, highlighting the importance of delivery speed in conversion efficiency and inventory management.

📉 Seller Central User Permissions UI Remains Problematic Post-Migration

The user permissions interface in Seller Central still has significant usability issues months after its migration. This continues to create confusion for the sellers' managing team's access.

Key issues observed include:

• Conflicting Selections: Both "None" and "Edit" can appear selected simultaneously, which disrupts expected functionality.

• Misuse of Radio Buttons: Radio buttons behave like checkboxes, allowing multiple selections when only one should be allowed.

• Collapsible Sections Increase Friction: Hidden permission layers complicate the understanding of actual access levels.

• Unclear Permission States: Users struggle to determine which permissions are actually applied.

Why This Matters:

Unclear permissions create operational risks. When access levels are unclear, teams waste time double-checking settings and risk accidental changes or security issues. As these small user experience failures accumulate, they can lead to significant inefficiencies at scale.

Crushing it with $20K+ monthly sales on Amazon?

Let’s help you break through to the next level – guaranteed! 🚀

Our team of Amazon growth experts specializes in scaling successful businesses like yours. We’ll perform a deep dive audit of your operations, from optimizing product listings to fine-tuning your ad campaigns.

Here’s what we offer:

• Comprehensive Analysis: Pinpoint the bottlenecks holding back your growth.

• Actionable Recommendations: Uncover high-impact opportunities to boost sales.

•  Proven Results: We don’t just advise – we deliver guaranteed results.

👉 Ready to scale?

Click below to claim your free audit and unlock your business’s potential!