Amazon Tightens Ad Attribution — Why View-Based Performance Will Suddenly Drop

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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 Updates View-Based Attribution for Sponsored Ads

‼️ Amazon Mandates Prepaid Return Labels for Seller-Fulfilled Orders

🚫 Amazon Ends Broad Review Sharing Across Variations

🔎 Sponsored Products Video Ads Begin Appearing in Amazon Search

📊 Amazon Ads Launches Unified Reporting Across Ad Formats

🌐 Amazon Simplifies EU VAT & EPR Compliance for U.S. Sellers

🆕 Amazon Updates View-Based Attribution for Sponsored Ads

Amazon has improved its view-based attribution model by adding enhanced algorithmic signals and a shorter attribution window for specific ad types, especially affecting VCPM-based campaigns.

Key Changes:

• Affected Campaigns: Certain Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display formats using VCPM.

• Improved Attribution Logic: Additional behavioral signals will be used to determine conversions.

• Shorter Attribution Window: Expected to be less than the previous 14-day window, though the exact duration has not been disclosed.

• CPC Campaigns Unchanged: Click-based campaigns will remain unaffected.

This update addresses issues with overestimating performance in view-based attribution by narrowing the window and applying stricter criteria, resulting in more accurate measurement of ad impact. Overall, sellers should see a reduction in inflated reporting, leading to more honest results.

‼️ Amazon Mandates Prepaid Return Labels for Seller-Fulfilled Orders

Amazon is changing its US returns policy for seller-fulfilled orders, effective February 8, 2026. All US sellers are required to use the Amazon Prepaid Return Label (APRL) program for returns, which removes the exemption for high-value items.

Key changes include:

• Mandatory prepaid return labels for all seller-fulfilled returns

• Automatic generation of prepaid labels through Amazon Buy Shipping

• Refund processing has been reduced from 14 to 7 days

• Elimination of buyer-seller communication during returns

What remains the same:

• Exemptions for categories like handmade items, certified pre-owned watches, dangerous goods, and oversized items

• Certain items still cannot use prepaid labels

• For reimbursement disputes, sellers should refer to SAFE-T claims.

The new policy aims to simplify processes but has received mixed reactions from sellers concerned about increased damage exposure, insurance limits on prepaid labels, and less control over returns. While it intends to speed up refunds and reduce manual efforts, it shifts more risk to sellers, who may need to adjust pricing or SKUs. Sellers must adapt by February 2026 as Amazon focuses on scalable systems.

🚫 Amazon Ends Broad Review Sharing Across Variations

Amazon is discontinuing broad review sharing among product variations. Reviews will now be assigned based on the logical relationships between variations, rather than automatically shared. This change prevents sellers from boosting new products by linking them to high-review parent ASINs.

What’s changing:

• Stricter review eligibility: Reviews are held at the variation level when products differ materially.

• Allowed variation types: Size, quantity, and closely related formats continue to share reviews.

• High-risk categories: Flavor-based products, supplements, and materially different formulations are most impacted.

• Reduced review inheritance: New variations no longer automatically benefit from legacy social proof.

Amazon's recent update allows product variations to appear independently in search results, enhancing catalog integrity by ensuring only comparable items are grouped under parent ASINs. With many variation types set to be deprecated, sellers must focus on making each variation relevant instead of depending on social proof from hero products.

🔎 Sponsored Products Video Ads Begin Appearing in Amazon Search

Amazon has started rolling out Sponsored Products Video ads directly within search results. These placements confirm the anticipated expansion of video into Sponsored Products. Although the ads don’t autoplay, their presence marks a significant shift in Amazon's core ad inventory.

What’s notable about the rollout:

• Live in search: Sponsored Products Video ads are now visible alongside traditional Sponsored Products placements

• No autoplay (yet): Videos require user interaction, suggesting an early or cautious rollout phase

• Search-native format: Unlike Sponsored Brands Video, this placement is tied directly to individual SKUs

• High-visibility real estate: Video appears inline with keyword-driven results, not confined to brand-only placements

Amazon's introduction of video in Sponsored Products enhances SKU-level storytelling, allowing advertisers to highlight features directly in search. This shift towards engaging ad formats positions video as a key performance tool, likely becoming a standard in search advertising strategies.

📊 Amazon Ads Launches Unified Reporting Across Ad Formats

Amazon's Unified Reporting has streamlined advertising measurement, allowing advertisers to access performance data from a single dashboard. This consolidation includes metrics across various formats, attribution types, and time periods, offering a clearer view of advertising impact.

Key features include:

• All Ad Types: Coverage of Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display.

• Attribution Coverage: Both click-based and view-based attribution are included.

• Sales Timelines: Analysis of short-term and long-term sales impacts.

• Business Metrics: Information on total sales, as well as performance metrics for New-to-Brand customers.

This update simplifies the evaluation of Amazon advertising by providing a cohesive view with aligned attribution windows, minimizing mismatched comparisons. Unified Reporting emphasizes overall business impact, helping advertisers optimize for long-term growth.

🌐 Amazon Simplifies EU VAT & EPR Compliance for U.S. Sellers

Amazon has introduced Service Hub to help U.S.-based sellers meet VAT and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements for selling in European Amazon stores. This tool connects non-EU sellers with vetted third-party providers for EU tax registration, filings, and environmental compliance.

Key points:

• Mandatory compliance: VAT and EPR are required for U.S. businesses.

• Simplified provider selection: Compare services and pricing easily.

• Transparent costs: Access one-time and recurring fees upfront.

• Scalable options: Support for single or multiple countries as needed.

Coverage includes Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. To use Service Hub, select your selling countries and required services, then review providers and submit your details. This launch aims to reduce compliance barriers for U.S. sellers in EU marketplaces.

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