Retail Channels
22 July 2022
Amazon introduces seller tools to manage policies, funds
A new Account Health Rating presents a single metric that shows how well sellers are complying with Amazon rules.
A new Account Health Rating presents a single metric that shows how well sellers are complying with Amazon rules.
Amazon is making improvements to a tool that helps third-party sellers stay aware of whether they are up to date on complying with account policies that the company sets out.
For the two million sellers on its marketplace, Amazon will now provide a metric that’s designed to provide an overall picture of where sellers stand, as opposed to only providing a list of violations. Known as the Account Health Rating, it will appear as a score of 1-1000.
Along with simplifying the presentation for sellers, it will also be an enforcement mechanism. Amazon said this number will be the “determining factor for account suspension based on accumulated policy violations.”
The rating will additionally detail whether the account is “Healthy,” “At-Risk,” or “Unhealthy.”
Alongside the number, sellers will be able to see the severity of any violations they’ve incurred, and prioritize the most important issues for correction. Amazon said it is also adding support team resources to respond to queries over the phone, or via email.
Some of Amazon's seller policies include requirements to provide accurate information, and prohibitions on things like influencing reviews or ratings and maintaining more than one account without a legitimate business need.
“We’re excited to help sellers better understand exactly where their account health stands, prioritize potential issues, and ensure that their account status remains healthy so they can focus on selling amazing products and growing their businesses,” wrote Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon VP of worldwide selling partner services, in an announcement. “This is one of many new offerings we are rolling out to improve sellers’ overall experience.”
Amazon plans to roll out the Account Health Rating in the US and Canada beginning in August, with additional countries gaining access in 2023.
In all, Amazon said it provides more than 150 tools and services to third-party sellers.
The company is also in the early stages of rolling out Amazon Seller Wallet, a tool for converting funds from Amazon to their bank account.
"This early stage solution gives sellers an easy, hassle-free way to hold, view, and transfer Amazon store proceeds directly to their bank account on their schedule—all within Seller Central," which is Amazon's hub for managing accounts, Max Bardon, VP of Amazon Worldwide Payments, wrote.
Now available to a select group of sellers, Amazon said it is planning to collect feedback, make improvements and expand the scope of the tool to other uses, such as third-party payments and foreign exchange rate tools.
It has been a time of flux for third-party sellers lately. Amazon has been increasing various fees for Fulfillment by Amazon, the logistics service used by many sellers. Most notably, it added a first-of-its-kind fuel surcharge to account for inflation in April. The same month, it introduced Buy with Prime, a service that will allow sellers to embed Prime checkout and the delivery guarantees that come with it on websites beyond Amazon.com. On the recently-completed Prime Day, Amazon said the growth of third-party seller sales outpaced Amazon’s, adding that customers spent over $3 billion on more than 100 million items from small businesses included in a program called the Support Small Businesses to Win Big sweepstakes.. Nevertheless, sellers have said they face the same challenges with supply chain snarls and overstocked inventory as Amazon and other retailers.Amazon partnered with Hexa to provide access to a platform that creates lifelike digital images.
Amazon sellers will be able to offer a variety of 3D visualizations on product pages through a new set of immersive tools that are debuting on Tuesday.
Through an expanded partnership with Hexa, Amazon is providing access to a workflow that allows sellers to create 3D assets and display the following:
Selllers don't need prior experience with 3D or virtual reality to use the system, according to Hexa. Amazon selling partners can upload their Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) into Hexa’s content management system. Then, the system will automatically convert an image into a 3D model with AR compatibility. Amazon can then animate the images with 360-degree viewing and augmented reality, which renders digital imagery over a physical space.
Hexa’s platform uses AI to create digital twins of physical objects, including consumer goods. Over the last 24 months, Hexa worked alongside the spatial computing team at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the imaging team at Amazon.com to build the infrastructure that provides 3D assets for the thousands of sellers that work with Amazon.
“Working with Amazon has opened up a whole new distribution channel for our partners,” said Gavin Goodvach, Hexa’s Vice President of Partnerships.
Hexa’s platform is designed to create lifelike renderings that can explored in 3D, or overlaid into photos of the physical world. It allows assets from any category to be created, ranging from furniture to jewelry to apparel.
A Hexa 3D rendering (Courtesy photo)
The result is a system that allows sellers to provide a new level of personalization, said Hexa CEO Yehiel Atias. Consumers will have new opportunity see a product in a space, or what it looks like on their person.
Additionally, merchants can leverage these tools to optimize the entire funnel of a purchase. Advanced imagery allows more people to view and engage with a product during the initial shopping experience. Following the purchase, consumers who have gotten a better look at a product from all angles will be more likely to have confidence that the product matches their needs. In turn, this can reduce return rates.
While Amazon has previously introduced virtual try-on and augmented reality tools, this partnership aims to expand these capabilities beyond the name brands that often have 1P relationships with Amazon. Third-party sellers are an increasingly formidable segment of Amazon’s business, as they account for 60% of sales on the marketplace. Now, these sellers are being equipped with tools that enhance the shopping experience for everyone.
A video displaying the new capabilities is below. Amazon sellers can learn more about the platform here.
Hexa & Amazon - 3D Production Powerhousewww.youtube.com