Top Amazon Sellers News This Week
Amazon continues to move full steam ahead, reinforcing its platform with both seller-focused policy updates and technological leaps.
- New policy clarifications strengthen Account Health, Compliance, and Deals: Amazon is tightening seller standards with updates to Account Health Rating (AHR) guidance, EU mediation timelines, lab testing requirements, and stricter deal eligibility rules. These changes aim to boost transparency, ensure product safety, and protect consumer trust ahead of peak shopping events.
- Retail’s AI arms race intensifies: Amazon launches Project Rainier to supercharge frontier AI models like Claude with 5x more compute power, while Walmart rolls out AI tools to boost efficiency for 1.5 million associates, showing how the AI race is transforming retail from the ground up.
- Plus, both Vendor and Seller Updates on platform policies and features.
This week’s updates reveal how Amazon and its rivals are gearing up—and what sellers must do to keep up.
Get Prime Day-Ready: Account Health, Compliance and Quality Guidelines
As Amazon gears up for its longest Prime Day event yet–spanning four full days from July 8–11, 2025)– sellers are being urged to take immediate steps to stay compliant, avoid disruptions, and maximize performance.
1. Amazon Account Health & EU Mediation: Clean Up Before the Clock Starts
Amazon is sharpening its focus on seller accountability with important changes to both Account Health Ratings (AHR) and EU Mediation policies just in time for Prime Day.
Your AHR is a score from 0 to 1,000 that reflects your adherence to Amazon’s policies. Contrary to common belief:
- You don’t need a perfect 1,000. A score above 200 is considered healthy.
- Deleting a listing with a violation won’t erase the issue. You must resolve it via the Account Health dashboard.
- Your score won’t drop below 200 just because of low order volume; it’s all about how you handle violations.
New Mediation Policy for EU Sellers Takes Effect July 8
Starting July 8, 2025, Amazon will set clear timelines for EU sellers to request mediation after a listing or Amazon account deactivation.
- Submit an appeal within six months of the issue.
- File a mediation request within six months of your appeal’s outcome. Your form request must include details of the Amazon actions you want to mediate, relevant documents and case IDs, and your preferred language for communication. Amazon will then review your request within 10 business days.
- You must have had an active listing in an EU store within 12 months of your mediation request.
Important: If you’re disputing an account deactivation due to a low AHR score, your mediation request must clearly list the specific policy violations you’re challenging. Requests without this information won’t be processed, and your account will remain deactivated if your AHR stays below the threshold.
2. Compliance & Promotions Guideline: Raise the Bar or Risk Being Left Out
Amazon is reinforcing both its standards on product compliance documentation and deal eligibility, reinforcing trust during high-traffic shopping events like Prime Day.
Only Approved Labs for Amazon Product Compliance (Starting July 13)
Product test results will only be accepted from labs that meet Amazon’s safety standards.
- Submissions from unapproved or suspended labs will be automatically rejected.
- Use the Service Provider Network to find compliant labs.
- Check Amazon’s list of non-compliant labs, updated regularly, before requesting new tests.
Deal & Promotion Guidelines for Prime Day & Beyond
Promotions must now meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- The deal price must be equal to or lower than the product’s lowest price in the past 30 days.
- Prices must also beat or match external retailers.
- Products with high return rates, low ratings (generally below 2.5 star rating), or fewer than 5 reviews will be excluded. Note that these eligibility criteria may vary by promotion type. See Amazon Deals and Price Discounts for more information.
- Amazon may use your current deals to set future promotional benchmarks.
Amazon is setting a higher bar for Prime Day to ensure trust, safety, and performance. Those who prepare now (not just with inventory but with policy compliance), will be better positioned to capitalize on the biggest shopping event of the year and many deals and promotions to come.
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Amazon Powers Up Rainier, Walmart Mobilizes 1.5M Associates
In the escalating tech battle for retail dominance, Amazon and Walmart are rolling out powerful AI systems. From Amazon’s groundbreaking AI supercomputer to Walmart’s in-store automation tools, both giants are accelerating toward a more intelligent, efficient future.
Amazon’s Project Rainier Supercharges AI Infrastructure
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled Project Rainier, a massive AI training machine powered by Trainium2 chips and designed to handle trillions of calculations per second. One of its first users, Anthropic, will train next-gen Claude models, which help developers to create automation tools that could assist with efficiency and business growth.
Other key updates:
- UltraServers & NeuronLinks that let Amazon’s AI systems learn much faster by reducing delays when sharing information.
- Vertical integration that lets Amazon control everything for Project Rainier—from chips to data centers to software—so all parts work smoothly together.
- AWS remains committed to net-zero carbon by 2040, using 100% renewable energy.
Walmart Empowers People with Practical AI
While Amazon builds AI superstructures, Walmart is focusing on AI that enhances human productivity. Its new AI tools, powered by the Element platform, support 1.5 million US associates with real-time task guidance, smart translations, and improved inventory tools.
Key features:
- Walmart AI Task Manager cuts shift planning time from 90 minutes to 30 minutes.
- AI Translation Tool supports 44 languages, improving customer interactions.
- Conversational GenAI helps answer workplace questions with step-by-step clarity.
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip that contains product data + Augmented Reality (AR) like VizPick simplifies apparel restocking. Associates scan entire racks with handheld RFID readers—no need to check items individually. AR then shows visual cues to guide them to the right items to move from backroom to sales floor. This speeds up restocking, reduces errors, and boosts inventory accuracy—key for fast-moving apparel.
- MyAssistant: MyAssistant is Walmart’s AI-powered creative partner designed to help corporate associates streamline tasks and generate content.
Why it Matters
This AI escalation isn’t just big tech posturing, it’s already changing the way sellers and retail associates operate.
- Amazon sellers using Bedrock or Claude-powered tools may soon experience significant performance boosts in listing and pricing tools.
- Walmart suppliers will likely benefit from faster stocking, fewer errors in translation, and more accurate real-time product support on the floor.
The bottom line: AI-augmented retail is here. Sellers who adopt these tools early and build with speed, personalization, and efficiency in mind will gain the edge.
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Other Amazon Seller Updates This Week
1. New Standalone Policy Against Sale of Stolen Goods
Effective June 30, 2025, Amazon will implement a dedicated policy reinforcing its ban on the sale of stolen goods to meet new government regulations. While sellers appreciate the focus on supply chain legitimacy, many have raised concerns that Amazon still needs stronger protections against buyer fraud, especially repeat return abuse and false claims.
2. Amazon Vendor News: Easier Variation Management Now Live
Vendors can now use bulk listing spreadsheets to add new ASINs to existing variation families, even those they didn’t originally create. This update simplifies catalog management and gives vendors more flexibility and control without needing to contact Amazon support.
3. New AI-Powered Fix Recommendations Tool for Sellers
A new tool in the Voice of Customer dashboard uses AI to analyze buyer feedback and recommend listing improvements. The Fix Recommendations feature helps sellers reduce return rates and improve customer satisfaction with targeted suggestions backed by performance data.
What These Updates Mean for Sellers
Amazon is tightening the rules and scaling up its tech. And that means you must act quickly and decisively to stay in the game. From compliance to computing power, here’s how to make the most of this week’s Amazon updates:
- Audit AHR now: Check your AHR dashboard, resolve violations, and document everything ahead of peak season.
- Prep for the new EU Mediation timelines: Keep Amazon’s new EU dispute resolution windows in mind if requesting mediation on listings and accounts.
- Get compliant with lab testing: Verify labs meet Amazon standards to avoid compliance rejections.
- Price Amazon promotions strategically: Review your pricing history (last 30 days) and retail rivals like Walmart to stay competitive.
- Leverage Claude & Bedrock: Amazon’s Project Rainier will supercharge Claude’s performance, so tap into AI tools for smarter listings, pricing, and inventory planning.
- Design for Walmart’s AI-powered workforce: If you’re a Walmart supplier, improve product data for Augmented Reality (AR) and translation tools used by Walmart associates.
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