Top 5 Seller Reads this Week: Issue #262

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Top 5 this week

1. Amazon CEO Says Tariffs Have Started to ‘Creep’ Into Prices

“With tariffs now flowing through to prices, sellers need to move from reactive pricing to intentional decisions – including cutting underperforming ASINs to protect overall margin. High-MOQ, low-volume products are especially risky right now, as excess stock drives storage fees and ties up capital The brands that win will be the ones modeling true landed costs and making more selective reorder choices, while weaker operators either price themselves out of demand or bleed cash trying to hold rank.” ~Chelsea Cohen

2. Global Supply Chains Enter Era of Structural Volatility

“‘Permanent volatility” is the new baseline. Brands that treat resilience as a growth lever – using data to model alternative sourcing, fulfillment and transportation scenarios – will be better positioned to win buy-box, avoid chargebacks, and stay in stock when others are scrambling. Sellers should lock flexible freight capacity, diversify ports and carriers, and revisit safety stock targets for hero SKUs so speed expectations don’t collide with logistics surprises.” ~Mak Bidikar

3. Retail News: What 2025’s Pressures Reveal About Retail in 2026

“2026 will favor those that act with precision, relying on tight, deliberate strategies rather than shooting from the hip. With margin pressure mounting, effective planning and tracking systems are more critical than ever. Brands that leverage tech and AI to streamline decision-making, improve workflows, and move quickly on opportunities will outperform, while slower, disconnected operations will have a tough go this year.” ~Chelsea Cohen

4. Walmart’s Head of eCommerce Named New CEO for Walmart U.S.

“Walmart just named the executive who built its ecommerce and fulfillment machine as CEO of its entire U.S. business. This is a clear signal that Walmart is doubling down on out-Amazoning Amazon: faster delivery, tighter inventory expectations, and more aggressive category expansion online. For dual-platform sellers, this isn’t just about ‘differentiation’ anymore. If Walmart moves faster and expects more, the old playbook of copy-pasting your Amazon strategy won’t cut it—and you’ll get squeezed on both sides.” ~Vanessa Cox

5. Walmart Cracked Grocery at Scale. Amazon is Rebuilding its Empire to Close the Gap

“For Amazon and Walmart vendors, this raises the bar on service levels and on-shelf availability: expect tighter standards around freshness, higher in-stock targets, and more scrutiny on how reliably you can feed these high-velocity, sub-same-day nodes. For perishables, invest in packaging that protects temperature-sensitive items, reduce damage/returns, and tighten QA specs so growth doesn’t come with chargebacks and negative reviews.” ~Shelby Owens