Top Amazon Sellers News This Week

This week’s retail news shows just how much social influence and AI-driven discovery are now shaping what, where, and how consumers decide to buy during the biggest shopping moments of the year.

• Social and AI drive record holiday sales: Social and AI-driven shopping dominated Black Friday & Cyber Monday (BFCM). Consumers leaned on peer reviews, creators, and AI tools to discover deals. Holiday buying is now shaped less by product pages and more by social feeds, algorithms, and guided discovery.
• AI powers smarter ecomm: Retailers are increasingly using AI to optimize marketing, merchandising, pricing, and customer service. From conversational agents to automated content generation, AI is now guiding shopper choices while steering how products make it to market.

Dive into this retail news roundup to see how socials and AI keep reshaping shopper behavior.

Socials, Reviews, and AI: The Forces Driving Modern Holiday Shopping

The 2025 holiday season is proving that shoppers are increasingly relying on social influence, peer reviews, and AI tools to guide their buying decisions. From record-breaking BFCM sales to social commerce surging, the way consumers discover and purchase products has changed dramatically.

Social Commerce Is Rising Fast

Social platforms are no longer just channels for inspiration, they are now directly influencing sales. For instance, TikTok BFCM sales in the US reached $500 million, a huge leap from last year’s $100 million single-day performance.

• Big brands are joining in: Household names like Ralph Lauren, Samsung, and Disney participated, indicating that social commerce is attracting established retailers, not just small businesses.
• Live shopping growth: Apps like Whatnot saw a threefold increase in Black Friday sales, while Cyber Monday purchases driven by social media jumped 56.5% from last year.
• Future trajectory: Social commerce is expected to surpass $100 billion in the US by 2026, driven largely by content creators and affiliate links that guide shoppers to traditional e-commerce sites.

Even independent businesses are thriving on social and digital channels. Shopify merchants generated a record $14.6 billion globally during the BFCM weekend, with 81+ million customers worldwide engaging with independent brands. Shoppers aren’t just buying, they’re discovering and connecting with brands they love.

Consumer Reviews: Trust Matters More Than Ever

Social media isn’t the only influence, as peer feedback is becoming a critical part of shopping decisions. Trustpilot’s National Write a Review Week campaign found:

• A 76% year-over-year spike in consumer reviews.
• 86% of shoppers check reviews before purchasing, and 40% wait for reviews before making a holiday purchase decision.
• Top concerns include product quality, delivery reliability, and customer service.

Consumers increasingly prioritize authentic experiences over influencer content, showing that real reviews now carry more weight than glossy marketing campaigns. Retailers ignoring this trend risk losing relevance, as buyers rely on human voices to guide their decisions.

AI Is Changing the Game for Retail and Shopping

Artificial intelligence is now intertwined with both social commerce and review-driven purchases. AI tools helped drive a record $11.8 billion in US online spending on Black Friday, a 9.1% year-over-year increase. Globally, AI and agent-driven recommendations influenced $14.2 billion in sales, with $3 billion in the US alone.

Key ways AI is changing the way consumers shop:

• Discovery and recommendations: AI chatbots, like Amazon’s Rufus and Walmart’s Sparky, guide consumers to products, helping them navigate crowded marketplaces faster and more efficiently.
• AI-driven online traffic soars: Adobe reported that AI-powered shopping tools drove an 805% increase in traffic to US retail sites compared to last year, with shoppers using chatbots and recommendation engines to find deals faster. AI traffic converted 38% more frequently than non-AI sources.
• ChatGPT as a shopping hub: AI chatbots like ChatGPT are emerging as influential ecommerce referral sources. ChatGPT referrals to retailer apps grew 28% over last year, with Amazon capturing 54% of these sessions and Walmart 14.9% (Apptopia). Consequently, major retailers are responding. Target now allows shoppers to search, cart, and complete purchases directly within ChatGPT, even enabling drive-thru and pickup orders. 

All of this suggests that AI is no longer just a convenience. It is redefining how consumers interact with brands. From guided product discovery to automated recommendations, AI is shaping both shopper behavior and retail strategies in a mobile-first, socially influenced marketplace. Retailers who integrate AI into both discovery and fulfillment stand to make more sales, while consumers benefit from faster, more personalized, and intuitive shopping experiences.

Other ​​Key Trends From the 2025 BFCM Event

• Ecommerce dominance: US online sales grew +10.4% on Black Friday compared to last year, while in-store growth remained modest at +1.7%, per Mastercard SpendingPulse.
• Mobile-first shopping: According to Adobe Analytics, over half of all online sales occurred via mobile devices, with “buy now, pay later” financing growing 8.9% YOY and contributing $747.5 million in online spend.
• Top-selling categories: Apparel, electronics, cosmetics, and home appliances led sales across channels. Peak shopping times were concentrated between 10am and 2pm, with $12.5 million flowing through online carts per minute at its height.

Final Thoughts

In 2025, shopping has become a social, AI-powered, and review-driven experience, far beyond mere transactions.

Shoppers are seeking efficiency, trust, and personalization, while businesses are increasingly competing in a marketplace where peer influence and algorithmic recommendations often outweigh traditional advertising. Those who embrace these changes will not only cash in but also build lasting relationships with a savvy, connected consumer base.

AI at Work: Enhancing Holiday Sales and Retail Efficiency

As the 2025 BFCM weekend demonstrates, AI is driving smarter shopping and smarter retail strategies this season. While shoppers benefit from personalized recommendations, streamlined discovery, and AI-driven social commerce, retailers are leveraging these same technologies to optimize operations, enhance customer service, and scale listings more efficiently.

AI Across the Retail Landscape

A recent report from Berkeley Research Group (BRG) found that over 80% of North American retailers have integrated AI into their operations to a moderate or large extent. Current applications include:

• Marketing: 70% of retailers use AI to personalize campaigns and target consumers more effectively.
• IT and Digital Functions: 62% rely on AI for process automation and data analytics.
• Digital Commerce: 56% leverage AI for product recommendations and personalized shopping experiences.
• Merchandising & Pricing: 54% apply AI to optimize inventory and pricing strategies.

Looking ahead, retailers plan to expand AI into planning and product flow (40%), corporate operations (38%), supply chain (36%), and distribution/logistics (32%). Yet, BRG cautions that AI adoption alone doesn’t guarantee business results. Retailers must prioritize tools that solve specific challenges, monitor KPIs like revenue, average order value, and labor efficiency, and test pilots before wide deployment.

Amazon AI Tools for Sellers

Amazon is taking AI integration to the next level, both for sellers and customer service.

1. Bulk Listing Creation

Professional sellers can now use AI to generate product titles, bullet points, and descriptions from minimal catalog data. Over 1.3 million sellers have used these tools, which can produce more than 70% of required product attributes. Sellers can review and edit drafts before publication, streamlining time-to-market and improving listing quality.

2. Amazon Connect AI

Customer service is also becoming AI-driven. Amazon Connect now supports conversational AI agents that:

• Understand and act across multiple channels and languages.
• Analyze conversation context and sentiment to suggest next steps.
• Combine real-time clickstream data with customer history to provide personalized product recommendations.
• Enable AI agent observability, so retailers can see how decisions are made and ensure compliance.

Additional features like automated segmentation, generative AI self-service (Amazon Q), and intelligent agent evaluations help organizations proactively address customer needs while improving training and service quality.

What does this mean for sellers?

AI tools may help create listings faster, personalize customer experiences, and optimize pricing, inventory, and marketing. However, ROI isn’t automatic. Oversight is needed to avoid errors, protect brand identity, and maintain customer trust.

Other Retail News This Week

1. Amazon Expands Nova AI Portfolio

Amazon added four new Nova 2 models, plus Nova Forge for custom model training and Nova Act for reliable AI agents. These tools help companies automate workflows, generate content, and build AI-powered solutions faster.

2. European Referral and FBA Fee Reductions for 2026

Fees will drop by an average of £0.15/€0.17 per unit, with reductions for FBA parcels and popular categories like clothing, home, and groceries. This makes selling in Europe more profitable and supports independent seller growth.

3. New Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) Features

FBM sellers can now set holidays without hiding listings, customize location-based shipping, and access clearer delivery date transparency. Multi-location inventory management is also simpler and integrates with external systems.

4. Image Manager: Copy Media Sets to Sibling Products

New tools let you copy images or media sets to sibling product variations in a single click, saving time and ensuring consistent visuals across your listings.

5. Amazon & Flipkart Expand Lending in India

Amazon plans loans and cash management solutions for small businesses, while Flipkart introduces Buy Now Pay Later and installment options for shoppers. These tools aim to boost cash flow and enable growth in India’s ecommerce market.