1 Amazon Accelerate

The reason for my trip to Seattle was to attend Amazon Accelerate. In this three-day annual event, sellers and Amazon representatives from around the globe gather to share sales strategies and the latest news. Each hour, sessions are held on various topics, and new updates are announced for each topic. As it’s impossible to discuss 2024 without mentioning AI, most of the new features Amazon introduced at this year’s event were powered by it. While ambitious AI-driven tools like image and video generation and even business plan creation were unveiled, what excited me the most was the ability to access more detailed data on customer journeys. In this article, I will explain the newly announced AI features that Amazon showcased with flair and the intricate customer data that captured my attention.

2 AI: Birth or Rebirth

At this point, AI-powered image generation seems almost passé. Last October, Amazon introduced a feature that allows sellers to create product images using AI. Building on this, they announced the ability to create animated GIFs and videos from static images at this event.

As seen in the videos above, you can generate an animated GIF or video by simply uploading an image. You can produce a decent promotional video even with just a plain white background product photo. It’s been reported that 75% of Amazon advertisers cite "content" as a significant hurdle to running successful campaigns⁽¹⁾. While it’s difficult to believe this statistic when you look at the stunning content produced by large brands, it becomes more understandable when considering the majority of Amazon’s sellers are small businesses.
Effective ad content often defies expectations, so testing different types of content and continually optimizing is crucial. This new AI feature seems poised to shorten that process. What’s more, with just a single product image, sellers can now produce enhanced detail page images and ad videos. If you dream of a career as an Amazon seller, I hope this encourages you to jump in without hesitation.

1. Amazon Seller University, (October 10, 2024), Amazon Accelerate 2024 | Generative AI: Your Creative Companion for Campaigns & Connections [Videos], YouTube, https://youtu.be/uSk03wEi2d0?si=7rmi4GfoyLNO0geK

However, Amazon’s use of AI goes beyond just content creation; it’s also employed to rework product titles in a way that triggers clicks and purchases. For instance, if a customer searches for “kitchen table,” AI will automatically move “Kitchen” to the front of the product title, changing it to “Dining kitchen table” to induce clicks. In this way, the AI adjusts product names to better align with the needs revealed in customer searches, regardless of the order entered by the seller. As product titles are the only SEO element that appears on both the search results page and the detail page, the significance of this change is not lost on me. Crafting product names is an art I take seriously, so this shift is far from welcome news.

The image above shows the original product name of the AESTURA Ato Barrier Cream and how AI modified it. Let me explain the rationale behind the name I created. This product converts well with search terms related to “Korean moisturizer,” “barrier cream,” and “skin barrier repair,” so I placed words like “Korean” and “barrier repair” at the front to attract clicks on the search results page. Even though there are no related search terms, I highlighted its 120-hour moisturizing effect, as this is a standout feature compared to competitors. Conversely, I positioned the volume detail at the end because the product’s price-to-volume ratio isn’t its most vital selling point. Every word in that name was carefully chosen. However, as shown in the middle and right images, AI rearranged this meticulously crafted product name. It pushed the volume detail to the front, and despite “Korean moisturizer” being a key search term, “Korean” is now nowhere to be found on the search results page. The phrase “Cream with Ceramide” was also restructured, leaving “Ceramide” awkwardly at the end, making it look like just another generic ceramide cream—far from what this product truly is. AI may have insights into customer behavior patterns that I don’t, and its version of the product name may indeed perform better. Still, shifting the order of words can change the conveyed product information, and that’s something Amazon must not overlook. If the details change, customers might buy the product with different expectations—and do not repurchase when those expectations aren’t met.

3 Customer Journey: The Path Customers Come To Me

Now, let me share the most exciting news I heard at Amazon Accelerate, which had me brimming with anticipation. Unlike other platforms, Amazon provides sellers with detailed customer data—perhaps as a way of saying, "Understand your customers better, so you can serve them better" (though after seven years of incessant back-and-forth disputes with Amazon over product suspensions, I wouldn’t exactly call Amazon a seller-friendly platform). Whatever the intention, having access to data on how customers discover and purchase our products, as well as the breakdown of new versus returning customers, and acting on this data while watching it evolve is one of the most exhilarating parts of being an Amazon seller.

Now, Amazon is taking it a step further by revealing the entire customer journey. Sellers will soon be able to see how customers start their search, how they arrive at our product detail pages, whether they add items to their cart or leave, whether they follow through with the purchase, and if so, whether they buy only once or make repeat purchases. It shows us the number of customers at each stage of this journey, from search to purchase. If you notice high abandonment rates after a search that starts with a category keyword, it might be time to reassess the keywords you’re targeting with ads to ensure they align with your product. If customers are adding items to their cart but not completing the purchase, you could launch a promotion explicitly targeting those who’ve added your products. If people visit your product detail page but leave, you might want to look closely at the content, reviews, and overall presentation. Should a customer’s journey begin with a brand search but show high abandonment, it may be worth checking whether competitors’ products are showing up too prominently on your brand’s search results page. This wealth of actionable data will be available later this year for sellers with registered brands on Amazon US.

After the session where this update was announced, a lively debate ensued with Amazon representatives and fellow sellers. What if the customer journey doesn’t begin with a search? Couldn’t someone discover a product while browsing the Beauty & Personal Care category or clicking a link in an external article? We discussed the countless scenarios that this data might miss. Amazon’s representative acknowledged that as a new feature, it only tracks journeys that begin with a search but assured us that it plans to expand its capabilities in the future. One day, perhaps, we’ll have data that encompasses all these possibilities. The moment I got to ask the Amazon representative directly about the feature I was most excited about and engaged in a spirited discussion with sellers who shared my concerns was hands down the happiest moment of my time in Seattle.

4 Discovering Amazon in Seattle: Must-Visit Spots

Even outside of the Amazon Accelerate event, there are several places in Seattle where you can experience Amazon. Let me introduce two iconic spots:

Remember Amazon’s cashier-less store “Amazon Go” that I mentioned in my first column as an example of technology that forgets the essence of “the customer”? I visited one of the remaining Amazon Go stores to grab a coffee and simply walk out (Just Walk Out)⁽²⁾.

2. Amazon's cashier-less store system, where customers select their desired products, and the payment is automatically processed through their Amazon account.

After scanning the Amazon app’s QR code at the entrance, I browsed freely, added items to my cart, and poured myself a takeout coffee cup.

Then, I just walked out of the store. Cameras lining the ceiling tracked my purchases, and payment was automatically processed through the card linked to my Amazon account. A few minutes later, I received an email telling me how long I’d spent in the store. While my initial reaction was one of amazement at the sheer brilliance of the technology, I couldn’t shake a slight sense of emptiness at the absence of any staff, and the over-friendly gesture of informing me exactly how long I had stayed felt a bit eerie.

The Amazon Spheres, one of Amazon’s headquarters buildings, is a greenhouse-like structure in the heart of the city, designed to allow employees to work surrounded by nature. It houses over 40,000 plants, a pond, and small waterfalls, making it feel like a tropical rainforest in the middle of Seattle.

While visiting the Spheres, I recommend stopping by the Banana Stand to grab a free banana. It’s a quirky little truck that hands out bananas for free. Why bananas, you might ask? Apparently, the shape resembles the smile in the Amazon logo—how cute is that? The Spheres are open to the public by reservation through their official website. If you have a chance, experiencing the tiny yet immense slice of nature the Amazon has brought to this concrete jungle is well worth it.