Amazon skips the Big Deal Days recap — and sellers get the message 🫥 [MDSR #59]

Hot Off The Presses 📰

In our last poll, not a single seller said they were still “all-in” on Amazon. The rest? Betting big on TikTok Shop, global expansion, and AI-led discovery in 2026. 

And based on the last two weeks of headlines… you may be onto something.

Amazon just skipped its usual Prime Big Deal Days recap, breaking from years of tradition with no charts, no product highlights — and no real signal on how shoppers behaved. Not exactly confidence-inspiring heading into peak shopping season, Q3 earnings aside.

But while the company’s staying quiet on Big Deal Days numbers, it’s making a louder statement elsewhere: Amazon’s retail division now accounts for just 40.5% of total revenue, down from 60% 7 years ago. 

Sellers are to thank for Amazon’s $2.5 trillion sales and counting, but it’s official. Retail is still the tip of the spear — but the 60% majority of the business is now selling the infrastructure around commerce, not just products themselves.

That infrastructure push is going global. Amazon launched its budget-friendly Bazaar app in 14 new markets, doubling down on Haul-style offerings abroad while U.S. sellers brace for tariff-driven price hikes.

Back home, AI is driving results. Amazon’s Rufus assistant now sees 140% more monthly users than last year — and those shoppers are 60% more likely to convert. Meanwhile, Shopify’s agentic AI delivered an 11x spike in orders, proving automation isn’t just buzzy. It’s bottom-line material.

One cautionary tale? Amazon’s lawsuit against Perplexity for allegedly scraping shopper data with covert bots is a timely reminder: not all AI traffic is good traffic.

And for those of you still marketing to humans over AI agents, take note — podcasts now outrank influencers when it comes to consumer trust and purchase persuasion.

Now, over to you ⤵

This edition’s poll 🗳️

Million Dollar Advice 💸 

If you’re building a brand, Amazon Brand Registry isn’t just a formality. It’s your launchpad.

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TikTok traction starts here 📍

Looking to push forward on TikTok? Tomorrow’s your chance. Join the sellers paving new roads and doing what actually works at our TikTok Shop Matchmaking City Tour in Miami.

This isn’t your average trade show. It’s an invite-only marketplace where 35+ of the fastest-growing eCommerce brands meet more than 500 top-performing TikTok creators for a day of collaboration, creativity, and short-form strategy.

For brands, this means:

• Showcasing your products to more than 500 high-quality creators across beauty, home, parenting, wellness, lifestyle, and beyond
  

• Discovering what’s driving sales in TikTok Shop right now
  

• Connecting with other founders who are scaling fast — MDS style

Non-member brands are welcome, but MDS members get up to 75% off booth pricing — request your code to claim the discount.

📍 Register for the TikTok Matchmaking Event →

Price like a pro (not like your competition) 💸

In peak season, your price can make or break your Buy Box… and your margins. But too many sellers “set it and forget it,” missing key signals that cost sales, visibility, and long-term performance. 

Here’s how to monitor your pricing like a pro (and stay one step ahead of the competition):

1.  Track the competition — not just the lowest price.

Lowest isn’t always best. Monitor price history, trends, and volume to spot when competitors are panicking — or just clearing stock.

2.  Make the Buy Box your north star.

You don’t need to be the cheapest, but you do need to be competitive. Adjusting prices in small increments (vs. big swings) helps protect profit while staying in the game.

3. Spot pricing patterns before they cost you. 

Price wars don’t usually start with announcements — they show up in the data. Keep tabs on sudden dips, timing trends, and changes in seller count so you can adjust before your conversion rate nosedives.

4.  Use automation with human oversight.

Repricers are great… until they aren’t. Combine smart tools with regular manual checks to avoid a race to the bottom.

5.  Don’t sleep on Q1 planning.

Monitoring your Q4 pricing moves gives you insight into what worked — and what didn’t — so you can hit the ground running in January.

👉 Read the full post for more tactical tips.

Think this is helpful?

Where top sellers sync up 🔌

When you’re scaling fast, proximity matters. The smartest sellers aren’t just learning from posts and podcasts — they’re in the room swapping tactics and building alliances.

Join your fellow operators at MDS’s global Ecompreneur Socials to turn casual convos into business-changing breakthroughs.

🤝 Ecompreneur Socials

Where off-the-record meets off-the-charts.

• November 20 — Boston Ecom Founder Social

• November 20 — LA Ecom Founder Social

• November 21 — Mexico City Ecom Founder Social

• November 23 — Dubai Ecom Founder Social

• November 24 — Barcelona Ecom Founder Social

• December 15 — Singapore Xmas Ecom Founder Social

Get in the room. Big things happen there  👉 All Event Links

Did you see that post 📲

Amazon vs. Perplexity is shaping up to be the first great AI drama of the eCommerce era…

📣 Editorial note: When the AI arms race starts looking like a PR slap fight, remember who owns the playing field and the scoreboard.

Until next time ✌️

As always, thanks for sticking with us until the end. 

If you’d care to share your thoughts on this newsletter, we’re all ears. Just hit reply to sound off. 

See you next time with more of the latest and greatest content you need to succeed this year 🔥

Sincerely, 

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Million Dollar Sellers (MDS) is an exclusive community of 650+ like-minded Amazon and DTC sellers from all over the world. Collectively, our members generate more than 8 billion in annual sales and dominate some of the biggest categories on Amazon. MDS offers world-class events, chapters, industry discounts, resource libraries full of SOPs, templates, and video recordings of private trainings, workshops, events and so much more.

If you are looking for a business professional community made for ecom entrepreneurs, then consider applying today. 

*To qualify, you must be a full-time seller or brand owner and do at least 1 million in verified annual revenue. Will Amazon’s Returnless Resolutions solve the returns debacle? [MDSR #30]