Amazon added staff to help answer seller questions on its online discussion boards, announcing that it was "doubling down on our efforts to provide a safe and engaging space for you, our Selling Partners."
And that's not all - Amazon called the move a "first step" in improving its ability to adapt and evolve to seller needs. "Improving the selling experience and supporting you as you help each other is still our number one priority."
Amazon's longtime moderator Susan (who posts as "SEAmod" and is popular with sellers) made the announcement and listed 13 new moderators, three of whom introduced themselves in the thread and included their area of specialty.
Cooper: Prime Video, social media, customer service, and building community
Bea: Brand Registry & Protection, CPG, and product listings.
Marquise: Premium Beauty, Brand Stores, Detail Page optimization, Digital Merchandising and Marketing, and Brand Registry.
When one of them included the Buy Box as one of her areas of specialty, a seller quickly
jumped in and asked if she would be able to address questions about why Amazon's algorithm awards the Buy Box to counterfeit products, or to itself even if another seller had the item available quicker.
But sellers noticed Amazon quietly edited the new moderator's area of specialty to remove the reference to the Buy Box. Wrote one seller philosophically, "I shudder to think of just how full Bea's Forum Inbox would be in a scant-few days had that proclamation of specialization not been removed." (Winning the Buy Box is crucial to getting sales, but is difficult for sellers to do.)
Susan responded to a question about the new avatar that displays next to the moderators user names, which is a black circle with a white smile "swoosh" from the Amazon logo (which signifies the marketplace sells everything from A to Z). "The smile is the new brand that we have been asked to use. We are retiring the "a" in favor of the friendly smile!"
In response to questions, Susan wrote, "We are all part of the Amazon Communities team, and yes we have additional team members who are working on some exciting things that we believe will improve your experience here in our forums."
What do you make of Amazon's overtures to sellers and promises to improve the selling experience? Is it a sign of the new regime under CEO Andy Jassy? Will Amazon carry through on its promise to be more responsive to sellers looking for answers and help on the Amazon discussion boards?
The AuctionBytes Blog has been giving a voice to online merchants since its launch in 2005. Named one of the world's top 30 blogs in 2008 by "Blogging Heroes." Weigh in with your thoughts on the joys and pitfalls of selling online.
What Do You Make of Amazon's Overtures to Sellers?