Amazon AI Controversy, Walmart Gemini Integration, “Made Without” Milestone, USPS Tracking Restrictions Update- This week in Amazon & eCommerce - Jan 21

Why is Amazon changing policy now?

1. Amazon’s AI Shopping Sparks Seller Backlash: Amazon’s beta “Shop Direct” and “Buy for Me” features have drawn scrutiny after merchants discovered their independent store listings appearing in Amazon’s shopping app without prior notice or explicit consent, even when they do not sell on Amazon. [Learn more]

2. Walmart Brings Shopping to Gemini: Walmart and Google have announced plans to integrate Walmart and Sam’s Club shopping experiences directly into Google’s Gemini AI using the Universal Commerce Protocol, aiming to make product discovery and purchasing more intuitive and personalized. [Learn more]

3. Sam’s Club Reaches “Made Without” Milestone: Sam’s Club has announced that all Member’s Mark food and beverage products now meet its “Made Without” standards, eliminating more than 40 ingredients such as certified synthetic colors, artificial flavors, aspartame, and high-fructose corn syrup.. [Learn more]

4. USPS Tightens Package Tracking Security: The U.S. Postal Service plans to introduce enhanced security measures for package tracking data beginning in April 2026, limiting how commercial service providers access tracking information through USPS APIs while leaving consumer access unchanged. [Learn more]

Thank you for sharing your day with us,

Isaiah Fritz, Joe White and the OSP Team

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