Amazon’s Price Policy on Temu – how to use it to your brand’s advantage
The news that Amazon has added Temu to its list of monitored competitor sites, requiring Sellers to avoid lower pricing there if they want to stay visible on Amazon, might seem like a limitation at first glance. But for many brands, this shift is a net positive. Here’s why – and how to turn this development to your advantage…
What it means for Amazon Sellers
This move by the retail giants cements Amazon’s commitment to protecting the marketplace, and Amazon brands, against Temu’s aggressive pricing and rapid growth.
The marketplace is built on consumer trust – shoppers know they can rely on transparent pricing, reliable fulfillment and authentic products, and Sellers benefit from the conversions that trust drives.
By taking steps to keep Amazon the most competitive platform, the marketplace is reinforcing its position as the credible first-choice for consumers – effectively asking Sellers to repay the efforts Amazon has put into building that consumer trust over the years.
For many brands, this policy will come as a welcome safeguard against Temu’s dynamic pricing which, by changing based on a customer’s likelihood to purchase, makes a competing brand’s overall pricing decisions unbelievably tricky, not to mention undermining transparency and trust with buyers.
By coming out officially against Temu, those Sellers who felt threatened can rest easier, and strategise far more effectively and consistently when it comes to their pricing strategies.
And if your competitors decide to undercut your brand on Temu? You’ll have the advantage of Amazon’s unmatched visibility, strong reputation and stable and structured environment – and they’ll be in a race to the bottom.
3 ways to turn this to your advantage
Double Down on Your Amazon Strategy
Amazon’s stance is a clear signal – if the marketplace is your primary channel, now’s the time to focus on optimising your performance. Make sure to:
- Price strategically, using tools like Amazon’s pricing recommendations and third-party repricing software to get and stay in the Featured Offer.
- Enhance your listings, standing out with enriched product pages, clear images and compelling copy.
- Leverage Amazon Ads to maximise visibility and keep your products top of mind for buyers.
Build on Amazon’s own credibility
Buyers trust Amazon because of its reliable fulfillment and authentic products. Building on that by showcasing your own trustworthiness as a brand turns it to your advantage, so:
- Highlight your positive reviews, ratings and testimonials to enhance buyer confidence.
- Maintain exceptional customer service.
- Offer valuable add-ons like warranty options and no-quibble returns to set your brand apart.
Stay agile – and in control
Temu’s variable pricing model might appeal to some brands, but it comes at the cost of control.
Putting Amazon first means you can stay consistent in your pricing and branding across all your channels – and that’s an advantage both in building long-term customer relationships, and in building a sustainable and profitable e-commerce business.
The Bottom Line
Amazon’s Temu pricing policy might come across as restrictive but, for Amazon-focused brands we see it wholly positive.
The move reinforces Amazon’s credibility, keeps things less complex for Amazon Sellers and protects brands who put the marketplace’s reach, trust, visibility and stability first.
If Temu is putting pressure on your brand, now’s the time to think about how you can leverage Amazon’s strengths to your advantage: doubling down on optimisation, focusing on quality and using data well to stay agile.
Want to get your Amazon strategy airtight for 2025? Our award-winning team is on hand to bring our commercial clarity, rigour and vision to the party. Get in touch today.
Generative AI for Custom Audiences in Amazon Ads: Worth the Hype?
Aaand the AI chat continues in 2025 with the news that Amazon Ads have introduced a new generative AI tool, making the SQL generator available in Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC). But what is it? What can it do? And is it as good as it sounds?
What is the SQL Generator?
The SQL generator is a natural language query tool that uses generative AI to help advertisers create highly targeted custom audiences faster and more easily than ever before.
In brief, SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used to manage and manipulate data – a super-powerful tool for organising and analysing large amounts of information.
The SQL generator helps Amazon Advertisers create SQL queries which in turn create audience segments based on user behaviour and advertising data.
Traditionally, you had to know how to code to write these SQL queries, but the new SQL generator uses generative AI to automate the process, making it far more accessible to non-techie types and those without advanced audience segmentation tools at their fingertips.
And it’s also a lot quicker – the process can take minutes rather than hours.
So yes, it’s a brilliant innovation that can save valuable time and create highly-targeted campaigns with ease.
But what does it mean for brands, and how can you make the most of it?
Let’s explore the potential, the limitations – and what you need to know to leverage this tool effectively.
How it works
With the SQL generator, you can:
- Use natural language prompts to create custom audiences – for example, you could say: “Create an audience of customers who viewed my product pages and saw my streaming TV ads but haven’t purchased in the last 30 days”, and the SQL generator will give you the query you need to build the audience in Amazon DSP or Ads Console.
- Get step-by-step guidance, with questions like “how can I create an audience of customers who have heard our audio ads but haven’t made a purchase?”. The SQL generator then gives you the query, together with clear instructions.
- Activate audiences across channels – custom audiences can be used in campaigns spanning streaming TV, audio and digital ads for full-funnel strategies.
The Pros
- It’s a time-saver, drastically reducing hours of coding time.
- It’s accessible even to non-technical team members, improving opportunities for collaboration and innovation across your team.
- The ability to create tailored audiences so quickly is designed to help you run more relevant, effective and impactful campaigns, whether you’re retargeting abandoned carts or engaging first-time buyers.
- It can help increase productivity, letting your team explore novel use cases and refine your audience strategies more efficiently – which in turn means you can get better value from AMC’s capabilities.
The Considerations – What brands should watch out for…
- As with all AI, data quality is key – the accuracy of the output depends completely on how good your input data is. Inaccurate or incomplete information might lead to ineffective audiences and/or wasted ad spend, so take the time to make sure your data is clean, accurate and well-structured.
- There’s a learning curve. Using the SQL generator effectively calls for a grasp of audience-building principles and AMC’s wider capabilities – your team might need extra training, expert support or a bit of both to unlock the full potential.
- Never over-rely on automation. As powerful as AI is, it’s not a substitute for human insight and strategic nous.
- Be aware of the potential for misalignment – without clear parameters or human validation, the tool could produce audience segments that don’t properly align with your campaign objectives. It’s crucial to review generated queries thoroughly before you put them into play.
The Bottom Line
Is it a game-changer for Amazon Ads? Yes, we think it can be.
But, as with any tool, its success depends on how effectively you use it.
By combining the power of generative AI with clean data, strategic oversight and a well-trained team, the SQL generator is a brilliant addition to your arsenal – helping you to stay ahead of the competition, optimise ad spend and achieve measurable growth on Amazon.
Want our expert guidance to help leverage this and other Amazon innovations for success in 2025 and beyond? Speak to the team today.
Amazon + Quickbooks – new Preferred Partnership announced
Amazon has kicked off 2025 with a multi-year partnership announcement with Intuit’s Quickbooks Accounting software, bringing one of the largest and most-widely used solutions directly into Seller Central…
The integration promises to help brands manage their finances more efficiently, simplify taxes and access capital for growth.
But what exactly is on offer, and how could it positively impact your Amazon business? Dive deeper with us…
What does Quickbooks offer Amazon Sellers
With QuickBooks now Amazon’s preferred partner for financial management, its AI-powered tools will be easily accessible to millions of sellers directly through Seller Central, covering:
- Comprehensive Financial Management: Sellers can manage profitability, cash flow, inventory and real-time tax estimates from one place, with tools designed to simplify compliance and tax preparation.
- Easier access to capital: Eligible sellers can access personalised loans through QuickBooks Capital directly within Seller Central, streamlining funding for business growth.
- End-to-End visibility: By integrating Amazon data with QuickBooks, Sellers can get quick insights into key financial metrics, driving more informed decisions that can power growth and sustainable profitability.
The tools contained within Quickbooks can help Amazon brands:
Gain real-time financial insights
Tracking profitability, cash flow, and tax liabilities in real time can help you identify trends, spot challenges and stay agile, from planning for seasonal peaks to tweaking your pricing strategies based on profit metrics.
Streamline their tax compliance
Tax preparation is a major pain point for many Amazon sellers, and QuickBooks’ tools are designed to simplify the process with real-time tax estimates and streamlined filing options.
Grow through investment
With tailored loan options available through QuickBooks Capital, Sellers might be eligible for funding to fuel growth – whether that’s to capitalise on demand, invest in Amazon Ads, manage cashflows or something else entirely.
What are they saying about the Partnership?
“Intuit and Amazon are providing financial tools for millions of Amazon sellers to thrive in Amazon’s store. We know businesses that use Intuit’s QuickBooks platform have a nearly 20-point higher success rate than those who don’t. We’re proud to partner with Amazon to bring the benefits of our AI-driven expert platform to help sellers boost their revenue and profitability, save time, and grow with confidence.”
Sasan Goodarzi – CEO | Intuit
“Amazon is innovating on behalf of sellers every day to support the growth and success of their businesses, which includes providing sellers with streamlined access to third-party tools that offer additional efficiencies and capabilities to help them operate their business. Together with Intuit, we’re working to equip our selling partners with additional financial tools and access to capital to help them scale efficiently.”
Dharmesh Mehta – VP WW Selling Partner Services | Amazon
The Bottom Line
This partnership between Amazon and QuickBooks has the potential to simplify key aspects of financial management for Sellers, and an easy integration between the platforms is great news for brands operating mainly on the marketplace.
What should you be aware of? You’ll need to check the figures to make sure your data is accurate and, for those who look at the capital offers, review all terms carefully to make sure they align with your business needs.
But, especially if your Amazon brand is crying out for better financial efficiency and visibility, it’s a partnership worth exploring.
Ready to drive your Amazon business to all-new heights this year? Let’s talk. Our expert team is here to help you thrive on the marketplace.
Ready to drive better Amazon profits and growth in 2025? Join us on Jan 30th…
Speaking of thriving on the marketplace in 2025, our expert webinar series is back with a bang this month – don’t miss out!
Join us at 10am on Thursday 30th January for an hour well spent, as our team of Amazon gurus dives deep into lessons learned from 2024, and how to apply them to create a strategy that drives unparalleled profit and growth in 2025.
What’s on the agenda?
- Strategic insights – we’ll be reflecting on 2024’s biggest lessons and exploring how to plan, budget and strategise for success in 2025.
- Advertising strategies – our award-winning specialists will be explaining how to optimise your ad spend and align organic and paid campaigns to deliver better ROI.
- A Live Q&A – as always, we’ll wrap things up with the opportunity to put your questions to our panel and get expert advice tailored to your Amazon challenges.
Meet the Panel
Handpicked from the Venture Forge team, you’ll hear from:
- Andrew Banks, our CEO, driving success for our Amazon brands across the UK, Europe and North America.
- Emma Pickard, our Head of Seller Services, bringing over a decade of expertise in eCommerce and account management.
- Head of Vendor Services, Travis Chappell, who leads Venture Forge’s talented Vendor team and drives operational excellence.
- Jake Browett, Paid Advertising Manager and award-winner, specialising in supercharging sales for brands with advanced PPC strategies that drive results.
Why attend?
This session will equip you with the clear, actionable insights you need to navigate 2025 with confidence.
From adapting your strategies to new challenges to mastering the delicate balance of profitability and growth, in just an hour you’re destined to set your Amazon brand up for success.