An Overview of Amazon's Generative AI Features for Sellers

At this point, everyone has heard of AI and seen countless examples. But did you know Amazon has a conversational AI-powered bot named Rufus helping shoppers? Were you aware that Amazon has a VP of Artificial General Intelligence? And would you be surprised to know that Amazon is a huge proponent of advancing governmental regulatory policy on AI?

So of course, Amazon’s obsession with AI has also extended to Seller Central and seller-adjacent tools and software. Quick to adopt AI tech, Amazon has moved a long way from the old days of New Item Setup (NIS) and complex image-upload URLs.

The latest AI innovations are designed to empower sellers with tools that streamline operations, enhance product listings, and improve customer interactions, ultimately boosting sales and customer satisfaction. But how does this work and is it effective? This article will address the latest options available for sellers and discuss the pros and cons of using this new and rapidly evolving technology.

Amazon Generative AI for Product Listings

Amazon continues to release more and better-refined tools for new products and improved listing optimization. In theory, sellers can provide Amazon with a few words to describe their product. The generative AI now built into Seller Central can create compelling product titles, descriptions, and other product details. Users can also create new listings using external website links, images, and more as the starting point.

While maintaining a product catalog and listing new items has become far less cumbersome than even five years ago, the quality of generative AI can be spotty. Amazon also does not provide any details on how the AI works. Is it pulling highly converting ad terms from top products? Or from frequently appearing words in competitors’ listings? Is it enhancing visibility in search? Or just randomly pulling from a jumbled bank of phrases to make sentences?

Common Issues with Generative AI on Amazon

Generative AI can be helpful, but you'll also want to watch out for these pitfalls.

Accuracy

As with any AI tool, proceed with caution and be sure to double-check for accuracy. While it may provide a good starting point or structure to write your product detail page, it is guaranteed to be unusable as-is.

For example, the AI may interject features, colors, or sizes that don’t exist. If using generative AI for images, it may get even stranger. If you sell tennis gear, there may be golf balls in the photos or a basketball court in the background as AI pulls in generic sports-based imagery. Be extra careful using AI to generate human features, such as faces in lifestyle imagery, as these tend to be unrealistic.

Bottom line: Ensure anything you use AI tools for is accurate, presents your brand authentically and attractively, and is likely to drive purchases.

Policy Issues

Ironically, Amazon’s AI has no regard for following Amazon policy. Do not assume that your AI-generated text or images will be compliant and ready to go. For example, some of the generated text is likely to have competitor brand names in it, which, if trademarked and monitored, may get your products flagged or suspended. Each category has specific guidelines and danger terms, too. Pay attention to your category and look at the guidance carefully.

SellerPulse by eComEngine monitors Amazon listing changes and notifies you when something is amiss so you can act quickly.

Lack of SEO

Again, Amazon doesn’t share the methodology behind generative AI features. Don’t assume your products are SEO-optimized or even appealing to potential buyers. Sellers should use external keyword software (and watch out for their own AI tools), Amazon Advertising data, and customer knowledge to create rich, SEO-optimized product pages.

Tone and Style Inconsistencies

Unlike a human, generative AI can’t fully grasp brand and style guidelines. It is not likely to know your unique selling points or deliver on the vibe a well-branded business has constructed.

Quality Control and Amazon AI

While AI taking on the tedious tasks and workload of busy sellers may seem like a dream, it’s certainly not seamless. Even before AI in its current iteration, Amazon has been focused on increasing automation for years, which hasn’t always been beneficial to sellers. This, coupled with dicey Seller Support, can be a nightmare.

While it may come with good intentions, new AI quality control has created a lot of headaches for sellers. For example, Amazon will flag certain words or brand names and remove them from the site or ads when there is no actual violation. Amazon may recategorize products, filter them into certain browse nodes that are inaccurate, or require regulatory compliance for items that don’t need it. If sellers have used Amazon generative AI and not edited or checked it for accuracy, this can compound the issue.

Generative AI can also be seen on Amazon product pages, where it’s used to summarize reviews and toggle notes for customers like “This product is frequently returned.” This may seem useful for customers, but often it’s without context. For example, many products are returned because they arrive damaged due to Amazon FBA packaging issues.

When problems do arise, Seller Support is not always helpful, as new automation and AI seem to take precedence over the human teams that should be able to fix things. The only thing sellers can do is keep a close eye on their business. Routinely check listings, account health metrics, common issues in reviews, and product pages for accuracy and any concerns.

Inventory Management

On the positive side, Amazon is quickly integrating more AI-based features into inventory management applications for sellers. AI algorithms are now used to analyze sales data, seasonal trends, and other relevant factors to predict future product demand.

Better and more accurate predictive insights will definitely help sellers optimize their inventory levels. Check the FBA Inventory tab in Seller Central to explore a range of helpful features aimed at reducing the risk of out-of-stocks or excess inventory. By automating and refining these predictions, AI tools enable sellers to make data-driven decisions more efficiently and avoid additional storage fees or issues.

Personalized Marketing

Amazon’s expanding AI capabilities certainly extend into Amazon Advertising, where personalized marketing uses AI to analyze customer data and create targeted marketing campaigns. Because Amazon Advertising is so lucrative for Amazon, this is an area where AI will expand rapidly (within Amazon and advertising-adjacent software).

AI can help sellers understand customer preferences and shopping habits, enabling sellers to tailor their marketing efforts to individual needs. This could include personalized email campaigns, customized promotions, and dynamic product recommendations both on and off-Amazon. Such targeted strategies can significantly improve conversion rates and enhance the customer experience.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

The benefits of AI in Amazon's Seller Central are a mixed bag. While potentially helpful, AI (especially generative AI) comes with a lot of challenges and ethical considerations. There is potential for misuse, such as over-optimization or manipulation of product listings to promote some sellers over others. AI also uses others’ work to iterate and create new (potentially more profitable) versions without giving credit to the original creators. Additionally, reliance on AI will potentially marginalize smaller sellers who may not have the same level of access or funding to unlock advanced technologies.

The Future of AI in eCommerce

As AI continues to evolve, its integration into Amazon and Seller Central is likely to expand and deepen. Future developments could include more advanced imaging and natural language processing tools for better customer interaction, better always-on customer experience, enhanced predictive analytics for supply chain management, and AI-driven design tools for creating new products or expanding existing ranges.

In conclusion, Amazon's use of AI is leading the way for eCommerce companies. Intending to automate tasks, providing detailed insights, and enhancing customer interactions, Amazon hopes to simplify online selling and create a more dynamic shopping environment. However, AI is still new and very much still requires a human touch to reap the benefits.

AI is a good starting point for many sellers needing structure for product detail pages or content. But be sure to edit and pay attention to accuracy in your account. This is just the beginning, and the future of AI in eCommerce looks as complex as it is transformative. If you need additional support with AI-enabled Seller Central features, account management, content creation, or integrated marketing support, please reach out to the team at eCommerce Nurse.