Amazon is reportedly in talks with OpenAI about an investment of up to $50 billion. OpenAI is seeking a total of around $100 billion in fresh capital. SoftBank also said to be among the potential investors. OpenAI has also set the price for its new ads on ChatGPT at $60 per 1,000 impressions. That’s about three times as much as Meta.
Amazon tests new feature without retailer consent
Amazon is causing controversy with its new feature Shop Direct. The company lists products from third-party retailers without their prior consent. Product data is sourced from publicly available brand websites and purchases are completed via redirects to external shops. However, retailers can request an opt-out. Industry experts are criticizing the unsolicited data scraping – a practice Amazon itself has historically pushed back against.
As we close out 2025, it’s clear this wasn’t just another year of incremental growth – it was a year of structural re-architecture. The marketplace model has moved from being a “digital shelf” to an integrated, AI-driven, and internationally fluid ecosystem. For sellers, the “Bigger Picture” of 2025 is the transition from managing listings to managing complex, cross-border value chains.
Starting in 2026, Amazon will significantly reduce its fees for FBA sellers in Europe by an average of €0.17 per unit sold. Commission fees are also set to fall, in some cases dramatically, in certain categories. Some changes will come into effect as early as February 1, 2026.
Shein continues to face significant pressure in France: first, the government initiated to suspend the platform, then on Thursday, 200,000 Shein packages were inspected at Paris’ Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The goal: to remove illegal and unsafe products from circulation.
OpenAI is rolling out a native checkout in ChatGPT, letting users in the U.S. buy products without ever leaving the chat. The first integrations are with Etsy and Shopify sellers. Users can see product options, select variants, and complete the purchase directly in the interface. It’s a first step toward what some call “agentic commerce” – where AI handles not just discovery, but also transactions.
At its Seller Conference Accelerate, Amazon introduced a new Agentic AI designed to independently develop and execute strategies. The enhanced Seller Assistant will automatically warn sellers about potential overstock fees, suggest price adjustments, optimize inventory levels.
Marketplace Universe News 23.06.2025 – About You opens marketplace for new partners
Fashion platform About You has overhauled its onboarding process, aiming to make it easier for small brands, start-ups, and independent labels to join. The seller center has also been revamped as part of the update.
The German Trade Association HDE has raised its annual forecast: online retail growth is expected to be around 4% in 2025, with total sales climbing to €92.4 billion. Looking closer into the numbers, it is clear that “market growth” is actually “marketplace growth” in Germany: All marketplaces active in Germany realised a turnover growth of 8.8 per cent, with the lion share going to Amazon. The market share currently stands at 57%, recommerce at 7%.
Marketplace Universe News 28.04.2025 – DHL is suspending US deliveries / Technical Issues on Otto marketplace / Amazon starts Beauty Category
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