Retail Technology Tools

Amazon is listening to us, but are the AI developments going to move the needle? A few weeks ago, I predicted that Amazon would make AMC more user-friendly, and it looks like that prediction is coming true. This morning at #AmazonAccelerate2024, Amazon introduced some AI-powered tools to solve the problems I shared: 1. Project Amelia: An AI assistant that promises to revolutionize how sellers interact with Seller Central. Amazon says it can answer any seller question on inventory, demand, and more. You can ask Amelia your questions in your own words and get personalized guidance and support to help you run your business. It will be available in Beta today and rolled out to US sellers over the next few months. 2. Business Planner: This tool aims to simplify goal-setting and tracking with personalized plans to help you achieve your business objectives. It combines your sales traffic and product data with market intelligence and Amazon's performance modeling capabilities to create a personalized plan to reach your goals. Business Planner is available for use TODAY. 3. Custom Analytics: This tool will allow you to create customized dashboards and reports without needing advanced SQL skills. It's the flipside to the Business Planner, offering more flexibility to dive deeper into your data and build customized dashboards for the exact views of your business that you want to see. Custom Analytics will be rolled out over the coming weeks. These developments are exactly what I had in mind when I talked about simplified data access and better data management solutions. And it's great to see Amazon taking steps to make AMC more accessible and valuable for all sellers! But will these tools be as useful as Amazon promises? Maybe. I'm looking forward to testing them myself. 🤔

AI is no longer just a buzzword—it's transforming how dealerships engage customers, streamline service, and boost sales. But not all AI is created equal. The key to unlocking its potential lies in understanding agentic AI and its levels of autonomy. Think of it like autonomous vehicles (SAE Levels 0-5), but for intelligent systems driving your business forward. Here’s a breakdown to help you choose the right AI for your dealership: Level 1: Basic Automation (Rule-Based) Think automated email reminders for service due dates. These systems follow fixed scripts, offering efficiency for repetitive tasks but no flexibility. Great for starters, but limited in impact. Level 2: Partial Autonomy (AI-Augmented) A step up, these systems make basic decisions. Picture a voice agent handling inbound calls, routing them based on keywords like “service” or “sales.” It’s a time-saver for your team but still needs human oversight. Level 3: Conditional Autonomy (Agentic Assistant) Now we’re getting agentic! These systems plan and act with some independence, like qualifying leads by analyzing intent and suggesting test drives, though complex tasks (e.g., negotiations) may escalate to staff. Level 4: High Autonomy (Plan and Reflect) Dynamic and adaptive, these agents predict customer needs—like scheduling proactive maintenance based on vehicle data—and optimize operations, such as technician assignments. This is where revenue and efficiency soar. Level 5: Full Autonomy (Self-Refining, AGI-like) The future is near! These systems solve novel problems independently, learning in real-time. Think predictive inventory pricing that adjusts to market trends. Rare in 2025, but emerging fast. Where Are We Now? Most dealerships in Q1 2025 use Levels 1-3, with Level 4 gaining traction for customer-facing roles. Early adopters of Level 4 are seeing up to 30% higher appointment bookings and 20% reduced downtime. Why It Matters for Dealers Agentic AI can handle 24/7 inquiries, personalize customer interactions, and free your team for high-value tasks. Start with Level 2 for quick wins or leap to Level 4 to lead the market. The right choice depends on your CRM integration, budget, and goals. #AutomotiveAI #DealershipInnovation #AgenticAI #CustomerExperience

I’ve spent 12 years building software for Amazon sellers—and every year at Prosper, I scout the future. Here are the emerging tools and trends you should be paying attention to. Auto Amazon Listing Optimization. This emerging category updates content automatically in a done for you service with the help of AI. AutoPilotBrand DetailPage Automato - Only one I've seen a full demo of and was very impressed. Private Label Repricers updates Flashpricer - Self-serve private label pricing with Walmart/Amazon integrations. Their UI left me inspired. The self-serve looked fun. AZsellerkit - The spotlight ASIN for a variation page is chosen by Amazon. What if you can force Amazon to change that around with PPC/Pricing? The results skyrocketed an ASIN's organic rank. Their rank tracker is custom made to focus on variations. New AI-led tools Jarvio - Still in beta. Full account management with task management for optimizing brands. DataDoe - Connect all of your seller data to a chatbot. TikTok tools: Euka - Creator outreach en masse FastMoss/Kalodata - Market Research for TikTok Shop TikTok Shop Agencies. They've arrived in full force. SmartScout - Buy Box Map. Competitor Brand Promotions. We've had five feature releases this year, more to come.

AI’s New Superpower: Task Awareness, and Why Dealerships Can’t Ignore It For years, dealerships have lived with fragmented systems. DMS here. CRM over there. Website and service scheduler in another silo. Nothing talks to each other unless you duct tape it with rigid workflows. Sound familiar? That’s the old world: each tool only sees a sliver of what the customer is doing. Your CRM doesn’t know what’s happening on your website. Your website doesn’t know the customer just got an oil change. Your BDC is flying blind. But a new AI infrastructure is emerging, and it’s about to blow that model up. Enter: MCP. Model Context Protocol. It's like giving AI the master key to your dealership systems securely and in real time. Now the AI isn’t just answering questions or spitting out email templates. It’s aware of what the customer wants, what data is needed, and what steps should happen next. You can tell it: “Show me all service customers who haven’t bought a car in 3+ years, are out of warranty, visited the website in the last 14 days, and likely qualify for a new lease then build a follow-up sequence for our sales team.” And it executes across systems like your CRM, DMS, website data, even lender APIs. That’s not a ‘report’. That’s intelligence. That’s automation. And the power shift? It’s real. In the old world, your CRM or DMS held the insight. In this new AI-native world, whoever connects the dots across systems owns the customer insight. This is the gold mine: AI that understands intent, not just activity. So what should dealers do now? Start breaking down data silos, or someone else will. Treat your systems like APIs, not apps. Make AI the interface, not another add-on. Ask vendors: “Can your tool be task-aware in an AI ecosystem?” Because the future isn’t about who has the most data. It’s about who knows what to do with it. And the dealerships that embrace this shift? They won’t just automate. They’ll dominate. 💬 Drop a comment if you’re interested in learning more. Repost if you think your vendor needs to see this. #AutomotiveRetail #AIinAuto #DealershipData #MCP #TaskAwareAI #QoreAI #DealershipTransformation

Stop Renting When You Can Build! Predictions for AI and Automations in 2025. Why keep paying for glorified micro-SaaS tools (you know, the ones that are just ChatGPT wrapped in a shiny logo) when you could build your own automations and AI agents? Let’s get real: AI + Automation + Tools like Make, Zapier, Cursor and Replit have democratized software development. Non-technical dealership employees—yes, even your GSM or service manager—can now create custom automations and micro-SaaS tools tailored to your dealership's exact needs. Think about it: Instead of paying $2k/month forever for a tool that sends canned responses, you could invest a fraction of that in building your own. You own it. You control it. No nickel-and-diming in perpetuity. AI trained in your environment. Here’s the Bigger Prediction for 2025: 1️⃣ AI Agents will revolutionize dealership workflows: Imagine a digital assistant that handles employee scheduling, lead follow-ups, or even reconditioning estimates—built for your exact process. These aren’t futuristic concepts; they’re becoming mainstream. 2️⃣ Death of Subscription Micro-SaaS: Dealers will stop renting generic tools and start building/owning their tech stack. Custom automations will replace overpriced, one-size-fits-all solutions. 3️⃣ Tech-Driven Cost Reductions: Cutting-edge tools will reduce overhead, increase efficiency, and save dealerships tens of thousands annually. What’s the Play? Find a partner who can help you leverage AI and automation effectively (hint: that’s folks like BolderStream, Angus Fox, and many others). Start small: Automate repetitive tasks like employee scheduling, compensation plans, recon estimates, and content creation, management, and distribution. Scale smarter: Build tools and agents specific to your dealership’s challenges. Hot Take: The dealerships that embrace this DIY automation revolution will dominate in 2025. Those stuck in SaaS dependency? Well, they’ll be paying for yesterday’s tech while competitors leap ahead. Ready to build instead of rent? Let’s chat.

Amazon rewrote the playbook for sellers, and here are the cheat codes. At Amazon Accelerate, I had the privilege of sitting down with some of Amazon’s most brilliant minds to talk about everything sellers NEED to know about the latest tools, features, and strategies. These interviews aren’t just surface-level chats—they’re your backstage pass to what’s coming next, what to prioritize, and how to make these updates work for YOU. 🙌 Think of this as your must-watch Netflix series—but for Amazon sellers. 🎬 Each video is packed with insights that will change the way you approach your business. One post is not enough for everything we have, but here is a short breakdown: 🎯 Customer Journey Analytics Tool This tool maps your customer’s entire shopping experience—from initial interest to final conversion—giving you the insights needed to craft tailored promotions, identify key audience segments, and maximize the impact of every advertising dollar 🛠 Personalize Your Seller Central Workspace Amazon’s new Embedded Third-Party Apps feature lets you integrate the tools you love directly into Seller Central. Say goodbye to app-switching chaos and hello to your personalized business command center. 💡 Generative AI for One-Click Ads From stunning visuals to engaging video ads, these AI-powered solutions enable sellers to create professional campaigns with minimal effort—just one click. Whether you’re a small seller or a large brand, these tools make it easier than ever to scale your advertising strategy. 📊 Product Performance Spotlight Take the guesswork out of decision-making with actionable insights into what’s working—and what isn’t—so you can adjust your strategy on the fly. From inventory planning to pricing decisions, Spotlight ensures you’re always ahead, making your business more efficient and goals more achievable. This isn’t just another feature roundup. It’s your guide to Amazon’s updates, which will come straight from the source. (All links in the comments) 💙

If you are not relentlessly split testing ALL of your listing images.. you will STRUGGLE to see success on Amazon. Most sellers upload their Amazon listing images once… and never think about them again. No testing. No iteration. No feedback. Just assumptions about what they like or what they think will convert. But the truth is, what you think looks good means nothing. If your main image doesn’t stop the scroll, increase CTR, or drive conversions… It’s not just a bad image.. it’s a broken sales funnel. The top sellers test everything. And they don’t test by “feeling” or by watching sales alone. They use real data. Amazon’s Manage Your Experiments tool lets you split test image sets with live traffic. Actual shoppers. Actual conversions. Actual results. It’s the most accurate test you can run.. but it takes time and only works for ASINs with enough traffic. Want answers fast? Tools like PickFu and Product Pinion let you test image variations in hours. You upload two or more versions. They show them to your target demographic. You get ranked feedback, written responses, and clear patterns—often within the same day. It’s not perfect, but it’s fast, directional, and brutally honest. The image that wins is rarely the one you expect. That’s the point. You’re not your customer. And your images need to sell to them, not impress you. So what should you test? Start with the main image. Then move through the rest: • Image order • Image styles (lifestyle vs infographic) • Text clarity and font size • Presence of badges or guarantees • Emotional triggers (facial expressions, use cases, pain points) Track results. Watch CTR and conversion rate closely. Iterate monthly, not annually. Because Amazon rewards high performance. More clicks = more conversions. More conversions = better rank. Better rank = more money without increasing your ad spend. And yet, most sellers still launch listings with 7 images they’ve never tested, never compared, and never challenged. If that’s you… It’s time to stop guessing and start experimenting.

In a recent episode of the PPС Den podcast, Mike Danford from Adverio.io and I discussed 7 must-have Amazon Seller tools and how to use them. So, what’s Amazon Seller Central? 📦 It’s the portal I use to run my Amazon business. It’s perfect for everyone—from small entrepreneurs to big companies. Let’s dive into the tools. First up, Search Query Performance. This tracks how often people see products after searching for specific terms and whether it leads to purchases. It helps understand how customers find products and which keywords to use. Super handy, right? Next is SKU Economics. This shows the detailed financials for each product, including costs, revenues, and profitability. It helps make smart decisions about pricing, promotions, and inventory management. Pretty useful, huh? Then there’s Product Opportunity Explorer. It analyzes what customers are searching for and what they’re saying about similar products. This tool helps find new opportunities to expand the range. Moving on, Market Basket Analysis identifies which products customers often buy together. It helps create smart bundles and boost sales. Brand Reputation is a game-changer. It lets me reach out to customers who left negative reviews and helps turn those negatives into positives by quickly addressing their issues. Brand Tailored Promotions and Coupons is another great tool. It lets me create personalized offers for different customer segments, boosting loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases. Lastly, Creator Connections allows me to work with influencers to promote products on Amazon. I only pay for successful sales, making it a cost-effective option. These tools make Amazon Seller Central indispensable for crushing it on Amazon. Check out a collection of podcasts about these tools and read an article on this topic here. 🔗You can catch the full episode with Mike here: https://lnkd.in/gyG-jDjn How Can I Best Use The Search Query Performance Report? https://lnkd.in/gTJy29hv How Can I Best Use The Product Opportunity Explorer For My Amazon PPC Campaign? https://lnkd.in/gPMTJchQ How Can I Best Use Brand Tailored Promotions? https://lnkd.in/gin89K4G 🦡 Read an article: https://lnkd.in/g8qyzmU2