Welcome to ecom's 5th quarter

Date: Monday 5th of January 2026

Summary: Kevin King discusses the "5th Quarter" - why January is e-commerce's hidden peak season due to the reverse logistics surge, Walmart's aggressive push to close the Amazon online sales gap, several new Amazon features sellers should know about, and the BDSN software tool of the day.

Key Points Discussed:

• The 5th Quarter: January as e-commerce's hidden peak season
• Return statistics: 20-25% of holiday merchandise gets returned, $850 billion in total returns projected for 2025
• Returns as a liquidity event creating fifth quarter revenue opportunities
• Walmart closing the Amazon online sales gap (27.2% growth vs Amazon's 9.6%)
• The multi-channel imperative: why diversifying beyond Amazon is now urgent
• Category-specific opportunities on Walmart vs Amazon
• New Amazon features: Shop Direct Links (Beta), AlexaPlus.com, AI-powered A+ Content Analysis, Rufus auto-opening in search
• BDSN Software Tool of the Day: Inboox.ai
• Stack Influence platform for micro-influencer collaborations

Links Mentioned:

• BDSS13 Virtual Event Tickets
• Inboox.ai - AI Email Intelligence Platform
• Stack Influence Platform
• Blueland Micro Influencer Case Study

Hot Picks:

• Amazon hides products regionally, causing severe drop in sales
• 30 e-commerce predictions for 2026 from 30 top experts
• Jo's 2026 AI predictions for e-commerce
• 37 social commerce statistics and trends for 2026

Stump Bezos Answer: Amazon's unused gift card liability was $5.4 billion

Parting Shot: "AI agents won't simply make recommendations; they'll help you act on them." — Bill Gates

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