The Retail Round-Up - Rufus Remembers, the Variation Collapse That Wasn’t, and the Shifting RMN Ad Tech Allegiances - Episode 408

Sep 2, 2025

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🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker

DESCRIPTION

Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world.

This edition covers Amazon’s evolving AI shopping assistant, Rufus; key operational changes for sellers; tech stack shakeups among major retailers; and TikTok’s move into streamlined commerce and tracking.

Whether you’re a brand operator, advertiser, or just keeping a close eye on the e-commerce landscape, this episode packs actionable insights with plenty of wit.

Let’s dive in.

Quote:

As Rufus starts remembering your browsing and purchase history, it becomes easier for it to surface exactly the type of product you're looking for. And that means the shopping journey is getting way more focused.

Armin Alispahic

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss:

Amazon Rufus & Personalization: The growing impact of Amazon’s Rufus AI, which remembers user shopping behaviors, and the implications for brands needing to optimize content and strategies for increasingly personalized searches.
Seller Feedback & Prep Service Changes: Updates to Amazon seller feedback (now ratings-only with limited appeals), the discontinuation of Amazon’s FBA prep services starting January 2025, and new policies for handling damaged inventory are highlighted, including tips for brands to retain control and mitigate risk.
Variation Themes Deprecation: The recent confusion around Amazon’s update to variation themes, initially perceived as disruptive, but later clarified to mainly affect rarely used themes with no sales in the past year.
Retail Media Partnerships: Analysis of Walmart’s move away from The Trade Desk exclusivity to potentially develop its own DSP, and Macy’s adoption of Amazon’s Retail Ad Service, with thoughtful discussion on what these shifts signal for the future of retail media networks.
TikTok E-commerce Integration: TikTok’s new Buy with Prime checkout option and cross-channel measurement solutions are debated, with insights on how these changes may impact the platform’s e-commerce role moving forward.