MerchantSpring Marketplace Masters

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Episodes

181

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

Marketplace Masters is about going deeper into the challenges brands and agencies face to lift performance via practical actions and insights.

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60 recent

August 13, 202639 min

Amazon Vendor | The End of 1P vs 3P: Building a Hybrid Portfolio That Works

In this episode of Marketplace Masters, Paul Sonneveld takes on the oldest debate in the Amazon world: 1P or 3P. Joining him are Sebastian Barrios and Stephan Putter of Leadsphere, a Mexico-based agency and certified Amazon Commerce partner running hybrid vendor and seller setups for brands across Amazon and MercadoLibre. Their argument: the best brands stopped choosing. 3P is your risk, experimentation and demand-creation channel. 1P rewards proven products. The real work is deciding, SKU by SKU, where each product belongs. Sebastián and Stefan explain why hybrid became urgent (Amazon's ongoing waves of vendor terminations, the most recent just nine days before recording, and 3P unit share declining for two consecutive quarters for the first time on record), the four-step allocation framework covering forecastability, velocity, price point and MAP sensitivity, and why running the same ASIN on both sides invites conflict with your vendor team. They also cover one content standard but two completely different advertising strategies, upper funnel on 1P and lower funnel on 3P, how distributor leakage (not Amazon) breaks your pricing, when hybrid is the wrong answer, and live audience questions on seller account gating and how to get Amazon to stop ordering an unprofitable ASIN.

August 10, 202636 min

Agency Best Practice | The Compounding Catalog: Optimize Listings for Better Ranking, Ad Efficiency, and AI Shopping

In this episode of Marketplace Masters, Paul Sonneveld sits down with Alasdair McLean-Foreman , one of Amazon's earliest third-party sellers and founder and CEO of Teikametrics, to unpack Amazon's July 27 listing overhaul: titles cut from 250 characters to 75, a new 125-character Item Highlights field, and AI rewrites that went live automatically if brands didn't respond in time. Ten days in, the results are a mixed bag, with some sellers reporting sales drops and even brand names stripped from titles. Alasdair explains why this is much bigger than a formatting change: it's Amazon restructuring its catalogue into machine-readable content for Alexa for Shopping and the agentic commerce era. They cover how to split titles versus item highlights, why your ads data is now your best content optimisation signal, where the biggest wins sit (long-tail catalogues, with lifts up to 135% on reactivated SKUs), and how the same shift is playing out on Walmart's Sparky and TikTok Shop. If your content and advertising teams still operate in silos, this episode makes the case for tearing that wall down before Q4. If you're getting value from Marketplace Masters, hit follow and forward this episode to whoever owns your content and retail media.

July 24, 202641 min

Agency Best Practice | The Third Shelf: How Amazon's AI Assistant Is Rewriting Product Discovery

In this episode of Marketplace Masters, Paul Sonneveld talks with Christian Umbach , co-founder and CEO of Autopilot, about Amazon's "third shelf": the AI Shopping Assistant. Christian's team studied 2,000 non-branded queries and around 70,000 ASINs to decode how Alexa picks products, and the results break the rules brands optimise for. The headlines: 64% of top Alexa picks sat outside the organic top ten, 40% appeared nowhere on the traditional results page, and advertising won't buy you in. What does matter: 4.0+ ratings, availability, sales and review velocity, and catalogue quality. They also cover why apparel showed the most diversified AI results, how ChatGPT sources 45% of its shopping carousel from Google Shopping, and why your Amazon data discipline is now an asset across every AI search surface. If your Amazon strategy stops at organic and paid, this is your wake-up call.

July 3, 202639 min

Amazon Vendor | Inside Amazon Direct Fulfillment: The Operational Playbook for 1P Vendors

In this episode of Marketplace Masters, host Paul Sonneveld goes deep on the operational side of Amazon Direct Fulfillment with Chris Khoo , founder of KhooCommerce and one of the most experienced operators in the Amazon vendor world. Most vendors treat Direct Fulfillment as "FBM for 1P," backup inventory, or a chargeback eraser. Chris explains why the reality is more demanding, and more valuable. Amazon calls it dual fulfillment internally, and used well it protects the buy box, bridges out-of-stock gaps, and captures demand spikes that traditional PO cycles simply can't respond to fast enough. Paul and Chris covered: Which products are built for DF: bulky, high-value, multi-part, and seasonal items, and why small, low-value products rarely justify the handling cost The real disqualifier: whether your warehouse can actually run direct-to-consumer fulfilment alongside palletised PO shipments A day in the life of a well-run DF operation: order sync, batch picking, label automation, and carrier cutoff times How Amazon measures DF performance, why on-time shipping compliance is the metric that can get you removed from the program, and who really controls the carrier (AOC vs VOC) EDI vs SP-API integration, and why the inventory feed is the link most vendors overlook How to think about margin and cost recovery when Amazon pushes DF in your annual vendor negotiation Real cases: the vendor who went from one order a day to 400 in 48 hours unprepared, and the glassware brand shipping millions per month through a fully automated DF flow If you run a Vendor Central account, this is a serious upgrade to your operational playbook.

June 25, 202636 min

Amazon Vendor | Canada First: The 2P / Account-as-a-Service Model for Brands Entering Amazon North America

Is Canada the smartest—and most overlooked—gateway into North America for Amazon brands? In this episode of Marketplace Masters , Paul Sonneveld is joined by Sebastien Masson , Founder of Account as a Service (AAAS), explored why Canada offers a compelling opportunity for brands expanding internationally. They discussed the advantages of lower competition, cheaper Amazon CPCs, stronger review generation, and how a 2P/Account as a Service model can simplify market entry while reducing operational complexity. Topics Covered: Why Amazon Canada is an attractive expansion market Canada vs. US: competition, profitability, and CPCs 1P vs. 2P vs. 3P explained How the Account as a Service (AAAS) model works Managing bilingual requirements and Canadian compliance Building momentum before expanding into the US Common mistakes brands make when entering Canada

June 17, 202632 min

Amazon Vendor | Direct Fulfillment as a Strategic Lever: When Amazon Vendors Should Use It (and When They Shouldn’t)

In this episode of Marketplace Masters , Paul Sonneveld sits down with Jason Linscheid , Founder of The Vendorist and former Amazon Senior Vendor Manager, to explore the strategic role of Amazon Direct Fulfillment for enterprise vendors. Topics Covered: Amazon Direct Fulfillment vs. traditional Vendor Central fulfillment How to evaluate DF at the ASIN level Profitability, cash flow, and working capital implications Direct Fulfillment’s role in Annual Vendor Negotiations (AVN) Hybrid fulfillment strategies for Amazon vendors Common DF misconceptions and operational considerations Together, they discuss when Direct Fulfillment makes sense, how Amazon evaluates DF programs, the impact on working capital and customer experience, and why leading brands are increasingly adopting hybrid fulfillment strategies.

June 11, 202634 min

Agency Best Practice | The AWD vs 3PL Debate: A Decision Framework for Amazon Brands and Agencies

In this episode of Marketplace Masters , Paul Sonneveld sits down with Ephraim Ausch , Chief Logistics Officer at Tactical Logistics Solutions, to unpack one of the biggest fulfillment debates facing Amazon sellers in 2026: Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD) vs. third-party logistics providers (3PLs). With Amazon introducing new logistics surcharges, rising transportation costs, and changing regional pricing structures, brands are being forced to re-evaluate their fulfillment strategy. Ephraim shares practical insights on when AWD makes financial sense, when a 3PL remains the better option, and why many eight- and nine-figure sellers are adopting hybrid fulfillment models instead of going all-in on Amazon.

May 21, 202640 min

Amazon Vendor | B2B Sales on Amazon: Why Mid-Market Manufacturers Can’t Afford to Ignore the Channel

Amazon Business is now generating more than $80 billion in annual B2B revenue — and yet many manufacturers still don’t have a clear Amazon B2B strategy. In this episode of Marketplace Masters , Paul Sonneveld speaks with Brian Beck , one of the world’s leading B2B eCommerce experts and author of Billion Dollar B2B eCommerce , about how Amazon Business is reshaping B2B distribution and what mid-market manufacturers need to understand before entering the channel. They explore why B2B buyers are increasingly turning to Amazon, how Amazon Business differs from traditional Amazon selling, and the operational, pricing, and channel strategy considerations manufacturers must address to succeed. Key topics include: What Amazon Business is and how it works Amazon's B2B strategy for manufacturers 1P vs 3P selling models for B2B brands Managing channel conflict with distributors and sales teams Amazon Business pricing, RFQs, and bulk buying tools B2B product content and catalogue strategy on Amazon Why Amazon is becoming a critical B2B procurement platform Common mistakes manufacturers make when entering Amazon Business If you’re a manufacturer, B2B brand, distributor, or Amazon agency looking to understand the future of B2B commerce on Amazon, this episode provides practical insights into one of the fastest-growing segments in eCommerce.

May 15, 202635 min

Agency Best Practice | South Africa Marketplace Playbook: Amazon Growth, Takealot Reality, and Enterprise Execution

Is South Africa the next major eCommerce growth market for Amazon brands? In this episode of Marketplace Masters , Paul Sonneveld speaks with Maon Seidel , Founder & CEO of eCommerce Counsel, about the rapid evolution of South Africa’s eCommerce landscape and what enterprise brands need to know to succeed on Amazon South Africa and Takealot. They explore the strategic differences between Amazon and Takealot, operational challenges facing large brands, and why inventory management, marketplace infrastructure, and execution discipline are critical for long-term growth. Key topics include: Amazon South Africa vs Takealot marketplace strategy Enterprise eCommerce growth opportunities in South Africa Common operational mistakes brands make on marketplaces Inventory forecasting and supply chain management for Amazon How global brands can expand into South Africa Marketplace advertising, content, and Amazon Vendor strategy The future of eCommerce growth in Africa If you're an Amazon brand, marketplace agency, or global manufacturer exploring emerging eCommerce markets, this episode provides practical insights into one of the fastest-growing digital retail opportunities globally.

April 22, 202640 min

Agency Best Practice | How to Build and Scale an Amazon Agency for the Long Term

What does it really take to build a successful Amazon agency over 10 years? In this episode of Marketplace Masters , Paul Sonneveld sits down with Hamish Conway , Founder of Sell Global, to break down the real journey of scaling an Amazon agency—from early-stage growth to working with major brands across Amazon Seller and Vendor Central. Learn how to grow an Amazon agency, avoid costly mistakes, and build a scalable service model in today’s competitive eCommerce landscape. Key topics include: How to build and scale an Amazon agency business Transitioning from Amazon seller services to enterprise clients Hiring strategies and building high-performing remote teams Expanding into Amazon Vendor Central services Common agency mistakes and how to avoid them The future of Amazon agencies, AI, and data-driven growth If you're an agency owner, Amazon consultant, or eCommerce operator looking to scale your business, this episode delivers practical, real-world insights from a decade in the industry.