DVD Sellers - Check this out
if you sell DVDs, there has been a big shift in how the search engine locates them, or rather fails to locate them. Forever, if you searched "Jaws DVD" or "Snow White DVD" from the main screen it would take you to the appropriate DVDs. No More. Now, it takes you to the streaming version of these and the DVDs are nowhere to be found. To get around this, buyers need to actually search for the DVD in the Movies & Television Category. That's certainly causing DVD sales to plummet, as if you go to Amazon and search for "the deer hunter dvd" and it does not appear, you likely just conclude it's not available.
DVD Sellers - Check this out
if you sell DVDs, there has been a big shift in how the search engine locates them, or rather fails to locate them. Forever, if you searched "Jaws DVD" or "Snow White DVD" from the main screen it would take you to the appropriate DVDs. No More. Now, it takes you to the streaming version of these and the DVDs are nowhere to be found. To get around this, buyers need to actually search for the DVD in the Movies & Television Category. That's certainly causing DVD sales to plummet, as if you go to Amazon and search for "the deer hunter dvd" and it does not appear, you likely just conclude it's not available.
21 replies
Danny_Amazon
Thank you for this feedback surrounding your recent search experience, @Seller_ZV7aQ9u7WCSN7- while other sellers chime in with their experiences and insights, I will link to this resource on optimizing the discoverability for your products in case any of those suggestions prove useful for your listings.
Thank you,
Danny
Seller_h3xQTgX8DSlh5
We saw this happen within the last 3 days. Extraordinarily frustrating.
How does amazon expect sellers to continue to invest in inventory if they make drastic unannounced changes in their search algorithm that essentially removes DVDs from their search results? This is happening with all DVD titles. They can eventually be found in the site-wide search results, but it typically takes clicking into the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th page of search results.
Surely amazon is aware that customers rarely click through to the 2nd page of search results, and customers certainly do not make the effort to click to the 3rd or 4th page.
Whether this is an effort to boost sales in their digital streaming products, a push to force sellers to pay to promote their items, or an intentional attempt to phase out DVDs from the site, it is certainly an indicator of how much respect they have for their third party sellers. If they had any respect whatsoever for their vendors, this change would have been announced so that sellers could pause their DVD inventory acquisition. Instead, nothing is announced, and DVDs are essentially removed from practical search results.
How does this even come close to attracting the the best third party sellers to the platform?
Seller_DBzTQPDCouH9d
Doing it with CD's too. Amazon wants to steer customers to their streaming services, obviously. Cha-ching for them. This is part of the reason why media sales have dropped so severely of late.
Seller_9e9O9DUyGquP9
Well, that explains why our DVD sales have absolutely tanked.
Seller_R2dP7Hunjcdj0
I have noticed this as a Movie Buyer, not a Movie Seller.
I search for the movie in 4K and get the streaming option.
If 4K is unavailable, I need to search for the Movie Title Blu Ray, or the search would wrongly imply that what I wanted was not available on Amazon.
Amazon, you are REALLY missing the boat here. Your platform USED to be the place where a Buyer could ALWAYS find the item, even if it was not the cheapest. Paying a little more to actually find it, and to be secure that it is not a Bootleg version was always part of the equation, and was worth it (to me at least).
For the last few years Amazon's 'bots have continuously deactivated perfectly legitimate listings, many of which were originally created BY Amazon itself, and where presenting a valid Wholesale Invoice is NOT accepted to resolve the problem.
With the VAST amount of ASIN's that have been deactivated either by the "Fair Pricing Tool" or the "Suspected Intellectual Property Violation" Tool, and now the CLEAR problem in the Buyer Search Tool for (at least) SOME ASIN's, one doesn't have to wonder WHY Amazon's revenues are NOT what they had anticipated.
Amazon, almost ALL of your problems are created by, and are exacerbated by the Amazon Software that has replaced the Experienced and Well-Trained Amazon Seller Service Reps that you USED to employ.
Replacing Qualified Humans with Software A.I. MAY be Cheaper... But you ALWAYS and ONLY get what you PAY for!
These problems hurt us as Sellers, and now as Buyers, and therefore hurt YOU in turn...
On ALL of our Bottom-Lines...
Seller_WBDCab3INXdyV
yeah this seems to be extremely frustrating. I can’t find any DVDs anymore AMAZON FIX THIS NOW!
Seller_hDXyye9VvHq85
The search has gotten so bad I've resorted to instead Googling "Amazon thingimlookingfor" and lo-and-behold it always shows up within the first 3 results. Not page 4.
Seller_5DrrKeHsDwIGT
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It’s time to capitalize on this opportunity. As someone who sells on three other e-commerce platforms in addition to this one, I am paying close attention..
Seller_ceTdeaxmeiBON
Amazon is becoming a thing of the past for third party sellers. I predicted this a couple years ago and that day has arrived. Time to find another platform.
Seller_R2dP7Hunjcdj0
If you (or anyone) have some success story that demonstrates another platform that generates the amount of business that Amaozn does, and provides at least the same level of protections for Buyer and Seller alike, PLEASE share it here.
