Post-Prime Day News Update: Smaller Baskets, AI Shopping Traffic, and Walmart’s Retail Media Push

This week’s Selling on Giants News and Updates breaks down what happened after Prime Day and what it tells us about the second half of eCommerce in 2026.

Prime Day beat expectations, but the headline sales number does not tell the whole story. U.S. online spending grew strongly, but average order value declined, household spend softened, and shoppers leaned heavily into lower-ticket products, essentials, grocery, household items, supplements, and consumables.

The consumer is still spending.

They are just spending more intentionally.

In this episode, Mr. Will covers:

Prime Day beat expectations, but baskets got smaller

Prime Day delivered strong top-line growth, but smaller average orders show that shoppers were more value-conscious. For sellers, the post-event review cannot stop at revenue. Brands need to look at contribution margin, inventory depletion, new-to-brand customers, Subscribe and Save enrollment, organic rank movement, ACoS, TACoS, and ROAS.

AI shopping traffic is no longer experimental

AI-referred shopping traffic surged during Prime Day and converted better than many traditional sources. That is a major signal for Amazon sellers, DTC brands, and marketplace operators. AI discovery is becoming measurable, which means product data, structured attributes, clear bullets, reviews, images, and product feeds matter more than ever.

Amazon’s Item Highlights and title changes

Amazon’s new Item Highlights field, combined with the upcoming 75-character title limit, shows that listing optimization is entering a new phase. Sellers can no longer rely on keyword-stuffed titles. Titles, highlights, bullets, images, attributes, and A+ Content need to work together as one structured listing system.

FBM handling times and operational discipline

Amazon’s new seller-fulfilled handling time requirements are now live. Sellers need accurate SKU-level handling times or Amazon may adjust them based on historical performance. This impacts delivery promises, conversion, Buy Box eligibility, and Seller Fulfilled Prime performance.

The INFORM Act as an account health issue

Amazon is reminding high-volume sellers to keep business information, identification, bank details, tax information, and annual certifications current. Compliance is no longer background paperwork. It is part of account health and long-term marketplace stability.

Walmart acquires Vibe.co and moves deeper into connected TV

Walmart’s planned acquisition of Vibe.co shows that Walmart is building a full-funnel advertising platform, not just a marketplace. Walmart Connect, VIZIO, first-party shopper data, closed-loop measurement, and self-service connected TV could make streaming advertising more accessible to marketplace brands.

Walmart Sparky and AI-powered shopping

Walmart’s Sparky AI assistant is becoming part of the shopping experience, including live commerce. Alongside Amazon, Google, OpenAI, and Shopify, Walmart is rebuilding product discovery around conversational AI and machine-readable product data.

WFS long-term storage fees and Walmart Marketplace maturity

Walmart Fulfillment Services is introducing long-term storage fees for aging inventory. This brings Walmart closer to the FBA model and reinforces that inventory planning, sell-through, bundling, liquidation, and SKU discipline matter more as Walmart Marketplace matures.

Walmart product claims enforcement

Walmart is tightening policy around Made in USA, biodegradable, compostable, PFAS, and other product claims. Sellers need to make sure packaging, images, descriptions, attributes, and marketing claims are accurate and supported.

FedEx, tariffs, and supply chain pressure

FedEx results suggest parcel demand remains healthy, but shipping costs and carrier margins are still under pressure. At the same time, new tariff proposals tied to forced labor enforcement could expand sourcing complexity beyond China. Sellers need to stress test landed costs, shipping assumptions, supplier documentation, and margin sensitivity before peak season.

The bigger takeaway:

Prime Day may be over, but the real work starts now.

The strongest brands will not be the ones that only celebrated top-line sales. They will be the ones that review margins, clean product data, fix listings, audit compliance, protect inventory, and prepare for the next wave of platform changes.

The market is still growing.

It is just getting less forgiving.

Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, AI commerce, marketplace strategy, eCommerce profitability, and what actually changes for brands responsible for growth.

Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.