Core Insights - The Amazon Prime Big Deal Days promotion from October 7 to 8, 2025, has not generated the expected sales boost for sellers, leading to widespread disappointment in the seller community [1][2][3] Group 1: Advertising and Traffic Dynamics - Sellers are facing increased advertising costs with low profit margins, leading to a sentiment of despair among many [2][3] - The auction mechanism for Amazon's internal advertising has become more competitive, with top brands dominating traffic, leaving smaller sellers struggling for visibility and conversion [5][6] - Amazon has resumed limited collaboration with Google Ads in non-U.S. markets, but the overall impact on sales has been minimal, indicating a shift in traffic dynamics [5][6] Group 2: Promotional Timing and Consumer Behavior - The overlap of multiple promotional events, including Prime Day and Back to School, has led to consumer fatigue, making it difficult for the fall promotion to generate significant new purchases [7][8] - Competing promotions from other platforms, such as Temu and Walmart, have further diluted consumer attention during the Amazon fall promotion [7][8] Group 3: Economic Factors and Consumer Sentiment - Economic pressures, including inflation and rising living costs, have led to a decrease in consumer spending expectations, with a projected 5% decline in holiday spending compared to 2024 [10][11] - A significant portion of consumers (84%) plan to reduce overall spending in the coming months, impacting the effectiveness of price promotions during the fall event [10][11] Group 4: Supply and Competition - Chinese sellers now represent over 50% of active sellers on Amazon globally, leading to increased competition and price wars that further compress profit margins [12][14] - The structural competition has transformed the fall promotion into a defensive strategy for many small and medium-sized sellers, focusing on maintaining sales rather than achieving significant growth [14]

Core Insights - The major players in the food delivery market are investing heavily in subsidies to attract consumers, with over 100 billion yuan spent to enhance user engagement and address long-standing traffic issues in e-commerce [2][3] - The ultimate goal of these subsidies is to cultivate user habits that lead to increased consumption and advertising revenue, particularly targeting the burgeoning instant retail market, which is projected to be worth trillions [3][4] Group 1: Market Dynamics - The competition among major companies is not merely about gaining market share in food delivery but is part of a broader strategy to secure user attention and spending power [2][3] - E-commerce platforms like Taobao and JD.com struggle with user engagement compared to social media platforms, which have significantly higher daily user interaction times [2] - Instant retail is emerging as a transformative force in consumer behavior, with a growing demand for immediate delivery of products, reshaping the retail landscape [3] Group 2: Financial Implications - The strategy of burning cash to attract users is aimed at achieving scale effects, where increased user numbers lead to better merchant participation and enhanced consumer experience [4] - This cycle can create a positive feedback loop, resulting in a significant "Matthew Effect" where a few dominant players emerge in the market, while others are pushed out [4] - The financial implications for consumers remain minimal, as they continue to benefit from low prices and promotions regardless of which companies survive the competition [4]