Amazon Launches Shop Direct Merchant Workspace — Free Self-Service Portal for Off-Amazon Stores to Appear in Amazon Search and Alexa for Shopping
Amazon has launched the Shop Direct Merchant Workspace, a free self-service portal where eligible online stores can register for Shop Direct, connect their catalog, submit product feeds and see which products are active for Amazon customers. Shop Direct products are labeled in US search results on Amazon.com, the Amazon Shopping app, mobile web and Alexa for Shopping; shoppers either click through to the merchant's site or, where eligible, use Buy for Me so Amazon's AI completes the purchase on that site. Merchants keep handling pricing, inventory, fulfillment, returns and customer service through their own processes. Amazon directs existing Amazon sellers who want to list products they don't sell in Amazon's store to contact shopdirect@amazon.com.
Key Points
- The Merchant Workspace is a free self-service portal to register for Shop Direct, submit product feeds, manage participation and see which products are active
- Sign-up has three steps: create a Shop Direct merchant account, verify the business website, then share the catalog through a solution provider app or directly via the Selling Partner API (SP-API)
- Named feed providers are Feedonomics, Salsify, CEDCommerce and VersaFeed; solution providers can build integrations using the Shop Direct API documentation
- Amazon says there are no fees to participate in Shop Direct and merchants can opt out at any time
- Shop Direct is available to US customers on Amazon.com, the Amazon Shopping app, mobile web and Alexa for Shopping; eligible products can be bought through Buy for Me, with the merchant handling shipping, returns and customer service
- Existing Amazon sellers may qualify to list products they don't sell in Amazon's store by contacting shopdirect@amazon.com; selling in Amazon's store with FBA and Amazon Ads still goes through Seller Central
What You Should Do Now
- 1If you run your own web store, decide whether products you don't sell on Amazon should be discoverable through Shop Direct, and contact shopdirect@amazon.com if you are already an Amazon seller
- 2Check whether your existing feed provider (Feedonomics, Salsify, CEDCommerce or VersaFeed) supports Shop Direct before building a direct SP-API integration
- 3Keep prices consistent between your own site and your Amazon listings, since both can appear to the same US shoppers in Amazon search and Alexa for Shopping