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[LWN] ✅ My Dad's Greatest Lesson...

[LWN] ✅ My Dad's Greatest Lesson...

Lunch With Norm's Weekly Newsletter - Amazon News & Updates

June 16, 2025 • Estimated Read Time: 13 minutes

✅ My Dad's Greatest Lesson...

What you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

😔 The Day I Disappointed My Dad [True Story]
✅ Is Your Amazon Listing in the Right Category!?
😱 How the Decoy Effect Quietly Sells More
🌍 Amazon News and Updates

👇 Upcoming webinars this week:

PPC Wizard Encore [No Replay] → Tuesday June 17th 1 PM EDT

Retail Secrets Webinar → Wednesday June 18th 2 PM EDT

✅ THE DAY I DISAPPOINTED MY DAD... [TRUE STORY]

When I was a kid, my dad took me to the Memorial Cup.

For those who might not know, the Memorial Cup is where the best of the best hockey teams in Canada compete for the national championship.

It was a huge deal, and I was excited to cheer on the Peterborough Petes, one of the top teams from Ontario.

The game was about as exciting as it gets.

The Petes played hard, but ultimately, they lost.

As we walked back to the car, my dad said disappointed, “Ah, maybe next year, Norm. Sometimes it doesn’t go our way.”

But I was jumping around ecstatic, saying my team won.

My dad looked at me confused, and asked, “Weren’t you cheering for the Petes?”

I shrugged and said, “Yeah, but they lost, so I switched.”

My dad paused and gave me a stern look and said, “You know, it’s important to stick with your team. Even when they lose.”

He continued, “It’s not just about winning; it’s about loyalty, commitment, and supporting your team.”

Looking back now, I’ve seen many people jump to the wrong team in life.

They abandon their team, their values, their beliefs…

Sometimes I find myself going down that path but I always remember my dad, and this lesson he taught me about jumping ship.

That conversation stuck with me.

Integrity is one of the most important values I hold.

In business, just like in life, it’s easy to chase quick wins or jump to the next big thing.

But true success comes from staying committed to your core values and supporting your team, even when the going gets tough.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

P.S. Our usual Monday LWN YouTube video is delayed, but we’ll be posting it as soon as possible.

— Norm

Happy Belated Father’s Day!

If you’d like to support the newsletter, please share and forward to a friend.

🎉 WHEEL OF KELSEY DRAW

This week’s 🎁 : 1 hour private Amazon launch strategy session with launch expert - Colin Raja. This is valued at $750 and takes 5 seconds to try out your luck below.

🚨 Enter → HERE. (You’ll be asked for your email and name so we can contact you.)

We spin the “Wheel of Kelsey” every Wednesday at 12 pm ET on my YT channel "Norman Farrar”.

👇THE TOP MUST READ STORIES THIS WEEK 👇

🔍 Amazon to crack down on fake reviews after UK regulator probe - Read More

🚨 New Tariff Deal Shakes Up Ecommerce Again: Trump’s latest China deal brings back the 55% tariffs, and it’s already causing waves. Supply chains are rattled, key exports and shipping are uncertain, and visa issues are surfacing. If you’re sourcing from China, now’s the time to stay flexible and start diversifying.- Read More

😱 Some Amazon sellers submit fewer deals for Prime Day as brands hold onto pre-tariff inventory ‘like gold’ - Read More

🛒 Shein and Reliance aim to sell India-made clothes abroad within a year, sources say - Read More

💰 US retail layoffs spike 274% in 2025 - Read More

🚀 Walmart drone delivery expands: Service is coming to 5 new US cities - Read More

📢 Amazon investing AU$20 billion to expand data center infrastructure in Australia and strengthen the nation’s AI future - Read More

🚨 Have news stories you want me to cover? Send them to [email protected]

✅ IS YOUR AMAZON LISTING IS IN THE RIGHT CATEGORY (THE LEAF NODE METHOD)

If your product is in the wrong category or backend node, you could:

Lose keyword rankings
Miss the Buy Box
Get hit with the wrong fees
Even have your listing disappear

Amazon uses "leaf nodes" to decide how your product appears in search and filters. Being in the wrong place = fewer sales.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Check What Category Your Product Is In Now

Go to Seller Central > Inventory > Manage All Inventory
Click Edit on your product
Under the "Vital Info" tab, look for:
- Category
- Item Type
Or: download the listing in a flat file to check the fields:
- item_type
- recommended_browse_nodes

Thing to Check	What It Is	Why It Matters
Item Type	What kind of product it is	Used to show your listing in the right search results
Browse Node (Node ID)	Where your product lives in Amazon’s catalog	Must be the leaf node to rank properly
GL (General Ledger)	Used to assign Amazon fees	Wrong GL = wrong fees or errors
DOW (Display on Website)	What customers see	If this doesn’t match, your listing or reviews might split
Refinements	Filters like color, size, material	Helps people find your product when they filter results

2. Look It Up in Amazon’s Browse Tree Guide

In Seller Central, search: "Browse Tree Guide"
Download the Excel file for your category (like "Kitchen" or "Sports")
In the sheet, search for your product type
- Find the most specific category (the "leaf node")—it has a Node ID
- Make sure the Item Type Keyword matches what your product really is

📋 Example: Selling a kitchen scale? Don’t stop at "Home & Kitchen"—go deeper: ➞ "Home & Kitchen > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Tools > Scales > Digital Scales"

3. Make Sure Everything Lines Up

Check that these all match correctly:

Field	Description	Must Align With
`item_type`	Defines your product's base classification	Browse node
`recommended_browse_nodes`	Leaf node ID	Item type + GL
`GL (General Ledger)`	Impacts fees + compliance	Category and DOW
`DOW (Display on Website)`	What customers see	GL and item type
`refinements`	Optional filters like size, color, material	Item type

4. Search for Your Product Like a Buyer

Go to Amazon and search for your product
Check:
- Are you showing in the right category?
- Are filters (like size, color) working?
- Are you ranking for your main keywords?

If something looks off, your node or item type might be wrong.

5. Fix It With a Flat File (Be Careful)

Go to Seller Central > Help > Search "Flat File Template"
Download the file for your product category
Fill in:
- The correct item_type
- The right recommended_browse_nodes (Node ID from BTG)
- Any missing required fields
Upload it as a partial update (not delete & relist)
Save a backup of your current listing info before making changes

⚠️ Warning: If you’re unsure, get expert help. One mistake can mess up your entire listing.

6. Track What Happens After

After uploading:
- Check your listing again
- Monitor if keyword rankings go up
- Make sure your reviews didn’t split
- Watch sales over the next few days

✅ Summary:

If you're in the wrong node, Amazon won’t show your product to the right buyers. This is one of the most common hidden problems sellers miss.

Stay on top of this to protect your sales and keyword ranking.

Credit to launch expert Colin Raja for this tip.

Colin Raja will be diving deep into this on next week’s Lunch With Norm Monday YouTube episode or you can email me for more info.

	Amazon Node Checklist.pdf29.31 KB • File

🤫 THE DECOY EFFECT QUIETLY SELLS MORE

You’ve seen it before, even if you didn’t realize it. At the movies. At a coffee shop. On airline sites. The Decoy Effect is everywhere. It’s a pricing trick that quietly pushes you toward a specific option — usually the one a business wants you to pick.

Here’s how it works.

Say you’re standing at the concession stand. A small popcorn is $4. A medium is $7. And a large is $7.50. You came for a small, but now the large looks like a bargain. You didn’t come for value, but now it feels like the smart move. That’s the decoy at work. The medium isn’t meant to sell. It’s there to make the large look better.

This tactic shows up across industries. Flights, gym memberships, software plans — even dating apps.

Another Example: Flights

Imagine you’re booking a flight to Cancún:

Flight A: $600, 1-hour layover
Flight B: $530, 2.5-hour layover
Flight C: $675, 1-hour layover

You’d probably pick Flight A. It’s cheaper than C and faster than B. But without C in the mix, you might’ve gone with B to save money. The decoy changes how the other flights feel — and what seems like “the right choice.”

Now flip it:

Flight A: $600, 1-hour layover
Flight B: $530, 2.5-hour layover
Flight C: $530, 3.5-hour layover

This time, B looks better… Same price, shorter wait. Again, Flight C exists just to make B look like a deal.

The Decoy Effect isn’t new, and it’s not going anywhere. It’s one of those small shifts that can make a big difference in how people buy — and how they feel about what they bought. Just be careful with it. If your customers catch on and feel manipulated, you lose trust fast.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE BEARD GUY?

Can you find Norm in the picture below? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the answer!

🔥 THE ART OF BRANDING: DESIGN, PACKAGING & STRATEGY FOR BRANDS

Here are my favorite TIPS from this episode!

1. Design Brand Guidelines Before You Ever Launch

Before you even create a logo, document your brand’s voice, tone, colors, fonts, and audience. Why? Consistency across every touchpoint (social, packaging, ads) builds recognition and trust from day one.

2. Never Let a Manufacturer Design Your Packaging

Manufacturers often don’t understand brand positioning, they focus on functionality.
This is why you need to hire a packaging designer, someone who understands your brand message and customer psychology. Packaging is your silent salesperson.

3. Use Brand Strategy to Raise Your Margins

Strong branding allows you to charge more. Kitty helped a client increase perceived value through packaging and visuals, leading to higher margins without changing the product.

Find this episode of Marketing Misfits on YouTube and anywhere you listen to podcasts