🍻 One Drunk Client, One Very Long Night…

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

• 🍻 One Drunk Client, One Very Long Night [True Story]

• 🤖 ChatGPTs Agents are FINALLY Here

• 🚀 Talk Like a Human and Win…

• 😮 The Biggest Jerk on Amazon…

• 🛒 The Latest News & Updates

🚨 You can still grab Kevin King and I’s AI for Ecommerce All Day Workshop! Check out the workshop with 8 speakers showing you the very best tactical AI strategies.

💰 One Drunk Client, One Very Long Night… [TRUE STORY] 

Back in the day, every year, we’d put on something special for our clients, just a way to show some gratitude.

This time, it was a Buffalo Bills game… in the middle of a snowstorm.

If you’ve never seen a snow game, it will blow your mind.

We got to the tailgate early.

We fired up the BBQ, had a few beers, and played a quick game of flag football.

Spirits were high as we headed into the stadium.

We brushed the snow off the seats, settled in and that’s when the real beer drinking started… at least for one client in particular.

He was one of our biggest clients, but a few drinks in, he became a whole different person.

Yelling, slurring his words, picking fights with fans, and at one point, falling over the seat onto the poor guy in front of him.

Eventually, security tossed him out.

By the time the game ended and we found him, he was already in a fight and trying to start another.

We had planned to hang out after, grill some more, maybe play a second round of flag football, and hit up Anchor Bar for some wings (the original spot, of course).

But that all went out the window.

The whole night became about getting this guy home in one piece.

None of the other clients blamed us.

If anything, they probably felt bad for us.

But man, it was embarrassing.

I quickly learned one person’s behavior even if it’s totally out of your control, can reflect on you.

Be mindful of who you invite, who you work with, and who you are connected with…

Because whether you like it or not, it is a reflection of you.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

— Norm

P.S. Kevin King and I are doing a once in a lifetime trip for cigar lovers and entrepreneurs in Tampa Bay. You will not want to miss this.

Hope to see you there.

⚰️ Is SEO on Amazon Dead?

There’s a post going around that’s getting a lot of sellers talking and for good reason.

According to one seller, they were working with a client doing $25 million a year.

But recently, their listings started tanking.

The old-school keyword-stuffed approach that worked back in 2022? Falling apart...

So what did they do?

They rewrote 3,000 listings, not to rank for keywords, but to sound like something a real person would actually say.

Instead of “premium stainless steel kitchen utensil set,” they used a phrase buyers might ask RUFUS: “good knives that won’t break when I’m cooking for my family.”

The result?

A 72% recovery in organic rankings.

In just one week.

Same products, same pricing, just more human copy.

Some have noted that This strategy is hit or miss. And that some sellers did see organic sales increasing but only works if the listing already has reviews.

Still this is a sign to get with the times.

What you need to know:

1. Amazon’s AI is changing the rules.

2. RUFUS is responding to natural language.

3. And keyword dumping might be on the way out.

🚨 This isn’t a verified case study, and we’ll see how it plays out over time but it reflects a growing shift in how sellers are thinking.

Human-first content is winning.

😮 Why AI Is Crushing Unprepared Sellers on Amazon...

My takeaways from Liz Saunders (find the full episode on YouTube):

1. Only 1 in 3 Sellers Will Survive the Next AI Wave
   Kevin predicts that 2 out of 3 Amazon sellers won’t make it in the coming years unless they adapt to AI-driven commerce now. This includes understanding agentic AI, evolving ad automation, and optimizing listings for AI search behavior.

   

2. Agentic Commerce Has 9x Higher Conversion Rates
   Kevin explains that early agentic shopping experiences (like AI-led recommendations) are already converting at 9x the standard rate. Sellers who wait will lose their window to dominate these new channels.

3. Amazon Ads Are Moving Toward Full AI Control
   Within the next year, sellers may lose full control over PPC. Amazon will likely shift to a GMV-max style model (similar to TikTok), where you only set a budget and goal, and AI handles the rest.

4. AEO Will Overtake SEO for Amazon Sellers
   Now, most traffic starts in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews. If you're not optimized for these answer engines (via reviews, authority, schema, etc.), your sales will plummet.

5. Early Movers in AEO Will Dominate Like 2015 Sellers
   Kevin compares today’s AEO opportunity to the early Amazon gold rush. Those who act now will build “review moats” in AI engines that will be impossible to catch up to later.

6. Use LLMs.txt + Hardcoded Schema
   You must install a llms.txt file and hardcoded schema (not JavaScript-based) on your website. Otherwise, AI spiders (like from ChatGPT and Gemini) won’t fully index your content.

   Kevin King does a great breakdown on one of his past newsletter issues about implementing llms.txt. Definitely check it out.

7. Press Releases Are Back BIG TIME for AI
   Use high-authority press releases to get picked up in Google’s AI Overviews and feed AI trust signals. Even if they drive no traffic, they build long-term visibility and credibility.

Possibly The Biggest Jerk on Amazon?

I saw something online this week that didn’t sit right with me.

There’s a guy on Instagram who’s been filming himself buying and returning heavy items like anvils, on repeat.

He’s trying to mess with Amazon, but here’s the thing… it looks like he’s buying from a third-party seller, not Amazon directly.

stocklett

View more on Instagram

Which means a small business is likely the one eating the costs.

Shipping, restocking fees, return processing, all on a product that’s probably expensive to ship in the first place.

This joke comes at the expense of an independent seller...

You can report it to Amazon at [email protected].

Small businesses have enough to deal with.

🌎 Where in the World is The Beard Guy?

🔥 TikTok Shop Expert: I Built a $21M TikTok Empire (Steal My Strategy)

Here are my favorite tips from this episode!

1. Build Creator Loyalty by Treating Affiliates Like VIPs
   Tiffany’s team personally texts their TikTok affiliates to thank them, ensures they receive the right sizing, and offers real-time support. This hands-on relationship building has made creators favor her brand over competitors selling the same product—even when commissions are identical.

2. Use Your App to Bypass Algorithms and Own the Channel
   Her app drives over $10M annually. It lets her bypass social media algorithms and email deliverability issues by sending direct SMS and in-app push notifications. She can go live, drop collections, and convert instantly inside a closed ecosystem she fully controls.

3. Schedule Live Selling Around Real-Life Customer Habits
   She times her TikTok Lives to when her core demographic, moms, are stuck waiting to pick up their kids at school or unwinding after the kids are put to bed. These small behavior-based scheduling changes create predictable engagement spikes.

4. Drive Conversions With Live Video + Smart Comment Scraping
   During Lives, Facebook comments are scraped and auto-carted, while app viewers see the same broadcast. This dual-channel strategy boosts visibility while making live purchases seamless, reducing drop-off friction.

5. Let Affiliates Come to You With Quality Content and Demand
   Instead of paying for recruitment tools, she recommends simply uploading strong content consistently. If the product is good and the content hits, creators will apply to promote it organically inside the TikTok Creator Center.

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

And that’s it, Beardos.

See you next Monday!

- Norm

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