Summary
U.S. eCommerce spending grew 8% year over year in August, up from 7% in July, per Bank of America aggregated card data cited by Investor’s Business Daily (IBD). IBD adds that online’s share of comparable retail rose to 28.2% in August (26.6% in July). BofA analyst Justin Post said the data “sets the stage” for a solid Q3 and Q4 for Amazon and other eCommerce players.
Analysts also flag tariffs as a factor pushing shoppers online (price-comparison is easier), potentially favoring Amazon’s scale and fast-ship network. Amazon has said it hasn’t seen broad price increases to date, though management noted uncertainty ahead. (Investors)
Hence, this is also a reminder to sellers that consumers remain price-sensitive even as online demand strengthens.
Seller Impact Analysis for Sellers across Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy
- Demand tailwind into Q3/Q4. Acceleration in August suggests healthier traffic and conversion potential heading into fall promotions and holiday build-up. Expect stronger deal-seeking behavior. (Investors)
- Price-comparison intensity rises. Tariff chatter keeps shoppers hunting value online; tight pricing, bundles, and clear shipping promises will matter more. (Investors)
- Fast fulfillment = share gains. Amazon’s forward-deployed inventory and shrinking ship times are positioned to capture incremental demand; sellers who meet fast-ship thresholds (Prime, 2-day SLAs, regional stock) benefit most. (Investors)
- Ad budgets stay performance-led. With CPI running hot on shelter, keep ads ROI-disciplined: push highest-intent keywords, protect hero SKUs, and use day-parting around promo spikes. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
To-Dos for CedCommerce Sellers (actionable, this week)
- Re-forecast Q3/Q4 demand using the August acceleration; raise buy-box defense (pricing rules, coupons, limited-time bundles).
- Tighten pricing ladders for tariff-sensitive SKUs (apparel, home, electronics accessories). Test “good-better-best” bundles and subscribe-&-save where available.
- Pull forward inventory to regional nodes (FBA/3PL) to hit 1–2-day delivery badges ahead of fall events.
- Tune ads to intent: shift budget to converting queries; protect hero ASINs/SKUs; use promotions calendar to day-part and cap ACoS.
- Optimize PDPs for comparison shoppers: price-per-unit in title/bullets, shipping promise above the fold, returns clarity, and review recency. (Higher online penetration = more side-by-side compares.)
- Watch category-level signals from Bank of America Institute and marketplace dashboards to pivot fast if elasticity changes.
Sources: Investors
CedCommerce POV
Heading into Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) and the holiday season, online demand is trending up. Focus on sharper pricing and bundles, fast-delivery badges, and conversion basics (strong titles, clean images, fresh reviews). As comparison shopping spikes, sellers who highlight clear value and fast delivery will capture more BFCM traffic despite market noise.
