Amazon and Walmart Race to Become Merchants’ Operating System
By PYMNTS
AI summary of the source article
Amazon and Walmart are positioning themselves as central operating systems for merchants by deploying AI-driven decision-making tools. Amazon's upgraded Seller Assistant and Multichannel Selling feature enable merchants to manage inventory, catalogs, and orders across platforms like Walmart, eBay, TikTok Shop, and Shopify directly from Seller Central. Meanwhile, Walmart is expanding its Scintilla platform into commerce intelligence, linking first-party data to actions like automated inventory replenishment and Walmart Connect ad campaigns. By becoming the primary intelligence and execution layer for sellers, both retail giants seek to control merchant decision-making for inventory, advertising, and fulfillment without necessarily replacing traditional software providers.
Why it matters
If merchants run their operations through retailer-owned intelligence layers, software spending that previously went to third-party providers could shift directly to retail platforms.
Key facts
- Amazon's Multichannel Selling tool allows merchants to manage orders, inventory, and catalogs from Walmart, eBay, TikTok Shop, and Shopify inside Seller Central.
- Amazon stated that over 230,000 sellers use its multichannel tool monthly and follow its recommendations more than 90% of the time.
- Walmart's Scintilla platform connects first-party data with automated execution, including inventory replenishment and Walmart Connect media campaigns.