[ BDSN ] 📸 From $5K to $0: AI photo method taking over Amazon

In partnership with

Busy times at BDSS and BDSN.

Last week the BFSS team worked 3 events: Sponsored MDS Inspire, Sponsored Prosper and Norm & Kevin held the first Marketing Misfits live podcast party.

Now we’re off to Iceland for BDSS XI and Elevate 360 (if you’re not coming, for the first time ever, you can live stream or watch instant replays this year - see down the page!)

📸  OPENAI CHANGES the GAME FOR PRODUCT IMAGES

OpenAI’s new AI-powered image generation tool released last week is revolutionizing product photography, eliminating the need for costly agencies and making high-quality, targeted product visuals accessible to every Amazon seller.

Jo Lambadejieva, who will be in Iceland later this week for BDSS, had a Linkedin post go viral this weekend with over 11,000+ comments asking for her SOP that combines AI data, analysis and image generation to create the perfect set of images tailored specifically to ONE IDEAL CUSTOMER PERSONA.

Maybe she’ll share it in Iceland and to those watching the live stream - see options in this newsletter below.

Andrew Bell spent a few hours making 500+ images using OpenAi’s new feature, and here are his key takeaways:

1. Don't Just Name the Product

   • Prompt like a creative director by clearly defining the scene, emotional context, layout, background, and lighting.

2. Avoid Plain White Backgrounds

   • Opt for lifestyle backdrops and soft, emotionally engaging surfaces.

3. Pair Features with Benefits

   • Clearly illustrate why a feature matters, e.g., "portable because it fits in a carry-on."

4. Modular Layouts Work Best

   • Combine hero shots with callouts and icons to boost conversions.

5. Lighting Matters

   • Specify soft natural or studio-style product lighting to enhance appeal.

6. Be Specific, Not Just Realistic

   • Use detailed prompts like "crisp shadows," "matte textures," or "held in hand."

7. Strategic Logo Placement

   • Position logos in the upper third, define font style clearly, and include a strong Call-to-Action.

8. Use Visual Hierarchy, Not Minimalism

   • Center the product clearly, frame it with key benefits, and guide customers’ eyes effectively.

9. Tell a Story

   • Include relatable people, clear use-cases, or subtle cues (like motion or partially open packaging) to evoke engagement.

🕹️ AMAZON BLINDSIDES SELLERS with MORE FEE CHANGES

According to an analysis by Envision Horizons and a move causing moans throughout the Amazon seller community, Amazon is significantly restructuring fees for Best Deals, Lightning Deals, Coupons, and Prime Exclusive Discounts effective June 2, 2025.

🎯 Impact on Different Types of Sellers:

✅ Positive Impact for Smaller or Low-Priced Product Sellers (<$22):

• Significant savings on coupons.

• More flexibility for shorter, targeted promotions.

• Ability to experiment with less upfront financial risk.

❌ Negative Impact for High-Volume or High-Priced Product Sellers (>$22):

• Increased deal costs could dramatically reduce margins.

• High-performing deals become significantly more expensive.

Example for Best Deals (High-Performing):

• Old: $300 flat fee, potential $50k sales in 7 days.

• New: ($70/day x 7 days) + (1% of $50k sales) = $990 total (230%+ increase).

⚠️ How Amazon Sneakily Raises Fees Beyond Fulfillment Costs:

• Amazon repeatedly positions fee hikes as "performance-based improvements," appearing beneficial initially but effectively raising overall costs.

• Incremental adjustments, such as adding variable percentage fees or small upfront charges, quietly increase seller expenses, especially for high-volume/high-value sellers.

🛠️ Strategic Recommendations for Sellers:

Low-Price Products (<$22):

• Ramp up coupon usage for improved ROI.

• Consider strategic bundling to maximize average order value.

• Leverage shorter, frequent deals.

High-Price Products (>$22):

• Be selective; test and track promotions closely.

• Evaluate ROI rigorously and consider fewer but strategically-timed promotions.

• Explore alternative marketing tools and organic ranking strategies.

All Sellers:

• Adjust 2025 promotional budgets for increased fees, especially during extended peak events.

• Recognize that promotional stacking (deals + coupons) incurs cumulative fees.

• Price psychology remains powerful—consider raising list prices slightly, then discounting with coupons to improve perceived value.

📌 Additional Facts on Amazon Deals from SmartScout:

• Avg. Lightning Deal Discount: 19.6%

• Avg. Prime Exclusive Deal Discount: 16.9%

• Chinese sellers dominate deals: Lightning Deals (77.6%), Prime Exclusive Deals (79.4%).

• Some brands (like PRETTYGARDEN, Jackery) successfully utilize continuous, "always-on" promotions for higher visibility.

A Smarter Way to Boost Amazon Sales—Without Higher Ad Spend

If you sell on Amazon, you’ve seen it firsthand—PPC costs are up, and returns are getting harder to justify. But there’s a smarter way to scale without burning through budget.

More sellers are shifting to affiliate marketing—a model that brings in external traffic, boosts your organic rankings, and only costs money when it drives a sale.

How?

Amazon rewards sellers who drive traffic from outside platforms—like blogs, review sites, and social posts. That traffic helps your listing perform better and convert higher.

The result:

✅ Lower ad spend
✅ Higher rankings
✅ More sales

We put together a free guide that breaks it all down:

• How to set up an affiliate program that works

• Which networks are best for Amazon sellers

• How to find quality affiliates

• Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Grab the Guide

🗜️ DANNY SAYS: CATALOG DOWN, NOT KEYWORD UP

BDSS Dream 100 member Danny McMillan (who also will be in Iceland) recently shared with the good guys over at Selling from the Beach a way to get additional data into your Amazon listing to enriches your back-end attributes.

Danny says Rufus is absolutely in love with this technique.

He graciously also shared an SOP on how to do it.

📛  ALL-IN-ONE CREATIVE CANVAS for AMAZON SELLERS

Tired of juggling AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Runway? BDSS Dream 100 member and BDSS XI Iceland speaker Ritu Java recently dived deep into Flora, which streamlines your creative process into one intuitive, infinite canvas.

It's a visual workspace that seamlessly integrates text, image, and video AI generation—perfect for creating Amazon content without constant tab-switching or losing your flow.

🧪 It’s like having Midjourney, Runway, and GPT-4 stitched together into a single visual workspace. No code. Just creativity.

Key Benefits for Amazon Sellers:

• ✅ Unified Workspace: Combine AI models like GPT-4, Claude, Stable Diffusion, and Runway effortlessly.

• ✅ Visual Creativity: Easily ideate, prototype, and iterate your product visuals, brand messaging, and storyboards.

• ✅ Community Inspiration: Access workflows built by other creatives for fast prototyping.

• ✅ No Coding Needed: Designed specifically for creatives, Flora simplifies complex AI processes.

Ideal for:

• Rapid Amazon product image prototyping

• Crafting video ads and visual storyboards

• Testing product positioning and brand voice

• Exploring AI-powered content ideas quickly and visually

With Flora, you can turn simple prompts into polished visuals and videos in minutes—boosting your Amazon creative game without any technical hurdles.

✌🏼 See you again Thursday …

The answer to today’s STUMP BEZOS is
BDSS XI Iceland represents over $3.5 billion in annual sales