Independent website sellers should be careful! Using Amazon to divert traffic may lead to jail time

According to foreign media reports, on Tuesday, US police arrested a "gang" that used Amazon's customer list to divert traffic to independent sites . Subsequently, Amazon filed a lawsuit against it. It is not clear who hired this diversion team.

Amazon officials said the "gang" was suspected of using the Amazon brand name to send advertising information to users, encouraging Amazon users to click on links by promising gifts or cash back, in order to attract customers to visit other online shopping sites and purchase products or services unrelated to Amazon . The website operators would then pay the gang a "hard work fee" for the traffic.

This move caused great dissatisfaction with Amazon. Prior to this, Amazon had been cracking down on "fraudulent" marketing practices that diverted traffic to independent sites, and had filed lawsuits in federal courts many times to stop such illegal activities . Three such cases occurred in June last year alone .

Amazon has been working hard to build a bridge of communication between buyers and sellers and is committed to improving the shopping experience of buyers. Kathy Sheehan, vice president of Amazon's business conduct and ethics, said in a statement: We will hold those who use our brand for fraudulent marketing accountable.

Here we would like to remind all major merchants that in the process of building their own independent websites, they must be sure to follow the Amazon platform rules. You should know that guiding Amazon's customers to repurchase independent websites has always been expressly prohibited by Amazon. Amazon has never allowed merchants to package business cards, send emails or inserts, coupons, etc. to guide buyers to independent websites.

It was only recently that Amazon allowed sellers to introduce new products and sales status to customers via email. Prior to this, Amazon strictly restricted direct contact between buyers and sellers.

With the continuous development of the e-commerce market, more and more merchants have entered Amazon, and they have started price wars. Under the severe internal competition, merchants who want to stand out and make long-term profits still have to build their own platforms and move towards refinement and branding. However, the way to attract traffic to independent sites is not just to rely on Amazon. Merchants can also use social media, influencer marketing, advertising and other methods to attract traffic. Remember not to violate the platform regulations, otherwise they will face imprisonment.

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