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Amazon opens Shop Direct portal for off-marketplace product discovery

Eligible retailers can connect existing catalogs to Amazon search and Alexa for Shopping, but referral and conversion results remain undisclosed.

By Iris Holloway·Tools & frameworks·

Amazon launched its Shop Direct Merchant Workspace on November 4, giving eligible online retailers a self-service way to submit catalogs for discovery in Amazon search and Alexa for Shopping without selling those products in Amazon’s marketplace, PPC Land reported. Amazon says participation carries no fees.

The workspace lets merchants register, submit and manage product feeds, and check which products are active. Enrollment requires a merchant account, verification of the business website and a catalog connection through a provider or the Selling Partner API, according to Amazon. PPC Land notes that the announcement does not spell out detailed merchant eligibility criteria.

Amazon names Feedonomics, Salsify, CEDCommerce and VersaFeed as connection options. Merchants can reuse catalogs prepared for other shopping destinations, the company says. Commerce.com, Feedonomics’ parent company, says existing Feedonomics customers can add the channel without building and maintaining a separate feed integration.

Connected products may appear in relevant searches and Alexa for Shopping, according to Amazon. The Shop Direct button provides a route to the merchant’s own website; Buy for Me offers a separate purchasing route. Merchants retain control of their products and remain responsible for pricing, inventory, fulfillment and customer service.

For small online retailers, that creates a potential customer-discovery channel without requiring marketplace listings. It isn’t evidence of new sales: PPC Land reports that Amazon disclosed no referral clicks, conversion rates or Buy for Me order volumes.

The practical approach is a measured acquisition test. Store owners should assess catalog fit, verify their site, connect a feed and choose which products to include, then check active listings and whether referrals convert. Visibility and sales should be evaluated separately; the disclosed information doesn’t establish the channel’s sales impact.

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