I just got back from Amazon Unboxed Tokyo. Here's what you need to know.
I spent the day at Amazon Unboxed Tokyo 2025, sitting in a room full of Amazon execs, brand managers, and agency owners.
Most of what I heard was standard conference stuff. But 3 things stood out that actually matter if you're selling (or thinking about selling) in Japan:
1. Prime Video is where young Japanese buyers actually are.
The stat that made everyone in the room sit up: 41% of Prime Video viewers in Japan are 25-34 years old.
That's the generation everyone says "doesn't watch TV." They don't. They watch Prime Video. And they buy products they see there.
If you've been trying to reach younger Japanese consumers through traditional channels, you're spending money in the wrong place. Streaming + retail media is the new top-of-funnel.
2. Amazon just launched AI-generated Sponsored Product video ads in Japan.
Video has always been the bottleneck for most sellers. Expensive. Time-consuming. Hard to scale.
Now Amazon can help you create it on the fly. That's a big deal if you're trying to compete in a market where video performance directly impacts conversion.
3. The retail media infrastructure in Japan is maturing fast.
I had great conversations with teams at Pacvue, MerchantSpring, and Prasana.ai. The tools that used to only work well in the U.S. are now dialed in for Japan.
Translation: If you move now, you have first-mover advantage before the market gets crowded.
Takeaway: The Japan market window is still open, but it won't be for long. Brands that localize properly and invest in creative (especially video) have a clear shot. See the full recap with photos here.
Cyber Week 2025 hit $44.2 billion in online sales. Black Friday alone did $11.8 billion (+9.1% YoY).
And everyone's freaking out about the "805% surge in AI-driven traffic" and "38% higher conversions for AI-influenced shoppers."
Here's what no one's saying:
AI recommendations only matter if your content is optimized for them.
Most sellers still have terrible A+ content, weak bullet points, and keyword optimization that was mediocre in 2019. Then they wonder why AI isn't recommending their products.
Amazon's AI doesn't create demand out of thin air. It routes existing demand to products that are already optimized.
If your listings aren't dialed in, the 805% AI traffic surge means nothing. It's going to your competitors.
What to do instead:
Fix your A+ content NOW. Make it mobile-optimized (80%+ of BNPL transactions are mobile).
Audit your keywords. If you haven't updated them in 6 months, you're losing ground.
Run competitor analysis. See what AI is recommending in your category and reverse-engineer why.
The AI wave is real. But it's not helping lazy sellers. It's punishing them.
Takeaway: AI recommendations drive 38% higher conversions—but only if your content is good enough to get recommended in the first place. Most sellers aren't there yet.
Most sellers pick products using keywords, software data, and profit margin.
They're missing the most critical factor: Return on Working Capital (ROWC).
I sat down with Tyler Jeffcoat—CFO for 7-9 figure ecommerce brands, founder of Seller Accountant, and host of the Seller Roundtable mastermind—to break down how elite sellers actually choose winning products.
Tyler reveals:
The metric top 1% sellers use before investing in any product
How to pick products that double your cash with 1 formula
How to negotiate supplier terms to free up thousands in trapped capital
When to kill underperforming products even if they "look profitable"
If you've ever wondered:
Which product to invest in
Why you're cash-poor even when revenue grows
How to scale without running out of money
This video answers it.
Watch the full breakdown here:
Takeaway: Profit margin doesn't matter if your cash is tied up for 6 months. ROWC measures how fast you turn $1 into $2. Learn the formula, apply it to every product decision, and stop bleeding cash on slow-moving inventory.
According to C.H. Robinson's December freight market update:
Parcel ground rates are projected to rise 4.8% YoY to 32.4% above 2018 baseline due to FedEx/UPS dimensional rounding and holiday surcharges.
LTL rate-per-pound index will reach 64.8% above 2018 after 8 quarters of growth.
What this means for you:
FBA sellers: Your shipping costs are going up in 2026. Lock in Q4 2025 rates where possible.
FBM sellers: Factor in rising parcel rates when pricing products. Don't wait until January to adjust.
Cross-border sellers: Monitor Mexico customs filing delays and Canada inspection impacts on your supply chain.
Other tariff/customs updates:
U.S. tariffs on South Korean goods lowered
Brazilian products exempted
Mexico postpones mandatory electronic customs filing
Canada-Toronto carrier inspection blitz ongoing
Takeaway: FBA shipping costs will increase 4.8% in 2026. If you're locking in supplier or logistics contracts for next year, do it now before rates reset in January.
The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.
AI has changed how consumers shop, but people still drive decisions. Levanta’s research shows affiliate and creator content continues to influence conversions, plus it now shapes the product recommendations AI delivers. Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified.
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
Here are the stories from the last 2 weeks you might have missed:
That's it for this week.
If you got value from this, hit reply and let me know which story helped most.
I read every response.
—Gary
P.S. If you're thinking about Japan, don't wait. The Prime Video demographic data alone is worth testing. See the full Tokyo Unboxed recap here.