Starting April 19, Amazon will launch new tracking policy requirements

Amazon Valid Tracking Rate measures how often sellers use valid tracking numbers on seller-fulfilled orders.

Starting April 19 of this year, there are new tracking policy requirements, and sellers are expected to achieve 95% compliance.

This only applies to carriers integrated with Amazon and does not include items delivered via untracked services. Simply put, if you have tracking, you need to upload it; if sellers use untracked services, it is business as usual.

Tracking is key to ensuring customer satisfaction, both when everything goes smoothly to reassure the customer that their order is coming, and whenever there is an occasional problem to let the consumer know that Amazon is aware of the problem, give guidance on a new ETA, and promise to make it right if the item still hasn’t arrived.

Amazon said:

Tracking rate requirements from April 19, 2021

Sellers must provide the following information during Delivery Confirmation:

● The name of the delivery service provider for the specific delivery service used for all Merchant-fulfilled Orders;

● The tracking ID or unique parcel ID (located above the 2D barcode on the label) of the merchant’s completed order for tracked delivery, if Royal Mail24®/48® delivery method is used;

● Tracking numbers are considered valid only if Amazon has recorded at least one carrier scan;

● Sellers need to achieve a 95% effective tracking rate;

● On the seller’s domestic orders through Amazon UK within a rolling 30-day period (i.e. if the seller ships from an address in the UK to a delivery address in the UK);

● Amazon will measure valid tracking rates for fulfilled orders from non-Prime merchants at the category level;

● Amazon Valid Tracking Rate will be measured for all domestic orders delivered via a combined delivery service provider, including any orders delivered using Royal Mail 24®/48® delivery methods.

The following items are not included in the Valid Tracking Rate calculation:

● Domestic listings where the carrier/delivery provider is not integrated with Amazon

● Domestic items delivered by untracked delivery services/delivery methods

● Digital products, such as audiobooks

The dedicated Android app for Amazon's storefront is getting some big tweaks lately, the most notable of which is a new, regular navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.

The updated interface doesn't seem to be tied to a specific version of the app, so this may be a server-side switch.

In addition to getting rid of the side navigation bar, the updated UI now features a dedicated tab for Whole Foods.

Amazon purchased the trendy grocery store in 2017 and quickly set about integrating it into the larger company's corporate structure.

For those who rely on Whole Foods retailers for regular grocery pickup, the dedicated labels are very convenient.

Whether the new interface is actually better than the old one is probably a matter of personal preference, they're both perfectly functional.

Since the change appears to be made server-side, and there's no mention of this change in the Play Store's release notes, this change may or may not become the default for apps.