[LWN] 🚨 Confidential: My Top 13 AI Tools...

Lunch With Norm's Weekly Newsletter - Low Inventory Level Fees, Amazon Ads, and Favorite AI Tools

😱 The Night a Pistol-Whipping Robber Crashed My Family Vacation

A family summer getaway takes a harrowing turn in a hotel room in the south of Montreal…

What you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

  • 🔦 The Night a Pistol-Whipping Robber Crashed My Family Vacation [True Story]

  • 🗞️ Latest Amazon News & Updates

  • 🩸 Is Your Amazon Ads Budget Bleeding Money?

  • ✅ My Top 13 AI Tools and Software

  • 🎙️ What You Missed Last Week

  • 😬 The Listing Optimization Opportunity Almost All Sellers Miss

Did you enjoy my Aprils Fools prank this year? A big, thanks to Abe Chomali for being the “Beard Guy” for the day. Happy Monday Beardos.

😱 The Night a Pistol-Whipping Robber Crashed My Family Vacation [True Story]

Back in the nineties, my parents moved to Maine.

Every summer, we'd drop the kids off at their grandparents' place for a week of vacation.

The kids loved it.

To make the exchange, we'd meet halfway between Toronto and Maine, which usually meant spending a weekend in Montreal.

My son, Hayden, was just two years old.

On our way to pick him up, they stayed the night at a motel in the south of Montreal.

Little did we know, they were in for a terrifying ordeal.

Early in the morning, my dad got up to grab some water. To his horror, he saw a man slithering in through the window.

The intruder immediately pistol-whipped my dad and dragged him back to the bed beside my mom.

They were both wide awake, with two-year-old Hayden sleeping in the other room.

The robber took everything they had.

However, my quick-thinking mom managed to slip her wedding ring off and hide it under the pillow. 💍

Before leaving the room, he gave them a chilling warning:

"Do not move for 10 minutes. I'll be back. If you've moved, I'll shoot you both.”

They didn't dare to move a muscle; luckily, they did not.

The cops came and took a description of the robber.

When we met up later that day, my dad’s head was swollen from the pistol whip. You could actually see the imprint of the barrel.

Everyone was shaken up for days.

Hayden had no idea what was going on. I asked him nonchalantly if he remembered anything about that day.

What he told me next was pretty wild…

He started describing another man at the window - there was apparently a second robber that my parents never saw!

Hayden was even able to give details about the brown car they drove.

In the end, everyone was safe, and my dad's injury healed.

But one thing's for sure... my parents will never stay on the first floor of a hotel ever again.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

— Norm

What was the most shocking part of this week's story?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

🗞️ AMAZON NEWS & UPDATES 🗞️

What’s happening in the world of Amazon today…

  • 💰 The Low-Inventory Cost Coverage Fee (Pan-EU), was implemented for standard-size products on April 1, 2024 - Read More

  • ⏰ The new FBA Low-Inventory-Level Fee is now in effect. Certain sellers and products are exempt from this fee, including new sellers to the Pan-European FBA program, new product listings, and products with low sales volume - Read More

  • 🧐 Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ AI Tech Was ‘Actually 1000+ Indians’ Who Remotely Tracked Shoppers - Read More

  • 🚢 U.S. to Crack Down on Trade ‘Loophole’ Used for China Apparel Shipments - Read More

  • 🚨 Amazon lays off several hundred workers in cloud computing unit - Read More

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE BEARDED GUY?

Can you find Norm in the picture below? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the answer!

 

TIRED OF FEELING LIKE YOUR AMAZON ADS BUDGET IS BLEEDING MONEY?

This Tip is Courtesy of Adspert

Navigating Amazon ads without the right tools is like trying to sail the open sea without a compass.

Some sellers swear by manually optimizing their ads where you control every knob and lever. But, let’s be real, who’s got the time? 🤷‍♂️

Consider using a PPC optimization software—your AI-powered sidekick!

It's like having a PPC guru optimizing your ads while you sleep AND making every cent count. 🚀

👉 The best part? A bidding algorithm can analyze tons of data points in split seconds and make informed decisions – not something any human can do.

“Cool. But I’d like to see for myself if this really works…”

I have you covered.

Try Adspert, a premium PPC optimization software to help you grow your eCommerce profit. ⬇️⬇️

🚨 Exclusive 30-day free trial AND 100€ Adspert credit for Lunch With Norm Subscribers:  → HERE

WHAT YOU MISSED LAST WEEK

👇 Highlights from last week’s Lunch With Norm podcast episodes👇

Behind the Beard - Norm’s Story

Main Takeaways:

  • In this April Fool’s episode, we hear my back story!

  • Jumping in with Both Feet 🌊 Take calculated risks and commit fully to each venture

  • Build and Leverage Relationships 🛠️ Norm's ability to negotiate and maintain positive relationships with suppliers, partners, and stakeholders has been crucial

  • Learn from Failures 👨‍🏫 Setbacks are part of the entrepreneurial journey. Embracing failures as learning opportunities can pave the way for future success

My Favorite AI Tools and Software 2024

Here’s the list of my favorite AI apps:

  • SOPbox: Streamlines the process of creating and managing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), enhancing organizational efficiency

  • EcomContent: Specializes in creating AI-driven e-commerce content, including product descriptions and SEO-optimized texts

  • IMG Creator: A tool for generating high-quality images, useful for creating engaging visual content for online stores

  • NexTech3D.ai: Provides 3D rendering of products, enhancing the online shopping experience with lifelike product visuals

  • OpusClip and Pictory (also Runway, Synthesia, Savvy): These platforms offer solutions for creating engaging video content, ranging from product demonstrations to marketing videos

  • Adobe Podcast: Enhances audio quality for podcasts and videos, improving the listening experience for audiences

  • Frequently.ai: AI-powered tools that help navigate and understand the Terms of Service of various platforms, reducing legal risks

  • Perci: Comprehensive toolsets designed to assist Amazon sellers with research, listing optimization, and competitive analysis

  • Canva: A graphic design platform that now includes AI-driven features for creating custom content quickly and efficiently

  • Grammarly: A writing assistant that offers suggestions to improve grammar, clarity, and tone, now enhanced with AI for more intuitive suggestions

  • Briskine: An email template and automation tool that speeds up email communication by providing customizable templates for various purposes

  • Max AI: An AI tool that summarizes content, compares insights across different AI models, and assists with content creation and optimization

Diversification Within The Supply Chain

Main Takeaways:

  • Diversify Supply Chain 🌎 Diversify manufacturing beyond China to mitigate risks such as political tensions, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions. Look at Vietnam, India, and Mexico

  • Vet Alternative Manufacturing Countries 🔍 Vet these alternative countries based on their manufacturing strengths, infrastructure, and the specific needs of your product category

  • Carefully Transition Production to New Countries ⛔️ Steven suggests a phased transition to test the new supply chain's capabilities without fully cutting off the current one. Maintain transparency with your existing suppliers to safeguard relationships and potentially negotiate better terms

  • Watch Steve on Shark Tank

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE  

Private Label Legion, 2021📍

Tim Jordan and I came up with some awesome unique content for the Private Label Legion. It was a great time with a very engaged community. Fun times!

THREE UPCOMING PODCASTS

You can watch all episodes on YouTube or on my Facebook page at 12 pm ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

**Guests and topics are subject to change**

Monday - How to Use AI for Video Creation & Editing

  • Vikram Chalana - Founder of Pictory

    • Use the link for 20% off^

  • Engineer turned serial entrepreneur

  • Creates highly engaging videos in minutes using the power of AI

Watch LIVE 👉 Sign up here

AI Wednesday -  How To Prompt Like a Pro

  • Britton Upchurch - Founder of Perci

    • Use BEARD10 for 10% off

  • 5 years ago, he taught himself AI and coding

  • Built Perci, an advanced AI Amazon listing tool on the market, and builds the next generation of Amazon selling tools

Watch LIVE 👉 Sign up here

Friday - TikTok Shop Mastery

  • Karandeep Singh Mehta

  • TikTok Shop Pro

  • Hottest topic by far, for the last 2 months

    Watch LIVE 👉 Sign up here

THE LISTING OPTIMIZATION OPPORTUNITY ALMOST ALL SELLERS MISS!

This tip is courtesy of Perci

Almost all sellers optimize their title.

Most sellers optimize bullets.

Most sellers optimize backend keywords.

You know what almost no one optimizes?

The description!

We did a controlled study across their listings to learn what made the biggest impact on organic rankings.

The winner?

Not the title.

Not bullets.

It was the description, by a mile.

Yep—that 2000-character, keyword-indexing machine that’s more than double the text allowance of the rest of your listing, combined.

Why is your description so powerful for SEO?

It allows SO much text

Yeah, your description keywords aren’t as weighted as your title and bullets. But Amazon gives you 2000 characters.

You can literally double the amount of keywords you’re optimizing, just with your description.

No one else is willing to do it.

That means if you DO optimize your description, you’re miles ahead.

Using A+ content? Your description still indexes!

When you use A+ Content, your description isn’t shown on your listing page.

But it still indexes, so you can still take advantage of it.

To generate optimized listings with AI (including descriptions), check out Perci

Use Code: BEARDO10 For 10% Off!

🌎 UPCOMING EVENTS

MARK DOWN THESE EVENTS! 

April 21 - 27 - Guangzhou - Starting at $7265

April 17 - 26 - Vietnam - Starting at $2000

May 1 - 2 - New York City - Starting at $397

May 18 - 23 - Kauai - Hawaii - Starting at $4997

May 14 - 16 - Ft. Lauderdale - Starting at $899

Aug 4 - 9 - Vancouver & Calgary - Learn more

Looking for events? Get the full list of events in the Amazon Ecom space put together by Danan Coleman

FULL CALENDAR

And that’s it, Beardos!

Let me know what you’d like me to feature in the newsletter by replying back to this email.

P.S. Make sure you don’t miss any updates by joining our community here.

See you next Monday!

- Norm

Interested in sponsoring the Lunch With Norm Newsletter? Reply back to this email for more details.