Improve the Discovery of Independent Sellers on Amazon

To improve discovery for independent sellers, I would propose launching a dynamic 'Rising Independent Brand' section within search results. Currently, algorithms heavily favor established sellers with high review counts and ad budgets, creating a barrier for new entrants. My approach involves adjusting the ranking signal to include a velocity metric for early-stage products, effectively boosting items that show rapid engagement despite low total volume. Specifically, we could introduce a lightweight UI element triggered when a user searches for broad categories like 'home goods.' Instead of only showing top sellers, the interface would display a carousel of vetted independent products labeled 'Discover New Creators.' This leverages Amazon's 'Customer Obsession' by offering unique inventory while solving the visibility gap. Success would be measured by three key metrics: first, the conversion rate of these featured items compared to standard organic results; second, the percentage of repeat purchases from users who engage with this section; and third, the time-to-first-sale for participating sellers. To mitigate risk, we would restrict eligibility to sellers meeting strict quality and shipping SLA thresholds to prevent customer dissatisfaction. We would run an A/B test on 5% of traffic initially, monitoring for any drop in overall search relevance before scaling.