Amazon / Life Year in Review 2023 with Danny McMillan & Adam Heist

Nov 23, 2023

 

Recapping 2023 in the Amazon seller world - major trends and pain points

Personal and business challenges faced in 2023 - including health issues, family emergencies, and day to day struggles

Reflecting on importance of family, health, and relationships over business and material success

Maintaining perspective and finding meaning amidst life’s ups and downs

2023 Amazon Seller Trends and Challenges:

 “Post-COVID hangover” - sales declined 30% for many sellers, increased competition and costs

-Success is now about differentiated, high-quality products with good branding and customer experience

- Organic SERP littered with ads - mastering Amazon PPC essential 

- Overall industry seems to have shrunk, with fewer new sellers entering market 

- Agencies struggling as more sellers view them as commodities, quickly switching between providers

Coping With Personal Crises and Hardships:

- After business exit and dream lifestyle, Adam experienced emptiness and depression 

- Had to re-ground himself amidst divorce and 40% revenue declines 

- Perspective change - happiness not tied to outcomes, but rather presence, intuition, and relationships

Emergency With Teenage Daughter:

Shattering call from Danny’s daughter Maia - “I can’t feel my legs” after bad car accident

- Long wait for emergency responders - incredibly stressful time with daughter in jeopardy

- Thankful her injuries not worse in the end

Losing Beloved Family Dog Cookie to Cancer:

- Already sleep-deprived, agonising decline was drawn out over weeks \- Reached breaking point - had to step away briefly to regain composure

Ongoing Crisis for Friends in Israel:

- Adam feels deep connection to affected communities now after years in the Amazon space 

- Heart goes out to all impacted families - unimaginable turmoil and displacement \- No easy words of comfort, but expressing solidarity and grace

Summary

The "post-COVID hangover" brought declining sales, fierce competition, and rising costs for Amazon sellers in 2023. Success now depends on high-quality, differentiated products with strong branding and customer experience. As organic rankings faded behind ads, mastering Amazon PPC became essential. Personally, after a business exit and the dream lifestyle, Adam experienced emptiness and depression, needing to reground himself amidst divorce and revenue drops. True happiness rests not in outcomes, but presence, intuition, and relationships. A shattering call from Danny's daughter after a bad car accident left her immobile tested their strength. Thankfully her injuries were not worse. Losing their beloved family dog Cookie to cancer after weeks of agony also pushed them to the edge and required stepping back briefly to regain composure.