Amazon launches Shop Direct Merchant Workspace

What changed

The self-service workspace allows eligible merchants to register, verify their business website and connect a catalogue. Amazon says merchants can reuse commonly supported shopping-feed formats and connect through a provider or integrate directly through its Selling Partner API. The portal also shows which submitted products are active in Shop Direct.

Shop Direct can surface relevant products from other stores in Amazon shopping results and Alexa for Shopping. A shopper who selects the Shop Direct button is told they are leaving Amazon before going to the merchant’s website. Eligible products may additionally use Buy for Me, in which Amazon’s agent completes a purchase on that external website after the shopper confirms the order details. These are different purchase paths, and Buy for Me should not be assumed for every submitted item.

Amazon describes the customer experience as available in the United States through Amazon.com, its shopping app, mobile browsers and Alexa for Shopping. That statement does not establish that every merchant in every country is eligible to enrol. Merchants already selling on Amazon may also qualify to include selection they do not currently sell in Amazon’s store, subject to the programme’s requirements.

The commercial distinction is useful for retail-media teams. Participation is described as free, and merchants choose the selection they include and can opt out. Submission does not guarantee a position, exposure or sales volume. It also does not replace the merchant’s responsibility for stock, prices, fulfilment, returns and customer service.

A practical review starts with catalogue accuracy and the destination experience. Confirm that prices, variants and availability match the website, and check which products actually become active after submission. Treat visits and orders from the programme separately from paid advertising where reporting permits, rather than assigning the resulting activity to an Amazon Ads campaign by default.

Jacquelyn Smith’s signed announcement was published on 4 November 2026. The new element is the merchant workspace and its participation controls; Shop Direct and Buy for Me were already established programme names. Detailed merchant and product eligibility should be checked in the workspace before planning an integration.