[ BDSN ] 🐶 Does this Amazon Rufus image hack work?

CHECK OUT this SHORTS VIDEO SERIES from BDSN …

🐶 DOES THIS RUFUS IMAGE HACK ACTUALLY WORK?

Dream 100 member Matt Kostan over at ProductPinion has a sneaky trick worth testing.

Can you keyword stuff your images on Amazon?

This used to work very well on Google (then they changed it). The it worked on TikTok for a while influencing search results before TikTok changed their OCR methods.

Amazon’s AI is reading your images which means visible text can get indexed and read by Rufus. But what about “hidden text?”

Here’s a sneaky trick worth testing. Try embedding keywords in your main image using text that’s just slightly off-color from the background.

For one of Matt’s products, if someone asked Rufus “I want a gift perfect for Apple fan boys,” he’d want Rufus to recommend it.

But he wouldn’t actually write that in the listing since it feels off-brand and a bit negative.

Want to try it?

Think of a keyword you’d like to rank for but wouldn’t normally show to shoppers. Add it to your main image in a subtle way using slightly different color text. Then check how Amazon sees it using this tool: imagechek

If imagechek can read it, upload the image to your listing and see if you get indeed for it or if Rufus picks it up.

It’s not a 100% proven theory, but it feels like old-school Google SEO. Worth testing.

🔭 YOU GOTTA SEE THIS

The 5 Amazon PPC Campaigns That Took Us to $1M/Month (2025 Copy and Paste):

^ This Amazon brand makes $1 million every month ^

What does the Amazon PPC look like on a $1m/mo Amazon account?

Find out in this campaign-by-campaign video breakdown of one of Chris Rawlings’s portfolio brands over at Sophie Society.

You’ll get an insider look at each of the top 5 best performing campaigns on the account, plus a step by step guide on how to set them up yourself.

Click here to peek behind the scenes on a $1m/mo brand. 

🏷️ AMAZON ENDS FBA PREP SERVICE in US MARKETPLACE

What's Changing: Amazon will discontinue all prep and item labeling services for US FBA shipments starting January 1, 2026. This affects inventory sent directly to FBA and through AWD, AGL, Amazon SEND, and Supply Chain Portal.

Why the Change: Amazon cites improved seller packaging capabilities and reduced demand for prep services. Most sellers now handle their own prep through manufacturing partners or third-party providers, allowing Amazon to focus on faster fulfillment operations.

Your Options Moving Forward:

• DIY Prep: Handle prep and labeling yourself using Amazon's preparation guidelines

• Third-Party Providers: Work with vetted FBA prep service providers or your preferred partners

• SIPP Program: Use Ships in Product Packaging for eligible products to reduce prep needs and get FBA discounts

Critical Deadlines:

• Shipments created before January 1, 2026 will still receive prep services even if arriving after that date

• Shipments created after January 1 must arrive fully prepped and labeled

• Warning: Improperly prepped inventory won't be eligible for reimbursement if damaged or lost

😡  AMAZON STAR-ONLY FEEDBACK CHANGE UPSETS SELLERS

Amazon's new "simplified" feedback system launching August 4th removes the requirement for written comments, allowing buyers to leave star-only ratings. It’s a change sellers are calling one of Amazon's worst decisions ever.

Amazon is rolling out star-only seller feedback ratings next Monday, claiming it will help sellers receive more ratings faster by making the process easier for customers.

Previously, buyers had to include written comments with their star ratings when reviewing sellers.

Why Sellers Are Up in Arms:

The seller community has erupted in protest. Sellers argue this change will significantly harm their businesses for several critical reasons:

Loss of Context: Without written feedback, sellers can't understand what went wrong: whether it was shipping, packaging, response time, or something unrelated to their service. This makes it impossible to identify and fix actual problems.

Buyer Confusion Amplified: Many customers already confuse seller feedback with product reviews, leaving comments like "great phone case" in seller feedback sections. Star-only ratings will make this confusion worse, as sellers won't be able to tell if a rating refers to their service or the product itself.

FBA Issues Blamed on Sellers: Customers often leave negative feedback for delivery delays, package damage, or missing items, all handled by Amazon's fulfillment centers, not the seller. Without written comments, sellers lose their ability to identify and appeal these FBA-related issues that Amazon currently allows them to contest.

No Appeal Process: Amazon is disabling the feedback appeal feature for star-only ratings, leaving sellers with no recourse against unfair, accidental, or abusive ratings that could damage their performance metrics and Buy Box eligibility.

Since seller feedback directly affects Order Defect Rates, performance reviews, and Buy Box eligibility, this change exposes sellers to significant business risk without due process, potentially harming their ability to compete on the platform based on factors outside their control.

📰  RUFUS GETS PUBLISHER CONTENT - WHAT THAT MEANS

Amazon just secured major content licensing deals with publishing powerhouses Condé Nast (Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair) and Hearst (Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar) to feed their AI shopping assistant Rufus.

This follows a similar deal with The New York Times announced earlier this summer.

Why This Matters for Amazon Sellers:

This signals a fundamental shift in how Amazon's search and recommendation algorithms will work. Rufus is Amazon's LLM-powered shopping assistant trained on Amazon's product catalog and information from across the web, to answer customer questions on shopping needs, products, and comparisons and make related recommendations.

The Big Change: External Authority Now Influences Amazon Rankings

Previously, Amazon's algorithm primarily relied on internal signals - your product listings, reviews, sales velocity, and advertising spend. Now, Rufus will leverage trusted external content from major publishers to answer shopping questions and make product recommendations.

Welcome to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

This is the new frontier beyond traditional SEO. Your brand needs to be mentioned, recommended, or featured in authoritative content across the web, not just optimized within Amazon's ecosystem.

As Amazon's Rufus expands its role as a shopping assistant, lifestyle publishers like Condé Nast and Hearst could find themselves integrated directly into the consumer decision journey, not through search, but through AI-driven answers.

DragonFish (from Kevin King & Norm Farrar) can help your brand with AEO - get on the waitlist.

✌🏼 Have a great weekend.

See you again on Monday.

The answer to today’s STUMP BEZOS is
43% of pet spending is on food, treats and supplements