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In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will sits down with Milton and Gisela, founders of Not Bad Snacks, to explore what happens when a digital-first brand takes its first steps into retail.

Not Bad Snacks is a Vancouver-based better-for-you snack brand built around the idea that healthy snacks shouldn’t be boring. Known for their clean ingredients and bold flavors, the brand has been growing through direct-to-consumer channels, local events, and a strong community presence.

Learn more: https://notbadsnacks.ca
Follow them: https://instagram.com/notbadsnacks

This conversation breaks down that transition from online to retail, and what founders often underestimate along the way.

You’ll learn:

- How real customer demand (not just strategy) pushed the brand toward retail
- Why local events became a key proving ground for product-market fit
- What actually needs to change before approaching retail buyers (pricing, packaging, case packs, shelf presence)
- How retail buyers evaluate products—velocity, margins, and category fit
- Early signals that indicate retail success, including reorders and in-store feedback
- Why retail is still a relationship-driven business—and how that impacts growth

Milton and Gisela also share honest insights into the learning curve of entering the CPG space for the first time, from operational challenges to pitching buyers and navigating new stakeholders beyond DTC.

If you’re building an eCommerce brand and considering retail expansion, this episode offers practical, real-world perspective on what it actually takes to make that leap—and what to pressure test before you do.

Follow Selling on Giants for more conversations with founders and operators scaling across Amazon, Walmart, and retail.

Follow BellaVix:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bellavix/
Website: https://www.bellavix.com/

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This week’s Selling on Giants breaks down a clear shift happening across Amazon, Walmart, and the broader marketplace landscape. It is not one major update. It is a series of smaller changes that all point in the same direction.

More platform control. More operational pressure. Less room for error.

If you are responsible for performance, this is the environment you are operating in.

Top stories this week:

• Amazon launches “Unmet Demand” insights
  A new feature inside Product Opportunity Explorer highlights high search, low conversion opportunities. Strong in theory, but still too broad for direct execution. Useful for validation, not decision-making.
• eigh-to-Z claims remain inconsistent despite clear process
  Sellers follow the rules, provide documentation, and still absorb losses. The issue is no longer understanding the process. It is trusting the outcome.
• Amazon doubles down on AI infrastructure
  AI is not a feature. It is becoming the system that drives search, ads, and visibility across the platform.
• Google search shifts toward AI-generated answers
  Ranking matters less. Selection matters more. Fewer links, more synthesized results, and tighter competition for visibility.

Operational pressure building across the board:

• Supply chain complexity impacts scalability
  Categories like fragrance highlight how sourcing, compliance, and production variability affect margins and inventory.
• Packaging costs becoming volatile
  Material costs, sustainability requirements, and supply disruptions turn packaging into a variable cost center.
• Variation enforcement tightens on Amazon
  Review consolidation strategies are being phased out. Each Skew must now build its own credibility, increasing launch cost and time.

Retail and demand signals:

• Walmart leans into cultural product drops
  Limited-time collaborations show a shift toward event-driven commerce and demand creation.
• Easter spending hits record levels
  Demand remains strong, but consumers are more price-sensitive and value-driven.

Discovery and advertising shifts:

• Conversational ads expand with Alexa+
  Voice-based interaction introduces new discovery surfaces beyond search and scrolling.
• Community and AI reshape visibility
  Reddit, AI-generated results, and conversational interfaces influence perception before customers reach listings.

Macro trends shaping the market:

• Potential tariffs on digital goods
  WTO developments introduce uncertainty around costs tied to software, tools, and services.
• Shift toward profitability and efficiency
  Growth-at-all-costs is fading. Operators are focusing on margin, retention, and disciplined execution.

The bigger picture:

• Platforms are taking more control
• Costs are increasing across the board
• Discovery is becoming fragmented
• Consumers are more selective
• Operations are more complex

The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.

If you are operating on Amazon, Walmart, or scaling across marketplaces, this episode gives you a clear operator-level breakdown of what matters right now and how to respond.

Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

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This week’s Selling on Giants goes deep on one of the most important updates sellers have seen this year, Amazon’s so-called “temporary” three point five percent fulfillment surcharge and what it actually means for your business.

This is not just another fee update. This is a continuation of a pattern.

If you are operating on Amazon, this episode breaks down what is really happening behind the scenes and how to respond like an operator, not a spectator.

Main focus this week:

• Amazon introduces a 3.5% fulfillment surcharge
  Positioned as temporary, but sellers know how this plays out. Costs increase, margins compress, and the burden shifts downstream.
• Margin pressure compounds across the board
  Rising ad costs, tighter competition, and pricing sensitivity are already limiting flexibility. This adds another layer of pressure.
• Seller control vs platform control
  Amazon continues to centralize decision-making across fulfillment, data, and expansion tools, while sellers absorb more variability.

What serious operators should be doing now:

• Reduce fulfillment costs at the unit level
  Packaging optimization, dimensional adjustments, and SIPP qualification all directly impact fee exposure.
• Reevaluate fulfillment strategy
  Fulfilled by Merchant becomes more relevant for specific SKUs where FBA economics no longer make sense.
• Control participation in promotions
  Prime Day and other events require discipline. More volume does not always equal more profit.
• Test pricing, don’t guess
  Incremental price adjustments paired with conversion monitoring become critical in a constrained environment.
• Diversify beyond Amazon
  Walmart continues to expand reach, TikTok offers lower acquisition costs, and DTC provides control. Dependency is now a risk.

Additional shifts shaping the market:

• Amazon tightens ecosystem control
  From fulfillment standardization to guided expansion tools and closed data environments, control continues to consolidate.
• Discovery moves beyond search
  Reddit, AI-driven answers, and community-driven content are influencing visibility before customers reach product pages.
• AI moves from reporting to decision-making
  Systems are starting to execute on pricing, inventory, and campaign decisions, shifting the role of the operator.
• Product data becomes infrastructure
  PIM systems and structured listings are now required to scale across Amazon, Walmart, and emerging channels.
• AI-driven advertising emerges
  Early signals show product feeds and shopping placements entering AI environments, creating new acquisition channels.
• Regulatory complexity increases
  State-level regulations introduce more fragmentation, adding operational overhead and compliance challenges.

The bigger picture:

• Costs are rising
• Control is consolidating
• Discovery is shifting
• Complexity is increasing

The edge is not in hacks. It is in execution. Clean data. Clear systems. Fast decisions.

If you are an eCommerce brand selling on Amazon, Walmart, or scaling across channels, this episode gives you a clear, operator-level breakdown of what matters right now and how to respond with confidence.

Follow Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level insights built for serious marketplace brands navigati