Podcast Summary: The CPG Guys – Live from Amazon Accelerate with Amazon’s Wain Yu
Hosts: Peter V.S. Bond & Sree (Sri) Rajagopalan
Guest: Wain Yu, General Manager for Amazon MCF (Multi-Channel Fulfillment) and Buy with Prime
Date: December 3, 2025
Episode Overview
This special live episode from Amazon Accelerate 2025 centers on seismic shifts in multi-channel fulfillment (MCF) and the evolving role of Amazon beyond ecommerce. Sree Rajagopalan sits down with Wain Yu to unpack recent strategic partnerships and innovations announced at the event, exploring how Amazon’s fulfillment network is enabling sellers to thrive across platforms like Shopify, Shein, and, for the first time, Walmart. The conversation dives deep into the business impacts for sellers, the evolving shopper experience, the integration of AI, and where fulfillment and commerce are headed.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Groundbreaking Announcements: Expanding Amazon MCF's Reach
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Three Major Partnerships Announced:
- Shopify Fulfillment Network:
- Amazon MCF is now a part of Shopify's curated list of trusted third-party logistics (3PL) providers.
- [03:16] Wayne Yu: “The first one is that Amazon MCF Multi Channel Fulfillment is now part of the Shopify Fulfillment Network. So it's a part of a curated list of third party logistics providers that you can use and trust on the Shopify platform.”
- Shein Integration:
- An Amazon MCF app for Shein launches later this year, simplifying logistics for Shein sellers.
- [03:43] Wayne Yu: “We also announced today that later this year we will be introducing an Amazon MCF app for Shein.”
- Walmart Orders Now Supported:
- For the first time, Amazon MCF can be used to fulfill Walmart orders, described as “earth-shattering” by the hosts and guest alike.
- [04:22] Wayne Yu: “Starting this year you can now use Amazon MCF to support your orders on Walmart. … Prior to this year you couldn't actually use Amazon MCF on Walmart before. So this is … the first step of many.”
- Shopify Fulfillment Network:
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Why is This Big?
- Breaks down “walled gardens” between major platforms.
- Gives sellers ultimate flexibility: “We are … all about giving sellers more choice and … making multichannel fulfillment more multichannel indeed.” [03:04]
2. Amazon as Service Provider: Shifting Mindsets
- Amazon’s evolution from a sales channel to an enablement platform, highlighted through parallels with AWS.
- [05:31] Wayne Yu: “If you shift your mindset from Amazon as sales channel only to Amazon as sales channel and also an exceptional service provider, then you shift the way you think about these relationships with these other parties from one of competition to one of cooperation.”
3. Seller Benefits: Out-of-Stock (OOS) Reduction & Business Agility
- Single Inventory Pool: Sellers leveraging both Amazon FBA (on-Amazon) and MCF (off-Amazon) see significant OOS reduction.
- Key Stat:
- [07:39] Wayne Yu: “We found that their out of stock rates go down by 19%.”
- [07:54] Sree: “That's a big number for ... out of stock is what kills business … If you can reduce that by 19%, that's 19% better business model.”
- Supports rapid channel expansion and agility. Sellers can test new platforms without logistical friction.
- [09:30] Wayne Yu: “Amazon MCF helps sellers … makes it very easy for you to try … then you can see whether it moves the needle.”
4. Enhanced Shopper Experience
- Speed & Reliability:
- Consumer expectations for delivery speed have accelerated, now well under three days.
- Predictability means sellers can list accurate, faster delivery dates without "buffering."
- [11:11] Wayne Yu: “MCF allows you to forecast less because you're putting your inventory into a single pool ... That's where out of stock reductions come in ... as peaks and holiday seasons come and go, sometimes you don't really know which channel will be the big one for you now. And so we make that a lot easier as well.”
- Buy with Prime:
- Brings the “prime” returns and customer service experience to DTC brands’ own sites.
- [15:03] Wayne Yu: “Buy prime allows you to have … the Prime returns experience … Customer service often comes up as well. If you're a merchant using Buy at Prime on your site, ... your shopper can call Amazon if they've got questions…”
5. Goals and Opportunities for Amazon MCF & Buy with Prime
- Expanding Reach:
- Help more merchants, with more of their selection, in more places worldwide.
- [13:23] Wayne Yu: “We're really looking at helping more merchants, helping more merchants with more of their selection and then helping them with more of their sales channels in more places that they sell around the world.”
- Frictionless Checkouts, Returns, and Service:
- Seamless integration of supply chain with customer experience.
- [14:13] Wayne Yu: “The reason why we've invested so much in supply chain ... is because we've always seen it as a core part of creating a good customer experience.”
6. Data, Analytics & AI
- DTC Data Ownership:
- Sellers owning their DTC site retain customer relationship and data, even when using MCF or Buy with Prime.
- [31:11] Wayne Yu: "By selling on a DTC website, you get all this information. You know who the customer is, you can email them and cultivate that relationship over time. … We provide a fulfillment service... but you still own the brand relationship and that's ... and the data.”
- Ad Tech Integration:
- Use Amazon’s signals for targeted off-Amazon advertising.
- [16:59] Wayne Yu: “Now you can use that data for targeting to inform your ads off Amazon.”
- AI-Driven Operations:
- AI/tech investments are transforming inventory placement, robotics, last-mile routing, and more.
- [31:53] Wayne Yu: “All of the investments, both in technology as well as in physical capacity and capabilities apply to these services as well. … Robotics, ... routing algorithms ... all those technologies also apply to MCF and by Prime.”
7. Serving Sellers Large and Small
- Scalability:
- Support tiers ranging from self-service (smaller sellers) to dedicated human support for large-scale operations.
- [22:10] Wayne Yu: “Depending on the size of your business with Amazon, you might have a tier of support where you have a specific human who supports you as a seller.”
- Product Development with Seller Input:
- Regular feedback sessions, beta testing, and development shaped by merchant needs.
- [24:11] Wayne Yu: “But you're also getting sellers to voice their opinions? ... That's a critical part of product development for sure.”
8. Strategic Advice for Brands
- MCF’s Key Benefits:
- Agility (test channels easily), scalability (expand without extra capital), and premium shopper experience.
- [19:26] Wayne Yu: “The three overarching things we hear ... One is the agility that I can test out new channels easily ... The second one is scalability. ... The third reason is a lot of the stuff we talked about with the shopper experience.”
- Large-Scale Enterprise Uses:
- Even giant brands (“Adidas.com launched Buy with Prime and MCF earlier this year” [29:33]) can hit scaling limits where Amazon’s infrastructure provides unique value.
9. Operational Readiness & Practical Considerations
- Inventory Control Stays with Sellers:
- Amazon manages distribution, not initial stock levels (feature requests to add more guidance).
- [25:46] Wayne Yu: “We do not do that currently. But we have heard that as a feature request by many sellers.”
- Returns Policy Differences:
- Buy with Prime gets Amazon returns; MCF orders currently require seller to manage returns.
- [26:01] Wayne Yu: “With Bybit Prime, you can use Amazon's returns experience to support those orders ... But on MCF, that is currently not available.”
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- On Fulfillment as a Service:
- [05:31] Wayne Yu: “You shift the way you think about these relationships with these other parties from one of competition to one of cooperation.”
- Proof of Impact—Lowering Out-of-Stocks:
- [07:39] Wayne Yu: “We found that their out of stock rates go down by 19%.”
- [07:54] Sree: “Wowza. That's a big number for ... out of stock is what kills business.”
- Why Sellers Should Focus on Their Strengths:
- [28:21] Wayne Yu: “Focus on the unique strength that you as an entrepreneur bring to the table ... and leverage other providers like Amazon, MCF and Buy with Prime ... to do the parts that might be less differentiated for you as a business.”
- On the Future of Speed:
- [18:10] Sree: “How faster can you get though? ... you never know how high is high until you get there.”
- Inclusiveness of the Network:
- [29:33] Wayne Yu: “Adidas.com launched Buy with Prime and MCF earlier this year. ... We've got other brands like Laura Mercier as well on the network.”
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [02:36] – Major MCF partnership announcements
- [04:22] – Breaking news: MCF for Walmart orders
- [07:39] – 19% reduction in out-of-stock rates
- [11:11] – Single inventory pool and forecasting benefits
- [13:23] – Amazon MCF & Buy with Prime: Vision and goals
- [16:59] – DTC website data and ad targeting
- [21:52] – Levels of seller support and human engagement
- [24:45] – Operational boundaries and future features
- [31:53] – How AI underpins Amazon’s fulfillment engines
- [29:33] – Enterprise-scale users: Adidas and Laura Mercier
Tone & Style
The tone is lively, energetic, and expert, with Sree providing sharp CPG/retail context and Wain delivering detailed, technical, and sometimes philosophical insight into Amazon’s strategy. There’s plenty of real-world advice for brands of all sizes, with enthusiasm around partnership, innovation, and the tangible impact of Amazon’s fulfillment advancements.