# Amazon launches free Shop Direct Merchant Workspace for off-Amazon stores > From 4 November 2026, eligible US merchants can connect stores to Alexa for Shopping and Amazon search at no fee, while keeping shipping, returns and customer service. Eligibility criteria and ranking rules are not published. - Publication: The Sourcing Herald - URL: https://sourcingherald.com/articles/amazon-launches-free-shop-direct-merchant-workspace-for-off-amazon-stores - Format: News - Section: Marketplaces - Published: 2026-11-05 - Sources last checked: 2026-11-04 ## Key points - Amazon launched the Shop Direct Merchant Workspace on 4 November 2026 as a free, self-service portal for eligible merchants to connect their stores to Alexa for Shopping and Amazon search [1][4]. - Merchants can reuse product catalogues already built for other shopping destinations, and Amazon says there is no fee to participate [1]. - Shipping, delivery, returns and customer service remain managed by the merchant, and the merchant stays the seller of record [1][3]. - The programme is available to US customers, and Amazon has not published eligibility criteria, ranking rules or how long the no-fee position will last [3]. Amazon launched the Shop Direct Merchant Workspace on 4 November 2026, a free self-service portal that lets eligible merchants connect their stores to Alexa for Shopping and Amazon search [1][4]. Merchants can reuse product catalogues they have already built for other shopping destinations, and Amazon says there is no fee to take part [1]. Shipping, delivery, returns and customer service stay with the merchant [1][3]. ## Amazon launches a free Shop Direct Merchant Workspace for off-Amazon stores on 4 November 2026 Amazon announced the Shop Direct Merchant Workspace on 4 November 2026 in an Amazon News post [1]. Amazon describes it as a free, self-service portal that makes it easy for eligible merchants to connect their stores to Amazon and get their products in front of customers [1]. Shop Direct is the programme the Workspace plugs into, and it predates this launch. Amazon says that since Shop Direct was introduced last year, tens of millions of customers have discovered hundreds of millions of unique products from other stores, and Shop Direct products appear in hundreds of millions of searches each month [1]. On the same day, Commerce.com, the parent company of the product intelligence platform Feedonomics, said Feedonomics is available as a solution provider in the Workspace [2]. StartupHub.ai also reported the launch on 4 November 2026, describing it as a portal that connects off-Amazon stores to Alexa for Shopping and Amazon search [4]. ## Sign-up steps in the sources The sources describe these sign-up actions, in this order: 1. Register for Shop Direct through the Workspace [1]. 2. Verify the business website [4]. 3. Share the catalogue through a solution provider or directly through the Selling Partner API [4]. Amazon names Feedonomics, Salsify, CEDCommerce and VersaFeed as established third-party providers that merchants can connect through [1]. StartupHub.ai notes that merchants can also integrate directly with the Selling Partner API [4]. A merchant that already uses a feed tool should ask that provider whether it supports the Workspace. Feedonomics has confirmed that it does [2]. ## Which merchants and shoppers are affected The programme is for US shoppers. Amazon's Shop Direct FAQ says the programme is available to U.S. customers [3]. Amazon says Shop Direct products may be shown in relevant searches and within Alexa for Shopping [1]. Products can be discovered on the Amazon shopping website and app as well as in Alexa for Shopping [1]. The merchants affected are off-Amazon stores that want their products found by these shoppers. Amazon's FAQ gives shopdirect@amazon.com as the contact for merchants who want to take part [3]. Amazon sellers may also be eligible to list selection they do not currently sell in Amazon's store [1]. ## Can you reuse your existing feed, and what does it cost? Yes, according to Amazon's announcement. The Workspace accepts widely adopted shopping feed formats [4], and merchants can reuse catalogues they have built for other shopping destinations [1]. Commerce.com says eligible US Feedonomics customers can connect existing catalogues to Shop Direct using feeds already built for other destinations, without maintaining a separate feed integration [2]. Amazon says there are no fees to participate in Shop Direct and that merchants can opt out at any time [1]. Its FAQ says merchants do not currently have to pay to take part, and that Amazon does not receive a referral fee for Buy for Me purchases. The same FAQ says Amazon "continue[s] to experiment with ways for merchants to participate in Shop Direct" [3]. Buy for Me is Amazon's agentic buying tool, which can complete a purchase on the merchant's website on the customer's behalf [1]. Where Buy for Me applies, the customer confirms the delivery address, taxes, shipping fees and payment method on Amazon's interface [1]. ## Who handles shipping, delivery and returns The merchant does. Amazon says shipping, delivery, returns, exchanges and customer service are managed directly by the merchant through their existing processes [3]. Commerce.com says the same post-purchase tasks remain directly managed by the merchant when using Feedonomics [2]. Amazon's FAQ says merchants receive orders through their site's checkout and remain the seller of record [3]. When a customer buys through Buy for Me, Amazon may provide a secure, unique email address for each order to share order confirmations and tracking details [3]. Prime delivery is not included unless the merchant separately uses Amazon's Multichannel Fulfillment, according to StartupHub.ai [4]. Customers who tap the Shop Direct button are told they are leaving Amazon before they reach the merchant's site [1]. Amazon's FAQ says it does not collect data about how customers interact with the merchant's website through this service [3]. ## What sellers should do now We recommend the following checks before signing up. None of these is a requirement in the sources. - Confirm that you serve US customers and have a business website you can verify. The program is available to U.S. customers [3], and website verification is a sign-up step [4]. - Export your current shopping feed and check that it uses a widely adopted format [4]. - Check that your shipping, returns and customer service processes can handle shoppers arriving from Amazon, since those remain with you [3]. ## What is not yet known - **Eligibility.** Apart from the US customer requirement and the business-website verification step, the sources do not publish eligibility criteria. - **Ranking and display.** Amazon says it "decides whether, when, and how to display" product information [3]. The sources do not describe ranking rules for search or Alexa for Shopping. - **Feed specification.** The sources say only that widely adopted formats are accepted [4]. They do not include a feed specification. - **Fees beyond Amazon.** The sources do not say whether solution providers such as Feedonomics charge for their services. - **Duration of the no-fee position.** Amazon has not said how long the current no-fee position will last [3]. ## What this means Our view is that the Workspace mainly changes how a merchant with an existing feed gets into Amazon's Shop Direct program. It does not change who runs the order. StartupHub.ai puts the trade-off in similar terms: merchants get the traffic and keep the operations [4]. The main gaps are eligibility, ranking and how long the no-fee position lasts. Those are the points to check before committing a catalogue. For another recent AI shopping development, see [Walmart opens shopping to AI agents; Amazon blocks Meta's agent](/articles/walmart-opens-shopping-to-ai-agents-amazon-blocks-meta-s-agent). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the Shop Direct Merchant Workspace? It is a free, self-service portal Amazon launched on 4 November 2026 that lets eligible merchants connect their off-Amazon stores to Alexa for Shopping and Amazon search [1][4]. ### Does it cost anything to join? Amazon says there are no fees to participate and that merchants can opt out at any time [1]. Amazon has not said how long the no-fee position will last [3]. ### Who handles orders, shipping and returns? The merchant does. Amazon says shipping, delivery, returns, exchanges and customer service are managed directly by the merchant [3]. ### Can I reuse my existing product feed? Yes, according to Amazon's announcement. Merchants can reuse catalogues built for other shopping destinations [1], and the Workspace accepts widely adopted shopping feed formats [4]. ### Who can take part? The programme is available to US customers [3]. Beyond that requirement and business-website verification, the sources do not publish eligibility criteria. ## Sources 1. Amazon's new Shop Direct Merchant Workspace makes it even easier for stores across the web to have their products discovered by customers on Alexa for Shopping and Amazon — Amazon News (aboutamazon.com), published 2026-11-04. https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-shop-direct-merchant-workspace?utm_source=rss 2. Feedonomics Now Available in Amazon's Shop Direct Merchant Workspace, Making it Easier for Brands to Get Their Products in Front of Amazon Customers — Commerce.com (GLOBE NEWSWIRE release), published 2026-11-04. https://www.financialcontent.com/article/gnwcq-2026-11-4-feedonomics-now-available-in-amazons-shop-direct-merchant-workspace-making-it-easier-for-brands-to-get-their-products-in-front-of-amazon-customers 3. Shop Direct FAQs — Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=204815362011 4. Amazon lets merchants plug old feeds into Alexa — StartupHub.ai, published 2026-11-04. https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/artificial-intelligence/2026/amazon-lets-merchants-plug-old-feeds-into-alexa