Searching for your place on the digital shelf while the aisle stretches to infinity? We sit down with Rob Hahn, CEO of Pattern and former Amazon leader, to unpack what actually drives marketplace growth when loyalty is fading and choice is exploding. The answer isn’t louder ads—it’s the pairing of a genuinely great product with operational speed that turns clicks into carts.

We trace Rob’s journey from early, robot-free Amazon warehouses to launching robotics sites, then to scaling brands globally at Pattern. Along the way, we break down why algorithms reward conversion, low return rates, and strong reviews above brand narratives, and how Prime, one-day shipping, and inventory proximity now act as silent salespeople. Rob explains the one-to-ten leap: master both selling and moving stuff. That means in-stock discipline, listing health, and logistics strategy that shortens delivery windows and lifts rank.

We also dive into brand identity on platforms with very different discovery patterns. TikTok Shop, Amazon Search, and Walmart demand distinct creative and pricing choices without eroding equity. Rob makes the case for data over opinions, revealing how first-party insights across hundreds of thousands of SKUs guide spend, forecast demand, and spot profitability leaks. On AI, we cut through hype: it’s powerful for rapid testing and classification, but only as good as the inputs. High-integrity assets and human oversight keep details right where accuracy matters most.

Looking ahead, Rob leans on a durable truth: shoppers will always want better products, lower prices, and faster, often free, delivery. Social commerce may spike, AI may normalize, but those fundamentals won’t budge. If you align around quality, speed, and cost—and let data lead—you’ll keep winning shelf space the algorithms can’t ignore. Subscribe, share with a teammate who owns marketplace growth, and drop a review with your biggest bottleneck—we’ll tackle it on a future show.

Learn more about Velocity Sellers!

Check us out on YouTube!

Book a FREE Amazon Audit!