Today's Ecommerce Pulse
Updated 44m agoAmazon automation offers semi‑passive income but demands disciplined oversight
Amazon automation can generate profitable, semi‑passive income in 2026, but success hinges on disciplined execution and seasoned oversight. Modern automation relies on advanced software for research, pricing, inventory and ad optimization, while strategic decisions remain human‑driven. Investors now expect transparent reporting, compliance and sustainability.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Edeka raises €430M to increase stake in Picnic
News•Feb 19, 2026
AI Turns Weather Data Into Sales
Retailers have long known weather drives sales, but few have turned forecasts into actionable insight. New AI platforms now ingest long‑range weather data and feed it directly into ecommerce functions such as demand planning, pricing, personalization, fulfillment and ad activation. By quantifying weather‑related risk, AI helps merchants avoid stockouts, reduce markdowns, and tailor offers to local conditions. The technology promises a measurable competitive edge for retailers that can operationalize climate signals at scale.
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Feb 19, 2026
Why Do Budgets Overspend Even With A Target ROAS or CPA? – Ask A PPC via @Sejournal, @Navahf
Budgets on auction‑based platforms are averaged over roughly 30.4 days, not enforced as strict daily caps. When a target ROAS or CPA is applied, the algorithm treats these as optimization signals and may spend beyond the nominal daily limit to...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Feb 19, 2026
Amazon Surpasses Walmart in Annual Revenue for the First Time
Amazon reported $716.9 billion in 2025 revenue, overtaking Walmart's $713.2 billion for the first time. The shift ends Walmart's 13‑year streak as Fortune's top‑revenue company and highlights Amazon's transformation into a tech‑services powerhouse. Growth is now driven by Amazon Web Services, advertising...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 19, 2026
Parcel2Go 2025 Courier Performance Rankings
Parcel2Go released its 2025 courier performance rankings, highlighting the most reliable UK and international delivery services based on thousands of platform bookings. Evri Drop‑Off posted the highest on‑time delivery rate in the UK at 92.44%, while UPS Access Point earned...
By ChannelX (formerly Tamebay)
News•Feb 19, 2026
E-Commerce Orders Enjoyed Big Jump in 2025
U.S. e‑commerce orders surged 147% year‑over‑year in 2025, driven primarily by the top 5% of brands. Shoppers interacted less with marketing but showed markedly higher intent, with promotion clicks 51% more likely to convert and average spend per order climbing...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Feb 19, 2026
Freshfields Advising EBay's $1.2B Depop Purchase From Etsy
eBay announced a $1.2 billion cash acquisition of Depop, the mobile fashion resale platform, from Etsy. Freshfields LLP is advising eBay, while Fenwick & West represents Etsy. The deal aims to strengthen eBay’s appeal to younger, Gen‑Z shoppers and expand its...
By Law360 — Mergers & Acquisitions
News•Feb 19, 2026
Early Week Surge Drives Valentine’s Ecommerce Uplift
UK ecommerce order volumes surged in the days before Valentine’s Day 2026, with Sunday’s orders up 102.5% YoY and Monday up 76.3% YoY. The holiday itself saw a 20.7% YoY decline, indicating shoppers moved purchases forward to avoid delivery risk....
By ChannelX (formerly Tamebay)
News•Feb 19, 2026
Amazon and City Hall Line up for Battle over Delivery Licence in New York
New York City Council is poised to adopt the Delivery Protection Act, a licensing regime that would require final‑mile delivery operators, including Amazon’s third‑party partners, to obtain city permits and directly employ warehouse workers. The legislation follows a city comptroller...
By The Loadstar
News•Feb 19, 2026
Minky Couture Selects Domo AI, Data Products Platform to Boost Operational Visibility
Minky Couture, the Utah‑based luxury blanket retailer, has chosen Domo’s AI and Data Products Platform to unify data across inventory, supply chain, marketing, finance, and store operations. The platform will enable governed data products that deliver near real‑time performance tracking,...
By Retail Customer Experience
Podcast•Feb 19, 2026•5 min
What Retailers Actually Think About Agentic Commerce With Stripe's Maia Josebachvili | 5IM
In this five‑minute interview, Maya Jose Bakvili, Stripe’s CRO of AI, explains "agentic commerce"—AI‑assisted chat purchases and AI‑delegated buying—and how Stripe’s infrastructure supports retailers in this emerging space. She highlights four persistent retailer concerns: maintaining control as merchant of record,...
By Omni Talk
News•Feb 19, 2026
AI Adoption Is Rising in Retail, but Efficiencies Remain Surprisingly Underwhelming
AI adoption is accelerating in retail, with roughly 70% of firms reporting use of some AI technology. Despite this uptake, more than 80% of senior executives say AI has not noticeably affected employment or productivity over the past three years....
By Retail Gazette
Social•Feb 19, 2026
Self‑funded Risk and Standards Built $100M Wellness Brand
She built a $100M wellness brand after doctors gave her codeine and no plan. Siff Haider and her husband launched Arrae in 2020 with two products, funded it with their wedding savings, and hit $1M in nine months without raising capital. They...
By Ask Dr. Brown
News•Feb 19, 2026
Is Poshmark Safe? How to Buy and Sell without Getting Scammed
Poshmark, a leading social‑commerce app for fashion and home goods, is attracting a surge of fraud as the broader $1.1 trillion industry expands. Its 20 % commission on items over $15 pushes users to negotiate off‑platform, exposing them to phishing, counterfeit, and...
By WeLiveSecurity
News•Feb 19, 2026
Shahbandr and Tabby Partner to Bring BNPL to 20,000 Online Stores
Shahbandr, a Saudi e‑commerce enablement platform, has teamed up with fintech app Tabby to embed its Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later solution across the network. The integration will cover more than 20,000 online stores in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, allowing shoppers to split purchases...
By The Fintech Times
News•Feb 19, 2026
TikTok Shop Reverses U.S. Shipping Policy Amid Merchant Concerns over Costs and Fulfillment Challenges
TikTok Shop has scrapped its planned deadline to force U.S. sellers onto TikTok‑managed shipping, keeping seller‑fulfilled logistics unchanged for now. The reversal follows merchant backlash over anticipated higher fulfillment costs, tighter margins, and inventory challenges tied to TikTok’s own warehouses....
By Digiday
News•Feb 19, 2026
ETSY Inc (ETSY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Etsy announced the sale of its Depop platform to eBay for $1.2 billion, positioning the company to focus exclusively on its core marketplace. Q4 2025 delivered record revenue of $882 million and GMS of $3.6 billion, marking the first positive marketplace growth since...
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 19, 2026
Wayfair Inc (W) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Wayfair reported Q4 2025 revenue up 6.9% YoY (7.8% excluding Germany), with adjusted gross margin steady at 30.3% and contribution margin improving to 15.3%. Adjusted EBITDA surged to $224 million, driving full‑year EBITDA above $743 million and free cash flow up 40%...
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 19, 2026
Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (SFM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Sprouts Farmers Market reported fourth‑quarter sales of $2.1 billion, an 8% year‑over‑year increase, and full‑year revenue of $8.8 billion, up 14%. Comparable store sales rose modestly 1.6% in Q4, while e‑commerce grew 15% and now accounts for roughly 15.5% of total sales....
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 19, 2026
Walmart Inc (WMT) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Walmart reported 4.9% constant‑currency revenue growth in Q4, propelled by 24% eCommerce expansion and a 10.5% rise in adjusted operating income. Advertising and membership fees together accounted for nearly one‑third of operating profit, while automation now supports 60% of U.S....
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 18, 2026
Etsy Sells Secondhand Clothing Marketplace Depop to eBay for $1.2B
Etsy announced it will sell its second‑hand fashion app Depop to eBay for $1.2 billion in cash. Depop, which posted roughly $1 billion in gross merchandise volume and 7 million active buyers in 2025, was acquired by Etsy in 2021 for $1.62 billion. The...
By TechCrunch — Mergers & Acquisitions
News•Feb 18, 2026
PepsiCo’s First Creator-Led Product Launch Reimagines Chips for Gen Z
PepsiCo Foods unveiled its first creator‑led "Flavor Swap" snack line, teaming influencers Madison Beer, iShowSpeed and Dude Perfect with new chip‑flavor mash‑ups. The products launched exclusively on TikTok Shop with a nationwide rollout slated for March, aligning the launch with...
By Marketing Dive
News•Feb 18, 2026
Ebay to Acquire Depop Resale Fashion Marketplace for $1.2 Billion
eBay agreed to buy Depop from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash, with the deal slated to close in Q2 2026. Depop, a social‑centric C2C fashion marketplace, will keep its brand and culture after the acquisition. The purchase follows Etsy’s 2021 $1.6 billion...
By Retail TouchPoints
News•Feb 18, 2026
53-Year-Old Home Depot Rival Closing Down, No Bankruptcy
Home Depot, Lowe’s and Amazon together captured 56% of the U.S. home‑improvement market in 2025, leaving independent hardware retailers struggling. Independent stores such as C&H Hardware and the 53‑year‑old Blossom True Value in Mountain View have shut down or announced...
By Yahoo Finance – Finance News
Blog•Feb 18, 2026
Amazon Terminates Blue Jay Robot Project to Pivot Toward Orbital System
Amazon has discontinued its Blue Jay robotic warehouse system only months after its debut, citing prohibitive costs and technical hurdles. The e‑commerce leader is redirecting resources to a new modular architecture called Orbital, aimed at smaller fulfillment centers and grocery...
By Shopifreaks
News•Feb 18, 2026
Forest Lawn Builds an Integrated Procure-to-Pay Backbone by Connecting Vroozi, NetSuite, and Shopify
Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries has built a fully integrated procure-to-pay backbone by linking Vroozi’s procurement platform with NetSuite ERP and Shopify e‑commerce. The integration automates inventory replenishment, accounts payable, and even service procurement, allowing real‑time updates across systems....
By ERP News
Social•Feb 18, 2026
One Quirky Prop Turned a Bland Shirt Ad Into Bestseller
Every shirt ad looked the same. One prop changed everything. In 1951, Hathaway was a small shirt company from Maine that most people had never heard of. They had a $30,000 ad budget, a fraction of what their competitors were spending,...
By Chase Dimond
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Build a 2026 Digital Store Using AI Tools
How To Build A Digital Product Store With AI In 2026 WATCH HERE 👉 https://t.co/ijT1ejXe7l In this video, I show you step-by-step how to build a digital product store using AI in 2026, including how to generate product images, write high-converting...
By Kamil Sattar
News•Feb 18, 2026
Surcharges and Discounts Can’t Overcome Payment Inertia
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s new report shows that merchants’ attempts to shift consumer payment behavior with cash discounts or credit‑card surcharges have little impact because shoppers stick to their preferred method out of habit. Discounts only influence cash‑oriented...
By PaymentsJournal
News•Feb 18, 2026
Williams-Sonoma to Test Ads in ChatGPT
Williams‑Sonoma has joined OpenAI’s ad pilot, becoming one of the first retailers to test sponsored placements inside ChatGPT. The experiment will surface high‑end home‑goods ads to free and Go users as they ask product‑related questions, while paid subscribers remain ad‑free....
By Retail Dive
Blog•Feb 18, 2026
Amazon Sellers Have 2 Weeks to Ensure Compliance of Tools They Use
Amazon will amend its Business Solutions Agreement (BSA) effective March 4, 2026, adding a new Agent Policy that governs AI and automated tools accessing Seller Central. Sellers received notice on February 17 and now have a two‑week window to confirm that any third‑party...
By EcommerceBytes
News•Feb 18, 2026
How Reward Systems Boost Customer Retention in Mobile Apps
Retailers are pivoting from acquisition to retention as mobile apps become the primary consumer channel, with users spending over 85% of their time in apps. A modest 5‑6% lift in app retention can translate into profit gains of 25% to...
By Retail Focus (UK)
Social•Feb 18, 2026
AI Retention Beats Humans by Making Competitors Look Inferior
I teach retention for a living. I've built post-purchase flows for 200+ brands. But I just heard a demo of an AI trying to retain a canceling Spotify customer. And it used tactics most human reps never even attempt. Customer: "You raised...
By Chase Dimond
Social•Feb 18, 2026
Amazon Teams with OpenAI for Custom Shopping AI
🚨 My new exclusive at @ReadTheAisle Amazon has discussed w/ OpenAI working on custom shopping-related AI tied to Rufus, after using its own models and then Anthropic’s, according to sources briefed. The focus goes beyond Rufus’ main use of product Q&A https://t.co/60Z6WBfyvh
By Jason Del Rey
News•Feb 18, 2026
Global Payments Builds Salesforce
Global Payments announced a 300‑agent salesforce expansion in 2026, following its recent acquisition of Worldpay. The company will invest $1 billion this year to accelerate growth of its Genius processing brand and AI capabilities. Adjusted net revenue rose 1% to $2.32 billion...
By Payments Dive
Podcast•Feb 18, 2026•0 min
Shopify’s Product Network: The Quiet Update That Could Change Ecommerce Forever
In this episode, Pep Hufen, CEO of Smart Marketer Agency, explains Shopify’s new Product Network—a feature that lets merchants embed other brands’ products on their own sites without holding inventory or losing the customer relationship. He clarifies that it’s not...
By Smart Marketer
News•Feb 18, 2026
Universal Music Strikes Deal with Superfan Platform EVEN to Power D2C Sales for Artists Worldwide
Universal Music Group has signed a multi‑year agreement with superfan platform EVEN, making the service the primary direct‑to‑fan (D2C) hub for its labels and artists. EVEN will provide turnkey tools for early‑access music, exclusive content, and merchandise sales, leveraging UMG’s...
By Music Business Worldwide (MBW)
News•Feb 18, 2026
TikTok Shop Halts Plan to End Independent Shipping for U.S. Sellers After Backlash
TikTok Shop has scrapped its planned deadline to end seller‑fulfilled shipping for U.S. merchants, keeping the existing independent‑shipping model in place for now. The reversal follows a wave of backlash from brands that warned the shift would raise fulfillment costs,...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 18, 2026
Retail CX Has a Signal Problem
Retail CIOs are confronting a growing "signal problem" as fragmented communication channels undermine customer experience and AI initiatives. Research shows 64 percent of retailers plan to modernize their communication systems to meet consumer expectations for instant, accurate information. Misaligned data streams...
By Total Retail
News•Feb 18, 2026
India’s Fintech Powerhouse Cashfree Payments Expands AI Ambitions with ‘Cashfree Here’ Launch
Cashfree Payments introduced Cashfree Here, an in‑chat payment solution unveiled at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, allowing users to complete transactions directly within AI chat applications. The product leverages Cashfree’s existing API banking infrastructure to embed checkout, tokenised card...
By PaySpace Magazine
News•Feb 18, 2026
New Ecommerce Tools: February 18, 2026
This week’s ecommerce rollout spans AI‑driven marketing, new payment options, and expanded livestream shopping. Mailchimp unveiled predictive analytics, ChatGPT‑powered content tools, and an omnichannel dashboard, while Klarna entered Google Pay in the UK and Amazon launched Pay by Bank for...
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Feb 18, 2026
Flexibility Matters: Why Traditional Hiring Cycles Won’t Cut It for Today’s Retailers
Retailers face massive seasonal spikes, with November‑December sales representing about 20% of annual revenue and holiday sales projected to exceed $1 trillion in 2025. Meeting this demand requires a broad mix of talent—from supply‑chain managers to digital marketers—beyond traditional in‑store staff....
By Total Retail
News•Feb 18, 2026
Stop Fighting Returns, Start Using Them to Build Loyalty
Retailers face $850 billion in US returns in 2025 and a projected $954 billion global market by 2029, yet many still view returns as a cost center. The article argues that turning returns into effortless, proactive experiences can reduce volume, protect margins,...
By Total Retail
News•Feb 18, 2026
Zepto Discontinues Zepto Daily as Subscriptions Fail to Anchor Loyalty in Quick Commerce
Quick‑commerce platform Zepto has shut down its loyalty and subscription service, Zepto Daily, after the program failed to cement customer loyalty. The offering, which was priced as low as Rs 1 per month and previously grew to 4 million subscribers, was removed...
By YourStory
News•Feb 18, 2026
How HelloFresh Expanded Its Subscription Portfolio with Launch of Factor in Germany
HelloFresh has introduced its Factor ready‑to‑eat (RTE) brand in Germany, extending a portfolio that already succeeded in Canada and the United States. Factor delivers fresh, heat‑and‑eat meals with high‑protein and vegetarian options, targeting consumers who want convenience without cooking. The...
By InternetRetailing
News•Feb 18, 2026
Businesses Move to Rein In AI in the Shift to Autonomous Finance
Enterprises are granting AI agents authority to initiate payments, approve refunds, and orchestrate cross‑functional workflows, shifting from assistance to autonomous action. Security researchers warn that more than 1.5 million deployed agents could be exposed to misuse, expanding the attack surface faster...
By PYMNTS
News•Feb 18, 2026
Eddie Bauer Files for Bankruptcy
Eddie Bauer announced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in the District of New Jersey, attributing the move to a consumer shift toward online shopping, persistent inflation and higher tariffs. The filing, the company’s third, outlines a plan to sell some...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Feb 18, 2026
Epetōme Secures Multi-Million-Pound Investment to Scale Its Subscription-Based Gut Health Range Globally
Epetōme, the UK‑based gut‑health brand founded by nutritionist Emily English, has secured a multi‑million‑pound investment led by Active Partners and Redrice Ventures. The funding will accelerate its international rollout and fund expanded clinical trials on probiotics and prebiotics. Since its...
By InternetRetailing
News•Feb 18, 2026
Experience Economy Pushes Payments to $20B Super Bowl Test
The 2026 Super Bowl generated roughly $20.2 billion in experience‑economy spending, spanning tickets, merchandise, streaming and legal wagering. Paysafe’s CEO Bruce Lowthers highlighted the need for payment platforms that can process massive, real‑time transactions across multiple methods without friction. AI‑driven fraud...
By PYMNTS
News•Feb 18, 2026
Nearly Half of Digital Bank Customers Prefer Digital Wallets
A PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 2,071 U.S. bank customers finds that 44.6% of digital‑bank users prefer paying with digital wallets, outpacing other groups. When paired with discounts and clear buyer protection, 35.4% say they would shift account‑to‑account spending to pay‑by‑bank....
By PYMNTS
Podcast•Feb 18, 2026•39 min
European eCommerce Fulfillment Through a Global Lens
In this episode, Kevin interviews Ken Byrne, founder of RedSky Europe, about the challenges and opportunities of European eCommerce fulfillment for global brands. Byrne explains how his experience as an eCommerce brand owner informs RedSky’s tech‑first, scalable approach, especially for...
By The New Warehouse