Today's Ecommerce Pulse
Amazon commits $10.9B to expand European fulfillment network
Amazon announced a $10.9 bn investment to modernise its European warehouse and delivery operations, creating 25,000 new fulfillment jobs. The plan includes a $940 mn training fund for upskilling workers and the rollout of upgraded Proteus autonomous robots.
Also developing:
By the numbers: FirstClub raises $55M Series B
Global‑e Online Shares Tumble 30% as Cross‑Border Growth Slows
Global‑e Online’s stock has dropped 30% this year as investors worry about a slowdown in international e‑commerce expansion. The company reported a 33% revenue increase and a 40% rise in gross merchandise value in Q1 2026, but war‑related disruptions and high inflation are weighing on sentiment.
Taming the Returns Monster
Retailers face a $850 billion returns burden, representing 15.8% of U.S. sales, as generous policies become baseline expectations. Fraud now makes up roughly 9% of all returns, driving operational costs and distorting demand signals. To protect margins, firms are shifting to...
Tapstitch Review: Is This the Right POD Platform for Building a Real Clothing Brand?
Tapstitch is a print‑on‑demand platform that focuses solely on high‑quality apparel, offering fashion‑fit blanks such as heavyweight tees and oversized hoodies. The service integrates with Shopify, Etsy and Wix, automating order routing, production, and US or international shipping. Pricing is...
Tapstitch vs Printify: Which Print-on-Demand Platform Is Right for Your Brand?
Tapstitch and Printify represent two opposite ends of the print‑on‑demand spectrum. Tapstitch targets fashion‑first brands with in‑house production, consistent garment quality and fully branded packaging, but carries higher per‑item costs and a limited apparel catalog. Printify operates as a marketplace...
TapTap Now Lifts Monthly Food‑delivery Orders in Cap‑Haïtien From 16 to 140
TapTap Now, the Haitian‑American delivery platform, has expanded its service in Cap‑Haïtien, raising monthly orders from roughly 16 in 2023 to about 140 in 2026. The growth reflects shifting consumer habits, diaspora inflows and a broader rise in digital commerce...
AI Powers 80% of My Fully Autonomous E‑Commerce Brand
The AI ecom stack I run every week: ✅ Product research → Claude ✅ Store design → Claude Design ✅ Store build → Claude Code + Shopify CLI ✅ Image ads → Nano Banana ✅ UGC ads → Seedance 2.0 ✅ Copy → Claude 🔲 Customer support...
Inside Tilt Rips: Sam Kiki’s Latest Empire Move Has Nothing to Do With Gambling
Sam Kiki, founder of MonkeyTilt, launched Tilt Rips, a digital platform where users purchase virtual Pokémon card packs and receive the physical cards by mail. The service offers four tiers ranging from $25 to $3,000, with each pack containing at...
Deals: Best Buy Memorial Day Sale, Nothing Headphone (a) All-Time Low, Phone (3), $1,000 Off Windows Copilot+ PCs, More
Best Buy and Amazon kicked off Memorial Day with deep discounts across consumer electronics, including up to 50% off TVs, Apple gear, and Android phones. Nothing’s flagship Headphone (a) fell to $169, a 15% cut, while the unlocked Nothing Phone (3)...
Turkish Online Spending Reached 86 Billion Euros
Turkey's online transaction volume surged 52% year‑over‑year, hitting 4.57 trillion lira (about $143 bn) or roughly €86 bn ($93 bn) in 2025. The e‑commerce sector accounted for 19.5% of all retail sales and 6.9% of GDP, with total online sales reaching $115.5 bn, a 29%...
The Two Internets: Why Shopify Merchants Need to Win Both
Shopify merchants are facing a shift from an attention‑driven to an interpretation economy, where AI agents and human shoppers both decide which stores appear in purchase recommendations. Since November 2025, AI‑driven traffic to Shopify stores has risen seven‑fold and AI‑attributed orders...
Topsort Launches TikTok Offsite Ads to Extend Commerce Media Beyond Onsite Placements
Topsort unveiled TikTok Offsite Ads, a new AI‑native capability that lets marketplaces and vendors run TikTok campaigns directly from its commerce media platform. The feature integrates TikTok advertising into the same catalog, budgeting, scheduling and reporting infrastructure that powers onsite...
When Products Go Viral: How E-Commerce Leaders Can Prepare for Demand Spikes
A single viral moment on platforms like TikTok can drive order volumes that dwarf a retailer’s typical weekly sales, exposing weaknesses in fulfillment operations. Benchmarks show average pick rates of 23 orders per hour, while best‑in‑class warehouses achieve up to...
Shein to Acquire Sustainable Brand Everlane for $100 Million
Shein has agreed to buy Everlane for roughly $100 million, a deal approved by Everlane’s board on May 16. The acquisition pits the fast‑fashion giant against a brand built on sustainability, raising questions about the future of ethical clothing.
Amazon Inches Toward $3 Trillion Valuation as AWS Fuels Growth
Amazon's market capitalization reached $2.84 trillion, putting it within 5.5% of the $3 trillion threshold. The surge follows a 17% rise in first‑quarter net sales and a 28% jump in AWS revenue, underscoring the retailer's AI‑powered growth engine. Analysts say the momentum...
Incrementality Theater: Why Retail Media Keeps Grading Its Own Homework
Retail media networks increasingly market "incrementality" but often deliver repackaged last‑click attribution, creating a false sense of performance. Brands receive fragmented dashboards from each retailer, which isolate results and hide overlap, duplication, and true lift across the broader media mix....
Amazon Now Rolls Out $3.99 30‑Minute Delivery in U.S. Cities
Amazon has launched its premium 30‑minute delivery service, Amazon Now, in dozens of U.S. and international markets. The service starts at $3.99 for Prime members and $13.99 for non‑members, using new micro‑hubs stocked with about 3,500 items. The move intensifies...
Delhivery CEO Sahil Barua Calls Amazon’s 3PL Push “Old Product in New Wrapper”, Questions XpressBees Edge
Delhivery CEO Sahil Barua dismissed Amazon’s newly opened third‑party logistics platform in India as an “old product in a new wrapper,” questioning its strategic value for merchants. He highlighted a scale mismatch, noting that external shipments would be tiny compared...
Marketplace Growth Is Outpacing Ecommerce. Here’s Why Payments Infrastructure Will Shape Who Scales.
Retailers such as Lowe’s, Best Buy, Ulta Beauty and Nordstrom are launching third‑party marketplace platforms, driving US online marketplace sales up 11.5% in 2025—almost double the overall ecommerce growth rate. The shift from a single‑seller storefront to a multi‑seller marketplace forces a...
1 in 5 Shoppers Left Their Wallet at Home Today. Is Your Store Ready for Them?
A McKinsey study shows one in five U.S. shoppers now leave home without a physical wallet, using phones for tap‑to‑pay across age groups. Millennials (66.7%) and Gen X (44%) have embraced digital wallets, making cash and card‑only checkout a competitive liability....
What Tesco’s Transition to QR Codes Powered by GS1 Means for You
Tesco has begun replacing traditional linear barcodes with QR codes on its core sausage range, marking the first large‑scale rollout of GS1‑powered QR labels in a live retail environment. The shift follows two years of pilots that proved QR codes...
Retail Technology Show 2026: Turning Omnichannel Into Operational Advantage
At the Retail Technology Show in London, retailers heard a stark warning: omnichannel is no longer a strategic goal but an operational capability that must be run efficiently and profitably. Speakers emphasized that the real challenge lies in execution—specifically, orchestrating...
Buy Now, Pay Later in U.S. Shopping
A Gallup survey of 1,024 U.S. adults finds that 51% have used online installment‑plan services, while 27% use them frequently or occasionally. Usage is highest among lower‑income households, with 37% of those earning under $48,000 opting for installments, compared with...
Simkhai Is Building an AI Storefront for Shoppers Who Don’t Know What to Search
Simkhai is launching a brand‑owned AI storefront, Simkhai.ai, to extend its in‑store styling experience to the digital realm. The site will sit alongside Simkhai.com and feature a TikTok‑style discovery feed, a chat‑based styling assistant, and a virtual try‑on fit tool....
Member Brief: Everlane and The Edge of Fashion DTC
Everlane entered the direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) arena in 2011, positioning itself as the modern Gap with a promise of radical price and production transparency. The brand’s digital‑first strategy built on a curated, faux‑luxury aesthetic that resonated with millennial shoppers. Meanwhile, Quince...
Peekabox Raises $1.5 Million to Tackle Food Waste in the UAE
UAE‑based food‑tech startup Peekabox closed an oversubscribed $1.5 million seed round to accelerate its surplus‑food marketplace across the Emirates. The platform lets restaurants, cafes and grocery chains sell fresh surplus items at 50‑70% discounts through app‑based “surprise boxes.” At launch it...
Gen Z Now Makes Up Half of India’s Online Fashion & Beauty Shoppers, Driving $66 B Market
Gen Z now represents roughly 50% of India’s online fashion and beauty shoppers, pushing the sector’s gross merchandise value to $66 billion. The cohort’s spend is 1.5 times higher than older groups, prompting platforms like Amazon, Myntra and Nykaa to overhaul...
Emersoft Teams with Gardners to Launch Shopify, POS and TikTok Tools for UK Bookstores
Emersoft announced a partnership with UK wholesaler Gardners that will embed Gardners’ catalogue and availability data into Emersoft’s Shopify‑native bookstore app. The integration, slated for early June 2026, adds Shopify POS and TikTok Shop capabilities, giving independent UK booksellers a...
Google Embeds Klarna, Affirm BNPL Into Gemini AI, Reshaping Checkout
Google has woven Klarna and Affirm financing into its Gemini AI platform, allowing U.S. users to view buy‑now‑pay‑later options inside Google Search, Google Pay and the Gemini app. The move pushes BNPL providers from traditional checkout pages into conversational AI,...
GigaCloud Posts 32% YoY Revenue Rise as European B2B Marketplace Expands
GigaCloud Technology announced first‑quarter 2025 revenue of $660 million, a 32% year‑over‑year increase, propelled by an 86% jump in European sales and rapid expansion of its gigab2b.com marketplace. The debt‑free firm highlighted a $1.7 billion gross merchandise value and a growing network...
The Upscale Steakhouse Chain That Sells Butcher Boxes For Dry-Aged Steaks At Home
The Capital Grille has launched the Capital Butcher program, delivering its in‑house dry‑aged steaks directly to consumers. A four‑piece box featuring bone‑in ribeye and New York strip sells for $180, while individual cuts range from $35 to $40. The steaks...
Why Does Amazon Have No Western Rivals?
Amazon has become the world’s largest company by sales, commanding 40.5% of U.S. online retail and about 30% of the U.K. market. Its dominance stems from a first‑mover advantage, relentless reinvestment of AWS profits into low‑margin retail, and the sticky...
Trust Is the only MOAT in Value Commerce
Snapdeal’s head of customer experience argues that trust, not price or flashy features, is the only sustainable moat in India’s value‑commerce market. He illustrates how cash‑on‑delivery, generous return policies and vernacular support act as trust contracts for customers who have...
Shopping With AI: Where Brands Win Or Lose In The Modern Purchase Journey | Yotpo
The article illustrates how modern shoppers discover products through real‑world moments and AI‑driven platforms, using a personal example of buying sneakers after a Google Lens scan. It highlights that 71% of consumers read reviews, 72% intend to use AI‑enabled search,...
Stripe President Says Shoppers Want to Leave Mundane Tasks to AI
Stripe co‑founder and president John Collison told Bloomberg that the next wave of e‑commerce will be driven by "agentic commerce," where AI agents handle routine checkout tasks for shoppers. He argues that consumers want low‑friction experiences, preferring AI to fill...
Pattern Posts Double-Digit Q1 Revenue Growth and Cuts Operating Losses
Pattern (PTRN) posted double‑digit revenue growth and narrowed operating losses in its Q1 2026 earnings call, highlighting strong global adoption of its e‑commerce platform. The company also unveiled AI‑driven product upgrades aimed at deepening brand engagement across North America, Europe...
Sea Ltd Posts 30% GMV Surge and $220M EBITDA in Q1 2026 Earnings Call
Sea Limited announced a 30% year‑on‑year increase in gross merchandise volume and adjusted EBITDA above $220 million for Q1 2026, driven by Shopee’s e‑commerce surge, SeaMoney loan book expansion and Garena’s record gaming quarter. Management reaffirmed full‑year guidance while emphasizing disciplined...
EBay's $1.2 B Depop Deal Fuels Fashion‑Focused Turnaround
eBay agreed to acquire Depop for $1.2 billion, sharpening its focus on fashion and luxury resale. CEO Jamie Iannone’s vertical strategy, authenticity services and high‑profile collaborations have driven a 19% revenue rise and a 30% stock gain this year.
Gap Inc. Shutters Final Oakland Store, Ending 26‑Year Local Run
Gap Inc. announced the closure of its last Oakland store, ending a 26‑year presence as the lease expires in summer 2026. The move follows a year in which the retailer closed 32 stores, boosted online sales to 39% of revenue...
Stripe Co‑Founder John Collison Calls Keyword Search ‘Ridiculous’ as AI Agents Redefine E‑commerce
Stripe co‑founder John Collison told Bloomberg that AI agents acting as personal shoppers will upend the e‑commerce model, labeling traditional keyword search “ridiculous.” He warned brands must learn to appeal to autonomous bots, a shift that could reshape payments, advertising...
Amazon Unveils AI‑Powered Shopping Ads Tied to Streaming TV, Reaching 90% of U.S. Households
Amazon announced a new ad offering that blends AI‑driven campaign tools, authenticated audience data and premium streaming inventory. The platform claims to reach roughly 90% of U.S. households and will power “agentic shopping” experiences across live sports and on‑demand video.
Amazon Swaps Rufus for Alexa for Shopping, Puts Voice AI at Core of E‑Commerce
Amazon announced this week that its experimental Rufus chatbot is being retired and replaced by a new assistant called Alexa for Shopping. The update embeds conversational buying tools directly into the site’s primary search field, letting shoppers ask product questions,...
Walmart’s E‑Commerce Sales Jump 27% as Store‑Based Fulfillment Sparks Worker Strain
Walmart announced a 27% increase in e‑commerce sales for the latest quarter, the eighth straight quarter of over‑20% growth, powered by its network of roughly 4,600 U.S. stores acting as hyper‑local fulfillment hubs. The rapid expansion is creating labor pressures...
Olive Young’s Olive Better Wins 1.8 Million Users in First 100 Days
CJ Olive Young reported that its new wellness marketplace Olive Better added 1.8 million members within 100 days of launch, while foreign‑customer sales surged from 7% to almost half of revenue at flagship locations. The rapid uptake signals strong global appetite...
Timeless eBay Selling Tips Apply to Any Marketplace
Here's an article written for my website years ago by an old-school cigar memorabilia collector and marketplace expert about how to sell on eBay (with occasional updates by me). Amazingly, plenty of what he talks about is still relevant today,...
Cosyland Recalls 125,200 Children's Tower Stools From Amazon Over Safety Concerns
Cosyland announced a recall of 125,200 children's tower stools sold on Amazon after safety defects were identified. The recall, affecting a popular product for toddlers, spotlights the liability risks and supply‑chain oversight challenges facing e‑commerce sellers on large marketplaces.
Amazon Shifts Prime Day 2026 to June, Early Deal Submissions Begin March
Amazon announced that its 2026 Prime Day will take place in June instead of the traditional July slot. Early deal submissions opened on March 24, with final offers due May 26, and the event is expected to launch around June...
#522 - 15 Prime Day & AI Strategies to Maximize Amazon Sales – Part 2
In this episode, PPC veteran Vincenzo Toscano shares three Prime Day‑focused strategies: retargeting shoppers with sponsor display ads, launching category‑specific campaigns, and aggressively adjusting bids in the 48‑72 hour window before the event. He then dives into AI tactics, showing...
Amazon Expands 30‑minute Delivery to 12 U.S. Cities, Targeting Tens of Millions More Shoppers
Amazon has rolled out its ultra‑fast Amazon Now service to 12 U.S. metros, promising 30‑minute delivery of thousands of items. The expansion pits the e‑commerce giant against Walmart, Target and Instacart in a race to make same‑hour fulfillment the new...
Flipkart Widens Lead over Amazon, Meesho in Ecommerce User Growth: CLSA
Flipkart added 26.8 million weekly active users (WAUs) year‑to‑date, widening its lead over Amazon and Meesho, which together added only 10.6 million WAUs. In the week ending May 4, Flipkart grew by 8.5 million WAUs, compared with Amazon’s 6.6 million and a 5.9 million loss at...
Walmart's Online Grocery Surge Strains Workers, Threatens Sales Efficiency
Walmart reported a 27% jump in e‑commerce sales last quarter, marking its eighth straight quarter of double‑digit growth. The surge is forcing employees at its 4,600 U.S. stores to juggle heavy online orders alongside traditional duties, sparking safety concerns and...