Today's Ecommerce Pulse
Target launches Circle Deal Days to challenge Amazon Prime Day
Target is launching its Target Circle Deal Days from June 23‑26, positioning the free‑to‑join program as a direct rival to Amazon Prime Day. New members who enroll between June 14‑22 receive a 15% discount on their first purchase, plus a free Starbucks coffee or Bullseye cookie on launch day, and a 50% discount on the first year of Target Circle 360.
Also developing:
By the numbers: FirstClub raises $55M Series B
Moleskine Opens First Neighborhood Concept Store in US
Moleskine opened a 280‑square‑foot boutique on New York’s Upper East Side, marking its first neighborhood‑concept store in the United States. The shop is the sixth Manhattan location and part of a broader plan to open more U.S. stores and renovate existing ones this year. It features a street‑visible embossing and personalization machine and a signature wall of notebooks, underscoring a shift toward interactive, community‑focused retail. The concept builds on a 2023 pilot in Moynihan Train Hall and targets local creatives and students.
GrubMarket Introduces AI Monitoring Tool for Food Distributors and Produce Operators
GrubMarket has launched the Monitoring AI Agent, an artificial‑intelligence tool that continuously watches operational and financial data for food distributors, wholesalers and produce operators. The agent integrates with ERP, accounting, ecommerce and payments systems, sending real‑time alerts when KPIs, inventory...
Stadium Goods’ Strategy Behind a 268% Jump in Email Revenue
Stadium Goods lifted email revenue 268% YoY on Black Friday after a year of CRM overhaul. The company reactivated cold subscribers, shifted merchandising to spotlight high‑demand sneaker drops like the Air Jordan 4 “Black Cat,” and streamlined the email‑to‑checkout flow by...
The Super-Linear Scaling Trap: Solving the Chronic WISMO Drain on Shopify Operations
The episode explores the "super‑linear scaling trap" where WISMO (Where Is My Order) inquiries grow faster than order volume for Shopify brands, eroding margins and customer satisfaction. It explains why standard carrier‑driven notifications fail—treating every scan as equal and creating...
Top 5 AI Video Translation Tools in 2026
In this episode the host breaks down the top five AI video translation tools for 2026—VMEG AI, Rask AI, HeyGen, VEED, and Synthesia—evaluating them on accuracy, voice naturalness, lip‑sync, language coverage, editing flexibility, and export options. Listeners learn how each...
Top 10 Brand Storytelling Agencies Driving ROI in 2026
In this episode, Loieto Tugas breaks down the top ten brand‑storytelling agencies shaping e‑commerce ROI in 2026, highlighting each firm’s unique approach—from Stack Influence’s micro‑influencer UGC model to Dimensional Innovations’ immersive AR/VR experiences. Listeners learn how agencies like Thrive and...
House Bill Aims to Achieve Goals of FTC’s Click-to-Cancel Subscription Rule
Congress reintroduced the Unsubscribe Act (H.R. 7048) on Jan. 13, aiming to curb deceptive subscription practices by requiring clear consent, easy cancellation, and regular notifications. The bill mirrors the FTC’s stalled click‑to‑cancel rule, which a federal court invalidated earlier this year...
Would You Trust Amazon with Your QuickBooks?
Amazon has launched an embedded QuickBooks Online app inside Seller Central, fulfilling a promise made last year. The multi‑year partnership with Intuit lets sellers import financial data, view profit‑and‑loss trends, and monitor inventory across channels, with a three‑month free trial...
Price for VAT Upfront or Lose 20% Margins
VAT will kill your international margins if you don't price for it upfront. Here's the mistake I see all the time: Brand launches in the EU. Pricing stays the same as in the US. Orders start coming in, and revenue looks good...
Bain Forecasts US Retail Sales Slowing to 3.5% in 2026
Bain & Co predicting a slight slow down of U.S. retail sales to 3.5% in 2026 https://t.co/wNVSeqUrE0
UPS Exits Volume Race, Bets on Healthcare, Cross-Border and B2B
UPS announced the completion of its strategic reduction of low‑margin Amazon package volume, cutting it by more than 50% as part of a multi‑year margin‑focused plan. The carrier is redirecting growth toward higher‑margin segments such as healthcare, small‑and‑medium‑business, automotive and...
DailyPay Seeks to Dismiss NY Lawsuit
Earned‑wage‑access providers DailyPay and MoneyLion have filed motions to dismiss New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuits alleging illegal, usurious loans. The companies contend their on‑demand‑pay services are not loans, referencing a CFPB advisory opinion that excludes many EWA products...
Over 50% of Households Worse Off than a Year Ago, Asda Income Tracker Reports
Asda’s income tracker shows that nearly six in ten UK households feel their weekly salaries stretch less than a year ago, with average discretionary income falling to £256 per week. Growth in disposable income stalled in December, erasing gains from...
Revolut Business Launches Subscriptions to Unify Revenue Operations
Revolut Business has launched Subscriptions in the UK, an in‑app solution that lets merchants create, automate and manage recurring payment plans without additional billing software fees. The feature consolidates billing, payments and customer data, offering instant reconciliation, API access, free‑trial...
Velera to Provide Card Processing Services to Ohio-Based Kemba Credit Union
Ohio-based Kemba Credit Union, with 14 branches in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, has selected Velera to provide debit and credit card processing services beginning in August. Velera, a credit union service organization serving more than 4,000 financial institutions across North...
Brands Briefing: AI Personalization Tools Become Sales Drivers
Leatherology introduced "Yours, Truly," an AI‑driven design tool that lets shoppers create or upload artwork for debossed leather products on its direct‑to‑consumer site. Launched in October ahead of Cyber Week, the feature helped the brand exceed its holiday sales goal...
Bolt Picks Affirm as Embedded BNPL Partner
Bolt announced a strategic partnership with Affirm, making the BNPL provider the default financing option across Bolt's U.S. checkout experience. The integration will appear alongside card payments for both logged‑in and guest shoppers without extra merchant development. Rollout begins with...
The B2B Experience Test: How Many Systems Does It Take to Serve One Customer?
The article highlights that typical B2B enterprises rely on six to ten disparate systems to support a single customer journey, leading to fragmented experiences and slow commercial change. It argues that true unified commerce is not about consolidating all functions...
How Merchants Can Tap Into Support From the World’s Largest Payments Ecosystem
The episode explores Visa’s revamped Authorize.net platform, highlighting its new UI, AI‑driven support agent, and five specialized workspaces that streamline customer onboarding, payments, reporting, account management, and marketplace integrations. It emphasizes the platform’s flexibility, allowing merchants to adopt only the...
How Useful Is AI for Marketplace Sellers?
UK businesses report an 11.5% productivity boost from AI, outpacing job creation and intensifying labor concerns. Marketplace seller Simon used AI to automate routine ecommerce tasks, turning weeks of work into minutes. He migrated from legacy platforms to Base.com and...
How Ecommerce Succeeds in Africa
African ecommerce faces unique logistics hurdles, from informal addresses to poor infrastructure, inflating delivery costs and eroding consumer trust. Cash‑on‑delivery remains dominant as shoppers demand inspection before payment, increasing operational risk for merchants. Local innovators counter these challenges by deploying...
EBay Passes on Agentic Shopping — For Now
eBay announced it will block autonomous AI-driven checkout functionality across its marketplace, effectively pausing the rollout of agentic commerce. The company will still allow AI applications that meet strict approval criteria, emphasizing a focus on marketplace fairness, pricing integrity, and...
What’s a Good Ecommerce Conversion Rate? Benchmarks + How to Improve Yours in 2026
Neal Schaffer outlines the 2026 ecommerce conversion landscape, noting a global average of 2.5‑3% and top performers reaching 4‑5% or higher. The article breaks down industry‑specific benchmarks, device disparities, and channel performance, highlighting that food & beverage exceeds 6% while luxury...
Walmart Connect Mexico Taps Advertima for In-Store Retail Media Strategy
Walmart Connect Mexico has teamed with Advertima to deploy Audience AI sensors across hundreds of Walmart Supercenters, creating a large‑scale in‑store audience intelligence network. The 3D sensors capture shop‑floor activity over 30 meters and support multi‑zone zoning, feeding data to both digital...
Virgin Wines Reports Strong Christmas Trading
Virgin Wines UK posted a 5% year‑on‑year revenue increase during the Christmas period, driven by a 40% surge in new customers. In the six months to 2 January, total revenue rose 2% to £34.7 million, with commercial partnerships and corporate gifting outperforming...
9 Self-Service Tech Trends to Watch
At the Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show, Blue Sky Robotics CEO Steven King outlined nine AI‑driven self‑service trends reshaping retail and hospitality. While fully autonomous robots remain years away, computer vision, digital agents, edge computing, cobots, biometrics, predictive modeling,...
Gap Growing Between Retail AI, Consumer Trust
A new VoCoVo report finds a widening gap between retail AI deployments and consumer trust. While 250 U.S. retail leaders are accelerating AI to combat labor shortages, rising costs and shrinkage, 500 recent shoppers remain focused on speed, service quality...
Global Trade Shifts Show Why Retailers Need Agile Tech Stacks
New tariffs and shifting trade routes are compelling retailers to treat technical agility as a competitive advantage. Companies that can integrate ERP, logistics, or e‑commerce systems in days rather than months gain resilience against supply‑chain disruptions. Integration platforms such as...
No More Royal Mail Returns to Northern Ireland on eBay
Royal Mail will stop offering Returns and ParcelForce Returns labels for shipments from Great Britain to Northern Ireland on eBay after Jan 31, due to the Windsor Framework’s new customs data requirements. The change only affects cross‑border returns to NI; domestic...
Just Eat Launches AI Voice Assistant to Tackle ‘Choice Overload’
Just Eat has introduced an AI‑powered voice assistant on iOS and Android in the UK, launching on 27 January. The conversational tool lets users speak naturally to the app, receiving personalised recommendations from its 100,000‑partner network that spans meals, groceries, pharmacy...
MoneyHash Aligns with Tap Payments
MoneyHash, a leading payment orchestration platform, announced a partnership with Tap Payments, integrating Tap’s gateway across nine MENA markets. The integration lets merchants route, monitor, and optimize payments through a single control layer while accessing Tap’s extensive local payment methods...
EBay UK Up & Running Grants Awarded
eBay UK has announced the winners of its Up & Running Grants, selecting 25 businesses to receive a £10,000 cash grant, £1,000 in advertising credits, and personalised account management support. The programme, launched last year, attracted over a thousand applications...
Poundland Joins Retail Trust to Protect Staff Mental Health
Discount retailer Poundland has teamed up with the Retail Trust to extend mental‑health support to its 12,000‑strong workforce. Employees will gain access to a dedicated wellbeing helpline, counselling, financial assistance and resources for young dependents. Store managers will receive CPD‑accredited...
Visa Urges Banks to Rethink Loyalty Beyond Credit Card Rewards
Visa is urging banks to move beyond credit‑card‑centric loyalty programs toward contextual, data‑driven rewards. Margin pressure on interchange fees and the proliferation of consumer loyalty accounts are forcing banks to seek new funding sources, such as merchant‑backed offers. Visa’s suite...
Fiserv and Affirm Expand Partnership to Bring Pay-Over-Time to Debit Cards
Fiserv and Affirm announced an expanded partnership that will embed Affirm’s pay‑over‑time (BNPL) solution into debit card programs. The integration will be available to thousands of U.S. banks, allowing debit cardholders to access installment financing at the point of sale....
CFOs Prepare for AI by Modernizing Payments
CFOs are accelerating payment modernization as AI becomes mainstream, according to Boost Payment Solutions founder Dean Leavitt. The COVID‑19 pandemic forced a rapid shift from checks and wires to digital platforms, boosting transaction volumes and highlighting the need for flexible,...
95% of Shoppers Research Influencer Picks Before Buying
A new PYMNTS Intelligence study of 3,196 U.S. consumers finds that influencers act more as discovery catalysts than direct sales drivers. While 56% of shoppers purchase an influencer‑recommended item at least once a year, 95% conduct additional research before checkout,...
OPINION: Peak Gets Everyone Excited – but January Is Much More Revealing for Retailers
Retailers often treat Black Friday as the ultimate test of customer experience, yet the true test arrives in January when peak‑season buffers disappear. The post‑holiday period exposes weaknesses in returns processing, inventory synchronization, and delivery speed that were masked by...
OneBill and Linked2pay Partner to Streamline Billing and Payments for Merchants
OneBill and linked2pay announced a strategic integration that unifies billing and payment processing for merchants. The partnership embeds linked2pay’s gateway into OneBill’s cloud‑based revenue platform via real‑time APIs, supporting credit‑card, debit‑card and ACH transactions without separate systems. It promises faster...
What Is a Minimum Viable Brand? How To Develop an MVB
In this episode, Jen Hasty explains the concept of a Minimum Viable Brand (MVB)—a stripped‑down brand identity that includes only the essentials like a logo, name, colors, and basic messaging so a company can launch quickly, test the market, and...
E‑commerce Founders Prioritize Metrics over Resolutions
Everyone at the gym: New year new me. Ecom founders at the gym: Thinking about that 3.2% cart abandonment spike. Different mindset. Different life.
Dr Martens Boosted by Turnaround Progress
Dr Martens reported progress in its turnaround, with full‑price direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) sales up 2% year‑to‑date, while overall group revenue fell 2.7% to £253 million in Q3. The company’s wholesale channel rebounded, growing 9.3% as DTC revenue slipped 6.5% due to a...
Ecer.com: Driving Foreign Trade Into the Era of ‘Mobile Transactions’
Ecer.com’s mobile marketplace is reshaping cross‑border B2B trade by enabling end‑to‑end transactions on smartphones. Guangzhou Dinghao Furniture reduced a week‑long order cycle to a single call, leveraging instant messaging, real‑time video and 360° factory tours. Platform data shows response times...
Canadian Retailers Urged to Build Trust and Personalization Through Technology: SOTI Study
Canadian retailers are under pressure to rebuild consumer trust and deliver personalized experiences as inflation curtails spending, according to SOTI’s latest global retail tech study. The survey of 1,000 Canadians shows 83% are shopping more carefully, while 53% expect retailers...
Charming Commerce Ft. Rembrandt Charms
In this episode, host interviews Eric Lux, President of Rembrandt Charms, about the booming online market for charms and the factors driving high conversion rates. Lux explains how vertical integration ensures consistent inventory on retail shelves and streamlines fulfillment. He...
Aligne Appoints Ellie Dickinson as Global DTC Director
Aligne, the London‑based contemporary womenswear label, has named Ellie Dickinson as its global Direct‑to‑Consumer (DTC) director. Dickinson arrives from a commercial director role at Australian brand Dissh, where she oversaw the UK, EU and US markets since September 2024. Her...
PDD Subsidiary Fined by Shanghai Tax Authorities
Shanghai tax authorities fined PDD Holdings' subsidiary Shanghai Xunmeng Information Technology 100,000 yuan for failing to submit required tax information for Q3 2025 under China’s new platform reporting rules. The penalty, roughly US$14,000, is modest relative to PDD’s scale but...
What’s In Your Cart?: E.l.f. Beauty’s Chief Brand Officer Laurie Lam on Her Obsession with Black Sesame, Hotel Experiences and...
Laurie Lam, chief brand officer of e.l.f. Beauty, shared her personal shopping habits, emphasizing a preference for minority‑owned and female‑founded brands. She highlighted recent impulse buys such as a black‑sesame crunchy butter from Rooted Fare and sustainable travel experiences at...
Michael Hill Expects Strong Earnings Uplift as Sales Grow
Michael Hill International forecast a 12‑24 percent rise in comparable EBIT for the half year to December 28, targeting $27‑30 million. Group sales increased 3.1 percent to $370.3 million, led by a 6.2 percent surge in Canada and modest gains in Australia and New Zealand. Same‑store sales...
C&I Expo Returns to Sydney as Convenience Retail Decision Makers Gather
The Convenience & Impulse Retailing Expo returns to Sydney on March 17‑18, gathering Australia’s petrol, convenience and independent grocery decision‑makers. Organisers project 1,200‑1,800 senior attendees and more than 120 exhibitors showcasing food, beverage, technology and store‑fit solutions. The event emphasizes...