Today's Ecommerce Pulse
Target launches Circle Deal Days to rival Amazon Prime Day
Target announced its Target Circle Deal Days running June 23‑26, positioning the free‑to‑join program as a direct competitor to Amazon Prime Day. New members who enroll between June 14‑22 receive a 15% discount on their first purchase and a free Starbucks coffee or Bullseye cookie on June 23. Additional perks include 50% off the first year of Target Circle 360.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Howdens to acquire DIY Kitchens for $495M
Online Hustle Podcast: The Future of Live Selling and Scaling Retail Brands
The Online Hustle podcast episode with Avask explores e‑commerce’s journey from early eBay days to today’s live‑selling and AI‑driven retail. The hosts break down strategic decisions around inventory, marketplace focus, and international expansion, spotlighting eBay Live, TikTok, and Amazon’s fulfillment network. They outline three upcoming AI adoption stages that will automate purchasing agents. The discussion stresses mastering a single channel before scaling to capture Gen Z shoppers and reduce expansion risk.
Amazon India to Scale up Rest Facilities for Delivery Associates to 250 in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Other Cities
Amazon India announced it will expand its Ashray rest‑stop network to 250 centres across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and other cities, adding 50 new sites by the end of May. The facilities offer air‑conditioned seating, water, electrolytes, charging points...
Arkansas Secures $848,000 From Walmart Over Spark Driver Settlement
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin secured an $848,000 payout from Walmart, recouping part of the retailer's $100 million FTC settlement over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark delivery drivers. The state lawsuit underscores growing regulatory scrutiny of large retailers' gig‑style logistics...
Lightspeed Appoints Bhawna Singh as CTO to Accelerate AI, Payments and Wholesale Tools
Lightspeed Commerce announced Bhawna Singh as its new chief technology officer, pairing the hire with a suite of AI‑driven product upgrades for retail and hospitality merchants. Singh, a former CTO of Okta and Glassdoor, will steer the platform’s next phase...
Corrugated Box Choices Can Make or Break Margins for Fast‑Growing E‑commerce Stores
A new analysis highlights how improper corrugated packaging—oversized boxes, wrong wall strength or mismatched material—can wipe out profit on a single order for Amazon, Etsy, eBay and Shopify sellers. The report urges fast‑growing stores to treat box selection as an...
Mobility at the Forefront: How Mobile POS Is Redefining Specialty Retail
Mobile point‑of‑sale (POS) systems are rapidly reshaping specialty retail by allowing associates to complete transactions anywhere on the sales floor. A Toshiba × Retail Dive survey shows 67% of retailers have adopted mobile POS, bringing the average store to 3.04 checkout options....
Why Click and Collect Is Winning Australia’s Fuel Price Crunch
Rising fuel prices in Australia—now about US$1.65 per litre for petrol and US$2.00 for diesel—are forcing shoppers to treat trips to physical stores as a calculated expense. Coles Group saw its online share surge from 3% to roughly 14% in...
How Merchant Choice Routing Can Boost a Retailer’s Bottom Line
Debit cards now represent over 75% of Australian card payments, making transaction‑cost efficiency a priority for retailers. Merchant Choice Routing (MCR), also called Least‑Cost Routing, lets merchants direct debit transactions to the cheaper network—typically the domestic eftpos system—without altering the...
How Can Beauty Brands Prepare for the Next Wave of Agentic Shopping?
A new Pattern Group report finds 59% of beauty brands are exploring AI‑powered search and shopping agents, yet only 27% feel fully prepared to make agents a primary discovery and purchase channel. Fiona Reid, Director of International Business at Pattern,...
Opinion: Europe Can’t Afford to Sit on the Agentic Commerce Sidelines
At Stripe Sessions 2026, industry leaders warned that the traditional bot‑vs‑human model of e‑commerce is collapsing as AI agents become the primary shoppers. Merchants must expose product details in a machine‑readable format, prompting the rollout of the Universal Commerce Protocol...
Apple India Store Policy on Refunds and Exchanges
Apple clarified that products purchased at its Indian Apple Store cannot be refunded or exchanged unless they are defective. The rule applies to both the online portal and the company‑owned retail locations in major metros. Defective items covered by warranty...
Bullish on Quick Commerce, Says Walmart CEO John Furner at Flipkart Townhall
Walmart CEO John Furner told a Flipkart town‑hall in Bengaluru that the retailer is bullish on India’s quick‑commerce market. He highlighted that Walmart has already sourced more than $40 billion of goods from Indian manufacturers and is meeting Prime Minister Narendra...
5 Takeaways From Glossy’s Leaders Dinner: Retail’s Growth Playbook Is Getting More Human
At the Glossy and Modern Retail Leaders Dinner hosted with Global Payments, senior brand and retail executives examined the forces shaping growth, including AI, climbing customer‑acquisition costs, wholesale channel volatility, shifting discovery habits, and the changing purpose of physical stores....
Luxury Briefing: Pinterest’s Luxury Pitch Is AI Discovery, Not AI Answers
Pinterest’s latest earnings call revealed a sharpened luxury strategy that pivots the platform toward AI‑driven visual discovery rather than conversational answers. The company aims to become the go‑to engine for shoppers who start with images and want instant, shoppable recommendations....
Amazon’s Rufus Can Now Buy Things for You. Here’s What That Means for Sellers.
Amazon’s AI shopping assistant Rufus has added an Auto Buy feature that lets Prime members set price targets and have the bot purchase items within 30 minutes of a trigger. The upgrade follows a surge in usage—monthly active users up 115%,...
Bunnings Set To Launch Online Store For Customers In Fiji
Bunnings announced the launch of a dedicated online store for Fiji, offering 20,000 curated hardware and home‑improvement products. The e‑commerce platform will be powered by Bunnings’ Australian distribution centre and international shipping partners, with longer delivery windows clearly disclosed. The...
Peak Merchant: The Brief Window Where Individual Operators Outpace Entire Teams
The article warns Shopify merchants that AI‑driven product discovery has become the dominant acquisition channel, with AI traffic up 393% YoY in Q1 2026 and converting 42% better than traditional sources. During this "Peak Merchant" window, a single operator with clean...
How To Create a Birthday Rewards Program: Guide for SMBs
Ecommerce Fastlane outlines a step‑by‑step guide for SMBs to launch birthday rewards programs on Shopify. The article cites Upside research showing that 60% of one‑time shoppers never return, but a single extra visit per month could boost revenue by 84%‑208%....
How To Optimize Facebook Ads To Boost Online Sales
Facebook ad optimization is essential for ecommerce brands seeking higher ROAS and lower CAC. Retail conversion rates average 3.26%, but marketers can exceed this by consolidating campaigns, aligning budget across the funnel, and leveraging Meta’s Advantage Plus and dynamic product ads....
Mercado Libre Sacrifices Short-Term Profits to Fuel Growth
Mercado Libre reported a 49% year‑over‑year jump in net revenue to $8.8 billion in Q1 2026, fueled by aggressive investments in free‑shipping, a new credit card, first‑party inventory and cross‑border trade. Despite the revenue surge, net income fell 16% to $417 million...
Wunderkind and Bloomreach Launch Integration to Monetize Anonymous Traffic
Wunderkind announced a native integration of its Autonomous Marketing Platform with Bloomreach’s Loomi AI, enabling ecommerce brands to identify more anonymous site visitors and trigger higher‑performing campaigns. Early adopters reported a three‑fold increase in triggered email revenue, highlighting the partnership’s...
Headless Commerce Adoption Jumps 312% as Retailers Ditch Monoliths
Adoption of headless commerce surged 312% in Q1 2026, according to the Commerce Architecture Institute. Retailers such as Athletic Nation and Modern Living report dramatic page‑load and conversion gains, underscoring a rapid move away from monolithic e‑commerce stacks.
Uncertain About Subsidizing Electronic Shelf Labels
I’m not saying @BasilHalperin is right that we should subsidize electronic shelf labels. I’m just not saying he’s not right. https://t.co/YbS8Z7k0Pf
Half of Luxury Shoppers Prefer Resale, and The RealReal Saw It Coming
Luxury resale is moving from niche to mainstream, with nearly half of luxury shoppers now weighing resale value and almost 60% preferring the secondary market. The RealReal leveraged its AI‑driven Athena intake system to process 35% of items in Q1,...
Amazon Launches Amazon Supply Chain Services, Leveraging 80,000 Trailers and 100+ Aircraft
Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), a unified logistics platform that gives any company access to its vast freight, warehousing and parcel network. The service taps more than 80,000 trailers, 24,000 intermodal containers and over 100...
FastSpring Lands Strategic Investment From LLR Partners to Fuel Global Commerce Push
FastSpring, the merchant‑of‑record SaaS platform, secured a strategic investment from private‑equity firm LLR Partners, with existing backer Accel‑KKR staying on board. The capital will back product development, go‑to‑market expansion and broader global commerce initiatives, underscoring rising demand for integrated payment...
1stdibs.Com Inc (DIBS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
1stdibs.Com reported its first quarter of adjusted EBITDA profitability, posting $1.3 million at a 6% margin, a 1,300‑basis‑point improvement year‑over‑year. Net revenue rose 1% to $23 million while GMV slipped 5% to $90.2 million, hitting the low end of guidance. Operating expenses...
Shopify Quietly Rolls Out Native llms.txt Files for Stores, Adding Structured Data Layer for AI Agents
Shopify has begun silently deploying native llms.txt files to merchant stores, providing a machine‑readable metadata file at /llms.txt. The file contains store currency, contact info, direct product and search links, and endpoints for agent instructions, UCP and MCP programmatic commerce....
Online Vendors Object to Fee Hikes
Thai online merchants are pressing the government for stricter regulation after e‑commerce platforms repeatedly raised sales‑commission fees, which now consume 22‑30% of their revenue. The Thai e‑Commerce Association has gathered complaints from about 200 vendors and will submit them to...
637: The AI Automation Stack Behind The Fastest Growing Ecommerce Brands With Leo Sgovio
In this episode, Leo Segovia reveals his AI‑driven automation stack that handles influencer outreach, video ad creation, and product launches without giveaways or paid ads, enabling him to sell 5,000 units before Christmas. He explains how his system scrapes and...
Amaze Announces Partnership With All Media Solutions To Power Brand Supply For Amaze Live
Amaze Holdings announced a partnership with All Media Solutions to secure immediate access to a portfolio of consumer and premium fashion brands for the launch of its multi‑channel live shopping platform, Amaze Live, on May 15, 2026. The deal enables...
Google Shopping Kept Winning While You Chased TikTok Shop
Google Shopping continues to dominate e‑commerce in 2026 thanks to three structural advantages: deep commercial intent, multi‑placement reach, and downstream influence on AI shopping agents like ChatGPT and Gemini. A single Merchant Center feed now powers paid ads, free listings,...
DoorDash Reports Record Membership Signups, New High for Monthly Active Users in Q1
DoorDash reported $4 billion in Q1 2026 revenue, a 33% year‑over‑year increase, alongside a 27% jump in orders to 933 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose 28% to $754 million, and the company posted record membership signups and its highest monthly active‑user count. Growth was...
I Found Max Mara, On Running and Birkenstock on Sale This Week & Couldn’t Keep It to Myself
Rue La La, a free‑membership flash‑sale site, is featuring a wave of designer discounts this week, including Max Mara items under $50 and Birkenstock sandals under $150. The platform’s “featured events” appear unpredictably, offering deeper price cuts for a limited window. Shoppers are...
TikTok Users Are Motivated by Affiliate Links
TikTok’s shopping ecosystem is accelerating, with affiliate links prompting deeper consumer research. Donte Murry reports that 77 % of viewers who encounter affiliate content immediately search for additional product information. Comments from other users serve as a powerful social‑proof layer, influencing first‑time...
Meta's AI Agent Plans Reportedly Include an OpenClaw Competitor that Can Shop on Instagram
Meta is developing an AI agent called Hatch, modeled after the open‑source OpenClaw platform, to embed autonomous shopping capabilities within Instagram and other Meta apps. The agent has been trialed on simulated versions of services such as DoorDash, Reddit and...
Find some of L.A.'s Best New Poke in a Koreatown Parking Lot
Kelsey Sachi Lee, longtime fish supplier to top L.A. chefs, has launched Dover Sole Market, an Instagram‑driven pop‑up that sells premium ahi poke from the back of her car in Koreatown and Sherman Oaks. The venture sources fresh big‑eye ahi...
Amperity Rolls Out AI Assistants for Real‑Time Retail Customer Action
Amperity introduced a suite of AI assistants that combine identity‑resolved profiles with real‑time decisioning, enabling retailers to personalize sessions, recover abandoned carts and track cost impact instantly. The launch targets more than 400 brands seeking to move from static campaigns...
Fast Simon Hires Shaun Lin to Lead U.S. and Australia Partner Network
Fast Simon has appointed Shaun Lin as Director of Partnerships, tasking him with expanding the company’s agency and technology partner network across the United States and Australia. The hire targets shifting agency economics and rising demand for on‑site conversion tools,...
How E-Commerce Feedback Platforms Reduce Cart Abandonment Through Real-Time Intervention?
E‑commerce product teams are adopting real‑time feedback platforms to intervene at the exact moment shoppers hesitate during checkout, replacing post‑session analysis with instant action. By embedding micro‑surveys and monitoring behavioral signals, these tools detect friction such as unexpected costs, payment...
Amazon Launches Multi‑Marketplace Dashboard, Slashing Seller Time by 83%
Amazon unveiled a Multi‑Marketplace Command Center that lets sellers control listings, inventory and ads across Amazon, eBay and Walmart from a single interface. Early beta data show an 83% reduction in daily management time and a 112% lift in cross‑platform...
Digital Asset Marketplace Examples + How To Set Up Your Own
A digital asset marketplace lets creators sell downloadable products such as photos, courses, and code directly to buyers. Sellers can use third‑party platforms like Etsy or Gumroad, but these services impose high commissions and limit brand and data control. The...
Ulta Beauty Joins Uber Eats Marketplace, Expanding Delivery Options
Ulta Beauty announced its entry into the Uber Eats marketplace, adding more than 1,500 U.S. stores for same‑day delivery of thousands of beauty products. The move, timed just before Mother’s Day, expands Ulta’s omnichannel reach and leverages Uber Eats’ push...
Point of Sale Innovations to Modernize the Shopper Experience
Salesforce’s Agentforce Commerce announced a suite of Point‑of‑Sale upgrades that unify orders, product data, inventory, and carts across online, in‑store, and back‑office channels. The platform now supports Android devices alongside iOS, letting retailers use existing hardware and reduce training time....
AI-Powered Search Transforms Online Shopping Experience
We've just released @Fin_ai for E-commerce solving one of the biggest pain points for buying online. We've finally broken free of the limited land of faceted filters and actually recreated a great in-store experience. The biggest reason buying online sucked...
Ecommerce Trends: How Online Retailers Compete Against Amazon
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen proposed a $56 billion acquisition of eBay, positioning the combined entity as a credible challenger to Amazon. Cohen envisions using GameStop’s brick‑and‑mortar footprint to strengthen eBay’s omnichannel fulfillment, authentication, and logistics. The move underscores a broader industry...
The Psychology of Beauty Retouching: Why Perfect Images Influence Buyers
The article explains that consumers form trust judgments about a brand within 100 milliseconds of seeing an image, making visual polish a decisive factor before any copy or price is considered. Research from Princeton shows facial cues drive perceived trustworthiness,...
Why Your Ads Aren't Working
In this episode, host Richard Gaffin and Joy Sharma break down the five core levers of e‑commerce growth—landing pages, offers, creatives, customer journey, and marketing moments—and argue that the customer journey is the single most critical factor for scaling a...
Optimize Product Pages: 5 Rules for Converting Traffic
Most ecommerce brands pour all their effort into their ads and emails, only to then send all that traffic to a product page that hasn't been touched in months. Here are 5 product page rules you need to know: → Make the...
ThredUp Expands Resale-as-a-Service and Launches Advisory Board to Scale Recommerce
ThredUp announced the next phase of its Universal Recommerce Layer, adding a five‑expert strategic advisory board and highlighting a 37% jump in branded resale adoption since May 2025. The move aims to make its Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform the default circular...