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
ThredUp Q1 Revenue Jumps 14.6% to $81.7 M on Record Buyer Gains
ThredUp posted first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $81.7 million, up 14.6% year over year, as new‑buyer acquisition and marketing efficiencies lifted active buyers 25% and orders 19.3%. The growth came with a slight dip in average selling price and a 190‑basis‑point decline in adjusted EBITDA margin, reflecting higher investment in growth initiatives.
How Digital Humans Are Transforming Frontline Retail Training
Retailers are adopting emotionally intelligent digital humans—AI‑powered avatars that read tone and display realistic facial cues—to overhaul frontline associate training. These simulations replace static videos with immersive, unscripted conversations, allowing employees to practice handling upset customers, price objections, and complex...
RS2 Signs Multi-Million-Euro Payment Processing Deal To Enter 8 New Latin American Markets
RS2, the Malta‑based payment processor, signed a five‑year agreement valued at roughly €5 million ($5.4 million) to provide acquiring and issuing services in eight new Latin American markets. The deal adds Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala...
Teleport Plans to Build Air Cargo Ecommerce Hub in Bahrain
Teleport, the Southeast Asian e‑commerce logistics specialist backed by Capital A, announced plans to build an air‑cargo hub in Bahrain despite recent regional conflict. The move follows Bahrain Airport’s reopening and strong government encouragement, though a timeline was not disclosed....
Watch It. Love It. Want It. How TikTok Is Blending Discovery, Connection and Commerce
TikTok unveiled its new global positioning, “Watch it. Love it. Want it.”, at the OMR Festival, emphasizing the seamless blend of discovery, connection, and commerce on the platform. Research from Ipsos shows TikTok is the most influential channel during the...
Stop & Shop Expands Grocery Delivery With Uber Eats
Stop & Shop has partnered with Uber Eats to launch on‑demand grocery delivery across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. More than 350 stores are now live on the Uber Eats marketplace, offering same‑day delivery of fresh...
Taco Bell Grows Loyalty and Digital Sales
Taco Bell is expanding its loyalty program, driving a 30% year‑over‑year increase in loyalty sales and pushing its U.S. digital sales mix toward 50%. Across Yum Brands, digital transactions reached a record 63% of total sales, equating to about $11 billion...
Lidl Plus Points Ramps up UK Grocery Loyalty Push – but Shoppers Divided on New Scheme
Lidl has launched Lidl Plus Points, a new loyalty program that awards one point per £1 spent and lets shoppers redeem points for vouchers or discounted items via its app. To jump‑start adoption, the retailer is gifting 100 free points...
How Californian Grocer Stater Bros. Shines a Light on the Future of In-Store Retail Media Globally
Stater Bros., the largest privately owned grocery chain in Southern California, has partnered with In‑Store Marketplace (ISM) and Mood Media to launch a programmatic in‑store audio advertising platform, with digital screens slated for later rollout. The solution uses ISM’s centralised...
GameStop Launches $56 B Bid for eBay, Targeting a 20% Premium
GameStop, led by Ryan Cohen, has submitted an unsolicited $56 billion cash‑and‑stock offer for eBay, valuing the marketplace at about $55 billion and representing a roughly 20% premium to Friday’s close. The proposal, backed by a $20 billion debt commitment from TD Bank,...
Generative Engine Marketing: Retail Media’s Next Move
Generative Engine Marketing (GEM) is emerging as a new approach that positions brands to be discovered by AI models rather than just human shoppers. Jellyfish’s report highlights early successes, such as Gentle Monster’s 17% click‑through‑rate lift and MSC Industrial’s 45%...
Pinterest Posts $1.08 B Q1 Revenue, 18% YoY Rise, but Net Loss Swells
Pinterest reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $1.08 billion, an 18% year‑over‑year increase, as monthly active users hit a record 631 million. The growth was offset by a GAAP net loss of $73.6 million, underscoring the tension between rapid user expansion and rising cost...
How to Use HubSpot Marketing Hub for Print-on-Demand in 2026
HubSpot Marketing Hub lets print‑on‑demand (POD) sellers unify Shopify or WooCommerce stores with print providers such as Printful, automating cart recovery, reorder nudges and AI‑generated messages. The guide walks users through a free CRM setup, connecting the store and print...
Amazon Is Making a New Attempt to Break Into the British Grocery Market
Amazon is intensifying its push into the UK grocery market by seeking closer partnerships with British food and beverage suppliers. After shutting its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores last year, the company is now focusing on expanding its online...
Wayfair Posts Fourth Consecutive Quarter of Revenue Growth Despite Macro Headwinds
Wayfair posted $2.93 billion in net revenue for Q1 2026, a 7.4% year‑over‑year increase and a beat of the $2.89 billion consensus. The growth was driven by a 7.5% rise in U.S. sales, modest international gains, and higher spend per active customer. Adjusted...
Australia’s Social Selling Is Booming, PayPal Data Shows
PayPal’s eCommerce Index shows that 67% of Australian businesses now sell through social media, making social selling a mainstream channel. Social platforms account for 11% of all online sales, rising to 14% among firms that actively use them. Small and...
Cold Chain, Hot Demand: How Quick Commerce Is Rewriting India's Ice Cream Playbook
India’s ice‑cream market is being reshaped by quick‑commerce platforms that deliver single‑serve products in minutes. Dairy Day’s new brand Ob & Gob, sold in a can, exemplifies a shift from freezer‑based retail to algorithmic shelves on apps like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart....
The Cost of Being Seen: Why Indian Entrepreneurs Are Rethinking the Internet
Indian entrepreneurs are abandoning reliance on social media and marketplaces after organic reach fell 40‑60% in 2025‑26 and platform fees began eroding up to 40% of sales. Chocolatier Rohan Keshewar moved to a Hostinger website, now generating Rs 50,000‑100,000 ($600‑$1,200) monthly...
What Is Green Shipping? Green Shipping for Ecommerce
Green shipping integrates low‑carbon fuels, electric vehicles, sustainable packaging and carbon offsetting to slash emissions across sea, land and air logistics. The transportation sector accounts for roughly 14% of global greenhouse‑gas output, with maritime shipping alone responsible for 3% (about...
How to Choose a Shopify Plus Data Migration Service (2026) – Shopify
Enterprise brands are turning to Shopify Plus for lower TCO, faster time‑to‑market and higher checkout conversion, but the critical step is moving massive volumes of product, customer and order data without disruption. A Shopify Plus data migration service—typically provided by certified partners—handles...
18-Year Veteran’s Tips to Boost Online Store Sales
If your online store isn’t making sales, here’s the advice I’d give you (from someone who’s been selling products for 18 years). ⬇️
Inventory Management Challenges: Complete Guide To Avoiding Common (And Hidden) Pitfalls
The guide outlines the most common and hidden inventory‑management pitfalls that erode ecommerce margins, from inaccurate stock counts to fragmented multi‑warehouse coordination. It quantifies the financial toll of overstocking, stockouts, and forecasting errors, emphasizing how these issues damage revenue and...
CashKaro Revenue Grows 72% to Rs 600 Cr in FY26; Narrows Losses
CashKaro, the Gurugram‑based cashback and affiliate commerce platform, posted FY26 revenue of roughly $72 million, a 72% jump from $42 million the previous year. The company’s gross merchandise value surged to about $1.2 billion, up from $720 million, largely driven by its EarnKaro app....
Google AI Max Marks 1‑year Anniversary with AI Brief, Shopping & Travel Upgrades
Google celebrates the first anniversary of its AI Max advertising tool by launching AI Brief, extending the platform to Shopping and travel campaigns, and adding mandatory disclaimer support for final URL expansion. The upgrades aim to give advertisers tighter brand...
Amazon Q1 2026: Revenue Up 17%, AWS Hits Fastest Growth in 15 Quarters
Amazon posted Q1 2026 net sales of $181.5 billion, a 17% year‑over‑year increase that beat the top of its guidance range. All three core segments accelerated, with North America sales up 12%, international sales up 19%, and AWS revenue surging 28%...
ThredUp AI Agents Personalize Shopping in Real Time
ThredUp introduced its first agentic AI experience, assigning real‑time personal agents to shoppers on its resale platform. The agents ingest clickstream data across channels and use reinforcement learning to reshape product listings instantly, aiming to boost conversion and retention. The...
Indonesia’s Super App, GoTo, Growing Up
Indonesia’s GoTo Group posted its first quarterly profit in Q1 2026, netting roughly $9.9 million after a $21.2 million loss a year earlier. Revenue climbed 26% year‑over‑year to $305.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $52.3 million. The profitability surge is anchored in...
Fast Shipping Sacrifices Workers' Rights for Convenience
Why don’t you let the workers worry about their working conditions whilst we enjoy the convenience of the logistical marvel of one hour shipping.
Amazon: Spend $40, Save $10 On Select Grocery Items
Amazon has launched a limited‑time promotion that gives shoppers a $10 discount when they spend $40 on select grocery items. The deal is available through a dedicated promotion page and applies only to a curated list of products. Customers can...
Amazon Is Taking on FedEx and UPS. That May Not Be so Simple.
Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Supply Chain Services, a platform that opens its freight, distribution, fulfillment and parcel‑shipping capabilities to businesses of any size. The move, dubbed an “AWS of Logistics,” sent UPS shares down more than 10% and...
Second‑Purchase Rate Drives E‑commerce Growth, Not First‑Time Sales
Most ecommerce brands spend the bulk of their time and effort acquiring first-time buyers, when their second-purchase rate is what determines whether the business compounds or burns cash. Here are 5 retention rules you need to know: → Build retention into the...
DoorDash Adds AI Tools for Merchant Onboarding, Photo Editing, and Auto-Generated Websites
DoorDash introduced a suite of AI‑powered tools to streamline merchant onboarding, enhance food‑photo presentation, and generate instant storefront websites. By pointing the system at an existing website, the AI automatically pulls photos, operating hours, and menu items, mirroring a similar...
Google Ads Launches Beta Tool that Uses AI to Scan Websites and Automatically Add Products to Campaigns
Google Ads rolled out a beta feature called “Use AI to add products” that scans a merchant’s website and automatically populates product listings into ad campaigns. The tool performs a one‑time crawl, aiming to cut manual entry errors and speed...
Shopify Lays Off 30+ in Operations and Customer Support Reorganization, with AI Cited as Partial Cause
Shopify announced it laid off at least 30 employees in April as part of a broader reorganization of its operations and customer‑support functions in Canada and the United States. The cuts were attributed in part to "technological advancements," with internal...
RSA America, URM Stores Begin Digital Transformation Partnership
RSA America has partnered with URM Stores, a Spokane‑based wholesaler serving roughly 265 independent grocery retailers, to roll out a centrally managed loyalty, digital marketing, retail media and AI‑enabled commerce platform. More than 60 URM‑affiliated stores are already live, with...
E643: Dos and Don’ts for Amazon Imagery in 2026
In this episode, host Dave interviews former professional poker player turned Amazon seller Michael Shackelford about best practices for Amazon main gallery images in 2026. Michael explains how AI tools enable rapid iteration and A/B testing, recommends mixing plain‑white shots...
Inside AMEX’s Agentic Commerce Stack: How Intent Contracts and Single-Use Tokens Enforce AI Transactions
American Express unveiled its Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) developer kit, a closed‑loop system that lets AI agents shop and pay on behalf of users within Amex’s own network. The kit introduces intent contracts, proof‑of‑intent tokens and single‑use payment tokens that...
NIQ Report Shows AI Now Steering Consumer Purchases, US Retail Media Spend to Hit $107.6B by 2026
NielsenIQ released its global study, The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West, revealing that artificial intelligence is increasingly deciding what shoppers buy. The report projects U.S. retail media advertising to reach $107.6 billion in 2026, underscoring the urgency for brands to integrate...
Geekplus Posts 50% Americas Growth, Expands U.S. Warehouse Automation Footprint
Geekplus announced a 50% jump in Americas revenue as it leverages its MODEX 2026 debut to win new U.S. contracts. The company’s embodied‑intelligence platform and next‑generation RoboShuttle V5 are at the center of a broader push into North American manufacturing...
Xteink X3 Magnetic E‑reader Debuts at $80, Courting Niche DTC Shoppers
Xteink has launched the X3, a $80 magnetic e‑ink reader that snaps onto iPhone backs via MagSafe. The device, sold directly through the company’s website, targets gadget‑savvy consumers seeking a distraction‑free reading experience.
GameStop's CEO Is Annoyed You Don't Understand How He's Buying eBay
GameStop announced a $56 billion bid to acquire eBay, proposing a mix of cash and stock. CEO Ryan Cohen appeared irritated during a CNBC interview when pressed about financing, directing viewers to the company website for details. While GameStop holds a...
Prioritize Email Flows Over Campaigns with 5 Key Rules
Most ecommerce brands obsess over campaigns and ignore the flows that quietly do most of the work. Here are 5 email flow rules you need to know: → Send your welcome email instantly with no delay → Treat cart abandonment email one like...
Announces Bid to Acquire eBay, Refuses Questions
I’d like to announce I am bidding to acquire eBay I will take no further questions about the matter.
Amazon: Save On Giftcards For Instacart, DoorDash, inKind, Hotels.com, PetSmart & Many More
Amazon is offering discounted gift cards for over thirty brands, with savings ranging from 10% to 30% off face value. Highlights include a $100 Instacart card for $90, a $50 DoorDash card for $42.50, and similar cuts on hotels, beauty,...
GameStop's eBay Bid Driven by CEO's Market‑cap Incentives
Why is GameStop trying to buy Ebay? A company over 4x the size. As always, follow the incentives... It's a lot easier for a CEO to be in the money on his ginormous options package if it's based mostly on market cap. https://t.co/1xDawEaAzI
Amazon Converts Every Cost Into Revenue Stream
That 2015 slide from Social Capital stays evergreen: Amazon “turns every cost into a source of revenue”. https://t.co/vo9HXV0drt
Italian Ecommerce Reached 90 Billion Euros in 2025
Italy’s e‑commerce market is projected to reach €90.6 billion (about $99 billion) in 2025, a 6.1% rise from 2024. Travel and tourism remain the dominant online sector, accounting for over €22 billion ($24 billion) in sales, followed by marketplaces at €17.1 billion and leisure at...
Launch PrestaShop in Minutes with Hostinger
You can get a Prestashop online in just a few minutes, especially if you're a Hostinger customer. Here's how. https://t.co/GLnFCaPMll
Amazon Has a Swarovski Necklace That ‘Shines Beautifully’ for Over 50% Off Ahead of Mother's Day
Amazon is offering the Swarovski Imber All Around Necklace for $116, a 53% discount from its regular $249 price, just in time for Mother’s Day. The gold‑plated brass piece features crystal and zirconia accents that sit at the collarbone, appealing...
ADG 5/4: Dissents and Sensibility
Prediction‑market contracts on Kalshi show traders assigning GameStop only a 26% chance of completing a cash‑and‑stock acquisition of eBay by 2026, despite the deal’s $55.5 billion valuation far exceeding GameStop’s roughly $11.9 billion market cap. Meanwhile, the Federal Open Market Committee recorded...