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
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, and dining retailers. The promotion leverages Amazon’s platform to secure upfront cash while encouraging future spend on partner services. Shoppers are urged to combine the deal with the Chase Freedom card’s 5x points and Amazon’s Shop With Points program for maximum value.
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...
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...
Capital One Shopping Adds Apple Gift Card Redemptions (and Princess Cruises, Best Western, and More)
Capital One Shopping announced a fresh batch of gift‑card redemption options, adding Apple, Princess Cruises, Best Western, eBay and several other brands. The publicly available portal lets users earn rewards without a Capital One account, but those points can only...
Italian Travel Tech Startup Smartness Raises €47 Million In Series B Funding Round
Italian travel‑tech startup Smartness announced a €47 million (approximately $51 million) Series B round, led by existing backer XYZ Capital with participation from new investor ABC Ventures. The financing pushes the company’s post‑money valuation beyond €200 million, reflecting strong market confidence in its AI‑driven...
Attend Forrester’s Agentic Commerce Workshop To Ensure That You’re Asking The Right Questions About Agentic Commerce
Forrester is hosting a two‑day interactive workshop titled “Catalyze Agentic Commerce — How To Move From FOMO To Focus” in New York (June 16‑17) and San Francisco (June 29‑30). The sessions will help brands evaluate the emerging “agentic commerce” channel, which includes answer‑engine shopping...
Fujian Firms Turn to Cross‑Border E‑Commerce, Boosting Overseas Margins
Private firms in China's Fujian province are accelerating cross‑border e‑commerce to offset trade frictions and rising costs. Chelsearu's shift to live‑streaming sales lifted its product price from $30 to over $100, while the Shishi Public Service Center helped launch 326...
EP257: Introducing Amazon Supply Chain Services
Amazon has launched Amazon Supply Chain Services, extending its $100 billion logistics network to sellers of all sizes. The service promises faster delivery, lower fulfillment costs, and access to Amazon‑run warehousing, transportation, and analytics tools. It targets businesses from $10 K to...
GameStop's $55.5B eBay Bid Dilutes Shareholders
GameStop just offered $55.5 billion for eBay $GME down 9%. $EBAY up 6%. The market is saying: "eBay shareholders got a great deal. GameStop shareholders got robbed." Here's why: $GME is paying $125 per share - 46% premium - half in cash, half in...
Reused Theme Powers Mini Cooper Site on Shopify
Alta Performance is live on @shopify. Same theme we built for parent co @PERRINPerform last year, redeployed for their Mini Cooper sub-brand. Migrated off Web Shop Manager. Build once, ship twice. https://t.co/3TQiUCFyWR
Sony Agrees to $7.85 Million Settlement in PlayStation Store Class Action
Sony has secured preliminary court approval for a $7.85 million settlement that resolves a U.S. class‑action lawsuit accusing the company of monopolizing its digital storefront. The deal will credit eligible PlayStation Network accounts, a move that could affect more than 4.4 million...
MarketWatch: Shipping Stocks Fall After Amazon Launches Supply Chain Services Business
Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Supply Chain Services on May 4, 2026, opening its extensive logistics network – including one‑hour and three‑hour delivery options – to any business. The service bundles Amazon’s fulfillment, transportation and AI‑driven routing capabilities into a single...
TikTok Fuels NeeDoh Squishy Toy Sell‑Outs, Depleting a Year's Stock in Nine Weeks
Schylling's NeeDoh stress toys have sold through an entire year's inventory within the first nine weeks of 2026 after a TikTok frenzy, prompting rapid sell‑outs on Amazon, Walmart and other e‑commerce platforms. The viral demand has triggered reseller price spikes,...
Penske and Amazon Introduce Supply Chain Logistics Solutions Aimed at Businesses
Amazon and Penske Logistics each unveiled new supply‑chain offerings aimed at enterprise customers. Amazon introduced Supply Chain Services, a full‑stack freight, distribution, fulfillment and parcel platform that leverages the same infrastructure that powers its e‑commerce empire. Penske launched Supply Chain...
Secondhand Marketplace: Building Your Brand’s Resale Platform
Secondhand marketplaces are rapidly expanding, with ThredUp reporting a 144% growth in U.S. pre‑owned apparel since 2018 and forecasting $74 billion in sales by 2029. Brands such as Patagonia, Levi’s and Sabai are launching proprietary resale platforms to capture margin, protect...
Shopify Launches AI Claude that Fixes Stores on Command
Shopify shipped the feature where you can yell at Claude to fix your store and it just does it. https://t.co/AlPHAxquNI
GameStop Wants eBay for $56bn
In this episode of World Business Express, the hosts dissect GameStop’s unexpected $56 billion unsolicited bid to acquire eBay, questioning the feasibility of financing such a deal and its strategic rationale. They also explore the ongoing maritime crisis in the Strait...
Rack Up Tons Of Bilt & Membership Rewards Points With Big Give Week
Rakuten has launched its Big Give Week promotion, running May 4‑11, 2026, and promises a baseline 15% cash back at hundreds of online retailers, with many merchants offering 20% or more. The promotion highlights a broad lineup of popular stores, from apparel...
Locus Array: The AI-Powered Warehouse Robot System Transforming Fulfillment
Locus Robotics unveiled Locus Array, an AI‑driven warehouse robot system that delivers fully autonomous, end‑to‑end fulfillment workflows. The solution shifts the industry from traditional goods‑to‑person and AS/RS models to a robots‑to‑goods architecture, eliminating over 90% of manual labor while improving...
EU SMEs Hit 17 Billion Euros in Amazon Exports
More than 100,000 European Union SMEs used Amazon as a sales channel in 2025, pushing total Amazon sales to over €40 bn ($43.6 bn) and generating €17 bn ($18.5 bn) in cross‑border transactions—€2 bn ($2.2 bn) higher than the previous year. About 85% of those sellers...
GameStop Is Making a Bid to Buy eBay in a Deal Its CEO Admits Could Be ‘Totally, Totally Foolish’
GameStop, the $12 billion meme‑stock retailer led by Ryan Cohen, has announced a bid to acquire eBay for roughly $46 billion, a valuation about four times its own market cap. The proposal would rely on substantial debt financing as GameStop seeks to...
The End of the Marketing Blast: Retail Enters the Conversation Era
Retail CRM Endear reports a 50% year‑over‑year rise in personalized messaging, signaling a move away from one‑off blasts toward continuous, relationship‑driven conversations. Email open rates now peak in February at 56.1%, outpacing the traditional November surge. Brands are integrating email,...
Amazon's New 3PL Service Threatens UPS, FedEx
Amazon. Beginning its 3PL/supply chain service to everyone. I talked about this years ago. They know supply chain management because they do it for themselves. A competitive advantage. This could upheave UPS, FedEx, and many 3PLs. Stay tuned.
Nordic Consumers Mostly Use Local Payment Methods
The PostNord Spring 2026 e‑commerce report shows 86 % of Nordic consumers shopped online in the past month, a 2‑3 % rise year‑over‑year. For the first time, local mobile payment solutions—Swish, Vipps and MobilePay—accounted for a larger share (23 %) than credit cards. Cross‑border...
DoorDash Is Bad For Restaurants, Drivers, And Customers — Why Does Everyone Keep Using It?
DoorDash’s commission model forces restaurants to add surcharges and absorb 15‑30% fees, squeezing already thin profit margins. Drivers receive low pay and often deliver sub‑par service, leading to food‑quality issues. Consumers face higher total costs, while restaurants lose direct customer...
Deals and Cashback Move Into ChatGPT Conversations
Minty has introduced an AI‑powered shopping companion that plugs into ChatGPT, surfacing deals and cashback offers directly within the conversation. The company says 70% of U.S. shoppers already turn to AI for discounts and has signed more than 10,000 brands...
Ahold Delhaize USA Brands Expand On-Demand Grocery Delivery with Uber Eats
Ahold Delhaize USA announced an expanded partnership with Uber Eats, adding nearly 2,000 stores from Food Lion, Giant, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop to the Uber Eats grocery marketplace. Shoppers can now browse fresh foods, pantry staples, household essentials and alcohol directly in the Uber Eats app,...
Rakuten “Big Give” Week: 15X-20X on Many Popular Travel Brands (and Saks)
Rakuten’s Big Give Week runs May 4‑11, delivering 15%‑20% cash back or 15‑20 Bilt or American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar on a slate of travel brands and Saks Fifth Avenue. Rates shift daily, and some “up to” offers apply...
Amazon Now Second‑largest Grocery Retailer in the U.S.
"We’re now the second largest grocer in the U.S." - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy (via @TheTranscript_ )
The Ultimate Guide To Agentic Commerce
Fastlane Insider’s “Ultimate Guide to Agentic Commerce” outlines how AI shopping agents are reshaping the Shopify ecosystem. The guide details AI commerce, AI visibility, and offers a $1,500 audit to help brands appear in generative‑AI results. It leverages a decade...
Bolster AI Launches Marketplace Protection, Cutting Fraud Costs by 20X
Bolster AI unveiled Marketplace Monitoring & Takedowns, a service that continuously scans global e‑commerce platforms for counterfeit, unauthorized, and fraudulent listings. The solution pairs AI‑driven detection with evidence‑backed takedown requests, automating removal and suppressing repeat offenders. By streamlining the enforcement...
South Korea's Online Shopping Hits $17.4B Record in March, Mobile Sales Lead
South Korea's online retail volume reached a new high in March, climbing 13.3% year‑over‑year to 25.58 trillion won (about $17.4 billion). Mobile commerce drove the surge, contributing 75.9% of total online sales and growing 11.6% to 19.41 trillion won ($13.2 billion). Strong demand for...
Amazon Opens Its Supply Chain Network to Outside Businesses
Amazon announced Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), a new offering that lets any business tap into the same logistics network that powers Amazon’s own retail operations. Early adopters include Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands’ End, and American Eagle Outfitters, which...
International Business Briefs | Amazon Opens Global Logistics Network to Third-Party Companies
Amazon announced Amazon Supply Chain Services, letting external firms tap its cargo fleet of over 100 planes and extensive warehouse network, a move that could pressure FedEx and UPS. The European Commission recommended banning Huawei and ZTE equipment, escalating cyber‑security...
The Lean Founder: 10 Online Businesses Women Can Start with Zero Upfront Cost
The article outlines ten online business ideas women can launch without any upfront capital, ranging from freelance writing to digital product sales on platforms like Etsy and Gumroad. It emphasizes that these ventures require only time, commitment, and existing skills...
Flipkart and Amazon Sale: Top Smartphone Deals Including iPhone 17, Pixel 10 and OnePlus Nord 6
Flipkart and Amazon are launching summer sales in early May, with Amazon beginning on May 8 and Flipkart on May 9, and offering early‑access deals for select devices. The promotions feature steep discounts on flagship smartphones, including Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at ₹94,999 (~$1,145)...
Getting Ready for the World of Agentic Commerce: What Businesses Need to Know
Agentic commerce—AI‑driven digital assistants that shop, compare, and purchase for consumers—is poised to reshape retail. The market, valued at $46.7 billion in 2025, is forecast to reach $218.37 billion by 2031, growing at roughly 30% CAGR. Major players such as Google, Perplexity,...
She Accidentally Built a 7-Figure Info Business. Here’s What Ecom Brands Can Learn From Her.
Alison, a bilingual kindergarten teacher, turned her self‑made curriculum into a seven‑figure info business, Learning at the Primary Pond, by leveraging Teachers Pay Teachers, a blog, social media and a membership that now accounts for roughly half of revenue. She...
Why Retail’s Next AI Breakthrough May Come From Convenience Stores
Retail AI is moving beyond e‑commerce personalization into the high‑velocity world of convenience stores. Operators are deploying machine‑learning models that forecast demand by the hour, adjust pricing, and optimize replenishment based on hyperlocal data such as weather and commuter patterns....
How Is AI Changing Retail Strategy Now?
Artificial intelligence is reshaping retail by moving shoppers from a traditional search model to an answer‑driven economy, evidenced by a 693% surge in AI‑generated traffic to retail sites by the end of 2025. This shift forces brands to prioritize Generative...
V4b.AI Unveils Proprietary AI-Powered Video Production for Brands, Ecommerce and Fashion Industry
V4b.AI announced a proprietary AI‑powered video production platform aimed at ecommerce, fashion and advertising brands. The system blends multiple foundational AI models, 3D‑based accuracy layers and structured post‑production workflows to deliver high‑quality, product‑accurate videos without physical shoots. By automating content...
App Spotlight: WooCommerce for Zoho Inventory
Roadmap Studios, now part of CommerceBird, launched a certified WooCommerce for Zoho Inventory integration that automatically synchronizes products, orders, customers, and pricelists. The solution uses real‑time webhooks or scheduled sync to keep data aligned, eliminating manual entry and stock mismatches....
How Whatnot Goes Beyond Dogfooding to Instill a Consumer Focus
Whatnot, the live‑shopping platform launched in 2019, mandates that all 1,000+ employees buy, sell, and handle support tickets on the app each quarter, receiving $150 in credits for purchases. This rigorous dogfooding policy is tied to performance reviews, ensuring staff...
Amazon Opens Logistics Network to All Businesses
Amazon introduces Amazon Supply Chain Services - Opens its logistics network to every business https://t.co/cK9VLBLLxM https://t.co/y5JZf9ynO3
Amazon Launches Amazon Supply Chain Services, Opening Its Logistics Network to All Businesses
Amazon announced Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), extending its freight, distribution, fulfillment and parcel‑shipping capabilities to any business. The service leverages the same logistics infrastructure that powers Amazon.com, including a fleet of over 80,000 trailers, 24,000 intermodal containers and more...
British Supermarket Pilots Vending Machines to Curb Shoplifting
British supermarket Asda is testing ticket‑based vending machines for high‑theft items such as razor blades. The system lets shoppers select a product, receive a ticket, pay at checkout, then use a second ticket to dispense the item. The pilot follows...
Earn up to 100× Points on Rakuten Purchases
Amazing Rakuten Promotion: Earn Up To 100x Amex Or Bilt Points Per Dollar Spent https://t.co/aRM3qhOQPG
Agentic AI, Fraud and the Fight for Customer Loyalty
Agentic AI is reshaping e‑commerce by automating the entire buyer journey, from product discovery to checkout. At the same time, fraud‑as‑a‑service is proliferating synthetic identities, deepfakes, and document forgeries, overwhelming traditional safeguards. Merchants must shift to proactive, data‑driven fraud prevention...
What Keeps SMBs From Using Embedded Payments
Vertical SaaS platforms can leverage deep customer insight, but up to 40 % of SMBs that sign up for embedded payments never activate the feature. The gap stems from generic messaging, cumbersome onboarding and unclear pricing, not from resistance to change....