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
Subscriptions, Advertising Surpass Product Sales for Amazon Australia
Amazon Australia’s latest filing shows its retail arm earned about AU$4.7 billion (≈US$3.1 billion) in the fiscal year, but subscription services and advertising together now outpace direct product sales. Direct product sales reached AU$2.33 billion (≈US$1.54 billion), a 20% year‑on‑year rise, yet they represent less than half of retail revenue. Prime, streaming and third‑party seller fees generated AU$632.8 million (≈US$418 million) and AU$1.14 billion (≈US$752 million) respectively, while advertising added AU$392.2 million (≈US$259 million). Including cloud and data‑centre operations, Amazon Australia’s total revenue approaches AU$12 billion (≈US$7.9 billion).
ChatGPT Polishes Emails, Claude Drives Creative Direction
Same prompt. 3 AI tools. Very different results. I asked Grok, ChatGPT, and Claude to create a premium Mother’s Day email for a fictional high-end women’s jewelry brand called DIMOND. Grok was fastest. Claude was slowest and gave me HTML first. ChatGPT landed somewhere in the...
Don’t Miss These Urgent Prime Day 2026 Deadlines
Amazon has moved Prime Day 2026 up, shrinking the seller preparation window by two to four weeks. Critical deadlines now include an April 30 early‑deal fee cutoff (reducing the fee from $100 to $50), a May 26 final deal‑scheduling closure, and May 27...
India Post & DTDC Sign MoU to Boost Logistics Reach Across India
India Post and DTDC Express signed a memorandum of understanding that will let the courier tap more than 164,000 post offices, dramatically extending its e‑commerce delivery footprint into remote and underserved areas. The deal also adds cash‑on‑delivery options, strengthening India...
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to Sign First U.S. Ban on Grocery Surveillance Pricing
Maryland Governor Wes Moore is set to sign the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act, the nation’s first law banning surveillance pricing in grocery stores and certain delivery platforms. The rule, slated to take effect on Oct. 1, 2026, will require retailers to...
Digit7 Launches Zero‑cost MicroMarket at Asheville Hotel, Adding 24/7 Guest Retail
Digit7 has deployed its zero‑investment MicroMarket at a premium hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, delivering 24/7 grab‑and‑go retail without upfront cost to the property. The solution runs on a revenue‑sharing model, turning underused lobby space into a continuous income source...
Bed Bath & Beyond Names Kyla Robinson Chief Technology Transformation Officer
Bed Bath & Beyond has appointed Kyla Robinson as chief technology transformation officer, reporting to President Amy Sullivan. Robinson will lead the development of a unified technology and data platform that connects the retailer’s omnichannel retail, home services, financial products,...
One Prompt, Full Campaign Visuals for Email Marketers
GPT Images 2.0 is actually insane for email marketers right now. One prompt gets you the full deliverable: premium product shots, email heroes, real lifestyle scenes, and matching social creatives. All cohesive and on-brand. You still tweak the copy, add alt text,...
Carve Designs’ Online Sales Growth, Operations Factor Into Acquisition
Carve Designs, a sustainability‑focused women’s apparel brand, grew its online sales through top‑of‑funnel marketing on TikTok, YouTube and connected TV while automating its Shopify‑based tech stack with ERP and 3PL integration. The brand’s B2B wholesale portal and partnerships with Amazon...
![[Link Corrected] Amazon's 3.5% Surcharge: What Portfolio Builders Need to Know Now](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jfA-!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97eb2731-ac85-4a5c-aa57-98f8650a4619_1000x1000.png)
[Link Corrected] Amazon's 3.5% Surcharge: What Portfolio Builders Need to Know Now
Amazon announced a 3.5% fuel and inflation surcharge on all U.S. and Canadian Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees, effective May 1 2026. The fee, a response to rising fuel costs and labor inflation, adds a modest but measurable cost to every shipment....
AI Shopping Agents Redefine Retail Checkout Across Walmart, Amazon and Google
Walmart, Amazon and Google have rolled out AI shopping agents that can search catalogs, compare options and complete purchases within a chat interface. The move, backed by OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, forces marketers to prioritize...
Agentic Commerce Strips Control From Brands and Users
The funny thing about agentic commerce is that not only does the retailer or brand no longer have control - the user doesn't either
EBay Scrambles to Fix Outages
eBay’s marketplace went completely offline for a second consecutive day, beginning Sunday afternoon and persisting into Monday. The company confirmed intermittent technical issues but declined to comment on the root cause or whether a cyber‑attack was involved. In its latest...
China's Q1 Wholesale and Retail Trade Grows 4.1%, Boosting Ecommerce Momentum
China's Ministry of Commerce reported a 4.1% year‑on‑year rise in wholesale and retail added value to 3.5 trillion yuan ($510.4 bn) in Q1 2026. Online retail in rural areas jumped 11%, while agricultural e‑commerce grew 14.7%, underscoring the sector’s resilience and its...
AI Cuts Client Mockup Time From Hours to Minutes
You can use AI to make landing clients way easier. If you sell or offer email marketing, when you send a cold email, end it with a specific question. Something like "Want to see how we'd redesign your welcome series?" works....
Colgate-Palmolive Syndicates Product Data Across Sellers
Colgate-Palmolive has adopted Syndigo’s AI‑driven platform to syndicate product images, descriptions, and attributes across dozens of e‑commerce retailers in a single feed. The move replaces manual, retailer‑by‑retailer uploads, enabling rapid, consistent updates such as 220 SKUs on Kroger’s API within...
DoorDash Expands Delivery with Regional Retailers
DoorDash announced new grocery delivery partnerships with FreshDirect, Brookshire Grocery, Harps Food Stores, Market of Choice, and Empire Co. in Canada, adding more than 1,000 Sobeys‑branded stores across ten provinces. The deals let DoorDash drivers fulfill FreshDirect orders and integrate...
$50 New Member Referral Bonus With Rakuten
Rakuten is offering a $50 cash‑back referral bonus to new members who spend at least $50 within their first 90 days, and existing members can earn the same reward for referring qualified newcomers. The promotion, originally set to expire on...
AI Transforms One Product Into a Complete Campaign
Most people use AI to make one nice image. That’s cool. But the better use case is turning one product into a full campaign system. I gave ChatGPT a fictional coffee brand and had it build: Product shot Cafe placement Social ad Email hero Same product. Same brand. Same vibe. That’s...
Four Regional Grocers Join DoorDash Platform
DoorDash announced that four regional grocery chains—Brookshire Grocery Co., FreshDirect, Harps Foods and Market of Choice—are now available on its platform, adding more than 200 new stores to its marketplace. The partners span Texas to Oregon, expanding DoorDash’s grocery selection...
Viator Reports Double‑Digit Growth and Cool‑Spot Surge for Summer 2024 Travel
Viator announced its busiest summer on record, with experience bookings up double digits year‑over‑year. The data shows a surge toward cooler locales, Asian hotspots and hands‑on activities, signaling evolving traveler preferences as the market steadies after post‑pandemic expansion.
Costco Urges Shoppers to Call Before Buying Tires Online, Citing Price Gaps and Fulfillment Hurdles
Costco’s website warns members that tire prices online can differ from in‑store rates and that the retailer does not price‑match warehouse prices. The company recommends calling a local warehouse before completing an online tire purchase, highlighting friction in fulfillment for...
Small Batch Farms Enters Online Beef Market
Small Batch Farms, a family‑owned beef producer in Eldon, Missouri, has launched an online boutique that sells premium, pasture‑raised beef, jerky and freeze‑dried liver treats directly to U.S. consumers. The new direct‑to‑consumer platform, smallbatchfarms.com, offers nationwide shipping and subscription options....
Roadie and Centiro Integration Streamlines Same-Day Delivery for Retailers
UPS subsidiary Roadie has partnered with Swedish delivery‑management software firm Centiro to launch a seamless integration that embeds Roadie’s nationwide same‑day delivery network into Centiro’s platform. The joint solution lets retailers and third‑party logistics providers activate Roadie’s speed and flexibility...
3 Takeaways From Walmart’s 2026 Annual Report
Walmart’s FY2026 report shows U.S. e‑commerce now adds 4.3% to comparable sales, up from 2.9% a year earlier, while global online revenue surged 24% to $150.4 billion. Total revenue grew 5.1% to $715.9 billion, driven by higher‑margin e‑commerce deliveries and a 212%...
Many Consumers Say ‘No Thanks’ to Agent-Based Payments
Riskified’s Q1 Agentic Commerce Pulse surveyed 2,000 U.S. and U.K. shoppers and found a clear trust gap: while 61.5% use AI tools for product discovery, 55% are uncomfortable with AI agents completing purchases. Comfort rose to 70% in the report’s...
Vinted Is Already Worth 8 Billion Euros
Vinted secured an €880 million ($960 million) funding round, lifting its valuation to €8 billion (about $8.7 billion). The Lithuanian‑based second‑hand marketplace reported a 38% revenue jump to €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2025 and a GMV of €10.8 billion ($11.8 billion). Net profit reached €62 million ($68 million), and...
Temu, Shein Cost German Economy €2.4bn a Year: Study
German retail association HDE commissioned IW Consult to quantify the economic impact of low‑cost Chinese e‑commerce platforms Temu and Shein. The study finds the two sites strip roughly $2.6 bn of added value from the German economy each year, erode tax revenues...
BJ's Opens First Texas Club, Aims for 30 New Stores by 2026, Challenging Costco
BJ's Wholesale Club launched its inaugural Texas warehouse in Forney, marking its 264th club and entry into the state’s 22nd market. The retailer pledged to add 25‑30 new locations across Texas by the end of 2026, a move that pits...
Unicommerce Q4: Profit Rises Marginally To ₹3.4 Cr
Unicommerce, an ecommerce‑enablement SaaS firm, posted a modest Q4 FY26 net profit increase to ₹3.4 Cr (about $0.41 M), a 3% rise year‑over‑year but a 55% sequential drop from the prior quarter. Revenue grew 14.2% YoY to ₹51.6 Cr (~$6.2 M), while adjusted EBITDA...
DoorDash to Use Stablecoins for Gig Payments
DoorDash announced a partnership with Stripe‑backed blockchain firm Tempo to roll out stablecoin‑based payments for its 8 million Dasher workforce. The new infrastructure will let couriers receive earnings instantly in a digital dollar‑pegged token, cutting traditional banking delays. Tempo’s network supports...
One in Four Retail Tech Providers Say AI Is Overhyped
A survey of retail‑technology providers at the Retail Technology Show 2026 found that 24% consider AI overhyped or confusing. While 34% say AI helps differentiate their solutions, 30% say it raises buyer expectations and 18% claim it adds market noise....
Albertsons Media Collective Brings Retail Signals to YouTube with Google’s Commerce Media Suite.
Google’s Commerce Media Suite now integrates Albertsons Media Collective’s first‑party shopper data into YouTube and Display & Video 360. The partnership lets brands reach high‑intent Albertsons customers across YouTube and premium publisher inventory while receiving SKU‑level sales attribution. Early adopters such as Keurig Dr Pepper...
Digital Signage Helps Retailers Meet, Measure, and Monetize Each Experience
Retailers are turning to AI‑enhanced digital signage to close the gap between physical and online shopping, using advanced sensors and edge computing to capture real‑time engagement data. The technology enables micro‑experiences that personalize each touchpoint, while mixed‑reality displays add immersive,...
Why Loyalty Works Best When It Reflects How People Actually Shop
Evenve’s loyalty program now spans e‑commerce and brick‑and‑mortar stores, letting points earned online be redeemed instantly in‑store and vice‑versa. The retailer automatically enrolls shoppers after any online purchase, eliminating sign‑up friction. The omnichannel approach now generates more than 30% of...
When AI Shops for Us, What Do Brands Lose?
Google is converting its Gemini large‑language model into a direct shopping storefront, allowing users to browse and complete purchases without leaving the chat. The move follows a 632% year‑over‑year surge in AI‑referred traffic, even as traditional organic search fell 9%,...
America Now Has 70% More Bookstores Than in 2020, Says Bookshop.org Founder
Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, says the United States now has roughly 70% more independent bookstores than in 2020, a rebound driven by the platform’s e‑commerce support. Bookshop.org, launched in January 2020 as a B‑Corporation, channels about 80%...
Fully Automated AI UGC Ads Delivered in Eight Minutes
Everyone preaching “AI UGC ads” is straight-up lying. They call it automated… But they’re still: • Writing the scripts • Hunting for clips • Fixing the voiceovers • Manually stitching the final video That’s not automation. That’s just faster manual work. I built the real thing: One custom system powered...
Shopify Knowledge Base FAQ Feature Remains Unused After Year
Its been a year since Shopify Knowledge Base went live in the app store. Based on usage in that time, I'd say this agentic FAQ concept is DOA. Screenshots are from three 8-figure stores. Its just not used. https://t.co/PZmzpawL0Q
The Pros and Cons of Adding AI to First-Party Experiences
Major retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty and The Home Depot are rolling out conversational AI features in their apps and in‑store services. Forrester research shows 85% of consumers find AI answers helpful, yet only 71% trust them,...
Vinted's Series E Sparked Europe‑wide Marketplace Expansion
1/ When @LightspeedVP led @Vinted's Series E in 2019, the company was a fast-growing C2C marketplace concentrated in a handful of European markets. Six years later, the vision has taken shape across Europe. https://t.co/xMzAYhneP4
Scan Your Home, Get Tailored Cleaning Kit Delivered
There should be like Blue Apron but you take a video of the inside of your house and it sends you a box of cleaning supplies with a step-by-step audio/video plan for how to clean your house in the most...
Amazon Sellers Rally Against Ad‑cost Policy that Cuts Into Retail Proceeds
Amazon announced it will start pulling advertising costs out of sellers' retail proceeds on April 15, a move sellers say will tighten cash flow and erode margins. After outcry, the company pushed the rollout to Aug. 1, 2026 and offered a...
Q1 Brand Spend, iROAS, MER & Margin Bench
Where did brands spend their money in Q1? What was the iROAS of every channel and tactic? What about the median MER and contribution margin? Let me show you: https://t.co/U4MpMckToD
Postcards Earn $800K; Emails Earn Nothing
Hexclad made $800k from a single direct mail campaign by sending postcards to 21,000 email subscribers who never converted online. Meanwhile you're emailing the same unengaged list 5 times a week wondering why nobody buys. That's the gap.
Sellvia Market Unveils $150‑a‑Month DTC Platform, Cutting Entry Barriers
Sellvia Market launched a marketplace that lets buyers acquire verified direct‑to‑consumer ecommerce stores for as little as $150 per month via interest‑free installments. The service eliminates the traditional build‑phase, offers a 30‑day revenue guarantee, and targets the $5,000‑$20,000 price segment...
Squarespace Crashes During My Website Rebrand Announcement
OFC the day I go to share about my website rebrand on @squarespace they have a platform-wide crash
Customers Demand Exact Delivery Times for Better Scheduling
@FedEx you really need a way to track exact time a package will be delivered so can be ready to jump of a zoom call/meeting to go sign for the package.
EBay Struggles with Widespread Outage, Disrupting Transactions and API Access
eBay experienced a widespread outage beginning late Sunday, April 26, 2026, that extended into Monday, disrupting core functions such as search, listings, checkout, and its API. Downdetector recorded more than 1,300 user complaints, with reports peaking around 3:30 PM ET. Unverified claims...
Shopify Stores Blind to AI Agents—Learn Fix Tomorrow
Most Shopify stores are invisible to AI shopping agents and don't know it yet. Talking about how to fix that tomorrow night at @Shopify NY with @maxrolon and @kendradavey. Last chance to grab a spot👇 https://t.co/QUbYMJAest