Amazon automation emerges as a semi‑passive income model for 2026
Amazon automation can generate profitable, semi‑passive income in 2026, but success hinges on disciplined execution and seasoned oversight. Modern automation relies on advanced software for research, pricing, inventory, and ad optimization, while strategic decisions remain human‑driven.
Also developing:
By the numbers: MakeMyTrip to acquire majority stake in Flamingo Transworld
Birkenstock warned that tariff pressures will erode profitability in fiscal 2026, projecting a 100‑basis‑point decline in both gross margin and EBITDA. The company’s 2025 strategy of front‑loading shipments and modest price hikes will not be repeatable next year. CFO Ivica Krolo said a $10 tariff on a $100 shoe would cut margin to 54.5%, requiring a $25 price increase to preserve profitability—an approach the brand deems unacceptable. Instead, Birkenstock will pursue seasonal, style‑by‑style pricing, efficiency gains, and greater Asia‑Pacific exposure to mitigate the impact.

E‑commerce retailers are shifting Philippine outsourcing from a pure cost play to a fraud‑resilience strategy as cyber threats intensify. Leading BPOs now embed machine‑learning, behavioral analytics, device intelligence and seasoned fraud analysts, delivering 40‑60% lower fraud losses, 50‑70% fewer false...

Brands claim to master personalization, yet most deliver fragmented experiences that break at channel handoffs. Maryna Hradovic outlines a three‑step framework—map distinct persona journeys, fix disconnects starting with website personalization, then iterate with AI and testing—to create real‑time, whole‑journey experiences....
Quince, the online fashion retailer, announced a limited‑edition collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky to celebrate his new album “Don’t Be Dumb.” The partnership features a co‑branded vinyl priced at $22.99 and a $50 T‑shirt, both sold exclusively on Quince’s website. This...
The episode details how Clean-eez, a family‑run cleaning‑product brand, uncovered a hidden $45,000 monthly ad‑spend leak on Amazon caused by an agency over‑investing after Meta ads boosted sales. By mapping the strong halo effect between Meta campaigns and Amazon revenue...
Walmart announced the launch of its Premium Musical Instrument Shop, a curated third‑party marketplace featuring brands like Fender, Roland, Boss, Squier and Zildjian. The new storefront is the first phase of a broader push into professional‑grade music gear, adding amplifiers,...

Agentic commerce is reshaping digital transactions by letting AI‑driven software agents select products, optimise pricing and initiate payments without direct shopper input. In this new model, the once‑dismissed guest checkout is re‑emerging as a friction‑free, network‑centric payment option. EMVCo’s Secure...
Longtime Neiman Marcus merchant Russ Patrick has been hired as Bloomingdale’s general merchandising manager of home. Patrick brings more than three decades of luxury retail experience, most recently overseeing men’s, gifts, home and children’s categories at Neiman Marcus and Horchow. He said Bloomingdale’s...

Asda plans to outsource the fulfilment of its George clothing line to a DHL‑run depot in Derby, consolidating operations from three existing sites. The move could put up to 1,200 jobs at risk, prompting the GMB union to warn of...

Pinterest announced two senior‑level hires to accelerate its global advertising business. Lee Brown, former DoorDash CRO and Spotify ad chief, becomes the company’s first Chief Business Officer, overseeing sales, content, ad product marketing and customer operations. Claudine Cheever, who led...

Sephora is teaming with South Korean retailer CJ Olive Young to create dedicated K‑beauty zones in its stores, beginning in the second half of 2026. The rollout will debut in the United States, Canada and key Asian markets such as...

Since Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, the White House has issued a cascade of tariff announcements, pauses, and reversals affecting North America, China, the EU, and dozens of other partners. Tariffs have ranged from 10 % to over 150 %, prompting...

The retail sector spent 2025 scrambling to absorb a wave of unpredictable tariff hikes that forced many brands to delay product launches, tighten inventory, and curtail hiring. Frequent duty changes eroded profit margins and triggered cost‑cutting measures, including layoffs. As...
SALESmanago is rolling out a native WhatsApp integration and AI‑driven Recommendation Frames to give eCommerce marketers real‑time, hyper‑personalised customer experiences. The platform now supports multimedia messaging, automated journeys, and dynamic CTAs that target abandoned carts, restock alerts, and on‑site product...

Product development cycles in fashion now span 10‑18 months, with production adding another 4‑6 weeks, and data gaps between design, sourcing and factories cause costly delays. Ultra‑fast retailers like Shein have accelerated style turnover, exposing weaknesses in handoffs where specifications...
Macy’s announced the closure of its Cheshire, Connecticut fulfillment center, eliminating 993 positions. The shutdown will occur in phases, beginning with night‑shift staff on March 14, 2026 and ending with full‑time day workers by August 29, 2026. A small crew will remain...
Amazon has launched its Amazon Now quick‑commerce service in London, offering 30‑minute delivery of everyday essentials. The rollout centers on a new micro‑fulfilment hub, “QLD1,” serving the Southwark district. The initiative involved 57 internal Amazon teams and introduces a new...

Goodfood Market Corp. posted Q1 2026 results showing a 21% drop in net sales to $28 million and a 15% decline in gross profit to $12 million, resulting in a $3 million net loss. Despite lower revenue, the company achieved a 42.3% gross...

DFS Furniture lifted its full‑year profit outlook after a robust first half, forecasting underlying pre‑tax profit of £30‑31 million, up £13‑14 million YoY. Order intake rose 2.3% and gross sales on delivered orders are projected to increase 8.7%, despite a broadly flat...
TikTok has introduced an Off‑site Performance Analysis tool that uses a tracking pixel to follow user actions beyond the app. Launched on December 24, the feature links organic posts, TikTok Shop activity, live streams, and paid ads to purchases on...

Klarna announced the launch of its own stablecoin, KlaraUSD, on the Tempo blockchain, a payment‑focused network backed by Stripe and Paradigm. The initiative targets internal treasury and cross‑border settlements, aiming to cut transaction times from days to seconds and reduce...

The guide walks users through connecting TikTok Shop to Printful, covering eligibility, account setup, warehouse address configuration, app installation, and product syncing for US and UK sellers. It highlights the critical step of switching TikTok’s shipping mode to “Shipped by...

Majestic Wine recorded its strongest Christmas trading in 45 years, posting a 0.9% sales increase for the five weeks to 29 December – its tenth consecutive holiday‑season growth. The gain came as the broader UK off‑trade alcohol market contracted 4.1%...

Retail and hospitality firms are overlooking older shoppers, even as the over‑65 population is set to double to 1.6 billion by 2050 and control a majority of discretionary spend. Older consumers are increasingly active on platforms like TikTok, where they favor...

Knoops reported a 12% increase in UK store‑for‑store sales over its six‑week Christmas trading window, keeping annual revenue on track to surpass £20 million. The retailer also announced a new production and warehousing facility and the appointment of former Game Group...

DFS Furniture reported a strong first‑half performance, with underlying profit before tax rising to £30‑31 million – a £13‑14 million year‑on‑year increase. Order intake grew 2.3 % across the DFS and Sofology brands, and gross sales recognised on delivery are expected to be...

In this episode, StoneAlgo CEO Devin Jones explains how their human concierge service converts website traffic into verified, high‑intent appointments for jewelers. He also reveals the 2025 engagement‑ring trends report, highlighting shifts between lab‑grown and natural diamonds, including rising consumer...

Music Magpie, AO World’s recommerce arm, has teamed up with Timpson to roll out in‑store smartphone trade‑ins across more than 1,300 UK locations after a four‑month pilot. Customers can hand over their device, watch a live assessment and receive cash...

Lacoste is transitioning its Australian presence from wholesale to a direct‑to‑consumer model under distributor Accent Group. The partnership leverages Accent’s 25‑year relationship with Lacoste and its expertise scaling global footwear brands to build a bespoke retail footprint, beginning with a...

Retailers are adjusting operating hours for Australia Day on January 26 after the National Retail Association, Australian Retailers Association and Shopping Centre Council released joint guidance. While all states allow trading, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia impose specific hour limits. Queensland permits...

China’s marriage rate jumped 8.5% in the first nine months of 2025, reversing a decade‑long decline. A May 2025 policy allowing couples to register marriages anywhere in the country has spurred demand at Suzhou’s Huqiu Bridal City, home to over...

John Lewis topped the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) for retailers with an 86.4 score, placing second overall behind First Direct’s 87.0. The index, published bi‑annually by the Institute of Customer Service, shows all 13 sectors improving satisfaction year‑on‑year. Overall...

MPE 2026 is set to be Europe’s premier merchant payments conference, drawing more than 1,600 attendees, including 500 global merchants, 170 speakers and over 90 sponsors. The agenda spans AI‑driven payment solutions, fraud mitigation, stablecoins, account‑to‑account transfers and the upcoming...

Albertsons Media Collective is rolling out an in‑store digital screen network to 800 of its more than 2,200 locations in 2026 after a successful pilot in 80 stores. The expansion follows the onboarding of over 50 advertising partners and a...

Goodwill’s online marketplace ShopGoodwill.com recorded a record $450 million gross merchandise value in 2025, a 22 % increase over 2024 and the highest in its 26‑year history. The platform now exceeds $3 billion in cumulative sales, though it still represents less than 10 %...
The Postal Regulatory Commission approved rules that cap USPS market‑dominant rate increases to a single fiscal‑year adjustment through 2030, effective March 1, 2026. This reverses the 2021 expansion that allowed bi‑annual hikes, restoring the predictability merchants once enjoyed. While the total pricing...

Google publicly denied allegations that its new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) will enable "surveillance pricing" through AI shopping agents. Consumer watchdog Groundwork Collaborative and activist Lindsay Owens warned that the system could use chat data to personalize price hikes and...
At NRF 2026, commercetools unveiled its AI Hub, a plug‑and‑play infrastructure that lets enterprise retailers expose product, pricing and inventory data to AI‑driven shopping assistants without custom integrations. The company highlighted JD Sports as the first retailer to run Stripe’s Agentic Commerce...

China’s economy met its 5 % growth target in 2023, but retail sales barely rose, with December’s year‑on‑year increase of just 0.9 %. The slowdown reflects lingering effects of a property downturn, tepid wage growth and consumer uncertainty, even as inflation ticked...
JD Sports Fashion plc announced that its online and mobile channels will now incorporate AI‑driven search and purchase capabilities for footwear, apparel and accessories. The generative‑AI tool interprets natural‑language queries and instantly surfaces product recommendations, aiming to streamline the shopper...

After testing dozens of eCommerce solutions, the author concludes Shopify is the superior platform for creators who aim to grow, automate, and scale their online businesses, while Ecwid serves as a lightweight, fast‑to‑launch alternative for embedding sales on an existing...

Matalan reported a robust third‑quarter performance, with EBITDA climbing 38% to £27 million and year‑to‑date EBITDA up 53% to £61 million. Like‑for‑like sales rose 2% overall and digital sales surged 11% in the quarter, highlighted by its best Black Friday online day...
Name a "cool brand" on DTC twitter in 2019-2023... Most of these brands never cracked nine figures, and most of them are really struggling. Meanwhile, in 2026, the dropship black-hat boys are blowing the doors off of everyone else. Learn DR or die.

Every high-converting email I've written uses at least 3 of these. These 7 Principles of Persuasion are how humans actually make decisions. Understand them, and your marketing will feel helpful instead of pushy. Save this. You'll reference it more than you think. https://t.co/Tfv3nlT8IK
Finnish ecommerce platform Wolt has rolled out an app update that repositions it as a multi‑category commerce platform, shifting from store‑first to product‑first search. The redesign lets users browse and compare products across brands, with topic‑based grouping such as protein...
A massively underrated assessment for choosing a business model is the capacity to produce money in your pocket. FCF > EBITDA > Revenue

Thomas, operating under Xometry, unveiled an AI‑driven smart search that lets industrial buyers use natural‑language, multi‑attribute queries, delivering more than 15% higher supplier evaluations than its legacy tool. The platform also introduced performance‑based listings, where manufacturers pay only when buyers...

Marketers, Here’s a table with 6 copywriting formulas for writing effective ads: Bookmark this 🔖 https://t.co/peT25TnbwV

Retail owners filing their 2024‑2025 Self Assessment this January often see a larger tax bill than expected. The spike usually stems from payments on account, which bundle the current year’s liability with an advance for the next year. Additional factors...

WD-40 reported a 22% year‑over‑year jump in ecommerce sales during Q1, making digital its fastest‑growing channel. Total revenue edged up 1% to $154.4 million, while net income slipped 8% to $17.5 million due to higher operating costs and softer distributor shipments. Sales...