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
The $5 Photo Shoot: How a Small Austin Jewelry Brand Stopped Waiting and Started Producing
A husband‑and‑wife jewelry brand in Austin used the AI image generator Nano Banana to create lifestyle product photos in seconds, paying only five cents per image. In one afternoon they produced over 40 new assets that previously required costly photo shoots. The experiment proved that AI can eliminate the logistical and financial friction that stalls small‑business marketing projects. The author also built a catalog‑tracking tool with Claude Code, showing how AI can automate tasks that once needed a developer.
Edible Arrangements Entices Early Mother’s Day Buying to Ease Operational Bottlenecks
Edible Arrangements is leveraging shopper data to push early Mother’s Day purchases, offering targeted discounts to reduce last‑minute order spikes that strain its 650‑store franchise network. The brand is also revamping its mobile app with gift quizzes, reminders and a...
Salesupply and BrandOn Group Announce Partnership
Dutch ecommerce provider Salesupply has teamed up with Italy’s BrandOn Group to create a unified cross‑border solution for Italian brands. Salesupply, which supports more than 500 online retailers with fulfillment and customer‑service capabilities, will supply its logistics network across Europe....
Does Best Buy Price Match? Everything to Know About Matching Prices Online and In-Store
Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee lets shoppers obtain the lower pre‑tax price of a new, in‑stock item when a listed competitor offers it. The policy applies to 20 approved retailers—including Amazon, Costco and Target—but excludes marketplace, clearance, refurbished, open‑box and member‑only...
KELLEY WILLIAMSON LAUNCHES KELLEY KOUTURE, A MODERN LUXURY FOOTWEAR BRAND REDEFINING FASHION AND FUNCTION
Kelley Kouture, a modern luxury footwear brand handcrafted in Italy, launched its e‑commerce site kelleykouture.com on April 17, 2026. Founded by Virginia entrepreneur Kelley Powell Williamson, the line blends high‑fashion silhouettes with orthopedic‑grade comfort, featuring an adjustable two‑piece “K Heel”...
E‑commerce Brands Face Aggressive Multi‑state Tax Enforcement
Five years ago, you could sell in 30 states, and nobody came looking. That era is over. States have figured out that ecommerce brands are sitting on millions in uncollected sales tax, and they finally have the tools to go collect...
Glovo Set to Hold “Future of Commerce Summit 2.0” In Lagos
Glovo will host the Future of Commerce Summit 2.0 on April 22, 2026 in Lagos, bringing together government officials, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. The event aims to discuss emerging trends and challenges in Nigeria’s commerce and logistics sectors. Interim General Manager Reni Onafeko...
Google’s AI Mode Can Now Help You Find Products in Stock Nearby
Google is expanding AI Mode to let users locate in‑stock products at nearby stores and track prices for specific hotels. The store‑check feature enables the AI to call local retailers based on natural‑language requests, rolling out in the United States...
Shopify Meets Streaming: How Single Helps Artists Sell Music Directly to Fans
Single has launched a Shopify‑based platform that lets musicians sell music, stream releases, host live‑stream tickets, and run fan subscriptions from a single storefront. The tool merges commerce, content, and community, enabling chart‑eligible sales that feed directly into official rankings....
Instacart Co‑Founder Max Mullen Steps Back After 13 Years, Moves to Advisory Role
Instacart co‑founder Max Mullen announced he is stepping back from daily operations after 13 years, transitioning to an advisory position. The move comes as Instacart finalizes its acquisition of Instaleap, signaling a push into global markets.
Research: What China’s AI Agents Reveal About the Future of Commerce
Chinese super‑app Meituan launched the Xiaomei AI agent in late 2025, positioning it as an orchestrator‑plus‑execution tool that can place orders and handle delivery without user screen interaction. This marks the rise of “agentic commerce,” where AI agents not only...
Eroski Lets Customers Shop via WhatsApp and Delivers Within an Hour
Spanish retailer Eroski has launched Eroski Smart Shop, allowing customers to place grocery orders through WhatsApp and receive deliveries within an hour. The service is being piloted in nine Bilbao stores for a one‑year trial. Eroski will track usage, satisfaction,...
Amazon's Hidden Psychology Tricks Drive Impulse Spending
Amazon's the king of "buy stuff you didn't need." But that's no accident. The website is filled with psychological hacks designed to make you spend more. Here are 10 of them:
Small Cities Now Account for over 60% of India’s E-Commerce Orders as the Market Grows Toward $250B by 2030
India’s e‑commerce market expanded at a 23% CAGR from 2020 to 2025, the fastest growth among major economies. Smaller cities and towns now account for over 60% of online orders, driven by 5G rollout, UPI payments, and better logistics. Only...
Google’s Product Feed Strategy Points To The Future Of Retail Discovery via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
Google is repositioning Merchant Center product feeds as the backbone of retail discovery across its ecosystem, including Search, YouTube, Maps, Lens and AI‑driven formats. The company cites more than 1 billion daily shopping interactions and 20 billion Lens visual searches per month,...
UPS Has Deployed RFID Tracking Across Its Entire U.S. Network, Automatically Sensing Packages without Manual Scans
UPS has rolled out RFID sensing technology across its entire U.S. network, installing passive tags in every delivery vehicle, domestic facility and more than 5,500 UPS Store locations. The system automatically records package pickup and provides continuous location updates without...
Analysts Estimate Less than 10% of Shopify’s Revenue Comes From Enterprise Clients Despite Years of Courting Big Brands
Shopify has highlighted marquee enterprise wins such as L'Oréal, Starbucks and Mattel, yet analysts estimate those large‑brand accounts generate only 5%‑10% of total revenue. The bulk of the platform’s earnings still come from small and medium‑sized merchants. Enterprise sales cycles...
A Class-Action Lawsuit Accuses Amazon of Intentionally Degrading Early Fire TV Stick Devices to Push Consumers Into Buying New Ones
A California class‑action lawsuit claims Amazon deliberately slowed the first‑ and second‑generation Fire TV Stick to force upgrades. Plaintiff Bill Merewhuader alleges his 2018 second‑gen stick became unusable years before its expected lifespan. The complaint says Amazon failed to disclose...
Creator Partnerships Drive Explosive Growth, Not Ad Spend
Manscaped sponsored 2,000+ YouTubers, generating 2 billion views in one year and scaling revenue from $3M to nearly $300M. Meanwhile you're complaining about Facebook ad costs while ignoring the massive leverage of creator partnerships.
Uber Eats Launches Retail Returns Feature
Uber Eats introduced a retail returns feature that lets customers schedule a courier to pick up purchased items and receive refunds, a first for on‑demand delivery. The service launches with Best Buy, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Petco, Pacsun and Pet Food Express...
Uber Eats App to Start Picking Up Customers’ Returns for Thousands of Retail Locations
Uber Eats is rolling out an in‑app returns feature, letting customers send eligible retail purchases back via a courier or self‑drop without leaving home. The service launches Friday for thousands of U.S. stores, including Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, PacSun, Petco...
Universal Music Group Launches Everything Jazz, a New Global Digital Platform for Jazz Music and Culture
Universal Music Group’s Global Classics & Jazz division launched Everything Jazz, a new digital platform and online store dedicated to jazz music and culture. Developed with major labels including Blue Note, Verve, Impulse! and ECM, the service combines catalog and...
Nvidia RTX 5070 Spotted at Rare MSRP Price in Woot Flash Sale — Move Fast to Secure a Bargain, 38%...
Tom’s Hardware reports a flash sale on the MSI RTX 5070 Ventus, priced at $549—38% below its $889 MSRP and $340 less than the typical market price of $629. The discount is limited to a four‑day window and applies to brand‑new...
Amazon Teams with DressX to Debut Virtual Clothing on Its Marketplace
Amazon has announced a partnership with virtual‑fashion startup DressX to sell digital clothing on its platform, the first time virtual apparel is available on the e‑commerce giant. The move extends Amazon’s direct‑to‑consumer strategy into a new category and leverages DressX’s...
Why AI-Powered Ordering Can Redefine the Restaurant’s Digital Experience
Restaurant digital ordering often feels like a static menu, leading to 60‑70% abandonment on complex orders. AI‑powered ordering turns the experience into a guided conversation, letting guests state intent such as budget or dietary needs and receiving a curated cart...
AI Is Accelerating Commerce, but Service-Led AI Is Where Brands Win
AI‑driven agentic commerce is surging, with AI‑referenced shopping traffic up 693% YoY in late 2025 and still 527% higher in early 2026. While social commerce still leads referral growth, brands are finding the biggest upside by embedding AI directly into...
RunDTC Partners with Dooney & Bourke to Modernize Retail Ecosystem
RunDTC has been hired by luxury accessories maker Dooney & Bourke to overhaul its retail ecosystem, moving the brand’s global e‑commerce sites from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify and installing Shopify POS in all brick‑and‑mortar locations. The migration promises faster site performance,...
EBANX Expands Into Southeast Asia and Turkey as Cross-Border Demand Grows in $610B Market
EBANX, Brazil's leading cross‑border payments platform, announced its entry into Southeast Asia and Turkey, adding six new country operations to its portfolio. The move targets the $610 billion global cross‑border e‑commerce market, which is expanding at double‑digit rates. EBANX will offer...
Rithum SupplyExplorer – Discover and Connect with High-Value Suppliers
Rithum has launched SupplyExplorer, an AI‑driven platform that helps retailers discover and connect with high‑value suppliers. The core Merchant Match module generates curated supplier recommendations based on a retailer’s categories, growth priorities, and business needs. Complementary Network Profiles provide supplier‑controlled...
Bigbasket Appoints Arpit Jaiswal as Chief Growth Officer
BigBasket, the Tata‑owned online grocery platform, has hired Arpit Jaiswal as Chief Growth Officer to drive profitable expansion across products, user acquisition, retention, and new markets. Jaiswal arrives from Google Pay, where he oversaw AI‑led user growth and disciplined P&L...
Syndigo and DetailPage Partner to Improve Digital Shelf Performance, Conversion, and AI-Powered Search Visibility
Syndigo, a global product experience management leader, has partnered with DetailPage, an analytics platform that translates shopper‑driven signals into actionable content insights. The joint solution embeds these insights into Syndigo’s content workflows, allowing brands to prioritize edits that boost AI‑powered...
This Is Not Any Old Loyalty Scheme Refresh, Its an M&S Loyalty Scheme Refresh
British retailer Marks & Spencer has overhauled its Sparks loyalty programme, introducing AI‑driven, personalised rewards that refresh each Tuesday. The revamp, promoted with a campaign starring Emily Atack, adds real‑money credits usable across the entire M&S range and integrates new...
Why Friction-Free Messaging Automation Beats Dedicated Retail Apps
Retail brands are abandoning costly native apps as consumer app fatigue rises, opting instead for messaging‑based commerce. Chatbots and AI‑driven assistants run on standardized APIs, letting retailers launch features instantly without app‑store approvals. The approach slashes development and maintenance expenses...
RIP QVC: Why Shoppers Switched Off the Channel that Changed Retail
QVC, the pioneering home‑shopping network launched in 1986, announced a Chapter 11 filing after its holding group succumbed to $6.6 billion of debt and more than $2.4 billion in 2025 losses. Viewership plummeted 61% since 2020, and the company’s linear, host‑driven model failed...
Bleckmann Partners Australian Swimwear Brand for First EU Logistics Base
Bleckmann has partnered with Australian swimwear label Kulani Kinis to launch the brand’s first European logistics hub in Venlo, Netherlands. The move shifts warehousing, order fulfilment and returns from Australia to Europe, cutting delivery times from up to six days...
Facebook Affiliate Partnerships Brings eBay, Amazon, and More Into Creator Commerce
Meta unveiled Facebook Affiliate Partnerships at Shoptalk, letting creators tag products from major retailers directly in posts and Reels. The rollout starts with Amazon in the United States and Shopee across eight Asian and Latin American markets, while eBay, Temu...
TikTok Upgrades Ads to Bridge Content and Commerce
TikTok is rolling out upgraded high‑impact ad formats—including Logo Takeover, TopView and Prime Time—to turn the platform into a seamless "content + transaction" experience. These formats give brands immediate, full‑screen exposure when users launch the app and allow multiple impressions within short...
Amazon Introduces New Fee Structure for Prime Day 2026 Price Discounts
Amazon has overhauled its Prime Day 2026 price‑discount fee model, replacing the previous $1,000 flat fee with a $100 upfront charge plus a 1.5% variable fee on sales, capped at $5,000. Sellers who submit deals before April 30 can halve the...
OTP Ventures Leads Pre-Seed Round in Fragrance Brand FIFTH SENSE
FIFTH SENSE, a Gurugram‑based D2C fragrance startup, raised a pre‑seed round of ₹6.3 crore (≈ $760,000) led by OTP Ventures, with participation from Sadev Ventures, ISV Capital and angels including Swiggy CEO Rohit Kapoor. The funding will fuel expansion of its product...
Amazon Closes a Long-Standing SEO Loophole in A+ Content
Amazon has eliminated the seller‑controlled alt‑text field in A+ Content and Brand Story, replacing it with AI‑generated image descriptions. The change applies to new and existing assets across marketplaces, starting in Europe and expanding globally. Sellers can no longer edit...
Australia's Kulani Kinis Inks European Distribution Partnership with Bleckmann
Australian swimwear label Kulani Kinis has signed a European distribution agreement with Dutch logistics specialist Bleckmann. The partnership gives Kulani Kinis access to warehousing, order fulfillment and returns processing at Bleckmann’s Venlo hub, marking the brand’s first physical logistics footprint...
How DTC Brands Use Retention to Outgrow Competitors
Direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) brands are shifting focus from costly acquisition to retention as the primary growth engine. By turning first‑time buyers into repeat customers, they lower customer‑acquisition costs, boost lifetime value, and improve profit margins. Retention is driven by holistic experiences—product...
Quick Commerce Turning to Reset Lane as Profit Push Tempers Growth Metrics
Quick‑commerce leaders Blinkit and Instamart are expected to show slower growth in Q1 FY26 as they shift toward profitability. Blinkit’s net order value is projected to rise 67‑99% YoY, down from double‑digit growth, while Instamart’s gross order value is forecast...
Shoplazza Launches AI Store Builder to Create Ready‑to‑Sell Sites in Minutes
Shoplazza unveiled its AI Store Builder, an AI‑driven agent that creates fully functional ecommerce sites from a simple text prompt. The tool promises to shrink storefront launch times from weeks to minutes, giving DTC merchants a faster path to revenue.
Amazon Pauses Controversial Ad Payment Change After Seller Backlash
Amazon announced it will pause the rollout of a new advertising payment option that would force sellers to use account balances or Pay‑by‑Invoice, deferring the change to Aug. 1, 2026 after coordinated pushback. The move underscores growing tension between the marketplace’s ad...
VTEX Unveils AI‑Native Commerce Suite, Redefining Digital Retail
VTEX announced an AI‑native commerce suite at its VTEX Day event, positioning the platform to automate operations, personalize customer experiences and expand ad monetization. The launch, part of VTEX Vision 2026, targets the 2,200 B2C and B2B brands already using...
Study Finds AI‑Driven Dynamic Pricing Risks Unfair Discrimination Online
A recent study published by The Brighter Side reveals that AI‑driven dynamic pricing can produce unfair price discrimination across e‑commerce platforms. By leveraging detailed personal data, algorithms may charge different buyers different prices for identical goods, raising consumer‑fairness concerns.
From Search to Conversation: How Is AI Rewiring the Traditional Shopper Funnel?
In this Euromonitor webinar, experts explain how AI is fundamentally reshaping the traditional shopper funnel, moving from keyword‑driven search to algorithmic, conversational discovery. They highlight early disruption signals such as TikTok Shop’s influencer‑driven model and the explosive growth of ChatGPT,...
Amazon UK Is STILL Selling Glue Traps Despite Evidence of Illegal Use
Amazon UK continues to list rodent glue traps despite clear evidence they are being used on mice and rats, violating the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 in England and the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023. User‑generated videos and reviews on the...
Disney’s New Limited-Time “Disney Store” Concept Is Bringing Back What Fans Miss Most
Disney is launching a limited‑time "Disney Store" concept, debuting first in Pittsburgh’s Ross Park Mall on May 23, 2026 and later in New Jersey’s Westfield Garden State Plaza. The pop‑up blends the convenience of shopDisney with immersive, in‑person experiences, featuring exclusive merchandise, opening...