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
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, which now ranks among the top e‑commerce platforms by traffic. Data from SEMrush shows AI usage surged 225% in a year, and AI‑powered shopping delivers highly personalized product recommendations, compressing discovery, consideration, and conversion into a single dialogue. The discussion concludes with implications for FMCG brands and retailers, urging them to adapt to AI‑driven consumer journeys.
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...
Ecommerce Trends: How Etsy Is Using AI
Etsy is accelerating growth by embedding AI across its marketplace, from consumer‑facing search and instant checkout powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT to seller‑side automation. The company has forged partnerships with OpenAI, Google and Microsoft to explore agentic commerce, a conversational shopping...
Starbucks Debuts ChatGPT‑Powered Personal Barista in App
Starbucks introduced a beta feature that lets users describe a vibe, outfit or preference to ChatGPT, which then suggests a customized drink and routes the order through the Starbucks app. The move aims to capture impulse buying moments and deepen...
Alcohol Retailers Awaiting Digital Age Checks Lay Out What They Want From a Solution
UK alcohol retailers are pressing for practical digital‑ID age‑assurance solutions after the promised rollout by Christmas 2025 failed to materialise. At the 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit, representatives from Co‑op, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and others outlined core requirements:...
AI‑Driven Scorecard Streamlines Product Research & Validation
I use AI for product research before I use it for anything else. Here's my exact workflow (and prompt) you can use: > Find competitor URLs using a product research tool > Plug them into a deep research prompt on Gemini or ChatGPT >...
How Ebay’s Trading Card Marketplace TCGPlayer Is Using Xerox to Expand, Maintain ‘Trust’ With Magic: The Gathering, ‘Pokemon’ and ‘One...
eBay‑owned TCGPlayer launched the Roca Sifter, an automation device that identifies, prices and sorts trading‑card‑game cards without damaging them, thanks to a partnership with Xerox. The company says the Sifter works through sleeves, lowering costs for game stores and expanding trust...
Millennials, Gen Zers Warm up to AI Shopping Tools
A new Quad and Harris Poll survey shows 62% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers prefer AI‑powered shopping tools, with 60% of Millennials trusting AI advice more than store associates. However, 75% say they would lose trust if AI results were...
Unpacked: How Loyalty Programs Power Lifecycle Marketing Strategies
Loyalty programs are evolving from simple point‑based discounts to data‑driven lifecycle marketing tools. Consumers—especially Gen Z—demand personalized, transparent experiences while guarding their privacy. Brands that verify permissioned data on‑site can prevent up to $4 billion in reward‑code theft and reduce offer abuse....
Albertsons Media Collective Offers New Measurement for Advertisers
Albertsons Media Collective launched an onsite incrementality measurement tool that isolates the causal impact of display ads on sales using test‑and‑control frameworks. The solution, dubbed iROAS, quantifies revenue generated solely by advertising, revealing up to a 6.5‑fold variance across campaigns....
Vince Posts 4.7% Sales Rise to $83.7M in Q4 2025, DTC Up 10.4%
Vince (VNCE) announced Q4 2025 net sales of $83.7 million, a 4.7% rise led by a 10.4% surge in direct‑to‑consumer revenue. Wholesale slipped 1.2% after a $2 million sales headwind from paused shipments to Saks Global, and the company projected modest top‑line...
PayPal Adds Native Payment Links to Canva, Turning Designs Into Instant Checkout Pages
PayPal launched a native Payment Links integration inside Canva, allowing users to attach PayPal checkout URLs or QR codes to any design. The move taps Canva’s 265 million monthly users and PayPal’s 439 million accounts, aiming to capture a slice of the...
Airwallex Launches Global POS Platform, Directly Targeting Stripe, Square and Adyen
Airwallex introduced a unified point‑of‑sale product that lets merchants accept in‑person payments in dozens of countries without separate local acquirers, positioning the $8 billion‑valued fintech against Stripe, Square and Adyen. The move leverages its network of 90 regulatory licences and $100 billion...
Bath & Body Works Pulls Back on Laundry Offering
Bath & Body Works announced it will scale back its laundry line, including dryer sheets launched last September, to concentrate on its core scented‑product categories. CEO Daniel Heaf said the expansion diverted marketing and development resources away from the brand’s...
From Instacart’s Rise to Investor Lessons
For this episode of Uncapped I got to sit down with my close friend @Max, cofounder of Instacart 🥕 We talked about the key moments of Instacart...how it got started, critical wins, tough losses, competitive dynamics, earned insights, going public, and...
PosterXXL Rated Best Online Shop in Germany
PosterXXL was crowned the Best Online Shop in Germany in ServiceValue’s 12th annual ranking, achieving the lowest average satisfaction score of 2.35. The study analyzed more than 753,000 customer reviews across 2,400 online stores spanning 172 sectors. Otto (2.37) and...
Amazon Shifts to Optional Channel; DTC Remains Most Profitable
AMZ is moving from mandatory -> ancillary. 17% like selling on AMZ. 93% like selling on their own site. And DTC is more lucrative. Even after accounting for the increased CAC spend, DTC-first brands are making more money per our recent...
Hyper-Personal Shopping: The Rise of AI Shopper Bots
Retailers like John Lewis and Frasers are deploying AI‑powered shopper bots to deliver hyper‑personalized shopping experiences. These bots analyze real‑time browsing data and engage customers via chat or voice, offering curated product selections instantly. Early pilots have shown higher conversion...
The Paradoxical Dependence of Amazon & Its Sellers
Amazon dominates 36% of U.S. e‑commerce and 70% of marketplace sales, making it the default channel for most third‑party merchants. Marketplace Pulse’s 2026 Seller Index shows 49% of sellers flag marketplace fees and 46% cite advertising spend as the biggest...
DressX and Amazon Announce Virtual Fashion Partnership | Exclusive
Avatar fashion platform DressX announced a partnership with Amazon on April 16, enabling shoppers to buy virtual garments through Amazon’s online store. The purchased items can be unlocked and worn in DressX’s Meta Horizon experience, Fashion Rivals. This marks the...
Retail's Downfall Blamed on E
All these years I never actually looked into this and just assume e-commerce killed retail (it had a hand sure) but nope turns out it was an insecure dude who didn’t care about the lives he ruined all for a...
Adyen Expands Giving Program Worldwide
Adyen is scaling its free checkout‑donation platform, Adyen Giving, beyond Canada and the United States by partnering with adidas to launch the feature in Europe, Brazil and Mexico. The program helped shoppers at 216 adidas stores in Canada and the...
![Email Deliverability: A Complete Guide for Ecommerce [2026]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://www.omnisend.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Email-Deliverability-Guide.png)
Email Deliverability: A Complete Guide for Ecommerce [2026]
Email deliverability—whether messages reach inboxes or land in spam—is a critical revenue driver for ecommerce brands. Benchmark data shows only 83.5% of global emails hit the inbox, meaning roughly one in six messages are unseen. A drop from 95% to...
Bureaucracy Weighs Heavily on German Online Sellers
A Händlerbund survey reveals that 89% of German online sellers find bureaucratic procedures heavy or very heavy, with product safety and packaging regulations cited as the biggest hurdles. Data‑protection rules, especially GDPR, rank third, while sustainability reporting adds to the...
Instagram Re-Enters Creator Affiliate Commerce Years After Rivals Built Lead
Instagram announced in March 2026 that creators can now tag up to 30 affiliate products directly in Reels and earn commissions on sales. The move ends a four‑year hiatus after the platform shut down its 2022 affiliate program and removed...
Small Business: Elevating First Impressions Online
VistaPrint’s Erin Shea argues that packaging is the new storefront for small businesses, with 72% of shoppers saying design influences purchase decisions and 61% getting excited to open a parcel. The article highlights how simple custom touches—branded tissue, thank‑you notes, or...
Marketplace Briefing: How DoorDash Is Winning over Apparel Brands
DoorDash, the U.S. leader in food delivery, announced in late March that it is expanding its marketplace to include apparel. The company added four fashion brands—Urban Outfitters, Steve Madden, Dolce Vita and Rally House—to its platform, allowing Dashers to deliver clothing alongside meals....
Aya Closes $7 Million Series A to Scale On-Demand Fashion Model
Saudi‑based fashion e‑commerce startup Aya closed a SAR 26 million ($7 million) Series A round, led by RAED Ventures with participation from Nuwa Capital, Sanabil Investments (PIF), Joa Capital and Khwarizmi Ventures. Founded in 2024, Aya’s demand‑driven platform tests more than 700 designs each...
Smart Integrations with Your Favourite Tools
Webshops often suffer from fragmented data across storefronts, marketplaces, and warehouses, leading to stock mismatches and missed orders. Smart integrations—exemplified by Gomonta’s connectors for ecommerce platforms, carriers, and ERP systems—centralize sales, inventory, and shipment information on a single dashboard. Automation...
Nas Daily Founder Nuseir Yassin Secures $27 Million Series A for AI Solo‑Entrepreneur Platform
Nuseir Yassin, the creator behind Nas Daily, raised $27 million in a Series A round led by Khosla Ventures to fund Nas.com, an AI‑driven platform that lets solo founders launch storefronts and marketing campaigns with a single product photo. The round also...
Speed, Data, and the Great Consolidation: What’s Powering MENA’s Quick Commerce?
Quick commerce in the Middle East and North Africa has shifted from novelty to necessity, propelled by world‑leading smartphone penetration, government‑mandated cashless payments and rapid dark‑store rollout. The sector now commands significant advertising spend, with retail media projected to reach...
Chargebacks911 Refines UDMS Suite with Smarter AI Dispute Detection
Chargebacks911 has upgraded its Unified Dispute Management System (UDMS) with a more sophisticated artificial‑intelligence engine designed to spot chargeback risks earlier. The enhancement responds to surging chargeback volumes and the growing complexity of transaction data across the payments ecosystem. By...
EXEC: European Soccer E-Tailer Unisport Enters U.S. with WeGotSoccer Acquisition
European online football retailer Unisport Group has acquired Arocam, the U.S. parent of WeGotSoccer and TUDN Fan Shop, adding six physical stores to its portfolio. The acquisition positions Unisport for a rapid expansion in the United States ahead of the...
The Interview: Co-Founder Abhi Arora on Building Second-Hand Wholesale Marketplace Fleek
London‑based Fleek, a B2B marketplace for vintage and second‑hand wholesale clothing, has scaled from a Brick Lane startup to a Silicon Valley‑backed global player. Since its first sale in November 2021, it now supports over 10,000 resellers sourcing stock from more...
Instagram Adds In‑Reel Affiliate Tags, Boosting Creator Earnings
ICYMI: Instagram is rolling out the ability to use affiliate links to tag products in Reels. 🛍️ This removes friction that often comes with creators driving audiences to their link in bio or using comment automations to share affiliate links, likely...
AI-Driven Traffic Spikes 393% and Lifts Retailer Revenue
AI traffic to US retailers rose 393% in Q1, and it’s boosting their revenue too https://t.co/4s4yDglDSH
Who Delivers Your Orders Matters
Target announced it will extend its Shipt‑powered same‑day delivery service to more than 100 U.S. stores in 2026, leveraging in‑store fulfillment to bring packages closer to customers. By picking up orders directly from local stores, Target claims a cost reduction...
Your Welcome Flow Misses Revenue: 6 Essential Fixes
Welcome flows are one of the highest-revenue flows for most ecom brands, and most of them barely do half their job. Here are 6 things yours should do that it probably doesn't: https://t.co/5WFCrShviV
Shift From Cold Discounts to Prospecting‑Then‑Remarketing Wins
Snow sold out their entire inventory by spending 75% of their Q4 budget on prospecting ads, then flipping to 75% remarketing for the sale. Meanwhile you're running the exact same discount ad to cold traffic on Black Friday and wondering...
Little Caesars Has Launched an App in ChatGPT to Help with Orders
Little Caesars has launched an app inside ChatGPT that lets customers place pizza orders through a conversational interface. The feature connects to the chain’s existing mobile‑app infrastructure, allowing users to customize orders, schedule pickup, and link their rewards program. It...
Amazon Cuts Top Gadget Prices to as Low as $14.99
Amazon is slashing prices on its best-selling tech gadgets, including Fire tablets, Ring Doorbells, Blink cameras, Fire Sticks, and more, starting at just $14.99. https://t.co/CcxY57oXOI
Almost Ready for Shopify’s Built‑for Badge
So close to meeting Built for Shopify requirements with @promopartypro. Crowdfunder’s had the badge for a while; this one's next.
Can AI Read Your Homepage?
Adobe reports AI chat platforms drove a 269% year‑over‑year surge in referral traffic to U.S. retail sites in March 2026, with overall AI‑generated traffic up 393% for Q1. Its AI Content Visibility Checker found that 75% of retailer homepages are...
Delhi NCR Hosts 54 Grocery Delivery Startups, Disproving Myth
Why these random thoughts that people on X have- " hey anyone can set up new age businesses by losing money and there is no other moat" are so wrong. There were 54 grocery delivery start ups in Delhi NCR alone. https://t.co/S00vfn7flW
Third‑Party Delivery Only Viable If Fully Incremental
We did an economic impact study several years ago on third party delivery. Economically, the only way it made sense was if all the business was incremental, because if not it was just cannibalizing revenue. As noted, it's hard to...
China's Q1 Retail Sales Rise 2.4% YoY to $1.86 Trillion, Signaling Modest Recovery
China's National Bureau of Statistics reported a 2.4% year‑on‑year increase in retail sales of consumer goods for the first quarter of 2026, totaling 12.77 trillion yuan ($1.86 trillion). The modest rebound is driven by stronger online consumption and service‑sector sales, offering a...
Delay Outsourcing Fulfillment; Leaders End up Packing Boxes
60% of online retailers already outsource at least part of their fulfilment. The ones who wait too long? They're the ones spending leadership time packing boxes instead of growing the business. Know the signs 👇 https://t.co/r4ctl4lH4h
Automate Data Management for Enterprise Commerce (2026) – Shopify
Shopify’s 2026 guide explains how automated data management can streamline the entire data lifecycle for enterprise commerce, from ingestion to analytics. It cites that 64% of organizations spend over half their data team’s time on repetitive manual tasks, and that...
73% Portuguese Shoppers Driven by Price
A ConsumerChoice report finds 73% of Portuguese online shoppers prioritize low price, with 71% driven by promotions. Over half (51%) compare prices before purchase, and 81% shop via marketplaces, followed by brand sites (54%). 63% have increased online buying in...