Know What's Happening in Ecommerce
Know What's Happening in Ecommerce
Ecommerce Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Pandemic cemented e‑commerce’s share and boosted contactless payments
The COVID‑19 shock locked e‑commerce at 16.6% of U.S. retail sales and set online grocery sales on a path to $250 billion by 2025. Two‑thirds of shoppers now use contactless payments, with 74% planning to keep the habit post‑pandemic.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Grab acquires Foodpanda Taiwan for $600M
Brunello Cucinelli unveiled Callimacus, an AI‑powered ecommerce site built on its in‑house Solomeo platform. The site lets shoppers enter natural‑language prompts, delivering real‑time, personalized product recommendations that echo the brand’s boutique experience. Executives say the technology will bolster both brand image and revenue by turning digital visits into high‑touch interactions. Industry analysts view the launch as a strategic shift from pure conversion focus to deeper customer engagement for luxury retailers.
In this episode Karl Bowman stresses that trust has become the core metric for content success, urging marketers to embed credibility through expert voices, transparent data, and a "trust audit." He introduces a "two‑speed funnel" that splits strategy between Answer...
The episode explains that e‑commerce brands must treat SEO as the essential foundation for AI‑driven search, using technical SEO, clear site architecture, unique product content, and internal linking before tackling Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Optimization (AIO). It stresses...
The episode breaks down the choice between polyester (especially recycled PET) and nylon for promotional bags in 2026, highlighting polyester’s cost advantage, superior printability, UV and water resistance, and sustainability credentials, while nylon shines for strength, premium feel, and durability...
💰 Ecommerce: Stop overlooking informational content investment, especially now with AI platforms. This is content that should be used not only for a comprehensive “learn” or “inspirational” section, with tips written by real experts and based on experience. This is particularly...
The episode explains why top e‑commerce brands are turning to offshore Amazon specialists, emphasizing that the move provides strategic flexibility and faster scaling rather than just payroll savings. Offshore experts bring deep platform knowledge, cross‑market insights, and can be onboarded...
The episode explains perfect order fulfillment—a metric that measures whether every order is accurate, on‑time, complete, undamaged, and correctly documented—and why it matters for ecommerce success. It outlines how to calculate the perfect order rate and details seven steps to...
The episode highlights FedNow’s rapid expansion to 1,600 participating institutions, driving a 460% YoY rise in daily transactions to nearly 30,000 and a total transaction value of $853.4 billion, with average payments soaring to $101,435. It contrasts FedNow’s broader network reach...
The episode explains how e‑commerce and Shopify brands can leverage corporate gifting to humanize digital interactions, using a centralized gifts catalog to streamline selection, budgeting, and bulk ordering. It highlights key criteria—recipient relevance, practicality, brand alignment, quality, and scalability—while warning...
Target announced that former Nike chief innovation officer John Hoke will join its board in March, while ex‑HanesBrands CEO Steve Bratspies will come aboard in April. Both will serve on key committees—Hoke on governance, sustainability, compensation and human‑capital, Bratspies on audit,...
Artists are moving from marketplace‑centric sites like Etsy to Shopify, gaining full control over branding, pricing, and customer data. The Basic plan at $39 per month eliminates commission fees, allowing creators to set true‑value prices and own their storefronts. Integrated...
Automations drove 30% of email revenue in 2025. From 2% of sends. But most of the brands we audit still treat flows like a set-it-and-forget-it checkbox. On Feb 3rd, @yojimmykim and I are walking through how we actually structure retention. 8 flows. Real segmentation. A 90-day...
Apple is confronting a £1.5 billion class‑action lawsuit in the United Kingdom alleging that its Apple Pay mobile‑wallet imposes hidden fees that banks have shifted onto roughly 50 million consumers. The claim, brought by financial campaigner James Daley, accuses Apple of stifling competition...
Reebok announced a multiyear partnership with Grammy‑winning Colombian star Karol G, naming her a global brand ambassador and co‑designer for upcoming Classics‑inspired footwear and apparel. Hasbro bolstered its board with former Nintendo of America president and COO Doug Bowser and...
Yann LeCun, Meta’s former chief AI scientist, has founded AMI Labs, a Paris‑based startup dedicated to building “world models” that understand physical reality. Unlike large language models, these models will be trained on video and sensor streams to embed common‑sense...
OpenAI announced its API unit generated over $1 billion in annual recurring revenue in the past month. The API powers third‑party developers such as Perplexity and legal‑tech startup Harvey, cementing its role as core infrastructure. The revenue boost arrives as the...
AI Agents Are Killing Brand Loyalty — And Reshaping How We Shop AI driven personalisation and recommendations are changing consumer habits — the article argues we may be witnessing the end of traditional brand loyalty. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eKJxW8du #AI...
Caleres named its chief accounting officer, Daniel Karpel, as interim CFO after Jack Calandra resigned effective Jan. 15 and will leave by Jan. 30. The company launched an external search for a permanent finance chief. Caleres also revised its Q4 guidance, flagging...
Ulta Beauty is debuting in the United Arab Emirates with a flagship store at Mall of the Emirates on Jan. 29, marking its first UAE location. The expansion is executed through a franchise partnership with Alshaya Group, which also oversees Ulta’s...
🤖 Let’s talk about good AI content use cases: Although AI-generated content is used in many scenarios, in some cases it doesn’t make sense and can do more harm than good (eg. writing guides on autopilot, without real human experience...
The Holy Grail of Copywriting Frameworks: Never write from scratch again ❌ Use one of these frameworks below to “assemble” your copy. Writing is 10x easier when you do this. — If you found this helpful, please leave a comment and let me know....
Affirm Holdings has filed applications with Nevada’s Financial Institutions Division and the FDIC to obtain a state charter for an industrial loan company, dubbed "Affirm Bank." The move aims to expand its buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) offerings and diversify beyond merchant‑only financing....
Verifone is tackling the biggest friction in omnichannel commerce—consumer identity—by unifying identification, loyalty and payment into a single transaction flow. The company highlights that while digital shoppers can be recognized with cookies and device fingerprints, in‑store shoppers remain anonymous until...
Iceland Foods has partnered with Stratacache to roll out Walkbase sensor technology across its 766‑store retail media network, making it the first European retailer to use camera‑free, privacy‑safe audience measurement. The sensor solution will provide real‑time, closed‑loop attribution for in‑store...
Frank Kosarek, co‑founder of BizPort, explains that ecommerce valuations now hinge on seller discretionary earnings (SDE) rather than top‑line revenue, with multiples typically 2×–2.5× and up to 5× for subscription‑heavy brands. He notes that buyers prefer companies generating recurring sales,...
HiStone unveiled a refreshed flagship POS portfolio at NRF 2026, featuring five models powered by Intel’s 12th‑ and 13th‑Gen Core processors. The new devices—HK568A, HK578A, HK600A, HS330A and HK968A—offer clock speeds up to 4.6 GHz, expanded Smart Cache, DDR4 memory and PCIe Gen 4...
The episode highlights how small businesses now view invoicing as a core part of their payments experience and why banks are uniquely positioned to capture this market. Ian Benton explains that effective invoicing tools—ranging from simple payment requests linked to...
In this episode, Frank Kosarek, co‑founder of the M&A marketplace BizPort and former head of acquisitions for a major ecommerce aggregator, explains how ecommerce business valuations have shifted toward discretionary earnings and recurring revenue models like subscriptions. He outlines the...
Canada's retail sales grew 1.3% in November, reaching $70.4 billion, with core sales up 1.6% after two months of decline. Food and beverage stores led the rebound, posting a 3.0% increase, driven by a 14.3% surge in beer, wine and liquor...
Amaze Holdings announced an expanded strategic partnership with Contend, elevating the studio from advisor to fully integrated partner. The collaboration will combine Contend’s storytelling expertise with Amaze’s global commerce platform to deliver end‑to‑end creator‑led product launches. Throughout 2026 the duo...
NerdWallet Canada’s Harris Poll reveals that 2025 holiday shoppers spent an average of $828 on gifts, $120 more than the $708 they expected in October. Only 7% attribute the overspend to poor planning, while 43% point to inflation as the primary...
OnePay, the Walmart‑backed fintech, has teamed up with Rakuten’s Card‑Linked Offer Network to embed merchant cashback offers directly within its app. The integration delivers automatic, card‑linked rewards at the point of sale, eliminating the need for coupons or manual redemption....
In this episode, Scott Vinkle walks listeners through IRS Form SS‑4, explaining its purpose as the application for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and why virtually every business needs one for banking, hiring, tax filing, and licensing. He breaks down...
The UK is on track to spend more than £1 billion on influencer marketing by 2029, yet 59% of marketers say proving return on investment remains a major hurdle. Consumer trust is eroding, with authenticity, product use and clear sponsorship disclosure...
eBay released a mid‑winter selling guide to help sellers boost listings during January’s slow period. The guide highlights AI‑driven photo listings, detailed item specifics, seasonal product focus, optimized titles, and pricing research. It also advises on choosing the right sale...
London’s King’s Cross retail district posted double‑digit sales growth in 2024. Coal Drops Yard recorded a 20% year‑on‑year increase, while the wider estate saw total sales rise 13.5%, driven by a 16% jump in retail and a 10% lift in...
Fintech platforms Gr4vy and Ecommpay announced a partnership that delivers a single‑integration solution for global payments. The joint offering merges Gr4vy’s payment orchestration layer with Ecommpay’s extensive acquiring network, giving merchants access to over 200 payment methods in more than...
Retailers face instant brand reputation shifts as social media amplifies reviews, influencer posts, and viral content. Distinguishing brand monitoring (mention tracking) from reputation monitoring (sentiment and impact analysis) is essential for omnichannel consistency, product refinement, and crisis prevention. The article...
The episode defines stockpile inventory as a strategic reserve that cushions businesses against unexpected demand spikes, supply disruptions, or viral events, distinguishing it from safety stock, buffer stock, and working inventory. It outlines when to build reserves—seasonal peaks, promotions, supply‑chain...
The Nue Co., a wellness brand known for functional fragrances, is launching its scent line at Ulta Beauty, expanding to 1,100 stores by April. The partnership introduces exclusive discovery kits, travel‑size 10 ml bottles, and full‑size options within Ulta’s new wellness‑focused...
Fintech firms face mounting obstacles that impede growth in an increasingly crowded digital arena. Tight regulatory regimes, persistent cash‑flow constraints for SME clients, and fierce competition for talent and technology stack integration are among the primary culprits. Recent moves—Qonto’s credit‑card...
In this episode, Loieto Tugas explains why a cohesive Instagram grid is crucial for e‑commerce brands, linking visual consistency to stronger first impressions, brand trust, and higher engagement that can translate into sales. He outlines practical steps for creating a...
Gen X, the 46‑61 age cohort, remains the highest‑spending group, averaging $96,941 in 2024. Rising inflation and living costs have forced 67% to trim grocery budgets and 52% to postpone major purchases such as cars or furniture. Financial strain is...
A PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 514 U.S. small‑to‑medium business leaders shows that 83% are confident they will be approved for a new business credit card, shifting the market focus from basic access to product flexibility. More than half of card...
The episode explains that U.S. consumer growth in 2026 will come from relevance, not reach, as eCommerce stabilizes and shoppers—especially Gen Z and Millennials—demand fast, personalized, cross‑device experiences while older buyers seek clarity and confidence. Mobile is now a baseline,...
Razorpay has been granted the Reserve Bank of India’s Payment Aggregator‑Physical (PA‑P) licence, allowing its point‑of‑sale solution to function as a fully regulated aggregator for in‑store transactions. The approval comes as physical retail remains the dominant purchase channel in India,...
Waterstones reported a 7% sales increase to £565.6 million for the 53 weeks ending 3 May 2025, with like‑for‑like sales up 5%. Growth was broad‑based across regions and channels, driven by strong fiction titles and higher demand for stationery and children’s educational toys....
The episode outlines seven high‑impact marketing tactics for ecommerce—buzz, experiential, interactive, gamification, AR, influencer, and co‑marketing—emphasizing the need to focus on one strategy at a time to drive measurable results. Each tactic is explained with its primary goal, key tactics,...
Burberry’s latest fiscal third‑quarter results show a clear rebound driven primarily by outerwear sales, rather than a sweeping brand reinvention. After years of repositioning under the Burberry Forward framework, the company shifted focus from scarves—used to boost store traffic—to high‑margin...
Fabletics is repurposing its 120‑store footprint as a primary engine for VIP membership acquisition, with roughly half of in‑store shoppers signing up. The VIP program now accounts for more than 95% of the brand’s revenue, supporting a $1 billion revenue milestone...
