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
Just Eat: Consumer Protection Enforcement Case
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a formal investigation on 26 March 2026 into Just Eat’s compliance with consumer‑protection law. The probe focuses on whether the platform’s star‑rating system artificially inflates the scores of certain restaurants and grocers, potentially misleading shoppers. The CMA will collect evidence through September 2026 before issuing any findings. At this stage no violation has been confirmed, but the inquiry signals heightened regulatory scrutiny of online food‑delivery marketplaces.
Inside the Stream – Deloitte Streaming Data, CTV Commerce, Disney-OpenAI Ends
Deloitte’s latest Digital Media Trends report shows 68% of streamers are prioritizing ad‑supported SVOD plans while 61% say they would cancel a service if monthly fees rose by $5. Disney has scrapped its $1 billion investment in OpenAI after the AI...
From Side Hustle to Serious Brand: Lessons Every Ecommerce Founder Should Know
The article outlines a step‑by‑step playbook for ecommerce founders who want to transform a side hustle into a recognized brand. It stresses the power of an authentic founder narrative, a customer‑obsessed feedback flywheel, and scalable technology and logistics. It also...
Shopify Gives Students 4 Free Months, Seeding Loyalty
JUST IN: Shopify Student Discount: 4 Free Months for Eligible Schools - The discount lowers the barrier to entry for budding e‑commerce entrepreneurs, expanding Shopify’s future customer base and fostering early brand loyalty. https://www.pulse.bot/ecommerce/blogs/shopify-student-discount-4-free-months-for-eligible-schools-b9240613-bb58-43eb-9b3d-cf0b7d7cfbd7/ SaaS
Food Delivery Wars Continue to Bite Meituan, Which Posts Another Quarterly Loss
Meituan reported a second consecutive quarterly loss, with revenue of 92.1 billion yuan ($13.3 bn) rising 4.1% year‑over‑year but falling just short of analyst expectations. Adjusted net loss narrowed to 15.1 billion yuan ($2.2 bn) from 16 billion yuan a quarter earlier, after posting a...
Shopify Student Discount: 4 Free Months for Eligible Schools
Shopify is offering a four‑month free trial to students at qualifying U.S. and Canadian colleges, activated by a .edu email address. To begin processing orders, users pay a $1‑per‑month fee, which adds three additional months to the trial period. The...
Amaze Holdings Announces Creator Commerce Media Platform, Designed To Unlock Data-Driven Revenue Streams
Amaze Holdings launched a Creator Commerce Media Platform to monetize its first‑party commerce and audience data. Built on its new demand‑side platform, the service offers four high‑margin products—DSP audience segments, subscription data SaaS, data‑driven brand activation, and enterprise creator‑intelligence tools....
Macy’s AI Chatbot Quadruples Customer Spending
Macy’s introduced the Ask Macy’s AI shopping assistant on March 23, leveraging Google’s Gemini model to provide outfit‑completion suggestions and virtual try‑on capabilities. Early data show that shoppers who engage with the chatbot spend roughly 4.75 times more than those...
Shippo Adds to Functionality for AI-Powered Shipping Insights, Analytics
Shippo has upgraded its AI‑driven Shippo Intelligence platform with new analytics tools for ecommerce merchants. The enhancements include weekly AI‑generated insights emails, interactive shipping performance maps, and two dedicated dashboards that surface carrier surcharges and positive invoice adjustments. Merchants can...
GetHealthy Launches Script, an AI-Enabled Platform Expanding Practitioner Commerce Beyond Supplements Across Seven Product Categories
GetHealthy unveiled Script, an AI‑enabled clinical scripting platform that lets health practitioners prescribe comprehensive protocols across seven product categories, from supplements to pet health and diagnostic testing. The solution taps a catalog of over 400 vetted brands and integrates with...
TikTok for Business Introduces Campaign to Drive In-App Shopping
TikTok for Business launched the “Watch it. Love it. Want it.” campaign to promote its expanding in‑app shopping experience. The platform reported a 40 % year‑over‑year increase in search activity, with billions of daily queries, and one in four users searching...
E.l.f. Beauty Says AI Answer Engines Are Already Changing How People Shop
At Shoptalk 2026, e.l.f. Beauty highlighted how AI answer engines are reshaping product discovery and purchase intent. ReFiBuy co‑founder and CEO Scot Wingo projected that 10% of commerce will be fully agentic by 2030, while retail‑media analyst Andrew Lipsman dismissed the notion as...
Free Wine From Last Bottle Wines Via Referral
Last Bottle Wines is offering free ground shipping on all orders and a $10 credit for new customers who sign up via a referral link. Existing referrers earn a $30 credit when someone uses their link. Wines are priced $8‑$12...
Here’s What I’m Building.
The author’s Gumroad store collapsed, prompting a full rebuild under a new LLC called The Biblical House. The venture consolidates three content streams—Biblical Man, Dead Hidden, and Biblical Womanhood—into a single storefront. Upcoming releases include refreshed digital guides, video teaching,...
Nintendo's Switch 2 Game Prices Reveal Shift Toward Digital Sales
Nintendo's latest pricing data shows physical Switch 2 titles retailing up to 30% higher than their digital counterparts, highlighting a consumer move toward cheaper, instantly delivered games. The trend reshapes how marketers plan promotions and inventory for Nintendo's ecosystem.
Ecommerce Trends: The Fastest-Growing Online Retailers in 2026
The 2026 State of American Ecommerce Report shows mass‑merchant platforms leading online growth, with a 14.4% year‑over‑year increase in 2025. Amazon alone captured 40% of sales among the Top 2000 retailers, pushing the combined share of the four biggest mass merchants...
Get a $1,250 Gift Card if You Buy an Actual Car From Amazon
Amazon Autos is rewarding Prime members with a $1,250 Amazon gift card when they purchase a new vehicle through its online platform. Shoppers must complete checkout by March 31, 2026 and pick up the car by April 3, 2026. The...
USA Cycling Is Getting Into the Used E-Bike Market
USA Cycling announced a two‑year partnership with Upway, the online marketplace for certified refurbished e‑bikes. The collaboration gives USA Cycling members exclusive discounts and provides a trusted platform for buying and selling used e‑bikes, spanning cargo, road, mountain and gravel...
Regain Ad Control, Boost Sales 69% in 10 Days
I spoke with a founder in November who had her sales get cut in half almost immediately after hiring an agency. She had no idea what they had changed or why it was happening, and the agency couldn't give her a...
New Zealand’s Credit Card Surcharge Ban May Not Happen After All
New Zealand’s proposed ban on in‑store credit‑card surcharges, slated for May, is effectively dead after the ACT Party withdrew its support. The legislation, introduced last year, faced opposition from Retail NZ, which warned businesses would shift costs to prices. While...
How to Buy Loose Diamonds Online, According to Jewelry Experts
The guide explains how to purchase loose diamonds online, outlining the advantages of buying unmounted stones for custom jewelry. It ranks top retailers such as Blue Nile, Brilliant Earth, Kay Jewelers, Ritani and Frank Darling, and details safety factors like...
You May Not Have to Return That Item to Get Your Money Back — Here’s Why
Retailers are increasingly offering “refund without return” policies, allowing customers to keep low‑margin items while receiving a full refund. The approach saves on shipping, labor, and warehousing costs that often exceed the product’s resale value. Major players such as Amazon,...
The Rise of the AI Super Agent: How HIX.AI 2.0 Is Redefining the All-in-One AI Workspace
HIX.AI 2.0 launches an all‑in‑one AI workspace that replaces fragmented tool stacks with a Coordinator‑driven, autonomous task planner. The platform combines research, data structuring, multi‑format content creation, and lightweight coding into a single, skill‑based architecture. Users can initiate complex workflows—such...
How to Finance Your Store’s Transition to Agentic Commerce
Shopify merchants generating $250 K‑$5 M annually are urged to adopt agentic commerce—a AI‑driven model that boosts conversion and average order value—while preserving cash flow. The article outlines a financing framework that leverages equipment‑technology loans, leasing, and vendor‑financing to fund AI infrastructure...
Lowe's Kicks Off SpringFest with Free Same-Day Mulch Delivery
Lowe's launched its SpringFest promotion on March 26, pairing deep discounts with free same‑day mulch delivery for MyLowe's Rewards members on orders over $25. The retailer, which now has more than 30 million loyalty members, aims to capture peak home‑improvement spending...
India, US Face Off over E-Commerce Moratorium at WTO Meet
India has asked WTO members to carefully reconsider the e‑commerce duty moratorium, warning of revenue losses and an ambiguous definition of "electronic transmissions." The United States, meanwhile, is pressing for the moratorium to become a permanent, duty‑free regime to protect...
Nintendo's Physical Switch 2 Game Prices Outpace Digital, Sparking Pricing Debate
Nintendo's latest Switch 2 console retails for $696 in stores, while flagship titles like Mario Kart World sell digitally for as low as $51.99. The price gap between physical and digital game formats is prompting industry analysts and consumers to...
E637: Can You Trust Amazon Keyword Tool Estimates? We Found Out.
In this episode the Econ Crew team evaluates how trustworthy Amazon keyword and sales estimate tools are, focusing on Helium 10 and Jungle Scout. By comparing actual search volume data from Brand Analytics for three of their own brands to...
Meet Nvidia's New "AI Factory" Partner
Coupang announced a partnership with Nvidia to build an AI‑powered "factory" that will run on Nvidia’s latest chips and software, aiming to sharpen order forecasting and warehouse efficiency across its e‑commerce network. The deal comes as the South Korean retailer...
Jliveo Introduces AI-Driven Platform for Global Wholesale and Cross-Border E-Commerce Operations
Jliveo, a veteran B2B e‑commerce solutions provider, has launched an AI‑driven platform that consolidates global wholesale sourcing, dropshipping, and fulfillment into a single system. The solution leverages artificial intelligence to automate content workflows, enable multilingual communication, and streamline supply‑chain operations...
Meta’s New Ad Checkout Isn’t True Agentic Commerce
Meta partners with Stripe for in-ad shopping If Instant Checkout didn’t represent agentic commerce, using that term to describe Meta’s new ‘purchase-from-an-ad’ experience is simply absurd. An agent plays no role in this transaction: a user sees an ad and clicks...
Are Parcel Lockers Becoming a Serious Supply Chain Play for Retailers?
Parcel lockers are moving from a niche convenience to a core component of retail fulfilment in the UK. InPost research shows 41% of consumers now receive parcels via lockers, with 115 million parcels processed annually, including 28 million returns. Retailers see lockers...
Alibaba Q4 Profit Falls Two‑thirds, Bets on Cloud, AI and Quick Commerce
Alibaba posted a roughly 66% year‑over‑year plunge in net profit and a modest 6% rise in e‑commerce revenue, while its cloud segment posted 36% growth. The earnings call highlighted a strategic pivot toward cloud, artificial intelligence and quick‑commerce investments that...
Deck Commerce Powers Eddie Bauer’s Digital Expansion with O5 Group
Deck Commerce has been chosen by O5 Group to power Eddie Bauer's next‑phase direct‑to‑consumer expansion across North America. The modern order‑orchestration platform now links Shopify storefronts, Amazon, and other marketplaces with a network of U.S. and Canadian fulfillment partners. A...
E-Bomb! US E-Commerce Is the Preserve of the Old and Rich, Warns New Report, While Most of the World Skews...
A new EBANX Beyond Borders 2026 report shows that half of U.S. e‑commerce spending is generated by consumers over 45, with rich and upper‑middle‑class shoppers accounting for 84% of online purchases—a share projected to rise to 88% by 2035. Younger,...
Merchant Center Titles Dominate; Price Data Must Align
Ecommerce SEO: when it comes to ranking within free listing results on Google, there is a sphere of influence for data sources. This relates to features such as product grids, product knowledge panels, within the Shopping tab, AI Mode...
Amazon Tests Prime Shipping on External Sites, Details Undisclosed
Amazon has begun a pilot that would let external e‑commerce sites display Prime two‑day shipping eligibility without requiring shoppers to log into Amazon. The company has not released details on participating sites, timeline, or technical implementation, leaving the market to...
Chewy Shares Jump 13% on Strong 2026 Outlook and AI‑Driven Margin Boost
Chewy (CHWY) surged 13% after reporting a fourth‑quarter profit beat and issuing a 2026 outlook that tops analyst estimates. The company highlighted 8.1% revenue growth to $3.26 billion, a gross‑margin lift to 29.4%, and AI‑driven efficiency gains that should lift adjusted...
From Acne Journey to Multi‑Million Skincare Brand
Alix Earle spent years posting about her acne, from Accutane rounds to bare-face breakouts. Now she turned that story into Reale Actives, a 4-step skincare line built with her dermatologist. For a year, she seeded unlabeled products, teased a mystery account, and...
Amazon's Seasonal Sale Slashes Prices on Kitchen Gadgets
Amazon’s seasonal sale features major discounts on kitchen essentials, from espresso machines to air fryers and countertop ice makers. https://t.co/L9XM72qAzJ https://t.co/fAdvhRyC6m
Making Money with E-Com Copying and Stablecoins Vs. Banks
A new background update to e‑commerce is focusing on the rise of "Dupes," a model where copy‑cat businesses replicate successful online stores. These dupes are increasingly using stablecoins to streamline payments, creating a competitive edge over traditional banking channels. The...
Shopify Introduces a Fun New Way to Tinker
A new delightful way to Tinker with your latest ideas. Made with love by Shopify.
Prevent Friday Promo Breaks with Ticket‑driven Design
You know what 15 years of @Shopify consulting teaches you? Every way a promo can break on a Friday afternoon. That’s the lens we build @promopartypro through. Half of our product decisions come down to "what support ticket does this...
VIP Club Recording: Selling Books on Amazon Using Notes, Daily Writing Experiments,
The VIP Mastermind session on February 26 covered a series of practical experiments for creators, including daily writing challenges, leveraging Apple Notes to market a new book, and a proven TikTok/YouTube Shorts strategy. Participants shared results from Hakima Tantrika and...
SimGym Now Analyzes Single Themes with Free AI CRO Suggestions
SimGym update from @Shopify: analyze any *single theme* on its own, instead of setting up a comparison between two themes. If you want free AI CRO suggestions, SimGym is the tool. https://t.co/ftXqx3CQye
Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni $200 Off Now
The Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni is $200 off during Amazon's Big Spring Sale and the Ecovacs Spring Cleaning Sale. https://t.co/L6hbFP3j6L https://t.co/aT3Oo1HpV7
How Pinduoduo’s Surprising $14 Billion Plan Could Transform Global Markets
Pinduoduo announced Xinpinmu, a self‑operated brand platform backed by a $14 billion investment. The Shanghai‑based entity will combine Pinduoduo’s and Temu’s supply‑chain assets to launch first‑party brands aimed at overseas consumers. The plan marks a pivot from the company’s low‑price marketplace...
Google Mandates Greyed‑out Add‑to‑cart for Out‑of‑stock Items
Google Merchant Center now requires out of stock product pages to have greyed out add to cart/buy buttons https://t.co/LdscAbqaMh via @FeedArmy https://t.co/myyYJiEUQT
This Ex-Google, Ex-Anka Founder Is Building Shopify but for Social Sellers in Francophone Africa
Yelen, a Côte d’Ivoire‑based startup founded by ex‑Google executive Ibrahima Sylla, launched in June 2025 as an all‑in‑one platform for African social sellers. The service lets merchants create storefronts, accept card and mobile‑money payments, and manage orders from WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook...
Amazon's Big Spring Sale Rolls Out Record Discounts on iPads and Robot Vacuums
Amazon has launched its Big Spring Sale, a multi‑day promotion that runs through March 31 and features steep price cuts on iPads and robot vacuums. While exact discount levels were not disclosed, the sale also highlights deals on apparel and...