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
AI Tools Enter Retail Platforms as Canadian Adoption Grows
Canadian small‑business owners are moving from AI experimentation to everyday use, according to a 2026 Square survey showing 60 % of respondents already employ AI tools and 74 % are familiar with them. Commerce platforms such as Square, Shopify and Lightspeed are embedding AI assistants—Square AI, Shopify Magic and Lightspeed’s predictive features—directly into their payment and POS systems, allowing merchants to ask natural‑language questions about sales, inventory and staffing. These embedded solutions aim to replace manual dashboards with conversational insights, promising faster decision‑making for retailers and restaurateurs. The trend signals a shift toward AI‑driven operational intelligence as a standard feature of retail technology.
AI Is Changing How Shoppers Find Products – with Signs Pointing to Brands Creating AI-First Marketing Strategies
The Criteo 2026 Commerce & AI Trend Report shows AI is reshaping product discovery, with 47% of shoppers using it for comparison and 39% for finding new items, yet only 8% rely on AI to finalize purchases. Consumers crave “relevant...
How Delivery Platforms Are Becoming the New Digital Shelves for Brands
Food‑delivery aggregators such as Talabat, Deliveroo and Careem have turned into digital shelves for restaurants across the UAE and wider Middle East. Visibility on these apps—driven by algorithmic rankings, menu presentation and promotions—now determines a brand’s ability to attract orders,...
How CRO Drives Ecommerce Longevity
Founder Adam Pearce explains that ecommerce longevity hinges on diversified traffic sources and a robust conversion rate optimization (CRO) program. He details how CRO improves advertising efficiency, strengthens organic search and generative‑AI visibility, and fuels personalized email marketing. Real‑world examples—from...
Battersea Power Station Director on Why Social Influence Is Redefining Retail Destinations
Battersea Power Station’s leasing director says social influence has become a critical leasing KPI, reshaping how landlords curate retail mixes. Gen‑Z now turn to social media before search engines, prompting landlords to prioritize brands with strong digital followings. Battersea leverages...
Plaud Pro Launches in India at ₹19,490
Plaud is finally selling in India through Amazon. The company is now officially selling its new Plaud Pro device for ₹19,490. The device sells for $189 in the U.S. https://t.co/O2S52C07LL
Meta Challenges Rs 10 Lakh CCPA Fine, Says Facebook Marketplace Is a Notice Board, Not E‑commerce
Meta Platforms has filed a petition in Delhi High Court to overturn a Rs 10 lakh fine levied by the Central Consumer Protection Authority for walkie‑talkie listings on Facebook Marketplace. The company argues the platform is a free notice board, not an...
Increase in DIY and Hardware Retailers Offering Same Day Delivery
New Gophr research shows UK hardware and DIY retailers increased same‑day delivery adoption from 22 % to 32 % year‑on‑year. Yet speed remains uneven: only 26 % can fulfil orders within an hour and 46 % impose conditions such as cut‑off times or location...
Kingfisher Partners with Google Cloud to Roll Out AI-Powered Shopping Across Europe
Kingfisher has entered a multi‑year partnership with Google Cloud to embed Vertex AI across its B&Q, Castorama and Brico Dépôt e‑commerce platforms in Europe. The collaboration replaces traditional keyword search with AI‑driven, conversational discovery and introduces agentic assistants that can...
Costco Adds Adtech Firm Moloco to Scale Retail Media Network
Costco has teamed up with ad‑tech firm Moloco Commerce Media to enhance the relevance of ads on its e‑commerce platform. The partnership will be rolled out as a beta program in Q2, coinciding with the launch of Costco Velocity, the...
New Rules Proposed to Hold Temu, Shein Accountable in SA
South Africa’s consumer regulators have released a joint position paper proposing new rules to hold offshore e‑commerce platforms such as Temu and Shein accountable. The draft guidelines would require foreign sellers moving significant volumes into the country to register locally,...
Ecom Founders Turn Monday Dread Into Opportunity
Everyone on a Monday morning: 'Ugh, another week.' Ecom founders on a Monday morning: 'New week, new ad budget, new tests to run.' Different mindset. Different life.
Miss Amara Rebuilds Online Store, Updates Brand Identity
Miss Amara, an Australian rug retailer, has launched a refurbished e‑commerce site and refreshed its brand identity to better align with its design‑led, customer‑obsessed strategy. The new platform offers streamlined navigation, richer educational content, and a smoother purchase journey across...
IPO-Bound Udaan to Kickstart Reverse Flip to India in Weeks: CEO
Udaan, the Bengaluru‑based B2B e‑commerce platform, will initiate a reverse flip to shift its corporate domicile from Singapore to India within weeks, a prerequisite for its upcoming IPO. The company aims to reach break‑even by mid‑next year while targeting an...
Wellbeing Marketplace Healf Tops Sifted’s Third UK and Ireland Leaderboard
London‑based Healf, a curated high‑end wellbeing marketplace, topped Sifted’s 2026 UK & Ireland leaderboard with a staggering 1,403% two‑year revenue CAGR. The ranking, which measures the fastest‑growing private firms by revenue growth, placed Fuse Energy and Apron in second and...
$20 Chewy Promo Code | March 2026
Chewy is offering a suite of March 2026 promotions, including a $20 e‑gift card for first‑time orders over $49 with code WELCOME and a 20% discount on prescription meds via RX20. Existing customers can access $20 off orders of $49+ using...
Booming Online Sales and Generational Differences: Australia’s Year in E-Commerce
Australia Post reports a record $82.6 billion in e‑commerce transactions for 2025, a 14% year‑on‑year rise. While total spend surged, the average basket slipped to $96 as shoppers make smaller, more frequent purchases—four extra orders per consumer annually. Millennials dominate frequency...
Why One Creator Commerce Platform Is Connecting Brands and Creators for ‘Flat-Fee’ Campaigns
Creator commerce platform LTK has introduced Quick Collabs, a new feature that lets brands launch flat‑fee, one‑click campaigns that creators can opt into. The tool leverages LTK’s data on 44 million monthly shoppers, $6 billion in annual spend, 400,000 creators and 8,000...
Some Creators Don’t See Immediate Value in Instagram’s Controversial ‘Shop the Look’ AI Test
Instagram tested an AI‑driven “Shop the Look” feature that automatically tags products in creator posts, aiming to boost social commerce. The rollout, launched in February, sparked backlash as tags appeared without creators’ consent, linking followers to unvetted items and knockoffs....
Why Parker Thatch Transformed Its Strip-Mall Storefront Into a Livestreaming Studio
Parker Thatch, an eight‑figure luxury handbag DTC brand, has turned its Orinda strip‑mall store into a hybrid retail‑studio space for weekly livestreams. The Friday broadcasts reach 179,000 Instagram followers and 101,000 YouTube subscribers, driving sales spikes of up to 50%...
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Targets Home and Wellness Shoppers With Seven Days of Deals
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale runs March 25‑31, targeting the home‑refresh and health‑and‑wellness segments that have shown consistent growth. The event introduces three curated Top 100+ lists—All‑Category, Health & Wellness, and Spring Favorites—plus daily themed drops such as Home Refresh and Spring...
Master Sniper Finds Elite Vintage Ralph Lauren on eBay
Not gonna lie—I am a god damn sniper when it comes to finding elite vintage Ralph Lauren on eBay https://t.co/JZpd49HgJ9
JD.com Pulls Out of Indonesia and Thailand E‑Commerce Markets Amid Fierce Competition
On March 18, 2026, JD.com announced it will cease all e‑commerce operations in Indonesia and Thailand after failing to grow in the face of tough regional competition. The move marks a strategic retreat from two of Southeast Asia’s largest online...
Alibaba Rolls Out Enterprise AI Platform as China’s Agent‑Commerce Boom Accelerates
On March 18, 2026, Alibaba Group announced the launch of a new enterprise AI platform from its cloud arm, aimed at serving the rapidly expanding agent‑commerce ecosystem in China. The service, rolled out from Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, is positioned...
JD.com Rolls Out Joybuy Marketplace in UK and Germany, Pitting Same‑Day Delivery Against Amazon
On Monday, March 17, 2026, Chinese e‑commerce giant JD.com launched its Joybuy marketplace in the United Kingdom and Germany, alongside France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The rollout, overseen by Joybuy UK Managing Director Matthew Nobbs, promises same‑day delivery to...
Amazon Launches Paid 1‑Hour & 3‑Hour Delivery in U.S., Raising the Speed Stakes
On Tuesday, Amazon announced the rollout of paid one‑hour and three‑hour delivery options across more than 90,000 products in U.S. cities and towns. Prime members will pay $9.99 for one‑hour and $4.99 for three‑hour service, while non‑Prime shoppers face $19.99...
Prime Members Pay Half for Ultra‑fast Delivery
"Amazon Prime members get even more value with discounted delivery fees of $9.99 for 1-hour delivery and $4.99 for 3-hour delivery [in select cities]. Customers without a Prime membership pay $19.99 for 1-hour delivery and $14.99 for 3-hour delivery."
5 Best Identity Verification Software Providers for Marketplaces
Marketplaces face coordinated identity fraud that threatens payouts, chargebacks, and brand trust. A specialized identity verification layer can quickly approve legitimate buyers and sellers while blocking malicious actors. The article ranks five top providers—AU10TIX, Jumio, Entrust IDV, Trulioo, and Shufti Pro—highlighting...
Report Finds Reddit Ads Drive Strong Performance for Retailers
Fospha’s State of Retail Commerce 2026 report shows Reddit’s influence on retail conversions surged in 2025, delivering an 82% lift in ROAS when Amazon sales are accounted for and a 257% increase in revenue attributed to the platform. The study...
U.S. Customs Tightens Importer of Record Rules
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that, effective March 20, 2026, it will begin canceling Importer of Record (IOR) numbers for declarations submitted after 12:01 a.m. ET. Importers must now provide an updated CBP 5106 form, government‑issued photo ID, EIN verification...
Best Deals for Car Lovers at Amazon's Spring Prime Day
Amazon’s Spring Prime Day sale runs March 25‑30, featuring a broad lineup of automotive and garage products at steep discounts. More than a hundred items—from battery chargers and OBD‑II scanners to dash cams and EV chargers—are marked down up to 50%....
Best Buy's Spring Sale Is Live, Ahead of Amazon's 'Big Spring Sale'
Best Buy launched its Tech Fest spring sale on March 16, running through March 22, positioning the event as a direct counter to Amazon's upcoming Big Spring Sale. The week‑long promotion features a Deal of the Day and deep discounts...
What’s the Missing Link in Consumer AI Agents?
Consumer AI agents are moving from pilots to live retail interactions, handling tasks like refunds and bookings. While context graphs help preserve memory and relationships, they remain infrastructure rather than true intelligence. The article argues that without stateful, outcome‑focused reasoning,...
Court Temporarily Lifts Order Banning Perplexity From Amazon
An emergency petition by Perplexity succeeded, and a two‑judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary order lifting the district court injunction that barred its AI shopping agent, Comet, from accessing Amazon.com. The stay is...
Sophie Tea Redefines Art Sales with First Live Fine Art Launch on TikTok Shop
British artist Sophie Tea became the first creator to sell original paintings live on TikTok Shop, launching her Bric‑a‑Brac collection during a three‑hour broadcast. The event attracted 1.3 million viewers worldwide and offered a limited release of oil paintings sourced from...
As Retail Media Enters Its Second Act, Savvy Brands Diversify Networks and Tactics
Retail media is evolving from a bottom‑funnel, search‑only model to a full‑funnel ecosystem that includes video, display, and off‑site formats. Amazon’s share of retail media spend dropped from 56% to 46% as marketers allocate more budget to Walmart and mid‑size...
Incremental Attribution Cuts CPM 68% and Boosts Reach
A compelling case for more Incremental Attribution in your ad accounts. Maybe. I know many people are concerned with driving access to more NEW CUSTOMERS on meta. In a test across 13 accounts we found that IA campaigns delivered a 68% average...
Unified Attribution Solves Conflicting Credit Across Platforms
The eCom world is obsessed with making decisions based on attribution data...but Meta and Google are claiming the credit for the SAME conversion • You recalculate your break-even ROAS. • You shift budget. • You scale what looks like a winner. But if the...
Power Couple OpenAI + Amazon May Have Just Won Consumer Agentic Commerce
OpenAI and Amazon announced a strategic partnership on Feb. 27, 2026, featuring a $50 billion investment by Amazon. Within weeks, OpenAI removed its Instant Checkout from ChatGPT, while Amazon introduced Shop Direct feed support and expanded its Rufus chatbot to complete purchases....
Amazon Slashes USPS Use, Threatening Post Office
Amazon to cut use of USPS by 2/3+. This would be a big hit for the Post Office. How much of it will Amazon deliver? Capital cost for trucks and vans? Additional employees? Savings? ROI? Improved delivery speed? Sales growth...
Give Ads 3‑4
I've analysed 500+ ad accounts. Here's the pattern: Accounts that killed ads after 24 hours never found winners. Accounts that let ads run 3-4 days found scalable campaigns. Your assumption that you should kill losers fast is wrong. You need...
Refurbed Hits €3 Billion GMV as Refurbishment Becomes Mainstream
refurbed has crossed €3 billion in cumulative GMV in under a year, following a €50 million funding round and its first profitable year. The marketplace expanded into 12 additional European countries, doubling its footprint and reaching an addressable market of roughly 486 million...
Gain Clarity, Accountability, and Capacity with Prophit Engine
Ditch the chaos. Create clarity (more accurate forecasting) accountability (responsibility for growing contribution) and capacity. (one empowered operator saving you thousands in labor and tooling) I'd love to show you how the Prophit Engine gives you the confidence that you will achieve you goals.
E.U. Law Tightens Marketplace Selling
The EU’s Digital Services Act, enforceable since February 2024, now obliges online marketplaces to verify seller identities, disclose contract details, and suspend non‑compliant traders. Enforcement has intensified, with authorities seizing 152 million illegal items worth €3.4 billion in 2023, more than double...
Trustpilot Partners with AI Companies as Traditional Search Declines
Trustpilot is forging partnerships with major eCommerce platforms to feed AI shopping agents with its review data. CEO Adrian Blair said AI‑driven search generated a 1,490% surge in click‑throughs and positions the company to hit a 30% operating margin by...
Amazon's 3‑Hour, 1‑Hour Delivery Threatens E‑commerce Competition
Focus on ecommerce? When speed is important for an order, good luck competing with Amazon -> Amazon begins 3-hour deliveries in ~2K US cities and towns and 1-hour deliveries in hundreds of those areas, after 2025 pilots; 90K+ products...
Cihan Duezguen, CEO & Co-Founder of Green Banana | Episode 475
In this episode, Cihan Duezguen, CEO and Co‑Founder of Green Banana, explains how a neutral, agnostic payment orchestration layer can solve the complexities of BNPL across borders by offering a single API that connects multiple providers while remaining invisible to...
Alibaba Wants to Be a Global Ticketing Player — Starting with Malaysia Tour Stop for Chinese Rap Superstar GAI
Alibaba’s live‑entertainment arm, through its ticketing platform MAISEAT, landed its first primary ticketing contract outside China for Chinese rap star GAI’s concert in Kuala Lumpur. The presale tickets sold out within days, underscoring strong demand for cross‑border events. MAISEAT, part...
Amazon Launches 1‑3‑hour Delivery, Fueling Ultrafast Shipping Trend
Amazon rolls out 1-hour, 3-hour delivery as ultrafast shipping trend grows in the U.S. https://t.co/EFa2clCW92
Amazon Adds 1-Hour and 3-Hour Delivery Options in the US
Amazon announced nationwide one‑hour and three‑hour delivery options, initially covering more than 90,000 SKUs. Prime members pay $9.99 for a one‑hour slot and $4.99 for three‑hour delivery, while non‑Prime customers face $19.99 and $14.99 respectively. The service launches in hundreds...