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
E-Commerce Sovereignty Picks up with Pantip Mall
Pantip Mall, Thailand’s first "local alternative" e‑marketplace, will begin beta testing in April‑May with a full launch slated for June. Leveraging Pantip.com’s 2.2 million daily users, the platform aims to convert 10% of visitors into shoppers while offering merchants fees capped around 11%, and a flat 3% rate for early adopters. The launch coincides with new Trade Competition Commission guidelines that tighten oversight of multi‑sided platforms, signaling a push for digital sovereignty. Partnering with Digithun, Google Cloud AI, and Thailand Post, Pantip Mall targets 10,000 merchants in its first year.
Amazon SUCKS
A consumer reported an Amazon order originally slated for September 12 that was repeatedly pushed back to October 4, despite the items being in stock. The customer was hit with an unauthorized $11.63 two‑day shipping fee and endured three lengthy support calls...
2026’s Proven Blueprint for Fashion Dropshipping Success
How To Start Fashion Dropshipping in 2026 (The NEW Way That Works) WATCH HERE 👉 https://t.co/qGrXncGUxm Stop following outdated 2025 advice. In this 49-minute guide, I’m showing you how to ACTUALLY start a fashion dropshipping store on Shopify in 2026. Forget the...
Physical Stores Amplify Digital Efficiency, Not Replace It
Meta CPMs up 22.58%. Google CPA up 17.25% ...and suddenly every DTC brand wants a pop-up shop. The majority of brands aren't even testing physical. They're testing Amazon and wholesale. And almost every time they look at those channels as...
Flipkart Calls Re 1 Milk Offer a Limited Promotion After Bamul Moves CCI
Flipkart defended its Re 1 per litre milk promotion as a limited-time campaign, saying prices are set by sellers and farmer procurement rates remain unchanged. The company’s statement follows a complaint by Bangalore Cooperative Milk Union (Bamul) to the Competition Commission...
Conversion-Focused Ads Beat Generic
ColourPop ran a Disney collab campaign on Facebook with conversion-focused ads. They hit a 15x ROAS. Meanwhile you're boosting posts with no clear sales objective and wondering why nothing converts. That's the gap.
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Costco Now Lets You Order Custom Cakes Online — Here’s How It Works
Costco has introduced a digital ordering channel for its custom cakes through the member app, ending a decades‑old paper‑form process. Shoppers can now select size, flavor, and decorations on their phones and receive an email receipt confirming the request. The...
How to Sell Your Photos Online
The article outlines how anyone can monetize photography by selling images on online stock platforms. It emphasizes building a high‑quality, diverse collection and optimizing titles, descriptions, and keywords for discoverability. It advises selecting the right marketplaces, understanding licensing models, and...
Launch Your Own Private-Label Brand
Retailers are increasingly launching private‑label brands to capture higher margins, tighten supply‑chain control, and create exclusive product assortments. By sourcing directly from manufacturers, merchants can eliminate intermediaries, set unique specifications, and differentiate their shelves from competitors. The article outlines a...
Instant Photo Upload Generates Sale Within an Hour
Out for a walk today, took a photo with my phone camera. Posted it right there instantly on @InPixr in my smartphone's built in web browser. Then less than an hour later, it already had a sale. This is exactly why I invested...
How to Use a WooCommerce Price Calculator for Measurement-Based Products
WooCommerce stores selling measurement‑based items often struggle with manual quoting. A measurement price calculator plugin lets customers input dimensions directly on the product page and see the price update instantly. The Extendons WooCommerce Price and Cost Calculator provides configurable fields,...
What Is Target Plus? How Target Plus Works for Sellers
Target Plus is Target’s invite‑only online marketplace that partners with select U.S. third‑party retailers. Launched in 2019, it now hosts more than 1,500 curated brands and charges a referral commission of 5%‑15% per sale, with no setup or monthly fees....
One Clear CTA Beats Multiple Options Every Time
I've tested 100+ landing pages. Here's the pattern: Pages with a single clear call-to-action converted at 10%. Pages with multiple CTAs converted at 1%. Your assumption that you need to give people options is wrong. Give them one clear path....
International Logistics: Cross-Border Ecommerce Strategies (2026) – Shopify
Shopify’s 2026 guide outlines how merchants can master international logistics to capture the booming cross‑border ecommerce market, where 59 % of shoppers buy from overseas and 35 % do so monthly. It breaks down the distinct challenges of moving goods across borders—customs,...
Vivid Seats Promo Codes and Deals: Save 10% This March
Vivid Seats is promoting a suite of March discounts, including 10% off for verified students, military personnel, first responders, medical providers, and teachers, plus a "Buy 10, Get 11th Free" rewards program. The company also offers app‑only coupons and real‑time...
Best POS System for Retail Stores in 2026
Choosing the right point‑of‑sale (POS) system is now a strategic decision for retailers, as modern platforms combine inventory, payments, reporting, and omnichannel capabilities into a single cloud‑based hub. In 2026 the market is led by Vibe, Square, Shopify, Lightspeed, and...
B2B and B2C Companies Increase AI Investment as Agentic Commerce Gains Traction
Artificial intelligence has moved from pilot projects to core infrastructure across B2B and B2C ecommerce, with 95.5% of surveyed firms reporting at least one AI capability. Companies are applying AI to both front‑end experiences—such as product discovery, chatbots and personalization—and...
Shopify Launches Agentic Storefronts in ChatGPT as OpenAI Shifts Away From Native Instant Checkout
Shopify announced that its new "agentic storefronts" will be available inside ChatGPT later this month. The feature taps the Shopify Catalog to syndicate product information across AI assistants while preserving Shopify’s standard checkout and payment processes. OpenAI’s recent decision to...
![[Not Live; YMMV] Amazon: $200 Select Giftcards For $180 (Netflix, Chipotle, Airbnb, Southwest, Ulta & Many More)](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-13-at-4.54.06-PM.png)
[Not Live; YMMV] Amazon: $200 Select Giftcards For $180 (Netflix, Chipotle, Airbnb, Southwest, Ulta & Many More)
Amazon is offering a $20 discount when shoppers purchase $200 worth of select gift cards, covering brands such as Netflix, Chipotle, Airbnb, Southwest Airlines, and Ulta Beauty. The promotion appears only on certain Amazon accounts and may not work for...
Separate Sold Pieces to Keep Inventory Appealing
Mixing sold with available art on a website or storefront is not a good idea. Why? Imagine walking into a store, seeing something you want to buy, taking it up to the counter and being told, "Sorry, it's sold. You'll...
Stitch Fix Revenue Rises as CEO Credits AI Tools in Q2
Stitch Fix reported a 9.4% rise in Q2 net revenue to $341.3 million, marking its second consecutive quarter of growth despite a 0.5% contraction in the broader U.S. apparel market. CEO Matt Baer credited enhancements to assortment, client experience, and new...
How The Prophit Engine Creates Total Clarity
The Prophit Engine consolidates fragmented e‑commerce decision‑making into a single Prophit Engineer who has end‑to‑end visibility from P&L to bid level. By unifying inventory, cash, margin and platform data, the system provides total clarity and speeds up budget allocations. In...
Maximizing Capital One Shopping Portal Offers
Readers of Doctor of Credit have compiled practical tips for extracting the most value from the Capital One Shopping portal, a rewards platform that pays out in gift‑card credits rather than cash. One contributor reported $4,200 in tracked rewards in...
TIDAL Adds Direct-to-Fan Album Download Sales: No Subscription Required
TIDAL has launched a Direct‑to‑Fan (D2F) album download feature, allowing independent artists to sell digital albums directly within the app. The service charges a flat 10% platform fee, leaving 90% of sales revenue to the creator after processing costs. It...
Prioritize One‑Sentence Chat for Immediate User Value
A friend at 1Password pointed out Loblaws letting customers order groceries through ChatGPT. No app. No search. Just ask and get what you need. That’s a massive UX shift. If your product can be used by talking to it, someone...
Consumers Spend More When Payments Are Frictionless, an NMI Study Finds
A new NMI study of 1,000 U.S. adults shows that frictionless payments boost both purchase frequency and spend. Half of respondents say they shop more often when checkout feels seamless, and 48% admit to spending more at the point of...
Human Stories Turn Luxury From Cold to Warm
I was on a call with a high-end ecommerce brand this week, and they said something that stuck with me. They wanted the online experience to feel like walking into a luxury store. Calm. Confident. Easy. What they didn't want was the...
The 72 Hours Before Prime Day: A Repricing Playbook for Sellers Who Want to Capture the Peak Without Destroying Annual...
Prime Day’s three‑day lead‑up demands a repricing overhaul, not just standard tactics like Lightning Deals or higher PPC. Typical repricing rules, built for stable markets, either underprice high‑demand moments or lose the Buy Box amid rapid price swings. The article...
Rapido’s Ownly Launch Signals Food Delivery Push Amid $600-Million Fundraise
Urban mobility platform Rapido is entering India’s crowded food‑delivery space with its Ownly service, rolling out initially in Bengaluru. The launch coincides with a $550‑600 million fundraising round led by Prosus, aimed at financing diversification beyond ride‑hailing and logistics. Ownly promises...
Niceshops: ‘Revenue Increased 20% in 2025’
Austrian e‑commerce provider Niceshops reported a 20 percent revenue jump to €169 million in fiscal 2025, alongside an EBITDA increase to €8 million. After cutting 20 percent of its workforce in 2024, the firm now employs roughly 400 staff and serves 1.3 million active customers...
NutraCast: Amazon’s New Supplement Policy Could Trigger Delistings
Amazon announced a new supplement policy that will take effect on March 31, 2026, requiring every product claim on its marketplace to exactly match the information on the supplement facts panel. The enforcement will be driven by AI systems that scan...
Sitma Introduces PackHub, a Compact Automated Bagging System for Faster Order Fulfillment
Sitma unveiled PackHub, a compact automated bagging system that streamlines order fulfillment by automating bag feeding, orientation, and labeling. The unit’s 500‑bag hopper and precision friction feeder can cut packaging time by up to 50% per order while preserving a...
How Vessi Sells Waterproof Shoes
Vessi, a Canada‑based direct‑to‑consumer sneaker brand, leverages its patented Dyma‑tex fabric to sell waterproof yet breathable shoes. Director of ecommerce Ray Hua explains that Meta ads dominate customer acquisition, while TikTok and Reddit generate traffic with low conversion quality. The...
Shopify Products Stay in ChatGPT, Checkout Shifts to Merchant Sites
The shift away from buying in ChatGPT continues. And Shopify's email to customers was as clear as mud :) -> Here's what's actually going to happen: Shopify merchants’ products will still appear inside ChatGPT conversations, but buyers will typically...
Know Each Ad’s Marginal Value to Set Production Costs
What is the marginal value of every ad you create? This is a critical metric to understand what you should be willing to pay for each asset you create. No different than COGs vs. MSRP. This idea is the starting point for...
How Vessi Sells Waterproof Shoes
In this episode, Vessi’s Director of E‑commerce, Ray, explains how the D2C waterproof sneaker brand grew from a Kickstarter launch to double‑digit annual growth by focusing on a lightweight, breathable Diamond‑knit technology and a community‑first marketing strategy. He highlights the...
Personalized Emails Deliver 4X Revenue Boost Over Blasts
Pura Vida got a 4X lift in email revenue by sending personalised emails based on customer history instead of generic blasts. Revenue grew 50% year-over-year. Meanwhile you're blasting your whole list with the same email. That's the gap.
Criteo CEO Discusses AI‑Powered RecSys, Automation, OpenAI Deal
This week on the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I interview Criteo’s CEO about the company’s RecSys system for retail use cases, its Criteo GO automation platform, and its recently-announced partnership with OpenAI. https://t.co/Tuy7wrnLJg
UK Brands Risk Billions as One-Third of Customers Switch Due to a Poor Digital Retail Experience
New MSQ DX research shows a widening perception gap between UK retailers and consumers, with one‑third of shoppers abandoning brands due to poor digital experiences. The gap is most acute among 25‑34‑year‑olds, where 64% switched brands in the past year....
From Bedroom Demos to Studio Dreams: Why Brands Ditch Influencers for High-Production Livestreams
Brands are abandoning low‑budget influencer livestreams in favor of high‑production, brand‑controlled video commerce. Zara’s recent five‑hour Douyin showcase, hosted by a supermodel, drew over one million viewers, illustrating the power of polished, immersive experiences. The shift is driven by the...
How Digital Asset Management Helps Retailers Scale up and Attract Customers
Retailers are still stuck with fragmented digital storage—44% use local servers and 41% rely on individual hard drives, while 51% track product details in spreadsheets. This patchwork creates version‑control issues and slows time‑to‑market. Canto’s State of Digital Content 2026 report...
DPD Opens Two New Purpose-Built Distribution Centres in South East
DPD has opened two new 60,000‑square‑foot distribution centres in Crawley and Sittingbourne, replacing older depots and adding state‑of‑the‑art automation. Each hub can process up to 80,000 parcels daily and will support more than 100 new driver routes in the South...
The Need for “Grounded AI” – Not Hype
The 2026 Retail Technology Show in London gathered senior brand leaders from River Island, Pentland Brands, Goddiva, Noble Panacea and Azzurri Group to discuss retail’s next evolution. Panelists emphasized “grounded AI” as an enabler, citing River Island’s 80% drop in...
Expressions Gift Card Kiosks Bring Personalization to Retail Gifting
Expressions Gift Card Kiosk merges personalized greeting cards with instant digital gift cards, printing on glossy stock in under 41 seconds. The self‑service unit occupies just four square feet, replacing traditional 20‑60‑foot aisles and reducing inventory valued up to $40,000...
What Makes the Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show a Must-Attend Event?
The Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show (ARKI) returns Dec. 14‑16, 2026 in Miami Beach, targeting operators, brands, and technology providers. Since its 2020 debut, the event has evolved from a pure tech showcase to a deployment‑focused forum emphasizing scalability, reliability, and...
From Vending Machines to Autonomous Retail: The Evolution of Grab and Go Shopping
Physical retail is rapidly adopting autonomous, checkout‑free models that let shoppers pick items and leave without scanning. The piece traces the technology from early vending machines through digital payments, smart vending, and finally AI‑driven grab‑and‑go stores. These stores rely on...
SiriusXM VP Talks Music Impact Within the Retail Digital Signage Experience
SiriusXM’s VP of commercial music, Stuart Larking, highlighted the growing role of music in digital signage, citing its ability to increase dwell time and sales. He noted that Pandora CloudCover’s new signage features let retailers pair curated, fully licensed music...
New Balance Adds Apparel to Its Resale Platform Reconsidered
New Balance is extending its Reconsidered resale platform, originally launched two years ago, to include apparel alongside its already‑circulated 100,000 pairs of shoes. The service refurbishes returned items and sells them through a dedicated site, while consumers can trade in...
Why Payment Technology Is Now Central to the Restaurant Experience, Especially on Mother’s Day
Lloyds Merchant Services’ latest research shows contactless payments, mobile wallets and integrated point‑of‑sale systems are reshaping the restaurant experience, especially on high‑traffic days like Mother’s Day. The study found a 45% year‑over‑year rise in contactless transactions within hospitality and a...
Treat Complaints as Free Feedback, Boost Brand Loyalty
Everyone when they get a customer complaint: Gets defensive. Ecom founders when they get a customer complaint: See it as free feedback to improve their business. Different mindset. Different brand loyalty.