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
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 gently‑worn shoes for vouchers. Apparel cannot yet be traded in, but will be offered for purchase after cleaning and inspection. The expansion is backed by Archive and Tersus Solutions, which handle logistics, cleaning and fulfillment.
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.
Ulta Beauty CEO Announces TikTok Shop Launch, 11.8% Net Sales Jump: ‘We Got Our Swagger Back’
Ulta Beauty announced it will launch a storefront on TikTok Shop next week, becoming one of the few multi‑brand retailers on the platform. The launch was revealed during the Q4 2025 earnings call, where the company reported an 11.8% rise...
Cymbiotika Lands in Ulta Just Months After Launching in Target
Cymbiotika, the liposomal supplement startup, is launching on Ulta’s website on March 15 and in more than 1,000 Ulta stores on March 29, expanding its retail footprint after a Target debut last fall. The rollout introduces four products, including an NAD formula...
The Errand Kids Now Run Quick Commerce in Flipkart’s Gudi Padwa Ad
Flipkart launched a Gudi Padwa commercial that reimagines the traditional role of the youngest family member as the go‑to errand runner. Set across 1975, 2000 and 2026, the ad shows a child simply tapping a phone to order a missing...
Amazon Plans to Shift Annual Prime Day Sale to June From July
Amazon is advancing its flagship Prime Day event from July to late June, shifting the promotional window by roughly six weeks. The timing change means the massive sales boost will now be recorded in the second quarter rather than the...
Instacart’s Partnership with Uber Eats Has Helped with Grocery
Instacart’s 2024 partnership with Uber Eats is delivering a measurable “flywheel” effect, driving more frequent grocery orders. By lowering the minimum basket to $10 and promoting its Instacart+ membership, the company is shifting users from quarterly to weekly activity. The...
Can the Hulcan Bros Relight Matches?
Luxury e‑tailer Matches, once valued at $1 billion, was sold by Apax Partners to Frasers Group for just £52 million in 2024. The company’s founders, Ruth and Tom Chapman, built it from a West London boutique into a digital showcase for designers...
MELI Plunges 35% Despite Booming Growth Metrics
MELI is down 🔻35% from its 52-week high, meanwhile: • 25+ quarter of >30% revenue growth • 83 million unique active buyers (+24%) • Total payment volume of $83B (+42%) And now trading at its lowest valuation ever.
Need Kids Winter Wear? Used Gear Seller Announces New Trade-In Deal
Town Hall Outdoor Co. has teamed with Geartrade to launch RePlay, a resale program for kids' winter apparel. The initiative lets parents trade in outgrown garments for credit toward future purchases, with Geartrade handling evaluation, repair, warehousing and online resale....
Make Email Copy Memorable with Specific Numbers
Most email copy isn't bad. It's just forgettable. The problem is vagueness. "Thousands of happy customers" could be anyone. "4,312 customers, 74% reordered within 60 days" is you. Go through your last email. Find every line that could have been written by...
Petco Builds Around ‘Integrated Omnichannel’ Experiences
Petco reported FY2025 net sales falling 2.5% to $5.96 billion and comparable sales down 1.6%, after closing 16 stores and ending the year with 1,382 locations. CEO Joel Anderson highlighted a four‑prong, integrated omnichannel strategy to blend digital and physical channels....
Ecommerce Trends: Who Are the Top Online Retailers in Health & Beauty?
Hims & Hers Health Inc. posted $2.35 billion in 2025 ecommerce sales, propelling it into the top‑five Health & Beauty online retailers in North America and ranking #68 overall in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 2000. The company’s revenue surged 63.2% year‑over‑year after...
Turn Your Old Tech Into Cash at the 7 Best Places to Sell It
CNET lists the seven top services for selling used electronics in 2026, highlighting Swappa as the overall leader for value and protection. The guide compares each platform’s payout methods, device eligibility, and turnaround times, from Amazon’s instant e‑gift cards to...
Instacart Partners with Fareway to Expand Online Grocery Pickup Options
Instacart announced a partnership with Midwest grocer Fareway to roll out online ordering and curbside pickup across the chain’s more than 140 locations. The collaboration leverages Instacart’s Storefront Pro platform, allowing customers to shop via Fareway’s website or the Instacart...
US E-Commerce Extends Its Lead in Consumer Spending
U.S. e‑commerce sales closed 2025’s fourth quarter at $316.1 billion, a 1.7% quarter‑over‑quarter rise that lifted the online share of total retail to 16.6%. By contrast, overall retail grew only 0.4% in the same period. Full‑year e‑commerce reached $1.23 trillion, up 5.4%...
Seller Urges Etsy to End Vacation Mode After Tax Update
Hey @etsy - it's been a week since I updated my tax info. Can you take my shop off 'Vacation Mode' now, please??
Spreetail Introduces the Brand Experience Portal (BEx)
Spreetail has unveiled the Brand Experience Portal (BEx), a real‑time dashboard that consolidates sales, advertising, and fulfillment data for its brand partners. The platform integrates existing tools such as Price Pulse, Promise Pro, True Ads, and Smart Shelf, delivering AI‑driven...
Reverse Logistics - the Key To Parcel And E-Commerce Deliveries
Reverse logistics has become as vital as forward delivery amid the surge in e‑commerce shipments. Handling returns now demands specialized processes to manage cost, legal exposure, and brand reputation. Retailers and logistics providers must strengthen compliance with data‑privacy, intellectual‑property, and...
The UK’s Online Retail Sector Defies Rain and Global Instability to Deliver a Stable February at £9.25bn
UK online retail delivered £9.25 billion in February, a 3.3% year‑on‑year increase despite rain and geopolitical tension. The growth was powered by mobile commerce, social‑driven discovery and a rapid uptake of generative AI tools in the purchase journey. Falling prices in...
Levi Strauss Picks SCAYLE as Global Ecommerce Platform Provider
Levi Strauss & Co. announced it will adopt SCAYLE as the core technology for its global ecommerce operations. The migration of Levi’s online storefronts to the SCAYLE platform will begin in 2026 and continue through 2027, covering multiple international markets....
Amount of Online Shoppers Increases in Portugal
Portugal's e‑commerce market reached 5.8 million online shoppers in 2025, a 4 percent increase year‑over‑year and representing 67.9 percent of the population. The Marktest E‑commerce Barometer found free delivery to be the most influential purchase driver, ahead of price discounts and loyalty incentives....
FedEx Introduces Reusable Shipping Boxes for B2B Shipments
FedEx has launched a reusable shipping box system for B2B shipments, created with Returnity. The collapsible containers hold up to 50 lb, survive roughly 50 reuse cycles, and fit existing FedEx sorting equipment. FedEx says the solution can slash packaging costs...
Gino Van Ossel on RetailDetail’s Omnichannel Congress: “E-Commerce Is Not ‘Mature’; It Remains a Battlefield”
Retail expert Gino Van Ossel warned that e‑commerce, while technically mature, remains a fiercely contested battlefield. He highlighted that omnichannel is now the baseline, with supermarkets such as Delhaize and Colruyt expanding click‑&‑collect, subscriptions and home delivery to capture online...
Santander and Visa Launch LatAm Agentic Payments Project
Santander and Visa have launched Latin America’s first end‑to‑end agentic commerce pilot, completing real‑world transactions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay using Visa Intelligent Commerce. AI agents bought chocolates in Brazil and books in the other markets, proving that...
AI Dropshipping Blurs Reality, Fuels New Era Profits
AI fashion dropshipping is changing the game. I’ve always wanted to own a Nissan Skyline R34… For years it felt unrealistic. Now it feels achievable. Not because I got lucky. Because I adapted. The crazy part? Everything you’re looking at in this carousel is connected. New era businesses. New...
Homestead Acquired, Launching New DTC Growth Platform
I started a little marketing agency 7 years ago called Homestead, named after the street I grew up on. I had the vision to build something special and looking back now, I think we did exactly that. Today I’m excited to...
Sigma Sports Opens Marketplace to Specialist Sellers
Sigma Sports announced a specialist marketplace launching in summer 2026, powered by Mirakl, to give niche cycling and triathlon brands a premium, high‑converting sales channel. The platform imposes no listing fees, lets sellers control pricing, and offers weekly payouts while...
Identifying Gatekeepers of the Emerging Agentic Commerce Era
Who will be the gatekeepers in the new agentic commerce era? #AI #Podcast #OneVision #AgenticCommerce
The End of Keywords: How Intent Modeling Is Reshaping Amazon Search (and What It Means for Modern Commerce)
Amazon is replacing keyword‑based search with intent modeling through its COSMO system. The AI‑driven engine analyzes shopper behavior—search, clicks, purchases—to infer purchasing motivations, turning each product into a node within a behavior‑focused knowledge graph. Brands must restructure listings to answer...
Akurateco Payment Hub Partners with Kushki to Expand PSP Access Across Latin America
Payment infrastructure provider Akurateco announced a strategic partnership with Latin American payments firm Kushki to broaden PSP connectivity across the region. The deal integrates Kushki’s suite of local payment rails into Akurateco’s Payment Hub, giving merchants, PSPs and fintechs a...
Amazon Expands AI Shop Direct to Third‑party Catalogs
Focus on ecommerce? -> Amazon opens up new AI-enabled Buy for Me, Shop Direct options for merchants "Amazon’s Shop Direct debuted in 2025 as a means for Amazon to display products that were relevant to shoppers, even if those products weren’t...
What Is Conversational Marketing & Why Are Retail Brands Investing in It?
Conversational marketing is becoming essential for retailers as shoppers demand real‑time, personalized communication. A 2025 Infobip‑Retail Economics survey found 61% of UK consumers view retailer messages as irrelevant and 56% say they lack personalization. Retailers are turning to live chat,...
Edge Caching Dynamic Content: Strategies for Reducing Latency for Global Users
Traditional CDN caching struggles with pages that blend static layouts and dynamic, personalized data, leading to stale content or high latency. Edge caching addresses this by fragmenting responses, storing cache‑able skeletons while fetching user‑specific pieces at request time. Techniques like...
Our Price Anchors Are Fragile; New Models Rewrite Value
I love books. Always have. There was a time when the price printed on the jacket was the price of the book. If you ordered one online, you paid that price plus $19.95 shipping. That was just how books worked. Then Amazon showed...
AI Context Layer Unlocks Real‑Time eCommerce Potential
What is the AI "Context Layer" and why does it matter? Let me show you a realtime example. If you are experiencing limitations in how AI is able to impact your eCommerce business specifically check this out. https://t.co/G0Vvc8h08y
The EU-Startups Podcast | Interview with Refurbed Founder Kilian Kaminski
The EU‑Startups Podcast featured Kilian Kaminski, co‑founder of Refurbed, a Vienna‑based marketplace that resells professionally refurbished electronics. Since its 2017 launch, Refurbed has become one of Europe’s fastest‑growing platforms for sustainable consumption, operating in multiple markets and securing more than €120 million...
Live Walkthrough: Discover How the Prophit Engine Works
Today at 11am PT @itslukeaustin and I are walking through the Prophit Engine live. What it is. How it works. Who it's for. https://t.co/GX7yzTTDT8
AI Search Tools Multiply Subscriptions, Need Consolidation Solution
Getting into AI for search has me with *so many* new monthly subscriptions, and I don't love that It reminds me of ecom where you have all these best-in-class integrations, and those add up quickly Who's solving for this?
Exotec and Komar Launch ‘Next-Generation’ Automated Fulfilment Centre in Savannah
Exotec is deploying its Skypod robotic system at Komar Distribution Services' 760,000‑square‑foot Savannah fulfillment centre. The modular solution promises up to 50% higher throughput and 30% greater storage density while handling both case and single‑item picking. Full automation is slated...
25 Digital Products That Sell Daily in 2026
The article lists 25 digital products that generate daily sales in 2026, ranging from printable planners to freelance contract templates. It highlights how instant delivery, low overhead, and problem‑solving design drive consistent demand across niches. Sellers who tailor designs to...
The Hidden Risks Behind Retail's AI Shopping Boom
AI shopping assistants drove $67 billion in Cyber Week 2025 sales, representing one in five digital purchases. However, 82 % of AI failures are hallucinations—confidently wrong answers that erode trust. Traditional QA misses these errors because it tests ideal scenarios, not real‑world shopper...
Serve Robotics and White Castle Launch Autonomous Delivery via Uber Eats
Serve Robotics and White Castle have teamed up to ship the chain’s sliders and other menu items using autonomous sidewalk robots through Uber Eats. The rollout adds Serve’s third‑generation delivery bots to the existing Uber Eats network, which already operates in major...
Rethinking Affiliate, Creator, and Marketplaces with Levanta
Levanta is urging e‑commerce brands to dissolve the long‑standing divide between affiliate and creator marketing by consolidating tools, data, and budgets onto a single platform. The company’s one‑click integration with Amazon, Shopify and Walmart replaces multi‑tool spreadsheets, while its AI‑driven...
How Zalando Is Preparing for an AI Retail World
Zalando is positioning itself for an AI‑driven e‑commerce future, where analysts expect AI agents to handle 15 % of online sales by 2030. The retailer, which has been experimenting with AI for fifteen years, now creates 90 % of its marketing content...
Subscriptions Drive Predictable Growth; One‑offs Leave You Stranded
Hims built a $1.5B revenue business with one model: subscriptions. They locked in recurring revenue and grew 69% year-over-year. Meanwhile you're fighting for one-off sales with no predictable income. That's the gap.
Amazon to Stop Accepting Meltable FBA Inventory From April 20
Amazon will stop accepting meltable inventory for FBA after April 20, initiating a seasonal restriction that runs until September 28. Products that melt at 155 °F or lower—such as chocolate, gummies, and wax items—must be removed or risk being marked unfulfillable. Starting May 1,...
Zalando Reports Double-Digit Growth in 2025 as It Accelerates Investment in AI Innovation
Zalando posted double‑digit growth in 2025, with GMV rising 14.7% to €17.6 billion, revenue up 16.8% to €12.3 billion and EBIT reaching €591 million. Active customers hit a record 62 million and non‑fashion categories grew 13%. The July 2026 acquisition of ABOUT YOU is expected...
Furniture.com Was Built for SEO. Now It’s Trying to Crack AI Search
Furniture.com, a legacy domain acquired by Rooms To Go’s venture arm, relaunched in 2023 as a market‑aggregation platform for over 70 furniture retailers. Facing the rise of AI‑driven chatbots, the company is shifting from traditional SEO to generative engine optimization...