Today's Ecommerce Pulse
Target launches Circle Deal Days to rival Amazon Prime Day
Target announced its Target Circle Deal Days running June 23‑26, positioning the free‑to‑join program as a direct competitor to Amazon Prime Day. New members who enroll between June 14‑22 receive a 15% discount on their first purchase and a free Starbucks coffee or Bullseye cookie on June 23. Additional perks include 50% off the first year of Target Circle 360.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Howdens to acquire DIY Kitchens for $495M
3 Practical Ways Vertical AI Reshapes Fashion Retail Operations
Vertical AI is reshaping fashion retail by aligning inventory with hyperlocal demand, preventing costly markdowns, and accelerating trend analysis. Predictive models ingest local sales data, social signals, and logistics metrics to forecast store‑level needs, reducing out‑of‑stock incidents. AI agents recommend optimal pricing or alternative SKUs, preserving margins while digital twins simulate tariff impacts. As cautious consumers seek instant value, retailers leveraging these tools gain agility and competitive advantage.
Darwinium Launches Agent Intent Intelligence to Tackle Fraud in AI-Driven Commerce
Darwinium UK Ltd. unveiled an intent‑based authentication and orchestration platform aimed at securing AI‑driven commerce. The solution identifies whether a request originates from a verified AI agent, a human, or malicious automation and applies one of four adaptive responses—permit, verify,...
Tokenization: From Security Tool to Future-Ready Payments
In this episode, hosts Prima Katz, Kyle Cook (Principal Product Manager at Ixopay) and Don Apgar (Javelin Strategy) discuss how tokenization has evolved from a security fix to a strategic tool for payment performance, connectivity, and merchant autonomy. They explain...
Shopify Sidekick Fails to Provide Accurate Customer Counts
Shopify Sidekick is pretty useless. Was trying to get an exact number of customers for a social proof section on a landing page…this store has well over 300,000+ unique customers lol Each time I’ve asked a question, I always have to triple...
US Importer Crackdown Bid Could Trigger Shift in Ecommerce Logistics
The U.S. Senate introduced the Securing Accountability in Foreign Entries Act, tightening importer‑of‑record rules by requiring a genuine physical U.S. presence and verified bank accounts. The legislation also raises the minimum continuous import bond to $100,000. By targeting non‑resident importers,...
How Do You Fix Thin Content Across Similar Ecommerce Product Pages? – Ask An SEO via @Sejournal, @Rollerblader
The article advises ecommerce sites facing thin‑content penalties to stop individually optimizing every product page. Instead, it recommends implementing variant schema, focusing SEO effort on category or collection pages, and using robust internal linking. Authority is built through high‑quality blog...
TikTok Shop Launches Fine Art Category
TikTok Shop has introduced a Fine Art category, enabling original artwork to be sold directly on the platform. The launch includes a live sale on March 11 featuring independent artist Sophie Tea, who will showcase a 20‑piece oil collection priced at...
Jollof Boss Launches WhatsApp-Paystack Pilot Testing Chat Commerce for African SMEs
Adlore Business Enterprise launched a live pilot of Jollof Boss, a conversational commerce platform that merges the WhatsApp Cloud API with Paystack payments to let Nigerian SMEs browse products, place orders and pay within chat. The test processed ten real orders,...
Higher Shipping Costs Prompt Longer Delivery Incentives, Works
With shipping costs on the rise, e-commerce companies like Amazon and Gap are incentivizing consumers to wait longer for packages. It’s working. https://t.co/wjlNTZ282g via @WSJ
EBay and Liberis Launch Flexible Growth Financing for UK Small Businesses
eBay UK has teamed with finance provider Liberis to launch Flexible Growth Financing, a new product under the Seller Capital programme that will be available to eligible UK sellers from 6 April 2026. The offering provides data‑driven, on‑demand working capital with limits...
How Brits Are Redefining Shopping Habits
Britons are reshaping retail, blending physical stores, online marketplaces, social commerce, and second‑hand platforms. Adobe Express’s survey of 2,000 consumers shows digital purchases grew 29% while visits to independent stores fell 23%, and second‑hand clothing trips rose to 29%. Social...
What Can We Do to Improve the Chances of Our Target Plus Application Being Approved?
Target Plus remains an invite‑only, highly curated marketplace that evaluates sellers on brand alignment, category fit, operational reliability, data quality, and compliance. The guide outlines concrete steps—streamlining operations, cleaning product catalogs, building strong performance on other platforms, researching category gaps,...
Ocado Might Disagree, but Kroger’s Tough Decisions Around Its E-Commerce Re-Think Were the Right Thing to Do. New CEO Gregory...
Gregory Foran, Kroger’s new CEO, has backed the company’s 2023 decision to scrap its Ocado‑run automated fulfillment centers and pivot to a hybrid model that uses stores as local hubs and partners with UberEats, DoorDash and Instacart. The move is...
Mobile Basket Abandonment Surges Past 85% as Retailers Shift Recovery Tactics Beyond Email and SMS
Mobile basket abandonment has surged past 85%, up from a 75% global average last year. Retailers find traditional email and SMS recovery methods increasingly costly and less effective. New data from MobiLoud shows native push notifications, especially when used first...
Wickes Adds Buy Now, Pay Later Option for Customers
Wickes has introduced a buy‑now, pay‑later (BNPL) service for its TradePro customers through a partnership with Berlin‑based fintech Billie. The new option lets tradespeople purchase materials online or via the TradePro app and defer payment for 30 or 60 days,...
Reputation at Checkout: How Predictive AI Helps Retailers Maintain Trust in a Crisis
Predictive AI is reshaping retail crisis management by spotting sentiment shifts and anomalies before they explode online. Retailers that reply within an hour are 85% more likely to keep consumer trust, while delays can cost billions, as seen with United...
Why Chrome’s HTTPS-First Policy Matters for Retail Media
Google Chrome’s new HTTPS‑First policy forces browsers to load sites over encrypted connections by default, warning users when only HTTP is available. Because Chrome commands a dominant share of global browsing, the change compels retail media networks to ensure every...
Amazon Spring Deal Days Returns With Seven Days of Savings
Amazon launched its seven‑day Spring Deal Days promotion, offering up to 45% off everyday essentials and up to 60% off select Amazon devices. The event runs through March 16, 2026 and features new deals every morning and evening across categories...
Disruptors & Innovators in Retail 2026 Report Launched
Retail Insider and the Retail Technology Show released the 2026 Retail Disruptors & Innovators Report, naming Perfect Ted co‑founder Marisa Poster as Retail Disruptor of the Year. The report ranks ten pioneers, from matcha‑tea brand Perfect Ted to AI‑driven Kingfisher...
Waitrose Deploys AI Route Optimisation to Improve Delivery Efficiency
Waitrose has teamed with AI specialist Satalia to deploy an AI‑powered route optimisation platform across its home‑delivery network. The system analyses traffic, vehicle capacity and time windows in real time, producing more efficient routes. Early data shows an 8 % reduction...
AI Finds 10 Winning Products in Just 20 Minutes
🤯 Found 10 winning products in under 20 mins 🔥 AI analysed trends and margins 🛠️ Full report on each product 🤵 Supplier links included 📦 Ad angles ready to test This is crushing hours of manual research Want the method? RT + comment 'PRODUCT AI'
Building the Marketplace of Tomorrow: How Lowe’s Is Reshaping the Future of Home Improvement
Retail giant Lowe’s has launched a new Marketplace platform that unifies digital and physical home‑improvement shopping. Leveraging AI‑driven content enrichment, algorithmic buy‑box selection and dynamic delivery, the platform expands assortments while simplifying the customer journey. The initiative rests on a...
Proactive by Design: How Punchmark Is Reshaping Online Jewelry Retail
In this episode of In The Loop, CEO and co‑founder Ross Cockrum discusses how Punchmark has streamlined its platform, enabling rapid feature releases and boosting client morale, highlighted by a surge in "be‑back" customers. He explains the new payment gateway...
Why Hourglass Swapped Mecca for Sephora and Embraced DTC
Hourglass Cosmetics has terminated its 16‑year exclusive partnership with Australian retailer Mecca, ending a relationship that began in 2010. Starting February 17, 2026, the brand launched its own Australian direct‑to‑consumer website and, nine days later, entered Sephora Australia’s stores without...
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[ WEBINAR ] Hidden Legal Risks Every Online Retailer Needs to Know
LegalVision is hosting a free webinar on 17 March 2026 to expose hidden legal risks for online retailers. The session will cover consumer compliance, contract structuring, digital brand protection, flexible‑working obligations, and statutory payment increases. Organisers aim to equip e‑commerce operators with...
Creators Meet Commerce: How They Guide Customers From Inspiration to Checkout | Behind the Numbers Special Edition
In this special edition of the eMarketer "Behind the Numbers" podcast, senior analyst Minda Smiley moderates a panel with Corey Weaver, Head of Influence at Gap Inc., and Alexis Call, Director of Digital Merchandising at Stanley 1913. The discussion explores...
On TikTok Shop, a Brand for the Looksmaxxers Emerges
Based Bodyworks, a digitally native men’s grooming brand founded by influencer‑barber Lance Baker, has become a TikTok Shop sensation, posting roughly $5 million in U.S. sales in February and ranking fourth among beauty brands on the platform. The brand’s product line,...
Why AI Alone Won’t Win Southeast Asia’s E-Commerce Race
Southeast Asia’s e‑commerce sector is shifting from a race for speed to a focus on execution and trust. AI is now embedded across the retail value chain, yet many sellers struggle to integrate it effectively, creating a gap between intent...
This TikTok Easter Toy Made $97,000 in a Week
A TikTok‑driven Easter toy egg featuring a water‑activated unicorn sold 5,769 units between March 1 and March 7, generating roughly $97,200 in revenue. Each $18.30 set contains six eggs that hatch after a 12‑24‑hour soak, revealing a grow‑and‑shrink unicorn. Influencer videos accounted...
Amazon Launches Multi-Channel Fulfillment in Germany
Amazon has launched its Multi‑Channel Fulfillment (MCF) service in Germany, extending the program to brands that sell on Amazon and through direct‑to‑consumer channels. The service lets sellers store stock in Amazon’s fulfillment centers and use the same inventory for orders...
How to Make Your E-Commerce Product Visible to AI Agents? Use This New System Trusted by L’Oréal, Unilever, Mars &...
Azoma has launched the Agentic Merchant Protocol (AMP), a machine‑native framework that lets brands push product data directly to AI shopping agents. The system, already adopted by L’Oréal, Unilever, Mars and Beiersdorf, centralizes catalogs, enforces brand guidelines and promises measurable...
Amazon’s Hard-to-Find Lego Section, Explained: Get Rare Sets Before They’re Gone
Amazon has created a dedicated "Hard-to-Find Lego" storefront that aggregates retiring and low‑stock Lego sets across popular licenses such as Star Wars, Nintendo, and Harry Potter. The section surfaces items like the Lego Smart Bricks, Grogu in a Pram, and...
Mastercard and Google Team Up to Build Trust for AI-Powered Shopping
Mastercard and Google have introduced Verifiable Intent, an open, standards‑based framework that records a cryptographic proof of a consumer’s authorization when an AI agent makes a purchase. The solution tackles the visibility gap created by autonomous AI‑driven shopping, linking identity,...
Visa Enhances Payments Orchestration Tools for Merchant Acquirers
Visa has launched its Intelligent Authorization platform for merchant acquirers across the Asia‑Pacific region. The solution offers a single‑API pathway that leverages Visa’s card‑network infrastructure, allowing banks to forego building dedicated processing stacks. Integrated AI routing selects the most cost‑effective,...
Fast, Collaborative Founders Drive 120% YoY Growth
After 9+ years of working with DTC brands, the majority of the ones that stay with us longer than 6 months all have these things in common: • they respond within 24 hours, every time • the founder is in the room,...
The Best Customer Loyalty Software For Global E-Commerce Brands (2026)
Customer loyalty programs remain a powerful revenue lever, with members outspending non‑members by a wide margin. A 2026 review of over 20 platforms identified Open Loyalty as the top choice for enterprise ecommerce, thanks to its API‑first, headless design, deep...
Klaviyo and Shopify Deepen Integration
Klaviyo and Shopify have expanded their integration, adding a fully synchronized multi‑market data layer that pulls Shopify Markets' localized catalog information directly into Klaviyo. The new Locale Aware Catalogs feature automatically syncs translated product content, regional pricing, currency, and market‑specific...
OpenClaw Forces Enterprise Strategy Questions
OpenClaw, an open‑source AI‑agent framework now under OpenAI, has sparked a wave of personal agents with over 1.5 million built in months. The tool lets non‑developers automate complex tasks—pulling data from SaaS platforms, logging into web apps, or generating code—lowering the...
Investors Overlook E‑Commerce’s Long‑Term Disruption
I've seen this so often throughout my time in the industry: short-termism and news-cycle reflexivity leading investors to fixate on the new shiny object and lose sight of the durability and therefore, cumulative disruptive impact of long-term structural trends, especially...
Costco Ties Digital Personalization to $470M in Sales Growth
Costco reported that personalized product recommendation carousels generated more than $470 million in e‑commerce sales during Q2 2026. The retailer also saw U.S. comparable store sales rise 5.9% year‑over‑year and net sales climb 9.1% to $68.2 billion, while membership grew 4.8% to 82.1 million...
78% of European Internet Users Bought Online in 2025
In 2025, 78% of EU internet users made at least one online purchase, up from 76.6% in 2024. Ireland tops the chart with a 95.3% adoption rate, followed by the Netherlands and Denmark. Romania posted the strongest decade‑long growth, jumping...
Omnisend Guarantees 5-Day Full Migration, Done Personally
Most software companies tell you migration is easy. Then they hand you a help doc and disappear. Omnisend did something different. Their leadership team migrated brands themselves. Felt the friction. Found the answer. Now they handle the entire process for you. 5 days. Start...
Shopify's Growth Fuels a Surge in Scams
Shopify's ecosystem is now mature enough to have more bad actors than any of us can stop. - Shopify app store: people clone your app. - Shopify agencies: people impersonate you. - Shopify merchants: people clone your store or use it to test...
Square, SumUp, Shopify: Data Streaming for Real-Time Point-of-Sale (POS)
Point‑of‑sale systems are evolving from simple cash registers into real‑time, connected platforms that handle payments, inventory, and customer insights. Mobile payment leaders Square, SumUp, and Shopify now offer SMBs enterprise‑grade POS capabilities, blurring the line between payment processors and commerce...
50 Buyers Snap Up New eCom Retention Vault
It's been a long time since @yojimmykim and I have launched anything new. 50 people grabbed the eCom Retention Vault in the first few hours. Didn't expect that. https://t.co/Nvu2sCggkD Thank you 🙏
Claude Code Automates Shopify Stores, but Hides Risks
Has Claude Code obliterated a Shopify store yet? It's only a matter of time. There are enough merchants saying "oh yeah Claude just built me a Shopify MCP to control my store" and have no idea of the risk.
Why Stitch Fix Is Doubling Down on Human Stylists as AI Gets Better
Stitch Fix is reinforcing its human‑stylist model even as generative AI matures, unveiling the AI‑driven "Stitch Fix Vision" that creates personalized, shoppable outfit images from client selfies. The platform’s autonomous quality checks and sharing features have lifted repeat purchase rates...
Shopify Partner Program Gains Unprecedented Internal Focus
After talking to @atleeclark today about the Shopify Partner program, I'm convinced the ecosystem is getting more internal attention than it has in years. Buckle up, it's about to get really good.
50 Proven Email Campaigns Power Most Ecommerce Revenue
The same 50 email campaigns drive the majority of ecommerce email revenue. Every time. Across every brand we've worked with. @yojimmykim and I finally put all of them in one place. Real examples, AI prompts, copywriting frameworks, and welcome flows from...
Authentic iPhone Shots Boost Conversions, Not Pricey Studio
I spent $8k on a professional product photoshoot. The photos flopped. I took some raw, authentic photos with my iPhone. Conversions went up 30%. The market doesn't care about 'professional'. It cares about 'real'. Test everything.