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, Target and Chewy use this tactic to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty, but they also face heightened fraud risk. AI‑driven detection tools and FTC warnings highlight the need for careful policy design.
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...
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...
From Chaos to Control: UPS Capital Report Highlights How Merchants Can Win the Last-Mile Battle
With 73% of businesses covering shipping mishap losses out-of-pocket, learn how merchants can regain control of last-mile logistics to manage costs and meet rising consumer expectations. The post From Chaos to Control: UPS Capital Report Highlights How Merchants Can Win the...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Stricter Rules for Digital Platforms
Thailand has enacted comprehensive trade‑competition guidelines for multi‑sided digital platforms, effective March 24, 2026. The rules target e‑marketplaces such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop, tightening oversight of commission, advertising, logistics and payment fees. They also prohibit self‑preferencing, price‑parity clauses, and discriminatory...
Amazon’s Bestselling $80 Pillows Are on Sale for $21 Apiece, and Shoppers Say They Are Like ‘Sleeping on a Cloud’
Amazon is offering its top‑selling Beckham Hotel Collection queen pillows at a steep discount, slashing the original $80 price to $42 for a two‑pack, or $21 per pillow. The deal is limited‑time and requires a Prime membership or free trial...
Rugs Direct Launches WhatsApp Returns with stampfree.ai
Rugs Direct, in partnership with stampfree.ai, has launched the UK’s first WhatsApp‑based returns service, using the appfree platform to let shoppers start and track returns via chat. The move follows the Post & Parcel Trend Report 2026, which found 88 %...
Anthropologie Says It Marries Data and Intuition in Merchandising as It Looks for ‘Calculated Risks’
Anthropologie is blending quantitative sales data with qualitative customer insights to drive fast‑moving merchandising decisions. The retailer launched a dedicated 90s minimalist section within a week after spotting TikTok and Hulu‑driven trend signals. It also expanded in‑store footwear from eight...
Amazon’s Unprecedented Gamble on AI Redemption Might Just Work
Amazon is abandoning its traditionally frugal reputation to embark on an unprecedented AI spending spree, dubbed a “Capexapalooza” by JPMorgan Chase. The e‑commerce giant is allocating billions of dollars to build custom AI chips, expand data‑center capacity, and integrate generative...
58% of Shoppers Lose Brand Trust over Faulty AI Suggestions
Rithum’s new study of 1,046 U.S. and U.K. shoppers shows that 58% of consumers blame retailers when AI‑generated product recommendations contain errors, and 16% would abandon a purchase after a bad suggestion. In the U.K., 70% have used AI tools...
GOOD GOOD Partners with 3PL to Support UK Growth with Multi-Channel Fulfilment
GOOD GOOD, the health‑focused food brand, has signed a three‑year partnership with UK third‑party logistics provider 3PL to handle multi‑channel fulfillment across direct‑to‑consumer, Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime, and wholesale distribution to Holland & Barrett. The deal leverages 3PL’s Flex service and...
What TikTok’s Volatility Means for Retail Media Planning
TikTok’s uninstall rates have surged roughly 150% as U.S. regulatory uncertainty intensifies, prompting retailers to reassess video spend. The spike highlights the risk of concentrating advertising budgets on a single social feed during critical back‑to‑school and holiday periods. Marketers are...
Evri Fulfilment Invest £4m to Expand Network in Barnsley
Evri Fulfilment is investing over £4 million (≈$5.1 million) to open a 265,000‑square‑foot fulfillment centre in Barnsley, slated for July 2026. The site will feature advanced sorting and packing automation, allowing parcels to move from order to network entry within an hour...
OnBuy Accelerates European Rollout With Launch Into 8 New Markets
OnBuy, the UK‑based cashback marketplace, has launched in eight additional European countries, taking its footprint to 21 markets. The rollout follows a 152% quarterly sales surge and a 300% rise in site visits across its first 12 markets. Beta testing...
YouTube Just Lowered the Bar for Affiliate Earnings—Now Creators With 500 Subscribers Can Cash In
YouTube has lowered the entry barrier for its Affiliate Shopping program, now allowing creators with just 500 subscribers to earn commissions on product tags. Eligible creators must also meet YouTube Partner Program criteria, such as three recent uploads and either...
Meta Expands AI Commerce and Launches Small Business Initiative to Accelerate Adoption
Meta announced AI‑driven commerce upgrades for Facebook and Instagram, adding real‑time summaries of user reviews, brand insights, and product recommendations within ads. The company also rolled out an updated in‑app checkout powered by Stripe and PayPal, with future integrations planned...
Here’s Your Cheat Sheet to the Best Menswear Deals From Amazon’s Big Spring Sale
Amazon’s spring sale is flooding the market with deep discounts on men’s essentials, from a 40%‑off Citizen Promaster Dive watch to $25 Levi’s 501 jeans. Athletic gear such as New Balance Fresh Foam X running shoes and Nike Dri‑FIT shorts...
Amazon Is Making It Easier to Return That Order You Didn’t Like
Amazon has expanded its returns network to more than 10,000 drop‑off locations across the United States, adding over 1,500 FedEx Office sites to an existing roster that includes Whole Foods, UPS Store, Kohl’s, Staples and regional partners. Four out of...
CarParts.com, A-Premium Launch 30,000 SKUs for JC Whitney Line
CarParts.com and A-Premium are expanding their JC Whitney partnership to launch roughly 30,000 mechanical auto parts, starting with about 6,000 SKUs in Q2 2026 and rolling out the full assortment through the year. To finance the expansion, CarParts.com completed an...
Bridgeline, Znode Partner on AI Search for B2B Ecommerce
Bridgeline Digital and Znode have announced a partnership to embed Bridgeline’s HawkSearch AI‑powered search and merchandising engine into Znode’s B2B ecommerce platform. The integration leverages HawkSearch’s API‑first architecture, allowing distributors to improve product discovery across large, complex catalogs without replacing...
The Best Smart Home Deals at Amazon’s Big Spring Sale: Connected Locks and Security Cameras up to 57% Off
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is offering steep discounts on a range of smart‑home gear, with prices slashed up to 57 percent. Flagship bundles such as the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus with Floodlight Cam are now $164.99, half their original price,...
One Month to Go Until the 2026 Retail Technology Show
The Retail Technology Show returns to London’s ExCeL on April 22‑23, 2026 with a new disco theme and over 450 exhibitors, marking its largest technology showcase yet. New features include a Cyber & Loss Prevention Zone, an AI‑maturity focus, and...
Best Klaviyo Alternatives for Revenue Growth and Advanced Analytics
Klaviyo remains a leading CRM for e‑commerce, but its cost and complexity can deter startups. The article highlights three cost‑effective alternatives—Maestra, Brevo, and Omnisend—that deliver advanced analytics and multi‑channel performance tracking. Each platform offers customizable attribution, granular revenue dashboards, and...
I Set a Small Budget to Test a Low-Cost Shopping Platform Everyone’s Been Mentioning
The author conducted a controlled test of Voghion, a low‑cost shopping platform, using a modest, category‑based budget. Prices were markedly lower than typical retailers, but product descriptions were sparse and quality inconsistent across household items, clothing, and a risk purchase....
Leading Ecommerce Agencies Generate $170k in Revenue per SMB Client by Getting More From Their Audiences
A new Omnisend report of 717 agencies shows the top 10% generate an average $170,000 in annual revenue per SMB ecommerce client, equating to $16.70 per subscriber. The outperformance stems from a blend of SMS marketing, systematic A/B testing, and...
Krvvy and Ugees Partner to Expand Product Ecosystems and Drive D2C Growth
Krvvy, a women’s innerwear and shapewear brand, and Ugees, an intimate‑wear wash brand, announced a strategic partnership to broaden their product ecosystems and drive direct‑to‑consumer growth. The collaboration will enable cross‑selling and post‑purchase care, aiming to improve retention and lower...
Food Delivery Is Expensive, And Rapido Wants It Fixed
Rapido officially launched Ownly, a standalone food‑delivery app in Bengaluru on March 3, 2026, backed by roughly $15 million (₹125 cr) from Nexus Venture Partners. The platform targets the 70,000 FSSAI‑licensed restaurants absent from Swiggy and Zomato, offering a zero‑commission model that...
Riding the Rocketship: Creating a Retail Media Mindset
Retail media is rapidly evolving into a multi‑billion‑dollar growth engine, posting double‑digit expansion in key markets. The sector has shifted from a startup focus on formats and measurement to a scale‑up model demanding strategic alignment. Colin Lewis proposes that success...
Bol Also Allows Customers to Check Out at External Online Stores
Ahold Delhaize’s Dutch e‑commerce platform Bol is extending its checkout technology to third‑party online stores. The move lets merchants embed familiar payment methods such as iDEAL and pay‑later, aiming to cut friction and lift conversion rates. Initial integrations are live for...
Glovo CTO Shiro Theuri Is a Guardian for Benefiting From AI
Glovo’s chief technology officer, Shiro Theuri, is steering the Barcelona‑based delivery platform through a rapid AI integration across its engineering teams. She reports high AI penetration, leading to faster, higher‑quality code while instituting responsible‑AI guardrails and human‑in‑the‑loop reviews. Theuri also...
Poshmark Unveils Its First Major App Redesign in 15 Years Amid Online Thrifting Boom
Poshmark has launched its first major app redesign in 15 years, revamping the experience for its 165 million buyers and sellers. The update introduces an AI‑driven “For You” home feed, larger portrait‑style product images, and a consolidated seller hub with analytics...
M&S Rolls Out AI Tools to 11,000 Colleagues Including All Store Managers
Marks & Spencer is rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to 11,000 employees, including every store manager, as part of a broader digital transformation. The AI suite will automate routine tasks such as sales insight compilation, meeting‑note summarisation, shift‑roster creation and...
China’s Retail Landscape Change: Douyin, Sam’s Club Driving Sales for Swisse
H&H Group reported that Douyin, China’s TikTok‑like platform, drove a 71.4% surge in Swisse sales last year, while new‑retail partners such as Sam’s Club added 29.7% growth. The company’s overall revenue rose 10% to RMB 14.3 bn ($2.08 bn) and net profit exploded...
EHub Launches Pack, Inventory, and Orchestrate API to Power the Next Era of Carrier Orchestration
eHub, a leader in carrier orchestration, unveiled three platform upgrades—eHub Pack, eHub Inventory, and the eHub Orchestrate API. Pack adds dynamic cartonization that blends real‑time carrier rates, packaging constraints and shipping rules to select optimal packaging, cutting costs and boosting...
Turning E-Commerce ROI in Egypt’s Digital-First Scene
Egypt’s e‑commerce market is rapidly maturing, shifting from a growth trend to a primary revenue driver. Consumers, predominantly young and mobile‑first, now demand speed, simplicity, and transparency comparable to global standards. Brands that embed user‑centric design, trust‑building features, and data‑driven...
Fast&Up Parent Fullife Healthcare Raises Rs 300 Cr Led by Elev8
Fullife Healthcare, the parent of Fast&Up, secured Rs 300 crore (approximately $36 million) in a Series D round led by Elev8 Venture Partners, marking the investor’s first foray into the direct‑to‑consumer segment. The capital will fund brand acceleration, new product lines in digestive...
Shoptalk Vegas Day 1: Gap, Sephora and Wayfair Discuss Retail in the Age of AI
The 2026 Shoptalk Spring conference in Las Vegas highlighted AI as the central driver of retail transformation. Sephora unveiled a dedicated ChatGPT app to deliver conversational, personalized shopping experiences. Gap announced a partnership with Bold Metrics to use AI for...
Zepto Rolls Out Pay Later Facility
Zepto has launched a suite of in‑app features, headlined by a new Pay Later option that provides up to Rs 10,000 (≈ $120) of interest‑free credit for 15 days. The service is embedded in the app, enabling one‑tap checkout without OTPs or...
Reddit’s New Shopping Ads Are a Play for Beauty Brands’ Business
Reddit unveiled new Dynamic Product Ads at Shoptalk 2026, featuring Collection Ads and Reddit‑specific overlays that embed shoppable tiles within community threads. The platform reports a 40% YoY rise in high‑intent shopping conversations and a 60% surge in beauty‑related purchase discussions....
Gap Inc. Introduces AI-Powered Tools to Enhance Online Shopping
Gap Inc. announced AI‑driven enhancements for its online stores, adding Bold Metrics’ Agent Sizing Protocol for personalized fit guidance and supporting Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol to enable conversational purchases. The tools aim to eliminate sizing uncertainty, a key barrier to apparel e‑commerce, by delivering...
Meta Is Letting Creators Fill Their Reels with Shopping Links
Meta announced that creators on Instagram and Facebook can now embed up to 30 clickable shopping links directly within a Reel. The feature expands affiliate and brand partnership options, eliminating the need for third‑party link‑in‑bio tools. Facebook limits product tags...
From Points to Practical Value: Why Financial Utility Is Rewriting Retail Loyalty
Retail loyalty is shifting from points‑based emotional incentives to financial utility that delivers immediate, measurable savings. Consumers now favor cash‑back, instant discounts, embedded financing, and automated benefit reimbursements over symbolic rewards. The trend is most pronounced in grocery and pharmacy...
FedEx Launches Two-Hour and End-of-Day Delivery Options
FedEx announced FedEx SameDay Local, a new parcel service that lets shoppers choose two‑hour or end‑of‑day delivery at checkout. The offering is built on a partnership with Florida‑based last‑mile platform OneRail and taps a national network of more than 1,000...
AI-Ready Retail: The Practical Reality Behind Delivering AI’s Value
Retailers must start AI projects with a clear road map that defines specific goals—such as demand forecasting or inventory optimization—and quantifies expected benefits. Central to this roadmap is governance, which establishes data ownership, validation, and cross‑channel consistency before any model...
OpenAI’s Plans to Make ChatGPT More Like Amazon Aren’t Going so Well
OpenAI announced it is pulling back the Instant Checkout feature that let users buy items directly within ChatGPT, shifting focus to product discovery. The original checkout tool, launched last September, struggled with flexibility and low user adoption, prompting the company...