€2 TPC Comes Into Effect in France for Low Value Parcels
Effective 1 March 2026 France will levy a €2 small‑parcel tax (TPC) on every HS‑code classified item in packages valued at €150 or less shipped from outside the EU. The tax covers France, Monaco, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion and applies regardless of carrier. It is collected by the importer – IOSS‑registered senders pay through their VAT account, while DDU shipments shift the charge to the recipient. The measure targets low‑value e‑commerce imports and precedes the EU’s planned removal of de‑minimis thresholds.
Embedding Security: Designing Fraud Risk Out of Business Transactions
Embedded finance is set to exceed $7 trillion in transaction volume by 2026, cementing its role as core infrastructure for business platforms. However, fraud attempts are rising two to three times faster than in traditional banking, outpacing legacy detection tools. The...
Britain’s Broken Delivery System Costs Households Hours Each Month
New InPost research reveals a structural failure in the UK parcel‑delivery system, with 40% of adults missing at least one delivery each month. One‑third of parcels fail on the first attempt, forcing consumers to spend an average of 5.5 hours per...
Profitable Bootstrapped D2C Brand Blue Tea Projects Rs 65 Cr Sales in FY26
Bootstrapped herbal wellness brand Blue Tea posted Rs 37 crore revenue for FY25, a 46% year‑on‑year increase, while remaining profitable. The company’s annual recurring revenue rose 68% and net profit in India jumped 75% despite a slight profit dip caused by...
2026 Modern Retail Index: How Retailers Are Tackling Financial Challenges, AI, Marketplaces and Supply Chain
Retailers faced a turbulent 2025, grappling with tariffs, supply-chain disruptions and a cooling consumer market. While some brands posted gains, drugstore chains such as Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS shuttered hundreds of locations, and big‑box retailers struggled with shifting demand...
From Boll & Branch to Bogg, Brands Are Battling a Surge of AI-Driven Return Fraud
Retailers are confronting a new wave of return fraud powered by AI‑generated images. Executives at Boll & Branch and Bogg Bag discovered counterfeit photos used to claim damaged goods, prompting tighter verification. Experts say AI tools have accelerated fraud, contributing to an estimated...
What Keeps LSKD on Top of the Online CX Index
LSKD has held the number‑one spot on Humii’s Inside Retail Online CX Index for two consecutive years, posting sub‑5% abandonment and near‑100% retention. The brand’s edge stems from frictionless returns, ultra‑fast operational speed, intuitive product discovery, transparent checkout, clear loyalty...
ThredUp Inc (TDUP) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
ThredUp reported Q4 2025 revenue of $79.7 million, up 18.5% year‑over‑year, and a full‑year revenue of $310.8 million, a 20% increase. The company completed its shift to a consignment‑based model, now covering over 90% of transactions, and posted adjusted EBITDA in every...
Introducing BRP Experiences: A New Gateway to Unforgettable Outdoor Adventures
BRP Inc. has unveiled BRR Experiences, a refreshed online marketplace that aggregates curated powersports adventures across snowmobile, watercraft, and off‑road categories. The platform builds on the Uncharted Society legacy, now offering access to more than 225 destinations in 14 countries...
In Real Life: Align Your Operation’s Digital and Brick-and-Mortar Presence
Retailers now have a digital twin that AI evaluates when generating search overviews. An optimized Google Business Profile serves as the new Yellow Pages, feeding AI the first impression of a store. Consistency of name, address, and phone across online...
E-Commerce 2026 Trends: Building Loyalty and Trust with AI-Powered Visual Experiences
Retailers are accelerating AI‑powered visual experiences to boost loyalty. Hyper‑personalisation delivers up to 16% higher commercial impact, while AR/VR try‑on lifts conversion by 94%. Brands will adopt staged, transparent AI content, focusing on complex, interactive experiences. Trust hinges on consent...
The Head Fake: Buying the Chinese Stocks Post-Ruling Dip
The U.S. Supreme Court’s February 20 decision struck down IEEPA‑based tariffs, removing the worst‑case tariff risk for Chinese e‑commerce firms. The market’s initial rally faded as investors fretted over a possible 15% global tariff, creating a temporary dip in Alibaba...
How Micro Fulfillment Hubs Make Same-Day Delivery for Small Retailers Possible
Micro‑fulfillment centers (MFCs) are compact, technology‑driven hubs placed within 5‑10 miles of consumers, enabling same‑day or even two‑hour deliveries for small retailers. By decentralizing inventory, they cut last‑mile distances and reduce shipping costs, directly addressing the 21% cart‑abandonment rate tied...
How Shiprocket Is Building The Backbone Of Bharat’s Ecommerce Growth
Shiprocket, originally launched as KartRocket in 2012, has transformed into a full‑stack ecommerce enablement platform that now powers more than 4 lakh merchants, many from Tier II and III cities. The platform bundles shipping, checkout, returns, analytics and working‑capital services, leveraging AI...
Modern Retail Podcast: Marketing Is Experiencing an AI Reckoning
In the latest Modern Retail Podcast, co‑hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels, joined by executive editor Anna Hensel, examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping retail marketing. They note that rising customer‑acquisition costs and a more discerning shopper base are driving...
Revolve Group Net Sales Grow as AI’s Role Expands for Shoppers
Revolve Group reported a 10.4% year‑over‑year increase in net sales to $324.37 million for Q4 2025, driven by AI‑enhanced personalization, search and styling tools. Beauty product sales surged 43%, while net income rose 58% and adjusted EBITDA grew 44%. Executives highlighted...
BlueLinx Bets on AI as It Navigates a Soft Housing Market
BlueLinx Holdings is reshaping its digital roadmap around artificial intelligence while steering through a soft housing market that left full‑year 2025 sales essentially flat. The company skipped a multi‑million‑dollar traditional ecommerce build, citing rapid AI‑driven changes in ordering behavior. Q4...
Resideo Pushes Connected Products and Digital Buying Tools
Resideo Technologies reported Q4 revenue of $1.895 billion, a 2% increase, and net income of $136 million, while full‑year sales hit a record $7.472 billion, up 11% from 2024. A one‑time $527 million loss, linked to ending a Honeywell indemnification agreement, turned the annual...
Mirakl Turns Profitable as Recurring Revenue and Marketplace Activity Grows
Mirakl announced full‑year profitability for 2025, driven by a 23% jump in annual recurring revenue (ARR) to $218 million. Marketplace and dropship activity surged, processing roughly $15 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV), a 31% increase year‑over‑year. New products such as Mirakl...
Home Depot Launches Real-Time Delivery Tracking for Large Items
Home Depot has introduced real‑time delivery tracking for all large‑item orders, expanding a feature previously limited to small parcels. The rollout leverages handheld devices used by drivers to log checkpoints, giving customers live visibility into the status of bulky shipments...
PayPal, Rainforest Join Forces
PayPal announced a partnership with Atlanta‑based Rainforest to embed PayPal, Venmo and buy‑now‑pay‑later services directly into Rainforest’s software platform. The integration is designed to accelerate merchant payouts, cut late‑payment incidents and shift transaction volume away from cash and checks. Rainforest,...
The Hidden Surge in Sales Promotion Fraud: What Retailers Must Prepare For in 2026
Sales promotion fraud is accelerating as retailers launch richer incentives in 2026, and AI‑powered bots and synthetic identities are now automating claim submissions at scale. Fraudsters exploit loopholes in cashback, rebate and trade‑in programs, using deep‑fake receipts and coordinated “promotion...
MetaMask Is Now Also Available in Card Form via Mastercard Partnership
MetaMask, the leading Ethereum wallet, has introduced a co‑branded payment card in partnership with Mastercard. The MetaMask Card is now available in 49 U.S. states, marking its first rollout in New York. The card allows users to spend crypto holdings...
Inside eBay’s London Roadshow
eBay held its first London roadshow, five years after the inaugural Sheffield event, gathering UK sellers to discuss AI tools and community support. The highlight was the “AI Activate” program, a partnership with OpenAI that gives 10,000 sellers funded access...
Rakuten Ichiba, Google Team on YouTube Shopping Experience
Rakuten Ichiba has become the inaugural Japanese partner in Google’s YouTube Shopping affiliate program, allowing shoppers to purchase marketplace items directly from YouTube videos. When viewers tap the “View Products” overlay, product names, prices, and a link to the Rakuten...
Munro Footwear Group Goes Live with Fluent Order Management, Supported by Amblique
Munro Footwear Group (MFG) has launched Fluent Order Management, backed by Amblique, to unify inventory and fulfillment across its 240+ stores, digital channels and distribution centres. The Distributed Order Management system provides a universal inventory view, ship‑from‑store capability and configurable...
Xbox Store Update Brings Useful New Sort Options to Console and PC
Microsoft quietly rolled out an Xbox Store update in February 2026, adding four new sorting filters—price high‑to‑low, price low‑to‑high, discount high‑to‑low, and most wishlisted. The feature is live on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the PC app, and the web...
Handpickd Expands Into Flour and Spices Category, Plans New Cities Entry
Handpickd, the farm‑to‑home fresh food platform, is extending its product line into freshly milled flours and pounded spices, aiming for the segment to generate 20% of its revenue by the end of the next fiscal year. The company currently operates...
Geospatial Platforms and Location Based Services: Powering NextGen E-Commerce and Retail Business
At GeoBuiz Summit 2026, a panel of geospatial leaders highlighted how location intelligence is becoming the backbone of next‑generation e‑commerce and retail. They discussed the use of trusted geospatial data, AI‑driven analytics, and platform integration to optimize store networks, site...
FNP Posts Rs 861 Cr Revenue in FY25; Cuts Losses
Ferns N Petals posted operating revenue of Rs 861.5 crore for FY 2025, a 22 % increase over the prior year, driven primarily by product sales. The company narrowed its net loss to Rs 22 crore, an 8.3 % reduction, though EBITDA and ROCE remained negative at -1.25 %...
Superdrug Adds Made by Mitchell to Its Range
Superdrug has added the social‑media‑born Made by Mitchell Cosmetics to its in‑store and online assortment. Founded by professional makeup artist Mitchell Halliday, the brand is known for high‑impact, multi‑use makeup. The Superdrug collection launches five exclusive products, such as Head...
Why a Beauty Brand Is Giving Gen Alpha Equity
Evereden, the kid‑focused beauty brand that hit $100 million in sales, announced its Generation E program, granting equity stakes to three Gen‑Alpha creators aged 14, 15 and 17. The teenagers—Embreigh Courtlyn, Kaili Asa and Madison Rae—bring combined millions of followers and will...
A Buyer’s Take on London Fashion Week, with Mytheresa’s Tiffany Hsu
In the Glossy Podcast’s London Fashion Week edition, Mytheresa chief buying director Tiffany Hsu offers a buyer’s lens on the Fall 2026 collections. She highlights Burberry’s outerwear‑led show, the romantic opulence of Simone Rocha and Erdem, and the sculptural concepts of newcomers...
Gymboree Turns to Partnerships with Brands Like Marchesa for Its Next Stage of Growth
Gymboree is reviving its brand by launching co‑branded collections, beginning with a limited‑edition Marchesa line priced between $20 and $170. The retailer also introduced everyday collaborations with Peter Rabbit and Hello Kitty, aiming to attract both special‑occasion and casual shoppers....
Why Retailers Can’t Afford a Bad Delivery Experience in 2026
Retailers now bear direct responsibility for delivery performance, as a UPS Capital 2025 report shows consumer blame shifting from carriers (39 % vs 83 % in 2022) to retailers. Fast delivery ranks above price for 31 % of shoppers, and 85 % of merchants...
WhatsApp’s Quiet Takeover: How Conversational AI Is Redefining Retail
Conversational AI is moving from website bots to messaging apps, with WhatsApp emerging as the flagship channel for retail in markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and India. Sanuker’s Woztell platform lets retailers stitch ecommerce, CRM and ERP data into...
1stdibs.Com Inc (DIBS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
1stdibs.Com reported its first quarter of adjusted EBITDA profitability, posting $1.3 million at a 6% margin in Q4 2025. Gross merchandise value slipped 5% to $90.2 million, while net revenue edged up 1% to $23 million and the take rate rose 140 basis points....
Stars Align for Passkeys but Will Adoption Follow?
Credential‑based fraud and login friction are eroding conversion for high‑value e‑commerce shoppers, prompting merchants to seek stronger, lower‑friction authentication. Passkeys, built on FIDO public‑key cryptography and unlocked via biometrics or PIN, promise to eliminate password reuse and phishing risk. PayPal...
Amazon Same-Day Grocery Delivery and Pharmacy Services Comes to Louisville
Amazon has launched same‑day grocery delivery and pharmacy services in Louisville, covering a 55‑mile radius. The rollout adds Louisville to more than 2,300 U.S. cities offering Amazon grocery delivery and moves the company toward its goal of nearly 4,500 cities...
ACV Auctions Expands AI Tools as Q4 Revenue Rises
ACV Auctions reported Q4 2025 revenue of $184 million, a 15% year‑over‑year increase, and full‑year revenue of $760 million, up 19% from 2024. The company narrowed its quarterly net loss to $20 million, improving by 23% versus the prior year, while selling 192,757...
More States Are Tightening Their Gift Card Regulations
In 2025, 22 U.S. states introduced legislation aimed at curbing gift‑card fraud, a sharp rise from eight states the previous year. While many bills increase criminal penalties, several also impose new duties on merchants, such as conspicuous fraud warnings and...
Ground Beef, Egg Purchases Surge on Flashfood as Grocery Prices Rise in 2026
Flashfood reported a sharp rise in protein purchases as grocery prices climb, with ground beef sales up 28% and egg purchases soaring 90% year‑over‑year. Protein now accounts for more than 30% of the app’s total sales, reflecting consumer shifts toward...
Rackhams Partners with Base.com to Accelerate Seller Expansion
Rackhams has partnered with Base.com to simplify expansion for established Amazon and eBay sellers onto the Rackhams marketplace. Base.com provides a multi‑channel operating system that centralises listings, inventory, pricing, and order fulfillment across major marketplaces and ecommerce platforms. The collaboration...
UPI Payments in India Can Now Use Biometric Authentication for Transactions Up to ₹5,000
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) now supports biometric authentication for transactions up to ₹5,000, allowing users to approve payments via fingerprint or facial recognition. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the change, positioning biometrics as an alternative to the...
E-Com Survey: Growth Is Inseparable From Operational Maturity
The 2026 State of Commerce Ops Report by Linnworks shows that mid‑market e‑commerce retailers in the U.K. and U.S. are experiencing robust year‑over‑year growth, with nearly 90% reporting moderate to significant expansion. However, the survey highlights that scalability hinges on...
Walmart's Advertising Revenue Is Outpacing Amazon's
Walmart’s advertising business surged 46% to $6.4 billion in FY26, outpacing Amazon’s 22% rise to $68.6 billion. The dollar gap narrowed from roughly 15:1 to 11:1, though it remains sizable. Growth figures include the VIZIO acquisition, while Walmart Connect – the core...
Shopify Dominant Software in New Stores
ShopRank research shows Shopify powered 54% of new online stores in the Netherlands, 49% in France and 41% in Spain last year. Across seven major European markets, Shopify launched 148,044 new stores, outpacing WooCommerce’s 99,140 and PrestaShop’s 9,747. WooCommerce saw...
Debit Card Fraud Losses Rise
A Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank analysis shows debit card fraud loss rates rose between 2021 and 2023, driven primarily by card‑not‑present transactions. While online fraud increased, in‑person fraud declined on dual‑message networks but grew on single‑message networks. The report...
Triple-A and Mastercard Move Join Forces to Speed Up Global Remittances for Banks and Fintechs
Triple‑A has integrated Mastercard Move’s cross‑border money‑movement network into its remittance‑as‑a‑service platform, enabling near real‑time payouts for European banks, fintechs, and telecom operators. The partnership lets institutions launch branded global remittance services without building costly infrastructure, while also opening a...
Target Leans Into Spirit of Adventure with Roller Rabbit Collab
Target is rolling out a limited‑time collaboration with cult‑favorite lifestyle brand Roller Rabbit on March 7, offering more than 250 items that span apparel, travel gear, home goods and new categories such as luggage and outdoor products. The collection is anchored...