Foot Locker Partners with DoorDash for On-Demand Delivery
Foot Locker has teamed up with DoorDash to offer its shoes, apparel and accessories through the DoorDash Marketplace, including products from Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports. The partnership taps into DoorDash’s active U.S. user base, where more than 30% already shop grocery and retail categories. The move aligns with Dick’s Sporting Goods’ strategy to revive Foot Locker after its $2.4 billion acquisition, complementing store revamps and inventory resets. Analysts say the service adds convenience but is unlikely to materially shift the retailer’s recovery trajectory.
Google Rolls Out Onboarding Guide for Universal Commerce Protocol
Google has released an onboarding guide for its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) within Merchant Center, enabling merchants to embed checkout directly into AI‑driven search experiences like Gemini. The guide walks merchants through technical integration, interest‑form submission, and sandbox testing before...
Virid Relaunches Revere: A Smarter Ratings and Reviews Platform
Virid has re‑launched its Revere platform, a ratings and reviews solution designed for enterprise retailers. The upgrade adds a unified admin dashboard, 15‑minute implementation, AI‑enhanced reporting, and new integrations with Stripe, MailChimp, Klaviyo and Listrak. Pricing tiers have been restructured...
How Viral TikTok Growth Is Leaving DTC Brands Vulnerable to Costly Logistics Breakdowns
TikTok Shop is turning viral videos into instant sales spikes for direct‑to‑consumer brands, but many lack the logistics framework to handle the sudden surge of international orders. Products classified as restricted, such as alcohol‑based perfumes, can cost $200‑$300 per unit...
Algolia Transforms Retail Recommendations From Black Box to Revenue Engine With New AI-Powered Analytics Unified with Search and Recommendations
Algolia launched Recommendation Analytics, a new capability embedded in its AI recommendation engine that delivers real‑time insight into clicks, conversions and revenue for retail sites. The tool provides intuitive dashboards breaking down performance by carousel, placement and model, and can...
Making Payments AI‑Ready: Outcomes, Guardrails, and Scale
Artificial intelligence is reshaping retail payments by enhancing real‑time transaction decisioning, linking connected terminals, and enabling AI‑driven purchase initiation. Faster, data‑rich approvals raise conversion rates while predictive maintenance cuts device downtime. New consent and verification models are emerging to secure...
The Human Advantage in an AI-Driven World: Why Critical Thinking Is the Ultimate Retail Logistics Asset
Retail logistics is rapidly integrating AI for demand forecasting, inventory management, and fulfillment, but the technology cannot replace human judgment. The article warns against the shortcut of trusting algorithmic outputs without critical evaluation, especially during demand spikes or disruptions. It...
AI Is Changing Retail. Here’s How Businesses Can Keep Up.
Retailers must ensure their Google Merchant Center data is clean and complete to unlock AI-driven shopping experiences such as conversational commerce, virtual try‑ons, and shoppable CTV. In a recent Ads Decoded Podcast, Google’s retail product leaders highlighted that messy feeds...
Retail and CPG’s Precision Era: How AI Is Reshaping Forecasting, Fulfilment and Customer Engagement
Retail and consumer packaged goods firms are entering a precision era where AI is no longer optional but essential for survival. By 2026, AI‑driven demand forecasting, real‑time logistics, and automated fulfillment are reshaping the operating model from reactive to autonomous....
Okuma Fishing Tackle Opens Canadian Fulfillment Center
Okuma Fishing Tackle has opened a new third‑party logistics fulfillment center in Canada to serve its wholesale partners. The facility is designed to accelerate delivery times, increase inventory availability, and lower overall fulfillment costs. Sam Brenner, Okuma’s VP of sales,...
EXEC: Levi Strauss CEO Talks Beyond Yoga’s Complement to Denim Lifestyle Portfolio
Levi Strauss & Co. reported that its Beyond Yoga brand grew sales 23% to $46 million in Q1, while the operating loss narrowed to $1 million from $3 million a year earlier. The company’s overall net revenue rose 14% to $1.7 billion, with direct‑to‑consumer...
Why Product Feeds Shouldn’t Be The Most Ignored SEO System In Ecommerce
Many ecommerce brands focus on category pages and backlinks while neglecting product feeds, which have traditionally been managed by PPC teams. Recent changes—Google Search Console’s Shopping report enhancements and OpenAI’s product‑feed specification—bring feed data into the core SEO ecosystem. Optimizing...
People Are Losing It over 7-Eleven Merch. Welcome to the Surprisingly Cool World of Convenience Store Chic
7‑Eleven’s online‑only apparel line, 7Collection, has turned convenience‑store branding into a streetwear phenomenon. Launched in 2022, the store offers everything from logo tees to limited‑edition collaborations that sell out within minutes. The line taps into music, art and summer culture,...
How to Use Google Gemini's New AI Shopping Features in India: Check Step-by-Step Guide
Google has rolled out AI‑powered shopping tools for Indian users across the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, and Circle to Search. The Gemini app now delivers shoppable product listings, price comparisons and a Shopping Graph directly within chat. AI...
Squarespace’s Corey Zettler on Building a Financial Services Suite for Small Businesses
Squarespace has expanded from a website builder into a full‑stack fintech platform for small creators. After launching Squarespace Payments in 2023 and Capital in early 2025, the company introduced Balance, an integrated business account that provides a Visa debit card,...
Razorpay & OpenAI Expand Collaboration With Codex Integration Powering Instant AI App Monetisation
Razorpay has teamed up with OpenAI to embed its payment gateway directly into Codex‑generated applications, launching an app that lives inside ChatGPT. The integration lets developers describe an AI‑powered product, set pricing, and have Razorpay automatically configure checkout, subscriptions, taxes...
Mitchell Halliday on Made by Mitchell’s Global Expansion Plans Beyond TikTok Shop
Made by Mitchell, a digitally native makeup brand launched in October 2020, survived early DIY struggles and a shaky wholesale debut with Beauty Bay before turning to TikTok Shop. The hiring of Gabrielle Grierson sparked the brand’s pioneering move into...
Cross Switch, Absa Expand Secure Checkout with Absa Pay
South African bank Absa has partnered with payments‑infrastructure provider Cross Switch to launch Absa Pay, a bank‑authenticated checkout option for e‑commerce merchants on the Cross Switch platform. The solution uses a payment‑initiation API that lets customers pay via phone number...
Kroger Brings Its Near-Expired Food to Flashfood App in 100-Plus Stores
Kroger is expanding its partnership with the Flashfood app to more than 100 stores across the Mid‑Atlantic, turning near‑expiration groceries into discounted items for shoppers. The pilot in Richmond, Virginia diverted over 320,000 pounds of food that would have been...
Alcohol E-Commerce Misses US$40bn Opportunity
A new survey by DRINKS reveals a $40 bn gap between how U.S. consumers discover alcohol brands and their ability to purchase them online. Social media now drives 63% of purchases among 21‑34‑year‑olds, yet 70% say they cannot buy directly where...
Publishers Get a New Revenue Line as Brambles.ai and Shopnomix Bring AI Commerce Into Editorial Content
Brambles.ai and Shopnomix have partnered to embed conversational AI shopping directly into editorial content, allowing readers to discover and purchase products from over 50,000 brands without leaving the page. The integration combines Brambles.ai’s on‑page chat interface with Shopnomix’s product data,...
Superdry & Co Picks Verde to Style New Online Strategy
Superdry & Co, fresh from a brand‑centric rebrand, has hired SEO specialist Verde Digital to revamp its digital marketing. Verde will lead technical SEO, on‑page optimisation and emerging AI‑driven search tactics, targeting non‑brand, category‑level queries. The agency’s audit revealed untapped...
MoU Between SRA, TikTok Shop and WSG to See Deeper Focus on Social Commerce Scene
The Singapore Retailers Association, TikTok Shop, and Workforce Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop social commerce capabilities across the retail sector. The partnership will create training programmes for three new roles—livestream hosts, sellers, and engineers—through job redesign and...
Shipping Cost Pressures Intensify for UK Ecommerce Sellers
UK ecommerce sellers are grappling with sharply rising shipping costs, with 84% reporting higher last‑mile expenses and 39% seeing increases above 10% in the past year. The last‑mile now accounts for 53% of total delivery spend, squeezing margins even as...
Levi’s Accelerates Growth as ‘DTC-First’ Strategy Pays Off
Levi Strauss & Co. posted first‑quarter net revenue of $1.7 billion, a 14% year‑on‑year increase, driven by a 16% rise in direct‑to‑consumer sales that now represent 52% of total revenue. The company lifted its full‑year 2026 outlook, forecasting 6% revenue growth...
Digital Commerce in India Will Grow to $250 Billion by 2030: Google and Deloitte Report
Google and Deloitte project India’s digital commerce market will expand to $250 billion by 2030, up from $90 billion today. Growth will be powered by a surge of Gen Z shoppers, rapid‑delivery (quick commerce) services, and AI‑driven content commerce. Quick commerce alone is...
Zsystems Brings Total Funding to $2.7 Million with Latest Seed Round
ZSystems, a Morocco‑based B2B2C marketplace, closed a $1.65 million seed round led by Azur Innovation Management, with participation from MNF Ventures, Witamax and new international investor Harambeans Prosperity Fund. The raise lifts total funding to $2.7 million after a $1.05 million pre‑seed round....
Your Most Important Customer? The AI Agent
AI‑powered shopping agents are reshaping retail by prioritizing real‑time inventory, price and verified product data over traditional brand awareness. When a consumer asks an agent for the best running shoe under $120 with next‑day delivery, the algorithm evaluates live data...
Block Introduces Managerbot, a Proactive Square AI Agent and the Clearest Proof Point yet for Jack Dorsey’s AI Bet
Block unveiled Managerbot, an AI agent embedded in Square that proactively monitors small‑business metrics and suggests actions across inventory, staffing and marketing. Built on OpenAI’s GPT and Anthropic’s Sonnet models, the tool leverages Block’s proprietary “agent harness” to coordinate hundreds...
The Retailer’s Guide to the Best 3PL Fulfillment Partners in the USA (2026 Edition)
E‑commerce brands facing capacity constraints are turning to third‑party logistics (3PL) to scale. The 2026 guide ranks seven U.S. providers, highlighting Simpl Fulfillment’s flat‑rate model for 1‑500 orders, ShipBob’s 50+ centers for two‑day delivery, Red Stag’s heavy‑item expertise, and niche...
How Retailers Can Protect Voice Channel From AI Impersonation Scams
Scam robocalls jumped 15.6% in 2025, adding roughly 420 million extra calls each month, and AI‑generated voice deepfakes are making them harder to detect. The FCC warned that scammers are impersonating Walmart employees, highlighting retailers as prime targets. Over half of...
Walmart Website Now Accepts CareCredit for Health and Wellness Products
Synchrony announced that its CareCredit health‑finance card is now accepted on Walmart.com for both home delivery and in‑store pickup. The rollout adds new eligible categories, including medical supplies, fitness equipment, and sleep essentials. CareCredit, already used in Walmart and Sam’s...
Skip Adds Loblaw to Growing Grocery Network
Skip has sealed a partnership with Loblaw Companies, adding the retailer’s 13 banners—including No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore and Maxi—to its on‑demand grocery network. The deal extends Skip’s service to every Canadian postal code, allowing customers to order from a broader...
Fast Simon Instantly Tells Merchandisers What Products Are Successful, Overexposed—Or Hidden Gems
Fast Simon’s new AI platform gives e‑commerce merchandisers instant, data‑driven insight into product performance. It identifies winners, overexposed items, and hidden‑gem products within minutes, while also projecting the long‑term impact of current merchandising choices. The tool promises faster optimization of listings,...
Why ‘Keep It’ Returns Should Be Illegal
Retailers are increasingly using “keep it” returnless refunds to cut reverse‑logistics costs, but the practice fuels fraud, inventory distortion, and waste. The National Retail Federation estimates $849.9 billion in returns, with 9 % fraudulent, while Narvar reports 75 % of shoppers have received...
Costco Tests Checkout that Could Take Under 10 Seconds
Costco is piloting automated pay stations that can complete transactions in under 10 seconds by having employees pre‑scan items before shoppers reach the register. Early tests show average transaction times around eight seconds and positive member feedback. The initiative is...
Retail Media Is a $69B Opportunity. So Why Is It Still So Hard to Get Right?
Retail media is projected to reach $69.3 billion in 2026, cementing its place as one of the fastest‑growing ad channels. The surge is driven by retailers leveraging first‑party shopper data to sell ads on‑site and off‑site. However, most retailers juggle 15‑20...
Proximity Is Retail’s Next Growth Lever
Retailers are reviving proximity marketing as a growth lever, recognizing that purchase decisions unfold across physical and digital touchpoints. A recent OAAA and Winterberry study shows roughly 70% of adults notice out‑of‑home (OOH) ads on their way to stores, and...
Amazon’s Pricing Tactics Lead Brands to Yank Items
Amazon has been refusing wholesale suppliers' requests to raise the prices it pays for their products, prompting brands such as Colgate and Adidas to trim or remove low‑margin items from the marketplace. Affected brands face added costs from tariffs and...
Retail Media Has Reached Its Accountability Moment
Retail media, once celebrated for its closed‑loop attribution near the point of sale, is now confronting an accountability crisis. Advertisers are demanding proof that spend drives incremental lift beyond a single retailer’s ledger. In response, major networks are expanding into...
F.W. Webb Launches Mobile App for Trade Professionals
F.W. Webb, a wholesale distributor with more than 100 locations across the Northeast, launched a native mobile app on March 31, 2026 to let trade professionals order plumbing, HVAC and other parts directly from their phones. The app delivers real‑time...
TradeCentric, Commercetools Partner on B2B Ecommerce
TradeCentric and commercetools have formed a strategic partnership to integrate B2B e‑procurement with AI‑first commerce platforms. The collaboration enables suppliers to connect digital storefronts directly to buyers’ procurement systems, leveraging TradeCentric’s PunchOut capabilities to slash purchase‑order processing time by 80%...
This One-Hour Audit That Could Save Your Product From AI Exclusion
The article warns that in 2026 consumers rely on AI assistants that deliver a single synthesized answer, making product data the new digital shelf. Brands with vague or inconsistent product pages are being filtered out, while those that publish a...
Walmart to Close Illinois Fulfillment Center
Walmart announced the permanent closure of its Matteson, Illinois fulfillment center, affecting 111 employees. Operations will be transferred to other NextGen facilities in the retailer’s network, and affected workers receive a $7,500 incentive to relocate or transition to open roles....
Amazon Cuts USPS Volume by 20% in New Deal, Averting Major Revenue Loss for Postal Service
Amazon and the United States Postal Service have reached a new agreement that trims Amazon’s parcel volume to roughly 80% of current levels, equating to about 1.7 billion packages and $6 billion in annual revenue for USPS. The reduction, a 20% cut,...
Amazon Signs New Delivery Deal with Postal Service at 20% Less Volume
Amazon has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver roughly one billion parcels a year, a 20% cut from its previous volume. The deal preserves about $6 billion in annual revenue for USPS, which faces a looming...
Amazon, USPS Reach Scaled-Back Delivery Deal
The United States Postal Service and Amazon have finalized a scaled‑back delivery agreement that trims Amazon’s parcel volume to the carrier by roughly 20 percent. The compromise follows weeks of tense negotiations after a Wall Street Journal report suggested a...
Attabotics Announces Integrator Partnership Program to Expand Availability of Robotic Cube Storage Technology
Attabotics announced an integrator partnership program to broaden distribution of its 3D robotic cube storage solution, naming SAVOYE North America as the inaugural partner. The collaboration leverages SAVOYE’s AiRVOS™ WES platform to integrate Attabotics technology into end‑to‑end fulfillment workflows. By...
Mastercard and PayPal Veteran Jill Cress Is Babylist’s First CMO
Babylist, the online baby‑registry platform, reported $750 million in revenue and 45% year‑over‑year growth, prompting the hire of veteran marketer Jill Cress as its first chief marketing officer. Cress, who previously led consumer strategy at Mastercard and marketing at National Geographic, PayPal,...
Wholesale Resurgence Reshapes Retail Growth Strategy
Retail brands are reversing the past decade's direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) focus, with wholesale emerging as the primary growth engine. Lightspeed’s 2026 State of B2B eCommerce report shows 78% of brands now rank wholesale as their top investment channel, while only 18%...