Belgian Shopping Center Is Embracing ‘Livestream Commerce’ on TikTok
Waasland Shopping in Saint‑Nicolas, Belgium, has launched a monthly livestream commerce series on TikTok, featuring influencer Jaël Ost and guest creators. The inaugural broadcast on April 2 attracted roughly 12,500 live viewers and generated an equal number of likes, while shoppers gathered inside the mall to watch simultaneously. The hybrid format blends online video interaction with in‑store presence, allowing retailers to demonstrate products and collect instant consumer feedback. By leveraging TikTok’s algorithmic reach, the centre aims to create a new sales and marketing channel for its tenants.
The Body Shop Marks 50 Years Globally, 20 Years in India; Eyes 20%+ Growth
The Body Shop celebrated its 50th global anniversary and 20th year in India, announcing a goal of more than 20% revenue growth this fiscal year and a plan to double its Indian business within four to five years. The retailer...
Why Gen Z Uses BNPL and Installments Differently
Consumers are no longer choosing payment methods out of habit; they select tools that fit a specific financial objective at checkout. A PYMNTS Intelligence study shows that in January 2026, 31% of shoppers used credit‑card installment plans while only 12%...
Quick Fire 🔥 with Semiloore Akoni
Semiloore Akoni, a growth and product‑marketing leader in African fintech and digital commerce, argues that retention must be engineered before a user even signs up. In his most recent role he slashed the time to a user's first transaction, lifting...
COVID-19 Impact on Shopping: Lasting Trends in Ecommerce & Payments
The pandemic reshaped U.S. shopping, cementing e‑commerce’s share at 16.6% of retail and driving a boom in online grocery sales projected to hit $250 billion by 2025. Contactless payment usage exploded, with roughly two‑thirds of consumers adopting the technology and 74%...
Founder Exits Loom over BigBasket, 1mg as Tata Digital Reset Continues
Tata Digital is orchestrating founder exits at its two flagship e‑commerce assets, BigBasket and 1mg, as it moves to install professional CEOs. BigBasket's founders Hari Menon and Vipul Parekh are in final talks to step down and may sell their...
Startup 360: Tim Fung on 13 Years of Being Airtasker-in-Chief
Tim Fung, co‑founder and CEO of Airtasker, reflects on more than a decade of building Australia’s first online job marketplace in episode 51 of Startup 360. He shares a memorable request where a Tasker was asked to fly to the US, retrieve...
Malaysia: Youth on Social Media Shaping the Digital Economy
Malaysian youth are turning social media platforms into engines of commerce, generating an estimated $4.7 billion in gross value added and supporting 147,000 jobs by 2025. The government highlighted this trend at the launch of a socioeconomic impact report, linking it...
Myntra CEO Nandita Sinha Set to Exit Amid Leadership Churn at Flipkart Group
Myntra CEO Nandita Sinha is leaving the company after four years, with Flipkart Fashion head Sharon Pais poised to take over. The departure adds to a wave of senior exits at Flipkart, including its CFO, as the group readies for a...
DoorDash, Family Dollar Expand SNAP Payments for Online Grocery Orders
DoorDash and Family Dollar announced that SNAP recipients can now use EBT cards to pay for eligible groceries and household items through the DoorDash app at participating Family Dollar stores. The service is live in 48 states and Washington, D.C.,...
Myntra CEO Nandita Sinha to Step Down: Report
Flipkart‑owned fashion e‑commerce platform Myntra announced that CEO Nandita Sinha will step down in the coming weeks, ending her tenure that began in 2022. Her departure comes as the company posted an 18‑fold profit jump to roughly $66 million and 18%...
Flipkart-Backed NeuroPixel.AI Shuts Down
NeuroPixel.AI, a Bangalore AI startup backed by Flipkart Ventures, shut down after six years due to intense competition from Google’s NanoBanana Pro and the loss of a major client that left it unpaid for six months. Despite offering fashion‑cataloguing, synthetic...
Sharpton Cites BNPL Racial Disparities
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton urged state attorneys general to broaden their buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) investigation, arguing the products disproportionately harm Black and Brown consumers. The inquiry, launched by seven states, already targets major players such as Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, PayPal,...
Quick Commerce Bets on Baby Care as Start-Ups Target Always-On Parenting Needs
India’s quick‑commerce sector is expanding into baby care, with start‑ups like OZi and Peeko promising 60‑minute, 24‑hour delivery of diapers, formula, toys and apparel. OZi has raised $6.2 million and now offers over 15,000 products from 400 brands, focusing on the...
Marketplace Briefing: Amazon Picks up Speed in Rural America with $4 Billion Delivery Push
Amazon is accelerating its delivery network in rural America, boosting same‑day or next‑day service to 16% of remote customers—a rise from 8% in mid‑2024. The company’s $4 billion logistics push helped it ship more than 13 billion items on same‑day or next‑day...
FDH Electronics Launches New Mil-Aero Ecommerce Website
FDH Aero has launched FDHElectronics.com, a dedicated e‑commerce site for its FDH Electronics division serving the mil‑aero market. The platform aggregates the company’s interconnect, wire, cable and electromechanical product lines into a single, searchable catalog. Designed with direct customer input,...
The Marketplace Pulse Seller Index Results (2026)
Marketplace Pulse surveyed 181 sellers generating over $2 billion annually, uncovering four performance cohorts: thriving, grinding, consolidating, and distressed. Only 23% are thriving, growing both revenue and margins, while 31% are grinding with revenue gains but flat or declining margins, and...
Amazon to Apply 3.5% Fuel and Logistics Surcharge on Fulfillment
Amazon announced a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) services, effective April 17 for U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil and expanding on May 2 to Buy with Prime and Multi‑Channel Fulfillment. The charge translates to roughly...
TikTok Shop Gains Traction in Germany
TikTok Shop has become a mainstream channel in Germany one year after its launch, with 15 percent of online shoppers making at least one purchase. The platform now ranks as the 15th‑largest online retailer in the country, driven by rising purchase...
ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report Sees Secondhand Hitting $393B by 2030
ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report projects the global secondhand apparel market to hit $393 billion by 2030, expanding at a 9 % CAGR and outpacing new‑apparel growth. In the United States, resale is expected to reach $78.8 billion, growing four times faster than overall...
Shein Customers Prioritise Price, Fit and Comfort, Survey Finds
Shein’s 2025 Global Circularity Study surveyed 15,461 shoppers aged 18‑44 across 21 markets, revealing that price, size availability and personal style dominate purchase decisions, with 71.6% always considering cost. Most respondents buy fewer than 30 items annually, yet they wear...
5 Ways to Sell on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop has transformed from a pure social platform into a full‑fledged commerce ecosystem, demanding coordinated paid, affiliate, and live strategies for scalable growth. The article outlines five core tactics—direct storefronts, creator‑driven affiliate marketing, shoppable videos, TikTok Lives, and branded...
Toshiba Leader Talks Mobile Device Innovations, Retail Customer Experience Tech
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions unveiled its TCx M7 handheld alongside the existing TCx M11 tablet, expanding a mobile‑first portfolio aimed at turning any store associate into a portable checkout and service point. The company also promoted its AI‑driven Elera Security Suite, now...
HSS ProService Marketplace Launches Integrated Hire & Buy Service
Europe’s largest building services marketplace, HSS ProService, has introduced an integrated Hire & Buy service that lets contractors both rent equipment and purchase materials through a single platform. The marketplace now hosts roughly 50,000 products from 550 sellers, offering everything...
Gap Adopts AI Technologies for ‘Simpler’ Online Shopping Experience
Gap is deploying two AI solutions to streamline its online shopping experience. The retailer will use Bold Metrics’ Agent Sizing Protocol to deliver personalized fit recommendations and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol to enable conversational, one‑click purchases. Gap says the AI...
From Product Drops to TikTok Trends: How Beauty Brands Scale with Lemonpath
Lemonpath has teamed with SnapFulfil, a cloud‑based warehouse management system, to give beauty brands the speed and flexibility needed for viral product drops and seasonal spikes. The platform delivers dynamic order routing, multi‑warehouse logic, paperless picking and real‑time inventory visibility,...
Huddled Group to Rebrand as Peeko in Cost-Cutting Platform Overhaul
Huddled Group plc will rebrand as Peeko, merging its Discount Dragon, Nutricircle and Boop Beauty sites into a single e‑commerce platform. The consolidation is projected to save more than £500,000 (approximately $630,000) annually while simplifying operations and enhancing the customer...
Myntra’s International Brands Portfolio Records 50% Growth in March Quarter; 45% Sales Come From Non-Metro Regions
Myntra’s International Brands portfolio surged 50% year‑on‑year in the March quarter, fueled by the addition of 40 new global fashion and beauty labels. Women’s apparel accounts for roughly 60% of this segment, while the kids category grew over 65% YoY....
Returns Are Rising Due to Failures in Product Info - Report
Akeneo reports that incorrect, incomplete, and inconsistent product data is a major driver of product returns, eroding margins and customer trust. The National Retail Federation estimates US retail return rates near 17%, costing roughly $900 billion annually. The study shows 62%...
Flabelus Fuels UK Expansion with Bleckmann as Exclusive Fulfilment Partner
Spanish premium fashion label Flabelus is accelerating its UK rollout by appointing Bleckmann as its exclusive fulfilment partner. All omnichannel orders will be processed from Bleckmann’s Burton‑on‑Trent distribution centre, a strategic spot within the UK’s logistics golden triangle. Integrated e‑commerce...
Online Resale Is Booming. Why Are So Many Users Unhappy?
Online resale platforms such as ThredUp, eBay, StockX and Rebag are pivoting from broad inventories to AI‑driven, curated selections to address rising user dissatisfaction. While secondhand sales volumes continue to climb, the influx of low‑cost fast‑fashion items means resale alone...
Fashion Briefing: As AI Shopping Agents Proliferate, Both Retailers and Consumers Have Concerns
AI-powered shopping agents are rapidly entering fashion e‑commerce, but both retailers and shoppers voice strong concerns. Retailers worry about security breaches, fraud, and the erosion of advertising revenue as agents sidestep traditional ad placements. Consumers are uneasy about data privacy,...
Why AI-Powered Wellness Chatbots Will Be ‘Table Stakes’ for Supplement Brands, with Thorne CSO Dr. Nathan Price
Thorne, a leading supplement brand, launched Taia, a generative AI wellness chatbot, on its website. In its first six months, Taia processed over 200,000 messages, delivered more than 350,000 product and lifestyle recommendations, and generated an 8% higher average order...
FedEx Goes After DoorDash, Amazon, UPS with Same-Day Delivery
FedEx launched FedEx SameDay Local in partnership with last‑mile platform OneRail, offering two‑hour or end‑of‑day delivery for retailers. The service taps OneRail’s network of 12 million drivers across more than 1,000 carriers, positioning FedEx against Amazon, DoorDash, Walmart and UPS. FedEx...
Unified Commerce Powers Future Retail Success
Unified commerce, as outlined in Manhattan Associates’ new whitepaper, replaces fragmented omnichannel setups with a single real‑time platform that synchronizes data, operations, and customer experiences. The model promises seamless shopping across online, in‑store, app, and emerging AI channels while eliminating...
First Compute, Now Conversation: Why Companies Are Racing Toward Voice AI
Voice AI is transitioning from a novelty to a core commerce interface, driven by rising user adoption and linguistic diversity. Companies like Meesho and Swiggy are deploying conversational assistants that handle end‑to‑end shopping and food‑ordering experiences, leveraging edge computing and...
How OLLY Is Staying Visible in AI-Driven Search
OLLY, the wellness supplement brand, is leveraging AI‑driven search technologies to keep its products front‑and‑center in an increasingly algorithmic retail landscape. By deploying generative‑AI keyword clustering, structured‑data markup, and voice‑search optimization, the company has lifted organic traffic and captured higher‑intent...
How Search Visibility Influences Consumer Buying Decisions in Retail
Retailers increasingly rely on search engine visibility to capture shoppers at the moment they begin their buying journey. Appearing on the first page of organic results builds credibility and influences both online purchases and in‑store foot traffic, especially through mobile...
HRG Launches New Video Series
HRG announced “The Details Decide,” a new video series that explains its product eligibility, classification, and pricing strategies for health, beauty and wellness (HBW) items. The series showcases the Fine Line Classification System, updates to the Master Product Library, and...
How Can Ecommerce Platforms Encourage Customers to Come Back Daily?
E‑commerce operators are turning to entertainment‑industry playbooks to turn casual browsers into daily visitors. By streamlining checkout and adding cliff‑hanger product teasers, sites can mimic the low‑friction, binge‑worthy experiences of iGaming and streaming services. Personalisation—addressing shoppers by name and curating...
Walmart to Close Massachusetts Fulfillment Center
Walmart announced the closure of its Worcester, Massachusetts fulfillment center, affecting 90 employees with layoffs slated to start on May 29. Affected associates can transfer to other Walmart sites nationwide and may receive a $7,500 relocation bonus along with training....
How the Uber Eats Fees Stack Up Against 3PD Competitors
Uber Eats announced on March 11 a revision to its Marketplace fee structure, raising the Lite tier commission from 15% to 20% and increasing the pickup fee to 7% for all tiers. The Plus tier remains at 25% but jumps...
True Shopping Shuts Amid Expanding Digital Reboot
True Shopping, the home‑shopping arm of joint venture True GS, announced it will shut down on April 1 after more than 14 years in operation. The closure reflects intensifying competition from fast‑growing e‑commerce and social‑commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok. True GS...
Bing Is Testing a Much Larger Sponsored Product Carousel in Shopping Results
Bing is trialing a double‑row carousel for sponsored products within its shopping results, dramatically expanding the ad footprint compared with the current single‑row format. The test, first spotted by marketer Sachin Patel, pairs the larger carousel with organic product cards...
AI and Other Things Retailers Cared About at Shoptalk
Shoptalk 2026 centered on "Retail in the Age of AI," revealing that retailers are moving beyond curiosity to demand proven AI solutions that can be scaled from pilot to production. Attendees highlighted four AI use cases—enhanced insights, workflow automation, content creation,...
RS2 Launches Consumer Payment Card in Shift Toward Integrated Issuing
RS2, a long‑time payments‑infrastructure provider, launched its first consumer product—the Visa IceTigers Deferred Debit Card—accompanied by a mobile app. The debut marks the firm’s shift toward integrated issuing, combining card creation, processing, and customer engagement on a single platform. By...
Food Industry Moves Toward Transparency with Smarter Barcodes
SmartLabel, the QR‑code based product‑labeling platform, now covers over 106,000 SKUs from more than 1,000 brands, delivering 22 million consumer interactions a year with an average 90‑second page view. The initiative follows GS1’s Sunrise 2027 project, which aims to add 2‑D barcodes...
When Speed Meets Style: How Myntra’s M-Now Is Accelerating the Growth of Aldeno and Zouk
Myntra’s M-Now service, launched in late 2024, offers 30‑minute delivery of premium fashion, beauty and lifestyle items across 15 Indian cities, expanding from Bengaluru to metros and tier‑2 hubs. The hyper‑local model has helped brands like Aldeno and Zouk scale...
ChannelEngine Announces New Partnership with Monta
ChannelEngine announced an expanded partnership with Monta, adding a fully integrated fulfillment layer to its marketplace integration platform. The collaboration lets brands connect to over 1,300 marketplaces while accessing local storage, picking, packing, and shipping across the Netherlands, Germany, France,...
Inside Why Ultra Partnered with Viagogo and StubHub
Ultra Europe has named Viagogo and StubHub as official "open distribution" partners, allowing fans to buy face‑value tickets directly on these platforms. The partnership aims to curb inflated resale prices after Viagogo’s history of legal penalties, including a AU$7 million (≈$4.6 million)...