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 and supporting an 11:59 pm cut‑off for next‑day delivery. Positioned next to Evri’s existing hub, the centre will handle hourly parcel injections, provide same‑day dispatch seven days a week, and support Amazon Prime and global scaling. The project creates more than 150 jobs and reinforces Barnsley’s new ‘Tech Town’ designation.
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...
La Redoute Names Marie Mercier Briand Head of AI and Innovation
French e‑tailer La Redoute appointed Marie Mercier Briand as head of AI and innovation on March 16, 2026. The new role is designed to accelerate the retailer’s digital transformation and expand its agentic commerce capabilities. La Redoute, owned by Galeries Lafayette, generates about 90%...
Cannondale Parts Ways with UK Distributor
Cannondale has terminated its UK distribution agreement with Saddleback, opting for a direct‑to‑dealer model under Pon.Bike UK. Starting 16 April, retailers will access Cannondale products through Pon.Bike’s B2B platform, with the Pon.Bike sales team handling backorders and future inventory. The partnership,...
Ninja Explores Riyadh Listing as Saudi Market Holds Steady Despite Tensions
Saudi quick‑commerce startup Ninja, founded in 2022, is weighing a Riyadh IPO after posting roughly $1 billion in 2025 revenue and targeting $1.6 billion in 2026. The company secured $250 million of funding in 2025, lifting its valuation to $1.5 billion and joining Saudi...
Why Frictionless Checkout Is Quietly Undermining Customer Loyalty
Retailers are racing to eliminate checkout friction, but the push for speed may be eroding customer loyalty. Data shows that 82% of Britons join loyalty programs, and the initial account‑creation step creates a commitment moment that drives repeat visits. Studies...
Google Is Tightening Political Content Rules for Shopping Ads Starting April 16
Google will tighten political content rules for Shopping ads starting April 16, requiring merchants in nine countries to verify as election advertisers and banning certain political ads in India. The policy expands Google’s election‑integrity efforts from search and display into commerce...
Circa Resort & Casino Teams with VenHub on Autonomous Smart Store
Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas has partnered with VenHub to install a 66‑by‑10‑by‑10‑foot autonomous smart store. The robot‑powered kiosk will let guests browse and buy food, snacks, alcohol and smokeless‑tobacco around the clock, eliminating checkout lines and...
Cart-Side Incentives in Social Checkout: What Actually Moves Shoppers
Social checkout conversions in 2026 are increasingly driven by cart‑side incentives that reduce friction rather than push harder discounts. Data from Shopify and CRO platforms show that free‑shipping thresholds remain the strongest lever, while 10‑20% off discounts are most effective...
Apparel And Footwear Brands Must Own Their Destinies To Survive
Forrester’s 2025 Digital Go‑To‑Market Review of apparel and footwear brands finds that companies owning sales, storytelling, and consumer relationships will outpace rivals in a fragmented retail environment. The shift from wholesale to direct‑to‑consumer and marketplace models gives brands unprecedented control...
How Foreign Brands Test the U.S. Market
Before spending big money, test the demand in two ways. The post How Foreign Brands Test the U.S. Market appeared first on Practical Ecommerce.
Spanish Sportswear Brand Kelme Enters India with Noida Flagship, Targets 70 Stores in 3 Years
Kelme, the Spanish sportswear label, launched its first Indian flagship store in Noida, backed by local partner RSN Sports. The brand unveiled a national e‑commerce platform and announced a plan to open 70 exclusive outlets across India within three years....
Gap Launches AI-Powered Fit and Conversational Checkout on Google Gemini
Gap Inc. has launched two AI-driven features—a personalized fit recommendation tool and a conversational checkout—through a partnership with Google Gemini, making it the first major fashion retailer to embed the AI platform directly into its shopping experience. The new system...
Google’s Commerce Media Suite: Where Retailer Insights Meet the Power of YouTube
Google unveiled its Commerce Media Suite, integrating retailer‑derived audiences into Google Marketing Platform tools such as Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360, and Google Ads. The suite now lets brands activate Kroger shopper segments on YouTube and third‑party inventory, with SKU‑level...
Build with ReFiBuy Opens Commerce Intelligence Engine to Developers
ReFiBuy announced early‑access to Build with ReFiBuy, a developer platform that exposes its Commerce Intelligence Engine via REST API, MCP server and CLI. The service lets brands, retailers, partners and AI‑agent builders enrich, distribute and monitor product catalogs for AI‑driven...
Appcharge Reaches $1 Billion in Annualized DTC Transaction Volume | Exclusive
Appcharge announced that its customers’ direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) transaction volume has reached $1 billion as of March 23, 2026, up from $500 million in July 2025. The Tel‑Aviv‑based firm raised a $58 million Series B round in August 2025 to expand its web‑store and revenue‑pipeline tools for game developers....
What OpenAI’s 4% Checkout Fee Means for the Future of Commerce
OpenAI has added a 4 % checkout fee for Shopify merchants selling through ChatGPT, aiming to offset its roughly $400 million monthly cash burn. The fee undercuts Amazon’s 8‑15 % referral rates, positioning OpenAI as the first platform to monetize the emerging agentic...
Worldpay Becomes European Payments Initiative (EPI) Principal Member
Worldpay announced its admission as a principal member of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), the continent‑wide effort to build a unified, low‑cost payment scheme. The move gives Worldpay direct influence over EPI's governance and access to its expanding network of...
Polymaker Expands Consumer Webshop to Six European Markets
Polymaker has extended its direct‑to‑consumer webshop to six additional European markets—the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Czechia and Spain—offering faster shipping and localized support. The rollout also introduces a dedicated EU wholesale portal for VAT‑registered businesses, streamlining bulk orders across...