https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1o5xjva
Monday, October 13, 2025
E-commerce Industry News Recap 🔥 Week of Oct 13th, 2025
Hi r/ecommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Every week for the past 4 years I've posted a summary recap of the week's top stories on this subreddit, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in to this week's top e-commerce news...
STAT OF THE WEEK: OpenAI's new Sora app was downloaded over one million times in less than five days, even faster than ChatGPT hit the milestone despite only being available in North America and by invitation only. The app is now #1 in Photo & Video on the Apple App store, but unfortunately it's only got a 2.8 star rating out of 3,500 reviews, with many users complaining about its guardrails being too restrictive.
On Thursday, China issued new export restrictions on rare earth elements and minerals, adding five new elements and extra scrutiny for semiconductor users and dozens of pieces of refining technology to its control list. On Friday, Trump said he will impose an additional 100% tariff on imports from China, as well as impose export controls on “any and all critical software” starting Nov 1st, in retaliation of China's new export restrictions. Following the news on Friday, the S&P 500 dropped 2.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average 1.8% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.6%. It also sparked a massive $18.28B cryptocurrency sell-off late Friday, which is the largest liquidation event in crypto history. On Sunday, China defended its new rare earth export controls, which began on Oct 9th, explaining that the measures are “designed to better safeguard world peace and regional stability" and called Trump's plan to impose another 100% tariff a "classic case of double standards." Beijing later said that it doesn't want a tariff war, but it's ready for one.
Etsy is overhauling its Insider buyer membership program, replacing its ambitious free shipping benefits with a 5% Etsy credit on purchases starting November 4th. The credits, which cap at $2,000 earned, do not expire as long as you continue paying the annual membership fee. Etsy will cover up to $6 in shipping costs on the least expensive U.S. domestic shipping option for orders over $15, with the buyer paying the difference. (Previously, Etsy covered up to $20 worth of shipping for all Insider orders.) Etsy's Chief Growth Officer said that the first version of Etsy Insiders "didn't provide scalable economics." Who could've predicted that?
PayPal launched Ads Manager, a new way for small businesses to earn revenue from their websites through display advertising. They are marketing it very strangely, claiming PayPal Ads Manager allows small businesses "to become their own retail media networks and generate new revenue streams" -- but in actuality PayPal is the one launching a retail media network .Small businesses are simply being given a new opportunity to display ads on their website from PayPal — instead of Amazon, Google, Taboola, Mediavine, etc. Despite the odd positinoing, I think it's reat that they're doing this because I support competition in the retail media ad space, and with PayPal's extensive transaction graph, its retail media network has the ability to spend advertiser dollars effectively with highly targeted advertisements, assuming they can get enough businesses on board as publishers to create a network effect.
Last week at OpenAI's annual developer conference, DevDay, the company unveiled new products, partnerships, and platform upgrades aimed at transforming ChatGPT from a single product into a full operating system for AI applications. Highlights include the release of GPT-5 Pro and the introduction of ChatGPT Apps, which let developers build interactive experiences directly inside ChatGPT conversations, such as booking travel, managing spreadsheets, or shopping online. A new ChatGPT App Store will allow developers to distribute and monetize their creations. The launch follows its previous attempts to let developers build interactive applications through its GPT Store, however, this new launch puts apps directly in ChatGPT’s responses and lets users call up third-party tools in their everyday conversations. For example, users can now say “Zillow, find me 5 bed 4 bath houses in Waynesville NC for under $1M” to call up the Zillow app.
Last week, three major BNPL providers entered the race to make their installment payments a native part of the agentic shopping experience. Affirm and Klarna announced that they are both supporting Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open-source, payment-agnostic framework designed to enable agent-led payments across platforms. The collaboration allows AI-powered agents to offer pay-over-time options within automated transactions. Splitit introduced its Agentic Commerce Partner Program, an invite-only pilot aimed at embedding installment payments directly into AI shopping agents. BNPL is officially everywhere! First on websites, then in-store, and now part of your AI chatbot conversations.
Amazon is launching prescription vending machines at select One Medical clinics in Los Angeles, operated by Amazon Pharmacy and stocked with commonly prescribed medications like antibiotics, inhalers, and blood pressure treatments. Effectively one more nail in the coffin for Walgreens and CVS. To use the kiosks, the patient's provider must first send a prescription to Amazon Pharmacy, which is reviewed by a human pharmacist. Patients then purchase the medication in the Amazon app and are given a QR code to scan at the kiosk to retrieve their medication. My Prediction: Amazon blows this model up and you start seeing Amazon Pharmacy kiosks at doctors offices and hospitals around the U.S. Then they start charging pharmaceutical companies to place their name brand drugs in their kiosks. And of course, let's not forget about the kiosk screen, which is ripe for display advertising while patients sit in the waiting room.
Amazon unveiled a new software platform called Quick Suite, which aims to simplify the creation of AI agents and enterprise chatbots that are capable of retrieving information, visualizing data, generating reports, and automating mundane tasks. Quick Suite lets users ask questions in natural language, analyze data, and take automated actions — accessing data from 50 enterprise platforms including Office 365, Slack, and Salesforce — all from a single interface.
Not to be outdone… Google introduced Gemini Enterprise, a new AI platform under Google Cloud that also lets companies build, deploy, and manage their own AI agents for workplace use. The platform allows agents to access and analyze data from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and other internal systems through a secure chatbot interface. Launch customers include Figma, Klarna, Macquarie Bank, Gordon Food Service, and Virgin Voyages, which has deployed over 50 specialized agents. Gemini Enterprise targets large organizations, starting at $30/month/person, while Gemini Business is geared towards smaller businesses at a cost of $21/person/month.
Last but not least in the world of AI agents this week… Adobe introduced a new lineup of AI agents built specifically for B2B marketing, expanding its agentic offerings within the Adobe Experience Platform. The tools, which include Audience Agent, Journey Agent, and Data Insights Agent, analyze customer data to identify key decision-makers, automate cross-channel marketing campaigns, and generate actionable insights from buyer interactions. Adobe plans to add more specialized agents soon, such as an Account Qualification Agent to assess sales prospects and a Brand Concierge chatbot to engage first-time business customers.
YouTube is introducing a pilot “second chance” program, giving previously banned creators the opportunity to create a new channel. “How about my old channel with all my followers back?” Nope, not happening. New channels only and you're starting from scratch on follower count. “Can you at least notify my old subscribers that I launched a new channel?” Absolutely not, but let us direct your attention to our advertising platform where you can boost your videos to reach your desired audience that you already previously built. Over the next several weeks, eligible creators will begin to see an option to request a new channel when they log into YouTube Studio with their previously terminated channel. Why would they still be logging into their terminated channels? Anyway… YouTube's announcement conveniently left off that the move was made under political pressure after Republican Representative Jim Jordan issued multiple subpoenas to the company over its censorship practices.
The Trade Desk partnered with Koddi to let advertisers buy onsite retail media placements, including sponsored product ads, directly through its programmatic platform. Until now, The Trade Desk has only given advertisers access to offsite ads (ie: placements on websites, apps, or streaming platforms outside of a retailer's own website), but the new integration enables advertisers to buy onsite retail media (ie: ads that appear directly on a retailer's own site or app, like “Sponsored Products” or “Featured Items.”) Gopuff is the first retail partner, giving brands the ability to run full-funnel campaigns that connect awareness and conversion within a single workflow.
PayPal is introducing the ability for U.S. customers to earn 5% cash back on their PayPal BNPL purchases between now and the end of the year. The promotion will automatically apply to all eligible in-store and online BNPL transactions. The company is also expanding its Pay Monthly installment option for in-store use, allowing approved customers to pay over time using a virtual card. I wonder if other major BNPL firms will follow suit with cashback programs? Affirm experimented with an “Affirm Rewards” program back in 2023 / early 2024 where shoppers could earn points for using their BNPL at participating merchants, which they could then redeem for discounts or cashback on future purchases, but they discontinued the program in February 2024.
Block is offering merchants a 1% processing rate on Cash App payments, hoping to incentivize them to encourage their customers to pay with the app and sidestep Visa and Mastercard networks, which typically charge around 3%. The company is also launching “Neighborhoods,” a rewards platform that lets local businesses offer loyalty programs managed through Cash App and boost engagement among its 57M users. Block will subsidize part of the rewards, which shoppers can view and redeem on Square terminals and through the app, encouraging them to pay with Cash App balances instead of credit cards. The initiative aims to help small businesses compete with large chains while driving more transaction volume and engagement across Block’s Cash App network.
In other Block news… Square launched several new features for merchants including including AI-powered voice ordering for restaurants, enhanced Square AI assistants with local insights, and an integrated Bitcoin payment solution. Restaurants and cafes can now use AI to handle phone orders and menu questions, while new tools like Grubhub integration, AI inventory management, and a redesigned kiosk interface streamline operations. Square’s updated AI assistant can generate and save dashboard widgets, recall conversation history, and display local data like weather and events. The company also introduced a Square Bitcoin wallet, allowing merchants to accept, hold, buy, and sell Bitcoin directly from their POS systems, currently with no processing fees for the first year before a 1% fee takes effect in 2027.
Instacart launched a ChatGPT plugin that lets users turn recipe ideas and meal questions into shoppable grocery lists, with ingredients deliverable in as fast as an hour. The integration combines ChatGPT’s conversational abilities with Instacart’s product catalog of over 1.5M items across 1,100 retailers, allowing users to create instant orders from natural-language prompts like “What can I make for dinner?” or “How to make spicy ass tacos!” The plugin is initially rolling out to ChatGPT Plus users, with plans to expand to all users in the coming weeks.
In other Instacart news… The company announced a new integration with TikTok that enables consumer packaged goods advertisers to use TikTok Ads Manager to tap into Instacart's first-party retail media data, which they can then use for campaign targeting and performance measurement. Instacart’s retail media network integration with TikTok will give advertisers access to audience insights for targeting high-intent shoppers, grocery data to power shoppable TikTok ads that link directly to Instacart product pages, and conversion metrics to measure and optimize campaign performance. The integration makes Instacart the first retail media partner to enable targeting and closed-loop measurement directly within TikTok Ads Manager.
commercetools introduced Cora, an AI shopping assistant that maintains continuity across web, mobile, and messaging channels so shoppers can pick up where they left off without losing cart data or chat history. Early features include AI-powered product discovery, cross-device continuity, and brand-controlled design, with future updates to include autonomous shopping and checkout, building on commercetools’ partnerships with Stripe and OpenAI under the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Cora is one of several AI innovations commercetools will highlight in its soon-to-be-launched Innovation Studio, where businesses can “explore new ways to reimagine commerce.”
Perplexity has paused accepting new advertisers in order to reevaluate how ads fit into its AI search experience and Comet browser, according to the company's head of publisher partnerships, Jessica Chan. The move follows the August departure of Taz Patel, who led ad sales at the company. Perplexity first launched its ad offering last year when it began testing campaigns with Indeed, PMG, Universal McCann, and Whole Foods, which enabled brands to sponsor follow-up questions in search results. Advertising only generated $20,000 of Perplexity's $34M total revenue last year, according to Adweek.
Amazon Echo Show owners are reporting an increasing amount of advertisements on their smart displays. The devices previously showed ads through its Shopping Lists feature and Alexa skills, as well as played audio ads when users listened to Amazon Music. However now users are reporting that ads are even showing when viewing personal photos, and they can’t be disabled. One user even said that ads were appearing for them during commercial breaks, meaning they were effectively served double ads. Amazon confirmed ads are part of the experience, claiming they help with content and product discovery, but declined to say whether ad frequency has increased.
Neil Young is pulling his music off Amazon's streaming service and urging fans to stop supporting the company. The legendary folk singer wrote on his website earlier this week, “Forget Amazon and Whole Foods,” claiming that Amazon is one of the “big corporations who have sold out America.” He continued, “We all have to give up something to save America from the Corporate Control Age it is entering.” Fight the power Neil!
Last week I reported that OpenAI released its Sora 2 model, capable of generating lifelike clips of real people speaking in multiple languages, which The Verge's Hayden Field described as “essentially an app full of deepfakes, on purpose.” Well, it didn't take long for OpenAI to backpedal on that “anything goes” policy and add more guardrails to the app. However many users feel they turned the dial too far because now they can't even get the app to create videos using non-copyrighted characters like Winnie the Pooh or Steamboat Willie. I don't even have access to it yet so I can't comment. Where's my invite OpenAI??
Buffer analyzed 11.4M TikToks from over 150,000 accounts and found that creators who post two to five times per week see about 17% more views per post compared to weekly posters, while those posting six to ten times gain 29%, and 11+ times about 34%. Median views per video hold steady at around 500, but top-performing posts rise from roughly 3,700 views at one post per week to over 14,000 when posting 11 or more. The study shows that posting more often boosts your chances of going viral, but the sweet spot for growth is keeping a steady rhythm of two to five posts a week.
Meta's VP of Metaverse, Vishal Shah is telling employees responsible for building its metaverse products that they should be using AI to “go 5X faster,” according to an internal message obtained by 404 Media. The message wrote, “Think 5X, not 5%,” meaning that they should be using AI to work five times more efficiently than they are currently working, not just using it to go 5% more efficiently. Has Shah used AI to code before? I'd guess not very extensively if he actually thinks it can 5X — or even 2x — your output. Yes it speeds things up, but also yes the output code still requires human review. The message added that the standard doesn't just apply to engineers, but also “PMs, designers, and partners rolling up their sleeves and building prototypes, fixing bugs, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.”
TikTok updated its AI-powered ad suite with new Smart+ campaign creation tools, enhanced Symphony creative features, and a GMV Max dashboard for TikTok Shop sellers. The Smart+ system now lets advertisers choose between full, partial, or manual automation while customizing targeting, budgets, and creatives. Previously, TikTok’s Smart+ relied on full automation by default, meaning advertisers had limited control over targeting, budgeting, and creative decisions, but now these changes introduce flexible automation levels so that advertisers can customize campaign settings module-by-module instead of being locked into TikTok's full automated system. (Way to listen to your advertisers, TikTok!) The updates aim to simplify campaign management, improve ad performance through generative AI, and expand attribution tracking via Google Analytics integrations.
Speaking of ad updates… Meta is updating its Marketing API to give its Advantage+ targeting system more control over ad placement and performance optimization. A new feature will allow up to 5% of ad spend to be allocated to excluded placements if Meta’s AI predicts strong results, while legacy Advantage Shopping and App Campaign APIs will be deprecated in early 2026. The changes aim to unify all campaigns under Meta’s Advantage+ framework, enabling greater automation and AI-driven ad performance testing.
Affirm introduced a holiday promotion in the U.S. called 0% Days, which will run from Oct 22 to 24 and give users access to thousands of 0% APR offers from major brands across fashion, fitness, home, and travel, with repayment terms of up to 24 months. The 0% APR offer comes with no late fees, hidden charges, or interest, making the total repayment equal to the original purchase price. Affirm has previously stated that they “generally earn larger merchant fees on 0% APR financing products,” but I wasn't able to find out if those fees increase even more for merchants who participate in the 0% Days event.
Facebook announced that it's retiring its Gaming Creator Program in 2026. The program originally launched in 2018 to give gaming creators early access to new features, more direct access to Facebook's support teams, and assistance in monetizing their channels, but now Meta is scaling back the initiative and pushing gamers into its general creator monetization program. Offering support? What was Facebook thinking at the time? Throw them to the AI chatbot for support like everyone else!
Amazon implemented a Final Sale policy for collectible trading cards and Funko Pop figures sold through FBA, effective October 1, 2025. The policy marks these products as non-returnable and non-refundable, except in cases of damage, and automatically applies based on product category. The change arrives ahead of Amazon’s extended holiday return window and has been met with a positive response from collectible sellers, who typically face high costs and more difficulty dealing with return fraud due to the limited nature of the products they sell.
The FCC wants to make it easier for Internet service providers to charge hidden fees via a new proposal that weakens Biden-era transparency rules. Now why the hell would they want to go and do something like that? Those fees must add up to be big money if ISPs are willing to pay off congressmen to bring them back! The FCC submitted a proposal to revise “unnecessary” requirements for ISPs to itemize every fee on monthly bills, citing that it may “confuse customers.” Yeah, maybe simpletons like FCC chairman Brendan Carr who gets confused if there are too many words on a page. The rest of us appreciate the transparency. The proposal falls under the “Delete, Delete, Delete” initiative Carr launched in March that aims appease President Trump’s order to remove as many government regulations as possible, including the ones designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous pricing tactics and hidden fees.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association, which represents more than 1,100 clothing and footwear brands across the U.S., is calling on the U.S. government to designate Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, AliExpress, Taobao, and Shopee as “notorious markets” for counterfeit goods. The group accuses the platforms of enabling and profiting from counterfeit sales driven by AI-generated listings, posing risks to consumers and U.S. businesses. AAFA CEO Steve Lamar said the move would pressure platforms to strengthen anti-counterfeiting measures and raise public awareness of online counterfeit trade. Mr. Lamar, I'm confident that the public is very much aware…
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Opt Me Out Act, a new law that requires all major web browsers to include a simple, visible button letting users opt out of having their personal data sold. Taking effect in January 2027, the law expands the California Consumer Privacy Act, which originally allowed consumers to opt-out of having their data sold to third parties, but major web browsers didn't make it a simple process. Whereas the new Opt Me Out Act requires that opt-out tools be easy to locate and configure. Everyone switch your VPNs to California! How messed up would it be if Google made the opt-out button say something like, “No, I don't want to enjoy browsing personalization and other helpful tools.” LOL!
X reached a settlement with former Twitter executives Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, and Sean Edgett, who sued the company for $128M in unpaid severance following Elon Musk’s 2022 takeover. The executives alleged they were contractually owed compensation that included salaries and stock options, while Musk claimed they were terminated for misconduct. The settlement terms were not disclosed, but I really want to know! X settled a separate, but similar, lawsuit in August from lower-level employees who were dismissed after Musk took over, who argued they were owed $500M in unpaid severance. The terms of that settlement were also not disclosed. Anyone want to break their NDA?
Salesforce confirmed it will not negotiate with or pay ransom demands from the hacking group Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, which claims to have stolen nearly 1B records from Salesforce customers. The group launched a data leak site targeting 39 companies including Google, FedEx, Disney, Marriott, and McDonald’s, but the site has since been taken offline, possibly by U.S. authorities. The breaches stem from two major 2025 campaigns involving malicious OAuth apps and stolen SalesLoft Drift tokens, impacting hundreds of corporate CRM environments. Salesforce says it will not pay extortion demands despite threats to leak the stolen data. Are Salesforce's clients onboard with that decision?
This week in corporate shakeups…
- Shopify promoted Jess Hertz to COO, following Kaz Nejatian's departure from the company last month to become CEO of Opendoor, and elevated Jean Niehaus to succeed fellow former Facebook lawyer Jessica Hertz as general counsel for the company. Also at Shopify, CRO Bobby Morrison is stepping down from his role.
- Verizon appointed former PayPal CEO and longtime board member Dan Schulman as its CEO, replacing Hans Gruber Vestberg who took the position in 2018.
- Meta poached Thinking Machines Lab co-founder Andrew Tulloch to join its Superintelligence Team. A spokesperson for the company said that Tulloch “has decided to pursue a different path for personal reasons.” LOL, money.
- POWR, the website and app building platform, named Kyle Bennett CEO, who most recently served as CEO at Fluorescent Design Inc. ___ In Europe this week… A new law in the EU called Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising kicked in on Friday, bringing new restrictions and transparency requirements for paid political ads. Since the law was agreed, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have all opted out of showing political ads in the EU altogether. (That's why you have to click that box now every time you create a new campaign!) Slovak EU lawmaker Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová argues that the platforms are taking the “easier route,” which she says is a “worrying signal” of tech firms refusing to seek compromises with rule makers. Google says the definition of political advertising is too broad (so ask for clarification), and Meta criticized targeted ad restrictions that ignore the “benefits to advertisers and the people they want to reach.” Man those guys really hate dealing with European regulation! ___ Remember the Canada Post strike? No, not that one. The other one. LOL, feels like Canada Post is always on strike, especially around the holidays. Well on Sep 25th, the Canadian Union of Postal workers declared a countrywide strike hours after the government announced changes to the postal service, including expanding use of community mailboxes, closing rural post offices, reducing delivery frequency, and ending door-to-door mail delivery for nearly all Canadian households within the next decade. On Saturday, the union shifted to a rotating strike system, ending more than two weeks of mail delivery blackouts. The union says that its battle continues, but the rotating strike allows workers to resume their jobs while simultaneously reminding Canadians that a full postal service is worth fighting for. ___ Super money, a fintech spun off by Flipkart last year, partnered with payments infrastructure firm Juspay to launch its new D2C checkout product, Super money Breeze, as it targets $100M in annual revenue by 2026. The partnership comes as Juspay seeks to recover from merchant losses and stalled fundraising following disputes with payment gateways earlier this year. Super money, which is now one of India’s top five UPI apps, processes over 200M monthly transactions and has issued more than 300k secured credit cards. The collaboration positions Super money to expand beyond Flipkart’s ecosystem while giving Juspay an opportunity to rebuild trust among merchants. ___ Speaking of Indian commerce… India’s National Payments Corporation partnered with OpenAI and Razorpay to pilot a new program allowing consumers to shop and pay directly through ChatGPT using UPI Reserve Pay and UPI Circle. The system lets users complete purchases within chatbots without leaving the conversation, with BigBasket and Vi as launch partners and banks including Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank powering transactions. Razorpay has also completed proofs-of-concept with Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, which are expected to go live soon. The pilot marks India’s first move toward agentic commerce, embedding UPI payments into conversational AI experiences. ___ Amazon opened a new delivery station, known as DII5, in Elkhart, Indiana, built primarily from mass timber, to serve as a test bed for more than 40 sustainability initiatives, including low-carbon concrete, air-source heat pumps, and a rainwater reclamation system. The project is part of Amazon's Climate Pledge to decarbonize operations by 2040 and aims to accelerate adoption of sustainable materials like mass timber across its global logistics network. Lessons that Amazon learns from this warehouse will inform future building projects. Now that's the kind of Amazon news I can get behind! ___ Axe body spray released a limited edition can designed in collaboration with graphic designer Emily Zugay featuring a completely white can with a lone graphic of an axe — like the kind you chop wood with. The collaboration began with a TikTok post Zugay made in July where she jokingly (or seriously? I can't tell with her) redesigned various company logos. The video went viral, received over 5M views and 500k likes, and caught Unilever's attention, which jumped at the opportunity to capitalize on the attention with its limited edition can. So now you know how many views / likes it takes to get a limited edition product made. ___ 🏆 This week's most ridiculous story… You can now buy a humanoid robot from Walmart! Well, you could. They must've either sold out or Walmart became concerned over the attention the listing was getting because it's no longer active. However last week, Walmart's U.S. website was selling the Unitree G1 humanoid robot for $21,600 with free shipping and a six-unit purchase limit. Even though it's no longer available for sale on Walmart, you can still purchase one on the company's website for around $16k. ___ Plus 14 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest including Apple being in late-stage talks to acquire top talent from Prompt AI and acquire the company's tech. ___ I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
PAUL
Editor of Shopifreaks E-Commerce Newsletter
PS: If I missed any big news this week, please share in the comments.
What's new in e-commerce? 🔥 Week of Oct 13th, 2025
Hi r/ShopifyeCommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Every week for the past 4 years I've posted a summary recap of the week's top stories on this subreddit, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in to this week's top e-commerce news...
STAT OF THE WEEK: OpenAI's new Sora app was downloaded over one million times in less than five days, even faster than ChatGPT hit the milestone despite only being available in North America and by invitation only. The app is now #1 in Photo & Video on the Apple App store, but unfortunately it's only got a 2.8 star rating out of 3,500 reviews, with many users complaining about its guardrails being too restrictive.
On Thursday, China issued new export restrictions on rare earth elements and minerals, adding five new elements and extra scrutiny for semiconductor users and dozens of pieces of refining technology to its control list. On Friday, Trump said he will impose an additional 100% tariff on imports from China, as well as impose export controls on “any and all critical software” starting Nov 1st, in retaliation of China's new export restrictions. Following the news on Friday, the S&P 500 dropped 2.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average 1.8% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.6%. It also sparked a massive $18.28B cryptocurrency sell-off late Friday, which is the largest liquidation event in crypto history. On Sunday, China defended its new rare earth export controls, which began on Oct 9th, explaining that the measures are “designed to better safeguard world peace and regional stability" and called Trump's plan to impose another 100% tariff a "classic case of double standards." Beijing later said that it doesn't want a tariff war, but it's ready for one.
Etsy is overhauling its Insider buyer membership program, replacing its ambitious free shipping benefits with a 5% Etsy credit on purchases starting November 4th. The credits, which cap at $2,000 earned, do not expire as long as you continue paying the annual membership fee. Etsy will cover up to $6 in shipping costs on the least expensive U.S. domestic shipping option for orders over $15, with the buyer paying the difference. (Previously, Etsy covered up to $20 worth of shipping for all Insider orders.) Etsy's Chief Growth Officer said that the first version of Etsy Insiders "didn't provide scalable economics." Who could've predicted that?
PayPal launched Ads Manager, a new way for small businesses to earn revenue from their websites through display advertising. They are marketing it very strangely, claiming PayPal Ads Manager allows small businesses "to become their own retail media networks and generate new revenue streams" -- but in actuality PayPal is the one launching a retail media network .Small businesses are simply being given a new opportunity to display ads on their website from PayPal — instead of Amazon, Google, Taboola, Mediavine, etc. Despite the odd positinoing, I think it's reat that they're doing this because I support competition in the retail media ad space, and with PayPal's extensive transaction graph, its retail media network has the ability to spend advertiser dollars effectively with highly targeted advertisements, assuming they can get enough businesses on board as publishers to create a network effect.
Last week at OpenAI's annual developer conference, DevDay, the company unveiled new products, partnerships, and platform upgrades aimed at transforming ChatGPT from a single product into a full operating system for AI applications. Highlights include the release of GPT-5 Pro and the introduction of ChatGPT Apps, which let developers build interactive experiences directly inside ChatGPT conversations, such as booking travel, managing spreadsheets, or shopping online. A new ChatGPT App Store will allow developers to distribute and monetize their creations. The launch follows its previous attempts to let developers build interactive applications through its GPT Store, however, this new launch puts apps directly in ChatGPT’s responses and lets users call up third-party tools in their everyday conversations. For example, users can now say “Zillow, find me 5 bed 4 bath houses in Waynesville NC for under $1M” to call up the Zillow app.
Last week, three major BNPL providers entered the race to make their installment payments a native part of the agentic shopping experience. Affirm and Klarna announced that they are both supporting Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open-source, payment-agnostic framework designed to enable agent-led payments across platforms. The collaboration allows AI-powered agents to offer pay-over-time options within automated transactions. Splitit introduced its Agentic Commerce Partner Program, an invite-only pilot aimed at embedding installment payments directly into AI shopping agents. BNPL is officially everywhere! First on websites, then in-store, and now part of your AI chatbot conversations.
Amazon is launching prescription vending machines at select One Medical clinics in Los Angeles, operated by Amazon Pharmacy and stocked with commonly prescribed medications like antibiotics, inhalers, and blood pressure treatments. Effectively one more nail in the coffin for Walgreens and CVS. To use the kiosks, the patient's provider must first send a prescription to Amazon Pharmacy, which is reviewed by a human pharmacist. Patients then purchase the medication in the Amazon app and are given a QR code to scan at the kiosk to retrieve their medication. My Prediction: Amazon blows this model up and you start seeing Amazon Pharmacy kiosks at doctors offices and hospitals around the U.S. Then they start charging pharmaceutical companies to place their name brand drugs in their kiosks. And of course, let's not forget about the kiosk screen, which is ripe for display advertising while patients sit in the waiting room.
Amazon unveiled a new software platform called Quick Suite, which aims to simplify the creation of AI agents and enterprise chatbots that are capable of retrieving information, visualizing data, generating reports, and automating mundane tasks. Quick Suite lets users ask questions in natural language, analyze data, and take automated actions — accessing data from 50 enterprise platforms including Office 365, Slack, and Salesforce — all from a single interface.
Not to be outdone… Google introduced Gemini Enterprise, a new AI platform under Google Cloud that also lets companies build, deploy, and manage their own AI agents for workplace use. The platform allows agents to access and analyze data from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and other internal systems through a secure chatbot interface. Launch customers include Figma, Klarna, Macquarie Bank, Gordon Food Service, and Virgin Voyages, which has deployed over 50 specialized agents. Gemini Enterprise targets large organizations, starting at $30/month/person, while Gemini Business is geared towards smaller businesses at a cost of $21/person/month.
Last but not least in the world of AI agents this week… Adobe introduced a new lineup of AI agents built specifically for B2B marketing, expanding its agentic offerings within the Adobe Experience Platform. The tools, which include Audience Agent, Journey Agent, and Data Insights Agent, analyze customer data to identify key decision-makers, automate cross-channel marketing campaigns, and generate actionable insights from buyer interactions. Adobe plans to add more specialized agents soon, such as an Account Qualification Agent to assess sales prospects and a Brand Concierge chatbot to engage first-time business customers.
YouTube is introducing a pilot “second chance” program, giving previously banned creators the opportunity to create a new channel. “How about my old channel with all my followers back?” Nope, not happening. New channels only and you're starting from scratch on follower count. “Can you at least notify my old subscribers that I launched a new channel?” Absolutely not, but let us direct your attention to our advertising platform where you can boost your videos to reach your desired audience that you already previously built. Over the next several weeks, eligible creators will begin to see an option to request a new channel when they log into YouTube Studio with their previously terminated channel. Why would they still be logging into their terminated channels? Anyway… YouTube's announcement conveniently left off that the move was made under political pressure after Republican Representative Jim Jordan issued multiple subpoenas to the company over its censorship practices.
The Trade Desk partnered with Koddi to let advertisers buy onsite retail media placements, including sponsored product ads, directly through its programmatic platform. Until now, The Trade Desk has only given advertisers access to offsite ads (ie: placements on websites, apps, or streaming platforms outside of a retailer's own website), but the new integration enables advertisers to buy onsite retail media (ie: ads that appear directly on a retailer's own site or app, like “Sponsored Products” or “Featured Items.”) Gopuff is the first retail partner, giving brands the ability to run full-funnel campaigns that connect awareness and conversion within a single workflow.
PayPal is introducing the ability for U.S. customers to earn 5% cash back on their PayPal BNPL purchases between now and the end of the year. The promotion will automatically apply to all eligible in-store and online BNPL transactions. The company is also expanding its Pay Monthly installment option for in-store use, allowing approved customers to pay over time using a virtual card. I wonder if other major BNPL firms will follow suit with cashback programs? Affirm experimented with an “Affirm Rewards” program back in 2023 / early 2024 where shoppers could earn points for using their BNPL at participating merchants, which they could then redeem for discounts or cashback on future purchases, but they discontinued the program in February 2024.
Block is offering merchants a 1% processing rate on Cash App payments, hoping to incentivize them to encourage their customers to pay with the app and sidestep Visa and Mastercard networks, which typically charge around 3%. The company is also launching “Neighborhoods,” a rewards platform that lets local businesses offer loyalty programs managed through Cash App and boost engagement among its 57M users. Block will subsidize part of the rewards, which shoppers can view and redeem on Square terminals and through the app, encouraging them to pay with Cash App balances instead of credit cards. The initiative aims to help small businesses compete with large chains while driving more transaction volume and engagement across Block’s Cash App network.
In other Block news… Square launched several new features for merchants including including AI-powered voice ordering for restaurants, enhanced Square AI assistants with local insights, and an integrated Bitcoin payment solution. Restaurants and cafes can now use AI to handle phone orders and menu questions, while new tools like Grubhub integration, AI inventory management, and a redesigned kiosk interface streamline operations. Square’s updated AI assistant can generate and save dashboard widgets, recall conversation history, and display local data like weather and events. The company also introduced a Square Bitcoin wallet, allowing merchants to accept, hold, buy, and sell Bitcoin directly from their POS systems, currently with no processing fees for the first year before a 1% fee takes effect in 2027.
Instacart launched a ChatGPT plugin that lets users turn recipe ideas and meal questions into shoppable grocery lists, with ingredients deliverable in as fast as an hour. The integration combines ChatGPT’s conversational abilities with Instacart’s product catalog of over 1.5M items across 1,100 retailers, allowing users to create instant orders from natural-language prompts like “What can I make for dinner?” or “How to make spicy ass tacos!” The plugin is initially rolling out to ChatGPT Plus users, with plans to expand to all users in the coming weeks.
In other Instacart news… The company announced a new integration with TikTok that enables consumer packaged goods advertisers to use TikTok Ads Manager to tap into Instacart's first-party retail media data, which they can then use for campaign targeting and performance measurement. Instacart’s retail media network integration with TikTok will give advertisers access to audience insights for targeting high-intent shoppers, grocery data to power shoppable TikTok ads that link directly to Instacart product pages, and conversion metrics to measure and optimize campaign performance. The integration makes Instacart the first retail media partner to enable targeting and closed-loop measurement directly within TikTok Ads Manager.
commercetools introduced Cora, an AI shopping assistant that maintains continuity across web, mobile, and messaging channels so shoppers can pick up where they left off without losing cart data or chat history. Early features include AI-powered product discovery, cross-device continuity, and brand-controlled design, with future updates to include autonomous shopping and checkout, building on commercetools’ partnerships with Stripe and OpenAI under the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Cora is one of several AI innovations commercetools will highlight in its soon-to-be-launched Innovation Studio, where businesses can “explore new ways to reimagine commerce.”
Perplexity has paused accepting new advertisers in order to reevaluate how ads fit into its AI search experience and Comet browser, according to the company's head of publisher partnerships, Jessica Chan. The move follows the August departure of Taz Patel, who led ad sales at the company. Perplexity first launched its ad offering last year when it began testing campaigns with Indeed, PMG, Universal McCann, and Whole Foods, which enabled brands to sponsor follow-up questions in search results. Advertising only generated $20,000 of Perplexity's $34M total revenue last year, according to Adweek.
Amazon Echo Show owners are reporting an increasing amount of advertisements on their smart displays. The devices previously showed ads through its Shopping Lists feature and Alexa skills, as well as played audio ads when users listened to Amazon Music. However now users are reporting that ads are even showing when viewing personal photos, and they can’t be disabled. One user even said that ads were appearing for them during commercial breaks, meaning they were effectively served double ads. Amazon confirmed ads are part of the experience, claiming they help with content and product discovery, but declined to say whether ad frequency has increased.
Neil Young is pulling his music off Amazon's streaming service and urging fans to stop supporting the company. The legendary folk singer wrote on his website earlier this week, “Forget Amazon and Whole Foods,” claiming that Amazon is one of the “big corporations who have sold out America.” He continued, “We all have to give up something to save America from the Corporate Control Age it is entering.” Fight the power Neil!
Last week I reported that OpenAI released its Sora 2 model, capable of generating lifelike clips of real people speaking in multiple languages, which The Verge's Hayden Field described as “essentially an app full of deepfakes, on purpose.” Well, it didn't take long for OpenAI to backpedal on that “anything goes” policy and add more guardrails to the app. However many users feel they turned the dial too far because now they can't even get the app to create videos using non-copyrighted characters like Winnie the Pooh or Steamboat Willie. I don't even have access to it yet so I can't comment. Where's my invite OpenAI??
Buffer analyzed 11.4M TikToks from over 150,000 accounts and found that creators who post two to five times per week see about 17% more views per post compared to weekly posters, while those posting six to ten times gain 29%, and 11+ times about 34%. Median views per video hold steady at around 500, but top-performing posts rise from roughly 3,700 views at one post per week to over 14,000 when posting 11 or more. The study shows that posting more often boosts your chances of going viral, but the sweet spot for growth is keeping a steady rhythm of two to five posts a week.
Meta's VP of Metaverse, Vishal Shah is telling employees responsible for building its metaverse products that they should be using AI to “go 5X faster,” according to an internal message obtained by 404 Media. The message wrote, “Think 5X, not 5%,” meaning that they should be using AI to work five times more efficiently than they are currently working, not just using it to go 5% more efficiently. Has Shah used AI to code before? I'd guess not very extensively if he actually thinks it can 5X — or even 2x — your output. Yes it speeds things up, but also yes the output code still requires human review. The message added that the standard doesn't just apply to engineers, but also “PMs, designers, and partners rolling up their sleeves and building prototypes, fixing bugs, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.”
TikTok updated its AI-powered ad suite with new Smart+ campaign creation tools, enhanced Symphony creative features, and a GMV Max dashboard for TikTok Shop sellers. The Smart+ system now lets advertisers choose between full, partial, or manual automation while customizing targeting, budgets, and creatives. Previously, TikTok’s Smart+ relied on full automation by default, meaning advertisers had limited control over targeting, budgeting, and creative decisions, but now these changes introduce flexible automation levels so that advertisers can customize campaign settings module-by-module instead of being locked into TikTok's full automated system. (Way to listen to your advertisers, TikTok!) The updates aim to simplify campaign management, improve ad performance through generative AI, and expand attribution tracking via Google Analytics integrations.
Speaking of ad updates… Meta is updating its Marketing API to give its Advantage+ targeting system more control over ad placement and performance optimization. A new feature will allow up to 5% of ad spend to be allocated to excluded placements if Meta’s AI predicts strong results, while legacy Advantage Shopping and App Campaign APIs will be deprecated in early 2026. The changes aim to unify all campaigns under Meta’s Advantage+ framework, enabling greater automation and AI-driven ad performance testing.
Affirm introduced a holiday promotion in the U.S. called 0% Days, which will run from Oct 22 to 24 and give users access to thousands of 0% APR offers from major brands across fashion, fitness, home, and travel, with repayment terms of up to 24 months. The 0% APR offer comes with no late fees, hidden charges, or interest, making the total repayment equal to the original purchase price. Affirm has previously stated that they “generally earn larger merchant fees on 0% APR financing products,” but I wasn't able to find out if those fees increase even more for merchants who participate in the 0% Days event.
Facebook announced that it's retiring its Gaming Creator Program in 2026. The program originally launched in 2018 to give gaming creators early access to new features, more direct access to Facebook's support teams, and assistance in monetizing their channels, but now Meta is scaling back the initiative and pushing gamers into its general creator monetization program. Offering support? What was Facebook thinking at the time? Throw them to the AI chatbot for support like everyone else!
Amazon implemented a Final Sale policy for collectible trading cards and Funko Pop figures sold through FBA, effective October 1, 2025. The policy marks these products as non-returnable and non-refundable, except in cases of damage, and automatically applies based on product category. The change arrives ahead of Amazon’s extended holiday return window and has been met with a positive response from collectible sellers, who typically face high costs and more difficulty dealing with return fraud due to the limited nature of the products they sell.
The FCC wants to make it easier for Internet service providers to charge hidden fees via a new proposal that weakens Biden-era transparency rules. Now why the hell would they want to go and do something like that? Those fees must add up to be big money if ISPs are willing to pay off congressmen to bring them back! The FCC submitted a proposal to revise “unnecessary” requirements for ISPs to itemize every fee on monthly bills, citing that it may “confuse customers.” Yeah, maybe simpletons like FCC chairman Brendan Carr who gets confused if there are too many words on a page. The rest of us appreciate the transparency. The proposal falls under the “Delete, Delete, Delete” initiative Carr launched in March that aims appease President Trump’s order to remove as many government regulations as possible, including the ones designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous pricing tactics and hidden fees.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association, which represents more than 1,100 clothing and footwear brands across the U.S., is calling on the U.S. government to designate Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, AliExpress, Taobao, and Shopee as “notorious markets” for counterfeit goods. The group accuses the platforms of enabling and profiting from counterfeit sales driven by AI-generated listings, posing risks to consumers and U.S. businesses. AAFA CEO Steve Lamar said the move would pressure platforms to strengthen anti-counterfeiting measures and raise public awareness of online counterfeit trade. Mr. Lamar, I'm confident that the public is very much aware…
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Opt Me Out Act, a new law that requires all major web browsers to include a simple, visible button letting users opt out of having their personal data sold. Taking effect in January 2027, the law expands the California Consumer Privacy Act, which originally allowed consumers to opt-out of having their data sold to third parties, but major web browsers didn't make it a simple process. Whereas the new Opt Me Out Act requires that opt-out tools be easy to locate and configure. Everyone switch your VPNs to California! How messed up would it be if Google made the opt-out button say something like, “No, I don't want to enjoy browsing personalization and other helpful tools.” LOL!
X reached a settlement with former Twitter executives Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal, Vijaya Gadde, and Sean Edgett, who sued the company for $128M in unpaid severance following Elon Musk’s 2022 takeover. The executives alleged they were contractually owed compensation that included salaries and stock options, while Musk claimed they were terminated for misconduct. The settlement terms were not disclosed, but I really want to know! X settled a separate, but similar, lawsuit in August from lower-level employees who were dismissed after Musk took over, who argued they were owed $500M in unpaid severance. The terms of that settlement were also not disclosed. Anyone want to break their NDA?
Salesforce confirmed it will not negotiate with or pay ransom demands from the hacking group Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, which claims to have stolen nearly 1B records from Salesforce customers. The group launched a data leak site targeting 39 companies including Google, FedEx, Disney, Marriott, and McDonald’s, but the site has since been taken offline, possibly by U.S. authorities. The breaches stem from two major 2025 campaigns involving malicious OAuth apps and stolen SalesLoft Drift tokens, impacting hundreds of corporate CRM environments. Salesforce says it will not pay extortion demands despite threats to leak the stolen data. Are Salesforce's clients onboard with that decision?
This week in corporate shakeups…
- Shopify promoted Jess Hertz to COO, following Kaz Nejatian's departure from the company last month to become CEO of Opendoor, and elevated Jean Niehaus to succeed fellow former Facebook lawyer Jessica Hertz as general counsel for the company. Also at Shopify, CRO Bobby Morrison is stepping down from his role.
- Verizon appointed former PayPal CEO and longtime board member Dan Schulman as its CEO, replacing Hans Gruber Vestberg who took the position in 2018.
- Meta poached Thinking Machines Lab co-founder Andrew Tulloch to join its Superintelligence Team. A spokesperson for the company said that Tulloch “has decided to pursue a different path for personal reasons.” LOL, money.
- POWR, the website and app building platform, named Kyle Bennett CEO, who most recently served as CEO at Fluorescent Design Inc. ___ In Europe this week… A new law in the EU called Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising kicked in on Friday, bringing new restrictions and transparency requirements for paid political ads. Since the law was agreed, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have all opted out of showing political ads in the EU altogether. (That's why you have to click that box now every time you create a new campaign!) Slovak EU lawmaker Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová argues that the platforms are taking the “easier route,” which she says is a “worrying signal” of tech firms refusing to seek compromises with rule makers. Google says the definition of political advertising is too broad (so ask for clarification), and Meta criticized targeted ad restrictions that ignore the “benefits to advertisers and the people they want to reach.” Man those guys really hate dealing with European regulation! ___ Remember the Canada Post strike? No, not that one. The other one. LOL, feels like Canada Post is always on strike, especially around the holidays. Well on Sep 25th, the Canadian Union of Postal workers declared a countrywide strike hours after the government announced changes to the postal service, including expanding use of community mailboxes, closing rural post offices, reducing delivery frequency, and ending door-to-door mail delivery for nearly all Canadian households within the next decade. On Saturday, the union shifted to a rotating strike system, ending more than two weeks of mail delivery blackouts. The union says that its battle continues, but the rotating strike allows workers to resume their jobs while simultaneously reminding Canadians that a full postal service is worth fighting for. ___ Super money, a fintech spun off by Flipkart last year, partnered with payments infrastructure firm Juspay to launch its new D2C checkout product, Super money Breeze, as it targets $100M in annual revenue by 2026. The partnership comes as Juspay seeks to recover from merchant losses and stalled fundraising following disputes with payment gateways earlier this year. Super money, which is now one of India’s top five UPI apps, processes over 200M monthly transactions and has issued more than 300k secured credit cards. The collaboration positions Super money to expand beyond Flipkart’s ecosystem while giving Juspay an opportunity to rebuild trust among merchants. ___ Speaking of Indian commerce… India’s National Payments Corporation partnered with OpenAI and Razorpay to pilot a new program allowing consumers to shop and pay directly through ChatGPT using UPI Reserve Pay and UPI Circle. The system lets users complete purchases within chatbots without leaving the conversation, with BigBasket and Vi as launch partners and banks including Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank powering transactions. Razorpay has also completed proofs-of-concept with Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, which are expected to go live soon. The pilot marks India’s first move toward agentic commerce, embedding UPI payments into conversational AI experiences. ___ Amazon opened a new delivery station, known as DII5, in Elkhart, Indiana, built primarily from mass timber, to serve as a test bed for more than 40 sustainability initiatives, including low-carbon concrete, air-source heat pumps, and a rainwater reclamation system. The project is part of Amazon's Climate Pledge to decarbonize operations by 2040 and aims to accelerate adoption of sustainable materials like mass timber across its global logistics network. Lessons that Amazon learns from this warehouse will inform future building projects. Now that's the kind of Amazon news I can get behind! ___ Axe body spray released a limited edition can designed in collaboration with graphic designer Emily Zugay featuring a completely white can with a lone graphic of an axe — like the kind you chop wood with. The collaboration began with a TikTok post Zugay made in July where she jokingly (or seriously? I can't tell with her) redesigned various company logos. The video went viral, received over 5M views and 500k likes, and caught Unilever's attention, which jumped at the opportunity to capitalize on the attention with its limited edition can. So now you know how many views / likes it takes to get a limited edition product made. ___ 🏆 This week's most ridiculous story… You can now buy a humanoid robot from Walmart! Well, you could. They must've either sold out or Walmart became concerned over the attention the listing was getting because it's no longer active. However last week, Walmart's U.S. website was selling the Unitree G1 humanoid robot for $21,600 with free shipping and a six-unit purchase limit. Even though it's no longer available for sale on Walmart, you can still purchase one on the company's website for around $16k. ___ Plus 14 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest including Apple being in late-stage talks to acquire top talent from Prompt AI and acquire the company's tech. ___
I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
For more details on each story and sources, see the full edition:
What else is new in e-commerce?
Share stories of interest in the comments below (including from your own business).
-PAUL
PS: Want the full editions delivered to your Inbox each week? Join free at www.shopifreaks.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)