Case in point: Walmart told Business Insider exclusively that its shoppers will be able to place store-fulfilled express delivery orders as late as 5 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve - a full hour later than last year. "More people are using Express Delivery to get their items faster, and December is when it truly shines," Walmart's chief e-commerce officer David Guggina said in a statement.
This is all part of TikTok's major push to convert the platform into an eCommerce superpower, re-creating the same path to success that the app saw in China, with the local version of the app. On Douyin, the China-only version of TikTok, live shopping, in particular, has been a big winner, with the platform generating $US490 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2024. Douyin has expanded its in-stream sales to all elements of shopping, including groceries, meal delivery, and more.
While you're making preparations for Small Business Saturday at the end of November, make sure your website is optimized and ready to capture online shoppers. Don't just rely on foot traffic at your physical store - websites are a great way to capture online traffic and sales, too. American Express reported that 53% of consumers shopped online at small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2023.
In October, the Trump administration secured new trade deals with Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand that included a call for a permanent end to tariffs and taxes on digital goods and online services. The agreements reaffirm the United States' long-standing position that digital commerce - software, streaming, cloud storage, and similar services - should flow freely across borders, untaxed and unrestricted.
"You'll notice that we don't sell the No. 1, 2 slots in search - like some of our competitors do," he said at Recode's CodeCommerce conference that year, positioning Walmart.com as the anti-Amazon in its approach to search results. Six years later, that line has all but faded. Sponsored listings now routinely appear at the top of Walmart's search results, pushing organic products further down the page. It's a shift that mirrors the evolution of Amazon's marketplace, where paid placements have become a core part of the shopping experience.
Instant Checkout in action. Source: ChatGPT. OpenAI is redefining online shopping with an agent-based checkout feature, allowing users to purchase products directly from Etsy and Shopify merchants within AI chats. Imagine searching for a housewarming gift for a friend or maybe a running t-shirt for yourself. ChatGPT suggests relevant Etsy or Shopify products; you pick the style, click the "Buy" button, and a green tick confirms your order. Voilà! No browsing. No cart. Just instant shopping.
What if your next online shopping experience didn't require endless scrolling, multiple tabs, or even visiting a website? Imagine asking a chatbot for the perfect pair of running shoes, receiving tailored recommendations, and completing your purchase, all within the same conversation. This isn't a glimpse into a far-off future; it's the reality Shopify is creating with its new integration of ChatGPT-powered agentic commerce. By blending conversational AI with e-commerce, Shopify is not just refining how we shop, it's fundamentally redefining it.
Artificial intelligence has changed my business entirely. The majority of my business is ecommerce-based, and AI has allowed me to automate many of the most time-consuming tasks. This shift hasn't just saved me time; it's made daily operations more efficient and enabled smarter, data-driven decisions that have elevated both productivity and customer satisfaction. In the early days, I spent nearly every waking hour creating products and listing them online.
Google seems to be testing renaming the Shopping tab in Google Search from Shopping to "AI Shopping." Maybe the results in the new AI Shopping tab are more AI-driven? This test was spotted by Sachin Patel who posted some screenshots and a video on X - here are some of his screenshots: Here is a GIF of it in action:
In just under two decades, subscription services have changed the way people shop, play and work. Businesses are also taking advantage of subscription services. As we head for the middle of 2025, though, the subscription economy is showing signs of yet another shift as it expands beyond digital services. What may the future hold? Related: The Subscription Economy Is Growing Fast. Here's How Your Business Can Adapt and Thrive. The rise of the subscription economy
With one tap from an ad, shoppers can immediately view retailer options, allowing them to choose their preferred retailer and add the item to their cart for purchase. This gives shoppers the choice and convenience they expect, while brands gain higher-quality engagement from people ready to act. Advertisers gain transparent signals such as Purchase Intent Clicks, and Purchase Intent Value to understand the impact of every dollar without needing to track on retailer‑owned sites. And it's effective.
Winery owners face more pressure than ever to sustain growth while keeping operational costs lean. Seasonal sales cycles, shifting alcohol consumption habits, and increasingly fragmented media channels have made it harder for small to midsize wine brands to reach new customers - especially online. Source: eMarketer At the same time, US wine buyers are more price-sensitive and brand-loyal than ever. According to 2024 data from eMarketer, nearly half of US adults say price is a "very important" factor when purchasing wine, while just 20% say the same about brand or ratings.
Wix merchants link their site directly to a Pinterest account from the Wix dashboard. Once connected, the store's product catalog is automatically synced, meaning all changes (including new items or updated prices) appear on Pinterest, as well. Merchants can then run targeted Pinterest ads to the platform's users. When they click on the ads, they are taken back to the merchant's Wix site for checkout.
President Trump eliminated the de minimis exemption effective August 29, 2025. Most U.S.-bound shipments valued at $800 or less will incur applicable duties, taxes, fees, and other charges, although the change affected packages from China and Hong Kong as of May. And the U.S. Postal Service, in collaboration with other domestic postal providers, has a six-month transition period. Nonetheless, the change represents a dramatic shift for ecommerce.
User-friendly design in eCommerce is crucial as it builds credibility and invites users to relax, leading to trust and loyalty.
'The Everything Store' by Brad Stone is a book I revisit every year. It shows exactly what relentless focus looks like, and it keeps me sharp. Every time I read it, I walk away with fresh ideas on staying agile, protecting my brand, and thinking several steps ahead.
Transparency and clarity are fundamental to establishing trust in product management. Users want assurance that what they purchase will meet their needs and work as expected.
