🌀Big Tech under EU scrutiny. 6 ways your online experience will change

1 🔒 Enhanced control over content:

• Users can turn off AI-recommended videos on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram

• In such a case, search results will be based solely on typed words or users followed, not previous activity and/or interests. (TikTok in “For You” feed will serve up popular videos from their area and around the world)

2 ⚖️ Easier reporting of harmful content:

• Reporting harmful or illegal content is streamlined (Meta, with TikTok offering additional reporting options)

• Moderation teams and automated systems review flagged content for removal (ByteDance)

3 🔍 Easier to notice content moderation:

• Platforms like TikTok and Google share more details on content moderation decisions

• Meta to notify users when their content is made less visible to other users

• Explanations provided for why certain content was taken down, with avenues for appeal

4 🛡️ More efforts against counterfeit goods:

• Digital Services Act targets counterfeit products

• Amazon offers a channel to report illegal products, enhancing transparency around third-party merchants, Zalando is setting up flagging systems

5 👶 Strict rules on ads for children:

• Stricter rules on digital ads targeting children to address privacy and manipulation concerns.

• Platforms like TikTok and Snapchat restrict personalized ads for users under 18.

6 🌐 More choice in each ecosystem

• Google to develop a choice screen for smartphone browsers.

• Apple to permit app installations from outside its App Store.

Digital Commerce 360 

🛒 Mass merchant marketplaces

• 🌎 Amazon is testing a new way to show ratings on product search pages. It shows the star rating (4.3, 4.8, etc.) and then a number reflecting what percentage of reviews gave a certain rating, versus showing the actual quantity of reviews. Deep dive → GeekWire

• 🇦🇺 eBay Australia bans single-use plastics on the platform with immediate effect. Deep dive → eSeller365

• 🇺🇸 Amazon restarted Amazon Shipping in US, India, UK, France, Italy and Spain. The service allows sellers to ship Amazon orders or products sold on other sites services without storing their shipping products in its warehouses. Businesses must sell on Amazon (AMZN) to be eligible for the service. Deep dive → Yahoo

• 🇺🇸 Walmart expands drone delivery to 60K more US households in Texas. Walmart is partnering with to expand drone delivery to 60,000 additional homes in Texas. The service in partnership with Alphabet Inc.'s Wing will be offered from two stores in the Dallas metro area. Deep dive → FoxNews | Walmart

• 🇬🇧 Tiktok plans to ban links to outside e-commerce sites like Amazon. The Information report says the move would be a way for the company to force people to use TikTok Shop if they want to purchase an item that they see on the app. Deep dive → TikTok

👗 Fashion marketplaces

• 🌎 Shein to sell Forever 21 clothing and accessories on the site, and utilize its physical footprint in US for shops-in-shops and in-store returns. Shein will acquire a third of Sparc Group (Forever 21’s operator), while Sparc will also take a minority stake in Shein. Deep dive → TechCrunch

• 🇪🇺 Zalando to not descend into a price war with ultra-fast fashion players. Even though Zalando felt the impact of the recent macroeconomic circumstances amplified by Asian fast fashion mega players entering the European, it is not planning to jump on the “wrong” path, according to Desing Director at Zalando. Deep dive → Yahoo

• 🇪🇺 Laced to expand into Europe. The UK-based luxury sneaker marketplace started to roll out dedicated language websites for various countries in the region. Deep dive → FashionUnited

• 🇬🇧 Asos now sold nearly 20% stake to Frasers. The mandatory takeover offer threshold for listed businesses is 30%, but it is not known whether this is Frasers' end game. The group often takes what it calls "strategic stakes" in fashion businesses. Frasers currently holds shares in Mulberry, Hugo Boss and Boohoo (Asos competitor)

• 🇷🇺 Lamoda will open 300 offline stores in place of closed Adidas outlets in Russia. The range of products will include clothing and footwear for sports from international, domestic, and Asian brands. Deep dive → INC Russia

🍔 Food marketplaces

• 🌎 Getir to cut 2,500 jobs (11% of Getir workers). Getir will continue to operate in Turkey, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, Last month Getir announced exits from Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Deep dive → Reuters

• 🇺🇸 Instacart files for IPO revealing profit in the first half of the year. PepsiCo Inc. will buy $175 million in preferred convertible stock. Deep dive → Yahoo | Quartz

• 🇺🇸 DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub went down causing takeout panic across the US. Service on the companies’ websites appeared to be restored after a brief outage, but some customers may have been charged for orders that did not go through. Deep dive → Independent

• 🇬🇧 Deliveroo to allow customers to order groceries on top of takeaway orders. Following a successful trial in London, the new app addition will be rolled out nationwide by the end of the year. It will also be available at the delivery platform’s retail partners such as Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons. Deep dive → Grocery Gazette

• 🇿🇦 Uber Eats allows orders from two eateries in one delivery. Uber Eats South Africa introduced the “add-on” feature as pilot in June and now extended availability nationwide. The new service is available in several markets across the globe without an extra delivery fee. Deep dive → ItWeb

📦Various marketplaces

• 🇺🇸 Airbnb to face new challenges in New York which is cracking down on short-term rentals. It will enforce since 5th Sep the Short-Term Rental Registration Law, where Hosts can only offer short-term rentals if they remain with their guests in the apartment or unit. They are also prohibited from having more than two paying guests at a time, among other rules. Deep dive → US today

• DE Mobile.de (1# automotive marketplace in Ger) is increasing prices. On October 4, the three existing packages (Compact, Comfort and Premium) will be replaced by four new ones and, in at least one case, a fourfold price increase. Deep dive → AimGroup

• 🌎 Fresha (leading booking platform for beauty & wellness) accelerates global growth. The company expands into new markets (incl. Europe, the Americas, and Africa) with the launch of a platform in nine languages. Deep dive → NewsWire

• 🇧🇷 Howdy.com acquires GeekHunter (Brazilian talent marketplace). The acquisition comes at a time when both companies have experienced an increased demand for AI and machine learning skills and it marks Howdy.com as one of the largest tech-hiring service providers for companies in North and South America. Deep dive → NewsWire

• 🇸🇬 Sgcarmart launches new 'e-Shop' for Car Tyres. Singapore's #1 car platform for buying & selling cars launched a feature for automotive suppliers and distributors to list, price, and sell their inventory of car tyres to consumers online. Deep dive → Yahoo

🌟Funding/new marketplaces

• 🇬🇧 11XAI (AI digital worker platform) raises $2M. The London-based company builds automated digital workers that can be used in lieu of human employees and that can be “employed” without using code in as little as 15 minutes over their marketplace. Deep dive → Techcrunch

• 🇺🇸 Toothio (Dental staffing platform) raises $4M in seed funding. Toothio aims to alleviate the staffing challenges faced by dentists by providing on-demand access to hygienists and assistants. The staffing platform enables dental practices to quickly increase office production and better support their patients. Deep dive → FinSmes