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🧠 Big Story: 
Trends Redefining Future of eCommerce 🛍️

📊 Key Data:
How Climate Friendly Pledge boosts sales 🌱

📖 Ecommerce players news:
🇨🇦 Amazon challenges: Quebec closes, Argentina struggles
🇺🇸 Temu global MAUs surpass Amazon's record
🇺🇸 TikTok restored after Trump promises revival
🇩🇪 TikTok Shop nears German launch next week
🇰🇷 Coupang hits $27.7B sales, Naver GMV $34.6B in 2024
🇨🇳 Taobao launches regional bidding for top sellers

+ over 15 other handpicked hot news from the last week you need to know 🔥

As promised, we dove into AliExpress. Our findings? Eye-opening. All the details are here: 🌀AliExpress: Learning, Adapting & Expanding🌟 , and yes, we’ll keep the momentum going.

Next up? That’s where you come in - vote below for the next topic to dissect. Let’s keep peeling back the layers, one ecommerce topic at a time.

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Trends Redefining Future of eCommerce 🛍️

• 🔗Share it: 💼LinkedIn   🐦Twitter

• 📚Sources: vml.com

VML’s report ("Tommorows Commerce") highlights 25 trends shaping global commerce. Creativity, AI, logistics, and sustainability are critical for meeting consumer expectations.

25 trends shaping commerce

VML’s "Tomorrow’s Commerce" report identifies 25 trends across five areas: Humanity, Technology, Channels, Logistics, and Future. These trends highlight consumer demand for creativity, faster delivery, and sustainable solutions.

Creative commerce connects

Shoppers want engaging, human-centric experiences. 60% seek futuristic stores, and 63% favor brands with strong social values. Trends like Creative Commerce and Avatar Adventures show how gamification, AR, and digital identities are reshaping consumer behavior. Brands must focus on interactive, purpose-driven strategies to create emotional connections and loyalty.

AI and social take over

Technology is reshaping retail. AI-to-AI Commerce allows bots to shop, with 41% of consumers trusting AI for purchases. Social commerce is booming, with 73% buying on platforms like TikTok. Smartphones dominate, generating 36% of online sales. To stay competitive, brands need to embrace AI tools and optimize social and mobile shopping experiences.

Speed meets sustainability

Delivery expectations are soaring. 31% want under 2-hour delivery, while Walmart’s fulfillment hubs cut delivery costs by 20%. Delivery Automation via drones and robots is set to hit 5M deliveries in 2024. However, 69% of shoppers demand eco-friendly packaging, forcing brands to innovate while staying green. Combining speed and sustainability will be critical for success.

Beyond traditional commerce

The future of commerce includes thought-driven shopping, DNA-based personalization, and even space-based waste solutions. Telepathic Transactions promise frictionless purchases, while Orbital Offload tackles environmental challenges. But innovation must align with ethical standards, ensuring trust and responsibility in groundbreaking technologies.

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How Climate Friendly Pledge boosts sales 🌱

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• 📚Sources: linkedin.com momentumcommerce.com instagram.com

The Climate Pledge Friendly program hit 1.4M products in 2023, increasing weekly sales by 8.4%. Fashion and Beauty products led with up to 25% growth.

🌱 What is Climate Pledge Friendly Badge?

Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program identifies sustainable products for buyers. Products qualify by meeting one of 55 certifications, including ENERGY STAR and Fairtrade. The program grew from 250K products in 2021 to 1.4M in 2023. Buyers can find the label on product pages and search results, simplifying eco-conscious shopping.

📈 Impact by category

Michael Westerweel (CEO at ChannelMojo) shows that certified products are driving sales growth across categories. Fashion can see a 25% boost, fueled by organic textiles and recycled materials. Beauty products like refillable cosmetics gain up to 20%. Home & Kitchen and FMCG categories experience 15% increases. However, the badge has little to no impact on Cell Phones & Accessories, highlighting a varied response.

💡 Price and revenue effects

The badge drives stronger results for specific price ranges and revenues. MomentumWorks analysis show items priced $4-$11 gained a 12% weekly sales uplift, while higher-priced products ($73+) saw minimal impact. Revenue-wise, low-revenue products (<$10K weekly) grew by 8%, while high-revenue items ($10K+) experienced a 16% surge, proving its value at scale.

🏆 Top-performing brands

Amazon Essentials leads the pack with 519 certified products. Anker follows with 287, while Fruit of the Loom and Gildan offer 205 and 200 certified items. These brands are leveraging the badge to gain consumer trust while addressing the growing demand for sustainability. It’s a win-win for the planet and their bottom lines.

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🛒 Mass Platforms

🇨🇦 Amazon challenges: Quebec closes, Argentina struggles. Amazon is shutting down seven warehouses in Quebec, cutting 1,700 jobs, while also battling tariffs, MercadoLibre, and smugglers in Argentina's market.

🇺🇸 Temu global MAUs surpass Amazon's record. Temu has overtaken Amazon in global monthly active users, with over $50B in GMV for 2024. Analysts expect GMV to hit $70-80B by 2025, shifting the e-commerce landscape.

🇨🇳 Temu targets 80% local shipping in Europe by 2025. Temu aims for 80% of European orders from local warehouses. Its strategy includes faster delivery, seller support, and expansion into retail media.

🇺🇸 TikTok restored after Trump promises revival. Donald Trump revived TikTok for 170M US users after a ban. The app, valued at $50B, may see joint ownership with US firms like Oracle or Tesla.

🇩🇪 TikTok Shop nears German launch next week. German retailers may soon access TikTok Shop. Insider rumors suggest the first launch in Germany could occur as early as next week.

🇰🇷 Coupang hits $27.7B sales, Naver GMV $34.6B in 2024. Coupang and Naver reported record-breaking sales in 2024. Coupang’s revenue reached $27.7B, while Naver’s GMV exceeded $34.6B, dominating South Korea’s e-commerce market.

🇨🇳 Taobao launches regional bidding for top sellers. Taobao introduces regional bidding for its Billion Dollar Subsidy, prioritizing top 3 merchants in each region to boost competitive pricing and sales.

🇺🇸 eBay partners with OpenAI to transform e-commerce. eBay joins OpenAI to integrate AI agents, enhancing online shopping. This innovation will expand sellers' reach and redefine how people discover unique products.

👗 Fashion & Beauty

🇨🇳 SHEIN invests in polyester and textile recycling. A new polyester recycling plant launches in June 2025, with 3,000 tons of capacity, and $5.3M is pledged to Kenya’s textile recycling efforts.

🇩🇪 Zalando offers $7.10/share for ABOUT YOU. Zalando launched a $7.10/share takeover bid for ABOUT YOU, a 107% premium on its 3-month average. Almost 80% of shares secured; deal closes summer 2025.

🇬🇧 Asos integrates vintage sellers for unified shopping. Asos moves vintage and boutique sellers to its main site, promising a better shopping experience with features like 'Buy the Look' and increased traffic.

🇵🇱 Kingfisher expands with Castorama Poland marketplace. Castorama Poland launches a marketplace adding 500K products. Kingfisher’s e-commerce strategy drives growth after success in the UK, France, and Spain.

🇬🇧 OnBuy moves HQ, reports record-breaking growth. OnBuy relocates HQ to London, opens a New York base, and reports £44M in Q4 sales, a 37% YoY jump. AI-driven tech and Google Cloud fuel global expansion.

🇩🇪 Adidas profits soar as Puma stumbles in Q4. Adidas Q4 sales surged 24% to $6.2B, while Puma grew 9.8%, missing expectations. Puma's profit fell 7.5%, as Adidas capitalized on retro styles and innovation.

🍔 Food Delivery & eGrocery

🇮🇱 Wolt launches Wolt+ and new leadership team. Wolt’s $13 monthly Wolt+ plan debuts in Israel with no delivery fees and discounts. Leadership changes focus on retail growth and global expansion strategies.

🇪🇺 Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber face algorithm scrutiny. 12 organizations call for transparency in food delivery platforms’ algorithms. Concerns center on pay, data privacy, and workers’ rights.

🇪🇸 Glovo faces €30k fine for hiring questionnaire breach. The Labor Inspectorate accuses Glovo of discrimination for requiring sexual orientation, gender, and ethnicity details in its job forms. A €30k fine is proposed.

🇵🇱 Kaufland ends FBK operations in Poland by February 28. Kaufland is closing its Fulfillment by Kaufland (FBK) service in Poland by February 28, 2025. Sellers will get free product returns, and a new logistics plan is in progress.

🇺🇸 Home Depot taps DoorDash and Uber Eats for deliveries. Home Depot expands on-demand delivery with DoorDash and Uber Eats. Customers can now receive tools, materials, and gardening supplies at home or job sites.

🇩🇪 The Platform Group enters pet supply sector. The Platform Group AG acquired Lyra Pet GmbH in January 2025. This move expands its reach into the growing pet supplies market across the DACH region.

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