AI Shoppers Level Up 💸

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🧠 Big Story:
AI Shoppers Level Up 💸

📊 Key Data:
Amazon’s Grip on Europe

📖 Ecommerce ecosystem news:
🇺🇸 Google Limits Search to Push Gemini AI.
🇬🇧 Shein, Temu Boost UK, France Ads as US Tariffs Hit.
🇺🇸 Visa’s AI Platform Lets Agents Shop Safely.
🇺🇸 Webflow Cloud Hosts Full-Stack Apps.
🇺🇸 ShipBob Plus Targets Big Brands with Fast Shipping.
🇺🇸 Reveel, ProShip Unveil Smart Shipping Tool.

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

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Everyone’s obsessed with AI building decks, coding apps, or replacing your intern. But here’s the real story: AI just hijacked retail. In AI Shoppers Level Up 💸, we break down how bots are doing your browsing, boosting engagement, and finally—pulling out the credit card thanks to Adobe Analytics study.

AI isn’t just smart — it’s everywhere. Between July '24 and Feb '25, U.S. site visits from generative AI exploded: +1,700% for travel, +1,200% for both retail and banking. The holiday season lit the fuse — AI-driven retail clicks jumped +1,950% YoY on Cyber Monday alone. Nearly 40% of Americans already shop with AI, and over half plan to join them this year. Buckle up.

AI-powered visits don’t just show up — they stick around. Compared to old-school traffic, AI users browse 12% more pages, bounce 23% less, and clock 8% higher engagement. Conversational interfaces aren’t just cute—they’re converting passive scrollers into power shoppers, especially for high-consideration purchases. 92% of users say AI makes the shopping experience better. No wonder brands are sweating.

In just 7 months, AI-driven conversions surged 4x, shrinking the gap vs. traditional traffic from 43% to 9%. Back in July ’24, AI was your research intern—now it’s your cashier. Consumers are finally hitting “buy” after chatbot chats, signaling a major shift in digital behavior. The AI sales funnel isn’t just top-heavy anymore—it’s closing the loop.

Amazon didn’t just win in Europe.
It crushed the competition.

Amazon is the #1 e-commerce platform in all 5 major European markets:
🇬🇧 UK
🇩🇪 Germany
🇫🇷 France
🇪🇸 Spain
🇮🇹 Italy

But here’s what really stands out:

→ In every country, it drives 2x the sales of the #2 player
→ In France and Italy, it gets more orders than the next 4 competitors combined

Let that sink in.

This isn’t just market share.
It’s market dominance.

Amazon has built a distribution moat across Europe.

If you’re building in digital commerce—
This is the trend you can’t ignore.

What would it take to dethrone Amazon in Europe?

AI Is Eating Online Shopping.

Andreessen Horowitz maps out the explosion of AI startups reshaping e-commerce—from try-ons to price-based discovery. It’s a must-read to understand where the future of shopping is heading. 👉 a16z

Global Retail M&A Outlook: Deals Reshape the Sector.

KPMG’s 2025 report breaks down where and why M&A is happening in consumer goods, with a deep dive into regional trends and sub-sector shifts. Deal flow stays strong in food, retail & CPG despite macro headwinds. 👉 KPMG

Tariffs Could Backfire—Helping Chinese Sellers Win.

Marketplace Pulse highlights how U.S. tariffs might hurt American brands more than Chinese manufacturers. A great visual breakdown shows how factory pricing and margins create unexpected advantages. 👉 Marketplace Pulse

🇺🇸 Google Limits Search to Push Gemini AI. Google offers free Deep Research with Gemini, but non-subscribers get limited uses. Dave Citron says it’s “trained to break down prompts” for better results. 👉 Google Blog

🇬🇧 Shein, Temu Boost UK, France Ads as US Tariffs Hit. Shein ups ad spend by 35%, Temu by 40% in France due to US trade rules. Shein’s UK app downloads rose 25%, Temu’s doubled. 👉 Reuters

🇺🇸 Firefox Risks Collapse Without Google Funds. Mozilla’s Firefox may fold if DOJ stops Google’s $510M payment, says CFO Eric Muhlheim. It’s 85% of their revenue, and Bing pays less. 👉 The Verge

🇪🇺 TikTok Fined €530M for EU Data Breach. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, pays $600M for sending EU user data to China. Ireland’s DPC orders a stop to data transfers within 6 months. 👉 Reuters

🇺🇸 Meta Adds Video Ads on Threads, Expands Options. Meta launches video ads on Threads with 320M users and new ad formats on Facebook, Instagram. Announced at IAB NewFronts, ads span 30 markets. 👉 Social Media Today

🇺🇸 Google’s AI Max Boosts Ad Conversions. Google Ads’ AI Max increases conversions by 14%, up to 27% for some, says Brian Burdick. L’Oréal reports 2x conversions, 31% lower costs. 👉 Search Engine Land

🇺🇸 Visa’s AI Platform Lets Agents Shop Safely. Visa’s new platform uses AI to shop securely, blocking $40B in fraud last year. Jack Forestell says AI will soon browse and buy for us. 👉 VentureBeat

🇺🇸 Webflow Cloud Hosts Full-Stack Apps. Webflow’s Cloud lets developers host apps and websites in one place. It supports Next.js and uses Cloudflare for speed. 👉 PR Newswire

🇺🇸 Affirm’s AdaptAI Boosts Merchant Sales. Affirm’s AI platform offers personalized deals, increasing conversions by 10%. Vishal Kapoor says it matches benefits to shoppers instantly. 👉 BusinessWire

🇺🇸 Mastercard’s Agent Pay Streamlines Payments. Mastercard’s AI-driven Agent Pay makes shopping seamless with partners like Microsoft. Jorn Lambert says it anticipates consumer needs. 👉 Mastercard

🇺🇸 Albertsons Launches Business E-Store. Albertsons’ new platform sells groceries and supplies for businesses. It offers flexible delivery and payment options. 👉 Grocery Dive

🇩🇪 PayPal’s Contactless Wallet Hits Germany. PayPal’s mobile wallet allows contactless payments and Pay Later options. It offers 3-24 month installments with cashback rewards. 👉 The Paypers

🇺🇸 Stripe Helps Devs Skip Apple’s Fees. Stripe’s solution lets iOS developers avoid Apple’s 15-30% fees, charging 2.9% + $0.30. Michael Luo shared the news on X. 👉 The Paypers

🇺🇸 ShipBob Plus Targets Big Brands with Fast Shipping. ShipBob launched ShipBob Plus for mid-market and enterprise merchants, offering customized fulfillment to cut costs and expand globally. CEO Dhruv Saxena says it’s built for brands shipping millions of orders. 👉 PR Newswire

🇺🇸 Reveel, ProShip Unveil Smart Shipping Tool. Reveel and ProShip’s new solution combines automation and analytics to lower parcel shipping costs for e-commerce and healthcare. Marc Aliotta and Taylor Pawelka say it helps businesses stay competitive. 👉 PR Newswire

🇨🇭 Swiss Post Ends Notime Same-Day Delivery. Swiss Post will stop its Notime service by September 2025 due to low demand and high costs. Johannes Cramer notes it’s too niche to be profitable, pushing focus to other delivery options. 👉 Parcel and Postal Technology

🇺🇸 DHL Buys IDS to Boost E-commerce Warehousing. DHL acquired IDS Fulfillment, adding 1.3M sq ft of U.S. warehouse space for small businesses. CEOs Patrick Kelleher and Mark DeFabis see it driving e-commerce growth. 👉 DHL Group

🌏 FedEx’s New Tools Simplify Asia-Pacific Imports. FedEx rolled out digital import tools to streamline customs and boost shipment visibility in Asia-Pacific and beyond. The tools cut manual work for businesses navigating global trade. 👉 FedEx Newsroom

🇺🇸 Flexport CEO Warns Tariffs May Crush Small Firms. Flexport’s Ryan Petersen says 145% tariffs on Chinese goods could bankrupt 80% of small U.S. businesses. He predicts job losses and higher prices for non-essential products. 👉 Yahoo Finance

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