Amazon AI Block, Trump Tariffs, Shein Moves 🛒

Welcome to this week’s MarketMaze a briefing for anyone who wants to know what’s really happening in e-commerce, logistics, and digital marketing. From AI power moves to high-stakes lawsuits and shifting retail rules, the summer slowdown is nowhere in sight. Let’s get into what’s changing the game right now.

P.S. This week, we're testing a new format with 4 emails:

All delivered as soon as they drop, right on your screen at 3:00 pm CET / 8:00 am CST. Let me know what you think by just answering to this or any other email.

🇺🇸 Amazon blocks Google AI shopping bots
🇺🇸 Trump signs executive order for new tariffs
🇩🇪 JD.com offers €2.2B for Ceconomy
🇬🇧 Boohoo owes millions to UK suppliers
🇪🇺 Just Eat Takeaway profits rise as orders drop
🇺🇸 Uber Eats adds AI menu and photo features

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

LET’S ENTER THE MAZE!
- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder

🇺🇸 Amazon blocks Google AI shopping bots. Amazon updated its robots.txt to keep Google’s AI shopping agents off the site, aiming to protect its $56B ad business and user experience. The move signals Amazon’s plan to build its own AI shopping tools instead of letting outsiders in. 👉 LinkedIn

🇺🇸 Trump signs executive order for new tariffs. Trump ordered new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Taiwan, with rates from 30% to 50% for some countries. USMCA goods are mostly exempt, but the news triggered market worries and hit retail stocks. 👉 Politico

🇺🇸 Condé Nast, Hearst license content to Amazon AI. Amazon struck multi-million dollar deals with Condé Nast and Hearst to train its Rufus AI assistant. The move helps Amazon boost AI answers with trusted publisher content and gives publishers new revenue streams. 👉 Digiday

🇨🇳 Shein and Temu adapt to new US tariffs. Shein and Temu are challenging Trump’s tariffs by expanding U.S. warehouses and logistics. Both platforms relied on de minimis exemptions, now limited, and are lobbying and moving operations to avoid higher costs. 👉 Newsweek

🇸🇬 TikTok adds new safety and wellness features. TikTok launched “Well-Being Missions” with mental health prompts for teens and improved trust tools like stronger age checks and content filters. The company says these updates help keep users safe and encourage healthy habits. 👉 ChannelX

🇺🇸 Amazon posts Q2 beat, warns on tariffs. Amazon reported $167.7B in Q2 revenue (up 13%) and $18.16B profit, with AWS up 17.5%. CEO Andy Jassy said tariffs haven’t hurt yet, but warned of future risks and gave Q3 income guidance below Wall Street targets. 👉 The Guardian

🇺🇸 Amazon raises logistics starting wages. Amazon increased starting pay to $18–$20/hour at U.S. logistics centers. The pay hike is designed to improve worker retention, fill roles faster, and handle competition for warehouse talent. 👉 Yahoo Finance

🇺🇸 Amazon launches star-only seller feedback. Amazon now lets buyers rate sellers with just a star, no comments required. The change makes leaving feedback easier and boosts the number of seller ratings by 20%. 👉 ChannelX

🇺🇸 eBay stock jumps after earnings surprise. eBay’s Q2 beat drove shares up 12% after reporting growth in GMV, ad revenue, and active buyers. Management gave upbeat Q3 guidance, highlighting strong U.S. and EU demand. 👉 CNBC

🇩🇪 JD.com offers €2.2B for Ceconomy. JD.com’s €4.60 per share bid values Ceconomy at €2.2 billion, backed by key shareholders and offering a 23% premium. Ceconomy, owner of MediaMarkt and Saturn, brings in €22.4B revenue with a quarter from online sales. 👉 Retail Asia

🇬🇧 Boohoo owes millions to UK suppliers. Boohoo faces claims from UK suppliers of unpaid invoices stretching up to £2 million, with some vendors waiting over six weeks for payment. The cash crunch is forcing suppliers to pause operations and highlights Boohoo’s ongoing procurement issues. 👉 Retail Gazette

🇺🇸 Shein teams up with PepsiCo for new collection. Shein and PepsiCo have launched an exclusive back-to-school merch line, selling keychains, socks, and tote bags for $2 to $25. The collaboration targets Gen Z shoppers with playful designs and pop-culture branding. 👉 ChannelX

🇺🇸 Temu faces lawsuit for Brandy Melville fakes. Brandy Melville is suing Temu for selling knockoff goods using its trademarks and product images. The lawsuit seeks to hold Temu directly liable and demands an injunction and disclosure of profits. 👉 The Fashion Law

🇬🇧 Debenhams boosts brand with Pinterest deal. Debenhams launched a new campaign with Pinterest, using AI-powered discovery to drive traffic to home, fashion, and beauty. A recent bridal campaign with Pinterest lifted click-through rates by 75% above benchmark. 👉 ChannelX

🇰🇷 Coupang and Farfetch expand luxury in Korea. Coupang’s R.Lux app now includes Farfetch’s brands, offering 4–7 day shipping, all taxes paid, and free returns. WOW members get extra perks as Coupang bets on rising Gen Z demand for global luxury. 👉 WWD

🇺🇸 Carvana sales and profits surge in Q2. Carvana posted 42% higher sales to $4.84B and sold 143,280 cars, with EPS of $1.28, beating estimates. Shares jumped 20% as analysts raised targets, and the company upped its EBITDA forecast for the year. 👉 Yahoo Finance

AdQuick unlocks the benefits of Out Of Home (OOH) advertising in a way no one else has. Approaching the problem with eyes to performance, created for marketers with the engineering excellence you’ve come to expect for the internet.

Marketers agree OOH is one of the best ways for building brand awareness, reaching new customers, and reinforcing your brand message. It’s just been difficult to scale. But with AdQuick, you can easily plan, deploy and measure campaigns just as easily as digital ads, making them a no-brainer to add to your team’s toolbox.

Learn more now.

🇪🇺 Just Eat Takeaway profits rise as orders drop. The company cut its loss to €90M in H1 2025 but saw orders fall 7% to 308M. Revenue dipped 1% to €1.75B as growth in average order value and advertising helped offset lower volume. Prosus’ €4.1B offer is under EU review. 👉 RetailDetail

🇺🇸 Uber Eats adds AI menu and photo features. Uber Eats launched generative AI to write menu descriptions, summarize reviews, and upgrade food photos. Users in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico can earn credits for food photos. Merchants can now chat live with customers about orders. 👉 The Verge

🇲🇹 Bolt Food and Wolt set fleet standards in Malta. Bolt Food and Wolt teamed up with Malta’s Delivery Fleet Operators Association to launch a seal of standards for fleet operators. Independent audits and scorecards aim to improve legal compliance and courier conditions. Talks with unions are ongoing. 👉 MaltaToday

🇬🇧 Co-op first UK grocer on Deliveroo Express. Co-op partners with Deliveroo Express for sub-60 minute deliveries from hundreds of stores, available via its own website. The deal expands a 2018 partnership and aims to boost quick commerce across the UK. 👉 RetailTimes

🇮🇳 Swiggy’s Q1 loss widens despite revenue jump. Swiggy’s revenue rose 54% to ₹4,961 crore, but net loss nearly doubled to ₹1,197 crore, mainly from quick-commerce unit Instamart. Shares fell 4% as investors worried about ongoing losses despite strong sales. 👉 CNBC-TV18

🇺🇸 USPS launches box-free returns program. USPS rolled out "Packageless Returns," letting customers drop off returns at post offices without any packaging, using free polybags. The program covers most items, avoids new USPS fees, and aims to make returns easier for both shoppers and brands. 👉 EcommerceBytes

🇺🇸 Amazon ends all FBA prep and labeling services. Amazon will stop offering Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) prep and labeling in the U.S. starting January 2026, forcing sellers to prep and label every product themselves. Shipments created before the cutoff are still accepted, but new costs and stricter compliance will hit most FBA sellers. 👉 SupplyChainDive

🇵🇱 UOKiK charges Allegro, InPost, DPD, DHL for greenwashing. Poland’s competition office accused Allegro, DHL eCommerce, DPD, and InPost of misleading “eco” marketing, like "zero-emission" or tree-planting claims. Fines can reach 10% of turnover per firm; all companies have issued early statements on the charges. 👉 Interia

🇵🇱 DHL adds Żabka stores to Allegro’s pickup network. DHL eCommerce Polska expanded its out-of-home network, letting Allegro shoppers pick up parcels in Żabka convenience stores, nearly doubling DHL points to 22,000. This move boosts Allegro’s total pickup locations to over 45,000 across Poland. 👉 Rynek Infrastruktury

The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it. That’s what The Marketing Millennials delivers: real insights, fresh takes, and no fluff. Written by Daniel Murray, a marketer who knows what works, this newsletter cuts through the noise so you can stop guessing and start winning. Subscribe and level up your marketing game.

Sign Up Free

🇮🇹 Italy makes big influencers follow TV rules. AGCOM says influencers with over 500,000 followers or 1 million monthly views must register, show an official badge, and face up to €600,000 in fines for breaking rules. The law aims for transparency in ads and covers all platforms. 👉 Italien News

🇺🇸 Chrome gives shoppers instant AI store reviews. Google Chrome now shows U.S. users AI-written summaries for online stores, using data from Trustpilot, Bazaarvoice, and more. The feature highlights quality, price, and returns, aiming to help users shop smarter on desktop. 👉 TechCrunch

🇺🇸 TikTok bets big on search ads in 2025. TikTok listed 122 new search ad jobs, with top roles in New York paying up to $256,500. Ad agencies say up to 50% of clients are testing TikTok search ads as the company pushes to rival Google for performance marketing. 👉 Search Engine Land

🇺🇸 TikTok launches ‘Footnotes’ for fact-checking videos. Nearly 80,000 users joined TikTok’s new tool, letting people add context and corrections to videos. The “Community Notes”-style feature starts in the U.S. and aims to fight misinformation platform-wide. 👉 Engadget

🇺🇸 Meta hits $47.5B revenue as AI drives growth. Meta’s Q2 2025 revenue jumped 22%, with ad sales at $46.56B and net income rising to $18.3B. Zuckerberg is investing billions in AI, with plans for superintelligence and higher capex up to $72B. 👉 Marketing Dive

🇪🇺 Meta to halt political ads in the EU. Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) will block all paid political and social issue ads in the EU from October 2025, citing new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising rules. Meta says the new law creates legal risks, with fines up to 6% of global revenue for violations. 👉 AP News

🇺🇸 PayPal joins Wix Payments for U.S. merchants.
Wix integrates PayPal as a built-in payment method, letting U.S. sellers manage PayPal, Venmo, and Pay Later transactions in one dashboard. The move boosts cash-flow visibility and simplifies payouts. PayPal now processes cards for Wix Payments and plans global rollout. 👉 TechRadar

🇺🇸 BigCommerce rebrands as Commerce, adds Feedonomics.
BigCommerce announced a new parent brand, Commerce, to unify BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift. CEO Travis Hess says the rebrand powers AI-driven growth and agentic commerce. Stock ticker changes to CMRC, reflecting the shift. 👉 EcommerceNews

🇺🇸 Elavon and WooCommerce expand to North America.
WooCommerce and Elavon launch their payments partnership in the U.S. and Canada, after success in Europe. SMBs get access to Elavon’s trusted payment services, rated 4.3 on Trustpilot. WooCommerce now powers over 4.5 million online stores globally. 👉 WooCommerce

🇺🇸 PayPal launches ‘Pay with Crypto’ for merchants.
PayPal now lets U.S. merchants accept over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, from wallets like Coinbase and Binance. Crypto is converted instantly to USD using PYUSD, with fees at 0.99% for the first year. Merchants can earn 4% yield on PYUSD balances. 👉 Fortune

That's it for today! Before you go we’d love to know what you thought of today's maze to help us improve!

See you next time in the maze!
MarketMaze team