In partnership with
TODAY’S MAZE
Welcome back to the Maze. August was a turning point: tariffs and trade rules are resetting global prices while parcel bans squeeze cross-border shopping. Platforms from Amazon to TikTok are tightening control, and new experiments in fashion and food hint at where ecommerce is heading.
Main Story
🌀 August Tariffs Shake Up Global Trade
🚧 Global Parcels Hit a Wall
NEWS
🇺🇸 Amazon blocks AI bots to protect $56B ad arm
🇩🇪 TikTok Shop launches fulfillment for German sellers
🇬🇧 ASOS faces FTSE 250 exit after steep losses
🇮🇳 Shein ramps up India suppliers for global exports
🇨🇭 Just Eat pilots robot dogs in Zurich streets
+ 15 other handpicked news from the last week you need to know 🔥
LET’S ENTER THE MAZE!
- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder
🌀 Maze Story
August Tariffs Shake Up Global Trade 💸
Forget parcels—August was all about new tariffs. The U.S. made new deals with some countries, put extra pressure on others, and kept China in a holding pattern. This sets a new price floor for global trade just as the holiday season heats up.
What happened?
Canada: No deal. U.S. tariff now 35% on Canadian products unless they qualify as “made in North America” under USMCA.
Mexico: Talks extended for 90 days; current rates stay for now.
European Union: Deal made. If normal tariff is below 15%, U.S. sets it at 15%. U.K. is at 10%.
China: Truce extended; U.S. keeps tariffs near 30%, China keeps U.S. goods at 10% until November 10.
Japan & South Korea: Both set at 15%.
ASEAN: Indonesia and Philippines at 19%, Vietnam at 20%.
India: Extra 25% added from August 27, pushing some tariffs to 50%.
Why it matters?
Prices: Most of the tariff costs hit consumers. A 10–15% duty usually means prices rise by a similar amount.
Inflation: The Fed says a 10% world tariff could add up to 0.8% to core U.S. inflation. A China-plus-world scenario could push that above 2%.
Sales: When prices go up 10–15%, shoppers buy 10–20% fewer items in categories like clothing, home goods, and electronics.
From our partners
Your career will thank you.
Over 4 million professionals start their day with Morning Brew—because business news doesn’t have to be boring.
Each daily email breaks down the biggest stories in business, tech, and finance with clarity, wit, and relevance—so you're not just informed, you're actually interested.
Whether you’re leading meetings or just trying to keep up, Morning Brew helps you talk the talk without digging through social media or jargon-packed articles. And odds are, it’s already sitting in your coworker’s inbox—so you’ll have plenty to chat about.
It’s 100% free and takes less than 15 seconds to sign up, so try it today and see how Morning Brew is transforming business media for the better.
🌀 Maze Story
Global Parcels Hit a Wall 🚧
On August 29, the U.S. ends its $800 duty-free “de minimis” rule — every parcel must clear full customs. That triggered a global scramble: postal services across Europe and Asia are suspending shipments, while express couriers keep running.
What happened?
Western Europe: France, Germany, Spain, and Belgium paused U.S. parcels between Aug 23–25, citing lack of customs guidance. Royal Mail will switch to prepaid-duty service after a 1–2 day cutover, while Ireland’s An Post pledged to keep shipping.
Eastern & Central Europe: Austria, Czechia, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania stopped goods shipments around Aug 22–26. Most allow documents and gifts under $100 but suspended all standard parcels indefinitely.
Nordics: Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway halted parcels from Aug 23. Operators are waiting on U.S. Customs clarifications, keeping only documents flowing.
Asia-Pacific: Australia Post suspended transit parcels from Aug 21, Korea Post stops most goods Aug 25, and Singapore Post shifted customers to Speedpost Express.
Global Couriers: DHL Express, FedEx, and UPS continue serving the U.S., collecting duties at checkout. These players now stand out as the only reliable cross-border channel.
Why it matters?
Consumers: Expect higher costs and slower delivery as cheap cross-border parcels vanish.
Competitors: Shein and Temu lose their shipping edge, giving U.S. retailers an advantage.
Sellers & Investors: Small exporters face margin pressure; express couriers and U.S. trade zones win.
From our partners
Missed the Market’s Big Moves?
The market moves fast - we make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Elite Trade Club delivers clear, no-fluff market intel straight to your inbox every morning.
From stocks to big-picture trends, we cover what actually matters.
Join 100,000+ readers who start their day with the edge.
📰 Market Briefing
🛒 Mass merchant platforms
🇺🇸 Amazon blocks more AI bots from its marketplace. In Aug 2025, Amazon updated robots.txt to block crawlers from Meta, Google, Huawei, and Mistral. The move protects its $56B ads business while it pushes own AI tools like Rufus. 👉 Modern Retail
🇩🇪 TikTok Shop debuts fulfillment for Germany. TikTok Shop introduced warehousing and shipping for German sellers. Merchants gain faster deliveries, platform labels, and exclusive carrier discounts without moving existing warehouses. 👉 Onlinehändler-News
🇨🇳 Amazon–TikTok deepen social commerce tie-up. On Aug 11, 2025, TikTok integrated Amazon’s Buy with Prime into ads. Sellers can display Prime branding and delivery times, boosting trust and conversion across TikTok. 👉 Sina Finance
🇰🇷 Coupang surges as rivals shrink in H1 2025. Coupang revenue jumped 20% to ₩23.46T with profit up 2,244% to ₩443B. SSG.com, GMarket, and 11Street all saw sales drop over 12%, widening losses. 👉 Chosun Biz
🇸🇬 Sea Ltd (parent of Pinduoduo) hits $181.78 52-week high. Market cap hit $105B after a 115% rally in 12 months. Q2 2025 revenue rose 38% to $5.3B, but EPS of $0.65 missed the $0.77 forecast. 👉 Investing.com
🇨🇳 China drafts rules to police platform pricing. On Aug 23, 2025, NDRC proposed transparency rules for internet platforms. They must disclose fee changes and standardize pricing methods; public consultation lasts one month. 👉 Reuters
👗 Fashion, Home & Beauty Ecommerce
🇬🇧 ASOS faces FTSE 250 exit, shares still under fire. Stock down ~30% YTD; c.£360m market cap. H1 revenue £1.29bn (-13%), gross margin 45% (+490 bps), pre-tax loss £241.5m; active customers ~18m (-16% YoY). 👉 UK Investor Magazine
🇺🇸 Best Buy launches Mirakl marketplace, doubles range. Site/app now offer 2x products via hundreds of new brands across décor, auto tech, office & home, toys and instruments. In-store returns accepted; sellers join via Mirakl Connect. 👉 Mirakl
🇮🇳 Shein adds India-made apparel to global pipeline. Reliance Retail has ~150 suppliers and targets ~1,000 within a year to export to the U.S. and UK. Rollout to Shein platforms expected in 6–12 months with on-demand production and local data hosting. 👉 FashionUnited
🇬🇧 Vinted, Evri test free reusable packaging in UK. 8-week pilot starts in 100 ParcelShops, scaling to nearly 300; medium mailers with two strips enable reuse by seller and buyer. Wider rollout may follow if results are strong. 👉 InternetRetailing
🇺🇸 Pinterest debuts time-limited ‘Thrift Shop’ hub. A pop-up secondhand storefront turns Fall Trends into shoppable aesthetics like “Eclectic Academia” and “Coastal Cowgirl,” linking to partners. It blends discovery with recommerce for back-to-school. 👉 RetailDetail
🇬🇧 Freemans picks Mirakl to scale dropship growth. UK retailer will expand SKUs by onboarding vetted sellers using Mirakl tools for pricing, content and integration. Goal: faster assortment growth via marketplace/dropship hybrid with controlled service levels. 👉 ChannelX
🍔 eGrocery & Food Delivery
🇨🇭 Just Eat tests ‘robot dogs’ in Zurich pilot. Just Eat works with Swiss firm RIVR to deploy wheeled-legged bots reaching 15 km/h across Oerlikon and Affoltern. The pilot is Europe’s first live use, with expansion tied to delivery time, completion, and customer scores. 👉 Euronews
🇺🇸 Uber rumored to buy Grubhub in 2020. Reports from Bloomberg and WSJ said Uber and Grubhub discussed a stock deal, with each Grubhub share valued at 2.15 Uber shares. Talks came after Uber cut 3,700 jobs and exited seven markets, while Grubhub faced COVID-19 pressure. 👉 Mashdigi
🇨🇳 Alibaba and Ant unite against Meituan. 22 units including Taobao, Tmall, Alipay, Ele.me, and Freshippo join forces under a cross-app membership and rider brand refresh. The move targets higher order frequency and retention as Meituan dominates instant commerce. 👉 SCMP
🇨🇿 Rohlik sales jump 34% to €1.11B. Orders rose 35% to 17.5M and gross profit 38% to €389M. CEO Tomáš Čupr highlights automation and tight delivery windows, with Germany’s Knuspr driving growth as Munich turns profitable and Berlin and Frankfurt scale. 👉 RetailDetail EU
🇺🇸 Uber Eats expands Avride robots in Jersey City. Coverage doubles to ~100 restaurants across Journal and McGinley Squares. Bots run at 5 mph with a 31-mile range, after tens of thousands of deliveries in Austin, Dallas, and Jersey City since late 2024. 👉 NJBIZ
🇫🇷 JD.com rebrands Ochama to Joybuy in Europe. Joybuy.fr launched in France with Germany next, while Ochama ends Aug 23. Phase-one serves DE, UK, FR, NL, BE, and LU, leaving 19 countries without access until onboarding and logistics resume. 👉 Ecommerce News EU
🚚Ecommerce Logistics
🇩🇪 SHEIN, Lufthansa test SAF to cut air emissions MoU On Aug 19, SHEIN and Lufthansa Cargo signed an MoU to pilot Sustainable Aviation Fuel and efficiency steps. They plan actions within six months with verified “Proof of Sustainability” certificates; Ethan Shen and Ashwin Bhat aim to scale where feasible. 👉 SHEIN Group
🇺🇸 UPS quiet on holiday surcharges as rivals move now As of Aug 22, UPS had not posted 2025 peak surcharges, unlike FedEx and USPS. FedEx set demand surcharges starting Sept 29; USPS set temporary holiday increases for Oct 5–Jan 18, narrowing planning time for shippers. 👉 The Loadstar
🇬🇧 Evri tests 'Milo' robot dog for doorstep delivery! Evri ran a two-week trial in Leeds with “Milo,” a four-leg robot from RIVR, to carry parcels from van to door. It uses cameras and LiDAR with safety stops; CTO Marcus Hunter said robots assist couriers, with a longer Barnsley pilot using Delivers AI. 👉 Parcel and Postal Technology International
🇵🇹 DPD Fresh grows 24-hour cold chain across Portugal. DPD Fresh, launched Oct 2023, runs 24-hour chilled delivery with 14 stations, 230 containers, 320 sensors, 12 cold rooms and reefer vans. 72% of fresh e-shoppers choose ready-to-eat; client Dona Marmita scaled from ~200 to ~900 monthly shipments. 👉 Geopost
🇪🇺 DHL Supply Chain names Rainer Haag Europe CEO role Rainer Haag becomes CEO for Europe, reporting to Hendrik Venter, who became Global CEO on Aug 16. Katrin Hölter takes Germany & Alps from Haag, as DHL Supply Chain reshapes leadership across 16 Central European markets. 👉 Post&Parcel
📣Ecommerce Marketing
🇺🇸 Meta partners with Midjourney to boost AI quality. Meta struck a licensing deal with Midjourney to use its “aesthetic” tech in future AI models and products. Announced Aug 22, 2025, the move aims to raise image and video quality across Facebook, Instagram, and ads. 👉 Mashable
🇺🇸 Walmart ads cushion margins amid tariff pressures. Walmart’s ad business grew 46% YoY; U.S. Walmart Connect rose 31%. Q2 revenue hit $177.4B (+4.8%), e-commerce jumped 25%. Ads, memberships (+15.3%), and delivery gains offset tariff-related costs. 👉 Marketing Dive
🇯🇵 Ads creep into AI assistants, risks rise. Act now. Parmy Olson warns ad-funded AI could repeat social media’s failures. With subs at $20–$200, firms test sponsored answers. OpenAI won’t rule out ads, raising concerns over pay-to-influence AI chatbots. 👉 The Japan Times
🇺🇸 Macy's media network opens buying via Amazon Ads. Macy’s Media Network joins Amazon’s Retail Ad Service this fall. Brands can buy Sponsored Products on Macys.com via Amazon Ads, with attribution handled through AWS clean rooms. Criteo remains a partner. 👉 Adweek
🇺🇸 Google ends manual language targeting for Search. By end-2025, Google Ads will auto-detect languages in Search campaigns. Display and YouTube keep current settings. The shift reduces setup but limits control, especially in multilingual markets. 👉 Search Engine Land
🇺🇸 Meta rolls out new AI ad tools for peak season Q4. Meta added creator filters, shoppable Reels, and flexible media. Early tests show +7% conversions on Reels and +23% with creative diversification. Omnichannel ads go global; Target saw +51% ROAS. 👉 Search Engine Land
🛠️Ecommerce Software
🇮🇱 Wix unveils AI email campaign assistant for SMBs. It builds campaigns from a chat brief, pulls in products and branding, drafts layout, copy, and visuals, and lets users edit in-editor. “Like a marketer and designer in the editor,” said Linas Daugirdas. 👉 Wix Press Room
🇬🇧 THG wins official TikTok Shop Partner status in UK. THG Commerce now offers social commerce services—shop setup, live selling, influencers, paid media, and analytics—giving brands managed access to TikTok. 👉 RetailTech Innovation Hub
🇺🇸 Payoneer taps Stripe to upgrade cross-border checkout. The tie-up expands Online Checkout in APAC, adds wallets and BNPL options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Affirm, and Klarna, and aims to boost acceptance and cut fraud, said CGO Adam Cohen. 👉 Finovate
🇫🇷 CollAble launches Find.ly for influencer storefronts. The tool turns social posts into shoppable storefronts with affiliate links, one-click shopping, and analytics. Shirley Viguie said it helps creators convert engagement into revenue faster. 👉 GlobeNewswire
🇺🇸 Subotiz unveils AI platform for subscription payments. It combines global orchestration, flexible plans, smart retries, 200+ methods, and built-in tax tools to raise payment success and retention across regions, said CEO Jeff Li. 👉 PR Newswire
🇺🇸 BlueSnap, Commerce launch AR + ERP buyer portal. Built for BigCommerce B2B Edition, it syncs ERP invoices and orders, supports cards and terms, and automates AR with autopay and reminders, said Lance Owide and CEO Henry Helgeson. 👉 Business Wire
That's it for today! Before you go we’d love to know what you thought of today's maze to help us improve!
What do you think of this issue?
See you next time in the maze!
MarketMaze team
