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TODAY’S MAZE
Happy Thursday! The week’s maze runs on momentum… from China’s export rebound to America’s Christmas crunch. AI is shopping for you, robots are driving for you, and logistics giants are racing to deliver before tariffs, traffic, and tinsel collide.
Maze Focus🌀
🚢 China’s Export Comeback
🎄 Holiday Shortage Alert
Market Briefing📖
🇮🇳 Zepto raises $450M at $7B valuation
🇬🇧 Waymo targets London robotaxis in 2026
🇺🇸 Waymo returns to delivery with DoorDash
🇬🇧 Royal Mail to double parcel points
🇫🇷 La Poste and Temu sign MoU
🇺🇸 Veho boosts peak capacity in 15 markets
+ 10 other handpicked news from the last week you need to know 🔥
LET’S ENTER THE MAZE!
- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder
🌀 MAZE STORY
🚢 China’s Export Comeback
The Briefing: China’s trade engine just fired again. September’s exports and imports both grew faster than expected, hinting at a rebound few saw coming.
The details:
On Oct 13, 2025, China’s customs office said exports jumped 8.3% and imports 7.4%, crushing forecasts of 6% and 1.5%.
The trade surplus shrank to $90.5 billion, down from August’s $102 billion, as overseas demand for electronics and EVs surged.
EV exports doubled to about 222,000 units, while shipments to the U.S. fell 27%, showing how Chinese firms are pivoting to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Why it matters: This marks the strongest trade growth in half a year and signals that China’s factories are finding new buyers as Western demand softens. It’s a short-term win for Beijing—but with tariffs, U.S. tensions, and a weak property market still looming, the comeback may not last long.
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🌀 MAZE STORY
🎄 Holiday Shortage Alert
The Briefing: America’s Christmas aisles could look a little emptier this year. Tariffs and tighter orders are shrinking supplies of trees, lights, and décor long before the holidays start.
The details:
On Oct 8, 2025, National Tree Company CEO Chris Butler warned of “short supply,” with imports of Christmas décor down 58% in August and 70% in September versus last year.
About 87% of U.S. decorations come from China, where new tariffs and shipping delays have added $6–7 million in costs for major importers.
The U.S. imported $3.4 billion in trees and ornaments last year, but retailers have already cut orders and raised prices by around 10%.
Why it matters: Shoppers may find fewer choices and higher prices, especially for mid-priced pre-lit trees and LED lights. Tariffs, not demand, are driving the crunch… making this holiday season more about timing than tinsel.
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📰 Delivery & Logistics Briefing
🍔 Delivery & eGrocery
🇺🇸 ChatGPT to power grocery ordering. On Oct 10, 2025, ChatGPT added Instacart, DoorDash, Uber and Target so shoppers can plan meals, fill carts and check out inside the assistant, pulling high-intent traffic from retailer apps.
🇮🇳 Zepto raises $450M at $7B valuation. On Oct 16, 2025, Zepto secured $450M at a $7B value from global funds, touts ~$900M net cash and plans denser dark stores, private labels and profitability as it battles Blinkit and Instamart in a market set to triple by 2028.
🇬🇧 Waymo targets London robotaxis in 2026. Waymo begins supervised London tests now and aims for a fully driverless service in 2026 under the UK’s new self-driving regime, adding Europe to operations in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta.
🇺🇸 Waymo returns to delivery with DoorDash. Announced Oct 16, 2025, the pair will pilot AV deliveries across 315 square miles in metro Phoenix for food and grocery, testing cost, handoff UX and acceptance rates against human courier benchmarks.
🇬🇧 Deliveroo links in-app with restaurant loyalty. UK diners can earn Comptoir Libanais rewards from Deliveroo orders, boosting repeat rates and AOV while restaurants gain first-party data via account linking.
🇨🇳 JD.com lists ghost kitchens on rivals. JD’s 7Fresh Kitchen now sells on Meituan, Taobao Flash Buy and Ele.me, targeting 10,000 ghost restaurants and trading margin for traffic in China’s instant-retail kitchen race.
🇸🇪 Wolt delivers Rx in 30–60 minutes. Wolt and DOZ Apotek launch prescription delivery across 48 pharmacies with BankID checks and doorstep ID, bringing compliant last-mile meds to Sweden’s major cities.
🚚 Ecommerce Logistics
🇺🇸 DHL: US duty shift takes a year. DHL says ending de minimis on small parcels will hit consumers over the next 12 months, lifting prices on China-linked e-commerce while B2B is largely unchanged.
🇺🇸 Shippo adds TikTok Shop shipping. From Oct 2025, sellers can auto-import TikTok Shop orders, print discounted labels across 30+ carriers, sync tracking, and meet two-day dispatch rules—cutting peak-season costs and clicks for SMBs.
🇬🇧 Royal Mail to double parcel points. Royal Mail targets 45,000 out-of-home points by 2030 via shops, lockers, and postboxes, aiming five-minute walk coverage in cities with Collect+ and Post Office sites as the backbone.
🇫🇷 La Poste and Temu sign MoU. Colissimo and Temu will pair home delivery with pickup points, lockers, and post offices, add cross-border flows and warehousing, and push EV fleets and eco-packaging to support scale in France.
🇺🇸 Veho boosts peak capacity in 15 markets. Veho adds major hub space, expands handling by over 50 percent, and readies Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Indianapolis sites to cover roughly 128 million consumers.
🇺🇸 NYC expands public parcel lockers. LockerNYC grows to 70 locations to cut theft and truck trips, with multi-carrier access and >15,000 reservations since launch.
🇧🇪 Amazon invests €1B+ in Belgium. Through 2027, Amazon will expand logistics and delivery to speed up shipping and widen selection, building on its Antwerp footprint and local SME programs.
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THAT’S IT FOR TODAY
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MarketMaze team
