TODAY’S MAZE
Happy Thursday! Google is blurring the lines between searching and buying, allowing AI to handle the checkout process on Etsy and Wayfair. A new universal protocol lets digital agents complete purchases directly within Search, effectively skipping the storefront entirely.
With integrations coming for giants like Walmart and Shopify, we are witnessing the start of operational agentic commerce. The big question is: how does a brand stand out when an algorithm is making the buying decision?
In today’s MarketMaze focus:
Google debuts agentic shopping
EU bans unsold destruction
JD.com enters European logistics
Ecommerce growth rates stabilize
Gen Alpha dominates mobile
+Handpicked recent news you need to know
LET’S ENTER THE MAZE!
- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder
MAZE STORY
The Maze: Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol now powers live checkout for Etsy and Wayfair directly within Search and Gemini, enabling AI agents to complete transactions instantly without leaving the platform.
Upcoming integrations extend this agentic commerce capability to Shopify, Target, and Walmart, establishing a unified language for agents and payment providers to operate together.
The framework ensures interoperability across verticals by supporting industry standards like Agent2Agent and Model Context Protocol to prevent fragmented connections.
Google simultaneously tests new ad formats in AI Mode that highlight retailers and offer tailored deals, ensuring brands remain visible during the agent-led consideration phase.
Why it matters: This development transitions AI shopping from a futuristic concept to operational reality, challenging brands to optimize their data and infrastructure for algorithms that now possess the power to buy.
If AI agents can autonomously select products and complete purchases through Google, which group is most at risk of losing visibility due to weak product data or infrastructure?
- 🧾 Early-Stage Brands (small US and EU brands with limited product feeds and automation)
- 🏷️ Mid-Market DTC (direct-to-consumer brands with partial data standardization)
- 🛍️ Marketplace-Only Sellers (sellers dependent on Amazon, Etsy, or Walmart without own data stack)
- 🌍 Cross-Border SMEs (EU sellers expanding to US without localized data optimization)
- 🏬 Offline-First Retailers (large chains with legacy systems and slower digital integration)
☝️ Vote to see results!
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MAZE STORY
The Maze: Starting July 19, the European Union prohibits large fashion retailers from destroying unsold textiles and footwear, forcing a major operational pivot away from the industry's reliance on incineration and landfills.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation targets the 4% to 9% of unsold goods destroyed annually, a volume creating carbon emissions comparable to Sweden’s total output.
Digital retailers face the steepest climb to compliance, as the sector currently relies on destruction to manage the nearly 20 million returned items scrapped each year in Germany alone.
New rules pressure executives to invest in better demand forecasting and circular business models, ending the era where destroying inventory serves as a cheap cost-management strategy.
Why it matters: Inventory destruction shifts from a quiet balance sheet tactic to a significant legal risk, compelling brands to fundamentally restructure their reverse logistics and profitability models before the mid-year deadline.
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The Maze: Chinese giant JD.com introduces JoyExpress across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and France to provide rapid fulfillment for its new European retail platform, Joybuy.
Joybuy operates in beta testing today but will fully launch in March to establish a permanent retail footprint in the region.
The logistics network promises same-day or next-day delivery to match consumer expectations for speed in these mature markets.
Urban centers will see added value through an integrated delivery and installation service for large household appliances.
Why it matters: Localized infrastructure allows JD.com to bypass cross-border delays, threatening incumbents by matching Amazon-level service standards immediately upon market entry.
DATA TREASURE
The Maze: Ecommerce is no longer a growth hack. After two decades and $10T in cumulative sales, the US market now grows in a narrow, predictable band.
Early ecommerce grew 20% to 40% annually, then slowed to 10% to 20%, and now sits at 5% to 10%.
Crises caused short spikes or drops, but growth always snapped back to trend within two years.
Maturity shifts advantage from expansion to execution, logistics, and retention.
Why it matters: Efficiency beats optimism. In a slow growth world, platforms win by owning distribution and attention, not by adding more stores.
DATA TREASURE
The Maze: Mobile is not just present, it dominates time. Gen Alpha spends longer daily sessions on phones than on any other device.
About 61% of US Gen Alpha kids spend 2+ hours daily on mobile, higher than consoles or computers.
Mobile wins because it is always available, personal, and optimized for endless content loops.
Other devices see shorter, task based sessions rather than sustained attention.
Why it matters: The next shopper is mobile first by default. Brands that ignore mobile native experiences risk disappearing before loyalty even forms.
BRIEFING
🏬 Everything else in Ecommerce & Big Tech
🇺🇸 Uber Eats introduced a 'Cart Assistant' that builds grocery lists from text or images, directly challenging Instacart's core utility.
🇺🇸 Amazon Pharmacy expanded same-day delivery to nearly 4,500 US cities, including new coverage in Idaho and Massachusetts.
🇦🇺 Pattern released its 2026 report showing Amazon widening its lead in Australia while eBay declines and Temu/Shein gain momentum.
🇮🇹 Gucci launched the luxury sector's first Sponsored AI Lens on Snapchat, allowing users to generate themselves into 'La Famiglia' characters.
🇺🇸 Salesforce agreed to acquire Cimulate, a company specializing in AI-powered product discovery, to bolster its Agentforce Commerce capabilities.
🇬🇧 Rezolve Ai acquired UK-based cashback company Reward for $230M to integrate 'live enterprise' banking data into its AI commerce platform.
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See you next time in the maze!
MarketMaze team
