⭐ Your Ecommerce Coffee Break: Trade Tensions Surge | Amazon Pause Ads | Google PMax Gets Granular

PLUS: Walmart e-com up 21%, eBay tools creators, social commerce hits 1-in-3 shoppers

Hey, Claus here. Happy Tuesday to all the online sellers, marketers, and founders.

Global trade tensions, AI tools, and shifting shopping habits are shaking up ecommerce—here’s a no-fluff roundup of what just changed and what it means for your business.

In Today’s Edition:

  • What's Happening: The Latest Ecommerce News (Handpicked for you!)

  • 🎧 On the pod: Ecommerce Expert Explains Why Conversions Are So Hard

  • 47% of Consumers Check Customer Feedback Before Buying Recommended Items

And, as always, send us feedback at [email protected]

📰 WHAT’S HAPPENING: Today’s Headlines handpicked for you!

General Ecommerce News

  • Escalating trade frictions push shoppers to trim spending, analyst warns “the pressure must ease” [read more]

  • Product returns are becoming big business [read more]

  • Trump warns 150 nations: strike trade deals soon or accept steeper tariffs [read more]

  • Trump tells Walmart to swallow tariff costs as the chain hints at potential price hikes [read more]

  • Fossil’s direct-to-consumer segment weighs on first-quarter revenue [read more]

Platforms & Marketplaces

  • Amazon and Shopify merchants squeezed as online lenders retreat [read more]

  • Amazon introduces context-aware pause ads and clickable products on Prime Video [read more]

  • Walmart online sales surge 21% [read more]

  • TikTok Shop still struggles to stamp out knockoffs [read more]

  • Comparing Etsy and Amazon Handmade: a definitive guide for craft sellers [read more]

Social Media & Advertising

  • One-third of Gen Z now make weekly purchases via social platforms, fueling social-commerce growth [read more]

  • Study: AI tools cut marketing costs by $3,520 per employee each year [read more]

  • Agentic AI is subtly redefining every stage of the e-commerce funnel [read more]

  • Google Ads brings device-level targeting to Performance Max campaigns [read more]

  • eBay rolls out Gen-AI video creation for sellers to share across social channels [read more]

⭐ TOGETHER* WITH Portless

Portless

Being out of stock is the biggest profit killer ecommerce brands ignore - until it’s too late.

  • Lost sales (obvious)

  • Higher costs per unit (hidden)

  • Operational chaos (painful)

  • Customers shop at a competitor instead (long-term damage)

Portless fixes this.

Your inventory is available for sale the moment it’s made, shipping directly from China. No guesswork. Always in stock.

 

🎙️ ECOMMERCE COFFEE BREAK PODCAST

Podcast

Ecommerce Expert Explains Why Conversions Are So Hard

In this archive episode, Yuxin Zhu, CEO and Co-Founder of Replo, shares expert tips to turn more visitors into customers.

He breaks down the keys to conversion: user experience, fast load times, mobile design, clear navigation, strong content, A/B testing, and trust signals like reviews. Yuxin also dives into SEO and backend performance. Don’t miss this practical guide to boosting your store’s sales.

🎧 Play Episode: [Website] [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [YouTube]

How did you like this podcast episode?

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💡 47% OF CONSUMERS CHECK CUSTOMER FEEDBACK BEFORE BUYING RECOMMENDED ITEMS

Nearly half of consumers pause to scan customer feedback before tapping “add to cart” on influencer- or algorithm-suggested products.

Key Figures

  • 47 % always check ratings

  • Core audience: 18–34, mobile-first

  • Roughly 3½ minutes spent scanning reviews

Why It’s Big

Recommendation widgets without visible social proof stall. Retailers surfacing fresh, 4-star-plus reviews see conversion lifts near 12 %. A lone 1-star comment can slash clicks by 24 %.

Next Moves

Embed star snippets inside recommendation tiles, reward genuine post-purchase reviews with loyalty points, and use AI to weed out fakes. Trusted feedback paired with smart suggestions keeps carts—and revenue—rolling.

🚨 50 FREE SPOTS – JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

Quick heads up — I just opened 50 complimentary lifetime spots in our private Ecommerce Coffee Break community.

What you get:

Access to 10+ active topic channels
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Only 50 free lifetime spots. Deadline: May 23 — or when they're gone.

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👋 👋 Your opinion matters!

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Yours in ecommerce success,

Claus

Ecommerce Coffee Break

❤️ Support independent media by a solo creator delivering unbiased ecommerce advice. The Ecommerce Coffee Break Podcast + Newsletter ☕ 100% powered by caffeine and curiosity.

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