⭐ August 28 – Your Ecommerce Coffee Break Newsletter (Issue 165)

👋 Happy Thursday! Here’s your latest ecommerce news roundup: Digital wallets now account for 16% of online purchases, while Alibaba rolls out an AI agent to automate most of its sourcing. Canada eases some tariffs on U.S. goods, but small package tariff exemptions end this week.

Grab your coffee, it’s a 1-min skim or a 3-minute to make you a smarter online seller.

In Today’s Edition:

• Today’s Headlines Handpicked For You!

• 🎧 On the Pod: How To Drive Sales With AI, Tiktok Lives, And UGC

• Free DTC Business Audit (Live Coaching)

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📰 WHAT’S HAPPENING

📈 General Ecommerce News

• Digital Wallets Hit 16% of Online Purchases [read more]

• Alibaba AI Agent to Automate 70% of Sourcing [read more]

• Canada lifts some retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods [read more]

• Consumer confidence dips on anxiety about jobs, income [read more]

• Tariff exemption for small packages ends [read more]

🛒 Platforms & Marketplaces

• Shopify Reinstates ‘Hateful Content’ Ban [read more]

• How to grow your sales with Shopify landing pages [read more]

• Walmart Links Stores to Marketplace, Rolls Out AI Tools [read more]

• Shoppers trust GenAI more than brand websites [read more]

• Amazon Deprecates Variation Themes [read more]

📱Social Media & Advertising

• Meta Teams Up With Midjourney to Boost Visuals [read more]

• TikTok AI Mandate Sparks Advertiser Backlash [read more]

• Google launched new features for retail ads [read more]

• Meta Rolls Out Changes to Its Ad Billing Settings [read more]

• Global Marketers Plan Bigger Social Media Spend [read more]
  

🎙️ ECOMMERCE COFFEE BREAK PODCAST

How To Drive Sales With AI, Tiktok Lives, And UGC

In this episode, we explore how brands can win with user-generated content, AI tools, and TikTok Live to cut costs and boost sales.

Ian Sells, founder of Join Brands, shares why most creators don’t drive results, how AI helps pick the right ones, and what makes content engaging.

He also explains how brands can launch UGC campaigns fast, protect against fake influencers, and scale with authentic creator content.

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

Please Rate & Review: Help others discover the show by rating the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

🚀 FREE DTC BUSINESS AUDIT (LIVE COACHING)

I’m testing a new podcast format and inviting motivated store owners to a free DTC Business Audit (Live Coaching).

Here’s how it works:

• In a 30-minute interview call, we’ll review your current marketing and store setup.

• Together, we’ll uncover low-hanging opportunities to boost sales and performance.

• We'll pinpoint 1-3 specific actions you can take this week to drive more revenue.

• The session will be recorded and featured as an upcoming episode of the Ecommerce Coffee Break Podcast, available on 30+ podcast apps and YouTube. (We’ll focus on strategies, not sensitive data.)

🔥 You’re getting $499 worth of live coaching for free.
🎙️ This is a one-time pilot round of the new format. Spots are limited.

To claim your spot, just reply to this email with “OPTIMIZE ME” at [email protected]

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