☕ Your Ecommerce Coffee Break (Issue 196)

👋 Happy Tuesday! Here’s your latest ecom news roundup: Amazon tests 1-hour pickup, Shopify rolls out new networks and AI storefronts, TikTok raises fees, and AI search changes how shoppers find brands.

Grab your coffee—skim in 60 sec or read in 3 minutes.

In Today’s Edition:

📰 Top Headlines: News, Marketplaces, and Platform updates
🎧 On the Pod: What Really Makes Shoppers Buy (Discount Code Study)
🗨️ Claus’s Hot Take: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for Online Sellers

Feedback? Hit me up at [email protected] — I love hearing from my readers.

📰 WHAT’S HAPPENING

📈 General Ecommerce News

• Instacart is in some trouble [read more]

• 65% of AI chats have no commercial intent [read more]

• UK shoppers rely on online marketplaces [read more]

• Amazon plans new one-hour pickup service [read more]

🛒 Platforms & Marketplaces

• Shopify launches Shopify Product Network [read more]

• Introducing Shopify Agentic Storefronts [read more]

• 15 Most Selling Products on Amazon in 2026 [read more]

• TikTok Shop raises seller fee [read more]

📱Social Media & Advertising

• How Americans Discover Small Businesses Online [read more]

• Google Performance Max pulls videos from Merchant Center [read more]

• YouTube is rolling out built-in A/B testing [read more]

• X Posts Higher Revenue Result in Q3 [read more]

⭐ TOGETHER WITH HubSpot*

Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.

Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.

Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.

Download the free guide

🎙️ ECOMMERCE COFFEE BREAK PODCAST

What Really Makes Shoppers Buy (Discount Code Study)

Are you still using 'WELCOME10'? In this podcast episode Cara Marin from Seguno breaks down data from 162,000 campaigns to show why static codes are leaking your profit.

Plus, the surprising data on why 20% off beats 15%, and why European shoppers love 'insider' discounts.

🎧 Listen on: [Website] [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Don’t forget to rate the ECB Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

🗨️ CLAUS’S HOT TAKE

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for Online Sellers

The shift is here: If AI can’t recommend your product, you don’t exist. Ranking on Google is no longer enough.

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity now decide what shoppers see — and buy. They don’t show 10 links. They pick 1–2 answers.

That’s AEO.

What changed

• SEO ranks pages.

• AEO earns recommendations.

• AI reads reviews, Reddit, FAQs, and product data.

• Sentiment beats keywords.

Why it matters

• Shoppers ask: “Best running shoes for flat feet under $150.”

• AI answers with brands — not links.

• If your data is vague or reviews are weak, you’re skipped.

How to win AEO

Own one use case. “Best cutting board for meal prep.” Not “all-in-one kitchen tool.”

• Fix your PDPs. Clear titles. Real questions. Short answers.

• Use schema. Product, Review, FAQ.

• Watch Reddit + reviews. AI treats them as facts.

• Stay fresh. Old content = no trust.

You’re not optimizing for clicks anymore. You’re optimizing for AI trust.

Do this next

• Ask ChatGPT your main product question.

• If you’re not mentioned, fix the page.

• Learn more here.

📰 PARTNER WITH US
Want to put out your message in front of over 35,000 online sellers, ecommerce operators, and direct-to-customer (DTC) brands? Find our Partner Kit here.