☕ Your Ecommerce Coffee Break (Issue 198)

👋 Happy Tuesday and Happy New Year! Here’s your latest ecom news roundup: Shopify capped its best year yet, TikTok is now a full shopping app, and January may be ecom’s most overlooked growth window.

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: How To Start A Profitable Ecommerce Business In 2026
🗨️ Claus’s Hot Take: January = Ecom’s Hidden Opportunity Season

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

📰 WHAT’S HAPPENING

📈 General Ecommerce News

• Holiday spending debt reached $1,223 on average [read more]

• Amazon Canada Tightens KYC Rules [read more]

• Global ad revenue set to reach $1.14 trillion [read more]

• 2025 saw 12% more store closures [read more]

🛒 Platforms & Marketplaces

• Why 2025 was Shopify’s best year yet [read more]

• Amazon’s AI assistant comes to the web [read more]

• TikTok's transformation into a shopping app is complete [read more]

• Etsy Tells Sellers to Lower Shipping Rates [read more]

📱Social Media & Advertising

• Your 2026 Holiday Marketing Calendar [read more]

• Instagram ads: Everything you need to know in 2026 [read more]

• 37 New Social Commerce Statistics & Trends (2026) [read more]

• The new math behind premium ad network approvals [read more]

🎙️ ECOMMERCE COFFEE BREAK PODCAST

How To Start A Profitable Ecommerce Business In 2026

In this episode, we discuss how to start a profitable e-commerce business in 2026 without wasting money or burning yourself out.

Ben Knegendorf, Co-Founder at dropshipbreakthru.com, shares why most new sellers fail early, what makes high-ticket dropshipping safer and more profitable, and the essential steps to take in your first 30 days.

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

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

🗨️ CLAUS’S HOT TAKE

JANUARY = ECOM’S HIDDEN OPPORTUNITY SEASON

January isn’t slow. It’s the strategic extension of the holiday rush—a window that can seriously shape your year’s growth.

What’s really happening

• Gift card redemptions explode: Shoppers burn through them fast after New Year’s, often spending beyond the card value (upsell gold). Target data shows redemptions can be nearly 4x higher in the week after Christmas than the rest of the year.

• Deep-discount & clearance frenzy: Post-holiday closeouts and winter sales drive fresh, high-intent demand.

• Customer reevaluation & exchanges: People return unwanted gifts, swap sizes, and revisit brands they loved in Q4—turning returns into repeat buyers.

• Operational reset: Your team fixes Q4 bottlenecks, reorganizes inventory, and sharpens fulfillment—setting up smoother sailing for the rest of the year.

Why it matters

This phase directly impacts Q1 revenue and profitability. It’s your chance to convert holiday gift-card cash into loyal customers. Nail operations now, and the rest of the year feels easier.

Quick wins for your shop

• Run targeted January deals tied to gift-card redemptions (e.g., "Redeem & Save 20% Extra").

• Push aggressive clearance + smart bundles to move stock fast.

• Prepare for the return surge (January sees significantly higher volumes—often called "Returnuary") by streamlining exchanges, support, and restocking flows to protect margins while capturing upsells.

Bottom line

January isn’t a lull. It’s a high-intent, high-potential strategic window. Treat it like one, and you’ll turn post-holiday momentum into real growth. 👉 Learn more here.

What are you doing differently this January? Drop a reply—I’d love to hear your plays!

📰 PARTNER WITH US
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