👋 Happy Thursday! Here’s your latest ecom news roundup: Not gonna lie—this week’s news could hit your margins or boost your growth. Depends how you react. Here’s what I’m watching 👇

In Today’s Edition:

📰 Top Headlines: News, Marketplaces, and Platform updates
🎧 On the Pod: Mastering The Influencer Affiliate Flywheel
🗨️ Claus’s Hot Take: Bad Suppliers = Bad Reviews: The Cost No One Talks About

Grab your coffee—skim in 60 sec or read in 3 minutes to stay ahead with what impacts traffic and sales.

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Download Aligned Growth Management’s FREE Influencer Whitelisting Guide and learn how to turn creator content into scalable, compliant paid ads. Includes a 5-day course + 12-page playbook.

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📰 TODAY'S MUST-READS

📈 General Ecommerce News

🛒 Platforms & Marketplaces

📱Social Media & Advertising

Most brands treat influencers like ads—and that’s why it doesn’t scale.

In this episode, Yash Chavan, founder and CEO of Saral, breaks down how to turn creators into long-term growth partners—not one-off posts.

We cover:

· Why most influencer strategies fail
· How creators drive demand for your ads
· How to build a real influencer + affiliate engine

If you want predictable growth from creators, this is worth your time.

🎧 Listen on: [In your Browser] [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [YouTube] [iHeart]

If you’d like to be a guest, or make a guest recommendation, please let us know here.

🗨️ CLAUS’S HOT TAKE

The cheapest supplier is often the most expensive mistake. You don’t lose money on the purchase order — you lose it later through refunds, delays, and bad reviews.

Smart brands don’t just chase low costs. They choose the right manufacturing country based on the product. China works well for complex items, while Vietnam or India are strong for apparel. The key is matching the supplier’s strengths to what you’re building.

They also take vetting seriously. That means real conversations, checking samples, and asking for references. If a supplier avoids clear answers, that’s a red flag.

Quality control starts early. Clear specs matter. So does checking products during production, not just before shipping. Waiting too long is where most problems get expensive.

Good brands also think ahead. Can the supplier handle 10x your volume? If not, growth will break your supply chain. In some cases, working with a sourcing partner can save time, reduce risk, and prevent costly mistakes.

Why it matters:
Your supplier shapes your product. And your product shapes your brand. One bad batch can undo months of progress.

Reality check:
Strong brands don’t just “find” suppliers—they build systems to manage and control them.

👉 What to do next:
Rate your supplier from 1–10 on quality, speed, and reliability. If they’re below an 8, it’s time to fix the relationship—or replace it.

🔗 Read the deep dive here.

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