👋 Happy Thursday! I spent my morning digging through the ecommerce news that actually matters - from rising costs to AI changing how customers shop, here are the updates I think every merchant should know this week.

Inside this issue:

📰 The ecommerce shifts you need to know
🎧 How AI helps brands enter new markets
☕ Why cheap suppliers can kill your margins

Grab your coffee — skim in 60 seconds or read in 3 minutes to stay ahead

📰 TODAY'S MUST-READS

📈 General Ecommerce News

🛒 Platforms & Marketplaces

📱Social Media & Advertising

⭐️ TOGETHER WITH DigiCom*

Free Andromeda Workshop with Obvi's Founder - July 14

Join a free live workshop July 14 (1PM EST) with Obvi's founder and the DigiCom team behind $1B+ in DTC revenue. We'll run a real-time brand audit and break down the exact strategies scaling 8-figure brands on Andromeda. No theory.

→ Register Free here.

🎙️ ECOMMERCE COFFEE BREAK PODCAST

Want to expand internationally without building a local team in every market?

In this episode, I chat with Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, about how AI-powered translation and localization are helping ecommerce brands reach new customers, create better shopping experiences, and remove the barriers to global growth.

🎧 Listen now: [Browser] [Apple Podcasts] [Spotify] [iHeart]

📲 Want to listen on the go? Download our free podcast app.

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

⭐️ TOGETHER WITH Consio*

Most ecommerce teams invest heavily in email, SMS, and paid traffic. But when a customer picks up the phone, they are often much closer to buying than most website visitors.

Consio helps Shopify brands answer inbound calls, follow up with high-intent shoppers, and measure which phone conversations actually turn into revenue.

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☕ CLAUS'S TAKE

I’ve seen ecommerce brands lose months of profit because they focused on finding the cheapest supplier instead of the right one.

The lowest quote often looks attractive — until the defects arrive, shipments get delayed, customers complain, and refunds start eating into your margins.

One bad production run can damage more than your cash flow. It can hurt your brand reputation.

Here’s what smart ecommerce brands do instead:

✅ Choose suppliers based on quality and reliability, not just price. The cheapest country is rarely the best fit for every product.

✅ Verify suppliers before placing large orders. Samples, video calls, certifications, and customer references should be standard.

✅ Inspect products before they leave the factory. Fixing issues before shipment is always cheaper than fixing unhappy customers later.

As your brand grows, your supply chain becomes one of your biggest competitive advantages.

The best DTC brands don’t chase the lowest cost. They build reliable systems that protect margins, improve customer experience, and support long-term growth.

👉 Your move: Take a look at your biggest supplier this week. When was the last time you reviewed quality, negotiated terms, or checked if they are still the right partner?

So here's my question for you: What's the biggest sourcing mistake you've made?

Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.