Online shopping stories
Seven in 10 retailers expect growth next year even as labour costs and supply chain disruption push technology investment up the agenda.
Supermarkets may need to rethink product data and pricing as AI assistants shape how shoppers compare grocery deals before buying.
Shoppers are far more likely to click through to deals after work, with evening traffic also driving most mobile browsing, Hotukdeals said.
Smaller online sellers risk missing World Cup sales as UK parcel volumes are forecast to rise 15% to 25% before the tournament.
Cautious shoppers and weaker demand hit retailers, with online spending dropping 2.3% in April after March's rebound.
Widespread access failures are driving disabled shoppers away, with 38% abandoning purchases and most avoiding brands after bad experiences.
Mobile barriers are costing UK businesses customers, with 81% of 18- to 24-year-olds reporting problems on smartphones.
The retailer shifted 90% of UK deliveries to cheaper services after adding carrier choice and more flexible checkout options for shoppers.
The new system aims to stop automated agents from edging out genuine shoppers during peak ticketing and retail sales, amid UK regulatory scrutiny.
Retailers selling into the bloc face higher costs and slower refunds as EU rules require a visible digital cancellation option in checkout flows.
Brands risk blind spots and sanctions in China as fragmented platforms and tighter rules make customer data harder to use and move.
Retailers could deploy branded AI shopping assistants in about 60 days, as AWS opens Amazon-tested technology to external merchants.
Rising warehouse automation demand is boosting local engineering jobs as Dematic expands its Australian and New Zealand operations.
Shoppers could soon buy in Gemini and YouTube without leaving Google's ecosystem as the group widens checkout and ad tools across more markets.
Advertisers stand to gain new placements as Google pushes sponsored content into conversational search and AI-generated shopping advice.
Sales events are now planning windows for households, with 70% of Australian adults bulk-buying at least one category, a survey shows.
Adoption has surged to 17.4 million users, even as most Australians remain uneasy about tech firms' data use and ad-funded answers.
Practical how-to clips are now the key buying trigger for Australians, with social media driving 29 per cent of product discovery, research shows.
Higher buy now, pay later income lifted Afterpay NZ's annual profit to NZD $3.5 million, despite a sharp rise in credit losses.
Advertisers will gain more ways to turn creator content and product feeds into sales-focused YouTube campaigns as Google widens Demand Gen tools.