Online shopping stories

UK shoppers spent a record GBP £26.9bn online over Christmas 2025, as mobile purchases surged and AI-driven referrals leapt from 2024.

Australian online florist LVLY is shortlisted in three customer service and online retail categories at the 2026 Inside Retail awards.

Microsoft again tops global phishing brand list as attackers increasingly mimic big tech services to steal cloud and consumer credentials.

Akeneo launches an AI‑driven Winter Release to power “agentic commerce”, speeding product data from enrichment to activation for AI buyers.

Chargebacks surge after record online holiday sales, with USD $181 billion in returns putting retailers’ first-quarter profits at risk.

Google launches a Universal Commerce Protocol and Business Agent tools as it bets on AI agents to drive the next era of online shopping.

Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol to link AI shopping agents, retailers and payments in a new ‘agentic commerce’ push.

Ant backs Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol to standardise how AI agents handle shopping, payments and post-purchase support.

SaleCycle snaps up French personalisation specialist BEYABLE to create a unified European eCommerce marketing and conversion platform.

Yext predicts AI will overhaul online discovery by 2026, as trust in AI search grows and brands race to be chosen by algorithms.

AI agents will reshape how shoppers discover brands, forcing retailers to rethink visibility as SaaS vendors and ad budgets come under strain.

Adobe says generative AI referrals to retailers jumped nearly 700% over the 2025 holidays, driving longer visits and stronger conversions.

Salesforce launches Agentforce 360 retail tools to unify AI across marketing, eCommerce and service, promising smoother shopper journeys.

Talkdesk unveils Commerce Orchestration and Consumer Goods Experience Cloud to coordinate AI-driven retail journeys end to end.

Klaviyo posts 48% EMEA revenue surge, names Europe-based Co-CEO Chano Fernández to spearhead international and AI-driven retail push.

Datec pushes all-paper eComPack to cut plastic, speed warehouse packing and appeal to eco-conscious UK eCommerce customers.

Widdop launches its first direct-to-consumer eCommerce site for Softies plush toys, marking a major digital shift for the 140-year-old brand.

UK Super Saturday footfall slid 6.9% year on year as cautious shoppers delayed spending, waiting for deeper pre- and post-Christmas deals.

Criteo says agentic AI will add a powerful new eCommerce layer, reshaping search, retail assistants and LLM ad models without replacing shops.

Retailers urged to brace for early-year spike in chargebacks as mobile shopping and buy now, pay later fuel record US holiday spend.