Amazon’s AI chatbot, Rufus, saw a surge of adoption on Black Friday, according to new data published over the weekend by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. In the U.S., Amazon sessions that resulted in a purchase surged 100% on Black Friday compared with the trailing 30 days, while sessions that resulted in a purchase and […]
Amazon’s AI chatbot Rufus drove sales on Black Friday Read More »
American consumers spent $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, according to data from Adobe Analytics, which says it tracks more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites. That’s a new record, and up from $10.8 billion spent on Black Friday last year, Adobe says. Between 10am and 2pm, online shoppers were supposedly spending $12.5
Black Friday sets online spending record of $11.8B, Adobe says Read More »
New York’s latest state budget includes new disclosure requirements for businesses that use personal data to set different prices for different shoppers — for example, charging you more if you have a history of splurging. Businesses that use personalized pricing are now required to tell customers, “This price was set by an algorithm using your
New York state law takes aim at personalized pricing Read More »
Meesho, an Indian e-commerce rival to Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, is set to launch a roughly $606 million IPO marked by token sell-downs from early backers and no sales from big names such as SoftBank and Prosus, signalling investor conviction in India’s booming online retail market at a time when tech shareholders globally have been
SoftBank stays in as Meesho $606M IPO becomes India’s first major e-commerce listing Read More »
Major tech companies aren’t just using AI to help you generate or summarize content — they also want you to use it for shopping. OpenAI, Google, and Amazon have heavily invested in AI assistants that research new product categories for you and suggest the right ones to buy. Startups like Perplexity, Daydream, and Cherry have
Onton raises $7.5M to expand its AI-powered shopping site beyond furniture Read More »
With holiday shopping on the horizon, OpenAI and Perplexity both announced AI shopping features this week, which integrate into their existing chatbots to help users research potential purchases. The tools are markedly similar to one another. OpenAI suggests that users could ask ChatGPT for help finding a “new laptop suitable for gaming under $1000 with
When Anthony Sardain began developing Cavela in 2023, an AI startup that helps brands automate supplier sourcing, he did not foresee that new tariffs would drive customers to become increasingly wary of manufacturing products in China. “You don’t just walk into Vietnam and build up a supply chain,” Sardain told TechCrunch. “A lot of brands
Cavela lands $6.6M to help brands beat pre-tariff manufacturing costs Read More »
Adobe said on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire search engine optimization company Semrush for about $1.9 billion in cash, as the Photoshop maker seeks to augment its suite of marketing offerings. In a statement, Adobe said it would offer $12 per share for Semrush, almost double the latter’s closing price of $6.89 on
Adobe to buy Semrush for $1.9 billion Read More »
OpenAI is pushing deeper into retail, with Target set to debut a new ChatGPT-powered app for shoppers in coming weeks. The news follows OpenAI’s move last month to start adding dedicated retail apps to ChatGPT, including Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify, and Zillow. It also comes as OpenAI races to rake in AI-driven commerce via
Target joins OpenAI’s growing list of retail apps Read More »
Views on sponsored videos on YouTube have risen 28% year-on-year, and the number of sponsored videos has grown by 54% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, according to a report from Tubefilter. What’s more, ad spend through creator channels has been steadily rising and is even set to outperform traditional media in some cases.
Agentio secures $40M from Forerunner as it scales its creator marketplace beyond YouTube Read More »
