Hi Shopifreaks Last year a reader wrote me and said, "I thought this was a Shopify-focused newsletter, but I haven't seen Shopify news in weeks?" First off, despite the name -- Shopifreaks is NOT a Shopify-focused newsletter. I cover all the major e-commerce companies...
#214 – USPS Privatization, Amazon Un-Inspired, & Apple gives in to UK demands
Hi Shopifreaks How many embarrassing things is HP going to do this week? Stick around to the end to find out... This week I've got another jam-packed edition for you covering everything from USPS privatization rumors and Klaviyo CRMs to which Amazon services are...
#213 – Amazon Offsite, Adolf Yeezy, & Paid Subreddits
Hi Shopifreaks I've finally got an edition for you that isn't completely about tariffs! This week I get to cover... antisemitism? Yikes.... I've also got stories for you about Amazon encroaching on Google's territory, Elon Musk attempting to sabotage OpenAI, and...
#212 – US & EU Tariffs, Shopify’s Buy Local, & Amazon dethrones Walmart
Hi Shopifreaks, Before we begin, I'd like to welcome 8fig to the Shopifreaks family as our newest official News Partner! 🎉🥳 8fig is an all-in-one platform that offers customizable funding and advanced planning tools for e-commerce sellers aiming to grow -- all powered...
#211 – Trade Wars, UPS fires Amazon, & the EU’s new AI Act
Hi Shopifreaks Just when you thought things couldn't change overnight for the e-commerce industry... BAM! TARIFFS! I've been reading dozens of opinions about Trump's new tariffs -- some positive, others negative -- and the best I can say is... I guess we'll see!...
#210 – OpenAI Operator, Walmart Product Testing, & DeepSeek pulls ahead
Hi Shopifreaks Ready for another exciting week of e-commerce news? Shopifreaks has got you covered! Shoutout to Dave Malda who commented on LinkedIn this morning, "Still my favorite newsletter after all these yrs 💯" Dave's comment really made my day! Honestly, my News...
#209 – TikTok Returns, Trump Meme Coins, & Walmart’s New Look
Hi Shopifreaks Happy Inauguration Day! Depending on your political affiliation -- either "congratulations" or "my condolences." Wherever you stand, one thing is for sure, we're in for a wild ride these next four years, for better or worse. This week, I have a couple...
#208 – Amazon will manage your ads, Meta ends fact checking, & Automattic retreats from WordPress contributions
Hi Shopifreaks It's only my second edition of 2025, and I can already tell you with confidence that this is going to be one of the biggest editions of the year! Between a looming TikTok ban, tech companies adapting to the new political landscape ahead, and even more...
#207 – Net neutrality, AI Profiles, & Honey’s getting sued
Hi Shopifreaks Well, well, well.... 2025. Here we are! Who knew 25 years ago, when our evenings were spent talking with friends on AIM and ICQ and Y2K was set to destroy the world as we knew it, that a mere two and a half decades later we'd be talking to AI chatbots,...
#206 – Major E-Commerce Predictions, Mexico ends border loophole, & Bench screws 35,000 customers
Hi Shopifreaks Happy New Year! What a year it's been! The biggest change for me? Mia went from being a baby to a little girl in the span of a year! I've had very little experience with babies prior to having my own, and one of the biggest surprises for me has been how...
#205 – TikTok’s Last Appeal, ChatGPT Search For Everyone, & Amazon’s terrible reimbursement policy
Hi Shopifreaks! I hope you have a Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas this week (or whatever you celebrate). If nothing else, I hope that you enjoy some time off with your families. This has been the absolute busiest holiday season I've ever had at my agency, and I'm...
#204 – Shopify’s Boring Edition, Amazon Autos, and OpenAI Sora Turbo
Hi Shopifreaks, Before we begin, I'd like to welcome Weglot to the Shopifreaks family as our newest official News Partner! 🎉🥳 Weglot offers the easiest way to translate your e-commerce website into 110+ languages on all major platforms including Shopify, BigCommerce,...
#203 – TikTok loses appeal, Jeff Bezos returns to Amazon, and BNPL blows up!
Hi Shopifreaks Big news this week --- I turned 40! You'd never guess I'm 40 years old, given that I'm in the best shape of my life and not a wrinkle or gray hair in sight. 😂 My wife actually tricked me this year (which she's never been able to do). A couple weeks ago...
#202 – China dominates holiday shopping, Australia bans social media for kids, & Shopify’s big globe is back
Hi Shopifreaks I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. What a wild time in e-commerce and tech last week turned into! China dominated holiday shopping on Black Friday, Australia banned social media, and Shopify launched its giant globe for the second year in a row....
#201 – Perplexity Helps You Shop, Temu Opens To US Sellers, & TikTok Prints Books
Hi Shopifreaks How do you feel about AI bots doing your online shopping for you? Hit reply and let me know. Personally I'm not ready to let bots buy things for me yet because I don't trust their ability to either get me the best price or judge when price / quality is...
#200 – Amazon Haul, OpenAI Operators, & YouTube Jewels
Hi Shopifreaks I'm excited & proud today to bring you my 200th Edition of Shopifreaks! 🎉🥳 I launched Shopifreaks in January 2021 and have since published 200 consecutive weekly editions -- never missing a single week including holidays, travel, COVID, electricity...
#199 – Canada Bans TikTok, Amazon’s Virtual Holiday Shop, & Driver Wars Heat Up
Hi Shopifreaks It's that time of year again... Time for our third annual e-commerce predictions report! Each year the industry's top voices, executives, analysts, and SaaS builders submit their predictions to shed light on where e-commerce is trending and help you...
#198 – Shopify Finance, Mexican Tariffs, & Apple Intelligence
Hi Shopifreaks! Is Shopify becoming more bank than e-commerce platform? Are we about to enter an era of AI personal assistants that live on our phones? Is Mexico fed up with cheap Chinese imports? Will TikTokers have to pay back what they stole from JPMorgan Chase...