Hi Shopifreaks
Before we begin, I want to take a moment to recommend Jon Elder's Amazon Insiders newsletter if you or your company sell on Amazon. Jon has actually become one of my sources that I use to keep up with Amazon news, however, his newsletter also dives deeper into strategy, growth hacks, and Amazon seller changes, whereas I limit my coverage to Amazon industry news. Jon's fantastic at breaking stories in the world of Amazon and it's a great weekly read to complement your Shopifreaks subscription if you're an Amazon seller. As long-time readers of each other's publications, we decided to do a cross promo this week to help bring more value to each other's subscribers. You can subscribe to Amazon Insiders here…
Now let's dive in to another jam-packed edition of Shopifreaks where this week I cover:
- USPS' new postmaster general
- Amazon Haul launches in the UK
- US & China pause huge tariffs
- CFPB won't enforce BNPL regulation
- Figma's new website tools
- Instacart launches Fizz app
- Microsoft adopts Agent2Agent
- Albertsons B2B platform
- eBay Certified Open Box
- Amazon's Enhance My Listing tool
- Google's big settlements
All this and more in this week's 225th Edition of Shopifreaks. Thanks for subscribing and sharing!
Stat of the Week
Zero cargo vessels left China with goods headed for two major California ports on Friday morning, according to CNN, an event that hasn't happened since the pandemic. Officials are concerned not just about the lack of vessels leaving China, but the speed at which that number dropped. For comparison, six days ago, 41 vessels were scheduled to depart China for the San Pedro Bay Complex, which encompasses both the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach.
1. USPS names a new postmaster general
USPS named David Steiner as its 76th Postmaster General and CEO, pending the outcome of necessary background and ethics checks. (Turns out you can do that Kohl's!)
Steiner will succeed former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who abruptly resigned in March, a month after he told the board to begin looking for his successor, and current Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino, who will return to his permanent position as Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Human Resources Officer.
Steiner is the former CEO of Waste Management, the country's largest trash company, and currently serves on the FedEx board of directors.
The Wall Street Journal shared six facts about Steiner:
- He spearheaded a comeback for Waste Management after some of the company's top executives in the 1990s falsified financial results by streamlining operations, improving financial performance and safety record, and working to improve employee morale.
- He calls himself the “walking embodiment of better-lucky-than-good” because in 2000, when he went to work for Waste Management, he turned down a job offer from Enron to do so.
- He is a director at FedEx, which could pose a conflict of interest. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union said that it is like hiring a “fox to guard the hen house.” However USPS said that Steiner will step down from his role at FedEx.
- Steiner has a big job ahead of him of addressing persistent delays of mail and package deliveries in some parts of the country and fixing the issue of USPS hemorrhaging money in recent years due to declining mail volumes, limits on what it can charge customers, and a mandate to deliver to 168M addresses six days a week.
- Steiner was hand-selected by Trump, who interviewed him at the White House earlier this month.
- Steiner will have to contend with DOGE, which has been tasked with improving efficiency at the Postal Service.
Steiner said in a statement:
“I deeply admire the public service and business mission of this amazing institution, and I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch.”
Democrats voiced concern that appointing Steiner could be a step in the direction of privatizing the Postal Service:
“The American people deserve and expect an independent, fair, and accessible Postal Service that operates without prejudice or political influence. It is our sincere hope that as Postmaster General, Mr. Steiner will put the interest of the American people and the U.S. Postal Service ahead of any whims or demands of an Administration that has failed to respect the independence of this trusted institution and has instead worked to undermine and privatize America's mail service.”
Will Steiner spearhead efforts to privatize the USPS? Will he turn the agency around? Time will tell. He certainly seems qualified for the job, and I'm rooting for a successful transition. However I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hit reply and let me know what you think about the appointment.
2. Amazon launches Haul in the UK
Amazon Haul has officially arrived to the United Kingdom, six months after its debut in the US. The rollout is in beta, but Amazon says that “ultra-low-priced products” will soon be available to all customers in the UK. (Well, technically they're available now via Temu and Shein.)
Haul UK currently includes thousands of products from fashion, home, and lifestyle categories, with all products priced at £20 or less, and the majority priced under £10 pounds. Customers can also receive additional savings such as 5% off orders over £50 and 10% off orders over £75, with free delivery on orders over £15.
Amazon offers a 15 day return policy on all Haul orders, with the option to drop-off the returns box-free at many Post Offices, Asda, and Morrisons locations.
Amazon emphasized that it takes product safety seriously:
“All products on Haul go through all relevant Amazon checks so customers can be confident they will receive products that are safe and compliant with all applicable regulations and Amazon policies.”
Haul UK is available to some users through the most recently updated Amazon Shopping app and features its own shopping, search, basket, and checkout experiences that Amazon says “has been designed to offer a fun, engaging way to shop on the app.”
However to me, the design looks like an old corporate executive screaming, “Hey fellow kids! We're fun! See how many emojis we used?”
Amazon Haul launched in the US in November 2024 and by March 2025, approximately 16% of US consumers reported shopping on the store at least once a month.
3. US and China reach a tariff ceasefire
The US and China agreed to a 90 day pause on most of the tariffs they've imposed on each other in the last month. The combined US tariffs rate on Chinese imports will be cut to 30% from 145%, while China's levies on US imports will be cut to 10% from 125%. No mention was made of de minimis at this time, which means that goods ordered from Temu and Shein and still subject to the tariffs (albeit lower ones).
The announcement came early this morning (Monday) after officials from the two countries met in Geneva over the weekend for their first face-to-face talks on tariffs since President Trump's “Liberation Day” announcement last month that imposed 84% duties on Chinese imports (which later climbed to 125% and 145%).
Markets surged on the news in early trading Monday, with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing 2.6% and 2.5% respectively, and the Nasdaq rising 3.5%.
Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a note to clients earlier today that the full set of US tariffs “would still be considerably higher and broader than expected by markets at the start of the year,” and noted that the pause is only for 90 days, which “should keep uncertainty high for both investors and businesses.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who represented the US in the talks, said that the tariffs had amounted to “the equivalent of an embargo,” which neither side wanted, adding, “We do want trade, we want more balanced trade, and I think that both sides are committed to achieving that.”
Bessent rejected the idea that it would have been better to start with negotiations, rather than announcing a series of tariffs that upset the global economy and supply chain, claiming that the US had already tried to rebalance trade by working within the system and that “business as usual” would not have worked. What exactly did the US previously try?
He emphasized that the US did not want a general decoupling from China, and instead is “going to do a strategic decoupling, because we realized during Covid that efficient supply chains were not secure supply chains.”
4. The CFPB says it won't enforce BNPL regulation
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced it will no longer prioritize enforcement actions taken on BNPL transactions, in accordance with a Biden administration issued rule that classified BNPL providers as credit card issuers and subjected them to the Truth in Lending Act. They wrote in a statement:
“The Bureau will instead keep its enforcement and supervision resources focused on pressing threats to consumers, particularly servicemen and veterans. The Bureau takes this step in the interest of focusing resources on supporting hard-working American taxpayers, servicemen, veterans, and small businesses. The Bureau is further contemplating taking appropriate action to rescind Buy Now, Pay Later.”
I'm confused… are servicemen and veterans more susceptible to predatory lending than other consumers?
Here's a quick history of what went down:
- May 2024 – The CFPB issued a rule that required BNPL lenders to provide consumers the same key legal protections and rights that apply to conventional credit cards, including the right to dispute charges, demand a refund from the lender after returning a product, and provide periodic billing statements, effectively labeling BNPL companies as credit card providers and requiring that they meet the same criteria under the Truth in Lending Act.
- The CFPB set a deadline of Aug 1, 2024 for companies to adhere to the new rules and opened up a commentary period during the two months prior, during which major BNPL players expressed their dissatisfaction with the rules, arguing that the CFPB's approach was misguided and that BNPL products are fundamentally different from credit cards and should not be regulated under the same framework.
- October 2024 – The Financial Technology Association filed a lawsuit challenging the CFPB's new rule on BNPL products, saying that the rule “oversteps legal bounds.”
- March 2025 – The CFPB announced plans to withdraw the rules, which took effect at the end of last July (however BNPL providers were given additional time to update their operations in compliance).
- May 2025 – Now the CFPB said it wouldn't enforce the rules (which technically are still in place), and that they are considering rescinding them. Either way, BNPL companies have nothing to worry about for at least the next three and a half years when it comes to following the rules.
Eric Chaffee, professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said:
“The CFPB's decision not to prioritize enforcement actions taken on the basis of buy now, pay later loans is troubling. With increased prices associated with tariffs and the economy teetering on the edge of a recession, more Americans are going to use these loans for necessities. This creates a substantial risk that many of these consumers will be trapped in endless debt and taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders. While some deregulation might be warranted in this space, the CFPB's stance is likely an overcorrection.”
If you've been reading this newsletter long enough, you know that I've been a big proponent of BNPL regulation since the lending type first came into existence. Regulation is long overdue, and I honestly can't believe that BNPL companies have been able to skirt credit lending rules for as long as they have. Categorizing BNPL providers as credit cards was the wrong move, but not having any regulation is even worse. It's time for US regulation on lending to catch up to the times, but I don't expect that to happen during this administration.
5. Figma releases new tools to compete with WordPress, Adobe, and Canva
Figma announced a suite of new tools designed to compete with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Canva, and Adobe. Here's what's new from Figma:
- Figma Sites – an AI-powered website creation tool that can create responsive websites from Figma designs that include transitions, animations, and scroll effects.
- Figma Make – a tool geared toward ideation and prototyping that allows users to input a prompt to create a web application.
- Figma Buzz – a tool that enables marketers to use templates created by designers with brand-specific designs to make new creatives, as well as create assets in bulk using data from sources like spreadsheets.
- Figma Draw – an app for vector editing and illustration with features like text on a path, pattern fill, brushes, multi-vector edit, adding noise and texture, and a lasso selection tool.
Harry McCracken of Fast Company asked Figma CEO Dylan Field whether the company was trying to compete directly with so many well-established players across multiple categories, but Field discounted the idea, instead claiming that the new products all support its original focus on turning raw concepts into shippable software. Field said:
“The Figma journey that we’re trying to support users on is going from idea to product. Everything’s truly through that lens. We have a lot of opportunity to build tools for folks [to] be more divergent and have more craft and stand out. And we think that’s the differentiator that’ll make people win over time.”
I think the new tools are a fantastic idea!
Historically I've always felt like Figma designs were very isolated from the rest of the website development workflow. At some point, designers had to employ a developer or third-party software to deploy their designs into working websites or e-mail templates. These new tools position Figma to take over more of the design and development process, with less reliance on competing tools, as well as unlock new revenue opportunities like website hosting.
Then again, maybe the new tools are terrible. I haven't tried them yet.
6. Instacart launches a new 21+ app for drink and snack delivery
Instacart launched a new app called Fizz for drinks and snack delivery that offers flat rate delivery, group ordering, and automatic payment splitting. The app is tailor-made for groups, allowing users to easily invite others into their Fizz cart so that everyone can select what they want to order. From there, all contributors can pay only for what they added, while a driver receives one consolidated order.
Here's how Fizz works:
- The host starts a party cart and adds the link into a group chat.
- Friends can then see what's already been added and add their own items to the cart, even if they don't have the Fizz app. (Great feature!)
- Everyone then pays for what they added to the cart, without having to manually split the bill.
- Currently the ability to order from multiple stores is not available, but Instacart says it's coming soon.
- The host decides when to place the full order, as well as when and where it should be delivered.
- Only the host pays the delivery fee, but all guests are able to tip the shopper.
- The Instacart shopper delivers the drinks and snacks and checks the host's ID if the order includes alcohol.
- Shopping on Fizz earns you “Snack Bucks” which can be used to buy more snacks from Fizz and its partners.
The company partnered with Partiful for the launch, which helps users plan social events like birthdays, celebrations, or simple nights out, allowing Partiful hosts and guests to order their food and drinks for the event in one place.
Fizz app is now available on the web, iOS, and Android to users over 21 years old.
7. Microsoft adopts Google's Agent2Agent protocol for linking up AI agents
Microsoft is joining more than 50 technology partners and providers, including Salesforce, Oracle and SAP, in adopting Google's Agent2Agent protocol, which the company recently launched to allow AI agents to communicate with each other. Microsoft also announced that it is joining the A2A working group on GitHub to contribute to the protocol and tooling.
A2A lays the foundation for agent collaborations to occur securely in a flow of work across various models, domains, and ecosystems. The adoption would allow, for example, a Microsoft agent to schedule a meeting while a Google agent drafts the e-mail invites.
Google wrote in April:
“To maximize the benefits from agentic AI, it is critical for these agents to be able to collaborate in a dynamic, multi-agent ecosystem across siloed data systems and applications. Enabling agents to interoperate with each other, even if they were built by different vendors or in a different framework, will increase autonomy and multiply productivity gains, while lowering long-term costs.”
Microsoft wrote in a blog post:
“Customers can build complex, multi-agent workflows that span internal [agents], partner tools, and production infrastructure — while maintaining governance and service-level agreements. We’re aligning with the broader industry push for shared agent protocols.”
Microsoft's decision to support A2A comes after the company introduced support for Anthropic's Model Context Protocol, its standard for connecting AI to the systems where data resides, in Copilot Studio, which Google and OpenAI also said they would adopt earlier this year.
8. Albertsons launches a B2B e-commerce platform
Albertsons launched a new business e-commerce platform aimed at meeting the needs of small offices, K-12 schools, local government and community organizations, and residential programs like senior living facilities.
The B2B platform features same-day delivery, flexible payment methods, specialized customer service, and tax-exempt purchasing options online, with a focus on food, beverages, cleaning supplies, and paper products.
Stephen Menaquale, Albertsons' e-commerce senior VP, said:
“Albertsons Cos is well-positioned to meet the needs of business customers, so they can spend their time running the business, not errands. We saw an opportunity in the market to reach this important customer base and foster customer growth by leveraging our extensive store network and diverse product selection. E-commerce is a top priority for Albertsons Cos, and the enhancement of our business platform underscores its critical role.”
The service is now available at more than 2,000 locations across Albertsons, Acme, Safeway, Shaw's, and Star Market.
9. Other e-commerce news of interest
eBay introduced a Certified Open Box program that caters to electronics and home goods, offering a one-year warranty serviced by an Allstate Protection Plan. Eligible listing will now receive a “certified open box” badge to boost buyer confidence if the seller meets key service standards, offers free shipping and returns, and maintains at least 25 open box transactions per quarter.
Amazon is releasing a new AI tool called Enhance My Listing to help merchants improve their listings with missing details. The tool automatically suggests product titles, attributes, descriptions, and missing details to sellers based on seasonal trends, which sellers can then accept, reject, or modify before updating their product listing. The tool has begun rolling out to select sellers in the US, with an expanded rollout scheduled for the coming weeks.
In other Amazon AI news… the company is building a new code-generation tool called codenamed “Kiro” that can use prompts and existing data to generate code in “near real-time” by connecting with AI agents. According to internal documents viewed by Business Insider, the tool has web and desktop apps and multimodal capabilities and can be configured to work with third-party AI agents. Kiro can also create technical design documents, flag potential issues, and optimize code.
Shopify released upgrades to Sidekick, its AI-powered commerce assistant, including “advanced multi-step reasoning to connect multiple data sources, diagnose complex business problems, effortlessly turn your visual ideas into polished imagery, and work in all 20 languages.” For example, if a merchant notices sales dipping, Sidekick can help them explore potential reasons by reviewing inventory, marketing efforts, and customer behavior patterns, then offer suggestions to get things back on track. The upgrade also includes image generation and new syntax improvements that enable more nuanced customer categorization, allowing merchants to target specific audiences with more precision.
Netflix is going to begin testing a TikTok-like feed of vertical video in its mobile app that helps viewers discover new programs and movies to watch on its platform. While watching the clips, viewers will be able to watch the show or movie right away, add it to their list to watch in the future, or send the clip to a friend. I love it! Great idea to help viewers discover content that's actually available to watch on Netflix, as opposed to when I save a clip on TikTok to a movie that isn't available on any of the streaming platforms I subscribe to.
Meta is exploring stablecoins as a tool for making low-fee, cross-border payments, such as for paying creators on Instagram, marking its first return to crypto since shuttering its Diem project in 2022, according to Fortune sources. The company has held early talks with crypto infrastructure firms and recently brought on Ginger Baker, a fintech executive with crypto experience, to guide the effort. Sources described Meta as being in “learn mode,” and that the company would likely be agnostic toward the type of stablecoin it used, rather than choosing one provider or attempting to build its own again.
Wix revealed a new AI tool called Wix Model Context Protocol Server that enables developers and website owners to generate code through AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf. For example, users could ask the AI to add a product to their Wix store, and then the AI will send the request to MCP Server, which will connect to the right tools like inventory, checkout, and CRM, finally returning with either a confirmation message or a code snippet. Like most of Wix's tools, MCP Server is available at no cost, with an option to upgrade to a Premium Plan for extended functionalities.
Amazon unveiled a new robot for its warehouses called Vulcan, which it claims uses a sense of “touch” to shift around 75% of the types of packages it handles. The robot consists of two gripping pincers with built-in conveyor belts and a pointed probe that's used to push items around. Amazon says that Vulcan can find the right gripping strength for an item (confirmed by engineers multiple times for science) and can learn on the fly to become more efficient at stowing packages within crates.
Google agreed to a $1.375B settlement with the state of Texas to resolve two lawsuits alleging that it violated consumer protection laws by improperly collecting and using location, biometric, and private browsing data without user consent. The lawsuits focused on Google’s handling of data through Location History, Incognito mode, and biometric identifiers like facial geometry and voiceprints. Google did not admit wrongdoing, but stated that the claims were based on outdated practices and that its services now include stronger privacy controls. The settlement follows a similar $1.4B agreement Texas reached with Meta in 2023.
Google also agreed to a $50M settlement in a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging systemic racial bias against Black employees, including lower job placement, unequal pay, and limited advancement opportunities. The settlement, covering over 4,000 workers in California and New York, stems from claims that Google's corporate culture and practices discriminated against Black employees and penalized them through performance reviews and subjective “Googleyness” standards. Google denied wrongdoing and stated that it remains committed to fair employment practices. (Is that DEI?) The settlement now awaits approval from a federal judge.
TikTok announced its new “Small Biz Fest,” a series of nationwide initiatives designed to support entrepreneurs and small businesses with $1M in ad credits to 500 eligible businesses, each which will receive around $2,000 in credits and one-on-one onboarding support. Additionally, between May 27th and 29th, TikTok Shop will feature “standout products” from small brands via an in-app banner and Small Biz Fest tab, as well as offer additional publicity via a new video podcast series spotlighting small businesses.
But wait, there's more money! eBay launched its 6th annual Up & Running grant program, which will award $10,000 grants and other perks to 50 active US sellers in partnership with Hello Alice. Winners will also receive a $500 eBay Refurbished stipend and access to exclusive seller education resources. Applications are open until June 6, with winners notified in August during eBay’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
Shein and Temu saw a 23% and 17% sales decline respectively in the US the week after the two retailers raised retail prices to cover the costs of increased US tariffs, according to Bloomberg Second Measure, which analyzes credit and debit card data. The average price of Shein’s top 100 beauty and health products have more than doubled compared to April 15, toys and games have gone up over 60%, home and kitchen goods have jumped nearly 40%, and women’s clothing is up 10%.
Former eBay Chief Legal Officer Marie Oh Huber received a $6.5 million severance payout in 2024 despite ongoing legal controversies, including the company's cyberstalking scandal and multiple federal lawsuits, according to the company's 2025 annual proxy statement published in April. While not named in the criminal or civil cyberstalking cases, internal emails show Oh Huber was looped in on discussions about efforts to unmask critics, and she took no apparent action to intervene. Her departure, officially described as “pursuing a new chapter,” may have been a “negotiated resignation” that allowed the board to quietly approve the payout.
TikTok introduced Pulse Core, a generative AI-powered ad product that places brands next to the top 4% of trending user-generated content across categories like sports, beauty, and seasonal events. The new feature builds on its Pulse Suite, which originally launched in 2022 as a way for advertisers to tap into trending videos on the For You feed. TikTok also launched Sponsorship Solutions, allowing advertisers to tailor brand experiences around specific search terms and trending topics.
PayPal will debut its first contactless mobile wallet in Germany this summer, enabling users to tap-to-pay at any Mastercard terminal, finance in-store purchases with BNPL options, and earn cash-back through in-app offers. The move positions PayPal to compete in Europe's mobile payments market, following Apple’s regulatory concession to open its tech to rivals. CEO Alex Chriss previously said PayPal is prepared to capitalize on these opportunities.
Amazon is revamping its employee compensation structure to more sharply reward long-term high performers, while reducing payouts for newer or lower-rated employees. Workers who maintain “Top Tier” ratings for four consecutive years can now earn 110% of their pay range, exceeding the prior cap of 100%. However, first-time Top Tier recipients will receive only 70%, down from 80% previously. Amazon says that the approach “ensures a steadier compensation progression.”
USPS will raise the cost of shipping packages on July 13th, 2025 between 6.3% and 7.6% across Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. No price changes are being made to Priority Mail Express, Domestic Extra Services, International Ancillary Services, or International Product, however, USPS plans to make changes to its Non-Standard Fees for packages including Priority Mail Express.
In corporate shakeups this week… OpenAI brought on Fidji Simo, former CEO of Instacart, as its new CEO of applications, leading the product, business, and other company functions, while Sam Altman remains as Open AI CEO to focus on research, compute, and safety. Meta's Reality Labs COO, Dan Reed, is stepping down after nearly 11 years, following an integration of the division with Meta's core after incurring over $60B in losses since 2020. BigCommerce appointed Vipul Shah, former executive at PayPal, Google, and JP Morgan, as its Chief Product Officer to oversee product strategy, management, and design across BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift. Lastly, TikTok promoted Emily Freed to general manager of US agency from her previous role as global account lead.
India's consumer protection authority issued 12 notices to e-commerce marketplaces, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX, Facebook, and Indiamart, for listing and selling walkie-talkies without proper frequency disclosure, licensing information, or Equipment Type Approval, which violates the country's Consumer Protection Act of 2019. India says the illegal sale of walkie-talkies is a public safety concern and that they've found an “alarming volume” of listings of these devices on e-commerce websites.
Alibaba is partnering with Rednote, also known as Xiaohongshu or “Little Red Book,” the Instagram-like app in China that got popular right before TikTok was temporarily banned in the US, allowing users to directly click on product links to shop on Alibaba's Taobao platform. The partnership comes at a time when Chinese e-commerce giants are looking to attract shoppers domestically admit tariff pressures in the US.
QVC is preparing for the second year of its “Age of Possibility” platform, an effort dedicated to celebrating women over 50, via an expanded partnership with TikTok for an eight-hour livestream shopping event designed to empower the older generation — and by “empower” they mean “sell to” them. The livestream, which is part of TikTok Shop's Super Brand Days event, will be hosted on QVC's TikTok channel on May 13th and feature a handful of ambassadors, around 100 creators, exclusive product drops, and panel conversations.
A WooCommerce bug was discovered that caused a fatal error issue on many sites, causing sites to crash despite merchants not making any changes prior. A temporary solution has been found that involves editing a single line of code, and Automattic says it's working on issuing a patch with a permanent fix.
In other e-commerce platform troubles this week… hundreds of Magento-powered enterprise websites were backdoored by malware that executes malicious code inside the browsers of visitors, where it can steal payment information and other sensitive data. The infections are the result of a supply-chain attack that compromised at least three software providers with malware that remained dormant for six years and became active in the last few weeks. Now that's playing the long game!
61% of American adults want businesses to display how much of a purchase price goes toward paying tariffs, according to a poll by Economist and YouGov. Broken down by political affiliation, 80% of Democrats, 61% of independents, and 42% of Republicans supported tariff price transparency. Last week I reported that the rumor of Amazon showing the cost of tariffs as a separate line item on its website riled up the White House, which called it a “hostile and political act” by the retailer — so despite what consumers want, we likely won't see it from major retailers.
TikTok has spent almost $1B attempting to crack down in IP violations in its TikTok Shop, but it's still got some work to do, as the marketplace remains flooded with knockoffs. From July to December 2024, the platform blocked more than 7M items from being listed, shut down 900 stores for IP infringements, expanded its global IP specialist team from 1,400 to 1,800, removed 675,000 videos and livestreams that promoted IP-infringing goods, and revoked the selling privileges of 16,000 creators. TikTok wants big-name brands like LVMH and Sephora on its platform, and cracking down on IP theft will help it win them over.
🏆 This week's most ridiculous story… X is looking for a communication leader to help improve its relationship with reporters, according to Business Insider sources. One person who was contacted by a recruiter said the job was described as helping craft the company's public image, a role which has been vacant since Dave Heinzinger left as head of media strategy earlier this year. The person would work closely with CEO Linda Yaccarino, who's trying to rebuild the company's ad business. So the same company that used to reply to reporters with poop emojis is now trying to curry their favor? You couldn't pay me enough to take that job! No wait, you could… I have a price. X is great! Elon is a visionary!
10. Seed rounds, IPOs, & acquisitions
Toloka, an AI startup that helps train and evaluate models using a network of human experts and testers, raised $72M in a round led by Bezos Expeditions. The company is part of Nebius Group, a Nasdaq-listed AI infrastructure firm that emerged from a $5.4B deal last year that split the domestic and international assets of Russian Internet giant Yandex, and has worked with Amazon, Microsoft, and Anthropic. Mikhail Parakhin, CTO of Shopify, also participated in the investment and will join Toloka's new board o directors as executive chairman.
MoneyFellows, a Cairo-based fintech platform that digitizes traditional rotating savings and credit associations, allowing users to join trusted money circles and access interest-free credit, raised $13M in a pre-Series C round led by AI Mada Ventures and DPI's Nclude Fund, bringing its total amount raised to over $60M. Unlike traditional lenders that require capital to scale, MoneyFellows employs a form of peer-to-peer lending called money circles where a fixed number of participants contribute regularly to a shared pool, which pays out to one member per cycle, allowing it to scale without lending from its balance sheet.
H&M, a Swedish fast fashion retailer that operates in over 70 countries, acquired a minority stake in Centra, a Swedish e-commerce platform that provides headless, composable commerce solutions for fashion and lifestyle brands, valuing the company at more than 500M Swedish kronor (around $51.5M). H&M already operates several of its brands on Centra's platform including Cos, Arket, Other Stories, and Weekday, and plans to invest an additional $5M in the company earmarked for innovations.
Recurly, a San Francisco-based subscription management and billing platform, acquired Prive, a Shopify-first physical goods subscription platform, and Redfast, a no-code platform for business teams to deliver targeted in-app prompts aimed at conversion and retention, for undisclosed amounts. With the additions, Recurly will expand its subscription management suite and integrate billing, payments, analytics, real-tie subscriber engagement, and e-commerce subscription management into its platform.
DoorDash reached agreements to acquired Deliveroo, a UK delivery app that competes with Uber Eats, for $3.9B, and SevenRooms, a New York hospitality technology provider that offers tools for marketing, operations, and customer experience, for $1.2B. DoorDash has been following a long-term acquisition strategy to support its global growth. In June 202, it acquired Wolt Enterprises, a Finland-based online delivery platform, which brought its operations to a total of 27 countries, making it one of the largest online food delivery companies in the world outside of China.
That's not the only delivery app making big moves… Uber is acquiring an 85% controlling stake in Trendyol GO, the food and grocery arm of the Turkish e-commerce conglomerate Trendyol, in an all cash deal that's expected to close later this year, pending regulatory approval. Trendyol GO runs a fleet of 19,000 couriers and partners with 90,000 restaurants, handling more than 200M orders in 2024. Uber says that the acquisition will help fuel its long-term plans in the region.
CPI Card Group, a US-based provider of credit, debit, and prepaid cards, acquired Arroweye Solutions, a US fintech that provides on-demand, fully digital card production and fulfillment services for banks, credit unions, and other fintechs, for $45.55M. CPI says the deal allows it to offer more choices to a larger combined base of thousands of customers, while aiding long-term growth.
FancyTech, a Bangkok-based AI startup that specializes in commercial content generation, raised an undisclosed amount in its Series B+ funding round co-led by GSR Ventures and Zhilin Capital. The company will use the funds to expand its personalized content solutions across Thailand and Southeast Asia by partnering with retail conglomerates and banks to deliver hyper-personalized content experiences powered by AI.
7Learnings, a Berlin-based AI pricing optimization startup that helps e-commerce retailers maximize profits through dynamic pricing and predictive analytics, raised €10M in a Series B round led by Acton Capital. The company will use the funds to support its growth initiatives as it seeks to broaden its international presence.
BirBir, an Uzbekistan-based peer-to-peer (P2P) classifieds platform that enables users to buy, sell, or rent goods, raised $10M, which it will use to enhance its product suite with AI integrations. The company also intends to broaden its footprint across Central Asia, focusing on solidifying its role as a trusted marketplace for peer to peer transactions in the region.
AI21 Labs, an Israeli startup backed by Google and Nvidia that's building its own large language models aimed at reducing AI hallucinations, is raising $300M in a Series D round, according to Business Insider sources, at an undisclosed valuation. The company last raised $208M at a $1.4B valuation in 2023. This round would bring its total amount raised to $636M.
DHL Supply Chain acquired IDS Fulfillment, an Indiana-based e-commerce fulfillment and retail distribution logistics provider, for an undisclosed amount, adding over 1.3M square feet of multi-customer warehouse and distribution space to its network. The acquisition marks its second e-commerce purchase in North America in 2025, following its January purchase of Inmar's reverse logistics business.
Loxa, a London-based insurtech firm that enables retailers to offer their customers product protection at checkout for repairable items like furniture, eyewear, and power tools, raised €1.9M in a seed round led by Angel Investment Network and other backers. The funds will be used to enhance its tech stack, including expanding its scalable technology to integrate with websites and EPOS systems, as well as strengthen its D2C upsell offerings.
Amazon is investing $4B into building an AWS infrastructure region of data centers in Chile by the end of 2026. The investment will go toward establishing three groups of isolated data centers in the region to supports its customers in Chile, which include LATAM Airlines, Agrosuper, and Andrés Bello National University.
Stephan Tetrault, a French-Canadian entrepreneur, acquired Electronics Boutique Canada Inc, also known as GameStop Canada, from GameStop Holdings, with plans to relaunch the retailer under its old name, EB Games Canada. The company said it will now return to its roots with a fresh identity that merges classic elements with modern retail experiences, as well as enhanced in-store events, expanded product lines, deeper integration with pop culture brands, and a renewed focus on Canadians.
FoodHealth, a San Francisco nutrition intelligence company that offers a proprietary rating system that evaluates food based on nutrient density and ingredient quality, raised $7.5M in a Series A round led by Reach Capital and Ulu Ventures, bringing its total amount raised to $20M. The company's FoodHealth Score is already embedded across the entire Kroger portfolio of brands including Ralphs, Harris Teeter, and King Soopers, allowing shoppers to see the scores alongside their groceries.
eToro, a social trading and multi-asset investment platform that allows users to trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, and other financial instruments while copying the trades of successful investors, is seeking to raise $500M. The company had filed confidential plans for an IPO with the SEC in January, but recently halted their efforts to go public after President Trump's April tariff announcements.
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