Julian Hartmann investigates the logistics infrastructure powering the digital economy. He reports on warehousing innovation, fulfillment efficiency, and global delivery networks.
According to the NIQ report, China's live-streaming e-commerce market is estimated to be worth approximately $900 billion in 2025, close to the total size of the U.S. e-commerce market. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 55% of global e-commerce, but European and American consumers have not yet adopted social commerce and instant retail on a large scale.
New research reveals TikTok Shop has become the UK's fourth-largest beauty retailer, with category sales up 60%, contributing £10bn to the economy and supporting 153,000 jobs.
According to a Salsify report, 25% of U.S. consumers expect to increase spending during the 2026 holiday season, 61% plan to shop on Cyber Monday, physical stores remain the primary channel for product discovery, AI tool usage has risen to 54%, and tariffs are prompting some consumers to prefer domestic goods.
With the integration of AI agent technology and social commerce, global retail is moving towards an intelligent ecosystem. The Asia-Pacific region leads in rapid commerce and social commerce, while the West dominates in retail media and AI personalization.
A recent survey shows that 44% of consumers choose to purchase a new brand for the first time on online marketplaces such as Amazon or Walmart, and 38% of consumers use marketplace platforms more frequently than in 2025. However, fulfillment issues such as delivery delays, price differences, and stockouts remain prominent, with 53% of consumers abandoning brands due to unmet expedited shipping expectations.
AI agents are moving from experimentation to execution, becoming a new e-commerce infrastructure by connecting real-time inventory, pricing, and payments through standardized protocols. This article analyzes research from PwC and the National Retail Federation (NRF), exploring how agent commerce is reshaping the retail power landscape and how brands can adapt to this change.
From July 2026, the EU will cancel the 150 euro duty-free threshold and add a 3 euro tariff per item. UK retailers may trigger secondary tariffs when cross-border returns occur, leading to a surge in costs. Analyze compliance risks and response strategies.
With the prevalence of AI-powered search, e-commerce brands are facing entirely new challenges in traffic acquisition. The startup Lantern has pivoted to focus on GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), helping brands secure product recommendations in AI tools like ChatGPT. This article analyzes how AI is transforming the search ecosystem, brand response strategies, and future industry trends.
The latest research by American Express and Retail Economics shows that social commerce is growing at an annual rate of 17%, compared to just 3% for overall e-commerce. One in every 20 in-store sales is influenced by social content, and 46% of consumers trust brands discovered on social media. The trend of Gen Z and millennials chasing viral products is particularly prominent.
According to the ILG UK Retail Growth Report 2026 survey, 53% of retailers see fulfillment and delivery costs as the biggest barrier to growth, while customer acquisition accounts for only 15%.
Global retail growth is slowing, with e-commerce contributing 80% of the increment; competition is shifting towards pricing, visibility, and consumer decision control, as AI and supply chain restructuring reshape the industry landscape.
The People's Bank of China is promoting the expanded use of the digital yuan in scenarios such as lottery payments, fiscal disbursements, medical benefit distributions, green electricity charges, and cross-border trade. This shift is not only about changing payment tools, but also reflects China's long-term strategy in digital commerce, cross-border settlement, and monetary infrastructure.
After China raises food safety, traceability, and cold chain standards, the market access logic for global agricultural cross-border trade is changing, and compliance capability is becoming a key variable in supply chain competition.