All articles tagged with #e commerce
Ukraine expands its drone campaign from Wildberries to Ozon, striking logistics hubs and triggering evacuations, with Ozon shares plunging about 30% as Kyiv aims to disrupt Russia's supply chains and finance a war economy.
Walmart’s latest quarter shows solid fundamentals despite a stock pullback driven by lofty expectations and decelerating US same-store sales. The core business remains strong: Sam’s Club and Walmart US sales rise, international results are improving, and global e-commerce is up about 23%. Management notes ongoing consumer pressure but remains confident in serving customers, while analysts like Jefferies remain bullish on Walmart’s competitive position against Amazon. The dip appears due to high expectations rather than a deterioration in core fundamentals.
Walmart topped revenue expectations but missed US comp sales forecasts, and said it would reinvest about $2.9 billion in IEEPA tariff refunds as price cuts across more than 11,000 items, signaling continued relief for shoppers in Q3. Management cited real-wage growth supporting spending while noting fuel costs will pressure margins, but the tariff windfall helps fuel Walmart’s e‑commerce flywheel (delivery, marketplace, ads, membership) and prompted a raised full‑year outlook despite a quarterly comps miss.
Walmart posted roughly $187.9 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $0.81 for the quarter, beating estimates, but US same-store sales rose just 2.6% vs 3.7% expected (the slowest pace since Q4 2020). Traffic and basket sizes were weaker, while e-commerce grew 23% (US +24%). The company raised its full-year outlook and guided Q3 net sales up 3%–3.75% and FY2027 revenue up 4%–5% (with tariff refunds contributing to profit). Management attributed part of the softness to high fuel costs that prompted shoppers to make trade-offs. Walmart stock fell about 9% on the news.
A decade after reselling fridge magnets from a living room, Melanie Alder and David Wright built Pattern into a Nasdaq‑listed e‑commerce accelerator that buys brands and markets them across 70+ marketplaces, driving a roughly $2.2 billion combined fortune with about $2.5 billion in revenue in 2025; the Utah couple, married in 2018 and parents to 10 children, have weathered leadership upheavals and a 2022 sexism lawsuit (settled in 2024) as they push toward AI‑driven marketplaces while remaining heavily tied to Amazon.
Whatnot closed a $545 million Series G at a $20 billion valuation, nearly doubling from a year ago, as the live-streamed shopping market expands to more than $22 billion and Whatnot claims about a 60% share. The platform is growing fast, adding roughly 650,000 new weekly users and surpassing $8 billion in GMV from last year. The new funds will bolster seller-growth tools, bring AI into the selling experience, and support expansion into new markets, even as competitors like eBay, Fanatics, and TikTok Shop Live push into live commerce.
Wildberries says a Ukrainian drone attack hit one of its Vladimir region warehouses, causing a fire; staff were evacuated and firefighters worked at the scene, with deliveries rerouted to other facilities to maintain service. A regional official reported a young man with a non-life-threatening head wound and a nearby woman with minor injuries. The strikes on Wildberries sites across Russia and Crimea have intensified since mid-July.
Whatnot is in talks to raise funding at about a $20 billion valuation, up from $11.5 billion last year, as the LA-based livestream shopping platform expands across categories and racks up billions in live sales (about $8B last year). The round is ongoing with backers including Andreessen Horowitz, CapitalG, Sequoia, and Lightspeed, signaling continued VC appetite for consumer startups even amid AI-focused capital shifts.
Ukrainian drone strikes damaged 11 Wildberries warehouses in Russia, causing heavy seller losses and uneven relief; under Russia’s Civil Code the custodian is responsible for safekeeping after goods are accepted, but a July 7 update treats drone attacks as force majeure only for goods delivered after that date, complicating compensation. Wildberries’ own insurance covers some transit and pickup-point losses but not stock held in warehouses, and many insurers either classify drone damage as force majeure or exclude it. Sellers can insure stock, diversify storage away from high-risk warehouses, or use their own facilities; in case of losses, they should document everything, file claims with Wildberries, and consider court action if compensation is refused. State-proposed protections are being discussed but not yet enacted.
Marina Gorshkova, founder of a cosmetics brand with 1.3 million Instagram followers, released a video appealing to Russia’s leadership for help after Ukrainian strikes damaged Wildberries warehouses. She says many sellers have been harmed by fires, losing revenue and taxes, and urges a year-long tax exemption and loan-payment holidays to keep businesses afloat. She also calls for oversight of Wildberries’ seller obligations as she cannot retrieve merchandise. The strikes have hit warehouses across multiple regions and Crimea, and her post drew about 10,000 likes in a day.
Shein posted a $99 million loss in Q1 2026, reversing a $395 million profit a year earlier, and attributed the decline to higher U.S.–China tariffs after the end of the de minimis exemption. U.S. revenue fell 14.3% to $2.04 billion and the U.S. share of revenue declined as duties on Chinese-origin goods shipped to the U.S. rose to 10%-87.5%. The company plans to offset costs with price increases under a cost-plus strategy and is seeking funding as it prepares for an IPO; EU import-fee changes and regulatory scrutiny also frame the broader pressure.
Shein reported a $99 million Q1 2026 loss as the U.S. ended its de minimis duty exemption and the company booked a $328 million fair-value charge on convertible redeemable shares, signaling higher costs as it gears up for a Hong Kong IPO. U.S. revenue fell 14% to $2.04 billion, EU duties loom, and the firm warns prices may rise to offset costs while pursuing a multi-billion dollar valuation for the listing.
Nike plans to cut thousands of online distributors in China and shift online sales to its own website and app, plus official storefronts on Tmall, JD.com and Douyin, to unify branding and improve pricing control. The move could temporarily shrink regional revenue but aims to create a healthier, more consistent consumer experience; analysts warn of potential missteps if history repeats from past distributor-focused strategies, while partners like Topsports support the long-term ecosystem benefits.
Staples announced two more store closures in Goleta, California, and Levittown, New York, in August 2026 as part of a broader effort to shrink its U.S. footprint amid declining demand for traditional office supplies and a shift toward digital channels and services; the retailer has reduced its U.S. store count from about 929 in 2015 to roughly 916 by early 2026, signaling ongoing consolidation in the office-supplies market.
Carvana is expanding its footprint by moving into new-car dealerships, signaling a shift from its online-only model toward partnerships with traditional dealer channels.