Around The World In Commerce No. 324


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Dear Readers,

The three questions on my mind this week:

  1. Have we, as a sector, been thinking incorrectly about nascent emerging markets? Singapore-headquartered Flood, which raised $3.5M, wants to empower telecommunications companies and incumbents through its Superapp-as-a-service platform to grow retail.
  2. How does the future for brands look with Google's AI search and answer engine look like? Retailers and brands are concerned, but Google says it is leading to more queries and better conversions. This is the million-dollar question for me - we know organic is borderline irrelevant, but what about marketing via Google Ads?
  3. Alibaba has unveiled a new tiered cross-platform loyalty platform for Taobao consumers. Why is this a big deal? It transforms consumer behavior in multiple channels into a consumption platform that anticipates consumer needs, which drives growth for sellers and provides growth for various Alibaba businesses such as Fliggy and Ele.me.

I want to thank all the readers who take the time to reply to this email (I spend a considerable amount of time creating this newsletter) and appreciate any comments, even if you disagree with me. I want you to know that all comments are confidential and are not shared.

If you'd like to help me, please share this newsletter.

​Onwards, Hendrik

Around The World in Marketplaces

Are Marketplaces Defensible In The Age Of AI Purchasing Agents? Ark Invest

Winners should be platforms so deeply integrated into production and delivery that bypassing them will become irrational economically. A great read.

Africa

Jumia narrows losses as Q2 2025 revenue surges by 25% to $45.6 million. Akelni takes on food delivery giants with a hyperlocal strategy. Shein and Temu outpace global retail giants in South Africa's fashion market.

China

JD.com launches IKEA China flagship store. JD.com to launch five discount stores as competition intensifies.

Alibaba to shut Costco-like (Hema X) China stores after rivalry heats up. Alibaba's Freshippo plans to open 100 new stores by March 2026.

China issues new guidelines to rein in online platform fees. China’s Pinduoduo goes on AI hiring spree.

Europe

Auction Technology Group acquires Chairish and Pamono, for $85M. JD.com renames Ochama to boost European expansion. Otto ends operations in the Netherlands. Vinted buyers can now collect at Royal Mail lockers & Collect+ Parcelshops. Temu partners with Austrian Post on PUDO service expansion.

Ozon will reduce tariffs for sellers for items priced at less than 300 rubles. Uzbekistan’s first unicorn, Uzum, leaps to a $1.5B valuation.

India

Quick commerce companies slow down the buildout of dark stores to control cash burn. ASUS brings laptops to Swiggy's Instamart for 10-minute delivery. Zepto debuts 10-minute medicine delivery service.

Latin America

MercadoLibre misses profit estimates as Brazil free-shipping boost hurts margins. Mercado Libre delivers another strong performance in Q2' 25, reporting $6.8 billion revenue and $825 million income from operations. Reverse logistics gains scale: SHEIN and Jadlog expand partnership [in Portuguese]. Olist acquires Flip, Mexican consumers turn to local brands amid price fears.

Middle East

No relevant marketplace news from the Middle East this week.

South East Asia and Australia

Coupang expands private-label beauty, household goods lineup. Shinsegae launches e-commerce platforms Beyond Shinsegae and Via Shinsegae. Singapore's Carro targets US IPO with over $3 billion valuation, sources say. Shopee, OTT platform Vidio launch shopping-integrated streaming experience.

Thai SMEs and couriers hit as TikTok poised to monopolise e-commerce. TikTok follows Shopee in tripling fees. Temu Partners with Leading Korean Testing Institute, TikTok Shop finds traction in Japan. Naver to fully acquire Spain's Wallapop in global push for social commerce. Dissenting shareholders seek to derail Naver’s Wallapop acquisition. Southeast Asian Markets Drive Growth in Asian eCommerce With CAGR Over 20%. Wholesale platform Faire expands into New Zealand.

US

Atomic Mall goes dark. Consumer-to-dealer pre-owned car marketplace Bidbus raises $3.3M in Seed Funding. Navore Market launches San Diego’s first online marketplace for food, farmers. Walmart offers zero commissions on toys, waives peak-storage fees

Amazon Autos adds CPO, used Hyundai vehicles to its online marketplace. Online grocer Weee must pay Massachusetts workers misclassified as contractors. DoorDash forecasts strong quarter on resilient delivery demand.

Luxury Commerce

Zalando increased its revenue by 7.3 percent to €2.8 billion in the second quarter, and adjusted earnings before interest and taxes climbed to €186 million with a stable margin of 6.5 percent.

5 takeaways from the Q2 luxury earnings season. The RealReal’s First Half: 12% Sales Rise and Solid Profit Gains. Katjes acquires majority stake in luxury apparel manufacturer Bogner. Vendors say Saks Global not following through on overdue payments.

Imp & Maker wins £500k investment for luxury hamper business. Lotteon has signed a strategic business partnership with 'Christian Dior Beauty Korea; Treet launches secondhand sites with Rixo, Hammitt. Asia’s private members’ clubs are bullish about the future. Louis Vuitton tops the luxury goods counterfeiting charts. Why luxury firms are exiting China’s lower-tier cities (again).

Fashion and Beauty e-commerce

Tapestry completes Stuart Weitzman sale to Caleres. Italian regulator hits Shein with 1 million euro greenwashing fine.

Patagonia folds Worn Wear channel into its main website. ThredUp shares jump as resale business grows amidst tariff hurdles for retailers.

Marlies Dekkers says goodbye to her own stores [in Dutch]. Tigerlily is set to return to Australia with a focus on its e-commerce channel. Wittner Officially Rescued by The Shoe Group.

Authentic Brands Group firmly dismisses rumors it’s selling Reebok to China’s Anta Sports. RENÉE Cosmetics raises $30M in Series C funding. OneSkin receives $20M investment from Prelude Growth Partners Ten Thousand receives undisclosed investment from Forza Capital. Adanola sells minority stake to LA based STORY3 Capital Partners. Revolution Beauty rejects bid from private equity firm True.

AI and Commerce

Who Owns Shopping Data in the Age of AI? Shopify Makes Commerce Agents First-Class Citizens.

Sea and OpenAI to Pilot AI Tools for Consumers and SMEs in Southeast Asia. Revenue Scaler acquires Kabana to build Southeast Asia’s first AI e-commerce intelligence layer. Forter launches identity monitoring for agentic commerce. Can scent-generating AI technology democratize the fragrance industry? Pinterest CEO says agentic shopping is still a long way out.

Lorikeet Raises $35M. Arcade.dev and Lithic partner to create e-commerce agents. E-commerce shifts to AI: Yotpo lays off about 200 employees

Advertising

OpenX Accuses Google of 'Rigging' Ad Auctions in New Antitrust Lawsuit. AdWeek

In the lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, OpenX claims that Google has used self-preferencing practices that make it difficult for other ad exchanges and ad servers like OpenX to compete on a level playing field.

‘It’s Never Too Late’: OpenX CEO John Gentry On Suing Google For Crushing Competitors, Google briefs brands on AI Mode ads ahead of Q4 rollout.

Bottlecapps Strengthens Retail Media Capabilities for Alcohol Brands with Instacart Carrot Ads. Rokt hikes prices on key products, keeps eye on IPO window. Trade Desk Sentiment Collapses as Specter of Amazon Looms ($). Mark Read’s handover notes: here’s what’s awaiting Cindy Rose as WPP CEO.

Logistics is sponsored by Third Person - a new way for brands to discover 3PLs

Metapack launches consolidated clearance solution. New US de minimis policy could trim DHL profit by 3% The logistics sector faces increased risk and tougher funding in an uncertain environment (a good read as PE invests significantly in supply chain)

Supply chain intelligence startup Lyric gets $43.5M in funding. Salasa closes $30 million Series B to leverage AI-fulfilment capabilities. ketteQ secures $20M Series B funding to scale global growth and continued AI-powered supply chain planning innovation. Boxy emerges from stealth after $1.5M boost from EQIQ. ILine.ai raises $500K to electrify last‑mile logistics across 12 Tier‑II Indian cities. AJEX Logistics expands B2C delivery services in Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.

Keistone Partners acquires e-commerce logistics firm GoodsFlow from SK Energy. Descartes Systems Group acquired cloud-based inventory management company Finale Inventory FirstMile, ACI Logistix and Sendle merge to support e-commerce shipping

Consumer

Gearfire and Kinsey’s partner to power growth in outdoor sports eCommerce. Suplyd raises $2M to build the digital backbone of Egypt’s restaurant supply chain. UK-based ‘My Expert Midwife’ Raises £1.6M.

Liquor.co.za and United Distributors to transform SA's online liquor industry. Sixty60 growth still outpacing Pick n Pay’s asap!. Decántalo acquires Bodeboca and consolidates its leadership in online wine sales [in Spanish]. From sofas to prefab spaces, Outer wants to shape the future of backyard living.

Yango Tech Retail, ROOTS partner to boost AI-powered retail in UAE. Wayfair posts first quarterly profit in 4 years. E-commerce at Ahold Delhaize is profitable for the first time. OpenStore’s demise marks the endgame for the once-booming e-commerce aggregator market.

Payments

Palm-based payment identity solutions platform Handwave raises $4.2M in Seed Funding. Ant Financial exits Paytm, sells entire stake for $453.8M. Ant International’s WorldFirst Accelerates SEA Growth with Malaysia MSB Licence. Boodil taps Transaction Junction to enhance payments in Africa.

Stats and Other Interesting News

Mexico Ranks Near Bottom in Online Shopping at 33%: OECD. Ranked: The Countries that Shop Online the Most. From local bazaars to global markets: Unlocking e-commerce through regional integration in Central Asia. E-commerce app installs drop 14% despite 2% session growth.

The content here is for informational purposes only and should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice. It does NOT constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase any investment or a recommendation to buy or sell a security. The content is not directed to any investor or potential investor and may not be used to evaluate or make any investment.

This was edition number 324, sent on 10 August 2025.

Hendrik Laubscher

A weekly summary of the essential e-commerce news in sectors such as marketplaces, consumer, and luxury e-commerce news. I also ask three questions that are on my mind.

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