🌍 Marketplaces Have Fully Taken Over E-commerce

According to the latest industry estimates, marketplaces now account for the lion’s share of global B2C sales. Among the largest players are Amazon, Alibaba Group, JD.com, and PDD Holdings.

The key trend is traffic concentration on major platforms. Independent online stores are finding it increasingly difficult to compete without integrating into marketplace ecosystems.

📊 Key growth drivers:
— efficient logistics;
— built-in fintech services;
— on-platform advertising tools;
— ecosystem models (subscriptions, streaming, cloud services).

Today, a marketplace is no longer just a product showcase — it has become a full-scale digital commerce infrastructure.

Temu, Amazon, and eBay face the risk of major fines in Australia

Australia is stepping up pressure on global marketplaces. The regulator has warned that Temu, Amazon, and eBay could face multimillion-dollar fines for selling dangerous products and for insufficient control over their assortments.

The reason: a voluntary product safety program failed to deliver results. Authorities now want platforms to impose stricter seller checks and remove violations faster — or face penalties.

👉 The trend is clear: marketplaces are being held increasingly accountable for the products sold by third-party sellers.

💶 EU Introduces €3 Fee for Shein, Temu, AliExpress

Starting July 2026, the EU plans to introduce a ~€3 fee per product category in parcels valued under €150.
This applies to: • Shein • Temu • AliExpress
The goal is to level the playing field and reduce the influx of ultra-low-cost goods.
📉 Potential impact: higher prices and reduced seller margins.

📊 Marketplaces Now Account for 83% of Global E-Commerce
According to analytics platform ECDB, marketplaces now represent more than 83% of global e-commerce GMV.

What this means:
• Traditional online stores continue losing share to platform models
• Asia remains the primary growth engine
• Market consolidation is likely to accelerate
📌 The future of e-commerce belongs to ecosystems — not standalone stores.

Amazon Surpasses Walmart in Annual Revenue

📊 The giants’ race continues
Amazon has overtaken Walmart in annual revenue, further solidifying its leadership in global e-commerce.

Market signals:
Online retail continues to take share from offline stores
Logistics and subscription models are working
Marketplace ecosystems are the main growth driver
For sellers, this means: being on major platforms is still critical for scaling.

📈 Amazon Shares Rise After Court Ruling on Tariffs

Shares of Amazon and other major e-commerce companies rose after the U.S. Supreme Court limited the former president’s authority to impose broad import tariffs.

The decision reduces tariff pressure on companies that rely heavily on overseas supply chains, a development that investors welcomed.

📍 Equity markets responded with gains across the e-commerce sector.

“A Terabyte on Paper”: Amazon Laptops Advertise Cloud Storage Instead of SSD

Laptops advertised on Amazon as having 1.2 TB of storage are becoming increasingly common—but there’s a catch. Only 128 GB is actually built-in SSD, while the remaining 1 TB comes from cloud storage via OneDrive.

The details are disclosed in the product description, though in fine print: 128 GB SSD plus 1 TB in the cloud for one year. After the subscription expires, users must keep paying to retain access to that storage. Technically, the terabyte exists—but you can’t physically touch it.

8 trends shaping e‑commerce in 2026. The focus shifts to profitability and efficiency: GenAI personalization, retail media growth, new fulfillment models, sustainability pressure.

Key points:
— GenAI becomes part of shopping journeys
— personalization & media networks get bigger budgets
— resale/secondhand keeps accelerating

Why it matters: sellers need tighter unit economics + better content efficiency.

Источник: Источник

AI agents are starting to shop — payments firms and merchants are adapting.

Why it matters:
— clean product data becomes a competitive edge (feeds, attributes, pricing)
— more “machine buyers” means structured catalogs matter more than ever
— checkout + fraud rules may shift as agent-driven purchases grow

🚚 Amazon and Temu Warn of Delivery Delays Due to Middle East Conflict

Major global marketplaces have begun warning customers about potential delivery delays in the Middle East. The affected platforms include Amazon and Temu.

The reason is the escalation of the regional conflict, which has disrupted key sea and air logistics routes. As a result, some supply chains are now overloaded or temporarily unavailable.

📦 The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets, so disruptions could affect thousands of orders and international suppliers.

🧨 Temu Faces Investigations in Several Countries

The rapidly growing marketplace Temu is facing regulatory scrutiny across multiple regions.

Authorities in Turkey reportedly conducted inspections of company offices, the EU launched an investigation into its business model, and Poland fined the platform for misleading discount practices.

📉 As Temu’s global presence expands, regulatory pressure on the platform continues to grow.

Germany Fines Amazon €59 Million

Germany’s antitrust authority has imposed a €59 million fine on Amazon.

Regulators believe the company may have pressured sellers and indirectly influenced pricing on its marketplace. Authorities have also prohibited Amazon from interfering in sellers’ pricing decisions.

📊 European regulators are increasingly trying to limit the market power of major e-commerce platforms.

Attacks on Middle East Data Centers Disrupt Internet Services and Logistics

Over the past few days, major disruptions to internet infrastructure have been reported across the Middle East following attacks on several data centers. According to media reports, some of the targeted facilities were connected to the cloud infrastructure of Amazon, including sites in Bahrain and Dubai.

The incidents caused temporary outages affecting banking systems, online platforms, and logistics networks in the region. Some digital services became unavailable, while delivery operations experienced delays.

To compensate for the lost capacity, Amazon is shifting workloads to other server clusters. This redistribution increases infrastructure load and may result in slower performance for certain services.

Europe Increases Pressure on Fast-Fashion Marketplaces

Authorities in France and across the EU are tightening regulations on online platforms like Shein.

Key concerns include:
— ultra-fast clothing production
— environmental impact
— pressure from local retailers.

Policymakers are discussing new restrictions on fast-fashion platforms and their advertising.

This could mark the beginning of stricter marketplace regulation across Europe.

🔗 Amazon Launches Seller Wallet for Sellers in Europe

Amazon is continuing to develop its infrastructure for sellers.

The company has launched Amazon Seller Wallet — a new financial tool designed to help sellers manage their earnings more conveniently.

Features of the new service:
💳 Hold funds within Amazon
💱 Manage payout currencies
📊 View exchange rates before conversion
⏱️ Choose when to withdraw funds

The tool is already available on several Amazon European marketplaces, including:
- 🇳🇱 The Netherlands
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇧🇪 Belgium

💡 This is another step by Amazon toward building a comprehensive fintech ecosystem for its sellers.

Jeff Bezos ranks 4th on Forbes’ global billionaire list

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has taken 4th place in the latest global billionaire ranking published by Forbes.

The list is once again topped by Elon Musk. Second and third places are held by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Bezos dropped one position compared to last year, when he ranked third. His net worth is estimated at $224 billion, having increased by $9 billion over the past year.

TikTok Shop is changing the online shopping model

Social commerce is becoming one of the main trends in e-commerce. The TikTok Shop platform allows users to buy products directly inside short videos.

A user sees a product in a video, taps on the product card, and completes the purchase without leaving the app. This format is often referred to as browserless shopping.

Experts believe that this model can dramatically shorten the path from content discovery to purchase.

🛍 Amazon May Move Prime Day to June for the First Time

Amazon is reportedly considering moving its major Prime Day sales event from July to late June. If implemented, this would mark the first significant change to the event’s timing since its launch.

Prime Day has become one of the biggest events in online retail. In 2025, the sale lasted 96 hours and generated over $24 billion in U.S. online sales alone.

If the date shift happens, it could impact the entire e-commerce ecosystem, as many brands and sellers plan marketing campaigns, inventory, and pricing strategies around Prime Day.

⚠️ Amazon Tightens Code Controls After Marketplace Outage

Amazon is introducing stricter engineering rules after a recent outage disrupted parts of its marketplace and transactions.

Under the new policy, even senior engineers must now obtain formal approval before deploying code, especially when the changes involve AI-generated code.

The company aims to reduce risks related to generative AI in software development and strengthen human oversight over critical marketplace infrastructure.

💸 Amazon Launches Spring Sale With Discounts Up to 40%

Amazon has launched its annual Spring Deal Days, running from March 10 to March 16, offering discounts of up to 40% on thousands of products.

Unlike Prime Day, the promotion is available to all shoppers, although Prime members still receive additional benefits and early access to certain deals.

Seasonal events like this are becoming increasingly important for marketplaces, helping to boost sales between major shopping moments such as Prime Day and Black Friday.

📈 Etsy Shows Signs of Recovery in the E-Commerce Market

Etsy shares have started to rise as analysts see signs of recovery in the online retail market. Some forecasts suggest the stock could increase by around 13%.

The marketplace continues to focus on unique and handmade products, positioning itself differently from mass-market platforms like Amazon or Temu.

For sellers, this indicates that niche marketplaces with distinctive products may regain momentum as some consumers grow tired of generic mass-produced goods.