Tag: E-Commerce Discretionary

Shopify profit outlook underwhelms even as holiday sales top estimates

Shopify’s downbeat first-quarter profit outlook spooked investors on Tuesday, even as the e-commerce company posted better-than-expected holiday-quarter sales on the back of healthy consumer spending and its rollout of AI features.

Amazon 2024 sales up 11%, driven by record-breaking holiday season

US e-commerce giant Amazon has reported a net sales increase of 11% to $638.0bn during the full year 2024 (FY24) against $574.8bn in 2023.

Amazon to spend $100bn this year in AI drive

Amazon has said it will pump about $100bn into its artificial intelligence initiatives this year as the ecommerce group shrugs off worries about China’s DeepSeek and invests heavily in data infrastructure.

US Postal Service to accept inbound parcels from China, Hong Kong after suspension

The U.S. Postal Service said on Wednesday it would accept parcels from China and Hong Kong, in a U-turn after a suspension following President Donald Trump ending a trade provision used by retailers including Temu, Shein, and Amazon to ship low-value packages duty-free to the U.S.

Alibaba Stock Gains. It Says Its New AI Model Can Beat DeepSeek.

There’s a new Chinese artificial-intelligence model claiming to be able to compete with its Western rivals. But it isn’t DeepSeek. E-commerce company Alibaba is making its own play for the AI crown.

Alibaba to Sell Stake in Chinese Hypermarket Operator

The company will sell its entire 78.7% stake in Hong Kong-listed Sun Art Retail Group

South Korea’s Shinsegae to set up joint venture with Alibaba International

South Korean retailer Shinsegae plans to set up a joint venture with Alibaba International, Shinsegae affiliate E-Mart said on Thursday.

US holiday retail sales stronger than last year with online boost, Mastercard says

U.S. retail sales rose 3.8% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, as intense promotion to drum up sales in what was expected to be a highly competitive holiday season for retailers prompted last-minute shopping among consumers.

PDD’s Temu app tops U.S. iOS downloads for second year running amid greater scrutiny of China companies

Temu, the popular e-commerce app owned by China’s PDD Holdings, topped Apple’s list of the most downloaded free apps on its U.S. iOS store for the second year running, highlighting the massive success that Chinese apps are enjoying in the world’s largest consumer market.

Alibaba Stock Slides After Department Store Exit. Why the Sale Is Spooking Investors.

Alibaba is bailing on traditional in-store shopping—and investors don’t seem too impressed.

Walmart, Amazon holiday spending rise as Target, Best Buy stumble, data shows

Walmart Inc., Amazon.com and fast-growing e-commerce sites Shein and PDD Holding’s Temu saw record-breaking sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to spending data, suggesting that they may finish the holiday season on a much stronger note than Target and Best Buy which struggled.

Alibaba combines e-commerce arms to tackle growing competition

Alibaba Group will integrate its domestic Chinese and international e-commerce platforms into a single business unit run by one leader for the first time, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday.

China’s JD.com struggles to shake off consumption weakness, misses revenue estimates

Chinese e-commerce group JD.com missed market estimates for quarterly revenue on Thursday, as a persistent slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy pressured consumers to keep a tight hold on their purse strings.

China’s Alibaba releases AI search tool for small businesses in Europe and the Americas

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Tuesday unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered search engine for small businesses in Europe and the Americas to source supplies.

Shopify delivers upbeat holiday forecast as AI draws customers, shares surge

Shopify forecast fourth-quarter revenue growth above estimates on Tuesday, as the Canadian company’s focus on employing AI-powered tools attract more merchants to its e-commerce services ahead of the all-important holiday season.

Tencent Cloud Commits $500 Million for Infrastructure Development in Indonesia by 2030

GoTo Group, Tencent Holdings and Alibaba’s Cloud division have signed agreements to strengthen cloud infrastructure and digital talent development in Indonesia.

China’s Alibaba launches over 100 new open-source AI models, releases text-to-video generation tool

Alibaba on Thursday released more than 100 open-source artificial intelligence models and boosted the capabilities of its proprietary technology as it looks to ramp up competition with rivals.

US to take steps to curb low-value Chinese shipments under $800 ‘de minimis’ exemption

The Biden administration on Friday said it was moving to curb a growing tide of low-value shipments entering the U.S. duty-free under the $800 “de minimis” threshold that has been exploited by Chinese e-commerce firms such as Shein and PDD Holdings’ Temu.

Temu owner PDD builds $38bn cash pile as it denies investors payouts

Chinese online retailer accumulates biggest net cash position of any listed group not to pay dividends or buy back shares

Alibaba jumps 4% in premarket after it completes three-year regulatory overhaul

Alibaba has completed a three-year regulatory “rectification” process following an antitrust fine it received on charges of monopolistic practices in 2021, China’s market regulator said on Friday.