Marketplace Talk: January 2026's ecommerce news

🧊 ICYMI: The agentic commerce stack is taking shape

OpenAI adds a checkout cut: 4% per in-chat sale

ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout adds a transaction fee on completed purchases (reported at 4%, starting Jan 26 for Shopify merchants).

Shopify says merchants stay in control: you remain the merchant of record, orders still land in your Shopify admin, and you keep the customer relationship, with clear attribution and fee visibility. OpenAI also states that enabling Instant Checkout does not affect product rankings, so checkout-enabled listings are not meant to get preferential placement.

Walmart x Gemini: discovery in-chat, checkout stays Walmart

Walmart and Google announced a new shopping experience that pairs Gemini with Walmart and Sam’s Club’s assortment, so Gemini can automatically include relevant in-store and online products when users are researching.

If a shopper decides to buy, the transaction is completed inside Walmart’s checkout environment, keeping payments and the post-purchase experience in Walmart’s hands. The experience launches first in the U.S., with international rollout planned after.

Google’s agentic toolkit: New rails for shopping visibility

Google is expanding how products show up inside Gemini and AI Mode, moving beyond classic search placements into more “in-conversation” discovery.

The announcement highlights three building blocks: Direct Offers (an incentive layer that can surface promotions more directly), plus Universal Commerce Protocol and Business Agent, which point to deeper integration with a retailer’s commerce setup so AI can pull richer, more structured info across the shopping journey.

Apple confirms Gemini for Siri + Apple Intelligence

Apple confirmed Gemini will power Siri and Apple Intelligence in the future, reinforcing AI assistants as a key discovery surface.

For brands and marketplace teams, that means more product consideration may happen before a shopper ever reaches a marketplace or search results page. Visibility will increasingly depend on how clearly your product data, pricing, and availability can be understood and surfaced by these assistants.

“What’s interesting here is how discovery is spreading across new surfaces and channels, reaching both shoppers and agents, while checkout and fulfillment largely stay where they are today. For ecommerce teams, that shifts the focus to making sure product data, pricing, and availability are consistent wherever a shopper or agent first encounters the product.”

Niels Floors,
Head of Strategic Partnerships

🌍 Temu’s cross-border takeover: 24% share in 2025

Temu is no longer “the new kid” in cross-border. IPC data shows it captured 24% of cross-border ecommerce sales in 2025, up from less than 1% in 2022, putting it in the top-tier company alongside Amazon as the most-used cross-border seller.

For marketplace teams, the bigger signal is what cross-border shoppers demand: clear delivery charges upfront (61%), plus low customs duties and reliable reviews as deal-breakers for about half of consumers. If your cross-border offer isn’t transparent at checkout, you’re leaking conversion.

Delivery expectations are also tightening. IPC found most deliveries land within 2–7 days, while the share of deliveries taking more than two weeks fell to 7% in 2025 (down from 29% in 2020). Faster cross-border is becoming table stakes, not a premium.

🚚 TikTok’s Europe play: Fulfilled by TikTok opens to Asian sellers

TikTok is stepping further into logistics. Asian sellers on TikTok Shop in Europe can now use Fulfilled by TikTok via warehouse locations in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, shipping stock into local warehouses while TikTok handles warehousing, delivery, and returns.

TikTok is also blending logistics with creator commerce: it will match Asian merchants with European creators and agencies, enabling sample sends from local inventory. That’s a powerful combo of fulfillment speed + influencer-driven demand, built into the platform.

Meanwhile in the U.S., TikTok is tightening control: Seller Shipping will be discontinued, and sellers must use TikTok Shop logistics services. It’s a clear move to standardize delivery quality and curb dropshipping, and Europe could be next.

“TikTok is reducing friction at both ends of the funnel. Faster local fulfillment removes delivery uncertainty, while creator access accelerates demand. For brands, the challenge is no longer whether social commerce works, but whether their operations are ready to support it at scale.”

Jordi Vermeer,
VP Revenue, North America

🎸 Walmart Marketplace tunes up: premium musical instruments storefront

Walmart expanded its marketplace with a curated Premium Musical Instrument Shop, bringing a wider assortment of pro gear into a dedicated storefront experience.

The selection includes brands like Fender, Roland, Boss, Squier, and Zildjian, plus accessories across skill levels. Walmart positions this as phase one of a broader push to grow its professional music gear marketplace.

For marketplace teams, it’s another signal of category strategy: Walmart is leaning into curated, premium experiences to compete more directly with specialist retailers.

⚡ Amazon Now launches in London: 30-minute essentials delivery

Amazon has launched Amazon Now in London, offering delivery of thousands of everyday essentials within 30 minutes in selected areas. The first quick local delivery site, QLD1, serves London’s Southwark area.

Unlike Prime Now, this is fully integrated into the main Amazon app, which lowers friction and boosts adoption. Amazon is also testing a new last-mile model built from the ground up, involving 57 internal teams, with leadership calling it the foundation for what’s next in the UK and EU.

Prime members get cheaper delivery, but the key takeaway is strategic: to scale quick commerce, Amazon needs a dense network of smaller fulfillment locations. This is a signal that “need it now” is becoming a mainstream marketplace battleground in Europe.

“Quick commerce doesn’t replace standard fulfillment models, but it does reset what consumers expect around delivery speed and availability. Brands need to be clear about which products justify speed and ensure the experience remains predictable during demand spikes.”

Mitchell Dröge,
Global Manager Channel Partnerships

👗 Topshop’s comeback: 23-market EU store, plus a physical reset in the UK

Topshop has launched eu.topshop.com across 23 European markets, reintroducing the brand through a digital-first model after its Arcadia collapse and Asos acquisition. Shoppers get access to full lines across denim, tailoring, dresses, eveningwear, footwear, and accessories.

Topshop’s leadership is framing this as a platform for continuous improvement, with new features planned monthly to make shopping “more engaging and convenient.” The strategy is clear: rebuild relevance through owned digital experience.

But the pressure is real. The market is “completely different,” and online fashion share gains from Temu and SHEIN are explicitly called out as a squeeze on everyone’s offer. Topshop is also preparing a UK physical presence via outlets in 32 John Lewis stores next month.

🧴 Robertet goes digital in North America with e-Robertet

Robertet launched e-Robertet, a B2B ecommerce platform now live in the U.S. and Canada, giving professional customers a direct online route to browse, sample, and purchase ingredients like essential oils, extracts, CO₂ extracts, and specialty naturals.

The platform extends Robertet’s digital model to serve a broader customer base, including independent formulators, laboratories, and emerging brands, alongside larger clients. It’s designed for faster service and greater flexibility for professional users.

Key features include online ordering, transparent pricing, smaller pack sizes, real-time inventory visibility, and North America-based shipping, plus dedicated support.