Squarespace announced in May that it planned to go private as part of a deal with private equity firm Permira. The deal was originally valued at $6.9 billion. The two companies have since amended their agreement, bringing the value up to $7.2 billion, or $46.50 per share, an increase of $2.50 per share.

“The Special Committee is pleased to announce the revised terms of our agreement with Permira,” said Michael Fleisher, Chairman of the Special Committee of the Squarespace Board of Directors. “Our core focus has been maximizing value and certainty for the unaffiliated stockholders. This transaction is the result of a deliberate and thoughtful process and ultimately represents a great outcome that is in the best interest of Squarespace and all of its stockholders.”

David Erlong, Partner at Permira, said, “We are pleased that the revised offer and merger agreement have been unanimously approved by Squarespace’s Special Committee and Board of Directors and appreciate their focus throughout this process. This best and final offer allows Squarespace stockholders to capture immediate and certain value for their investment. By tendering their shares, Squarespace stockholders can act directly to accept the compelling value of this offer.”

The companies confirmed that Squarespace will be a privately-held company once the deal is complete.

Upon completion of the merger, Squarespace’s common stock will no longer be publicly listed, and Squarespace will become a privately-held company.

Squarespace has been working to compete with rivals, such as GoDaddy, snapping up Google Domains in mid-2023 as part of its strategy. It’s hoped that taking the company private will further strengthen its position and give it a competitive advantage.

The EU Commission fined Google in 2017 for promoting its own shopping services over those of rivals, leveraging its dominance in the search market to do so. The Commission levied a whopping $2.7 billion fine on the company, which Google has spent the last seven years fighting.

According to Reuters, the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union has upheld a lower court ruling that validated the Commission’s fine of the search giant. As with most monopoly-regulation, the CJEU judges confirmed there was nothing wrong with having a hard-earned dominant position in the market, but it is illegal to abuse that position to the detriment of rivals.

“In particular, the conduct of undertakings in a dominant position that has the effect of hindering competition on the merits and is thus likely to cause harm to individual undertakings and consumers is prohibited,” they said.

The CJEU’s decision is the latest legal setback for Google, with the company recently losing its antitrust case in the US. The judge presiding over that case intends to announce his decision regarding punitive measures next summer, but experts say the company could face everything from being banned from making exclusionary deals to a possible breakup of its core businesses.

Fake reviews have been a long-term and growing issue for online companies. Amazon and Google have struggled with the problem, with the companies periodically investigated by regulators keep to determine if they are doing enough to tackle the issue.

The FTC is now directly addressing the issue by prohibiting companies from buying or selling fake reviews.

“Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “By strengthening the FTC’s toolkit to fight deceptive advertising, the final rule will protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive.”

The final rule prohibits the following:

• Fake or False Consumer Reviews, Consumer Testimonials, and Celebrity Testimonials: The final rule addresses reviews and testimonials that misrepresent that they are by someone who does not exist, such as AI-generated fake reviews, or who did not have actual experience with the business or its products or services, or that misrepresent the experience of the person giving it. It prohibits businesses from creating or selling such reviews or testimonials. It also prohibits them from buying such reviews, procuring them from company insiders, or disseminating such testimonials, when the business knew or should have known that the reviews or testimonials were fake or false.
• Buying Positive or Negative Reviews: The final rule prohibits businesses from providing compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, either positive or negative. It clarifies that the conditional nature of the offer of compensation or incentive may be expressly or implicitly conveyed.
• Insider Reviews and Consumer Testimonials: The final rule prohibits certain reviews and testimonials written by company insiders that fail to clearly and conspicuously disclose the giver’s material connection to the business. It prohibits such reviews and testimonials given by officers or managers. It also prohibits a business from disseminating such a testimonial that the business should have known was by an officer, manager, employee, or agent. Finally, it imposes requirements when officers or managers solicit consumer reviews from their own immediate relatives or from employees or agents – or when they tell employees or agents to solicit reviews from relatives and such solicitations result in reviews by immediate relatives of the employees or agents.
• Company-Controlled Review Websites: The final rule prohibits a business from misrepresenting that a website or entity it controls provides independent reviews or opinions about a category of products or services that includes its own products or services.
• Review Suppression: The final rule prohibits a business from using unfounded or groundless legal threats, physical threats, intimidation, or certain false public accusations to prevent or remove a negative consumer review. The final rule also bars a business from misrepresenting that the reviews on a review portion of its website represent all or most of the reviews submitted when reviews have been suppressed based upon their ratings or negative sentiment.
• Misuse of Fake Social Media Indicators: The final rule prohibits anyone from selling or buying fake indicators of social media influence, such as followers or views generated by a bot or hijacked account. This prohibition is limited to situations in which the buyer knew or should have known that the indicators were fake and misrepresent the buyer’s influence or importance for a commercial purpose.

The FTC voted 5-0 to pass the new rule. Hopefully, it will help improve consumer confidence and enable more honest evaluation of products.

Amazon’s role in handling recalls and defective products has been a bit of a gray area, given that many of the products sold via its online platform are sold by third parties. The Commission received a complaint in 2021, alleging that Amazon was distributing products that posed a “substantial product hazard” under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).

During the CPSC’s investigation, Amazon did not deny the risk posed by the products, but argued to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) that it was technically not a distributor, as defined by the CPSA, since the products were sold by third parties. Therefore, the company argued that it was not responsible for any recalls or mitigation efforts.

The CPSC ruled against the company, saying the company did qualify as a distributor.

The ALJ rejected Amazon’s argument, holding that Amazon acted as a distributor in this matter. The Commission affirmed that holding in today’s decision.

Amazon also claimed that sending messages to initial purchasers about “potential” safety issues and providing initial purchasers with Amazon.com credits – rather than refunds incentivizing product return or destruction – were sufficient to remedy the product hazards. The Commission, as well as the ALJ, disagreed, finding Amazon’s actions inadequate to protect the public.

Amazon must now develop and submit proposed plans to notify purchasers and the public about the product hazards, and to provide refunds or replacements for these products. Notice to the public is important so that people who may have received one of the products as a gift or purchased it second-hand can learn about the hazards. The Commission will consider these plans and then issue a second order on notification and remedies.

This puts Amazon on the same playing field as Walmart, Target, and other US retailers who must serve notice and facilitate recalls of defective products as a part of their role in distributing them.

Prime Day is Amazon’s annual event that sees steep discounts on products across categories. In some cases, customers can save up to 50% off of products. Positioned shortly before many kids return to school in the US, Prime Day is a good time to save on back-to-school products.

“Prime Day is the biggest event of the year celebrating Prime members, offering huge savings on the brands they love, plus deals across Prime member services like grocery delivery from Amazon subscription and music and podcasts from Amazon Music,” said Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime. “If you’re not a Prime member yet, now is the perfect time to join and get the most out of Amazon.”

The company says customers can expect the following deals:

• Save up to 68% on select devices and bundles including Ring Spotlight Cam Plus, eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi systems, Blink Outdoor 4 + Echo Show 5 bundles, Fire TV Stick with an Xbox Wireless Controller bundle, Fire TV 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV, Fire 10 Kids tablet, and Ring Pet bundles
• Save up to 50% on select all-new Amazon devices including Echo Spot, Blink Mini 2, and Ring Battery Doorbell Pro
• Save up to 50% off home appliances from Dyson, Shark, and Bissell
• Save up to 50% on Keurig coffee brewers
• Save up to 50% on Crest Whitestrips and Oral-B toothbrushes
• Save 45% on iRobot Roomba vacuums, mops, and combos
• Save up to 40% on Sony headphones
• Save up to 40% on campus essentials from Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials
• Save up to 40% off select styles from Allbirds and Rothy’s Footwear
• Save up to 40% on Orolay select apparel
• Save up to 40% on IT Cosmetics makeup and skincare
• Save up to 35% on select kitchen and home appliances from Vitamix
• Save up to 35% off select products from Shopbop including Dr. Martens, Reebok, Fila, and APL
• Save 30% on Urban Decay cosmetics and on Lancôme cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance
• Save up to 30% on select shoes and apparel from New Balance
• Save up to 30% on select haircare products from Amika, Biolage, and Color Wow
• Save up to 30% on select skincare products from Innisfree, Clarins, and beauty products from goop and good.clean.goop
• Save up to 30% off select premium beauty products from new to Amazon brands including Bumble and bumble., Clinique, and Kiehl’s
• Save 20% on select pre-loved designer handbags & accessories from What Goes Around Comes Around
• Save 20% on select luxury fashion and beauty from brands such as AREA, Giuseppe Zanotti, Altuzarra, Dr. Barbara Sturm, and Cle de Peau
• Save on celebrity brands like Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton, and Below 60 by Hilary Duff

American Express is one of the most sought after credit cards, and its customers tend to be among the highest credit card spenders. Unfortunately, the company’s high fees don’t always make up for increased business merchants see.

eBay is one of those merchants, calling out American Express for “unacceptably high fees” at a time when credit card fees should be declining.

“After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally effective August 17 due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions,” reads the company’s statement. “At a time when payment processing costs should be declining because of technological advancements, investments in fraud capabilities and customer protections by merchants like eBay, credit card transaction fees continue to rise unabated because of a lack of meaningful competition. As consumers and small businesses are worried about inflation and rising costs, there is a need for more robust regulations to drive greater competition to credit card networks and help reduce transaction processing costs for merchants and their customers.”

eBay says its customers are willing to use alternative payment methods in the absence of American Express.

“Based on research, we know that the vast majority of eBay customers are willing to use alternative payment options to continue enjoying buying and selling on our marketplace….Our customers have a deep affinity for eBay due to our unique inventory, attractive prices, and the meaningful role eBay plays in powering recommerce to contribute to a healthier planet.”

Despite a slight unfavorable impact from foreign exchange rates, the company’s growth trajectory remains strong, with notable increases across all major segments. The North America segment saw a 12% increase in sales to $86.3 billion, while international sales rose 10% to $31.9 billion — 11% growth when adjusted for currency fluctuations. Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s cloud computing division, continued its impressive performance, with sales climbing 17% to $25 billion.

Operating income for the quarter surged to $15.3 billion, a substantial rise from $4.8 billion in the first quarter of 2023. This growth was reflected across all segments, with North American operating income increasing more than fivefold to $5 billion and the international segment turning a previous loss into a $0.9 billion gain. AWS contributed significantly with $9.4 billion in operating income, up from $5.1 billion last year.

Net income significantly rose to $10.4 billion, or $0.98 per diluted share, compared with $3.2 billion, or $0.31 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2023. This increase includes a pre-tax valuation loss of $2 billion from the company’s investment in Rivian Automotive, Inc., underscoring the volatile nature of investment returns.

Strategic Highlights and Innovations

Under the leadership of CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon is excelling financially and deepening its engagement with technological innovation and customer experience. Jassy highlighted the accelerated growth of AWS, driven by its expanding AI capabilities and infrastructure modernization. Meanwhile, the company’s retail arm is not only enhancing product selection and delivery speeds but also reducing operational costs.

Amazon has continued to invest heavily in customer-centric innovations. It has significantly expanded its delivery capabilities, with more than 2 billion units delivered the same or next day globally in the first quarter alone. In major cities like London, Tokyo, and Toronto, three-quarters of items now arrive within a day.

The company also broadened its product offerings with new and exclusive brands across various categories and conducted global shopping events offering significant discounts. These initiatives not only enhanced customer satisfaction but also drove sales volume and brand loyalty.

In healthcare, Amazon has expanded its services, including directly delivering critical medications and launching health programs to enhance patient care through digital platforms. The company has also rolled out a grocery subscription service, offering unlimited deliveries for orders over $35 from Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh.

Technological Prowess and Future Outlook

Amazon’s commitment to innovation is evident in its use of AI across various operations, from enhancing AWS offerings to integrating AI in customer service applications. The company’s Prime Video is set to expand its content slate significantly, streaming its first NFL Wild Card playoff game in 2025 and continually adding to its local and global original content lineup.

Amazon plans to expand its AWS infrastructure with significant investments in new data centers and technology solutions. This includes future launches of AWS infrastructure regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Mexico, involving investments surpassing $5 billion in each location.

As Amazon continues its growth, it remains focused on scaling its operations responsibly and sustainably, seeking to blend technological innovation with robust financial performance.

For the upcoming second quarter of 2024, Amazon expects net sales to be between $144 billion and $149 billion, reflecting a growth of 7% to 11% compared with the second quarter of 2023. Operating income is projected to be between $10 billion and $14 billion, compared with $7.7 billion in the same period last year, indicating continuing profitability and operational efficiency.

Amazon’s robust start to 2024 sets a positive tone for its strategies moving forward, blending growth with innovation in ways that promise to enhance customer experiences while driving shareholder value.

Travis Marziani, a seasoned e-commerce veteran and seven-figure seller, explains what it means to sell on Amazon today. “Every day, 4,000 new sellers join Amazon, a clear testament to its allure,” Travis states. However, he quickly points to a stark reality: “Despite this influx, 90% of all e-commerce sellers on platforms like Amazon will fail.” Watch his video below for the full “harsh truth” about Amazon FBA.

Why Amazon? Pros and Cons

Amazon FBA has democratized the e-commerce space, allowing sellers to leverage Amazon’s massive logistical advantages. Over 43% of Amazon sellers rake in upwards of $100,000 annually, a success rate Travis suggests is more promising than other online business models like Shopify or drop shipping.

The platform’s expansive reach is undeniable, with over 300 million Prime customers globally and continuous growth in marketplace spending—projected sales hit $700 billion in 2024. Yet, this growth comes with heightened competition. The platform has become a battleground where longstanding and new merchants vie for consumer attention amidst a daily addition of sellers.

The Hidden Truths of Amazon FBA

Travis underscores several “big truths” or cons about Amazon that potential sellers must consider:

• Market Saturation: With millions of active sellers, the market is crowded. Strategies that worked years ago may no longer yield success unless innovatively adapted.
• Account Vulnerability: Amazon’s control can be a double-edged sword. The ease of setting up shop is counterbalanced by the platform’s ability to suspend sellers abruptly.
• Operational Challenges: While the FBA model offloads logistical burdens like storage and shipping, it requires meticulous inventory management and adherence to Amazon’s stringent policies.
• Despite these challenges, Travis points to the unique advantages of the FBA program. “The freedom it offers is unparalleled. You can manage your business from anywhere in the world,” he explains. This freedom, however, is not devoid of effort. Establishing a profitable Amazon business necessitates a robust strategy and an initial investment of time and resources.

Strategic Insights for Aspiring Sellers

For newcomers, Travis offers strategic insights:

• Product Selection: Leveraging tools like Helium 10 can significantly enhance product discovery and validation processes.
• Retail Arbitrage: Though viable, this method demands constant deal-hunting and isn’t conducive to passive income.
• Wholesale and Private Label: These traditional approaches, including intense price competition and market entry barriers, are increasingly challenging.
• Alternatively, Travis champions creating ‘passion products.’ This involves developing unique products that cater to specific consumer needs—a strategy less susceptible to saturation and potentially more rewarding.

Financial Considerations

Launching on Amazon isn’t inexpensive. Sellers must account for various fees:

• Referral Fees: Amazon charges a standard 15% on every sale, which can be reduced for brand-registered sellers.
• Fulfillment Fees: These vary by product size and weight but typically include packing and shipping costs handled by Amazon.

Looking Ahead

As 2024 unfolds, Amazon FBA remains a potent platform for e-commerce but requires a nuanced understanding of its dynamics. Travis concludes, “Success on Amazon is achievable with the right approach—meticulous planning, a strategic understanding of the marketplace, and a commitment to continual learning and adaptation.”

For those considering Amazon FBA, the journey is complex and challenging but equally ripe with opportunity for those who navigate it wisely. As the digital marketplace evolves, so must its merchants’ strategies.

The setback for some merchants is their failure to find the right mobile app developer when they initially launched. As their brands grow, their mobile stores’ needs become more specific. Retail brands with apps that directly fulfill the experience that shoppers desire are on a solid path to success; this is why finding the right app developer is imperative.

Find the right mobile app developer for brand needs

Third-party developers like Tapcart, the no-code app developer for Shopify, allow merchants to customize their checkout settings to create a frictionless checkout experience while enabling tools to help increase conversions. With the aid of these third-party developers, merchants can implement features like single-page checkouts and pre-filled shipping forms that allow for a quick checkout experience. Conversion features including checkout navigation, which automatically navigates customers to checkout when they add products to their cart, have contributed to Tapcart’s popularity amongst retail giants like Fashion Nova and Pier 1 Imports. 

Reduce the number of form fields

Over 18 percent of shoppers will abandon their cart if the checkout process is too long or complicated. In order to combat this, merchants should reduce the number of form fields so that shoppers have less to fill out. Fewer form fields ensure a frictionless checkout experience that increases conversion rates up to 160 percent. 

On average, merchants include 2 times more form fields than necessary. With these large amounts of forms, it can be tedious for a shopper to complete them for just one or two items. Reducing the typical number of checkout form fields can result in fewer abandoned cart rates, a checkout process that takes just  5 seconds to complete, and ultimately a significant jump in sales.

Accept various payment methods

With the rise of alternative payment methods, shoppers are no longer solely opting for credit and debit cards. In fact, 31 percent of shoppers say that they are more likely to use alternative payment methods (APMs) since the start of the pandemic. Providing APMs, like buy-now-pay-later (BNPL), which can be implemented through companies such as Affirm and Quadpay, allow eCommerce customers the freedom to choose their preferred payment method, ultimately resulting in a more streamlined checkout experience that caters directly to consumers.

Adding various payment methods is a simple way to attract new customers who, on other eCommerce apps, might not be able to use their preferred payment method. As a result, customers will flock to merchants’ mobile apps with the knowledge that they don’t have to change their choice of payment and instead can focus on their excellent shopping experience. 

Allow customers to shop as guests or create accounts

Having a customer account on an eCommerce website can provide prefilled shipping info, order history, and real-time order tracking, making a customer’s shopping experience optimal for quick and simple transactions. However, some customers prefer the guest checkout experience, as it requires less commitment and leads to faster first-time purchases. With a guest checkout feature, a shopper doesn’t have to fill out forms and create an account to purchase on a website, allowing a swift shopping experience without all of the extra steps involved.

Implementing an expedited checkout will increase customer loyalty to eCommerce mobile apps  and further success by decreasing cart abandonment rates. If the conversions aren’t meeting the quota initially intended, effectuating one or more of these tips is a great way to begin boosting numbers and meeting eCommerce goals.
To ensure your eCommerce store is having all of its needs met for maximum success, it is imperative that merchants find the right mobile app builder. Launching a high-converting mobile app can be easy with the right mobile app builder that offers features to ensure the most frictionless checkout experience.

Amazon has been increasing the amount of services it provides sellers, greatly simplifying the logistics involved in running an online store. The company’s newest expansion of services is one of its biggest yet and will help sellers ship faster at lower costs:

Sellers can now benefit from Amazon’s advanced logistics, warehousing, distribution, fulfillment, and transportation capabilities to keep products in stock, ship faster and more reliably, and significantly lower costs.

The company says Supply Chain by Amazon will help sellers focus on what they do best while leaving the logistics to Amazon:

With Supply Chain by Amazon, Amazon will pick up inventory from manufacturing facilities around the world, ship it across borders, handle customs clearance and ground transportation, store inventory in bulk, manage replenishment across Amazon and other sales channels, and deliver directly to customers—all without sellers having to worry about managing their supply chain. The new solution allows sellers to spend more time building great products, delighting customers, and growing their business, while Amazon handles the logistics, improves delivery speed, and reduces costs for sellers.

In combination with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), the service will allow sellers to rely on Amazon for inventory replenishment:

In addition to the cost savings through AWD, sellers will now have the opportunity to leverage Amazon’s advanced machine learning and supply chain optimization capabilities to automatically replenish inventory into the optimal Amazon fulfillment centers. This better supports expected customer demand, and allows sellers to benefit from even faster speeds from FBA and deliver customer orders for off-Amazon channels through Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF). Placing sellers’ products in the right quantities at the right locations to meet customer demand increases the potential for Same-Day Delivery and Next-Day Delivery speeds, which in turn drives an average 15% increase in FBA unit sales.

Sellers can learn more on the Supply Chain by Amazon page.

Seth Freeman, Chief Marketing Officer of Buffalo Wild Wings, was recently interviewed on Adweek’s CMO Moves podcast with Nadine Dietz. Freeman discussed their new “game on” brand architecture that defines not just their new marketing strategy but really the heart of the business. “The purpose ultimately is really about inspiring legendary experiences between friends,” noted Freeman:

Turning Good Times With Friends Into Great Times With Brothers

When I think of brand architecture it really gets to the essence of the brand. There are three components to it in the way we framed it up.  They are the promise, the essence, and the purpose. We identified an insight out there that guys want to turn good times with friends into great times with brothers. More accurately, legendary experiences with brothers. That was the cultural insight that really framed our brand architecture.

When we think about our purpose we defined our promise as the great American sports bar that turned game time into stories worth telling. It wasn’t just about inviting folks to watch a game. It was about translating that into an experience worth telling. That’s what folks are really looking for. That’s the promise that we deliver on every single day. That’s why we get up. That’s why folks are going out there and doing the job that they do and delivering a great experience.

It’s “Game On” for Buffalo Wild Wings

Our purpose ultimately is really about inspiring legendary experiences between friends. The essence of the brand is around this idea of camaraderie and ritual and something that we like to call “game on.” It’s our ability to make sure that when folks come in to experience Buffalo Wild Wings that we have a game on mentality and that we bring them the very best of who we are. We have 80,000 folks out there working across Buffalo Wild Wings and they bring it every single day.

As we were talking to consumers, one of the things we learned was that some of the most impactful experiences that they talked about was with the bartenders and servers. They are influencing whether or not those folks come back. For instance, one of the most memorable experiences they talked about was the bartender remembering them when they came back.

That is our brand architecture, but it also lends itself to things we have done in rolling out this purpose to the broader community through our Brand Champ Initiative. That really is a cultural movement that we are employing across our franchises and corporate stores. We have over 1,200 locations where folks are trained to make sure that the brand architecture is translating to a way that is meaningful to the consumers and also meaningful to the folks that are on the front lines every single day.

Vice President, Ryan C. Baker, posted a message on the company’s website:

As previously announced, Zulily, LLC and its parent Zulily Group LLC (collectively, “Zulily”) made the difficult but necessary decision to conduct an orderly wind-down of the business to maximize value for the companies’ creditors. This decision was not easy nor was it entered into lightly. However, given the challenging business environment in which Zulily operated, and the corresponding financial instability, Zulily decided to take immediate and swift action. 

Baker says the company will fill as many order as possible within the next two week. Orders that cannot be fulfilled will be canceled and refunded. Baker says the company has a team in place to answer questions from customers, vendors, and others.

We realize that this news comes with many questions, and we have put a team in place to address customer, vendor, and other interested party inquiries. The Zulily ABC hotline can be reached at 888-202-5829 or (+1) 747-288-6406 outside the U.S., or visit https://omniagentsolutions.com/ZulilyABC for more information and additional support. In addition, customers can send email inquiries to ZulilyCustomersABC@OmniAgnt.com, while vendors and other parties of interest can email ZulilyABCInquiries@omniagnt.com.

Zulily will strive to continue to provide everyone with the best service possible during the holiday season. We appreciate yourpatience as we move through this process as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

According to GeekWire, the retailer announced the layoffs Tuesday, although it is unclear how many employees were impacted. The news comes on the heels of CEO Terry Boyle announcing his resignation.

The company appears to be going through financial issues, with GeekWire previously reporting that Zulily was not paying some of its vendors after being purchased by Regent in May.

GeekWire reports, that Amazon “confirmed that it recently began testing a partnership with pet giant Petco, which will accept returns from customers who purchased items on Amazon.com.”

Amazon already has partnerships with Kohl’s and Staples. The partnerships are a win-win, giving Amazon’s customers a convenient option for returns while driving traffic to the partner chains.

There is no word on how long the test phase will last.

Spotted by AppleInsider, Apple is opening an online store for the first time in Chile. The company has had a site for its Chilean customers but was unable to sell online. That changes October 16, with the company officially able to sell online in the country.

“Hello, Chile,” says the store online (translated). “We have a lot to celebrate.”

The outlet reports that “Apple is offering downloadable wallpapers for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, with its new Chile design.”

According to CNBC, Indonesia’s ministry of trade announced the policy:

“One of the things that is regulated is that the government only allows social media to be used to facilitate promotions, not for transactions,” the ministry said.

Officials said the move — along with preventing social media companies from acting as e-commerce platforms — was necessary to protect user data.

“The connection [between social media and e-commerce] must be separated so that the algorithm is not all controlled” thus preventing “the use of personal data” by businesses. — Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan

While the policy impacts all social media, as CNBC points out, it is an especially big blow to TikTok, as the company has been working to expand its e-commerce business.

According to the DOJ, eBay has sold hundreds of thousands of products that violate environmental regulations. In addition, the platform is accused of selling, or contributed to the sale, of 343,000 “defeat devices” designed to circumvent vehicle emission controls.

The DOJ says eBay was also involved in the sale of at least 23,000 pesticides that were restricted, misbranded, or unregistered, even doing so in violation of a previous EPA order to stop.

The company is also accused of distributing more than 5,600 items that violate the TSCA Methylene Chloride Rule.

“Laws that prohibit selling products that can severely harm human health and the environment apply to e-commerce retailers like eBay just as they do to brick-and-mortar stores,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to preventing the unlawful sale and distribution of emissions-defeating devices and dangerous chemicals that, if used improperly, can lead to dire consequences for individuals and communities.”

“Our nation’s environmental laws protect public health and the environment by prohibiting the unlawful sale of defeat devices; unregistered, misbranded and restricted use pesticides; and unsafe products containing toxic chemicals such as methylene chloride,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The complaint filed today demonstrates that EPA will hold online retailers responsible for the unlawful sale of products on their websites that can harm consumers and the environment.”

“eBay’s sale of emission control defeat devices, pesticides and other unsafe products poses unacceptable risks to our communities disproportionately impacted by environmental and health hazards,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “Together with our partners, this office will vigorously enforce federal law against those whose conduct endangers public health and the environment.”

The FTC has been investigating Amazon’s business practices and preparing a case against the tech giant for months. The FTC makes clear that it is not suing Amazon become of its size, but because of alleged “exclusionary conduct” aimed at stifling competition from existing or potential rivals.

“Our complaint lays out how Amazon has used a set of punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them. Today’s lawsuit seeks to hold Amazon to account for these monopolistic practices and restore the lost promise of free and fair competition.”

The FTC took special note of Amazon’s practice of punishing sellers who try to offer lower prices through other outlets, as well as the company’s efforts to force sellers into gaining “Prime” status, ensuring Amazon is able to charge them significant fees for fulfillment services. The agency also took issue with Amazon’s practice of pushing its own products, preferring advertised products over genuine results, and adding more fees to sellers, with many of them paying Amazon as much as 50% of what they earn.

“We’re bringing this case because Amazon’s illegal conduct has stifled competition across a huge swath of the online economy. Amazon is a monopolist that uses its power to hike prices on American shoppers and charge sky-high fees on hundreds of thousands of online sellers,” said John Newman, Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Seldom in the history of U.S. antitrust law has one case had the potential to do so much good for so many people.”

The FTC was joined in its lawsuit by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, prompting the company to launch a second Prime Day event. This year’s second event will be held in mid-October.

“We’re giving our Prime members yet another way to save, with deals on some of the most wanted gifts of the season,” said Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime. “Members can shop deals across categories like fashion, home, and toys that include some of our most popular items during Prime Big Deal Days. They can also take advantage of other exciting Prime member benefits, like shopping favorite brands beyond Amazon.com with Buy with Prime and accessing doorbuster deals with Invite-only deals.”

Prime Big Deal Days will be held simultaneously in 18 counties, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the US, and the UK. Japan, the 19th country, will have access to Prime Big Deal Days later in October.

Yahoo Mail is an online email service that, like so many others, is in Gmail’s shadow. Nonetheless, the service offers a powerful experience combined with a clean user interface.

The company is improving the experience even more with AI, unveiling its Shopping Saver tool. The new tool “surfaces long-forgotten gift cards, discount codes, and store credits in user inboxes, and drafts suggested messages to vendors to help apply those savings after a purchase has been made.”

The feature is currently part of Yahoo Mail’s AI beta.

“We’ve introduced a full suite of tools on Yahoo Mail to help users save time and money, making strides toward an assistive inbox,” said Josh Jacobson, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Yahoo Mail. “In total, US consumers have $23 billion in unused gift cards and credits, and we hope our new tools will help users gain a fraction of that back in their wallets.”

Shopping Saver is one of the most useful everyday use cases for AI and demonstrates that Yahoo is showing sparks of the innovation it was once known for.