Top 5 this week

1. How Agentic Commerce is Becoming the New Front Door to Retail

“Agentic commerce creates a new decision layer between shoppers and brands, plus a learning layer that can either compound into growth or disappear into someone else’s platform. Sellers should start building processes that capture and act on conversational intent signals (content updates, promo triggers, assortment decisions) while protecting data quality and compliance. The goal is to measure, iterate, and scale without losing control of the insights.” ~Clayton Atchison

2. German Cartel Office Bans Amazon From Using Price Controls

“This ruling forces Amazon to redesign how it polices “excessive” prices, which could loosen some of the current constraints on seller pricing power in Germany while introducing new, more transparent guardrails. Sellers in Germany now have room to test higher prices and better margins. Amazon will likely replace these controls with new, tighter algorithmic guardrails within weeks, so the window to recalibrate pricing strategy is short.” ~Shelby Owens

3. Retail News: Amazon Climbs, Legacy Retail Struggles, and Shein is Back in the Mix

“Market share continues to shift from physical stores to online ecommerce, especially for luxury brands anchored to large footprints. Digital-first models operate with lower overhead and greater flexibility, while legacy retailers losing share will need to reset their operating model. Success will go to those who build agile cost structures and meet customers where they are, or take a page from Dick’s Sporting Goods’ ‘House of Sport’ by transforming physical stores into immersive experiences rather than just errands.” ~Chelsea Cohen

4. Lowe’s Tests AI Voice Agents to Handle Customer Calls Across All Stores

“What caught my eye here wasn’t the AI voice agents as first line customer support, but Lowe’s eyeing 3D and spatial models and how that might change the shopping experience. We’ve been talking about AR and 3D shopping for years, but maybe we’re finally approaching the point where it could be practical. If big box retailers start successfully letting shoppers ‘visualize’ products in their space with AI, flat image carousels on Amazon are going to feel antiquated fast. Might be worth taking a look at your own product assets and gauge how they’d hold up in a spatial shopping environment.” ~Nikko Patten

5. 2026 Supply Chain Trends: Problem Solving Labor Shortages, Robotics, and Warehouse Constraints

“Labor shortages, shrinking warehouse space, and inventory inaccuracies are compounding into system-wide bottlenecks that cost suppliers 15-25% above industry averages. The real competitive edge is shifting toward automation, high‑density storage, and predictive analytics. 2026 will separate suppliers who’ve embedded robotics, AI, and data intelligence into their operations from those still relying on manual processes that can’t scale.” ~Mak Bidikar

Community

🤖 Meet Max – Agentic AI Built into the World’s Most Powerful Supply Chain Network.

SPS Commerce just introduced MAX, designed to deliver new and unparalleled agentic capabilities. Powered by 300,000 trading partner connections, decades of expertise and billions of real retail transactions, MAX utilizes our proprietary network intelligence to surface the signals that matter and guide next steps, helping our customers work with more confidence and less friction.

Want a closer look? Explore Max

🔍 Blog: How to Generate a Best-in-Class Compliance Program

Compliance failures don’t just cost you deductions, they create strained retailer relationships, increased manual firefighting, and revenue leakage across your entire business. To scale successfully, suppliers need to have internal programs built with clear ownership, centralized documentation, and regular audits to catch problems before retailers do. The step-by-step framework covers everything from gathering retailer requirements to turning deductions into diagnostic tools for operational improvement.

Read the full blog post