Top 5 this week

1. Temu partners with Shopify to launch app for sellers

“With tariff changes, Temu’s business model has been undergoing a major pivot and this is a clear signal of that shift. By moving more local, Temu reduces tariff exposure and lessens its reliance on China-based sellers and suppliers. Allowing Shopify sellers to list on Temu with just a few clicks lowers friction and adds another channel in today’s omni-channel landscape. This partnership could benefit both Temu and Shopify sellers, but it also signals a potential shake-up of Temu’s core USP.” ~Chelsea Cohen

2. How CTV Advertising, Creators, & Click-to-Cart Accelerate the Path to Purchase

“Everyone is copying Tiktok and Amazon. No huge surprise except that Home Depot is entering the influencer game. Amazon and other major retailers are rapidly collapsing the gap between inspiration and purchase by making video, TV, and on-page content directly shoppable, turning CTV and social video into performance channels – not just awareness. For eCommerce sellers, this means optimizing for measurable sales impact across screens (not just engagement) and preparing for faster, one-tap paths to cart where creator content, ads, and checkout are tightly linked. Sellers who adapt early to shoppable video, cleaner attribution, and frictionless add-to-cart experiences will have a clear advantage as this becomes the new baseline” ~Clayton Atchison

3. Can Walmart’s AI bet close the gap with Amazon?

“Walmart betting on ChatGPT is a bold admission that the future storefront might not be a website at all, but a chat window. It raises a big question for the next few years: will shoppers prefer going to a retailer’s ‘agent’ or AI generalist like ChatGPT (or Google’s Gemini) to handle the whole transaction? If the latter wins, Walmart is smart to integrate now; but with Google pulling ahead on model dominance, betting the farm on OpenAI is hardly a guaranteed safety net. Very curious to see how shopper behavior plays out here.” ~Nikko Patten

4. Predictability pays off: why retail leaders are cracking down on constant order changes

“Supply chain volatility has quietly become one of the biggest threats to retail profitability, with constant PO changes, mid-cycle edits, and shipment updates tying up cash, straining teams, and eroding margins. Treating predictability as a core 2026 objective – benchmarking how often orders change, tightening PO‑to‑ASN discipline, and aligning partners around fewer midstream surprises – can unlock meaningful cash flow gains and reduce deductions. Data-backed insights help suppliers move from reactive firefighting to more predictable, resilient execution.” ~Vanessa Cox

5. Amazon plans new one-hour pickup service in stores, Business Insider reports

“For brands, that points to a future where ultra-fast “order online, grab in-store” missions become as important as home delivery, raising the bar on local inventory accuracy, store-level assortments, and real-time replenishment. Vendors should start mapping which SKUs are best suited for rapid pickup, how pricing and pack sizes play in a convenience mission, and what changes are needed in forecasting and supply chain workflows to support near-instant fulfillment without blowing up margins.” ~Shelby Owens

As we wrap up a busy year, we’ll be taking a short two-week pause, returning in the new year with more weekly insights. Wishing you a warm holiday season and a strong start to 2026. Thank you for being part of our community in 2025.

Team Carbon6