The Watson Weekly: eCommerce Strategy & News

Is Paypal Running an Affiliate Scam?  That’s What Google’s New Chrome Rules Seem to Be Saying.  Many users don’t realize that Paypal’s Honey Application, the plugin which is supposed to secure you discounts on items.  Instead, it looks to be cutting certain publishers out of affiliate credits that they would otherwise be due.You’ll find this and other stories about Shoptalk, AllBirds, and Walmart on this week’s Watson Weekly podcast, coming straight to your earhole wherever you find your favorite podcasts.Today on our show:Paypal in hot water over its Honey applicationAllBirds sales plunge in 2024Why did Walmart buy a mall?Upcoming eCommerce debate event at Shoptalk- and finally, The Investor Minute which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today's episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly

Today on our show:Target 2024 earnings shows company falling behindWhen will merchants stop treating data as a project?Commercetools layoffs throws into question IPO plansHas Shopify Enterprise turned a corner?- and finally, The Investor Minute which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today's episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly

Today on our show:Is Beyond.com doomed?Klaviyo reports 2024 earningsKlaviyo coming for Salesforce Service CloudPaypal Investor Day offers problematic vision- and finally, The Investor Minute which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today's episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly

Today on our show:Walmart reports fiscal year 2025 earningsSaks stopped paying vendors on timeTikTok subscriptions could help creatorsBigCommerce reports 2024 earningsAnd finally, The Investor Minute, which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today’s episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly 

Today on our show:Shopify Q4 2024 earnings: The age of efficiency comes to ShopifyIt’s not just you - age of efficiency acceleratingAmazon Q4 earnings wins the Grammy for free cash flowAmazon ad engine getting hungry: look out Google ShoppingAnd finally, The Investor Minute, which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today’s episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly

Today on our show:Trump eliminates the de minimis for ChinaAI won't solve all the problems, but we don't realize it yetUPS Q4 2024 earnings: steering towards margin, away from AmazonAI is not the new SEO. Brands could be in a marketplace without realizing itAnd finally, The Investor Minute, which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today’s episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly 

Today on a special edition of our show:Remembering Kent AllenEvolution of Global eCommercePioneers in Cross-Border TradeCurrent Trends and PlayersJim OkamuraPartner, McMillanDoolittle and co-founder, Global E-Commerce Leaders ForumJim has over 25 years of consulting experience focused on strategic planning in the retail industry. His work in retail innovation and digital transformation has resulted in industry-leading thinking on retailer best practices and strategy. Jim has published global and national retail studies and has been a featured speaker at the NRF, Shop.org, and many international conferences. In 2013 Jim co-founder the Global E-Commerce Leaders forum, a digital retail community and conference series focused on global growth strategies for consumer brands. Jim has developed growth strategies for clients such as Adidas, Bridgestone, Maurices, Dress Barn, Gap, DSW, LensCrafters, Nike, Neiman Marcus, Souris Mini, Timberland, Victoria’s Secret, Lowes, Crate and Barrel, MasterCard, Walgreens, Marriott and Emart. Scott SilvermanCo-Founder CommerceNext; Co-Founder, Global Ecommerce Leaders ForumSilverman has been active in the retail and ecommerce industries for more than 20 years and is passionate about digital commerce and the innovation driving the industry. In 2013, Silverman co-founded the Global Ecommerce Leaders Forum, a forum and series of conferences for international and cross-border ecommerce. In 2017, Silverman co-founded CommerceNext, a community, event series and conference for marketers at retail and direct-to-consumer brands.Silverman began his career in ecommerce in 1999 where he led National Retail Federation’s digital division, Shop.org, until 2010. During his time at NRF he launched the Shop.org Annual Summit and a number of research studies. He co-invented “Cyber Monday” in 2005 and was the founder of Cybermonday.com in 2006, a shopping site that has generated more than $2.5 million for NRF’s Ray Greenly scholarship fund.In honor of Kent Allen:A digital commerce industry analyst for the last twenty plus years, Kent’s research and thought leadership has strongly influenced the development of the global/cross-border ecommerce sector. Since collaborating with Jim Okamura on the industry’s first international ecommerce benchmark study in 2008, Kent has published a wide collection of reports and articles chronicling the rise of global ecommerce ecosystems.Kent also leads strategy, industry analysis, thought leadership and content marketing initiatives that focus on omnichannel commerce and digital marketing innovations. His work includes executive research, industry speaking engagements, white papers and case studies, social content, webinars, and retail tours for retail and consumer goods executives. His latest focus, The Global Customer Journey Project explores how the online shopping journey differs in markets around the world.The Research Trust’s industry marketing programs help innovative digital companies tell their story and build ongoing relationships with prospects, established clients and partners. Kent’s practice provides a mix of strategic planning services, best practices research and market analysis for global brands and technology partners striving to better serve connected consumers around the world.

Today on our show:Risks to Amazon in the AI WarsPrivate equity outlook in 2025Artificial Intelligence moving from creating to doing with OpenAI OperatorHow to grow faster is an elusive questionAnd finally, The Investor Minute, which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today’s episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly 

In the final episode of this special 3-part Watson Weekly series, Rick Watson is joined by Kelly Goetsch, Advisor at Commerce Tools, to discuss what’s next for the world of commerce. Key topics include:The rise of social shopping and platforms like TikTok ShopsHow AI is redefining brand discovery and trustPredictions for retail growth and consumer behavior in 2025The enduring influence of earned media in building connectionsThis episode ties the series together with forward-looking insights and strategies to thrive in an ever-changing e-commerce landscape.

Today on our show:Our 2025 NRF event analysisRecapping the first ever RMW Commerce Five Forces event in New York CityAnd finally, The Investor Minute, which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs.Today’s episode is sponsored by Mirakl.https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ecommerce-podcast-watsonweekly