🌀 First Amazon EU Transparency Report. What did Amazon disclose?

🛒 Mass merchant marketplaces  

• 🌎 Shopify has officially transformed into a marketplace. The widely popular Shop App, known for its seamless product search and discovery, is now available on desktop browsers via shop.app. Previously exclusive to mobile, Shop App empowered users to explore diverse products, earn cashback, and effortlessly track Shopify orders. Now, these features are accessible to a broader audience on the web. Deep dive → Coywolf

• 🌎 Amazon tests humanoid robot. Amazon is in the first test phase of the humanoid robot Digit from Agility Robotics in its logistics centers. Digit has two arms and two ostrich-like legs, and its head contains cameras, sensors and a lidar system. His LED eyes flash when he changes direction. The first phase, in which Digit collects empty boxes, is primarily about how human employees react to a robot colleague. Deep dive → SupplyChainDive

• 🌎 AliExpress celebrates Singles Day. AliExpress is planning its “11.11 Global Shopping Festival” for Singles Day, which begins with a three-day warm-up phase on November 8^th. he Global festival will offer fastest delivery times to date and will feature millions of products discounted by up to 50%. Deep dive → RetailTimes

• 🇺🇸 Amazon algorithm juiced prices, cost US consumers $1 billion. The complaint’s newly unsealed portions, filed Thursday in Seattle federal court, uncover a wide range of previously non-public allegations. They also provide novel context on Amazon’s sprawling business, including specific figures that illustrate Amazon’s enormous scale and its relationship with third-party sellers on its platform. Deep dive → CNN

• 🇺🇸 Walmart to upgrade 1,400 stores with $9 billion investment. Investment to improve layouts, expand product selections, and add new tech. As part of those efforts, the company tested some remodeled concept stores called "Stores of the Future" at a few Walmart Supercenters, including Teterboro in New Jersey, earlier this year. Deep dive → Reauters

• 🇪🇺 Alibaba expands its range of certified products.  Alibaba “European Pavilion” has increased its range of products with EU product certificates from verified suppliers from 1.5 to 8 million products. Its European Pavilion offer is supported by TÜV Rheinland, a leading global testing service provider, working with Alibaba.com on the "Verified Supplier" program. The program enables B2B buyers to identify and connect with reliable and verified suppliers on Alibaba.com. Deep dive →  Spin-off

• 🇵🇱 Allegro launched its Lowest Price Guarantee campaign. The promo runs from November 1 to November 30, 2023. If a buyer discovers a better offer elsewhere after making a transaction, Allegro will refund the price difference plus an additional 50% in the form of a coupon, with a maximum refund of 45 EUR. Deep dive → Android

👗 Fashion & Beauty marketplaces

• 🌎 Shein acquires British fast fashion brand Missguided as it looks to expand global reach. The acquisition will see Shein manufacture Missguided’s products and sell them on both companies’ websites as an independent brand, while Frasers will retain Missguided’s real estate and employees, according to news releases. Deep dive → CNBC

• 🇺🇸 Amazon to close apparel stores, almost a year and a half after opening the first location. The company had opened two locations in Ohio and California. The move marks Amazon’s latest reevaluation of its physical store strategy as it looks for areas to trim costs. Deep dive → CNBC

• 🇪🇺 Zalando sees end-year clothing demand staying weak. Zalando now expects 2023 revenue to fall by between 0.5% and 3%, having previously guided to a 1% decline at worst. Third-quarter sales of 2.275 billion euros ($2.41 billion) missed analysts' estimates and were down 3.2% from the same quarter last year. Deep dive → Reuters

• 🇨🇭 Zalando is set to broaden its tech hub in Zurich, intending to establish a second technology unit for the company. The objective remains to have a team of 150 IT professionals, although the development of a virtual changing room concept is temporarily on hold. Currently, four positions are open for recruitment, with the primary focus being on enhancing and personalizing the search function. Deep dive → Inside IT

• 🇬🇧 Asos is selling Topshop. Asos is understood to be in talks to sell Topshop to Forever 21 and Ted Baker owner Authentic Brands Group. Asos probably did not manage to successfully integrate Topshop into its own online offering because it only took over the brand rights, but not the branch network. The fact that Asos itself has reported declining sales for four quarters could also make a takeover more likely. Deep dive → RetailGazzete

🍔 Food marketplaces

• 🇺🇸 Doordash reports “best quarter ever”. In its 10th year of operation, Doordash reported its best quarterly earnings since its initial public offering in 2020. The delivery service generated sales of $2.2 billion in Q3, an increase of 27 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Doordash is on track to generate over $1 billion in adjusted EBITDA and more than 2 billion orders this year. FastCompany | Reuters

• 🇺🇸 Doordash wants to enforce tips before delivery. The American restaurant delivery service Doordash warns customers who did not leave a tip when ordering that the courier drivers could deliver the ordered food late. As with many delivery services in the US, tips are an important source of income for Doordash drivers. So-called pre-tipping is also unusual in the USA, in whose culture tipping is virtually obligatory. Deep dive → CNN

• 🇬🇧 Deliveroo is undergoing an internal digital transformation. Deliveroo is now looking towards automation and a platform-based approach for its internal service delivery. Part of this digital transformation journey has involved the adoption of the ServiceNow platform, initially for IT service management and security incident response - but will be expanding to include software and hardware asset management, amongst other modules. Deep dive → Diginomica

• 🇲🇾 Delivery Hero may sell foodpanda business in Malaysia by next month. The Malaysian operation is one of seven foodpanda markets in Southeast Asia that Delivery Hero was said to be disposing off with Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd rumored as a potential buyer. Deep dive → NST

📦Various marketplaces

• 🌎 Faire (Wholesale marketplace) lays off 20% of its staff after raising last year round at USD 12.6B valuation. Faire in October of 2022 had laid off 7% of its staff, which totaled about 1,200 at that time. So this round marks its second round of known cuts in just over a year. It’s not clear how Faire’s business has been performing as of late but in mid-November 2021, the company said that it saw “more than 3x year-on-year growth” and had reached more than $1 billion in annual volume in less than five years. Deep dive → TechCrunch

• 🌎 X might be working on a marketplace for old unused usernames. According to emails obtained by Forbes, X has a separate team called @Handles, which is developing a new marketplace where users can buy account names left unused by people who originally created those accounts. The report suggests some handles that are up for sale can be purchased for ‘a flat fee of $50,000’. Deep dive → Forbes | IndianExpress

• 🌎 Etsy is pushing sellers to offer discounts earlier than ever this holiday season. For the holidays, Etsy is promoting a five-week cyber sale that started on October 23 and will continue all the way through November 29. Etsy is encouraging sellers to opt into the sale by offering 25% off or more at some point during the five-week long campaign; in exchange, they will be featured in a personalized deals hub. According to Etsy, the company is “doubling down on deals, earlier than ever” this year. Deep dive → ModernRetail

• 🇺🇸 Best Buy launches livestream holiday shopping series. Events will broadcast via Best Buy’s TalkShopLive channel and will be hosted by Best Buy’s virtual sales experts. Viewers will be offered limited-time deals during each show, can ask questions about products and can add items to their cart live by clicking a “buy” button in the video. The live shopping shows will highlight tech products from new Best Buy categories, including wellness and beauty, outdoor living, pet technology, e-transportation and non-tech products. Deep dive → ModernRetail

🌟Funding/new marketplaces

• 🇩🇪 Kickdown (German auction platform for classic/ vintage cars) secured EUR 1M seed investment from renowned private investors. Kickdown was founded in 2020 by Moritz Helbich together with tech entrepreneurs Wolfram Graetz and Gary Boeing and has quickly become the first place for car lovers. Kickdown expects 2023 to end with EUR 40M GMV and over 30K registered users. Deep dive → Linkedin

• 🇪🇸 Shakers’ (Spanish freelancer platform) received EUR 6M seed funding from Adevinta Ventures. The funding enables the online platform for freelancers to accelerate its ambition to become a leading European portal that helps businesses and digital workers connect in a more agile and flexible way. Shakers has so far attracted more than 3,000 tech freelancers and empowered over 450 companies to create teams to accelerate their development projects. Deep dive → Adveinta

• 🇩🇪 Habyt (Airbnb-style platform aimed at longer stays and ‘flexible living) raised $42M. Habyt from Berlin focuses on people looking to stay in cities for a little longer - typically between six and nine months - living “nomad” lifestyles or taking advantage of more flexible work policies. Deep dive →  TechCrunch