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🧠 Big Story: 
UK Retailers misjudge search 🔍

📊 Key Data:
Social commerce for luxury shopping 🛍️

📖 Ecommerce players news:
🇨🇳 TikTok Shop expands to five new countries in 2025
🇺🇸 TikTok Shop beats Shein and Temu in US sales growth
🇰🇷 Temu expands to Korea with local-to-local model
🇺🇸 Amazon shuts down Inspire, its TikTok-style feed
🇩🇪 Otto to lay off 480 call centre employees
🇮🇹 Amazon under Italy's $1.26B tax evasion investigation

+ over 15 other handpicked hot news from the last week you need to know 🔥

We’re still open to new ideas for reports or ways to make MarketMaze even better. Feel free to hit reply on this email with any thoughts, suggestions, or topics you want us to dive into.

Here’s a peek at what we have lined up for the next few weeks:

✅ Temu vs Amazon - Get ready for some deep dives this Wednesday.
✅ Recommerce Market - We’ll be analyzing the shifting tides in resale.
✅ Live Commerce - How live selling is flipping the e-commerce game.
✅ eBay - A comeback story or just noise?
✅ StockX - A deeper look at what’s next for sneakerheads and investors.

Stay tuned.

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UK Retailers misjudge search 🔍

• 📚Sources: Linkedin 

Retailers are misjudging search—at a massive cost. 🔍

(And they’re leaving £6.7B on the table.)

A new report from Upp.ai & Retail Economics reveals a crucial blind spot:

Retailers undervalue search.

Even though digital fuels 51% of UK retail, and search engines + marketplaces each drive 24% of that, many brands still prioritize owned channels over search.

The result? A £6.7B missed opportunity.

Consumers now rely on digital more than ever:
• £31.4B of UK retail is influenced by search engines
• £30.9B comes from marketplaces
• Physical stores still hold £82.3B—but digital’s growth is undeniable

Brands that fail to adapt to this shift risk losing market share.

Despite search being consumers' #1 discovery tool, retailers rank it third in priority.
That gap is costly.

A stronger search strategy + paid ads investment could help brands capture high-intent shoppers at the moment they’re ready to buy.

High-income consumers (£76K+) place the most trust in search engines & social media for shopping decisions.
Yet, many retailers still focus on traditional media instead.

If brands want to win loyal, high-spending customers, they need to refine their search strategies and dominate where trust already exists.

Search isn’t just a channel—it’s a revenue driver, if you have right model to sustain it

Social commerce for luxury shopping 🛍️

• 📚Sources: emarketer 

Luxury shopping is changing. Fast.

42% of luxury buyers have used—or want to use—social commerce. Among younger shoppers (18-34), this jumps to 57%.

The shift is happening.

Luxury consumers are turning to social platforms as a shopping channel.

• 42% of luxury shoppers have engaged with or are interested in purchasing through social commerce.

• For 18-34-year-olds, this jumps to 57%, signaling a generational shift.

• Beauty brands are already leveraging TikTok Shop, while luxury fashion remains cautious.

As younger consumers drive demand, brands need to rethink their social commerce strategy.

💡 But here’s a surprise: Older shoppers are leading in livestream shopping.

• 31.5% of consumers aged 65+ have used or are interested in livestream shopping.

• This adoption rate exceeds that of younger groups—a major opportunity.

• HSN and QVC shoppers are now active on YouTube Live and Facebook Live.

Luxury brands often focus on younger buyers. But older consumers? They have spending power and digital engagement.

Luxury retail is evolving. The brands that embrace these trends will lead the way.

You can check our report on social commerce here:
🌀Social Commerce: New Ecommerce Face 🧐 

🛒 Mass Platforms

🇨🇳 TikTok Shop expands to five new countries in 2025. TikTok Shop is launching in Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Brazil in 2025, despite ongoing US regulatory uncertainty.

🇺🇸 TikTok Shop beats Shein and Temu in US sales growth. TikTok Shop’s sales surged 153% in January 2025, outpacing Shein’s 26% and Temu’s 28%. It dominates sales over $25 but faces risks like a US ban and tariffs.

🇰🇷 Temu expands to Korea with local-to-local model. Temu is entering South Korea, recruiting local sellers with inventory. The move shifts its model from Chinese exports to local e-commerce.

🇺🇸 Amazon shuts down Inspire, its TikTok-style feed. Amazon confirmed Inspire is "no longer available" after two years. The feature let users browse and buy products via shoppable videos and photos.

🇩🇪 Otto to lay off 480 call centre employees. German retailer Otto will cut 480 jobs as customer calls drop. It will close 8 of 13 service centres in Germany by August 31, keeping 700 employees.

🇮🇹 Amazon under Italy's $1.26B tax evasion investigation. Italian prosecutors are investigating Amazon and three executives over alleged $1.26B tax evasion from 2019-2021. If confirmed, penalties could push the bill to $3B.

🇺🇸 Walmart trails Amazon in eCommerce despite growth. Walmart’s eCommerce sales hit $22.5B in Q3 2024, but Amazon led with $152.3B. Walmart+ and grocery sales fuel growth, yet Amazon dominates online shopping.

🇩🇪 SellerX cuts 20% of jobs, drops 48 brands in restructuring. Amazon aggregator SellerX is downsizing to focus on profitable brands. The firm is cutting 160 jobs and reducing its portfolio from 67 to 19 brands.

🇺🇸 Etsy stock drops 10% on weak holiday sales. Etsy reported $852.2M revenue, missing estimates of $862.8M. GMS fell 6.8% to $3.74B, citing weak demand and competition from Temu and Shein.

👗 Fashion, Sports, Beauty, Home

🇨🇳 Net-a-Porter exits China by March 20, ending 11-year run. The luxury e-tailer will shut down its online store, app, and digital platforms in China, offering returns until April 22. The move aligns with Richemont’s sale of YNAP to Mytheresa.

🇨🇳 Shein slashes valuation to $30B for London IPO. Shein’s valuation drops from $66B in 2023 to $30B in 2025 as it shifts IPO plans from the U.S. to London amid regulatory concerns.

🇩🇪 Zalando becomes DVF’s exclusive retailer in Europe. Zalando will be the sole retailer for Diane von Furstenberg in 25 European countries, boosting its luxury segment.

🇬🇧 ASOS profit jumps 43% on overseas sales surge. ASOS posted a $64.5M profit as international sales doubled, making up 59% of revenue. CEO Nick Robertson eyes $1.6B sales by 2015.

🇪🇺 Vinted launches ‘New Again’ brand platform. Vinted debuts ‘New Again’ to redefine second-hand fashion. The campaign rolls out in the UK and France, followed by Spain, Italy, and Poland.

🇫🇷 Paris Hilton sells iconic Y2K pieces for charity. Paris Hilton lists 100+ vintage pieces on Vestiaire Collective, with profits supporting her charity 11:11 Media Impact.

🇺🇸 Nike & Skims launch NikeSKIMS (new activewear brand). The new brand, launching in Spring 2025, blends Nike's sports science with Skims’ body-inclusive designs. A global expansion is planned for 2026.

🇬🇧 Ted Baker sales jump 14%, e-commerce soars 30.3%. The UK retailer saw strong growth in Q3, with e-commerce now making up 15.6% of sales. The company expanded in the US, China, and Europe while growing retail space by 8.8%.

🍔 eGrocery, Delivery, qCommerce

🇬🇧 Lidl launches exclusive TikTok Shop protein bundles. Lidl is the first supermarket to sell on TikTok Shop, offering 3,000 high-protein bundles at £5 each from 20 Feb, with all proceeds going to NSPCC.

🇬🇧 Gopuff shifts to Morrisons stores for daytime orders. Gopuff now fulfills daytime orders from Morrisons stores instead of dark stores. The trial, running since late 2024, is active in London, Newcastle, and Watford.

🇬🇧 Bright Minds invests in NearSt’s AI retail tech. Bright Minds Capital Partners has invested in NearSt, an AI-driven platform helping local stores connect inventory to the web, boosting sales and efficiency.

🇺🇸 Uber sues DoorDash over anti-competitive practices. Uber filed a lawsuit against DoorDash on Feb 14, alleging unfair tactics that force restaurants into exclusive deals, hurting competition and costing Uber millions.

🇺🇸 Kroger partners with Instacart for fast delivery service. Shoppers can now get groceries in under two hours via Express Delivery, supported by Instacart. Boost members get free delivery for $99/year.

🇫🇮 Wolt introduces one-hour parcel delivery in Helsinki. Wolt's new service allows residents of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa to send parcels in under an hour. The company uses its existing courier network and app.

🇮🇳 Swiggy Instamart hits 581 chocolate orders per minute. On Valentine’s Day, Swiggy Instamart saw 581 chocolates and 324 roses ordered per minute, doubling last year's sales by 10:53 AM.

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