The Commerce Brief: Fri 14th Nov

Welcome to another exciting week in the world of eCommerce and retail 🛍️

🗓️ This week’s industry updates

🤖 Target joins the AI shopping race (source)
Target has entered the AI commerce arena with a three-pronged strategy:

• AI Gift Finder: Shoppers can now describe what they’re looking for in natural language (“gifts for teenage gamers”) to instantly surface tailored product suggestions across Target’s entire catalogue.

• Store Mode: An AI assistant activates automatically when customers enter any Target store, offering navigation help, suggesting alternatives for out-of-stock items, and enabling instant delivery or pickup.

• List Scanner: Converts handwritten shopping lists into ready-to-checkout carts using AI product matching — reducing friction between planning and purchase.

🍔 Just Eat exits Australia after 20 years
Just Eat Takeaway.com is officially pulling out of Australia, ending its Menulog operations after two decades. The move follows “careful consideration” as the company shifts focus to faster-growing core international markets. (source)

🛒 M&S expands online fulfilment in Europe
Marks & Spencer has signed a partnership with Zalando’s B2B unit Zeos to power online direct-to-consumer fulfilment across 21 European markets — marking a major step in scaling its continental eCommerce reach. (source)

📈 Zalando sales surge 26.5%
Zalando’s Q3 results show strong momentum with sales jumping to £2.6bn, bolstered by its recent acquisition of About You and growing strength in cross-market operations. (source)

💰 Skims hits $5 billion valuation
Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand Skims has completed a $225M funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, valuing the company at $5 billion. The new capital will fund physical retail expansion, international growth, and innovation in apparel and activewear. (source)

🇺🇸 Charles Tyrwhitt opens New York flagship
British menswear retailer Charles Tyrwhitt has opened its US flagship on Madison Avenue, marking a milestone in its stateside retail strategy. (source)

👑 Burberry back in growth mode
Burberry posted its first quarterly sales increase in two years — up 2% — thanks to renewed momentum in China and a resurgence of classic British style globally. (source)

💬 Alibaba revamps its AI assistant
Alibaba is preparing a major update to its flagship AI app to resemble ChatGPT, with plans to integrate agentic AI features into shopping experiences across Taobao and other platforms. (source)

⚡ Amazon kicks off 12-day Black Friday event
Amazon is extending its annual Black Friday promotion into a 12-day event in the UK, offering customers deeper deals and longer shopping windows leading into the peak season. (source)

The Commerce Brief