All articles tagged with #online shopping
EU regulators have opened a formal investigation into Shein, examining illegal products and potentially addictive design features on its platform, as concerns grow over safety, compliance and consumer protections in fast-fashion.
Walmart experienced a brief outage affecting over 6,500 users, primarily impacting its mobile app and website, which caused difficulties for customers trying to checkout; the issue was quickly resolved, and users were advised to reinstall the app or clear their browser cache.
Boxing Day sales in the UK have been subdued, with foot traffic and spending falling compared to previous years, as consumers remain cost-conscious amid economic pressures and a shift towards online shopping, leading to less significance for the traditional sales event.
Holiday gift returns contribute significantly to environmental harm due to increased emissions and waste, with strategies like in-person shopping, quick returns, and better product descriptions helping to mitigate this impact. Consumers are encouraged to minimize returns, consider gift cards, and companies are adopting software solutions to improve return management and reduce landfill waste.
During the Thanksgiving weekend, 202.9 million Americans shopped, the highest since 2017, driven by discounts and promotions, with online shopping increasing significantly. Retailers expect holiday spending to reach record levels of $1.1-$1.2 trillion, despite lower seasonal hiring and mixed economic signals.
Despite Cyber Monday 2025 ending, numerous extended deals are still available across major retailers and categories, offering significant discounts on electronics, fashion, beauty, home goods, and travel, making it a prime time for online shopping.
Cyber Monday is expected to be the biggest online shopping day of the season in the US, with record-breaking sales estimated at $14.2 billion, driven by deep discounts on electronics, apparel, and toys, and a shift towards mobile shopping and buy now, pay later plans amid economic uncertainties.
Black Friday 2025 saw a stronger-than-expected increase in retail sales, with a 4.1% rise excluding autos, driven by online and in-store shopping, indicating resilient consumer demand despite economic uncertainties. Online sales surged by 10.4%, and in-store visits increased slightly, supporting optimistic retail forecasts for the holiday season.
The end of the US de minimis exemption, which allowed packages under $800 to be shipped tariff-free, is expected to increase costs and shipping delays for small businesses and consumers, especially affecting lower-income Americans and international small sellers, while major retailers remain unaffected.
The US has ended its long-standing de minimis exemption, which allowed small packages from abroad to enter duty-free, leading to higher prices and shipping delays for consumers, especially affecting low-income households and online retailers like Shein and Temu, and causing supply chain disruptions and increased costs for importers.
The US is ending its nearly century-old de minimis trade exemption, which allowed small-value imports to bypass tariffs and inspections, due to concerns over safety, unfair advantages to foreign companies, and trade deficits. Starting Friday, all US-bound shipments will be subject to duties and tariffs, leading to disruptions in international shipping and potential benefits for consumer safety and fair trade, but also causing delays and adjustments in global logistics.
The cost of Ryobi tools varies between the company's website and Home Depot, with Home Depot often offering better deals on tool kits and sales on specific items, but prices fluctuate and checking both sources is recommended. Buying from third-party sellers on Amazon or Walmart may be cheaper but carries risks such as lower quality and lack of warranty, as Ryobi is primarily sold through Home Depot.
President Trump signed an executive order ending the de minimis exemption for low-value international shipments to the U.S., effective August 29, which will now impose duties on packages valued at $800 or less, aiming to curb illegal shipments and protect U.S. businesses amid rising online shopping and shipment volumes.
The article discusses how Taylor Swift's brief appearance wearing Cassey Ho's Pirouette Skort led to a surge in popularity, but also triggered a wave of cheap imitations across online platforms, highlighting the challenges of protecting intellectual property in the fast-paced world of internet-driven fashion and commerce.
OpenAI's ChatGPT Agent is a new AI tool designed to perform complex, multi-step tasks like online shopping and research, but it is currently slow, glitchy, and limited in executing transactions, functioning more as a guide than an executor. It shows promise as a background assistant but struggles with reliability and speed, especially for tasks involving secure actions like financial transactions.