On Tap

Amazon dropped blockbuster Q1 results and confirmed a calendar shift that every ecommerce merchant needs to plan around. In this episode, John breaks down the numbers behind Amazon's earnings, explains why a competing retailer's results reveal the playbook for competing against giants, and unpacks Google's AI Max expansion into Shopping campaigns — a move that makes product data quality the new co...

In today's episode, John covers a critical Linux kernel vulnerability that every self-hosted ecommerce merchant needs to act on immediately, a groundbreaking experiment that proved a completely fake brand can win AI search visibility, and Etsy's impressive Q1 earnings that signal a genuine turnaround under new leadership. The episode also touches on Shopify's analytics upgrades and Home Depot's ex...

In today's episode, John unpacks a bold declaration from Bed Bath & Beyond's CEO that AI will drive "significant reduction in headcount" across the retailer's operations and explains why eCommerce professionals everywhere should be paying attention to what this signals about the future of retail work. The episode also dives into a convergence of industry analysis, suggesting that the era of "p...

In today's episode, host John breaks down a compliance deadline that many UK merchants selling into the EU are about to miss, explains why eBay's multi-day outage is a wake-up call for platform-dependent sellers, and unpacks what Walmart's blockbuster annual report reveals about the future of omnichannel retail. Plus, new research on the surprising trust gap in AI shopping and why it matters more...

In today's episode, John unpacks a landmark data point from Adobe Analytics that could reshape how eCommerce merchants think about traffic and conversion, and connects it to an unprecedented week of Google ranking volatility. He also digs into the surprising disconnect between plummeting consumer confidence and surging retail sales, and what it means for merchants targeting different income demogr...

In today's episode, John breaks down the biggest signal yet that agentic commerce has arrived: Ulta Beauty's new partnership with Google that makes its entire catalogue shoppable inside Gemini and AI Mode. He explores what this means for how products get discovered, recommended, and purchased when AI agents become the intermediary — and why every merchant's product data strategy just became an AI...

In today's episode, John unpacks a striking paradox at the heart of Q1 2026 retail: consumer confidence is cratering while retail sales are surging. He explains what's really driving the numbers, why the divergence matters, and what warning signs merchants should be watching underneath the surface. The episode also covers a major fulfilment escalation from Sam's Club, Google's admission that AI is...

In today's episode, John breaks down the biggest ecommerce developments of the past 24 hours — from Adobe Summit's game-changing Brand Visibility Solution to explosive new antitrust evidence against Amazon. With AI-referred traffic to retail sites up 269% year-over-year, the race to be seen by AI is heating up fast. John connects the dots between Adobe's new tools, IBM's GEO playbook, Microsoft's...

Uber Eats has entered the retail returns game, Shopify Hydrogen ships breaking changes that demand developer attention, and the zero-click search debate gets new fuel. In today's episode, John breaks down what Uber's courier-based returns service means for consumer expectations and merchant strategy, explores why Home Depot is investing $157 million in a New York distribution centre, and explains...

In today's episode, John unpacks the most consequential development in ecommerce traffic since the rise of paid search: new data showing AI-referred visitors are converting better than traditional channels — just as OpenAI begins rolling ads into ChatGPT. The episode explores what this collision means for merchants and why the window to build organic AI presence is narrowing fast. Plus, a major U....

In today's episode, John unpacks a revealing new survey that shows younger shoppers overwhelmingly prefer AI-powered shopping tools over human store associates — but draws a hard line at sponsored results. The episode explores what this means for ecommerce merchants building their AI discovery strategy, and why product data quality is rapidly becoming the most important marketing investment you ca...

In today's episode, host John unpacks a trio of Google developments that together signal a fundamental shift in how ecommerce merchants need to think about search visibility, AI-driven discovery, and digital advertising. From the highly volatile March 2026 core update to a new "Agentic Engine Optimisation" framework straight from a Google AI Director, the rules of the game are changing fast. The e...

In today's episode, John unpacks a pivotal moment in ecommerce: AI chatbots are becoming legitimate shopping channels, the digital advertising landscape is shifting beneath merchants' feet, and Shopify is quietly dismantling the barriers between its plan tiers. From a bridal retailer betting big on conversational commerce to Meta's historic overtaking of Google in ad revenue, this briefing connect...

Deadlines are converging across the ecommerce landscape, and today's episode breaks down what merchants need to act on right now. John covers the Shopify Scripts editing freeze taking effect tomorrow, Google's upcoming consent overhaul that will reshape how advertising data flows, and what a "fragile" consumer environment means for your bottom line. Whether you're on Shopify, Magento, or another p...

ontap.daily — Monday, April 13th, 2026 In today's episode, John covers a jam-packed weekend of ecommerce news, from Shopify's biggest accessibility move of the year to a critical Google migration deadline that every merchant and agency needs on their calendar. The episode explores what it means now that Shopify has opened up native B2B features to all plan tiers, how Google's new Merchant API resh...

ontap.daily — Friday, April 10th, 2026 Shopify makes its biggest Hydrogen move in months, AI agents get a front door to your storefront, and a 28-year-old trade agreement quietly expires — with potentially huge consequences for digital commerce. In today's episode, John unpacks the Hydrogen 2026.4.0 release and explains why the mandatory Storefront API proxy, backend consent mode, and new MCP inte...

1. Shopify B2B Now Free on All Plans — The Detail Building on the April 2nd announcement, here's what non-Plus merchants actually get: up to three active B2B catalogs, company profiles, Net 15/30 payment terms, volume pricing, ACH payments (US), and vaulted credit cards — live in the admin today, no apps required. Plus-only features remain: unlimited catalogs, direct catalog-to-company/location as...

1. Shopify Opens B2B Features to All Plans Shopify has made its core B2B tools available to merchants on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans (previously Plus-only at $2,000/month). This includes company profiles, up to three custom price catalogs, volume discounts, and payment terms like Net 30. Unlimited catalogs and advanced API access remain Plus-only. Shopify reports merchants using B2B features s...

In this episode of On Tap's AuditIQ for ecommerce series, John and Jane dig into one of the most frustrating realities for Magento and Adobe Commerce merchants: the never-ending, budget-devouring upgrade cycle. They unpack how the traditional agency model can unintentionally reward complexity, why upgrades so often turn into vague, open-ended projects, and how this creates the "upgrade doom loop"...