This Week In Ecommerce

The streak's broken — first missed week in three years, courtesy of Retail Fest swallowing the calendar whole. Mal and Alex are back on the mics with a full debrief on the Gold Coast event, the WhatsApp party, and the Pink Flamingo carnage. Plus the Simon Beard reel that turned a vague "the conference was rubbish" critique into a soft pitch for One Life Club — and why that whole move...

Alex is back from iMedia (a touch fresher than Sunday morning suggested) and the lineup is loaded: Meta has officially overtaken Google in ad revenue, China has blocked the Manus AI deal that Meta was building its entire creative platform around, and Lululemon has poached its new CEO from Nike. Plus a quietly significant Aussie consolidation story that Mal cannot stop saying "just makes sense...

In a week where Allbirds rebranded as an AI company and somehow the stock went up 582% in a single day, we're asking the most important question for any operator: who actually owns the brand when you scale? Alex is back from the dead, iMedia and Retail Fest are around the corner, and the lineup is genuinely loaded — three deep dives across founder vision, the AU brand quietly hitting $10M in u...

Alex is out sick this week, so Mal’s flying solo — which means the takes are unfiltered and the tangents are entirely his fault. Five stories this episode spanning a landmark US antitrust verdict, a celebrated Australian DTC brand heading to market, Instagram finally arriving late to the social commerce party, and two quickies on what happens when platforms change the rules and consumers start sto...

Mal's back from Japan — and the news this week is anything but zen. Allbirds just sold for $39 million after hitting a $4.1 billion valuation, Sabo Skirt has taken 16 retailers to court for design theft including Kmart and Shein, and the US cost stack is getting uglier by the week. This episode, we cover what Allbirds' spectacular collapse really tells us about the DTC hype cycle, why Sabo...

Mal's recording from a stairwell in Osaka — because Japan doesn't open cafes before 10am and that's the quietest spot in the building. Easter crept up on everyone this year — except Cadbury, who had their shrinkflation strategy ready to go for the second year running. We also dig into the ACCC finally fining a retailer for undisclosed influencer reviews (and why the penalty might actua...

Mal is live from Singapore this week, joining Alex from the eTail Asia conference where AI dominated every session and the conversation is shifting — Asia's big marketplace-first model is starting to make room for DTC. Back home, Australians are dealing with a second consecutive RBA rate rise, a fuel crisis driven by the Strait of Hormuz shutdown, and the kind of cost-of-living pressure that c...

Mal and Alex are back halfway through March with another Australian-heavy episode — covering everything from a $702K spam fine to a $750 million Amazon warehouse landing in Queensland. The week's stories are a useful reminder that the rules around consumer trust, brand authenticity, and competitive infrastructure are all tightening at once. This episode spans compliance wake-up calls, a 17-yea...

Mal and Alex are back for a jam-packed, very Australian episode — recorded a day late thanks to the uneven chaos of state-based public holidays. From Koala's impending ASX debut to the Iconic finally turning a profit after 15 years, it's a week where the big stories reward anyone paying close attention to what they actually signal about the state of ecommerce and retail in Australia. This...

In Episode 127 of This Week in Ecommerce , Mal Chia and Alex Ross break down the biggest retail news in Australia, from store closures and collapsing margins to AI-driven job cuts and the escalating beauty wars between major players. If you’re a retailer, founder, marketer or ecommerce operator, this is what you need to know right now. 🔎 In This Episode: Accent Group shuts down Glue Store after a...

From Trump’s tariff whiplash to TikTok’s strategic retreat and Lovisa’s share price tumble, this week’s episode unpacks the volatility shaping retail in 2025. Mal and Alex break down what’s noise, what’s signal, and what Australian retailers actually need to pay attention to — especially as global trade tensions resurface and consumer confidence remains fragile. If you’re exporting to the US, rely...

This week, Mal flies solo while Alex recovers from a big weekend, but the headlines are anything but quiet. From a 38% surge in business-related personal insolvencies to the strategic voluntary administration of Barbecues Galore, retail stress is no longer theoretical — it’s structural. Plus: US daily online shopping drops 12% Social commerce declines sharply Valentine’s Day spending underperforms...

This week, Mal and Alex return to unpack a massive week in Australian retail. From job cuts at Peloton and controversy at Nike to Cosette’s dramatic closure and JB Hi-Fi launching a retail media network, Episode 125 breaks down the headlines that matter. 🔹 In this episode: Peloton Cuts 11% of Staff The pandemic darling continues its post-boom correction with major layoffs. Is AI taking over engin...

It’s chaos out there – but in the best possible way. This week, Mal Chia is recording live from Sydney and joined by Alex Ross for a fast-paced round-up of stories shaking up ecommerce, tech, and retail. From viral toys in China to the TikTok/Meta power struggle, this episode covers the cultural trends, algorithm shifts, and economic forces every ecommerce brand should be watching. They unpack a f...

Trust is taking a beating in Ecommerce — and this week, Mal and Alex unpack exactly why. From AI-powered shopping ads and supermarket pricing games, to brands relaunching without soul and others doubling down on transparency, this episode explores how easily trust is lost… and how hard it is to win back. There’s plenty for retailers to think about as 2026 trends start creeping into today’s decisio...

This week, Mal and Alex are back with a scorching episode of This Week in Ecommerce , breaking down the biggest stories shaping retail in Australia and abroad. From Woolworths jumping headfirst into AI to the fading glow of The Oodie, the duo tackle retail shakeups, brand resurrections, and what happens when luxury loses its sparkle. Here’s what’s in store: 🏆 Inside Retail Awards 2026 : A refresh...

The Trust Reckoning: Platforms, Partnerships & the Cost of Playing It Safe 2026 has barely started and ecommerce is already flashing warning signs. In the first episode of the year, Mal Chia and Alex Ross unpack a week of stories that perfectly capture the state of modern retail: trust under strain, platforms asserting power, partners disappearing overnight, and brands being forced to confront...

This wasn’t a normal year in retail. It was a stress test. In this solo episode, Mal breaks down the five forces that quietly reshaped retail and ecommerce this year — and why so many brands struggled at the same time . This isn’t a recap of headlines. It’s a post-mortem of business models that only worked when conditions were perfect. Starting with the most visible consumer shifts and counting do...

Black Friday has officially become Australia’s retail Super Bowl — but is that actually a good thing? In Episode 118, Mal and Alex unpack Australia Post’s biggest day ever ($1.5 billion in a single hit), why activewear keeps winning the sales race, and what it means when demand gets squeezed into just a few frantic days a year. From supermarkets racing for last-mile convenience to Lululemon’s very...

This week, Mal and Alex break down the biggest stories shaping Australian ecommerce and retail. From AI slip-ups to collapsing kids’ brands, booming APAC Black Friday numbers, and a world-first social media ban, this episode covers the signals founders need to be watching as we head into 2026. Bunnings AI Illegal Advice — Their chatbot gave unsafe electrical guidance, highlighting the risks of AI...

Black Friday may be done and dusted, but the retail news machine definitely isn’t. This week, Mal and Alex unpack everything from the world’s first streetwear IPO to the grim reality of Aussies spending nearly half their income just keeping a roof over their heads. Add in fashion inflation, a Shein copying scandal, and the FDA doing something very questionable with cosmetic safety… and you’ve got...

This week, Mal and Alex wade into a very marketplace-heavy news cycle — from Princess Polly jumping into physical retail, to the quiet death of flash-sale platforms, to the Iconic proving you don’t need to spend more to grow more. Then we get into the big stuff: Kogan’s New Zealand headaches, Myer’s surprisingly strong marketplace success, and why Australia’s supermarket shelves are suffering from...

Black Friday mayhem is in full swing, but Mal and Alex are keeping cool—and throwing the odd grenade—while the industry scrambles. In this episode, they unpack the week's biggest stories in ecommerce, from delivery duopolies to unexpected beauty wins. In this episode: Menulog exits Australia – UberEats and DoorDash now dominate as Menulog bows out, raising monopoly concerns. AI image theft – A fur...

This week on This Week in Ecommerce, Mal and Alex wade into the mayhem of “Black Friday month” — from the ACCC crackdown and a $6.8B spending forecast, to Coles’ AI-powered ecommerce surge and Shein’s controversial Paris store opening. Plus, they unpack the women’s workwear boom and why it’s the next billion-dollar opportunity hiding in plain sight. It’s a big week for Aussie retailers: consumers...

In this episode, Mal and Alex dig into what the latest retail news really signals — from job cuts at Amazon and Puma to quiet operational mastery at JB Hi-Fi and Starbucks’ long-awaited turnaround. They unpack the balance between AI efficiency and human experience, and debate whether Lululemon’s NFL partnership is a bold brand play or a case of chasing relevance. Key theme: The tension between foc...