The E-commerce week,distilled.

Instacart has reportedly hired an investment bank to explore potential sale options and held acquisition discussions with DoorDash and Uber.

eBay has rejected a $56 billion acquisition bid from GameStop.

Indian home furnishing startup Chapter Homes has raised ₹63 Cr ($6.6 Mn) in a strategic funding round involving debt and equity, reaching a valuation of ₹1,000 Cr ($106 Mn).

The startup Azoma has raised $11.2 million in funding to develop technology that helps brands improve their visibility and recommendations within AI shopping agents.

The premium DTC butcher Farmison is set to relaunch on 1 November 2026 under new ownership by Parson’s Nose, which acquired the brand from Vestey Holdings earlier in October 2026.

Logistics provider Stord has acquired competitor AMS Fulfillment in a nine-figure deal announced on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

Salesforce announced a definitive agreement on October 20, 2026, to acquire Braze for $5.66 billion in cash.

Indian startups secured over $184 million across 17 funding deals between October 19 and 23, 2026.

Walmart has introduced new tools, including 'Agent Profiles' and the 'Walmart Agent Gateway', to allow AI agents to shop and complete transactions for customers.

Walmart announced a new strategy to compete with Amazon by enabling customers to use AI agents for shopping.

Walmart has launched a new membership bundle combining Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus for $120 per year.

Walmart announced that it will allow AI agents to shop on its website and Sam's Club starting in November 2026.

Walmart has introduced a new membership bundle combining Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus for $120 per year.

Anthropologie launched its 'On My Way' holiday campaign on October 19, 2026, featuring a 'Love Actually'-inspired mini film and a new partnership with DoorDash.

Fiserv Inc. has expanded the global availability of its Commerce Hub platform, which enables enterprise merchants to manage payments through a single integration.

Google has launched Universal Cart in the U.S., a new shopping feature integrated into Google Search and the Gemini app.

Swiggy Ltd. shares dropped to a record low on October 23, 2026, following reports of wider-than-expected financial losses.

UK online retailer Virgin Wines reported a return to growth in its 2026 financial year, with revenue reaching £61 million, a 3.4% year-on-year increase.

Sixty-three out of 67 new-age tech stocks tracked by Inc42 declined during the week ending October 24, 2026, resulting in a combined market capitalization loss of over $11 billion.

Retail sales in Great Britain declined by 0.4% in September 2026, exceeding the expected 0.1% drop.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced during the Q3 2026 earnings call that the AI app Muse has surpassed 10 million users.

Kroger announced a strategic plan to invest $5 billion in customer value through 2029, focusing on lower prices and simplified promotions.

India's online festive sales reached $7-8 billion in gross merchandise value during the first leg from October 8 to 18, 2026.

Myntra reported a net loss of ₹581.8 Cr for the fiscal year 2026, ending March 31, 2026, compared to a profit of ₹546.3 Cr in FY25.

Shein has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigation regarding delivery delays and customer complaints.

Also: 23 Oct — techmeme.com

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has imposed fines totaling £6 million ($8 million) on three companies, including Wayfair and Appliances Direct, for using misleading sales tactics.

Amazon is issuing refund checks to millions of American customers as part of a 2025 legal settlement.

Retailers are facing an increasing number of lawsuits under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) and the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) regarding the use of website tracking tools like cookies and pixels.

Chinese online retailer Temu has agreed to a $3 million settlement with the state of Texas to resolve allegations regarding data privacy and product safety.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in Deltona Transformer Corp. v. The NOCO Co. on August 4, 2026, that purchasing a competitor's trademark as a hidden search keyword does not constitute trademark infringement.

A study indicates that consumers are comfortable with AI performing comparison shopping and price tracking tasks.

A Feedvisor survey indicates that while 16% of shoppers use ChatGPT for product discovery, only 9% use it for purchases.

New research by Bazaarvoice indicates that 66% of UK consumers purchase goods on TikTok Shop, with 74% of shoppers identifying star ratings and customer reviews as the most important factor in their buying decisions.

A Modern Retail+ Research report surveying 90 brand and retailer professionals indicates that 76% of marketers expect 2026 holiday revenue to increase by 1%-31% compared to 2025.

New research from InPost UK indicates that 44% of 18–30-year-olds in the UK are away from home during standard delivery hours at least four days a week.

A study by Commerce and Logica Research, in partnership with PayPal, surveyed 1,000 U.S. online shoppers regarding their adoption of AI in shopping.

A Feedviser survey indicates that while 16% of shoppers use ChatGPT for product discovery, only 9% use it for purchases.