6 eCommerce Insights for BFCM Success: Conversion Audits, Marketplace Wars & AI Shopping – Week 45

Week 45 has arrived, and if you’re in eCommerce, you can feel it: Black Friday Cyber Monday looms just days away, and the pressure is mounting. While you’ve been buried in inventory checks and ad campaigns, the eCommerce landscape has been shifting beneath your feet—and some of these changes could significantly impact your holiday revenue.

This week’s eCommerce news roundup brings critical insights for merchants navigating the year’s most crucial sales period. We’re cutting through the noise to deliver what actually matters: conversion opportunities you’re likely missing, marketplace dynamics that could affect your strategy, and technology shifts that are redefining how customers shop.

The timing couldn’t be more relevant. Major retailers have already launched their Black Friday promotions online, extending what used to be a weekend into a month-long marathon. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, regulatory changes and supply chain factors are creating new challenges that demand your attention.

Our newly published guide, “eCommerce Conversion Audit: The 15-Minute Year-End Review That Actually Finds Money,” tackles the most overlooked aspect of holiday preparation—identifying revenue leaks in your existing traffic. Most store owners focus exclusively on driving more visitors while ignoring the conversion rate improvements that could boost revenue by double digits without spending another dollar on ads.

Beyond conversion optimization, this week’s news reveals a fascinating divergence in marketplace performance: Amazon and eBay are posting impressive double-digit growth, while Etsy pursues an entirely different strategic direction. Shopify is simultaneously rolling out AI integrations and restructuring leadership—a bold move during peak season. And in a development that signals where commerce is heading, PayPal has integrated with ChatGPT to enable conversational shopping.

We’re also covering the less glamorous but equally important topics: new IRS 1099-K guidance that affects seller reporting, government service disruptions, and $40 billion in potential tariff impacts that could ripple through holiday inventory costs.

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or managing a growing brand, these twenty minutes of curated eCommerce intelligence will help you make informed decisions during the industry’s most critical weeks. Let’s dive into what you need to know for Week 45.

How to Conduct a Year-End Conversion Audit for Your Business

How to Conduct a Year-End Conversion Audit for Your Business

Look, I get it. November hits and everyone starts pulling their year-end reports. Revenue graphs go up and to the right, traffic charts look promising, maybe you even hit your goals. High fives all around, right?

But here’s what most eCommerce businesses miss: are you actually making more money per visitor than you were six months ago? Because if your traffic doubled but your conversion rate stayed flat (or worse, dropped), you’re working twice as hard for the same results.

That’s why a proper year-end conversion audit matters. Not the vanity metrics version where you celebrate hitting arbitrary numbers. I’m talking about the kind that actually tells you if your site is getting better at turning browsers into buyers.

Start With Your Conversion Funnel, Not Your Revenue

Before you dive into spreadsheets, map out your actual conversion funnel. Where do people enter your site? What’s the path they take before they buy (or bounce)? This isn’t about theory. Pull up your analytics and trace the real journey.

According to recent eCommerce news on conversion audits, most businesses find their biggest drop-offs happen in predictable places: the product page, the cart, and checkout. But you won’t know YOUR weak spots until you look.

Set up your GA4 events if you haven’t already. Track the micro-conversions that matter: add to cart, checkout initiation, payment info entered. These small actions tell you exactly where people lose interest. When a beauty brand we worked with did this, they discovered 43% of users were bouncing at the shipping calculator. Turned out their rates weren’t competitive, and they didn’t even know it was costing them sales.

Compare Apples to Apples (Not October to March)

Here’s a mistake I see constantly: comparing Q4 2025 to Q2 2025 and calling it a trend. Seasonal businesses especially need to compare year-over-year, not month-to-month. Your conversion rate in November 2024 vs. November 2025 tells you if you’re actually improving.

Look at your conversion rate by traffic source, device type, and customer segment. Desktop vs. mobile often tells wildly different stories.

One subscription box company found their mobile conversion rate had dropped 8% year-over-year while desktop stayed flat. The culprit? A new payment gateway that worked fine on desktop but was clunky on mobile. They’d been celebrating their “stable” overall conversion rate while hemorrhaging mobile sales.

Audit Your High-Traffic Pages First

You don’t need to audit every page on your site (please don’t). Focus on the pages that actually drive conversions and get meaningful traffic. Your product pages, category pages, and checkout flow are where the money is.

For each priority page, ask yourself:

Is the value proposition clear in the first five seconds?

Are there friction points (confusing navigation, slow load times, unclear CTAs)?

Does the page answer objections before they come up?

Is social proof visible and relevant?

Run a quick heatmap analysis if you can. Tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity (which is free) show you where people actually click and how far they scroll. When an outdoor gear retailer did this, they found visitors weren’t scrolling past the fold on their product pages. All their carefully crafted benefit copy and reviews? Invisible to 60% of visitors. This is exactly why your shoppers leave before buying – they simply don’t see your most compelling content.

Don’t Ignore Qualitative Data

Numbers tell you what’s happening. Surveys and user testing tell you why. Send a simple post-purchase survey asking what almost stopped them from buying. Or better yet, survey people who abandoned their cart. Their answers will surprise you.

We had a client convinced their checkout was too long. Turns out, customers actually wanted MORE fields because they didn’t trust the site enough without seeing standard security measures. The data said one thing, but the customers said another. Both mattered.

Set up exit-intent surveys on your key pages. Ask one question: “What’s missing from this page?” or “What stopped you from purchasing today?” The responses become your testing roadmap for next quarter. And don’t overlook opportunities in your order confirmation page, which can be a powerful tool for future conversions.

This kind of year-end audit isn’t about finding problems to beat yourself up over. It’s about understanding where your biggest opportunities are hiding. Because the gap between your current conversion rate and where it could be? That’s pure profit sitting on the table, waiting for you to pick it up.

Amazon Reports 11% North American Sales Growth in Q3

Amazon’s Q3 Numbers Tell a Different Story Than Most Headlines

So Amazon just dropped their Q3 earnings, and while everyone’s freaking out about the 11% North American sales growth, I want you to look at what’s actually happening here. Because this isn’t just a “hey, retail is doing okay” story. This is a masterclass in how conversion optimization at scale actually works.

First, the headline numbers. North American sales hit $106.3 billion, up from $95.5 billion last year. Their stock jumped 10% after hours because investors finally saw what they wanted to see. But here’s what caught my attention: their operating income would have been $21.7 billion if you strip out the FTC settlement and severance costs. That’s not just growth, that’s profitable growth in an economy where everyone keeps saying consumers are tapped out.

Now, let’s talk about what this means for your eCommerce business.

The Real Story is in Their Conversion Tactics

Amazon didn’t just grow sales by throwing more ads at people. They grew by making it stupidly easy to buy stuff. Look at what they actually did this quarter:

Rufus, their AI shopping assistant, hit 250 million users and shoppers using it are 60% more likely to complete a purchase. Not 5% more likely. Sixty percent.

They expanded same-day delivery to over 1,000 cities for groceries, with plans to hit 2,300 by end of year

Over 1.3 million sellers used their genAI tools to create better product listings

They launched “Help Me Decide” to guide customers using browsing history and preferences

See the pattern? Every single one of these moves reduces friction in the buying process. That’s conversion optimization, just at Amazon scale.

When shoppers using Rufus show 60% higher purchase completion rates, that’s not magic. That’s removing decision paralysis at the exact moment it matters most.

You might be thinking, “Great, but I don’t have Amazon’s resources.” Fair point. But you don’t need their budget to steal their playbook. When we helped redesign checkout flows for mid-sized stores, we saw similar patterns. The brands that focused on reducing decision friction, not just adding features, consistently outperformed their goals.

What AWS Growth Means for Your Tech Stack

Here’s something most eCommerce news outlets missed: AWS grew 20% to $33 billion in revenue. Why should you care? Because AWS is now fully subscribed on their Trainium2 AI chips, and they’re pouring billions into AI infrastructure.

This matters because the tools you’re using, or will use next year, are being built on this infrastructure. When Amazon invests $50.9 billion more in property and equipment year over year, that’s not just for their warehouses. That’s compute power that eventually trickles down to the Shopify apps, the analytics tools, and the personalization engines you’ll be using.

The gap between what Amazon can do and what you can do? It’s shrinking faster than most people realize. Those AI-powered product recommendation tools that seemed like science fiction two years ago? They’re becoming table stakes in 2025.

And speaking of conversion optimization, if you haven’t run a proper audit on your site lately, now’s the time. Because while Amazon’s flexing with their Q3 numbers, the real question is: are you making it as easy as possible for your customers to say yes?

Shopify’s Executive Shake-Up and Recent Earnings Performance

Shopify’s Q3 Earnings: When the Numbers Actually Tell a Story

So Shopify just dropped their Q3 2024 earnings, and honestly? The numbers are kind of wild. We’re talking stock jumping 21% in a single day wild. Revenue hit $2.16 billion (up 26% from last year), and they’re projecting mid to high twenties growth for Q4. That’s the kind of eCommerce news that makes you sit up and pay attention.

But here’s what really caught my eye: their gross merchandise volume jumped to $69.7 billion. That’s not just Shopify doing well, that’s millions of merchants doing well on the platform. When you’re running conversion audits for your own store, these platform-level trends matter because they signal where the market’s heading.

The Executive Shuffle Nobody Saw Coming

Now, while everyone was celebrating those earnings, there’s been some serious movement in Shopify’s C-suite that didn’t get as much attention. The kind of changes that usually signal a company’s gearing up for something big.

The thing about executive changes is they’re rarely just about one person leaving or joining. They’re about strategic direction. And when you see them happening alongside record earnings and aggressive growth targets, it tells you the company’s doubling down on something specific.

For merchants on the platform (and anyone considering it), this matters more than you might think. When Shopify’s leadership shifts, it eventually trickles down to new features, different priorities, maybe changes in how they support different merchant segments. Remember when they went all-in on enterprise clients a couple years back? That started with executive moves too.

What This Means for Your Conversion Strategy

Here’s where it gets practical. Shopify’s betting big on their merchant solutions revenue, which grew to $1.55 billion this quarter. That’s payment processing, shipping tools, all the stuff that happens after someone clicks buy. Their monthly recurring revenue hit $175 million, up from $137 million last year.

Why does this matter for your conversion audit? Because Shopify’s investing heavily in the infrastructure that supports higher-converting stores. Better checkout flows, faster payment processing, more reliable hosting during traffic spikes. When the platform you’re on is growing this aggressively, you want to make sure you’re actually using those improvements.

Think about it: if Shopify’s adding enterprise-level features but you’re still running your store like it’s 2022, you’re leaving conversion opportunities on the table. This is exactly the kind of thing a proper year-end audit should catch. Are you using Shopify’s latest checkout optimizations? Have you enabled their faster payment options? When was the last time you reviewed what’s actually available?

The executive changes suggest Shopify’s going to keep pushing hard into new merchant segments and geographies. President Harley Finkelstein mentioned they’re seeing major brands like Lionsgate, Reebok, and Off-White signing up. That’s a signal that the platform’s capabilities are expanding upmarket, which usually means better tools for everyone.

PayPal Integrates Payment Wallet Directly into ChatGPT

PayPal Meets ChatGPT: Your New Shopping Assistant Has a Wallet

Okay, I have to tell you about this one because it’s kind of wild. PayPal just integrated directly into ChatGPT. Wait, you can just chat with AI and buy stuff now? Pretty much, yeah.

Here’s how it works. You’re having a conversation with ChatGPT about, I don’t know, finding the perfect gift for your nephew who’s obsessed with dinosaurs and coding. ChatGPT suggests some options, you like one, and boom. There’s a “Buy with PayPal” button right there in the chat. No opening new tabs, no copying product names into Google, no hunting through five different stores.

Your PayPal wallet is just… there. Same login, same saved payment methods, same buyer protection you’re used to. The whole thing happens without leaving the conversation.

Why This Actually Matters for Your Store

If you’re running an eCommerce store, this is one of those eCommerce news items you can’t ignore. PayPal CEO Alex Chriss told CNBC they’re connecting “hundreds of millions of loyal PayPal wallet holders” to ChatGPT’s 700 million weekly users. That’s not a typo.

But here’s the part that should really get your attention. PayPal isn’t just handling the payment processing. They’re managing merchant routing, payment validation, all the backend stuff. If you’re already a PayPal merchant, your inventory can show up in ChatGPT searches without you doing anything extra.

Think about that for a second. Someone asks ChatGPT for product recommendations, your item appears, they buy it with one click. No SEO battle, no ad spend, no hoping they stumble onto your site. Just discovery and conversion in the same moment.

The Bigger Picture: Agentic Commerce Is Here

PayPal’s calling this “agentic commerce,” which sounds like marketing speak until you realize what it means. AI agents shopping on your behalf. Not just showing you options, but actually understanding what you need and completing purchases.

This isn’t the first move in this direction. OpenAI already partnered with Shopify, Etsy, and Walmart. Google and Perplexity have similar deals with PayPal. Everyone’s racing to figure out how shopping works when AI is the middleman (or middle-bot, I guess).

For us in eCommerce, this is a conversion optimization moment. The customer journey we’ve spent years perfecting? Homepage to category page to product page to cart to checkout? That whole funnel might get compressed into a single AI conversation. Your beautiful product photography, your carefully crafted descriptions, your A/B tested checkout flow… all of it could matter less if shoppers never actually visit your site.

Look, I’m not saying traditional eCommerce is dead. But if you’re not thinking about how your products get discovered and purchased through AI platforms, you’re missing a massive shift happening right now in week 45 of 2025.

IRS Updates 1099-K Tax Reporting Requirements

IRS Updates 1099-K Tax Reporting Requirements

Okay, so here’s some tax news that actually matters if you’re selling anything online. The IRS just dropped new FAQs about Form 1099-K reporting, and honestly, the timing is both helpful and kind of chaotic.

You know that form payment processors send you when you hit certain sales thresholds? Yeah, that one. Well, the rules just changed again, and if you’ve been following this saga, you know it’s been a rollercoaster.

What Actually Changed This Time

Back in 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act tried to lower the 1099-K reporting threshold to $600 (down from $20,000 and 200 transactions). That would have meant way more forms landing in people’s mailboxes. The IRS kept delaying it, then tried to phase it in gradually.

But now? The One Big Beautiful Bill Act reversed course and brought back the old $20,000 threshold with 200 transactions. And get this: it’s retroactive to 2022.

So if you were bracing for a pile of 1099-K forms based on the lower thresholds, you can breathe a little easier. For most small sellers and side hustlers, this means fewer tax forms to deal with.

Why This Matters for Your Store

Here’s the thing about eCommerce news like this. If you’re processing payments through platforms like PayPal, Stripe, or any marketplace, you need to know when these forms trigger. Because even though the reporting threshold went back up, you still owe taxes on all your income. The form is just documentation.

The confusion comes when people sell personal items at a loss (like that couch you bought for $800 and sold for $400 on Facebook Marketplace). According to the IRS guidance, you can zero that out on your tax return using Schedule 1. But you have to actually do it.

Payment processors can still send you a 1099-K for any amount, even if it’s below the threshold. State requirements might be different too.

The Government Shutdown Twist

Now here’s where things get messy. While the IRS is trying to help people understand these tax changes, they’re also dealing with a government shutdown that’s halting some services. Tax season is creeping up (it always does), and this kind of uncertainty makes planning harder.

If you’re running conversion audits right now (and you should be), make sure you’re also reviewing your payment processing setup. Know which platforms you’re using, what thresholds apply, and how to track everything properly. Because come January, you don’t want to be scrambling to figure out where all those payments came from.

The electronic filing requirements also changed this year. If you file 10 or more information returns (down from 250), you have to file electronically now. That includes W-2s and various 1099 forms, so it adds up fast.

Bottom line? Keep good records of your sales, know your cost basis for anything you’re selling, and don’t assume the absence of a form means you don’t owe taxes. This is one of those unsexy backend things that can bite you if you ignore it.

Black Friday Retailers Launch Aggressive Deal Campaigns

Target and Best Buy Drop Early Black Friday Deals

Okay, so let’s talk about what’s actually happening with Black Friday this year. Because if you’ve been checking your inbox or scrolling through your feed lately, you’ve probably noticed something: retailers aren’t waiting for Black Friday anymore.

Both Target and Best Buy just dropped their full Black Friday ads, and here’s the kicker: you can shop most of these deals right now. Online. From your couch. In your pajamas. No camping outside stores at 4 AM required.

Target’s pushing deals across pretty much everything. We’re talking electronics, home goods, toys, the whole nine yards. Best Buy? They’re going hard on TVs and gaming stuff, which tracks because electronics consistently see some of the deepest Black Friday discounts, with TVs averaging around 23% off.

But here’s what’s interesting from an eCommerce news perspective: this isn’t just about early deals. It’s about how the entire shopping window has shifted. According to recent data, about 60% of shoppers who participate in Cyber Weekend are now taking advantage of pre-season sales. That’s a massive chunk of your potential revenue happening before the actual day.

What This Means for Your Conversion Strategy

If you’re running an eCommerce store, this extended Black Friday window is both an opportunity and a challenge. The good news? You’ve got more time to capture sales. The bad news? So does everyone else, and shoppers are getting hit with promotions from every direction.

Think about it. Your customers aren’t just comparing your Black Friday deal to your competitor’s anymore. They’re comparing your early November deal to what they think might be available on actual Black Friday. It’s analysis paralysis on steroids.

This is where your conversion optimization really matters. When everyone’s screaming about deals, the stores that win are the ones that make the buying process stupid simple. Quick load times, clear product info, frictionless checkout. You know, all the stuff we talk about in our week 45 guide to eCommerce conversion.

The average Black Friday discount hit 38.2% in 2024, but conversion rates matter more than discount depth when everyone’s offering similar deals.

Here’s something worth noting: mobile shoppers accounted for 79% of Black Friday website traffic last year. So if your mobile checkout experience isn’t smooth, you’re basically watching money walk out the door. Or scroll away. Whatever the mobile equivalent is.

The retailers launching these aggressive campaigns early aren’t just trying to beat the competition. They’re trying to capture shoppers before decision fatigue sets in. Because by the time actual Black Friday rolls around, a lot of folks have already blown their budget or just can’t deal with one more promotional email. This is also why your order confirmation might be your secret sales weapon for capturing additional revenue after that initial purchase is complete.

Your Week 45 Action Plan: Turn These Insights Into Revenue

Week 45 brought some massive shifts in eCommerce—from Amazon and Shopify’s earnings revealing what actually drives conversions, to PayPal’s ChatGPT integration showing us where shopping is headed, to the IRS making tax reporting slightly less painful. The common thread? Success isn’t about working harder or spending more on ads. It’s about making it easier for people to buy from you.

The retailers crushing it right now aren’t just throwing bigger discounts at customers. They’re eliminating friction, optimizing for mobile (because 79% of your Black Friday traffic is coming from phones), and starting their promotions early to catch shoppers before decision fatigue sets in.

Here’s what to do with this information:

Run that conversion audit now. Compare your year-over-year conversion rates, not just revenue. Find the pages where visitors are bailing and fix the obvious friction points before the holiday rush hits its peak.

Test your mobile checkout on a real phone. Right now. If it takes more than three taps to complete a purchase, you’re leaving money on the table during the biggest shopping days of the year.

Don’t wait until December to promote. Your competitors already have their deals live. Get your offers in front of shoppers while they still have budget and attention span.

Check if you’re using Shopify’s latest features. They’re pouring billions into conversion tools. Make sure you’re not running on last year’s setup when better checkout flows and payment options are sitting there unused.

Keep your sales records organized. The IRS changed the 1099-K rules, but you still owe taxes on everything you sell. A spreadsheet now saves you a headache in April.

What’s the biggest conversion leak you’ve found in your store lately? Drop a comment below—sometimes the best insights come from seeing what’s tripping up other shop owners.