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UK online shopping scams soar 416% amid ad fraud surge
Mobile Device Management

UK online shopping scams soar 416% amid ad fraud surge

Online shopping scams in the UK jumped 416% in late 2025 as malvertising, social media fake shops and deepfake frauds surged, Gen warns.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Wed, 21st Jan 2026
Rakuten drops Honey extension amid affiliate fraud row
Marketing Technologies

Rakuten drops Honey extension amid affiliate fraud row

PayPal-owned Honey is dropped by Rakuten's ad network, cutting it off from 2,000 merchants amid claims of affiliate fraud and link theft.

By Mark Tarre • 5 min read • Wed, 21st Jan 2026
SALESmanago boosts WhatsApp & AI-led eCommerce tools
Unified Communications

SALESmanago boosts WhatsApp & AI-led eCommerce tools

SALESmanago upgrades its eCommerce platform with richer WhatsApp journeys and AI-led recommendations, targeting smarter real-time engagement.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Wed, 21st Jan 2026
Microsoft tops global phishing brand rankings again
Gaming

Microsoft tops global phishing brand rankings again

Microsoft again tops global phishing brand list as attackers increasingly mimic big tech services to steal cloud and consumer credentials.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Fri, 16th Jan 2026
Akeneo unveils AI‑driven Winter Release for agentic commerce
Digital Transformation

Akeneo unveils AI‑driven Winter Release for agentic commerce

Akeneo launches an AI‑driven Winter Release to power “agentic commerce”, speeding product data from enrichment to activation for AI buyers.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Thu, 15th Jan 2026
Chargebacks surge threatens retailers' holiday profits
Data Analytics

Chargebacks surge threatens retailers' holiday profits

Chargebacks surge after record online holiday sales, with USD $181 billion in returns putting retailers' first-quarter profits at risk.

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Thu, 15th Jan 2026
Google unveils AI shopping protocol & brand agents
Customer Experience

Google unveils AI shopping protocol & brand agents

Google launches a Universal Commerce Protocol and Business Agent tools as it bets on AI agents to drive the next era of online shopping.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Thu, 15th Jan 2026
Ant backs Google's Universal Commerce Protocol push
Crypto

Ant backs Google's Universal Commerce Protocol push

Ant backs Google's new Universal Commerce Protocol to standardise how AI agents handle shopping, payments and post-purchase support.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Wed, 14th Jan 2026
Yext predicts AI will redefine online discovery by 2026
Digital Transformation

Yext predicts AI will redefine online discovery by 2026

Yext predicts AI will overhaul online discovery by 2026, as trust in AI search grows and brands race to be chosen by algorithms.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
AI agents to reshape retail, squeeze SaaS & ad spend
Customer Experience

AI agents to reshape retail, squeeze SaaS & ad spend

AI agents will reshape how shoppers discover brands, forcing retailers to rethink visibility as SaaS vendors and ad budgets come under strain.

By Shannon Williams • 5 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
Adobe sees surge in AI-driven traffic & conversions
Data Analytics

Adobe sees surge in AI-driven traffic & conversions

Adobe says generative AI referrals to retailers jumped nearly 700% over the 2025 holidays, driving longer visits and stronger conversions.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
Salesforce adds shared-context AI tools for retailers
Unified Communications

Salesforce adds shared-context AI tools for retailers

Salesforce launches Agentforce 360 retail tools to unify AI across marketing, eCommerce and service, promising smoother shopper journeys.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
Talkdesk unveils new AI tools for retail & consumer goods
Unified Communications

Talkdesk unveils new AI tools for retail & consumer goods

Talkdesk unveils Commerce Orchestration and Consumer Goods Experience Cloud to coordinate AI-driven retail journeys end to end.

By Catherine Knowles • 4 min read • Mon, 12th Jan 2026

Stories from Other Regions

Online shopping stories

Walmart shopping to launch directly inside Google Gemini
Digital Transformation

Walmart shopping to launch directly inside Google Gemini

Walmart to embed shopping in Google's Gemini app, letting users browse and buy Walmart and Sam's Club items directly via AI chats.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Wed, 21st Jan 2026
Mobile & AI power record UK online Christmas sales
Data Analytics

Mobile & AI power record UK online Christmas sales

UK shoppers spent a record GBP £26.9bn online over Christmas 2025, as mobile purchases surged and AI-driven referrals leapt from 2024.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Tue, 20th Jan 2026
Google launches open protocol to power AI shopping
Digital Transformation

Google launches open protocol to power AI shopping

Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol to link AI shopping agents, retailers and payments in a new 'agentic commerce' push.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Thu, 15th Jan 2026
SaleCycle buys BEYABLE to build unified eCommerce stack
DevOps

SaleCycle buys BEYABLE to build unified eCommerce stack

SaleCycle snaps up French personalisation specialist BEYABLE to create a unified European eCommerce marketing and conversion platform.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Wed, 14th Jan 2026