Payment processing solutions from major US digital commerce platforms are maturing and capturing a greater share of their retail ecommerce sales. Here’s how five platforms are approaching the payment facilitator (payfac) model to catapult their growth.

China is a global leader in online shopping, with high digital buyer and retail ecommerce penetration. Shoppers are comfortable buying luxury goods online and embracing livestreaming commerce.

The news: Amazon is testing humanoid delivery robots, per The Information, which could work in tandem with human drivers or as part of an autonomous fleet of delivery vehicles. The humanoid robotics team is working on incorporating large language models (LLMs) from Chinese companies DeepSeek and Alibaba so the bots can contextualize real-world surroundings. Our take: Delivery bots could help with heavy loads and ease the burden on human drivers, but Amazon might be better served with a less human form factor, such as a platform with walking legs to carry packages. The focus on humanoids could limit functionality, and bringing the uncanny valley to consumers’ front door could be off-putting.

The outlook for retail media ad spending remains bright throughout most of the world, even as ad budgets are increasingly constrained in the face of economic storm clouds.

Alibaba and JD.com embark on ambitious expansions despite challenging conditions: Both are making expensive delivery investments that could worsen China’s price wars.

China’s AI agents, such as Manus, can tackle complex tasks with minimal human intervention. That’s helping accelerate the global arms race—nearly 7 in 10 Asia-Pacific decision-makers expect AI agents to bring major disruptions to their companies within 18 months.

Digital’s share of total media ad spending in Asia-Pacific will reach a milestone in 2025, surpassing $200 billion for the first time. The region’s digital ad spending will increase 8.6%, led by India, while China’s growth will slip noticeably amid the country’s economic struggles before a rebound the following year.

JD.com challenges Meituan’s food delivery dominance: The Chinese ecommerce giant will hire 100,000 workers to help break the latter’s hold on the industry.

JD plans $27.9 billion investment in Chinese manufacturers to ease tariff impact: Ecommerce peers Alibaba and Meituan will join to help export-oriented companies attract domestic customers.

The end of de minimis is nigh: The rule that fueled the rise of Temu and Shein is set to end on May 2.

In this report, we explore the world’s top region for retail and ecommerce, Asia-Pacific. Read on for a closer look at the markets in China, India, the Philippines, and more.

Amazon Prime Day will be twice as long this year: The four-day sales event should boost sales and ad revenues, but growth will be hard to sustain long-term.

China’s deflationary spiral is expected to continue this year: A sharper-than-expected drop in prices in February underscores Chinese consumers’ extreme reluctance to spend.

DeepSeek, a genAI chatbot that originated from China, astonished the world with its capability to match ChatGPT while costing significantly less to build and using less powerful GPUs. The launch has triggered an industry soul search that could potentially accelerate AI adoption worldwide.

Alibaba’s domestic ecommerce growth signals promise for China’s retail landscape: However, price-conscious consumers and a trade war could derail recovery.

With iPhone sales tied to AI, Apple’s partnership with Alibaba could be the key to staying competitive against Huawei and other rising local brands.

A series of major milestones are on tap for total media and digital media ad spending around the world in 2025, although growth will be uneven across countries and regions.

China’s economy faces more gloom in 2025: Sluggish consumer spending and a potential trade war will weigh on growth.

Chinese consumers kept a tight lid on spending in November: Retail sales fell short of expectations despite Singles Day promotions, pushing Beijing to promise stronger stimulus.

China’s retail sector will grow from government stimulus, retail’s genAI revolution will have a far-reaching impact, India’s quick commerce will heat up, China’s retailers will face pushback in the region, and Xiaohongshu will further establish itself.