E-Commerce

The Information’s reporting on e-commerce includes uncovering financials from the world’s biggest e-commerce companies, such as Amazon and Shein. Additionally, our team is leading the analysis of forays into e-commerce by various platforms, including ByteDance's TikTok, X and more.

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Deep Research

Why Google, Amazon and OpenAI Are on a Collision Course Over AI Commerce

By The Information Staff · Jan 14, 2026 1:07pm PST
AI-powered shopping is becoming a new area of competition among major technology companies, e-commerce platforms and retailers, each pursuing different approaches to how consumers discover and purchase products online. These efforts range from proprietary shopping agents to shared commerce protocols and embedded checkout systems that could... AI-powered shopping is becoming a new area of competition among major technology companies,...
Art by Mike Sullivan.

Google Flips OpenAI’s Shopping Strategy on Its Head

By Ann Gehan · Jan 13, 2026 1:09pm PST · 1 comment
Google’s latest AI pitch to retailers is simple: Google isn’t planning to take a cut of purchases made through its Gemini AI chatbot and search results. Instead, it plans to make money from its AI shopping push by selling a new type of ads to retailers. That approach is opposite that of OpenAI, which announced checkouts inside ChatGPT in... Google’s latest AI pitch to retailers is simple: Google isn’t planning to take a cut of purchases...
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The Briefing

Google Matches OpenAI on Shopping

By Martin Peers · Jan 11, 2026 3:00pm PST · 1 comment
Sam Altman, look behind you. Sundar Pichai is catching up. Google on Sunday announced it was adding the ability to buy stuff within its Gemini AI chatbot, using Google Pay to complete the transaction, essentially matching OpenAI’s Instant Checkout feature. This is a big deal, according to my colleague Ann Gehan, who was at the NRF retail... Sam Altman, look behind you. Sundar Pichai is catching up. Google on Sunday announced it was...
Art by Clark Miller
The Big Read

E-Commerce Startups Are Back From the Dead

By Ann Gehan · Oct 10, 2025 9:24am PDT · 1 comment
Lately, venture capitalist Ben Lerer has found himself experiencing a bit of déjà vu: Once again, there’s a whole nest of thriving e-commerce startups worth his attention. When I reached him a couple weeks ago, his firm, Lerer Hippeau, was just putting money into two of them: Elm Biosciences, a new skin care startup, and Stiller’s... Lately, venture capitalist Ben Lerer has found himself experiencing a bit of déjà...
Art by Clark Miller.
E-commerce

‘Everyone’s Desperate’: Consumer Startups Bet on Mobile Big Brother Billboards

By Ann Gehan · Nov 29, 2024 10:00am PST · 2 comments
When Huel, a London-based startup that sells protein bars and powdered meals, was plotting an expansion push into America earlier this year, the company’s executives knew they needed to make a splash. Huel’s $200 million in annual revenue came from online sales mostly in Europe—in the U.S., it hoped to win over customers in... When Huel, a London-based startup that sells protein bars and powdered meals, was plotting an...