BlueSnap announced a groundbreaking integration with Commerce, composable ecommerce platform BigCommerce, to deliver the first B2B payments and AR automation solution purpose-built for BigCommerce B2B Edition. BigCommerce B2B Edition, designed specifically for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers, now offers enhanced functionality by integrating directly with leading ERP systems – including NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, and QuickBooks – this includes powerful AR automation and bi-directional ERP connectivity through BlueSnap’s integrated platform. This new functionality empowers merchants to streamline operations, improve payment efficiency, and deliver a unified customer experience across ecommerce and financial systems. With this integration, BigCommerce B2B merchants can: Unify Ecommerce & ERP: Sync customer and invoice data in real time between BigCommerce and ERPs like NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, and QuickBooks—reducing manual work and reconciliation errors. Streamline the Buyer Experience: Let buyers view and pay ecommerce orders and ERP invoices in one branded portal with support for credit cards, payment terms, deposits, and split payments. Automate AR Workflows: Enable autopay, early pay discounts, invoice reminders, and real-time updates to accelerate receivables and improve cash flow. Simplify the Tech Stack: Eliminate third-party middleware, consolidate payment gateways, and reduce tech debt with a fully integrated front-to-back solution. “BlueSnap’s automation solution fills a critical gap in B2B Edition functionality and buyer experience,” said Lance Owide, general manager of B2B at Commerce. “Together, we’re removing inefficiencies, reducing operational costs, and unlocking growth in payment volume potential. BlueSnap is a game-changer for our platform and partners.”
Return rates double since 2019, burdening retailers—Bank of America’s card data reveals higher-income households drive most returns, with Gen Z lowest except for electronics
Consumers want the flexibility to return products, but this is costly for retailers. A 2024 National Retail Federation (NRF) survey of large U.S. retailers put the total cost at $890 billion, with the return rate in 2024 more than double that in 2019. Bank of America credit and debit card data also suggests still-high rates of return across retailers of all sizes, at 4.5% in 2025 year to date (YTD). These return costs are a significant burden for a retail industry already under pressure from tariffs and economic uncertainty. Bank of America card data suggest returns to department stores are particularly high. Other categories have lower refund rates, but there is still no sign of declining returns in most categories. Who is returning most? We find higher-income households return more goods than their lower-income counterparts according to Bank of America internal data, particularly in department stores, where they do so at about double the rate. Gen Z also return goods at lower rates than other generations, except in electronics, where they are second only to Traditionalists.
Riskified teams with HUMAN Security to integrate real-time AI agent monitoring and policy controls so merchants can safely accept AI agent purchases while preventing agentic abuse, reselling, and trust erosion
Riskified announced a new partnership with HUMAN Security to advance a unified security framework that helps merchants win and grow safely via emerging agentic channels. Riskified has also identified early signs of automated reseller arbitrage, where AI agents are deployed to rapidly strip inventory and then resell at marked-up prices via fraudulent storefronts, which other agents would then recommend. Left unchecked, these tactics can disrupt pricing strategies, erode customer trust, and cause significant revenue loss for merchants. Riskified and HUMAN are among the first to address these challenges directly. Alongside the partnership with HUMAN, Riskified is introducing multiple solutions and tools designed to advance fraud and abuse prevention in the world of agentic ecommerce. These include: AI Agent Approve: MCP Server Package on AWS Marketplace for supply-side (merchants) and demand-side (LLMs) to communicate with the Riskified platform APIs and accelerate the safe adoption of AI shopping agents. AI Agent Intelligence: Dashboard views in the Riskified Control Center for monitoring ecommerce orders originating from AI shopping agents. AI Agent Policy Builder: Configuration and enforcement of agentic policy abuse, including the detection of programmatic returns abuse, reseller arbitrage, and promo abuse. By aligning HUMAN’s recently launched HUMAN Sightline featuring AgenticTrust with Riskified’s ecommerce risk management expertise in fraud prevention, chargeback protection, and policy abuse prevention, merchants can apply consistent trust policies and transaction decisions across both human and AI-driven interactions. This collaborative approach is designed to help merchants confidently accept more legitimate AI-driven purchases, block sophisticated fraud, and protect customer relationships.
Airbnb launches “Reserve Now, Pay Later”—allowing US guests to book stays upfront, delaying payment until just before the free cancellation period ends
Airbnb has launched a new feature called “Reserve Now, Pay Later” that lets users in the U.S. reserve a property without paying up front, potentially allowing people to cancel their bookings with less hassle if their plans change. The feature is applicable to properties that have a “flexible” or “moderate” cancellation policy. Flexible policies let users cancel their reservation up to 24 hours before they check in, while moderate policies allow for no-fee cancellations until five days before check-in. Users will need to pay the full amount for their booking before the listing’s free cancellation period ends. Airbnb will send users a reminder to pay before that date. Citing a survey it conducted with Focaldata, Airbnb said 55% of those surveyed preferred a flexible payment option while booking a stay, with 42% saying they missed out on properties while trying to figure out payment logistics with other travelers.
Klarna to sell up to $26B in Pay in 4 US loans to Nelnet, enhancing funding flexibility ahead of IPO via structured forward-flow agreement
Klarna Group Plc agreed to sell as much as $26 billion of buy-now, pay-later loans to the student loan giant Nelnet Inc. as the fintech looks for ways to free up capital ahead of its public debut. The multi-year deal is structured as a so-called forward-flow agreement, where a buyer agrees to purchase loans before they have been originated. The agreement enables Klarna to sell newly originated, short-term, interest-free Pay in 4 receivables to Nelnet on a rolling basis. Over the life of the program, up to $26 billion in total payment volumes are expected to be sold. The transaction delivers scalable and efficient funding to power Klarna’s U.S. growth, while enhancing balance sheet flexibility and supporting long-term capital strategy. “This is a landmark transaction for Klarna in the U.S.” said Niclas Neglén, CFO at Klarna. “Our partnership with Nelnet allows us to scale a core product responsibly, while continuing to deliver smooth, interest-free payment experiences to millions of consumers.” The forward flow structure offers predictable, off-balance-sheet funding and underscores Klarna’s ability to structure and execute large-scale capital markets transactions. Klarna will continue to originate and service all receivables under the program, ensuring continuity and quality of experience for both consumers and merchant partners.
Mortgage lenders must proactively establish AI compliance—Colorado’s AI law requires early governance, ongoing risk documentation, and close alignment between legal and business teams
Mortgage lenders deploying AI should prepare now for Colorado’s comprehensive AI law that will take effect in February 2026 and rethink how they manage compliance risk, according to Mike Brown, chief product officer at Xactus, and Wendy Lee, managing partner at LOGS Legal Group. Officially known as S.B. 24-205, the law is focused on regulating the development and deployment of AI systems within the state, particularly those considered “high risk.” It is currently undergoing rulemaking and is expected to set a precedent for other states. Lenders, servicers and capital markets teams should consider automating compliance tools from the outset of AI adoption, rather than treating it as an afterthought. Lee recommended establishing an AI governance committee with direct access to the board and the ability to meet more frequently than every quarter. These groups should document both positive and negative test results and be nimble enough to respond quickly to emerging issues. Brown said that vendor due diligence is another priority. Companies that build their own AI may control the rollout pace more effectively, but those buying third-party tools must scrutinize contracts, avoid overly long terms and “know your developer” to anticipate product changes. Both speakers advised to incorporate legal and compliance risk into return on investment (ROI) models. On the regulatory front, Lee said federal preemption efforts are under discussion, but states are expected to continue advancing their own AI and data privacy laws. More than 1,000 bills have been introduced nationwide, she said. To avoid stifling innovation, Brown and Lee said lenders must align legal and compliance teams with business goals and acceptable risk levels from the outset. Involving these professionals early in AI strategy, rather than as a final checkpoint, can speed safe adoption.
Ace Pickleball Club integrates DoorDash’s on-demand platform, offering members exclusive order discounts, in-club delivery zones, and seamless access to groceries, gear, and daily needs
DoorDash is teaming up with Ace Pickleball Club, a developer of membership-based indoor pickleball venues, to become the official on-demand delivery & pickup platform of Ace Pickleball Club. Through this partnership, DoorDash will offer exclusive benefits to Ace Pickleball Club members, including various discounted promotions on eligible orders delivered to their local store. Each Ace Pickleball Club location will feature a designated DoorDash Delivery Zone to receive orders placed by their members and guests. This integration will enable customers to place orders in-between games for groceries, sporting equipment, and other daily essentials. As part of the collaboration, DoorDash will also serve as an official multi-year sponsor of the Ace Pickleball Club Championship Series, a members-only tournament series spanning across all Ace Pickleball Club locations multiple times throughout the year. Ariel Gambardella, head of brand partnerships at DoorDash said “From pre-match fuel and weekly groceries to recovery items and gear, we look forward to helping Ace Pickleball Club members spend less time managing logistics and more time playing the sport they love.”
Saks Global’s AI-powered hyper-personalized homepage tailors content in real time using purchase intent, boosting revenue per visitor by 7% and conversion by 10%
Saks Global has released a new hyper-personalized homepage as part of the Saks Fifth Avenue online and mobile app experience. The personalized homepage is dynamically assembled based on each incoming visitor’s purchase intent so that the layout of the page, the content and the strategies seen by each customer is customized just for them. To guide the homepage features and recommendations, the company is using machine learning to refine recommendations in real time based on each customer’s predicted intent and preferences, continuously adjusting with any action on the site–from products viewed to pages visited. Since initially launching the personalized homepage to 5% of ecommerce traffic, the company has gradually scaled the release to more visitors, achieving a significant milestone of directing 100% of Saks.com traffic to the personalized homepage. Performance of the homepage has exceeded expectations, driving a 7% increase in revenue per visitor and improving conversion by nearly 10%. Through its industry-leading personalization strategy, Saks Global aims to make each consumer’s browsing and purchasing more inspiring and convenient by meeting them with more relevant products, brands and categories as soon as they land on the homepage. To accelerate Saks Global’s personalization strategy and build upon its success to date, the company mobilized a team of cross-functional experts to drive a new project focused on rapid experimentation and AI-driven innovation to deliver personalized customer journeys across channels. The team prioritizes improvements to the digital customer experience, developing new features, content templates and recommendation algorithms by leveraging user experience (UX) research, data-informed insights and A/B testing. Onsite and off, the team’s goal is to drive strategies that personalize the customer experience to enable growth.
Emerging agentic AI tools enable fully autonomous e-commerce; alongside TikTok’s influencer power, these technologies reshape customer engagement and accelerate retail growth.
The dominant subjects at the recent eTail Boston e-commerce and omnichannel retail conference were the rapid emergence of agentic AI and TikTok as digital retail tools. One area where agentic AI is taking hold is personalization. Erica Randerson, chief digital officer of Edible Brands and GM of Edible.com, said that agentic AI enables her company to serve relevant content by understanding customer intent and making recommendations based on it. Feliz Papich, senior VP of digital technology, experience & insights at Crocs Inc., said agentic AI is enabling Crocs to read customers in the moment and ensure the dynamic relevancy of recommended products. She added that acquisition costs of agentic AI technology is down and retailers can use “lightweight tools” for enhanced personalization. Agentic AI is also streamlining the resolution of customer complaints via automated chatbot. Steven Yang, GM, North America of VOC Inc., said that agentic AI resolution engines offer autonomous decision-making with contextual understanding, enabling the execution of complete workflows end-to-end and independent management of issues across channels. As evidence, Yang cited the experience of global footwear brand Amerlife, which leveraged the VOC Solvea AI agent to automatically resolve half of its customer issues at 85% accuracy, reducing manual workload and accelerating complaint resolution. Javier Corral Jr., VP product strategy of Netcore Unbxd, said that adoption of agentic AI will eventually lead to fully autonomous e-commerce including near-real-time updates of structured and unstructured data from all enterprise touchpoints which will lead to AI-driven decision autonomy, and eventually autonomous e-commerce. Although TikTok currently faces a ban, the general outlook on its utility as a social commerce channel here was quite bullish. During her fireside chat, Papich described the “massive halo effect” the video-focused social media app has for Crocs. “TikTok drives direct sales, it impacts sales on other channels,” said Papich. “You want to create an environment where influencers will be. It’s not just transactional.” Kristina Nolan, VP, media services of digital marketing agency DMI Partners, echoed Papich’s observation about the app’s value as a tool to spread awareness. “TikTok is an engine of discovery,” said Nolan. “You must use it through that lens. It’s a platform in its infancy. Onboarding for sales is more complex than for other platforms.” Jake Karls, co-founder of healthy snack brand Mid-Day Squares, said since his company is Canadian it cannot sell products on TikTok, but still leverages the app to bring in customers, especially through the use of influencers. “A TikTok creator network amplifies your brand voice. You need a creator engine.” Nolan and Karls agreed that a major benefit of engaging influencers and creators on TikTok is the ability to develop brand advocates who in many cases will help spread the word about your products without being paid.
Only 32% of shoppers report easy access to customer service in-store, as retailers struggle to balance admin/ work with empowering associates for enhanced engagement
According to a new survey from enterprise software company Jumpmind, 36% of retailers say meeting the demands of hyper-informed customers represents one of the top threats to their business. 99% retailers surveyed said it’s important that store associates can provide product knowledge that surpasses the customer’s own research. Shoppers expect seamless transitions between online browsing and in-store purchasing, and currently, only some retailers believe they are meeting their customers’ needs. 57% retailers say they’re only “okay” at connecting store associates with consumers’ online shopping data, noting that they have “some but not all” information integrated across channels. According to Jumpmind’s survey, store associates are “bogged down” by tasks that prevent them from prioritizing customer engagement. 45% of retailers surveyed say that store employees spend too much time trying to find answers to customer service questions, while 42% say that associates spend too much time on technology support and maintenance. 38% say that administrative tasks are a major time drain for their employees. Retailers noted that critical retail functions such as shipping products from stores (26%), inventory management (24%), and shelf restocking (18%) aren’t getting enough time and attention. 32% of consumers surveyed by Jumpmind say their favorite retailer provides easy access to customer service when they have a problem, which the company says can lead to shoppers switching to a competitor.