Online Shopping | The Verge

Here’s how Amazon’s price fixing allegedly drove up prices everywhere

2026-04-22T02:34:49-04:00

On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta revealed the evidence of alleged price-fixing by Amazon. The state filed a request to the Supreme Court in February for a preliminary injunction to stop Amazon's behavior while the lawsuit it originally filed in 2022 proceeds, and is now making that 16-page document available, "largely unredacted." It lays out how Amazon allegedly schemed to raise other retailers' prices ahead of Prime Day, or worked with its vendors to make sure items available at a discount elsewhere were suddenly out of stock and unavailable for the lower price.

In response to a request for comment from The Verge, Amazon …

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Instagram and Facebook are about to be filled with affiliate content

2026-03-24T13:27:25-04:00

Instagram and Facebook content will soon have shopping links baked into posts, essentially cutting out third-party "link in bio"-style tools. Meta announced Tuesday that it's adding commerce features on the two platforms, though the functionality will be slightly different for each.

On Facebook, content creators will be able to link their affiliate accounts they have with brands and tag products in Reels and photos. Typically when an influencer wants to send audiences to their affiliate link, they have to comment on a post with a link to the product, or direct audiences toward an affiliate platform like ShopMy or LTK. Now, approved product …

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Every influencer eventually becomes a merch store

2026-03-10T11:29:26-04:00

Tucker Carlson’s “NY Commie” hat | Image: Tucker Carlson Network

Tucker Carlson's online store sells right-wing apparel and home goods, like hoodies in the Supreme streetwear style mocking Somali people or mugs with The Godfather puppetmaster iconography edited to feature AIPAC. But last week, a handful of other products caught the attention of those outside Carlson's typical audience: one is a red and yellow "NY Commie" baseball cap, with a hammer and sickle replacing the "C" (the icon is mirrored to work for the joke); another cap is emblazoned with "Neocons are gay for Israel"; and an "I HEART NICOTINE" mug.

The merch seems to have captured a subset of people whose politics are at odds with Carlson: …

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You could be an influencer without even realizing it

2026-03-02T13:42:32-05:00

A similar AI shopping feature on TikTok. | The Verge

In late February, Puck reported on a strange case: An influencer with more than a million followers was inadvertently promoting products on Instagram. On some of Julia Berolzheimer's posts, a "Shop the look" button hovered in the corner. When followers clicked it, they were fed similar items to what Berolzheimer was wearing.

Her job is to promote clothing, accessories, and other products to her followers, so having links to specific items isn't strange. What was odd was that she hadn't placed the links there herself - Instagram added them without her consent. The product links led followers not to the actual items Berolzheimer was promotin …

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Shein’s ‘addictive design’ and illegal sex dolls under investigation

2026-02-17T11:00:15-05:00

The European Union has opened a formal investigation into Shein after French regulators found listings for "child-like sex dolls" on the retail platform last year. The investigation will assess whether the systems Shein is using to curb illegal product sales are compliant with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), according to the European Commission, including "content which could constitute child sexual abuse material."

The commission will also examine the transparency of Shein's content recommendation systems and concerns regarding the retailer's "addictive design," including gamified programs that give points and other rewards to shopp …

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Here are the brands bringing ads to ChatGPT

2026-02-11T16:01:58-05:00

OpenAI officially launched its advertising pilot in ChatGPT, leaving us with a better idea of the kinds of products we might see stuffed beneath our conversations with the AI chatbot. Several companies have announced plans to show ads inside ChatGPT - placements that will reportedly cost them a pretty penny - ranging from major retailers like Target to automakers like Ford and Mazda.

You'll only see ads in ChatGPT if you're a free user or subscribed to its cheaper $8 / month Go plan. OpenAI has said it will "clearly" label the ads and that they won't influence ChatGPT's response. Here are all the brands that we know are partnering with Open …

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I saw the future of retail, and it’s all AI

2026-03-12T12:03:46-04:00

Several people are gathered around a bleach blond man in a bright pink suit suspended in a clear plastic tube. With a microphone in front of him and a giant sign reading TALK TO ME placed above, "Mike" waits, hands clasped patiently in front of his body, to take questions from his public. "Mike" is a hologram, powered by ChatGPT and created by a company called Hypervsn.

The responses "Mike" gives to audience comments and questions are on a three-ish second delay, but the stunted flow of conversation might not matter much - an attendant at the Hypervsn booth tells me that when "Mike" and his ilk are deployed to stores, they are meant to act …

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Microsoft will put buy buttons directly in Copilot

2026-01-08T12:04:19-05:00

Microsoft is launching a new feature in Copilot that will allow you to make purchases during conversations with the AI chatbot. Now, when you're asking for suggestions about what kind of sneakers you should buy, Copilot can surface a checkout option for the product you choose directly inside the app.

An example shared by Microsoft shows someone using Copilot to search for a small lamp for their bedside table. The chatbot responds with a recommendation, along with a "Details" button for more information and a "Buy" option. Hitting the "Buy" button pulls up a checkout screen where you can enter shipping and payment information and confirm you …

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Honey: all the news about PayPal’s alleged scam coupon app

2025-12-30T21:14:03-05:00

PayPal’s Honey browser extension has been lauded for years as an easy way to find coupons online. But some are calling it a “scam” after a deep dive from YouTuber MegaLag, who accused Honey of “stealing money from influencers,” and returned one year later with a second video that says Honey targeted minors, collected data on people who never signed up for its service, and exploited small businesses.

The first video shines a light mostly on Honey’s use of last-click attribution, swapping its tracking cookie in for others’ when you interact with it. The second video tracks a series of emails between Honey and small businesses that lost revenue from its use of private coupon codes and how it attempted to squeeze them to sign up as partners, as well as its approach of sponsoring YouTubers with large audiences of younger viewers, like Mr Beast.

PayPal issued statements after the first video in 2024 saying that it follows “industry rules and practices” like last-click attribution. But creators who may have missed out on money because of it aren’t happy. Some YouTube channels, like Legal Eagle and GamersNexus, are now suing.

Below, you’ll find all our coverage of the controversy.

Google will let users call stores, browse products, and check out using AI

2025-11-13T09:40:32-05:00

Google is infusing artificial intelligence into just about every part of how people shop online - including having an AI tool call local stores on a human's behalf and purchase items automatically.

Beginning Thursday (and ahead of the holiday shopping season) Google users in the US will have access to a slew of new AI shopping features, targeting tasks like searching for products, comparing similar items, tracking prices, and finally hitting check out. Some of the features were teased in May at Google I/O.

First, Google is adding conversational shopping to search's AI Mode, allowing users to describe in detail what they're looking for: an …

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