In today's briefing, John unpacks a week where automation took centre stage across the eCommerce landscape. From a startling new data point about bot traffic to Amazon's enforcement of seller handling times, the intermediaries between merchants and customers are multiplying and getting smarter. John explores what this means for your store's costs, analytics, and discovery strategy, and shares a counterintuitive retail success story that proves the most effective channel isn't always the most digital one.

Key topics covered:

• Cloudflare data reveals bots now make up 57% of all web traffic - arrived two years ahead of predictions

• The "delegation search" trend: how AI is changing how consumers discover and choose products

• Google's updated guidance on third-party SEO tools and generative AI optimisation

• Lululemon slashes full-year guidance after negative media coverage impacts traffic and sales

• Torrid's surprise Q1 results and why direct mail is driving a 75% subbrand sales increase

• Walmart's expansion into restaurant delivery through Subway partnership

• Amazon's June 29 deadline for accurate seller handling times and the 5% sales uplift opportunity

• Hyvä's new legacy modal compatibility module and what it means for Magento migration decisions

• Practical Magento tools: cache debounce, malware scanning, and trojan order prevention
  

Want to learn more? Visit https://www.ontapgroup.com for insights, services, and to connect with the On Tap team.