e-commerce

Society Pass has successfully closed a $3 million public offering, pricing its shares at a premium. The capital raised will bolster working capital and fund general corporate purposes, including operational scaling and strategic initiatives in Southeast Asia’s digital market. This move underscores the company’s confidence in its growth prospects and its commitment to expanding its e-commerce ecosystem within the region.

Society Pass has priced a public offering of 1.5 million shares at $2.00 per share, aiming to raise $3 million. The funds will support working capital and general corporate purposes, including expansion in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market. The offering, managed by Rodman & Renshaw LLC, is a “best efforts” arrangement. Proceeds will fuel the company’s growth strategies in digital media, travel, and lifestyle sectors, with a focus on AI-driven solutions and live commerce.

Amazon is adapting to AI’s impact on e-commerce, exploring “agentic commerce” and AI shopping assistants like Rufus. While embracing AI’s potential to reshape shopping, Amazon is also protecting its data through code updates and legal action, navigating a delicate balance between innovation and safeguarding its market position against emerging AI intermediaries.

Visa has successfully piloted hundreds of AI-driven transactions, marking a significant step in integrating AI agents into e-commerce. This move aligns with industry trends, as competitors like Mastercard and Amazon are also developing AI shopping tools. A Visa survey indicates nearly half of U.S. shoppers already use AI in their purchasing decisions. Visa plans to expand its AI pilot programs globally and is collaborating with over 20 partners to shape the future of intelligent commerce.

Slope partners with Amazon to offer AI-driven credit lines to sellers. This initiative leverages AI and proprietary data for real-time lending decisions, aiming to fuel growth for Amazon’s vast seller network. Eligible U.S. sellers can access reusable credit lines, underwritten by JPMorgan Chase, with flexible repayment terms. The program streamlines applications directly within Amazon Seller accounts, providing faster access to capital for businesses.

Alibaba’s fiscal second-quarter revenue exceeded expectations, driven by a 34% surge in cloud computing revenue attributed to AI investments. Cloud Intelligence Group saw triple-digit growth in AI-related product revenue for the ninth consecutive quarter. Despite a drop in overall profitability due to investments in quick commerce, Alibaba’s shares rose. The company plans increased capital expenditure on AI infrastructure. Qwen, Alibaba’s ChatGPT competitor, achieved over 10 million downloads in its first week. Quick commerce emerges as a strategic pillar with ambitious GMV targets.

Alibaba Group (BABA) reported its Q3 2025 financial results, showcasing increased revenue (5% YoY, 15% excluding disposed businesses) but decreased profitability due to strategic investments in AI and cloud infrastructure. AI product revenue saw triple-digit growth. The company’s focus is on long-term value creation through AI technologies and expanding its consumption platform. Key segments like China e-commerce and Cloud Intelligence showed strong revenue growth, particularly fueled by AI. Alibaba is actively repurchasing shares, signaling confidence in its future.

Analysts predict Amazon’s AI integration, particularly through its shopping assistant Rufus, will solidify its dominance during Cyber Week. JPMorgan estimates a 46% U.S. e-commerce share for Amazon, projecting Rufus could generate an additional $10 billion in annualized sales through personalization and efficiency. While facing competition and regulatory scrutiny, Amazon’s logistical infrastructure and customer base, combined with AI, position it strongly. JPMorgan reiterates a “buy” rating, highlighting Amazon’s long-term potential, encouraged by AWS growth resurgence.

OpenAI has launched a “shopping research” tool for ChatGPT, aimed at enhancing the online shopping experience. This tool provides detailed shopping guides, curated product selections, and the latest retailer information based on user-defined parameters. It builds upon previous e-commerce initiatives like “Instant Checkout,” suggesting OpenAI’s ambition to become a more integral part of the online shopping journey. The tool, currently rolling out to all logged-in ChatGPT users, utilizes publicly available retail data and promises organic results. This move signals OpenAI’s entry into the AI-powered shopping assistant market, potentially challenging established e-commerce players.

Perplexity will launch a free AI-powered shopping product next week, aiming to simplify the consumer journey and compete directly with e-commerce giants. Partnering with PayPal, Perplexity provides access to 5,000+ merchants. This expansion builds upon their “Buy With Pro” feature, utilizing personalized results to reduce purchase friction. The move challenges OpenAI’s “Instant Checkout” and highlights the growing integration of AI in e-commerce. PayPal will handle key functions like order fulfillment and returns, while Perplexity leverages NLP and ML to personalize product recommendations. Specific revenue models remain undisclosed.