ontap.daily (May 25th 2026)

In this episode, John unpacks a packed three-day window of eCommerce developments that all point to the same central tension: how do you protect your business when pricing, discovery, and brand ownership are all shifting at once? From a major beauty brand's dramatic U-turn on tariff pricing to a fast-fashion acquisition that stunned the DTC world, the signals are clear: reactive strategies are failing, and the merchants making thoughtful, data-driven decisions are pulling ahead.Key topics covered in this episode:e.l.f. Beauty reverses tariff-driven price hikes after a sharp unit volume decline: what it means for eCommerce pricing strategyShein officially acquires Everlane: the unlikely deal, the financial reality, and the lesson for DTC brandsWhy making your brand "machine-readable" for AI search is becoming as important as mobile optimisation was a decade agoOpenAI's Ads Manager Beta expands with budgeting and geo-targeting: what this signals for AI-powered commercePractical Ecommerce's insight on AI shifting discovery but not loyaltyEstée Lauder and Puig call off their $40B+ merger talksCommunity updates from the Magento ecosystem and Hyva ThemesWhether you're navigating tariff pressures, rethinking your SEO for an AI-first world, or just trying to understand where retail is heading, this episode has actionable insight.Learn more at www.ontapgroup.com.