ontap.daily (September 14th 2026)

In today's episode, John unpacks the structural shift happening inside Google Ads as AI Mode drives longer, more specific search queries, and explains why eCommerce advertisers who built campaigns around short-tail keywords are now optimised for the wrong world. He also examines Hyvä Checkout's Braintree 1.4.0 update, which quietly closes a fraud prevention gap by adding device data collection across all payment methods, and breaks down alarming new research showing that nine out of ten returned items lose value for retailers, a finding that should change how every merchant calculates the true cost of their returns before peak season.- Google Ads query length shift: 1-2 word queries dropped from 42% to 24% of impression share as AI Mode changes search behaviour- Hyvä Checkout Braintree 1.4.0: device data fraud prevention and preflight validators for Magento merchants- Returns profitability crisis: only 9% of retailers can resell more than half of returns at full price- Shopify multi-currency payouts expand to Australia and France- Google Ads promotional credits reportedly being revoked after spend- FedEx Global Trade Navigator launches cross-border tariff estimation tools- PayPal CEO restructuring plans and what merchants should monitorFor more eCommerce insights, visit www.ontapgroup.com.