Welcome back to the V Spot, where were we. OpenAI launched their AI business or life assistant dots this week. On Wednesday they live streamed the launch where their own WIfi and the assistant gave up mid stream. Jesus wept. And that was just Wednesday. Today on Twitter ( i refuse to call it X), we have a dearth of self awarded Dots experts. 48 hours is all it took to be a grifter. Amazing times.
Bain forecasts American holiday retail sales will top one trillion dollars this year. A trillion.
Murt, my talent agent, says we should get a piece of that trillion. For reference is 1 dollar was 1 minute, 1 trillion would last you 1,901, 285 years.
Let’s do the news
#Amazon plays a gotcha. Amazon has blocked Meta's shopping assistant, Muse, from shopping on its site. Just int he same week they opened seller central to ebay and walmart sellers, heck anyone selling anything. We want to see yours, but you cant see ours.
Which is awkward. We've spent years promising customers they can buy anything, anywhere, anytime.
#Walmart, meanwhile, says it won't use your personal information to charge you a personalised price. Yeah right, the company who told a Dad in the 90s he had a pregnant daughter won't use personal info. My shopping history suggests I'm wealthy on Tuesday and eating toast over the sink by Thursday.
Nike's quarterly revenue fell four per cent to eleven-point-two billion dollars. It has announced an operating overhaul called Pace. Pace. Great name for a turnaround. You can ask how it's going and the answer is already on the slide. A company can be going backwards while accelerating its offensive momentum. Final word on Nike - Christmas headlines to read Running up that Hill - How Elliot Hill failed to win hearts, minds or wallets.
UK stuff for Miles Thomas M&S and Sephora have announced a beauty partnership launching from spring 2027, with plans to reach one hundred UK stores and M&S online. You go in for dinner and emerge with a serum that costs more than the animal you're eating.
Final Section - Headlines that give us the ick
Gap Bets on Boy Band JYT to Launch New ‘Fashiontainment’ Push
Walmart gets close to $3 billion in tariff refunds
Deep Dive: Preparing Store Associates for the AI-Powered Shopper - sponsored by KWI
The Nike Lifer Driving a High-Stakes Turnaround in China - the John Donahoe rebirth as we like to call it.
Walmart to build Ohio fulfillment center for oversized .....
I can't afford a Dior bag, so I tried their $325 massage instead.
Stripe swallows Parafin
If a data center is camouflaged in the woods, will anyone hate it?
And so there it is folks, the V spot eComm NearlY news is back and biting. There is no sponsor this week. So, if you'd like your brand involved, get in touch. We're back all winter, every Friday.
You bring the sponsorship. We'll bring the news
This is the V Spot News.
The six minutes you're not going to get back.