Amazon Launches Bazaar App for Low-Cost Shoppers 🛍️

Amazon’s Bazaar app is giving Haul energy — and just in time for the holiday season 🛍️.

Hi there, and welcome to another issue of The Ecom Press 🗞️!

Amazon is bringing its low-cost shopping experience to 14 new countries with the launch of the Bazaar app. Instacart is going all-in on AI with a new suite for grocers, and Shopify wants to power every AI agent online with its product discovery engine 🚂.

And because the holiday rush is creeping in, we’ve dropped some unconventional strategies to help your brand stand out without screaming for attention 🤩.

Let’s dive in, already! 

In a rush? Here's the juice🤭:

🛍️ Amazon launches Bazaar app for low-cost shoppers.

🥕 Instacart debuts AI suite for grocers.

🤖 Shopify bets on AI agents as the future of product discovery.

🚀 Ecom strategies: 🎯 5 creative ways to drive holiday sales this season.

⚡️Worthy Mentions

🛍️ Amazon launches Bazaar app for low-cost shoppers.

Amazon Bazaar is now live, a standalone low-cost shopping app that brings Amazon’s “Haul” experience to 14 new regions across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. With most items under $10 and some starting at just $2, Amazon is pushing aggressively into the value ecommerce segment.

Here’s the lowdown ⬇️:

🛍️ Ultra-low pricing: Most products are under $10, with some as low as $2; new customers get 50% off the first order.

🚚 Delivery & returns: Free delivery above local thresholds, standard fee for small carts; ~2 weeks or less delivery; 15-day free returns.

🛡️ Trust & compliance: Amazon reviews/ratings and compliance checks apply to all products.

🌐 Markets & access: Live in 14 destinations; customers use existing Amazon accounts, local currency, and Visa/Mastercard/AmEx.

🗣️ Languages & support: Six languages supported (EN, ES, FR, PT, DE, Traditional Chinese) with 24/7 multilingual support.

🎯 Engagement features: Social lucky draws and promotions aim to drive discovery and retention.

🔁 Brand architecture: Bazaar extends the Amazon Haul experience; Haul remains in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia, while Bazaar branding continues in select markets.

Why it matters 🤔

Amazon is giving Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop a run for their money by targeting the same price-conscious, mobile-first user base. This would definitely inform some downward price pressure and shorter discovery paths. For marketplace sellers, the app could become a fresh acquisition channel if onboarding opens, but margin math will be tight given price points and logistics timelines.

🥕 Instacart debuts AI suite for grocers.

Instacart is expanding its tech stack with a new enterprise-grade AI suite aimed at giving grocers of all sizes access to agentic and generative AI. Called Instacart AI Solutions, the platform includes tools for digital storefronts, in-store intelligence, and shopper personalization.

🧩 The AI solutions suite includes 5 core offerings:

🧠 Agentic commerce: Instacart is partnering with OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft to power grocery shopping through AI agents, helping retailers appear in AI-driven product discovery.

🛒 Cart Assistant: A new AI shopping companion that supports meal planning and learns from customer behavior. Already launching with Kroger’s iOS app and Sprouts’ website, app, and smart carts.

📷 Store View: Combines computer vision with in-store imagery to track inventory in real-time, identifying low or missing stock. Live with Good Food Holdings, and coming soon to McKeever’s.

📦 Catalog Engine: Uses over 1.3 billion data points to enhance product listings with nutrition info, allergens, and contextual tags. Designed for better personalization and smarter search results.

📊 Agentic Analytics: Helps retailers instantly analyze fulfillment speed, customer retention, campaign lift, and more by applying Instacart’s AI layer over existing data systems.

Why it matters 🤷‍♂️

As generative AI becomes the entry point for shopping journeys, grocers can’t afford to be passive. Instacart is turning agentic AI into infrastructure, giving retailers the kind of intelligence and reach that’s often limited to tech giants. These tools help grocers to bridge both ecommerce and physical retail, and it emphasizes how operational AI has become a necessity.

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🤖 Shopify bets on AI agents as the future of product discovery.

Shopify is leaning deeper into agentic commerce , not just enabling transactions, but positioning itself as the infrastructure for how AI agents surface and deliver product recommendations across the internet.

Here’s the scoop 🍨:

Speaking on Shopify’s Q3 earnings call, President Harley Finkelstein outlined a vision where product discovery shifts from traditional search into AI-powered conversations, and Shopify powers the backbone.

To support this shift, Shopify has partnered with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and others to integrate tools like Universal Cart and Checkout Kit into conversational platforms. These features allow customers to discover and purchase products without ever leaving their AI chat interface.

But Shopify isn’t stopping at checkout. Finkelstein emphasized that agentic commerce spans three layers: 

• Discovery

• Purchase

• Post-purchase experience 

Most of the industry is focused on the last click, he said; but Shopify is building tools for the full journey.

From powering personalized recommendations using data on billions of products to enabling order tracking and reorders via AI agents, Shopify’s goal is clear:

Why it matters 🤨

Shopify’s move to integrate with AI discovery tools puts pressure on ecommerce brands to think beyond their storefronts. As we say, this means the real competition may shift from storefront design to structured data and how well your products are represented to AI.

🛎️ The Ecom Press Insider

Ecom Fact: Holiday sales in 2025 are expected to top $1 trillion for the first time ever. That’s a projected growth of 3.7% to 4.2% over last year’s record $976.1B in holiday spending. (Source: National Retail Federation)

💡 Takeaway: The spending ceiling keeps rising, but so do customer expectations. Now’s the time to tighten up product feeds, test ad creative, and refine your checkout experience. With $1T+ in play, small conversion wins can add up fast, especially if you're ready before the rush.

🚀 Ecom strategies: 🎯 5 creative ways to drive holiday sales this season.

The holidays are almost here, and every store is shouting for attention, but yours doesn’t have to scream. Sometimes, the smartest wins come from the most unexpected places. 

So instead of another “15% off everything” banner, here are a few clever, low-lift ways to spark curiosity, boost conversions, and make shoppers feel like they’ve found something special.

🧾 1. QR codes in real-world places: Create a simple flyer or card with a QR code that links to a curated holiday bundle or gift guide. Drop them in local cafes, package inserts, pop-up events, or shared spaces. It’s low-cost and helps merge offline attention with online buying.

🎁 2. Mystery gift with purchase: Offer a “mystery bonus” on orders over a certain amount (e.g., “Spend $50, get a surprise gift”). You can even hint at what’s inside with social polls or DMs. Creates urgency and gives shoppers a reason to spend more without running a steep discount.

🕹️ 3. Mini holiday games on your site or email: Tools like Wheelio or Gamify let you embed spin-to-win wheels, scratch cards, or daily unlocks on your site or email. Offer small wins—free shipping, 5–15% discounts, or early access to new arrivals. Keeps shoppers coming back.

💬 4. Turn your chat into a holiday helper: Add a quick-answer chatbot (like Tidio or ManyChat) that acts as a gift finder or “ask me anything” support. Let it guide shoppers to the right product, especially if you offer bundles or customization. It works even if you're not online 24/7.

📦 5. Delight them after the sale: Add a “thank you” insert with a 10% off code for their next order, or an invitation to a private sale in January. It's a simple way to turn one-time buyers into repeat customers, without spending more on ads.

Frankly, you don’t need a massive budget to make your store stand out this holiday. A bit of creativity, paired with tools you already use, can help you turn casual shoppers into loyal fans, and have some fun while doing it.

⚡️Worthy Mentions

• Google Shopping now lets merchants promote product subscriptions in ads.

• TikTok US deal advances as China approves transfer agreement.

• Coca-Cola launches AI-powered refreshed ‘Holidays Are Coming’ campaign.

• OpenAI and AWS announce $38B multi-year cloud partnership.

• Google Merchant Center adds new Creative Content section for product videos.

Wrapping up…

From Amazon’s global haul play to Instacart’s AI suite and Shopify’s agentic ambitions, one thing’s clear: everyone’s racing to define the future of shopping.

And with the holidays around the corner, these moves couldn’t be better timed 🎄.

Curious what next week will bring? Us too — but it’s guaranteed to be worth it 😁.

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