In this week's retail news, many Reddit users will be surprised to hear that the organization plans to implement paywalls for specific content. There is also a shift within the global supply chain, which has caused reactions across the world, including:
- India delaying its proposed ecommerce plan on hold
- Shein encouraging suppliers to set up production in Vietnam
- Temu pushing suppliers toward US-based warehouses
Stay tuned for the latest commerce and retail updates in our bi-monthly blog.
Commerce chronicles highlights:
- Reddit is actively testing paywalls for certain content
- Shein encourages suppliers to set up production in Vietnam
- Temu continues to push suppliers toward storage solutions in the United States
- Apple and Google have restored TikTok to their US app stores
- Meta launches the Facebook Marketplace Partner initiative
- TikTok tests new subscription feature allowing users to receive recurring repeat shipments
- Bing adds new ad slot to shopping ecommerce cards
- India puts proposed comprehensive ecommerce policy on hold
- USPS plans to apply Nonstandard Fees to more types of packages
Reddit is actively testing paywalls for certain content
During an Ask Me Anything session, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman confirmed that the platform is actively testing ways to add paywalls to certain content, including plans to roll out a "paid subreddit" feature later this year.
While it may shock some users, the move to profit from its extensive content catalog makes sense.
Reddit has been exploring new ways to monetize its site and users for the past couple of years, including entering into a $60M licensing agreement with Google in February 2024 that allows the company to utilize Reddit's extensive user-generated content to train its AI models.
However, questions about the paid subreddits remain unanswered, including whether moderators and content creators will receive a portion of the proceeds or if anyone can launch a paid subreddit.
Shein encourages suppliers to set up production in Vietnam
Shein has launched an ambitious campaign to encourage suppliers to set up production in Vietnam by offering incentives like interest-free loans and increased order placements. The organization has also offered to help with the following:
- Raw materials
- Organizing the shipment of fabrics from China to Vietnam
- Helping with local hires
Experts see the move to Vietnam as a way to mitigate risk during trade tensions between the United States and China.
Temu continues to push suppliers toward storage solutions in the United States
As the new administration discusses potential tariffs, Temu has intentionally pushed suppliers to store inventory in its US warehouses, which currently fulfill around one-third of US orders.
The organization is also boosting efforts to sell in countries other than the US, currently its biggest market.
Recently, Inside Retail reported that Temu is stepping up its preparations to enter the South Korean market and is hiring Korean employees for HR, admin, PR, marketing and logistics functions.
Apple and Google have restored TikTok to their US app stores
Last month, President Trump paused enforcement of the TikTok ban with an executive order, but Apple and Google were reluctant to bring TikTok back until they were certain they would not be breaking the law. After receiving letters from the Justice Department assuring them that they would not face fines for carrying TikTok in their app stores, both companies re-activated the app listings.
Meta launches the Facebook Marketplace Partner initiative
The new program allows rival classified ad service providers to publish listings of ads on the Facebook Marketplace. Meta will display the listings alongside those from Facebook users and other third-party providers. The initiative came three months after Meta received a €797M antitrust fine for using anticompetitive practices to grow its classifieds market share.
TikTok tests new subscription feature allowing users to receive recurring repeat shipments
If tests prove positive, users will have the option to receive recurring repeat shipments through TikTok subscriptions, similar to Amazon's subscribe-and-save tool.
The subscription tool will encourage users to make repeat purchases of items like vitamins or snacks in exchange for a discount and helps sellers lock in recurring revenue.
Bing adds new ad slot to shopping ecommerce cards
Bing recently added a new ad slot to its shopping ecommerce cards that appears as "Related Products" and displays sponsored results related to the user's search.
India puts proposed comprehensive ecommerce policy on hold
India has been working on a comprehensive ecommerce policy that regulates data governance, competition and foreign direct investment. However, recent shifts in global trade dynamics and geopolitical uncertainties have caused hesitation from the government and resulted in the delayed policy.
It will be important to see how other countries react to Washing adopting a more protectionist stance under the Trump administration.
USPS plans to apply Nonstandard Fees to more types of packages
USPS is planning on applying Nonstandard Fees to more types of packages in July 2025 as part of its twice-yearly rate changes. The postal service introduced Nonstandard Fees in April 2022 for items like movie posters and golf clubs. However, the fee is now being expanded to include all cylindrical tubes or any package with contents that may cause the parcel to roll.
