October is when peak season planning stops being theoretical. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday stretching well beyond a single weekend, the companies that perform best are the ones that lock in their acquisition, retention, and operational plans before the rush begins. This edition is designed to help you make those calls with confidence.
In the Spotlight, our BFCM roundtable brings together eCommerce voices sharing exactly how they are preparing for 2026. On the blog, we look at what a merchant of record really means for gaming revenue and for software teams selling globally into 2027.
Whether you are fine-tuning your holiday plan or shaping next year’s strategy, there is plenty here to put to work right away.
Happy selling!
BFCM has grown well beyond a single weekend, and the brands that win it are the ones that plan months ahead. Watch our recent webinar, where Vinny O’Brien, eCommerce Consultant at Vinny&Co., and Jenny Izaguirre, Founder of Carrusel Digital, share how they are approaching acquisition costs, retention, and operational readiness this year, with Nataliya Shadykulova, Head of New Business, EMEA, at 2Checkout hosting the conversation.
You will come away with practical strategies, lessons from past peak seasons, and a clearer view of what to expect from BFCM 2026.
Leaving the app store is the easy part. The harder questions are what you actually keep on each sale and who owns the player relationship afterward. Learn how a merchant of record works for gaming, how to calculate your real effective rate, and what to ask providers before you sign.
Agentic commerce is generating plenty of headlines, but the infrastructure is still in its early days. This article explains why established payments players hold the edge in bringing it to scale, and why merchants should focus first on how customers discover their products, not on payments.
Finding the right tactics and tools to prevent voluntary churn can increase your recurring revenue. Analyzing data for important churn signals and renewal insights and renewal insights and getting customer feedback are the first steps to take, but not the only ones! The right eCommerce and payment solution can directly support stronger renewals and long-term retention.
Leaving the app store is the easy part. The harder questions are what you actually keep on each sale and who owns the player relationship afterward. Learn how a merchant of record works for gaming, how to calculate your real effective rate, and what to ask providers before you sign.
Great UX shows up in your numbers, but only if you track the right ones. This guide separates behavioral from attitudinal metrics and covers eleven worth monitoring, from conversion rate and loading time to CES and NPS, plus how to set goals and tie UX changes to business results.
Your checkout isn’t just a step in the funnel. It’s where revenue is won or lost.
In this eBook, we break down the shopping cart best practices that actually move the needle: optimize your purchase flow, reduce cart abandonment, increase average order value, test what truly drives conversions.
Because even small tweaks, like simplifying forms or improving UX, can significantly boost conversion rates.
Chargebacks often cost more than the sale itself, from fees and lost revenue to the time spent on disputes and the risk of card-network scrutiny. Learn what triggers them, how the dispute process unfolds, and the transparency and support practices that keep customers from going to their bank in the first place.
Black Friday success comes from one connected plan, not a pile of separate promotions. This guide walks through setting goals, choosing an offer, building a timeline, and picking channels, then adds 15 tactics and the metrics that show whether your campaign paid off.
ChatGPT, AI Overviews, and Google’s AI Mode are now filtering shoppers before they ever land on your site. If your brand isn’t the answer AI recommends, you’re losing the sale at the exact moment intent is highest, and you may not even see it happen.
In this CommerceNow’26 session, Dale Bertrand, Founder & CEO of Fire&Spark, shares his research-backed insights into how AI pre-qualifies visitors, and the three critical gaps in Understanding, Relevance, and Reputation that are stopping eCommerce brands from generating sales from AI search.
