The payments & online selling stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
A hidden script has been planted in 953 online stores, mostly on Magento, and it shows nothing to security scanners. Store owners should check their sites now.
Read more: Hidden code has infected 953 online stores, mostly on MagentoEtsy now bans AI-made patterns, recipes and instructions and wants an unedited photo of the real item in every listing, so buyers can trust what they see.
Read more: Etsy bans AI-made patterns and recipes, requires real photos of itemsThe RealReal tightened its bot defenses so AI agents can no longer tie up designer items in carts, a sign that stores are still writing rules for shopping bots.
Read more: The RealReal blocks AI shopping agents after cart-hogging trickElavon, a U.S. Bank company, plans to build its payment tools into SAP applications. Businesses on SAP may one day handle payments without a separate system.
Read more: Elavon plans to build payments right into SAP business softwareDoorDash will send a driver to collect your return for $7.99, and TikTok Shop adds drop-off returns, so check how easy it is to send things back.
Read more: TikTok Shop and DoorDash make returning online orders easierStripe is becoming a key way AI shopping assistants pay, often with one-time virtual cards, and the big card companies are uneasy about it.
Read more: Stripe is becoming the way AI shopping assistants pay, worrying card giantsPayPal now powers checkout inside Glance, an AI shopping app on about 60 million phones and TVs, so you can buy without ever leaving the app.
Read more: PayPal lets you buy inside Glance's AI shopping app without leavingCybernews published an expert guide on checking a site first, a one-minute step that can spare you fraud, stolen logins and lost money.
Read more: How to tell if a website is safe before you hand over your detailsAmerican Express will let only approved AI shopping assistants use its network, and it is building protection for purchases when those assistants make mistakes.
Read more: American Express will let approved AI shopping assistants use its networkNatWest's head of payments says stablecoins and tokenisation could fix slow cross-border transfers. Here is what that may mean if you send money abroad.
Read more: NatWest exec on faster, cheaper money transfers abroadSquare bought the Zenlytic team to build Managerbot, a tool meant to let sellers ask plain questions about their sales instead of digging through reports.
Read more: Square buys AI team so sellers can ask their sales data questionsA single reflection helped expose a fraud ring running 500 accounts, and the story says fraud warnings should be shared across industries.
Read more: One reflection helped expose a 500-account fraud ringBusinesses now pay by check, bank transfer, virtual card and more, but older payment systems struggle to handle the mix, which raises costs and fraud risk.
Read more: Businesses now pay by many methods, but the old systems can't keep upAI shopping assistants may already be reading your product listings. A few quick checks show whether they describe your store correctly, or not at all.
Read more: Your online store may already be visible to AI shopping assistantsA report says the follow-up to one of 2026's best camera phones may get a bigger zoom lens, a square selfie camera and a better main camera. It is still a rumor.
Read more: Next big camera phone may add a bigger zoom lens and a square selfie cameraA new survey finds online stores retry only 41% of declined card payments, so many lost sales could be saved if their payment setup allowed it.
Read more: Online stores often watch a card payment fail, then fail to retry itA security firm says a hidden instruction in an email or shared file can steer an AI assistant into actions its owner never approved. Here is what that means for you.
Read more: A hidden line in an email can trick an AI assistant into harmful actionsA New York hospital says AI agents now handle 1,100 insurance claims a month, with staff still reviewing the work. Here is what that could mean for patients.
Read more: Hospitals Are Letting AI Handle Insurance Paperwork, With People Still in ChargeIndian small businesses want time limits and an appeal process when banks freeze money tied to suspected cyber fraud, even if the payment was real.
Read more: Small Businesses Want a Deadline When Fraud Alerts Freeze Their Bank FundsFive European payment firms formed a council to set shared rules for AI shopping agents, including who approves payments and who pays when a purchase goes wrong.
Read more: European payment firms team up on rules for AI shopping agentsA new report says AI could speed up international payments and spot fraud, and even buy things for you. Here is what that could mean for you.
Read more: AI is changing how money moves between countriesL Catterton, a firm known for backing consumer brands, is investing in Glance, an AI app that picks products for you. Here is why shoppers and sellers should care.
Read more: Investment firm L Catterton backs Glance, an AI app that shops for youQVC is mixing fast TikTok pitches with its classic TV demos for the holidays, and small sellers can borrow the playbook for live selling.
Read more: QVC takes its 40-year-old TV shopping show to TikTok for the holidaysHoliday sales may top $1 trillion for the first time, and stores are hiring in a more selective way, with flexible shifts and workers trained for several jobs.
Read more: Stores hire smarter for a record $1 trillion holiday season
