In the basket today:
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Hacked Shopify apps have been sending shoppers to fake checkouts
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Royal Mail holds back its final delivery switch until January
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Amazon splits Seller Fulfilled Prime by product size
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Shopify adds the new EU product codes to shipping labels
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Online spending slips in September but stays well ahead of last year
+plus the Checkout is back with news from further afield that could affect how you sell here, along with all the dates and events you need to know about this week.
SECURITY
1. Hacked Shopify apps have been sending shoppers to fake checkouts
TLDR: Shopify has tightened up how stores send shoppers off-site, after a string of hacked apps redirected customers to fake payment pages to grab their card details.
Developer Roman Zipp first spotted it on 10th October. HulkApps, Swym and Selleasy have all since confirmed their apps were used, and more have been reported over the past week. Shopify itself wasn’t hacked and nothing was added to merchants’ themes, so checking your theme code won’t turn anything up. Shoppers who typed in a card number were exposed, while Shop Pay, PayPal and Google Pay weren’t hit the same way.
Your Move: Open an incognito window, run a test checkout a few times and make sure you stay on your own store, then delete any apps you’re not using.
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DELIVERY
2. Royal Mail holds back its final delivery switch until January
TLDR: Royal Mail will move its last 107 delivery offices to the alternate-day Second Class model from 11th January 2027, after the Christmas peak.
Around 90% of offices already run the new model and 15 more switch by 2nd November, so most of the UK heads into peak with Second Class letters on every other weekday. Royal Mail says First Class performance has climbed from 76% to 85% year on year, and parcels aren’t affected.
Your Move: Most of the UK already gets Second Class letters only every other weekday, so pull your Christmas Second Class cut-off forward or nudge buyers towards First Class.
MARKETPLACES
3. Amazon splits Seller Fulfilled Prime by product size
TLDR: From 30th October, Amazon UK will judge Seller Fulfilled Prime performance separately for standard-size, oversize and extra-large products.
Two new tests count from 6th January 2027: 25% of standard-size page views must show a one-day delivery date, and extra-large items can use outside carriers if they hit 97% on-time delivery. The one-day test measures the promise shoppers see, not orders shipped.
Your Move: Check whether your top standard-size listings show one-day delivery today, and move your order cut-off later if they don’t.
FROM OUR SPONSOR
Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads
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“Roku has been a top performer,” said Blu Dot’s Claire Folkestad. “We have seen…CPMs lower than any other CTV partner we’ve worked with.”
CROSS-BORDER
4. Shopify adds the new EU product codes to shipping labels
TLDR: From 1st November, EU-bound consumer parcels under €150 need three product identifiers per item, or risk rejection at customs.
Shopify now adds them to Shopify Shipping and Managed Markets labels, but won’t sell an EU label for an item that’s missing them. You’ll need a GTIN or EAN (or a declaration that none exists) plus a model number or SKU, and the variant covers the third.
Your Move: Use Shopify’s bulk editor this week to add barcodes or “no standard identifier” declarations to every product you ship to the EU.
ECOMMERCE
5. Online spending slips in September but stays well ahead of last year
TLDR: Online spending in Great Britain fell 0.4% in September but was still 6.8% higher than a year earlier, according to the ONS.
Online clothing retailers told the ONS their autumn ranges sold poorly in the joint-fourth warmest September on record. Shopify’s Holiday Retail 2026 report adds that planned Black Friday weekend spend is set to fall from £181 to £165, with 54% of UK shoppers judging value on quality for the price.
Your Move: If your autumn and winter ranges stalled in the warm September, make them your Black Friday lead offers now, rather than carrying the stock into January.
The Checkout
The Checkout rounds up stories from further afield that could still change how you sell in the UK.
🇩🇪 Frasers takes control of Hugo Boss – Frasers Group crossed 50% of Hugo Boss voting rights on 23rd October, now holding 50.08% of the German fashion group.
🇺🇸 FedEx raises import surcharges from Europe – From 2nd November, FedEx’s US demand surcharge on imports from Europe rises from $0.25 to $0.28 per pound, with a $1 minimum per parcel.
🇪🇺 Grindstore reports 61% fall in EU orders – The Norfolk seller says new EU customs charges pushed its average euro shipping charge from €4.09 to €11.07, with another EU handling fee expected from November.
🇪🇺 Temu’s EU safety plan gets provisional approval – Following its €200 million fine in May, Temu has four months to bring in risk assessments and an algorithm review under the Digital Services Act.
PLAN AHEAD
📆 On The Radar
28th October – Amazon inbound cut-off for Black Friday Week – Amazon – Last day to get FBA stock in for Black Friday Week.
28th October – Klaviyo webinar: Design emails that convert – Online – Free session on building better-converting layouts in Klaviyo’s template editor, with a pre-send checklist for your BFCM campaigns.
30th October – eBay Up & Running grant applications close – eBay – Final day to apply for eBay’s Up & Running grant.
30th October – Meta’s new business terms take effect – Meta – The updated terms include a new site crawling permission, so check what you’re agreeing to.
1st November – EU handling fee and product ID rules start – EU – A €2 handling fee per HS code kicks in, and three product identifiers per item become mandatory on consumer parcels under €150.