Estée Lauder's Fragrance Bet Pays Off With a 7% Sales Jump, Brussels Approves Temu's Plan to Fight Illegal Listings
4 min read · November 3, 2026 · Covering November 2 · 8 stories from 6 sources
Yesterday in ecommerce: Estée Lauder's fragrance brands beat forecasts, Brussels approved Temu's anti-counterfeit plan, and more than half of supplement shoppers said they're worried about fakes. 8 stories, about 4 minutes.
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Estée Lauder's fragrance bet pays off with a 7% sales jump
The Estée Lauder Companies posted 7% sales growth to $3.7 billion in its first fiscal quarter, led by fragrance, up 20% on Tom Ford, Le Labo and Kilian Paris. Makeup and hair stayed flat. CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said Estée Lauder is under-indexed in Western prestige fragrance but gaining share in Asia. MAC's U.S. TikTok Shop sales "more than doubled" since 2025, and it now sells 15 brands across 11 TikTok Shop markets.
For your store:If you sell beauty or fragrance, TikTok Shop keeps proving itself as a real discovery channel. Worth testing even a narrow range there before the holidays.
Brussels approves Temu's plan to fight illegal listings
The European Commission approved an action plan Temu submitted in August to tackle illegal products on its marketplace, including a risk assessment and a review of how its algorithm might amplify banned items. Its May 2026 fine of 200 million euros for violating EU digital rules still stands. Temu has four months to implement the measures, then faces an independent audit. It still ranks first by visits in four EU markets.
For your store:If you compete with Temu in the EU, this won't slow it down fast. Lean into trust signals, like real reviews and clear return policies, where it still struggles.
The RealReal posts record revenue as Gen Z fuels resale
The RealReal's third-quarter GMV rose 23% to $641.5 million and revenue climbed 19% to $206.1 million, both records, with its fastest order growth since 2022. Active buyers reached 1.15 million, up 13%, and Gen Z customers grew over 60% in three years. CEO Rati Levesque said its AI assistant, Ask TRR, drives 20% higher spend per transaction among early users, and credited its own buyers for 44% of new consignors.
For your store:Resale keeps growing because trust and curation beat pure price. If you sell used goods, invest in authentication and clear condition grading, it's what converts browsers.
Poundland's rescue row draws in the UK prime minister
The weekend brought new pressure on Gordon Brothers, Poundland's owner, to accept a rescue bid instead of administration. Founder Steve Smith said like-for-like sales are up almost 7% and warned up to 30,000 jobs, including suppliers, are at risk. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Gordon Brothers has questions to answer if a viable offer was turned down, and a minister is due to meet Poundland executives this week.
For your store:Discount retail's troubles aren't really about demand, they're about debt and ownership. If your margins are thin, watch your own capital structure, not just sales.
Nearly half of US shoppers say they won't touch BNPL this holiday
A survey of 1,099 US consumers by the Electronic Transactions Association and The Strawhecker Group found 47% don't expect to use buy now, pay later at all this holiday season, while 20% plan to use it more than last year. Favorability splits by age: 47% of millennials view BNPL favorably, versus 24% of baby boomers. Regular use sits at 21%, with another 9% trying it for the first time this year.
For your store:BNPL isn't universal, so don't assume every shopper wants it at checkout. Offer it as one option among several, it converts better than pushing it as default.
Nordstrom skips holiday clichés for a David Bowie campaign
Nordstrom's new holiday ad drops sleigh bells for two kids dancing to David Bowie's "Let's Dance," tied to an exclusive merchandise deal with the Bowie estate ahead of his 80th birthday in January. SVP of brand creative Olivia Kim said the goal was cutting through "candy canes and snowmen" sameness. The retailer already launched its gift hub on October 12, saving decorations and Santa photos for after Black Friday.
For your store:Starting gifting content before Black Friday, while saving the full seasonal push for after it, can help you stand out instead of blending into everyone's countdown.
UK Halloween footfall jumps 29% as shoppers hit the high street
Sensormatic Solutions found UK high street footfall on October 31 rose 29% year over year, with retail parks up 32% and shopping centres up 26%. Traffic that day ran 36% above the prior two weeks' daily average. Sensormatic's Andy Sumpter said retailers will now look to carry that momentum into the "Golden Quarter," with the Saturday after Black Friday expected to be this year's single busiest shopping day.
For your store:Even if you sell online only, local footfall data like this is a useful proxy for consumer mood. Strong Halloween spending is a good sign heading into Black Friday planning.
Over half of supplement shoppers worry about counterfeit products
A YouGov survey of 2,796 US adults for iHerb found 54% of online supplement shoppers are concerned about counterfeit products reaching them through marketplaces. iHerb's chief revenue officer Hyeyoung Moon said the share surprised the company, noting that American shoppers were long shielded from fakes until marketplaces widened the field. The worry is one more reason shoppers increasingly check where a seller actually sources its stock.
For your store:If you sell supplements or any regulated category, be explicit about sourcing and batch testing on your product pages, it directly addresses the fear this survey found.
The Daily Checkout is a daily summary written by KonvertiQ. Every story links to its original source, where you will find full reporting and context. Covered today: Digital Commerce 360, Ecommerce News Europe, Glossy, Internet Retailing, Modern Retail, Payments Dive.