Block Nears a $964 Million DOJ Settlement, Hydro Flask's Owner Fights Off a $1.6 Billion Hostile Bid
4 min read · November 5, 2026 · Covering November 4 · 9 stories from 6 sources
Yesterday in ecommerce: Block agreed in principle to pay nearly $1 billion to settle a DOJ money-laundering case, and Empower Brands launched a $1.6 billion hostile bid for Hydro Flask's owner. 9 stories, about 4 minutes.
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Block agrees to pay $964 million to resolve a DOJ anti-money-laundering case
Block has agreed in principle to pay $964 million, including $764 million in cash, to resolve a Department of Justice case over weak anti-money-laundering controls at Cash App. If Block meets the deal's terms, the DOJ will defer charges for three years, then drop them. Block warned in its filing it "cannot provide any assurance that a final agreement will be reached."
For your store:If your payments provider faces a major compliance settlement, keep a backup processor ready in case service or terms change.
Empower Brands lobs a $1.6 billion hostile bid for Hydro Flask's owner
Spectrum Brands and Oaktree's Empower Brands, which already owns about 4.5% of Helen of Troy, made an unsolicited $37-a-share cash offer for the company, valuing it near $1.6 billion. Helen of Troy owns Hydro Flask, Osprey and OXO. Empower chairman David Maura said the board has overseen "the destruction of substantial shareholder value" and accused it of blocking talks with an overly restrictive confidentiality agreement.
For your store:If activist buyers target your category, expect pressure on weaker players; watch whether suppliers or rivals change hands.
Wayfair posts its strongest quarter of growth since the pandemic
Wayfair's Q3 net revenue rose 9.7% to $3.4 billion, with U.S. revenue up more than 11% to $3 billion and active customers up 4.7% to 22.2 million. The company swung to $62 million in net income from a $99 million loss a year earlier, while cutting ad spend to 9.9% of revenue. CEO Niraj Shah called it the company's "strongest quarter of growth in the post-pandemic period," crediting double-digit U.S. growth against a roughly flat home category.
For your store:If your category is flat, Wayfair's growth shows a broad catalog and steady ad spend can still win share.
Rhode's Sephora launch in Europe fuels a 51% sales jump for E.l.f. Beauty
E.l.f. Beauty's fiscal Q2 net sales rose 51% to $520.8 million, accelerating from 35% and 36% growth the two prior quarters. International sales jumped 165%, led by Rhode's September wholesale debut in 19 European Sephora markets, which CEO Tarang Amin called "the biggest launch in Sephora's history." Rhode, Hailey Bieber's brand, is now in about 40% of Sephora's global doors, and a limited collaboration with influencer Alexandra Leclerc drew a 200,000-person waitlist and sold out in under an hour.
For your store:If an influencer brand outgrows DTC, a focused wholesale rollout can multiply reach fast, as Rhode's Sephora debut shows.
Stitch Fix trims its private brands but leans harder on AI to grow them
Stitch Fix cut its private-label brands from 16 to 10 this fiscal year, expanding them into bags, footwear and jewelry; its top women's, kids' and most men's brands are now private. AI analyzes photos employee buyers take on shopping trips to spot trends, and merchandisers use AI prompts to speed up design before refining it themselves. VP Amy Sullivan said private brands show "strong growth" as client awareness rises.
For your store:If you sell private label, use AI to speed up design drafts, but keep humans refining the final call.
Meta's new shopping agent Muse hit 10 million signups in six weeks
Meta said over 10 million people in the US and Canada set up its new agent Muse within six weeks, and shopping is its top use, with average purchases over $200. ReFiBuy, which fixes product-data gaps for AI shopping agents, found products in Meta AI's top three results show up in Muse 89% of the time. CEO Scot Wingo said Muse has "captured the imagination of not only consumers, but brands and retailers alike."
For your store:Before Black Friday, check how your products look to Meta's Muse and other AI agents, not just to Google.
Amazon launches a self-service portal for its off-Amazon Shop Direct program
Amazon rolled out Shop Direct Merchant Workspace, a free self-service portal where merchants register for Shop Direct, connect their store, submit product feeds and track which items are live. Shop Direct, running since last year, lets Amazon shoppers discover and buy from other retailers' sites directly in search results and through Alexa for Shopping; merchants handle their own shipping, returns and support. VP Amanda Doerr said the workspace "makes it simple for merchants to have their selection discovered by Amazon customers."
For your store:Shop Direct is a free way for your store to get found by Amazon shoppers without listing there.
Cardi B's hair-care line helps Revolve post its biggest customer gain yet
Revolve Group's Q3 sales rose 20% to $356 million, and active customers grew 18% to 3.24 million, its largest quarterly gain ever at 202,000 new customers, helped by Cardi B's Grow-Good hair-care brand, now one of its top 10 sellers. Grow-Good's lower prices pulled average order value down 5% to $292, but excluding it growth would have been roughly flat. Co-founder Michael Mente said "repeat purchases among existing customers have increased meaningfully" over the past three months.
For your store:A celebrity-backed line can bring in lower-spend but loyal new shoppers; just watch the hit to average order value.
Most retail marketers expect holiday revenue to grow, but few plan deeper discounts
A Glossy+ Research survey of 90 brand and retailer marketers found 76% expect 2026 holiday revenue to rise at least 1% over 2025, and none expect a decline of more than 11%. Still, 81% plan to keep discounting about the same as last year rather than cutting prices deeper to chase sales. The findings suggest marketers are banking on demand and loyalty holding up this season rather than discount-driven volume.
For your store:If your margins are tight, flat discounting with strong service may beat chasing sales through deeper price cuts.
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: About Amazon, ChannelX, Glossy, Modern Retail, Payments Dive, Retail Dive.