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4. This Week in M&A Issue #184

This Week in M&A Issue #184

Ahoy Mateys!

Today’s trend of the week is “pet products”. 🐶

American consumers are spending more on their pets than ever before, with Shopify orders for commercial dog food shooting up a massive 1,121% in April. People also stocked up on dog runs (up 121%), toys (up 114%), and even more niche items like fish feeders (up 80%), pet chairs (up 27%), and dry fish food (up 18%).

The reason for this surge is that many pet owners are panic-buying ahead of possible price hikes. With most pet products manufactured in countries like Canada, China, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan, prices could rise 7%–10% due to supply chain issues. And if a proposed 25% tariff on Canadian imports kicks in, pet food could get a lot more expensive too.

This presents a great opportunity for online business owners. eCommerce entrepreneurs who can source locally, offer competitive pricing, or build strong brand loyalty stand to thrive. You could also promote dog food recipes or DIY dog toys and accessories on your blog or YouTube channel.

Here are a few trending pet products to get your ideas flowing.

Today we have for you:

• Google AI Mode rolls out to the public
• Amazon launches new AI tool to help sellers improve product listings

And:

• How new tariffs could disrupt your e-commerce business
• Walmart launches Grow with US to empower small businesses
• Google still leads in volume but loses momentum to ChatGPT

Alright, let’s dive in.

Google

AI Mode from Google Offers Deeper More Interactive Search Experience

Google is getting ready to roll out a new way to search: AI Mode. A small group of U.S. users will soon see it as a separate tab in Google Search. This marks the first public test of Google’s AI-powered search outside its Labs program.

Unlike traditional search results, which show a list of links, AI Mode provides full answers generated by artificial intelligence. It’s more conversational and interactive, using real-time data from Google’s search index. This makes it more advanced than the existing AI Overviews, which only offer short summaries at the top of search results. AI Mode goes further by analyzing complex questions, breaking them into smaller parts, and delivering clear answers, helpful follow-up suggestions, and links for deeper exploration.

AI Mode is designed to compete with AI-powered search platforms like Perplexity and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Powered by a custom version of Google’s Gemini 2.0 model, AI Mode can compare features across products, explain topics in depth, and even guide research on multi-step tasks like planning trips or shopping for specific items.

New features aim to make AI Mode more practical for everyday use. A left-side panel on desktop now saves your previous searches, so you can pick up where you left off. AI Mode also includes clickable visual cards for products and places, showing details like prices, reviews, business hours, shipping info, and local availability.

By blending Google’s massive information resources with the advanced reasoning of generative AI, AI Mode is a powerful tool for research, shopping, and everyday decision-making.

Users 18 and older can already try AI Mode through Google Labs without a waitlist. Google is also testing a dedicated AI Mode tab in Search, making it easier to access and possibly signaling a broader rollout soon.

With these updates, Google is turning AI-powered search into a more helpful, efficient, and user-friendly tool, one that could reshape how we use the internet to find answers.

YouTube

What E-Commerce Sellers Need to Know About Rising Tariffs

E-commerce sellers are facing a wave of uncertainty after the announcement of steep new tariffs on international imports. These changes could significantly impact where and how you manufacture, store, and sell your products,  and potentially your bottom line.

While the full effects are still unfolding, there are proactive steps you can take now to safeguard your business.

In this video, Greg breaks down what these new tariffs could mean for online sellers, shares his predictions for the future of tariffs, and reveals the best (and worst) countries to manufacture and store your goods.

Greg also sheds light on how this tariff uncertainty affects entrepreneurs who want to sell their e-commerce store.

Whether you’re scaling or planning to sell, this video will help you stay prepared.

Amazon

‘Enhance My Listing’ Uses Customer Insights to Improve Seller Performance

Amazon has introduced a new AI-powered tool called Enhance My Listing to help merchants improve their product listings.

Managing numerous products on Amazon can be time-consuming, especially when sellers need to update product details regularly. This tool aims to simplify the process by using AI to assist sellers in keeping their listings accurate and up to date.

Enhance My Listing uses generative AI, powered by Amazon’s Bedrock service, to automatically suggest improvements for product titles, descriptions, attributes, and missing details. These suggestions are based on insights from customer interactions on the platform, helping sellers align their listings with seasonal trends and customer preferences. Sellers can choose to accept, modify, or reject these recommendations, saving them from the need to manually research and make updates.

Amazon developed this tool in response to feedback from sellers who expressed the need for a more efficient way to keep their listings fresh and aligned with market trends. Many merchants also wanted the ability to use the tool not only for creating new listings but for updating existing ones to stay competitive, particularly during busy retail periods like the holidays.

The new feature is rolling out to a select group of sellers in the U.S. and will be available more widely in the coming weeks.

Amazon’s move comes as other companies, like Google, eBay, Meta, and Shopify, also introduce AI tools to assist sellers with marketing.

With AI taking on the heavy lifting, sellers can now focus more on growth and strategy, and less on tedious listing updates.

Read All About It!

💰 How to value and sell a SaaS business: tips for a speedy and profitable sale

🎯 7-step framework to build a $30k/month coaching business: just 30 hours a week

📦 Amazon launches Haul in the UK: rollout is in beta

🔍 How ChatGPT search ranks products and merchants: get your products noticed

🏆 Top 15 AI automation tools entrepreneurs actually pay for: tools worth your time

eCommerce

Walmart has launched Grow with US, a new initiative designed to help American small businesses scale their operations both in physical stores and on Walmart’s online Marketplace. This comes at a crucial time, as many small businesses are struggling to absorb rising costs from tariffs and inflation without the negotiating power of larger corporations.

The Grow with US program offers a structured, four-step path to success: education, product discovery, mentorship, and financial support.

Entrepreneurs start with Walmart’s free Supplier Academy, which includes 30 e-learning modules covering everything from retail basics to advanced strategies. From there, they can showcase their products via platforms like RangeMe, Walmart Marketplace, or pitch directly to Walmart buyers during the annual Open Call event.

Select participants are matched with experienced mentors to help navigate retail challenges, and qualifying businesses can also access early payments and financial tools through Walmart’s Early Payment Program and Bridge Marketplace.

Walmart is also hosting a Road to Open Call tour during May and June, with pop-up pitch events in Baltimore, Austin, Columbus, and Atlanta. These sessions give sellers the chance to meet buyers, receive live feedback, and potentially fast-track their way to the 2025 Open Call event in October.

The Grow with US program is part of Walmart’s broader commitment to U.S. small businesses, which already make up over 60% of its suppliers. Participation is voluntary and open to U.S.-based businesses that either hold an SBA certification or complete Walmart’s internal verification process.

With this program, Walmart is not just providing shelf space,  it’s offering a comprehensive launchpad for small businesses to grow despite economic headwinds. For e-commerce entrepreneurs looking to break into big-box retail, Grow with US could be a game-changing opportunity.

Search

ChatGPT is dominating AI search, capturing an impressive 80.1% of the market, according to new data from Similarweb.

In contrast, while ChatGPT continues to grow, its competitors are either plateauing or falling behind:

• DeepSeek: 6.5% (down from 7.6%)
• Google AI tools: 5.6% (up slightly from 5.5%)
• Grok (from xAI): 2.6% (down from 3.2%)
• Perplexity: 1.5% (down from 1.9%)

While ChatGPT rises, traditional search engines are also steadily losing ground. Google’s usage dropped 2% year-over-year, and Bing, which saw growth earlier this year, has fallen sharply by 18%. Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Baidu have also seen notable declines.

If you’re worried that SEO is dead, don’t panic yet. ChatGPT is processing 1 billion searches per week, but Google still remains a powerhouse, seeing roughly 100 billion searches per week, and boasting a user base seven times larger than ChatGPT’s. Still, the overall trend signals a shift in how users seek answers, favoring AI tools over conventional search engines.

Beyond search, AI’s influence is spreading across other industries. Creative fields like music and voice generation are seeing growth in AI usage. Interestingly, design platforms are still on the rise, suggesting AI may be enhancing rather than replacing creative workflows.

However, AI’s rise isn’t universal. Sectors like writing, customer support, and legal AI are all shrinking, with AI adoption in the legal sector dropping by a massive 70%. Online education platforms like Chegg and CourseHero have plummeted, with year-over-year drops of over 60%. Website builders and freelance marketplaces are also seeing declining traffic.

As user behavior shifts, businesses and marketers must adapt. Traditional SEO still plays a role, but it’s no longer enough on its own. To stay competitive, brands need to embrace AI-driven search strategies alongside conventional methods.