This Week in M&A Issue #224
February 16, 2026
Hola!
Today’s trend of the week is “Valentine’s Day”. 💗
Love is in the air. Hearts are full, and so are checkout carts.
Americans are on track to spend a record $29.1 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2026, with people planning to fork out about $199.78 on average for gifts.
What’s really interesting is who’s getting gifts. Romantic partners still get the biggest share at around $14.5 billion, but shoppers are increasingly buying for friends ($2.4 billion), kids’ classmates and teachers ($2.2 billion), co-workers ($1.7 billion), and even pets, with pet spending jumping to around $2.1 billion this year.
This broadening of Valentine’s Day spending means opportunity. With more people celebrating friendship, workplaces, classrooms, and furry family members, there’s room to expand beyond traditional romantic gifts like jewelry and flowers. Think creative curated kits, pet-friendly products, classroom-ready cards, or themed bundles for different relationships.
Today we have for you:
- Google rolls out February 2026 Discover Core update
- Claude AI now integrates directly with WordPress
And:
- Amazon reached 830 billion in total sales in 2025
- Using business credit to fund growth and acquisitions
- 3 keys to maximizing your business valuation
Alright, let’s dive in.
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Image Source: Giphy (YeremiaAdicipta)
Google Releases First Core Update of 2026, Focusing on Discover
Google has begun rolling out its February 2026 Discover core update, marking the first core update of the year. Unlike traditional core updates that affect Search broadly, this one is focused specifically on Google Discover, the personalized content feed shown in the Google app and on mobile devices.
The update is currently limited to English-language users in the United States and is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. Google says it plans to expand the update to all countries and languages in the coming months, though no timeline has been shared.
According to Google, this is a broad update to the systems that surface articles in Discover. The company says the changes are designed to improve content quality and relevance in three key ways.
First, Discover will show users more locally relevant content from websites based in their own country. This could reduce visibility for non-US publishers who target American audiences. However, those same publishers may see improved visibility in their own regions over time.
Second, Google is reducing the reach of sensational headlines and clickbait. The company has updated its documentation to stress the importance of clear, accurate titles and avoiding exaggerated or misleading preview content.
Third, the update prioritizes in-depth, original, and timely content from websites that demonstrate expertise in specific topics. Google’s systems assess expertise on a topic-by-topic basis. For example, a local news site with a well-developed gardening section could be recognized as authoritative in gardening, even if it covers many other subjects.
Because this is a Discover-specific core update, websites may see traffic changes in Discover without corresponding shifts in traditional Search rankings. That makes it especially important to monitor Discover performance separately in Google Search Console during the rollout period.
As with all core updates, Google emphasizes long-term content improvements over quick technical fixes.
The Opportunity podcast
![Using Business Credit to Fund Growth and Acquisitions With Ty Crandall [Ep.205] (1)](https://1745913.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1745913/Using%20Business%20Credit%20to%20Fund%20Growth%20and%20Acquisitions%20With%20Ty%20Crandall%20%5BEp.205%5D%20(1).png)
Business Credit Explained for Online Business Owners
Business credit limits can be 10 to 100x higher than consumer credit.
Yet many entrepreneurs never learn how to access it.
In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, Ty Crandall, CEO of Credit Suite, joins us to break down how to use business credit to fund growth and buy businesses without relying on personal cash or guarantees.
We cover:
- How business credit differs from personal credit
- The types of credit you can access without personal guarantees
- How tradelines work for online businesses
- When using business credit is smart vs risky
- Creative financing strategies for acquiring businesses
- SBA loans vs. revenue-based financing for acquisitions
If you’re a digital entrepreneur thinking about scaling, raising capital, or acquiring your next business, this episode is jam-packed full of actionable advice.
AI
WordPress Users Can Now Analyze Site Data Using Claude
WordPress has introduced a new integration that connects websites directly to Claude, the AI chatbot developed by Anthropic. The new Claude connector allows site owners to securely share selected back-end data with the chatbot, making it easier to analyze and manage their websites.
Once connected, Claude can answer detailed questions about a site’s performance and content. For example, users can ask for a summary of monthly web traffic, identify posts with low engagement, or determine which articles are generating the most discussion. This gives site owners a faster way to interpret analytics and spot trends without manually digging through dashboards.
WordPress has also provided a list of template prompts to help users get started. These include requests such as “Show me pending comments on my blog,” “Which of my sites gets the most traffic?” and “What plug-ins are installed on my main site?” The integration supports comment management insights and plug-in overviews, helping users stay on top of routine maintenance tasks.
Users remain in full control of their data. They can decide exactly what information Claude can access and can revoke that access at any time. For now, Claude operates with read-only permissions, meaning it can review and analyze site data but cannot make changes within the content management system.
While the current version only allows Claude to read data, WordPress has previously indicated that future updates may include write access through its Model Context Protocol integration. That would potentially allow users to complete editorial tasks directly through a connected AI assistant.
Read All About It!
🔍 How to optimize for AI Search results: and track your AI visibility
🛒 Google launches Agentic Commerce with Etsy and Wayfair: Shopify coming soon
🏆 How this publisher did $5.2M of ad sales in 30 days: flipping the script
💼 5 startup sectors seeing big funding growth: massive investor interest
YouTube
3 Things You Need to Sell Your Business for Millions
There’s no magic formula for selling your business for millions.
But there are three non-negotiables that serious buyers look for every time.
In this video, Greg breaks down the 3 key elements that drive higher valuations and attract premium buyers, no matter your business model. These are the fundamentals that separate seven-figure exits from deals that fall apart.
If you’re planning to sell this year or just want to build a more valuable business, this is what you need to focus on now to maximize your exit price.
Amazon
Amazon Hits $830 Billion in Sales as Marketplace Growth Drives Success
Amazon and its sellers reached $830 billion in total sales in 2025, tripling its gross merchandise value from $277 billion in 2018.
According to Marketplace Pulse, first-party sales accounted for $255 billion, while third-party marketplace sales hit $575 billion, with both segments growing around 9%. This steady expansion continues the 6–10% growth range Amazon has maintained since 2022, following the 46% spike during the COVID-19 peak in 2020.
The third-party marketplace remains the main growth engine, contributing roughly 76% of Amazon’s $495 billion sales increase since 2019. Sellers now make up 69% of total GMV, up from 60% in 2019, though growth in seller share has slowed from previous years.
When looking at units sold rather than dollar value, third-party sellers’ share has stabilized at 61–62% for five quarters. This highlights Amazon’s strategy of controlling high-volume, low-price items such as consumables, basics, and private-label products, while the marketplace focuses on higher-value branded and specialized goods.
Everyday essentials now account for one in three items sold in the U.S., growing nearly twice as fast as other categories in 2025.
In the U.S., Amazon accounts for about $440 billion in sales, representing roughly 36% of all eCommerce. The company’s size surpasses its closest competitors combined, but growth has slowed to single digits as the market matures.
Amazon’s success is powered by a combination of price, speed, and discovery. In 2025, it invested $200 billion in infrastructure and AI, with its shopping assistant Rufus generating $12 billion in additional sales. Amazon’s low-cost Haul program now offers over one million items under $10, while Prime members received more than 8 billion items in one or two days, a 30% increase from the previous year.
Despite increased competition from low-cost marketplaces like Temu and Shein, Amazon’s marketplace continues to grow, proving that even at a near-trillion-dollar scale, its operational “flywheel” remains a powerful engine for eCommerce.
Money Nomad
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