This Week in M&A Issue #260
October 26, 2026
Howdy partner! đź¤
Today’s trend of the week is “hair products”.
Consumers are wigging out as wigs and hair extensions take the US beauty market by storm.
China’s hair product exports to the US grew 12.4% year-over-year to $1.3 billion in the first half of 2026, despite ongoing trade tensions. Shipments are now on track to beat 2025’s total of $2.3 billion.
Social media is helping drive this growth, with hair products taking 17 of the top 20 spots in TikTok’s US fashion accessory sales rankings in August.
This could be an interesting market to tap into. Rather than competing with big brands, there’s an opportunity to focus on a specific niche, like glueless wigs, natural-looking extensions, or beginner-friendly styles.
And with platforms like TikTok already driving so much interest, creating styling tutorials, showing before-and-after transformations, and partnering with influencers could be great ways to get products in front of potential customers.
Today we have for you:
- Major security flaw puts 70% of the internet at risk
- Google launches Universal Cart across Search and Gemini
And:
- SBA officially recognizes content creators as small businesses
- How much money do ecommerce businesses actually make?
- Amazon makes extended holiday return policy permanent
Alright, let’s dive in.
Websites
Image Source: Giphy (fuzzyghost)
Major PHP Vulnerability Sparks Urgent Security Updates Worldwide
A major security flaw has been discovered in PHP, the programming language used by millions of websites worldwide. And it’s a pretty serious one.
If left unaddressed, the bug could take down 70% of the internet.
Cybersecurity experts have rated the vulnerability 9.2 out of 10 for severity, warning that hackers could potentially use it to modify websites, run malicious code on servers, and steal sensitive data.
Fortunately, developers have already released a security update. Several cybersecurity researchers independently discovered the issue earlier this year using AI. They teamed up to develop a fix, eventually writing more than 10,000 lines of code to address the issue.
The problem is that website owners and hosting providers now need to install it fast before hackers can exploit the vulnerability.
Interestingly, researchers identified the bug years ago but didn’t consider it a major threat at the time. Exploiting it was simply too complicated.
That’s no longer the case. Thanks to advances in AI, hackers can now potentially discover and exploit vulnerabilities in hours or even seconds, rather than spending weeks working through complex code.
The good news is that cybersecurity researchers are using the same technology to find and fix these problems before attackers can exploit them.
So, should website owners be worried?
If your website runs on PHP, particularly if you use WordPress, it’s worth checking whether you’re affected.
Some hosting providers have even advised customers to temporarily take their websites offline if they can’t install the security updates immediately.
Government websites in Finland and the Netherlands were reportedly taken offline as a precaution. Several other major websites also experienced outages, although it’s unclear whether these were connected to the security issue.
If you’re using managed hosting, check with your provider to see whether the necessary updates have been installed. And if you manage your own server, make sure you’re running a patched version of PHP.
ecommerce
Shopify Merchants Gain New Sales Channel With Google’s Universal Cart
Google has launched Universal Cart, allowing shoppers to save products from different retailers in one cart across Google Search and Gemini.
Shoppers can track prices, get stock alerts and personalized discounts, and check out using Google Pay or directly through a retailer’s website.
Shopify is among the major companies participating in Google’s shopping ecosystem, alongside Walmart, Target, Nike, and Sephora. This gives Shopify merchants another potential sales channel to reach new customers and generate sales directly through Google’s shopping tools.
So how does Universal Cart work for sellers?
Retailers can offer two checkout options:
- Native checkout: Customers complete purchases directly through Google.
- Cart transfer: Customers are redirected to the retailer’s website with a pre-filled cart.
Cart transfer uses Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to connect with retailers’ ecommerce systems.
There’s one limitation, though. Cart transfers currently only work one way, so any changes shoppers make on a retailer’s website won’t automatically appear in their Google cart.
Retailers will still handle order fulfillment and customer service.
When it comes to tracking sales, Google gives merchants access to data on purchases, cancellations, cart transfers, and average cart values. However, there’s currently no way to see how many products shoppers have saved to their Universal Cart.
There are also some unanswered questions about customer tracking. Shopify has confirmed that Google Analytics and custom tracking pixels don’t activate during Google Direct Checkout purchases. It’s not yet clear whether the same applies to Universal Cart.
Still, the tool provides another way for sellers to get products in front of potential customers and make buying easier.
Universal Cart is rolling out in the US ahead of the holiday shopping season, with plans to expand to YouTube and Gmail.
Funding
Content Creators Officially Recognized as Small Businesses Under New SBA Guidelines
Good news for content creators!
The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has officially recognized content creators as small businesses, making it easier for eligible creators to access business loans and government support.
The new guidelines apply to an estimated 27 million creator-led businesses across the US, including YouTubers, podcasters, streamers, social media influencers, and digital publishers.
Until now, creators could technically qualify for SBA programs, but figuring out how to classify their businesses wasn’t always straightforward. This was especially true for creators earning money through multiple channels, such as sponsorships, advertising, subscriptions, and digital product sales.
Under the new guidelines, creators who primarily produce or distribute original video content can classify their businesses under NAICS 5121, the federal industry category for Motion Picture and Video Industries.
However, this doesn’t mean creators automatically qualify for funding. They’ll still need to meet the SBA’s existing eligibility requirements.
The SBA is also considering introducing a permanent business classification specifically for content creators, with public comments open until November 20.
This gives eligible creators a clearer path to applying for SBA-backed loans, government contracts, and other small business resources. Having clearer access to traditional business financing can also make it easier to invest in better equipment, hire a team, expand content production, or grow their businesses beyond social media.
This could also be good news for entrepreneurs looking to buy an existing content business. SBA loans can already be used to buy eligible businesses, but the new guidelines could make it easier for buyers and lenders to navigate the financing process.
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ecommerce
How Profitable Are Ecommerce Businesses? Here’s What the Data Says
Ecommerce is a trillion-dollar industry, but how much money can you realistically make running an online store?
According to a recent Small Business Trends report, US consumers spent $1.24 trillion online in 2023, with ecommerce accounting for 15.9% of total US retail sales in Q1 2024.
And the industry is still growing, with global ecommerce revenue projected to approach $8 trillion by 2027.
But what does that mean for individual business owners?
The report shares some interesting figures:
- Shopify stores generate an average of $5,583 in monthly revenue, or around $67,000 annually.
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) startups reportedly generate an average of $930,000 in revenue during their first two years.
- Amazon sellers often generate at least $1,000 in monthly sales.
Of course, revenue isn’t the same as profit.
The report estimates that ecommerce businesses can achieve gross profit margins of 40% to 70%. But after accounting for advertising, shipping, inventory, and other expenses, actual profits can be much lower.
For newer businesses, first-year profits are estimated at around 10% of revenue.
Some ecommerce niches are also growing faster than others, with fashion and apparel seeing around 14% annual growth and fine jewelry growing by 8% to 12%.
For comparison, Shopify businesses sold through Empire Flippers over the past three years had a median monthly revenue of $19,170 and a median net profit of $3,184, with average profit margins of 27%.
(These figures are higher than industry averages because we only accept businesses earning at least $24,000 in annual net profit, so our data reflects more established businesses.)
So, how much can you make from ecommerce?
It really depends on what you’re selling, where you’re selling it, and how established your business is. If you’re just starting, these figures give you a useful benchmark for what to expect.
Amazon
Amazon Makes January 31 Holiday Return Deadline an Annual Policy
Amazon has announced that its extended holiday return policy will now apply every year.
Customers who buy products on Amazon.com between November 1 and December 31, 2026, will have until January 31, 2027, to return them. Apple products are the exception, with a return deadline of January 15.
Normally, Amazon gives customers 30 days from delivery to return most products. Under the extended policy, someone buying a gift on November 1 could have up to 91 days to return it.
The policy applies automatically to all sellers on Amazon’s US marketplace, including those using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and those shipping orders themselves (FBM). Sellers don’t need to make any changes, and existing return and refund conditions remain the same.
Amazon says the longer return period is designed to encourage holiday shopping by giving customers more confidence when purchasing gifts early.
But what does this mean for Amazon sellers?
While the policy could encourage more sales, it also creates a few challenges.
While longer return windows could encourage more holiday sales, they also mean more refunds potentially arriving in January. That could eat into profits and make those impressive December sales figures look a little less exciting.
Sellers who handle their own shipping could also face higher return costs, particularly with Amazon’s prepaid return label requirements.
The good news? Amazon sellers now know exactly what to expect each holiday season.
With the holidays approaching, it’s worth factoring potential January returns into your inventory, cash flow, and advertising budgets. After all, a sale in December doesn’t necessarily mean that money is yours to keep.
Money Nomad
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Established Amazon FBA business selling kitchen shears with a 4.6-star rating and 25 monthly sales. Includes existing inventory, supplier relationships, product images, and a live Amazon listing ready for optimization and scaling. Learn More
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