Walmart Caps AI Spending, IKEA Bets £31.5M on UK Fulfilment

Walmart is building the trust infrastructure that could make AI shopping agents mainstream. Plus, IKEA's £31.5M UK fulfilment bet and a programmatic fee fight that hits DTC media budgets directly. In this episode: Walmart is rolling out consumer-facing spending limits and approval controls for AI shopping agents, positioning itself as the platform that makes agentic commerce feel safe — not just possible. IKEA is investing £31.5 million into UK online fulfilment, targeting warehouse and last-mile operations as digital sales grow — a signal that even the most store-centric retailers now treat ecommerce logistics as a capital priority. Independent agencies are collectively demanding direct seat access and lower fees from The Trade Desk and Amazon DSP, arguing their combined spend warrants the same commercial terms currently reserved for major holding groups — a standoff that inflates media costs for DTC brands. The Digital Commerce Daily is a concise briefing for ecommerce, retail media and digital commerce professionals, hosted by Marco & Klara. New episode every day. Enjoying the show? A quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps other marketers find us. Also from Marco & Klara: The FMCG Marketing Daily · The Health Marketing Daily