When email stuff ups are good for business 😰

When I was 12, I was the master of hiding the Zooper Dooper packets under the rubbish pile so I never got caught on a summer binge. But it seems like today’s brands have much less shame than I do.

Have you noticed an influx of “Oops, our bad!” emails lately? The ones that go, We made a mistake with the link/coupon code/price… so we’re extending the offer!

I’m looking at you Mr Pool Man, Rollie and Waterdrop.

If I’m being generous, I’d say they are genuine mistakes made by overworked ecom teams. If I were, say, a little more sceptical - very out of character - I would say these are strategic mistakes to give campaigns a little boost and attention.

But it’s not a baaaad strategy. Let’s say you…

• “Accidentally” pushed out a stupid price for an item with limited stock?

• Dropped a new product 24 hours early “by mistake”

• Had a “family and friends” offer that mysteriously spread everywhere?

• Shared a “top-tier loyalty” deal with all customers?

• Replaced in-parcel Tim Tams with sultanas (true story from Adore Beauty)

You “get the idea”.

Couple that with a recall email and some grovelling, self-deprecating copy blaming the intern, and wham - you’ve got some extra attention. Just as long as it’s not from the ACCC.

So, how are you feeling? Got a mistake in your future?

Cheers
Bushy

PS. Don’t forget to register for our Shopify webinar next week and check out our on-demand demo of preezie’s AI Shopping Assistant in CAMPUS. My goal is for you to be sick of my face by May.

ECOMMERCE NEWS (from the past week)

🙃 Meta’s Simplification Strategy: Less Control, More Confusion
Another week, another change to Meta ads - all in the name of simplification, of course. This week, they’ve changed the Advantage+ setup so marketers no longer need to (can?) choose between manual or ASC+ campaigns. Advantage+ shopping campaigns are now called Advantage+ sales campaigns. See? Simple. 

💨 Amazon’s Prime Position in Aussie Ecommerce
I always enjoy a good Pattern Marketplace report. They just rolled out their 2025 Marketplace Consumer Report. Highlights for me include Amazon's dominance in Australia, with 25% of all Australian online sales expected to be via Amazon by 2030. This is driven by Prime adoption, with 65% of Aussies having access to or expected to have access to Prime in the next 12 months. Google is declining as a product discovery source, and Temu demand is expected to contract.

👀 Dodgy Returns Policies? The ACCC Is Watching
The ACCC is coming for dodgy returns policies. Its sights are set on retailers imposing restrictions on faulty goods, including time, range, or return cost restrictions. Research from NIT this week found that two in five customers waited more than a fortnight to have returns issues resolved. 

🍪 Aussies vs. Online Ads: The Cookie Monsters Among Us
The research nerds must be back because I have reports out of the wazoo this week. This one from GumGum had a fascinating slide on how Aussies protect themselves from online advertising. 25% use an ad blocker, 14% browse incognito and 27% don’t accept cookies… wait, 73% of you sickos accept cookies?!

💸 Surprise Tariffs: Welcome To Delivery Purgatory
I won’t pretend I’m keeping up with the tariff conversation, but it’s becoming very real. Reach's Chief Revenue Officer, Matthew Cannon, is US-based and ordered from the Australian brand I.AM.GIA. The product is made in China. His $84 order was slugged with an additional $45 fee from DHL to release the parcel to cover duty and handling fees. Messy. 

Want to chat about these stories or explore our Inspiration Library? Join Add To Cart CAMPUS, our free ecommerce learning community.

ON DEMAND DEMO

Watch Now: preezie’s AI Shopping Assistant in Action

🤖 AI-powered shopping assistants are here—and they’re evolving fast. But how do they actually work for online retailers?

We’ve just dropped an exclusive on-demand demo in CAMPUS, where Michael Tutek, Founder & CEO at preezie joins me to walk through their AI Shopping Assistant, showing how it enhances customer engagement, drives conversions, and integrates seamlessly into e-commerce stores. I get to ask him all the questions retailers practically want to know. 

See exactly how it works through the lens of Blue Bungalow, one of the first brands to implement the tool. We covered:

✅ How customers interact with AI vs traditional search
✅ The time, cost, and effort needed to implement AI Shopping Assitant on your store
✅ What retailers need to know before jumping in

📺 Watch for free on CAMPUS, on demand.

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Nathan Bush is an independent Australian ecommerce transformation consultant, with expertise in marketing, technology, and team leadership. If you're looking for fresh ideas, facing key decisions, or implementing significant investments, I'd love to work with you. Learn more and get in touch.