The Online Hustle Podcast
Discover secrets to e-commerce success as well as entrepreneurial journeys with 'The Online Hustle' podcast. Dive into insightful conversations with industry experts and innovators as they share their stories, strategies, and visions for the ever-evolving world of online business.
Host: Lewis Sweeting
The Online Hustle Podcast
S3 E1 Ecommerce shifts in 2026: VAT, EPR, TikTok Shop and more
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Season 3 starts with a practical reset on what’s changing in e-commerce in 2026—plus an intro to the new co-hosts. The conversation zooms out on cross-border selling realities (VAT, OSS/IOSS, and the growing spread of EPR requirements), then zooms back in on the platform shifts sellers are feeling day-to-day.
We unpack why TikTok Shop has become harder to ignore, how “scroll → discovery → purchase” is reshaping behaviour, and why Amazon is pushing more video content as shopping becomes more visual. The episode also covers the less glamorous side: country-by-country setup requirements, the importance of localisation, and how Europe’s marketplace landscape isn’t “Amazon-first” everywhere.
Takeaways:
What’s driving new compliance pressure in 2026
How TikTok Shop changes the discovery funnel
Where localisation quietly kills listings
What new discovery channels may mean for sellers
Timestamps
00:00 Season 3 kickoff + what the podcast covers
00:43 Meet the new co-hosts (Juan + Gabby)
01:50 What Vast supports: VAT, OSS/IOSS, EPR and cross-border rules
02:41 Biggest shifts since the 2025 landscape discussion
03:58 EPR expansion and “pay on behalf” changes across countries
06:36 Tariffs then vs now: how sellers have adapted
09:17 TikTok Shop: from “fad” to major attention driver
10:00 Instant purchases vs traditional research-driven buying
15:12 TikTok as discovery that can spill over into Amazon demand
17:21 TikTok Shop requirements: local entities & verification by market
20:59 Amazon’s push toward product video and visual proof
23:12 What Season 3 will dig into with guests and operators
26:11 2026 pitfalls: entering new markets without the right assumptions
27:18 Europe isn’t uniform: local leaders (Allegro/bol) and Amazon’s position
31:38 Localisation example: “dummy” vs “pacifier” and search intent
33:33 Discussion: shopping inside ChatGPT + ads and product discovery shifts
37:19 Wrap + subscribe for the rest of Season 3