The situation: White-collar employment at US public companies has dropped 3.5% over the past three years, per Live Data Technologies data cited by The Wall Street Journal. The trend comes as companies face mounting pressure to cut overhead amid economic uncertainty—prompting executives to increasingly turn to automation to boost efficiency. Our take: White-collar job cuts, combined with rising tariffs and broader macroeconomic uncertainty, are creating an increasingly challenging environment for retailers heading into the second half of 2025—and likely beyond.
The news: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said AI-driven efficiencies will reduce the company’s headcount. “As we roll out more generative AI and agents …we will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,” Jassy said in a letter to employees. “In the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce.” Our take: Companies that pursue an AI-first mission by laying off employees risk lower team morale, a resistance to AI adoption among workers, and damaged consumer trust. Still, Amazon’s scale, deep pockets, and cloud infrastructure dominance may insulate it from backlash or major fallout.
The news: OpenAI is discounting enterprise ChatGPT subscriptions—but only if customers agree to buy more AI products. Microsoft is unhappy, as it rarely offers discounts for its competing services aimed at enterprise users, per The Information. Key takeaway: Business leaders should anticipate potential shifts in AI pricing resulting from fraying alliances and increased competition between OpenAI and Microsoft. Lock in longer-term pricing and negotiate for essential services while pushing back on expensive add-ons. Diversifying AI vendors and solutions reduces reliance on single entities and provides opportunities for testing of models from different sources, some of which may be more easily customized for specific use cases.
68% of US LGBTQ+ adults say all or most companies participate in Pride Month to boost business, while just 16% believe it’s driven by genuine support, per a January survey from Pew Research Center.
The news: Amazon announced its Prime Day event will run from July 8 at 12:01 a.m. PDT through July 11, starting eight days earlier than last year and lasting twice as long as previous events. Our take: Amazon recognizes that while consumers have grown more selective about when and where they spend, many will still jump at the chance to save if they find compelling offers. By extending Prime Day’s duration, adding tech-driven shopping tools, and broadening its footprint across countries and third-party sites, Amazon is turning the event into an inescapable, large-scale retail moment. Even in a margin-squeezed environment, the visibility and sales potential of Prime Day may be too significant for sellers to pass up.
Cannes Lions, an annual opportunity for advertisers to score accolades for their creativity, is refining its agenda to acknowledge how that work drives business.
Major financial institutions like Bank of America are exploring issuing their own stablecoins, viewing it as a crucial strategic move. Tokenization, the underlying technology, enables payment transactions to settle in seconds, automating compliance and cutting costs significantly (e.g., 40-60% in bond operations). This transforms static financial instruments into dynamic, programmable assets, appealing to a broader, potentially younger, customer base through innovations like fractional ownership. Failing to lead in tokenization risks U.S. banks losing their global market dominance, especially if retailers develop their own digital currencies, bypassing traditional payment systems. Smaller institutions can participate by partnering or leveraging existing stablecoin services from larger players.
The news: Costco plans to open a standalone gas station next spring in Mission Viejo, a city in Orange County, California. The 40-pump station, which will be the membership club’s largest to date, will be about two miles from two existing Costco warehouses—one of which already has a gas station. Our take: Costco is investing in ways to reinforce the value of membership, and fuel is central to that equation. If this off-site station succeeds, it could set the stage for a broader rollout of standalone locations—especially in high-traffic markets. The move could also prompt rivals like Sam’s Club to follow suit as competition in the warehouse club space heats up.
The news: Streaming and social media sites are the top beneficiaries of AI chatbot referral traffic. Out of 1.3 billion generative AI (genAI) search referrals in May, YouTube ranked first in traffic with nearly 40 million visits, per Similarweb. Our take: Focusing on what makes sites top the AI search results could help increase site visits. Expand knowledge-based articles, FAQs, and blog posts with educational and UGC content. Boost SEO with long-tail keywords that are likely to appear in prompts. Encourage inbound links since site authority is a factor in AI search results.
Credit unions have historically championed white-glove service through personalized customer care, a key differentiator. However, the term's vagueness risks inconsistency and superficiality, potentially neglecting internal staff experience and ultimately harming customer service. To truly excel, financial institutions (FIs) must embed human-centric care into their core culture, beyond just outward presentation. This involves training employees in empathy, rewarding complex problem-solving skills, and redesigning products around customer milestones rather than sales. Ultimately, genuine differentiation for FIs lies in authentic financial partnership and a deep understanding of unique customer needs, which larger, less personal entities cannot easily replicate.
Over half of US small business owners are aged 55 or older, making succession planning critical, with 45% planning to pass businesses to children. A notable 62% of owners have accelerated retirement timelines, and 37% plan to sell within 12 months, indicating a rapid wave of SMB transitions for banks to prepare for. Small businesses have favored personalized banking, but digitally native successors will demand enhanced digital features, addressing past complaints about lagging experiences. Banks must prioritize developing superior digital tools, including seamless onboarding and relevant financial advice. Engaging early with future owners and understanding their needs, such as startup funding or growth capital, is crucial for securing these vital relationships.
The news: Pinterest is partnering with Instacart to allow advertisers to power their campaigns using the latter’s first-party data—a move that will enhance the value of both companies’ ad platforms while advancing Pinterest’s shoppable ambitions. Our take: Pinterest’s ability to engage the all-important Gen Z cohort, along with its role as a source of inspiration and product discovery, is making it a more strategic asset for brands and retailers. As economic uncertainty drives companies to be more careful with their ad dollars, Pinterest’s ability to reach audiences at every stage of their customer journey—now bolstered by access to Instacart’s first-party data—positions it as an even more valuable partner.
The news: US retail sales fell more than expected in May from April, the latest sign that tariff fears and economic volatility are affecting consumer spending. Our take: While May’s retail sales data largely show that consumers are hanging in, the situation remains unpredictable—especially given the fact that tariff-driven price hikes have yet to kick in for a multitude of everyday purchases, including groceries and apparel.
The news: JP Morgan Chase updated its Sapphire Reserve credit cards with enhanced travel and dining rewards and a hefty $795 annual fee, per a press release. Our take: Winnowing down their elite cardholder population will need to be done with a scalpel instead of a cleaver—Chase and Amex are trying to increase their yearly fees slightly out of range for an upwardly-mobile middle class, with reward points geared toward priorities of the comfortably wealthy.
The news: Sovos will automate Shopify’s sales tax returns process for merchants. Our take: Reclaiming time and reducing risk for merchants helps position Shopify as a stronger commerce platform and partner.
The data: Around 2 in 5 employers and health plans will never consider covering GLP-1 drugs for obesity, according to a June 2025 report from Pharmaceutical Strategies Group. Our take: We don’t think a lack of insurance coverage for GLP-1s will lead to a market slowdown. Less generous insurance coverage of the drugs will force companies operating in the competitive cash-pay GLP-1 space to continue offering temporary discounts or lower their prices altogether.
The data: Nearly two-thirds of US adults (64%) have an unfavorable view of the House’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, per KFF polling. Our take: If they aren’t already, healthcare marketers ought to be launching blitz campaigns about the bill’s potential ramifications. For instance, they could put pressure on lawmakers in the Senate by citing just-released study estimates that the proposed changes to Medicaid may result in ~25,000 preventable deaths annually due to how many patients will lose their physician, forgo needed medications, and put off screenings like mammograms.
The trend: Gen Z adults and boomers are more likely to strongly support vaccines for disease prevention than middle-aged generations. The takeaway: Gen Zers mirror older people’s pro-vaccine stance. This might be surprising, but it also presents an opportunity for brands and marketers who can no longer assume that young consumers are purely skeptical of the healthcare system. Marketers will want to tap influencers and edutainment to make sure accurate information on vaccines and other evidence-based treatments is readily available.
The news: Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, is set to recoup control of the company after outbidding Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in a bankruptcy action. Our take: 23andMe will have a brand reputation problem assuming Wojcicki regains control. The company’s best path forward, considering past mistakes, is tapping into new consumer health and wellness categories rather than enterprise partnerships with pharma.
The news: Novo Nordisk missed an important patent filing deadline in Canada for its weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide, opening the door to generics as soon as next year. Our take: If Sandoz and other generic makers start selling semaglutide GLP-1 drugs in Canada next year, FDA approval for states may not matter. If drugmakers do start selling generic GLP-1s in Canada, Novo will see Ozempic brand sales drop, but the GLP-1 market could see a generics’ explosion.