Allegations of a former TikTok data scientist may renew concerns that US data was shared with Chinese parent.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss the main friction points at the point of sale and potential sticking points to adopting easier payment systems. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the future of retail payments. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and David Morris.

78% of consumers consider sustainability when choosing a product or retailer: But at the register, that doesn’t always mean they choose the greenest options. 78% of consumers consider sustainability when choosing a product or retailer: But at the register, that doesn’t always mean they choose the greenest options.

Microsoft and OpenAI are the latest companies expanding into Asia with significant investments in AI, aiming to fuel regional growth and technological innovation

Verishop bought data analytics firm Trendalytics: The move aims to help brands get a pulse on rapid shifts in consumer behavior trends.

To achieve their financial goals, Gen Zers choosing this educational path need nuanced banking products and marketing tactics.

Discounts are the leading reason consumers currently participate in a loyalty or reward program, cited by 48% of US adults, according to October 2023 data from Merkle.

But the data suggests a full credit card recovery will likely take longer than expected

It’s hoping new tools will make its POS tech more competitive as verticalization heats up

Republicans want to revoke the CFPB’s fee cap. Their resolution has slim chances of passing—but that could all change after November

Brands critiqued for token Hispanic marketing despite $2.8 trillion potential: HMC campaign urges real respect and understanding of Latino culture.

Can Instagram keep up with AI sextortion? New security features for teens are designed to curb the spread of sexual content, but the platform is playing from behind.

Criteo’s layoffs can be linked to cookie deprecation: The ad tech firm laid off 140 employees months after saying cookie deprecation would cost it $40 million.

Generative AI is yet to have a profound impact on media plans and marketing workflow. “The promise of genAI is to ultimately achieve a digital dream state of advertising…where the right message reaches the right consumer on the right platform at the right time,” our analyst Max Willens said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers” podcast. “But right now, the costs associated with those technological capabilities are not there, nor has the ROI been worked out … We’re a ways away.”

BNPL is still a small retail payments player. While 73% of US consumers said they’d heard of BNPL in 2022, just 5.8% said they’d used it at least once over a 30-day period. US BNPL value will hit $80.77 billion in 2024, per our forecast—just 1.1% of total US retail sales.

More subscription video streaming services are pushing advertising. At the same time, free ad-supported streamers are gaining viewers. These developments provide advertisers with more options to find audiences.

JPMorgan Chase launched its Chase Media Solutions ad unit earlier this month. The venture looks a lot like a retail media network (RMN), with one important distinction—Chase is not a retailer. But because it’s monetizing purchase data, Chase Media Solutions operates a lot like an RMN.

A quarter of US shoppers are influenced to buy products via ads on retailers’ websites, according to new research from Intellias, as reported by Search Engine Land. This is compared with just 13% of consumers who are influenced by ads on third-party marketplaces and 14% who buy after seeing social media ads.