The leading reason consumers in the UK and US return online purchases is due to fit, size, or color, according to Coveo. Damage, defects, and poor quality are other top reasons. Some 18% of UK and US consumers make returns because they order multiple sizes with the intent of keeping only those that fit.

The days of heady growth are over for rapid grocery startups: The once-frothy sector is now down to a handful of players and facing steep competition from Uber and Doordash.

European regulators intensified their investigations into Big Tech’s anticompetitive practices: Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon parried with regulators throughout the year as various countries put tech giants in their crosshairs.

It’s time for podcast advertising to mature with its audience: The format has reached mainstream success, but ad solutions are lagging behind.

Automation set to explode: After a record year for industrial robotics deployment in 2021, organizations are planning for massive automation by 2025. It’ll help ease the pressure on industry from the tight labor market but leaves the future of work uncertain.

They’re struggling to automate key processes and make a clear business case for tech spend. SaaS could be a solution.

Social commerce stands to benefit from younger consumers: The majority of Gen Z shoppers use social media to discover new products.

Mobile commerce is driving a growing share of retail ecommerce orders: That puts the onus on retailers to create well-designed, easy-to-use experiences for their mobile websites and apps

We take a look at how Goldman Sachs’ consumer banking business, Marcus, went from a major bank initiative to being dismantled in a reorg.

Apple will begin its advertising ascendancy in the coming year: The tech giant could see spectacular ad growth the remainder of the decade.

Microsoft wants to be the next big ad tech company: Major deals with Netflix and ads in Windows itself mean the tech giant is set on developing a strong ad business.

Inflation causes shoppers to change how they shop for groceries: Consumers are cutting costs by buying items such as alcohol, snacks, and desserts less often.

Revenues are the real figures streamers should worry about: After misplaced fear around subscription losses, services are being punished for slow topline growth.

We look back at the year’s most disruptive Big Tech payment stories and how the Big Four have expanded in the space.