Retailers aren’t likely to get certainty any time soon: The Trump administration is considering slashing China tariffs down to a still-astronomical 50% or 65%, leaving merchants to stay cautious on merchandising.
Could OpenAI turn ChatGPT into a shopping hub? The company is reportedly partnering with Shopify in an effort similar to other genAI shopping efforts by Perplexity and Microsoft.
Wealthier consumers are trading down: This could favor retailers that blend value and premium offerings with tailored merchandising and pricing.
Tesla struggles to keep up as production challenges, Musk controversy hurt sales: The company is in a difficult spot as tariffs threaten to curb demand further and jack up production costs.
Food companies look to profit from consumers’ protein fixation: Demand for healthier products—and pressure from the MAHA movement—is pushing manufacturers to embrace “better for you” options.
Meta and Apple receive first fines for DMA violation: The landmark decision marks the biggest effort to date to curb the market power of Big Tech.
CTV ads reach less than 20% of households: The findings indicate that advertisers need a more strategic approach to capitalize on CTV’s massive potential.
Amid high costs and tariff risks, Amazon’s pause on colocation reflects a move to prioritize flexibility, control, and long-term scalability.
While pitched for fun, Character AI’s animated model could pave the way for enterprise uses like customer service and AI-driven job interviews
Control of the world’s top browser would give OpenAI data, default status, and an AI-native edge to rival Google in the search war.
Planning for the holidays may be harder this year as tariffs cast a shadow over both consumers and retailers. “As of right now, we’re seeing a lot of unusual consumer behavior that’s likely to persist as long as tariff uncertainty persists,” said our analyst Sky Canaves, author of our “US Holiday 2024 Recap and 2025 Preview” report. Still, there are steps retailers can take to prepare. Here are three key strategies to help navigate a challenging holiday season.
Several weeks ago, Amazon announced Nova Act, an AI model that can search for products, add to cart, and make purchases on someone’s behalf without intervention. As AI agents like Nova Act become more popular, marketers will need to target not only people, but the machines operating on their behalf, using a strategy called machine-to-machine—or M2M—marketing.
A recent J.D. Power survey revealed credit union members’ biggest qualm with their primary FIs.
Perplexity eyes smartphone deals to challenge Google’s mobile search dominance: With Motorola on board and Samsung talks underway, Perplexity’s AI could replace Google Gemini on Android phones
YouTube shows virtual influencers are gaining traction: While the technology promises innovation, not all consumers are buying in.
Updates to YouTube’s “Inspiration” tab: The changes will allow videos to be transferred from TikTok are part of YouTube’s push to secure marketing dollars.
Tariffs will hurt US economic growth this year: The IMF expects growth of just 1.8%, as the trade war and rampant uncertainty chill consumer and business spending.
The issuer’s confidence in its cardholders and business could be upended by tariffs