The past six months have been a roller coaster of rising consumer-goods costs, uneven employment news, and increased optimism about the end of the pandemic—all mixed with a tightening of discretionary spending. In September, consumers were cutting back on dining out and entertainment. What are they doing now?
Target’s sales growth stalled and profits fell in Q1: Consumers pulled back on the impulse buys that fueled Target’s pandemic-era growth.
Understanding payments innovation in the region could help Visa beat back mounting threats from homegrown players
Amazon plots an upgrade to its search capabilities, with help from generative AI: The retailer is planning to incorporate an AI chatbot to help shoppers with queries, recommendations, and product comparisons.
On today's episode, we discuss the implications of Twitter's new CEO choice, what Tucker Carlson moving his show to the platform means for advertisers, and what to make of Twitter alternative Bluesky. "In Other News," we talk about the effect AI will have on social media and what to expect from TikTok's US shopping platform. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.
Meta is way ahead of competitors in US video ad spend, with 30.1% share this year compared with YouTube’s 8.3% and TikTok’s 6.5%, according to our forecast. TikTok is on YouTube’s tail as it gains share, but the short video newcomer won’t surpass YouTube before the end of our forecast period in 2025.
Retailers can use digital wallets to speed up the checkout process both online and in-store and reward repeat customers. But creating a standalone wallet may not be the best solution for most retailers, and that’s where partnerships with existing providers can help out.
While Meta struggles with innovation and attracting younger users, at Snapchat, innovation and Gen Z users are in high supply. So why is the company struggling? “Snap doesn’t lack when it comes to innovation,” our analyst Jasmine Enberg said on a recent episode of our “Behind the Numbers” podcast. “But there are serious questions about the health of its core business, and it really needs to focus on turning those things around.”
Technology and cloud expertise are becoming hot commodities for automakers increasingly reliant on innovation and cybersecurity to power EV adoption.
Can Apple leverage its expertise as well as its 34 million developers to build a mixed reality ecosystem?
A Disney purchase of Hulu would upend the streaming industry: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said it’s willing to sell its stake to Disney, ending a stalemate.
WBD highlights Max’s ad options at upfront: The new streamer launches next week, and promises a better viewer experience than HBO Max offered.
Disney adapts to industry challenges: House of Mouse emphasizes ESPN's sports offerings and nonscripted content at upfronts.
Shein’s latest $2 billion funding round came with a significant drop in valuation: The fast-fashion retailer is now worth one-third less, as it faces difficult economic conditions and government scrutiny.
TJX Companies had a mixed Q1: The off-price retailer saw strong demand for apparel and accessories, but its home goods business dragged down growth.
Vodefone lays off 11,000 workers globally: Europe’s struggling telecom industry could be on unstable footing to compete in the upcoming 6G race if governments don’t make public infrastructure investments.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman offers US Senate his AI regulation wish list: US regulatory action on AI might fail to comprehensively mitigate risks including from open-source models.
Startup M-Kopa’s $250M raise shows the growth potential for firms that can widen financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AI-focused fintechs offer small FIs less-powerful solutions than their larger counterparts—if they work with them at all.
Standards are the tightest they’ve been since the Bank of Canada began its household lending survey six years ago.