On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why returns volume is falling, where people will return items in the future, and what returns look like across the pond. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top five things retailers can do to reduce the volume of ecommerce returns. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Carina Perkins.
Housing market-related brands and retailers face a tough road ahead: Sherwin-Williams is pessimistic about its ability to grow given high inflation and a weak US housing market.
After several years of double-digit increases, worldwide digital ad spending saw growth slow to 8.6% in 2022, for a total of $567.49 billion, according to our forecast. This year, growth will rebound to 10.5%, and spend will reach $626.86 billion.
The tech industry is hurting—even Apple is expected to report a year-over-year revenue decline this week. Valuations are tumbling. Layoffs abound, and venture capital deal value is down. “People are not buying into the hype as much, and [these new technologies are] really going to start to be applied in useful ways for marketers,” said our analyst Yory Wurmser.
Cruise and Waymo on notice in San Francisco: Repeated incidents of idled robotaxis are delaying buses and impeding emergency workers. Complaints could stall countrywide expansion.
Amazon institutes delivery fees for most Amazon Fresh orders: The move should offset some fulfillment costs, but could also drive shoppers to cheaper grocers.
Plant-based meat sales fell last year: The challenging environment is driving Impossible Foods to reportedly cut about 20% of its staff.
Doctors use entertainment as education: Video games keep physicians’ skills sharp long past medical school.
Tia-Cedars Sinai partnership is a win for female patients: As long as the increased access to care won’t hurt their wallets.
Emergency care in your living room Overwhelmed emergency rooms are driving healthcare players to shift care into the home. Will the movement last?
US, allies put pressure on China’s chipmaking efforts: Key producers of equipment critical for advanced chip design won’t be exported to China, which could lead to reprisal or wider geopolitical retaliation.
UK streaming subscribers picked up at end of 2022: Prime Video was a main beneficiary, but data suggests economy still pressuring consumers.
Meta pulls plug on contracts with gamers: Austerity measure could lead Facebook Gaming streamers to defect.
Limited-time promotions propelled McDonald’s sales in Q4: But the fast-food giant continues to face headwinds that are unlikely to subside this year.
China to get its own ChatGPT: Baidu is planning to release an AI chatbot for its search engine. But errors, censorship by Beijing, and difficulties with monetization could pose trouble.
Text-to-design is the next big thing in AI: ChatGPT is all the rage, but expect to see more-advanced AI chatbots soon. Meanwhile, text-to-code will be bad for software developers.
The cloud can help retailers manage their inventories, create smart pricing strategies, and improve the employee experience. The cloud can even make it easier for retailers to increase personalization.
BuzzFeed tries to use AI for good, not evil: News of its personalization strategy sends the stock soaring.
Publishers’ ad business are trending downward in Q1: Dotdash Meredith, Vox, and others are trimming their workforces accordingly.