On today's podcast episode, we discuss if big tech executives will soon be held responsible for what happens on their platforms, whether Walmart+ is now a legitimate threat to Amazon Prime, how much swapping out barcodes for QR codes moves the needle, how early is too early for holiday marketing, why dogs tilt their heads, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, and analysts Sarah Marzano and Carina Perkins.

A truncated holiday spending period with fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the election will throw a curveball to retail sales this season, our analyst Sky Canaves said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. In-store retail will see healthy growth, consumers will continue holding back on splurges, and mobile will uplift overall ecommerce. Here are three trends we’re predicting for the upcoming holiday season.

Google may have reversed its decision to deprecate third-party cookies, but providing individual consumers with the ability to opt-out is still likely to decrease signal loss, according to our analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. In addition, increased legislation and consumer concerns around privacy will require marketers to invest in privacy-safe ways to collect and activate data.

Gen Z is the critical force in digital buyer growth. Nearly 90% of the 14.7 million new digital buyers in the US between 2024 and 2028 will come from Gen Z. The pace of Gen Z digital buyer growth will be fastest between 2024 and 2026, before tapering off significantly, making the near-term period a critical era for brands and retailers to capture Gen Z loyalty.

Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm aim for mass appeal with AI smart glasses: Streamlined genAI eyewear offers a stylish alternative to clunky headsets and expensive standalone devices.

Many are willing to go into debt to get through the season. This could become a problem for payment providers