Retail & Ecommerce

The 2023 holiday shopping season’s top performers will come from the categories aligned with current growth trends. And the brands that outperform their categories will do so by delivering the products shoppers want.

UPS acquires Happy Returns to get a bigger cut of the booming returns business: After a difficult quarter, the delivery company is looking to reverse declining revenues by offering customers a broader array of services.

Amazon smashes earnings expectations on the back of faster fulfillment, advertising growth: The retailer’s emphasis on delivery speed is winning it more sales and boosting the already considerable appeal of its ad network.

Buy Buy Baby prepares to relaunch this fall: The retailer is touting an improved shopping experience and mcommerce features as it tries to retake share from Target and Walmart.

Innovations like open-banking powered payments and FedNow are creating alternatives to cards, without the interchange. Panelists lay out what that means for issuers

They include connected wallets, a consumer employee card, a responsible AI exchange, and more. We look at why they have the potential to disrupt the system

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how Amazon's second Prime Day performed and whether it's really a holiday sale. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us some spicy predictions about the 2023 holiday season. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

his year, US holiday retail sales growth will align more closely with rates seen pre-pandemic, with ecommerce returning to double-digit growth at 11.3% YoY, according to our June forecast.

Nearly one in three Gen Z consumers never drinks alcohol: That’s driving growth of products like Heineken 0.0. Meanwhile, those who do drink are fueling the ready-to-drink beverages category.

Ulta Beauty tests out in-store retail media: The beauty retailer is partnering with SOS to offer free samples as it looks to boost loyalty sign-ups and enhance its appeal to advertisers.

Mattel’s strong Q3 suggests the company’s IP-focused strategy is working: The Barbie movie helped consumer demand for the company’s products grow in the quarter.

Retailers look to redefine the customer experience: That’s leading them to invest in immersive experiences such as AR, VR, gamified social shopping, and AI-enabled personalization.

Customer loyalty comes with strings attached: As shoppers become more fickle, discounts and other incentives play a driving role in keeping consumers tied to a brand or retailer.

The luxury market is rapidly evolving: While consumers kept splurging on Hermès’ pricey handbags and Brunello Cucinelli’s high-end garments in Q3, Gucci owner Kering’s sales fell short of expectations.

Customer loyalty comes with strings attached: As shoppers become more fickle, discounts and other incentives play a driving role in keeping consumers tied to a brand or retailer.

Puma pushed past Europe’s macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds in Q3: The company’s sales rose 9.9% in the EMEA region, and 6.0% overall.

To build loyalty, brands first need to establish a foundation of trust by delivering on the basics. From there, brands can use subscription programs to ramp up purchase frequency and social media to engage with brand advocates. But to keep customers coming back, brands need to be constantly optimizing. Here’s some advice from executives at DoorDash and Taco Bell on how to build brand loyalty and what it takes to retain a loyal customer base.

We got an early look at the platform and exclusive access to Money20/20 executives to discuss this rollout and how it can transform fintech funding

We dive into how Mastercard and other payment providers are thinking about the technology and what it holds for the future