Retail & Ecommerce

Falling big-ticket sales hurt Costco’s ecommerce business in Q2: But the club retailer continues to benefit as shoppers rely on bulk-buying to mitigate inflation.

Tighter economic climate forces companies to focus on profitability: The paradigm shift away from long-term bets has driven changes everywhere from Amazon to Wayfair to Sweetgreen.

Consumers care about sustainability—until they check the price tag: Nearly two-thirds of US shoppers take environmental concerns into account when shopping, but only 35% are willing to pay more for green products.

Worldwide, retail sales growth has rebounded after taking a dive in 2020, per our forecast. Though growth rates won’t return to their pre-pandemic levels, they will stay steady through 2026. Meanwhile, ecommerce sales growth has decelerated after a few banner years, falling to single digits from 2022 through the end of our forecast period.

Though ecommerce growth has slowed from its explosive surge during 2020, it continues to make up a larger portion of total retail sales. Here are four strategies to cut through the noise and create a product-first, customer-centric strategy.

Retail media will be a $45 billion market this year and will continue to grow by about $10 billion in 2024, according to our forecast. Currently, the majority of retail media ad spend is driven by search. But the next phase will be driven by upper-funnel formats and in-store ad opportunities.

Klarna is about more than BNPL: Its Kosma open banking platform is growing as the company creates new revenue streams on the back of its banking and payments infrastructure.

It plans to focus on integrating its newly-acquired startup, Power Financial, and improving business efficiencies.

Consumers have shifted more their spending to dining out: But while restaurant industry sales are expected to rise 6.4% this year, the industry faces several challenges.

Amazon is reassessing its office needs: With the retail giant in cost-cutting mode, it is pausing construction on its second headquarters near Washington, DC.

Instacart taps ChatGPT to further streamline online grocery shopping: The delivery platform is launching a new feature that lets customers “Ask Instacart” for assistance during their shopping journeys.

Brands were abuzz at eTail West 2023 in Palm Springs this week, talking about tech, loyalty, and integration. Here are our top five takeaways from brands like GNC, Poshmark, and Spanx.