Retail & Ecommerce

The continued growth and success of retail media hinge on achieving measurement standardization, according to Jeffrey Bustos, vice president of measurement addressability data at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Retail media networks may be working on standardization, but a universal measurement system is still a dream. Aside from a sluggish move toward standardization, here are four predictions about the future of retail media networks our analysts gave on our “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast.

US retailers plan to add 410,000 seasonal jobs this holiday season: That conservative approach could hinder their abilities to slow retail theft and provide a good customer experience.

TikTok plans to heavily subsidize sellers’ holiday deals: The company is betting that steep discounts will help its marketplace find its footing.

Walmart adds video ad capabilities ahead of the holiday season: Brands will be able to promote videos in search, giving them more opportunities to raise awareness and drive conversions.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether people will ever buy items they see in TV shows, if online ratings are broken, a relaunched Amazon Shipping trying to compete with UPS and FedEx, if CNN and sports can move the needle for streaming service Max, whether the continuing partnership between Target and Starbucks is boosting curbside pickup, where we got gas before gas stations, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Blake Droesch and Paul Verna.

Big Tech’s shift to support products longer and enable right-to-repair is becoming more important than feature upgrades and innovation.

Generative AI and embedded finance popped up across a host of conversations—we give our take on how firms should approach these innovations.

TikTok Shop became available across the US last week. The social video platform has a lot to gain in retail and ad revenues, but it risks facing the same challenges Meta has had with social commerce on Instagram—users' reluctance to actually complete purchases in app. But with sister app Douyin setting the blueprint for TikTok’s social commerce endeavors, the platform isn’t starting from scratch. Here’s a look at TikTok’s social commerce strategy and potential in five charts.

Retail media ads are an important way to boost marketplace spend, but how brands go about advertising requires strategy. When setting up your retail media approach this holiday season, consider which products sell when, what kinds of ads drive conversions, and the importance of discovery in retail media.

Seven in 10 Indians plan to spend more on Diwali this year: With their financial situations improved from last year, many are looking to splurge.

Furniture and home furnishing companies are struggling: Amazon and Target supplier Noble House filed for bankruptcy, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams shuttered its doors, and RH sees more challenges ahead.

Amazon expands last-mile fulfillment capabilities in Mexico: The retailer’s ecommerce sales in the country will grow twice as fast as its US ecommerce business this year.

Temu overtook Target in US unique website visitors in January, but Walmart and Amazon remain on top (by a wide margin, in Amazon’s case), per Comscore Inc.

Flexport is in trouble: The logistics startup’s revenues fell 70% in the first half of 2023, while falling freight rates and growing competition from Amazon are weighing on its growth prospects.

Amazon looks to improve its seller and customer experiences: The retailer embraces technology that aims to make its platform easier to use.

US buyers’ most valuable metric when assessing campaign performance on retail media networks isn’t return on ad spend (ROAS) or ROI. It’s incrementality, according to May 2022 data from Criteo.

US consumers kept spending in August: But there are signs that how and where they’re willing to open their wallets is changing.

Lidl, Aldi see UK market share gains stall as competitors cut prices: Both discounters will continue their aggressive expansion strategies in a bid to reach shoppers still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

TikTok and Pinterest have different approaches to social commerce: While Pinterest leans into shoppable ads, TikTok spends big on building an end-to-end ecommerce ecosystem.