Retail & Ecommerce

Levi’s makes D2C its focus to offset shrinking wholesale revenues: But D2C poses its own challenges, including higher operating costs and the risk of losing out to competitors.

Deep discounts may drive consumers previously holding back on big-ticket or discretionary purchases to splurge, while parents will keep an eye out for back-to-school deals. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy may see Prime Day-driven boosts in physical store traffic.

Google continues to lose ground to Amazon: Amazon is holding steady as shoppers’ search engine of choice for products, even as TikTok and other social platforms attract Gen Z consumers.

The Christmas Tree Shop is closing its doors. Overstock.com is becoming Bed Bath & Beyond. Party City went bankrupt and is closing stores. More than 50,000 stores that are open now may be closed by 2027, according to UBS. But what actually happens to retail spaces, brand identities, and competitors when a brand goes out of business?

Gen Zers in the US want their brands to support mental health more than any other cause, cited by 53% of those surveyed by ICSC and Big Village. Tied for second place are environmental causes, including climate change and sustainability, and racial and gender equity (47% each).

As Goldman Sachs pulls away from consumer banking, it may offload Apple Card to Amex—with potential knock-on effects for Apple Pay Later

The tool will help brands offer an enhanced customer experience online and may lead to higher conversion rates

The platform launched in New Zealand as it tries to reach 10 million users across Asia by the end of 2025

Flipkart partners with Axis Bank to offer personal loans: An embedded finance strategy will help it stave off competition from Amazon and other emerging rivals in India’s booming ecommerce market.

TikTok wants a cut of #BookTok successes: ByteDance has launched a unit called 8th Note Press in a move that could disrupt publishing.

Composable commerce—a modular approach to the technology that underpins ecommerce—has become a buzzword in retail circles over the past few years, following on earlier hype around its precursory “headless” architecture

Eurozone retail sales volumes fell 2.9% YoY in May: Inflation, along with high interest rates, caused consumers to pull back.

US employers added almost 500,000 jobs in June: The still-hot labor market is creating problems for retailers as customer and worker expectations remain high.

The RealReal is looking for cost savings: The online luxury reseller will begin charging sellers a fee for items they no longer wish to sell.

Computer and consumer electronics purchased during the pandemic are due for an upgrade, which is good news for Amazon and retail as a whole. But besides that possible bright spot, this year’s Prime Day event will likely be “unremarkable” as other retailers steal Amazon’s spotlight.

Google Pay QR support in Brazil could spur growth globally: This could expand the wallet’s ambit for both consumers and merchants—and send a warning signal if it expands in developed markets, too.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss big brands going out of business: what happens to the brand, the opportunity for competitors, and whether a brand’s bankruptcy can change consumer behaviors surrounding life milestones. Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank retailers or brands that are innovating really well and brands that are at risk. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Carina Perkins.

Biometric tech adoption picks up momentum: A pending new patent on palm recognition will help AntGroup’s Alipay stay apace with rival WeChat Pay and advance global acceptance of the tech.

Diversity gives strength to FedNow’s initial roster: In advance of the much-anticipated instant payment service’s launch later this month, the Fed shared a list of certified early adopters.

Cosmetics and beauty make up a nearly $100 billion industry in the US, and next year more than one-fifth of those sales will come from ecommerce, according to our forecasts. In order to win over beauty shoppers, and Gen Z ones in particular, brands need to pay close attention to where their digital ad dollars go. Here are five charts to help you out.