Retail & Ecommerce

Walmart Connect looks to attract more self-service advertisers: Adding new creative partners to bolster self-service campaigns should help it attract more small- and medium-sized businesses to its platform. (This article was written with the assistance of ChatGPT.)

Some retailers are testing digital freezer screens that act as real-life pop-up ads, while others are leaning on in-person events to build brand awareness. Digital kiosks combine in-store sampling, promotion, and digital media—a win-win for retailers and brands alike.

Adoption of digital wallets is approaching critical mass, but they won’t replace physical wallets anytime soon. However, a super app may be on the horizon, especially if companies can crack the ability to integrate payments with shopping services.

Moving away from retail can help it overcome growth roadblocks, while a look to China could signal what’s coming for the space

The tie-up gives Stripe a lucrative opportunity in the trending resale market—which may be better suited to weather an economic downturn

Increasingly cost-conscious consumers pivot away from restaurant delivery: Nearly half of all consumers have picked up their carryout orders themselves rather than have them delivered.

Target pulls LGBTQ-themed items ahead of Pride Month: The retailer succumbs to pressure after store associates experienced threats.

European household budgets are under pressure: Food prices are soaring, which is forcing consumers to make tough choices about where to spend their money.

Supply chain stability and lower freight expenses help retailers’ margins: Abercrombie & Fitch, Kohl’s, and Urban Outfitters all posted surprising profits in Q1.

Alibaba and JD.com, China’s other ecommerce giants, never gained substantial traction in the US, partly due to their lack of spending to acquire customers. US-based Wish spent heavily on digital ads and rode the pandemic-driven ecommerce boom to an IPO—but has since lost its way.

Online shoppers expect seamless delivery: Over half of consumers may leave a negative review in the wake of a shipping or delivery issue.

Brands can take a page from lululemon athletica’s playbook and hold a dupe swap to show consumers what they’ve been missing or use social media to give a behind-the-scenes look at how a product is made. Other strategies include leaning into secondhand and adding less expensive alternatives.

Gen Zers will drive the growth of emerging payment methods, opening the door for providers to reach them through digital and mobile. But card-based payment methods are still relevant. To tap their rising spending power, providers must align their offerings with how Gen Z prefers to pay.

The digital wallet is already the top P2P service among teens. Its youth-facing products could help monetize the app

The company integrated with SwiftGo for real-time cross-border payments shortly after getting ready to support FedNow

They launched a notch feature alongside the bank’s new private client credit card

Cross-border ecommerce continues to rise in popularity among US consumers, even as growth in the number of buyers slows. In 2023, the US will rank second globally in total cross-border buyers, with 69.8 million, per our forecast. It will trail far behind China’s 280.0 million, but that’s because of relative population sizes.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we invent a new sport called the "National Retailers League," where we look at how retailers stack up against each other across different areas. Then, we examine the battle between the top 15 retailers for online dollars and hand out some awards based on fulfillment experience, the best mobile app, and internet innovation. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Blake Droesch.

The US is in a housing recession: Home improvement, housewares, and furniture retailers like Lowe’s and Williams-Sonoma are feeling the impact of fewer people moving.