Retail & Ecommerce

Total media ad spending in the US will pass the $350 billion mark this year, but growth is slow at just 3.8%, according to our forecast. “That is not great compared to almost anything in recent memory; however, there is a U-shape to this line,” our analyst Ethan Cramer-Flood said during our “US Digital Ad Spend Outlook” webinar. Connected TV and retail media will prove to be bright spots, but social media could be a challenge.

Tapestry brings its D2C and wholesale teams together to create a consistent brand experience across channels, while Hollister enables teens to fill their carts and send to a parent for purchase. Instacart and eBay find ways to offer customers more value.

Startup M-Kopa’s $250M raise shows the growth potential for firms that can widen financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Record-high debt and record-high card interest rates are leading to missed payments

The streamlined payment platform can make cross-border B2B payments easier and cheaper.

Convenience and dining present a large opportunity for Amazon One to grow without stoking competition concerns

The home improvement market bubble has burst: Home Depot expects sales to decline this year for the first time in over a decade as consumers pull back on home-related purchases.

Amazon Prime will make up 53.1% of US paid retail membership fee revenues this year, according to our estimates.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how many Americans have a mobile wallet, which ones are most popular, and what's happening with retailers' branded wallets. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the future of mobile wallets. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Jaime Toplin.

On Running’s sales soared 78% in Q1: The Swiss running shoe brand also increased its margins by 6.5 percentage points and is bullish on the year ahead.

Magazine Luiza’s 3P marketplace sales surpassed its physical stores in Q1: The company’s online sales rose 11% amid a challenging time for the Brazilian retail market.

US retail sales rose in April: But plummeting consumer sentiment and declining spend from high-income households could constrain growth for the rest of the year.

Many retailers launched paid memberships over the past three years. For the most part, they were intended to increase revenues and build loyalty during the pandemic-driven ecommerce boom. But the slowdown in revenue growth indicates that consumers are only willing to spend so much on retail subscriptions, particularly amid economic uncertainty.

Despite a tough few months, Stripe is willing to invest in crypto. Industry rivals may need to take note.

The Amazon of Latin America has a $3.6 billion plan: Mercado Libre will invest 19 billion reais in Brazil, in part to fund its fintech arm—which poses an enormous threat to the region’s banks.

Amazon doubles down on fast delivery: The retailer uses AI to reduce the distance it takes to fulfill orders, and prioritizes items that can be delivered quickly in search results.

Just 52% of consumers trust retail reviews: And while low ratings quickly turn customers off, there are steps retailers can take to leverage reviews to their advantage.

Alibaba’s Taobao will invest in livestreaming, merchant tools as growth slows: The company aims to reclaim market share as oversight from Beijing eases, but economic difficulties continue to pose a challenge.