Retail & Ecommerce

Consumer spending rose 3.7% in Q1: People continue to spend, even as high interest rates are take their toll on the broader US economy.

Amazon’s ad business powered the retailer to a better-than-expected Q1: A 21% increase in ad revenues helped offset flat sales growth in its ecommerce business.

Gen Zers value authenticity; male beauty consumers ask marketers to keep it simple; and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) beauty consumers want representation. Here are tactics to reach three different beauty consumers across #beautytok.

Consumers are weary of stowing banking products across several providers. Embracing super apps could help banks tackle their problem.

Paying interest on multicurrency accounts could add value to Wise’s suite of services, helping tighten loyalty

EPI wil pilot a digital wallet and instant payments system after axing its plans for a pan-European payments network

The overhaul introduced a flood of features, like AI-powered shopping feeds and live shopping assistants—cementing its pivot from pure-play BNPL.

2022 ended with nearly 3.5 times more brands operating resale programs than in 2021, per an analysis by thredUP. And 2023 continues to bring new resale initiatives from major names in fashion, such as H&M, J.Crew, and Kate Spade.

Carrefour grows sales, market share as more shoppers trade down to private labels: The grocer’s value proposition is resonating with consumers across Europe and Latin America.

US fashion online resale platform sales will increase 15.8% this year, totaling $14.14 billion, according to our forecast. Sales will continue to grow by double-digit rates through 2026, when they will reach $23.92 billion.

The majority of Americans plan to prioritize leisure travel spending: Hilton, Delta, and United are among the travel-related companies that are bullish about the rest of the year.

Uniqlo, Primark eye US expansion: Both retailers are counting on their affordable offerings to win price-conscious shoppers. (This story was written with the assistance of ChatGPT.)

Kering's lackluster Q1 earnings show the luxury market’s strength may be starting to wane: The share of luxury shoppers planning to spend the same or more on luxury goods fell six percentage points between September and January.

As apparel retailers grapple with consumers’ pullback in discretionary spending, a few common themes are emerging. Some are refocusing on core consumers while others are experimenting with cutting-edge technologies.

Offering instant payouts can help insurers engage customers and prospects.

Fiserv’s Tap to Pay on iPhone rollout and ACI’s expansion into larger merchants open up a big growth opportunity for these providers

China has been ramping up its efforts to boost adoption and solidify itself as a CBDC leader

Rampant fraud could deter adoption of digital payments, which Nigeria is pushing initiatives to expand.

McDonald’s had the most downloaded app of any quick-service restaurant in the US in March, with 3.5 million downloads, about 2 million more than No. 2 Starbucks, according to Apptopia. Taco Bell, Subway, and Domino’s Pizza rounded out the top five.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss points of tension around Trader Joe's and other cult grocery brands. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top four private label grocery brands people go out of their way for—and why. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Zak Stambor.