The news: Verizon customers can now pay-by-bank through Trustly in Verizon’s brick-and-mortar stores. Our take: As long as the cost of accepting credit cards remains sizable, merchants who have the means to dodge fees will find ways to make pay-by-bank accessible.
The news: Klarna will be the default payment option for Bolt’s CheckoutOS merchants, per a press release. Our take: Klarna faces multiple challenges. It has to increase its availability to US consumers while also rivaling credit cards that offer both installment plans and cash back or points that likely exceed the value of Klarna’s gift-based rewards system through Nift
The news: Sezzle debuted a suite of payment and deal-hunting features, per a press release. Our take: Sezzle needs to find any kind of foothold in the BNPL space, as its market share is massively outstripped by competitors like Klarna and Affirm.
The situation: Low-income Americans are feeling squeezed by high prices, declining pay, and public assistance that doesn’t go far enough. Bottom line: Declining after-tax income and tariff-driven inflation mean relief for low-income Americans is unlikely anytime soon. Their budgets will tighten, shrinking grocery baskets and curbing discretionary spending. While Walmart, Dollar General, and other value retailers are currently propped up by higher-income shoppers, that cushion could quickly disappear if those customers expect tax-cut windfalls and return to old spending habits.
The news: US shopper interest in generative AI (genAI) assistants has spiked 223% between 2023 and 2025, per Chain Store Age. 69% of US consumers surveyed by CouponFollow have used AI assistants for shopping. Our take: Retail AI strategies must match their audiences. Those geared toward younger consumers should highlight AI use and innovation and even let AI guide purchases. For older consumers, focus on AI to inform, not take control.
Despite the rise of digital shopping, brick-and-mortar still dominates retail. This makes in-store digital advertising attractive for marketers, but a new EMARKETER and Placer.ai study reveals critical disconnects between marketers' assumptions and consumer reality.
The trend: A growing parade of retailers are front-loading July promotions to capture sales before the start of Amazon’s Prime Day event, which will run from July 8 at 12:01am PDT through July 11. Our take: There's a good reason that more retailers are joining Walmart and Target in attempting to get a head start on Prime Day. Amazon typically garners an outsized share of sales during its marquee event; we expect Amazon will account for 75% of US ecommerce sales during Prime Day this year.
The news: Discount furniture retailers are stepping up their expansion as much of the industry contracts. Our take: Consumers are focusing more on value, and that push could change US perceptions about shopping for furniture—emphasizing value and simplicity over stylish but costly designs
The news: Budget concerns are top of mind for consumers as they plan their summers. Our take: Consumers’ inclination to save is likely to fuel anxiety in the hospitality industry—especially as uncertainty causes travelers to delay booking until practically the last minute.
As retail media networks expand, one of the biggest challenges facing marketers is measurement. In fact, 42% of US retail media buyers believe that more effective and accurate campaign measurement is the most important issue in retail media advertising today, according to March 2025 data from Koddi. To help advertisers better assess the effectiveness of their campaigns, Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP) has introduced Omni-Impact—a new AI-powered measurement solution.
The situation: Several recent macroeconomic indicators point to a tough and increasingly uncertain economic environment. Our take: Uncertainty has cast a long shadow over the retail industry all year—and clearer skies aren’t on the horizon. Retailers trying to weather the economic storm must focus on delivering compelling value to cost-conscious consumers. That means leaning into what makes their brand stand out, whether it’s quality, service, loyalty perks, or meaningful innovation. With nearly a quarter of shoppers adjusting their budgets as they tighten their purse strings—and retail sales expected to rise just 1.5% YoY this year—differentiation is more important than ever.
The tests: In an effort to regain momentum, Target is piloting several initiatives aimed at boosting sales and protecting its margins. Our take: Target isn’t standing still amid its challenges—but it isn’t clear if its latest moves will resonate with consumers. It’s encouraging to see Target establish an “acceleration office” to push innovation forward. But with consumer budgets under strain, finding the right formula won’t be easy—especially given the stiff competition it faces from Amazon, Walmart, and others.
The news: As the 2025 economy tightens under the pressure of tariffs, AI disruption, and shifting global trade policy, brands are embracing adaptability. Retail growth forecasts have been slashed, inflation-wary consumers are scaling back, and even luxury sentiment is weakening. Our take: Resilient brands are leaning into agile planning, reallocating media spend to ROI-focused channels like search and digital out-of-home, and anchoring value in trust and quality—not just price. As emotional volatility shapes consumer decisions, marketers who show relevance and reassurance will lead. The brands that win won’t wait for stability—they’ll build strategies that succeed amid constant change.
63% of millennials and 61% of Gen Zers feel more connected to health brands since starting GLP-1s, per a January Dentsu report.
The news: TikTok commerce traffic has trended down throughout 2025 amid uncertainty about the app’s future in the US. Our take: Trump’s extension gives TikTok more time to reach a deal but does little to ease the internal disruption from ByteDance’s austerity drive. New tariffs and the elimination of the de minimis exemption could hinder TikTok Shop’s performance.
The trend: Food manufacturers are pledging to remove artificial dyes from their products amid pressure from US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Kraft Heinz said it would phase out artificial coloring in products sold in the US by 2027. General Mills quickly followed, announcing that it would eliminate artificial dyes across its full US portfolio by 2027, and remove them from all cereals and foods served in K-12 schools by next summer. Both Nestlé and Conagra are joining the party. Nestlé pledged to “fully eliminate [food, drug, and cosmetic dye] colors in its US food and beverage portfolio by mid-2026,” and Conagra will stop using such dyes in its frozen foods by year-end, and in all products by the end of 2027. Our take: For most companies, removing artificial dyes from their product lineups is a fairly easy lift, as many have already done so in Europe. It’s also increasingly a necessary move to prevent private labels from encroaching further on their turf, as more retailers launch “free from” lines and pledge to remove ingredients like aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup from their store brands.
The news: Credit card issuers can cement top-of-wallet status by personalization and perks, especially for millennials and Gen Zers, per a PYMNTS Intelligence and i2c joint report. Our take: To meet young consumers’ needs, issuers need to play up the non-rewards features that cardholders crave—higher credit limits coupled with tools to help cardholders make smart spending decisions.
The news: PayPal users can get 20% cash back on their Taco Bell orders if they check out with PayPal or Venmo in-app or online, per a press release. Our take: For Taco Bell enthusiasts, 20% cash back every week may be too good of an offer to refuse.
The news: Affirm partnered with Shopmonkey and Xsolla so auto mechanics and video game developers can offer installment plans at checkout. Our take: Affirm has focused on building out its partnership network and the Affirm Card—and its fiscal Q3 results (ended March 31, 2025) bear out the strategies’ success, with total revenues increasing 36% YoY.
LGBTQ+ consumers are a rapidly growing, influential segment, with expectations for brand authenticity, year-round inclusion, and genuine support. We explore their values and media behaviors as well as strategies for marketers to meaningfully engage.