Retail & Ecommerce

With seamless in-app purchases coming, PayPal could turn Perplexity into a trusted, AI-driven checkout hub—especially for younger, AI-hungry consumers.

Instacart has launched a new standalone app, Fizz, to help groups plan, purchase, and pay for party snacks and drinks.

Drunk Elephant’s sales plunge as Gen Alpha appeal dims: The brand’s reliance on the fickle audience has damaged its standing with older consumers.

Commerce media is evolving beyond online retail into new frontiers like out-of-home (OOH) ads at gas stations and convenience stores, creating “a once in a career window to reorient your business to the opportunity,” according to Sean McCaffrey president and CEO of GSTV, which serves commerce media ads at gas pumps.

Burberry will cut 20% of global workforce as sales slump continues: The company’s ill-timed brand elevation push puts it in a difficult position to weather luxury headwinds.

The effects of new tariffs are starting to hit home: Retailers that rely on discretionary spending are struggling, signaling rising anxiety among businesses and consumers—and likely slower growth ahead.

US immigration policy fuels hospitality and retail concerns: Deportations exacerbate hospitality labor shortages as consumer-goods makers cite softer sales.

Urban Outfitters teams up with Nike for “On Rotation”: The Gen Z-focused in-store experience features an assortment of Nike apparel and footwear curated for UO’s audience.

“As retail media has grown, the landscape has become increasingly complex and fragmented, said EMARKETER principal analyst Sky Canaves during last week’s EMARKETER's summit on Commerce Media Trends 2025. “Comparisons are hard when standards vary across channels and platforms.”

TikTok brings DMs directly to livestreams: The update is part of TikTok’s broader livestream push, designed to keep brands and creators around.

With AI tools creeping into shopping, Google could borrow Pinterest’s discovery model to stay relevant in design, DIY, and fashion search.

In today’s episode, we talk about how much debt consumers have, which buckets it lives in, and the likelihood of a ‘debt jubilee’. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development Rob Rubin, Senior Analyst Grace Broadbent and Senior Director of Forecasting Oscar Orozco.

The partnership highlights the importance of individual merchant deals and larger platform tie-ups

40% of Gen Zers, and 19% of all consumers, have stopped using or purchasing brands who contradicted or reversed DEI efforts, according to a March survey by Ad Age and The Harris Poll.

With US commerce media ad spending projected to reach nearly $70 billion in 2025, understanding how to effectively operate in this space has become critical for marketers.

The Trump administration is stepping back from the brink: After trimming China tariffs to 30% for 90 days, it reduced duties on low-value parcels from China to a still-high 54%.

Inflation waned in April: But early signs of cost increases are emerging.

A 90-day pause in tariffs added over $800 billion to the Magnificent Seven’s market cap, revealing just how damaging trade tensions had been for investor confidence.

On Running leans into premiumization to offset tariff impact: The company plans to raise prices as enthusiasm for its expensive sneakers remains high.

The payment services company hopes to win audiences connected to key international demographics.