Retail & Ecommerce

Amazon and Walmart are search advertising’s growth engines: The latter is a distant second to the former, accounting for nearly 4 in 10 non-Amazon retail media search ad dollars this year.

Digital commerce platforms will process $375.57 billion in customer payments in 2024.

Two in three advertisers don’t plan to invest in new retail media networks (RMNs) in the next couple of years, according to Association of National Advertisers (ANA) data. “The majority of dollars used to fund investments in retail media are being borrowed from existing budgets within advertisers’ organizations,” said our analyst Sarah Marzano.

Big Lots files for bankruptcy: The discount retailer struggled as macroeconomic headwinds pushed consumers to tighten their budgets and prioritize value.

Dupes gain steam as shoppers seek middle ground between fast fashion and luxury labels: Quince and Italic are among the brands poised to benefit as shoppers prioritize affordability.

Roblox wants to be an ecommerce platform: After a pilottesting physical goods sales with Walmart and E.l.f. Beauty, the gaming platform sees big potential in online sales.

48% of US retail business decision-makers say video ads drive the biggest return on ad spend (ROAS) on Amazon, according to March 2024 data by Zogby Analytics and Feedvisor.

Tailored emails drive engagement: Industry KPI data shows that journey-, behavior-, and attribute-based personalization vastly outperform generic emails.

Gen Z is the critical force in digital buyer growth. Nearly 90% of the 14.7 million new digital buyers in the US between 2024 and 2028 will come from Gen Z. The pace of Gen Z digital buyer growth will be fastest between 2024 and 2026, before tapering off significantly, making the near-term period a critical era for brands and retailers to capture Gen Z loyalty.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss if big tech executives will soon be held responsible for what happens on their platforms, whether Walmart+ is now a legitimate threat to Amazon Prime, how much swapping out barcodes for QR codes moves the needle, how early is too early for holiday marketing, why dogs tilt their heads, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, and analysts Sarah Marzano and Carina Perkins.

Many are willing to go into debt to get through the season. This could become a problem for payment providers

Like many other payment providers globally, Alibaba is opening up its walled garden to fight off antitrust scrutiny

It plans to launch a dedicated A2A service next year with more protections and controls as adoption of the payment method is much further abroad than in the US

A truncated holiday spending period with fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the election will throw a curveball to retail sales this season, our analyst Sky Canaves said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. In-store retail will see healthy growth, consumers will continue holding back on splurges, and mobile will uplift overall ecommerce. Here are three trends we’re predicting for the upcoming holiday season.

Amazon and Walmart scoop up beauty sales as shoppers search for convenience: Our Industry KPIs data shows that the two account for the majority of purchase intent clicks in the beauty and personal care category.

Biden administration puts airlines’ loyalty programs under the microscope: The probe, which examines how carriers devalue points that consumers have earned, could send ripple effects across other industries.

The Chinese luxury market is in a slump: Tiffany’s giving up about half the space in its flagship store in Shanghai is the latest sign of the industry’s challenges.

The strong rewards proposition can grow PayPal’s debit volume, but the cost could hurt the company in the end

The innovative cross-sell play can tie customers closer to the brand, but the card faces steep competition

Non-traditional retail spots with smaller and simpler transactions where time is of the essence can help the tech take off