Brooklinen and Parachute push to gain market share: The two D2C home goods brands are opening stores and expanding into new channels to drive sales growth.
Restaurants are experimenting with robots, but customers aren’t enthused: Labor crunches and high costs are pushing fast-food chains like Chipotle and Panera Bread to adopt automation front and back of house.
Panera’s new AI uses sensors, algorithms, and analytics to ensure coffee is optimally brewed: Restaurants are leaning into AI and automation, but will long-term effects lead to reduced hospitality and fewer customers?
The card lets customers earn unlimited 2% cash back and may signal a broader move into general-purpose cards.
Cash is on the decline everywhere, accounting for at most 44% of point-of-sale (POS) transaction value regionally and just 18% globally in 2021. Its share will drop to 10% worldwide by the end of 2025, with North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe leading the charge away from physical money.
Meta’s Horizon Worlds features can monetize VR: Creators will be able to sell items “in-world,” with Meta taking up to 47.5%. Will creators balk at the cost of business in the metaverse?
Cooling consumer demand drives down Q1 PC sales: PC makers need to attract consumer and educational markets with compelling 2-in-1s, gaming PCs, and tablets in coming quarters.
Fifteen trademark applications filed last week suggest Mastercard is buying the NFT and metaverse hype.
Personalization pays off with customers: Companies like Netflix see it as a priority, as the platform launches Two Thumbs Up to improve recommendations.
Target hopes the second time’s the charm for a thredUP resale partnership: Amid rising consumer interest in—and spending on—secondhand clothing, the big-box retailer re-enters the resale market.
Online marketplaces compete to draw new merchants to their platforms: Amazon and Walmart offer incentives for new vendors as Etsy sellers go on strike.
As hybrid work gains traction, office furniture companies sense an opportunity: Startup Branch scored $10 million in funding to help furnish employees’ home and in-person offices.
Inflation rose to 8.5% in March: While rising prices mean US consumers have a lot less buying power, that hasn’t stopped people from shopping online.
Target aims to gain a larger share of the lower-income market: The retailer plans to begin accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for online orders later this month.
The battle for Kohl’s heats up: Hours after the retailer sent shareholders a letter arguing its board is prepared to oversee Kohl’s evolving strategy, another group bid for the retailer.