Retail & Ecommerce

Toys are among the first cuts when consumers feel squeezed: Coupled with shifting tariff policies, that puts Mattel in a tough spot.

Retail foot traffic fractures: Industry KPI data shows grocers and value merchants are outperforming department stores and home improvement chains.

71% of consumers worldwide are interested in AI agents that can answer questions for faster customer service, according to December 2024 data from Salesforce.

Consumers—especially Gen Z—are eager to spend on live events: Summer concert ticket sales are at record levels thanks to high-profile stadium tours and the strong appeal of live experiences.

Payment providers are investing in AI to help streamline and personalize both the merchant and customer experiences

The personalized rewards offering will help the credit card stand out against other no-annual-fee credit cards

Macroeconomic uncertainty and an overreliance on Cash App led the company to slash its full-year guidance

Amazon sees 18% YoY growth in ad services: While economic headwinds could slow growth, maintaining a presence on Amazon will help advertisers emerge stronger.

In retail, digital twins are virtual replicas of real-world products, stores, or processes, helping retailers model everything from supply chains to store layouts. Digital twins may play an even bigger role in retail now that retailers must navigate the uncertainty around tariffs. Here are four ways they can help retailers prepare and respond.

Microsoft moves to kill the password for good: New accounts skip passwords entirely, and users can delete old ones—part of a bigger push to make passkeys the new normal.

Consumers stick with Instacart amid uncertainty: The delivery platform’s orders jumped 14% in Q1 thanks to its Uber partnership and a lower minimum for Instacart+ members.

The biggest ecommerce disruptors face a reckoning: The closing of the de minimis exemption is forcing Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop to pivot, but it isn’t clear that shoppers will follow.

Private label sales growth outpaced national brands last year: Consumers' growing appetite for value is driving grocers to elevate their brands to compete against established names.

Epic Games forced Apple to unwind App Store rules, setting a precedent that weakens Apple’s payment monopoly and threatens its fastest-growing services revenue stream.

Whether brands are aligning their product with comfort food, launching fragrances, or prioritizing scent in their retail spaces, marketers are embracing multisensory experiences as another way to stand out in the digital noise.

A flurry of interest and an unexpected announcement from PayPal show where banks see the biggest value of their own stablecoins.

The tech is dominating recent headlines as retailer and consumer interest explodes

So far, neither network has seen signs of a consumer spending slowdown despite plummeting consumer sentiment

Middle- and low-income consumers pulled back on fast food in Q1: That posed a significant challenge for McDonald’s, which reported its US same-store sales fell 3.6%.