The news: Shopify partnered with Coinbase and Stripe so customers can pay with the USDC stablecoin at checkout. Our take: Coinbase is the biggest winner in this partnership. Cryptocurrency needs to gain traction with a wide merchant network to accelerate its use, and Shopify represents a huge score for Base.
The news: Coinbase will launch its first credit card on the American Express network this fall. Our take: This card could be a strong retention play to keep existing users from using an alternative crypto exchange but likely won’t move the needle on broader adoption.
The news: Chases unveiled “The Shops at Chase,” an integrated shopping and promotion platform for Chase Freedom, Sapphire, and Ink cardholders. Our take: Being able to convert Chase rewards into material purchases is a draw. However, retraining Chase cardholders to make purchases at The Shops instead of starting their product search with Google or Amazon will be an uphill battle.
The news: Hotel companies are expanding their upscale offerings to capitalize on strong demand for unique and customized accommodations among affluent consumers. Our take: Luxury and lifestyle brands are weathering economic ambiguity better than economy lodging. This divergence indicates that upscale, experiential offerings will be more resilient, while economy hotels face headwinds from cost-conscious consumers.
TikTok Shop has emerged for many brands as a pivotal marketplace for discovery and sales. Some 50% of US consumers take product recommendation suggestions from influencers on TikTok Shop, according to February 2024 data from PartnerCentric.
The news: The UK economy contracted by the most in 18 months in April due to the twin pressures of tariffs and tax increases. Our take: The UK economy’s contraction in April sets the stage for another year of tepid growth. Despite a highly publicized (and yet to be finalized) trade deal with the US, macroeconomic uncertainties are set to weigh heavily on corporate and consumer sentiment, while rising household and business expenses will limit investment and consumer spending.
The trend: Retailers and brands are rapidly weaving generative AI (genAI) into their operations to boost efficiency and scale without adding significant headcount. The breadth of the initiatives signals an abrupt shift in many companies’ thinking about genAI from a useful tool to a potential core business driver. Our take: GenAI enables companies to do more with less—a crucial advantage at a time when macro uncertainty is making many firms wary of increasing their headcount. As early adopters scale their efforts and share results, momentum will grow—prompting others to follow out of necessity, not choice.
The news: Cannes Lions 2025 is highlighting how retail media is moving beyond performance marketing into broader applications across brand storytelling, in-store influence, and customer experience. Executives like Victoria Usher and Jim Kane are calling attention to how brands now activate retail data for segmentation, planning, and innovation across media touchpoints including CTV and search. Our take: This shift reflects growing demand for privacy-safe, first-party data solutions amid signal loss and rising complexity. Cannes will underscore retail media’s potential to support creativity and full-funnel integration. The future isn’t just attribution—it’s about making retail platforms vital to brand equity and long-term engagement.
The news: Klarna partnered with Nift, a gift platform, to offer “gift”-style rewards for customers’ BNPL purchases. Our take: Until they can close that gap, BNPL players will struggle to attract a meaningful share of shoppers. It’s one reason we forecast BNPL user growth will slow every year through 2029.
The news: Global Payments rolled out a retail point-of-sale (POS) system under its Genius platform targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Our take: Despite that clout, as other merchant service providers also diversify their offerings through verticalized software, hardware, and partnership integrations, Global Payments’ Genius will enter a crowded POS space with its offerings nearly indistinguishable from Stripe’s, Square’s, or Toast’s hardware and software lineups.
The news: Blackhawk Network and Visa will launch physical gift cards with tap to pay capability. Our take: Blackhawk’s rollout patches a serious security loophole that risked gifters and recipients’ money being snatched by fraudsters.
The news: Eight years after acquiring Whole Foods, Amazon is moving to more fully integrate the grocer into its core business, Business Insider reports. Our take: Amazon is clearly aware of the friction—and the opportunity—in its grocery ecosystem.
The news: Lowe’s launched a home improvement creator network as part of a strategy to reach younger audiences through social media personalities. The network, which Lowe’s framed as key to deepening its connection with Gen Z and millennial consumers, features MrBeast as its first high-profile partner. Our take: Reaching younger generations is crucial for sustained growth, and as influencer marketing surges, Lowe’s strategy could prove effective at bridging the gap with young homeowners. Influencer collaborations are most likely to be effective when the creator is seen as unbiased and honest, authentic, entertaining, and educational.
The news: President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is chilling consumer spending and reducing the available labor force for key industries like construction and hospitality. Our take: The US economy depends heavily on immigrants, both documented or otherwise. The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation push could therefore deprive companies of crucial workers—and drive up costs for essentials like housing and groceries—as well as eliminate a considerable source of tax revenues and consumer spending.
The news: DoorDash’s acquisition spree continued with its $175 million purchase of ad tech firm Symbiosis. The deal will expand the company’s offsite capabilities, enabling advertisers to run campaigns across search, social and display channels that are integrated with DoorDash’s closed-loop measurement system. Our take: DoorDash’s Symbiosis acquisition and ad updates should help the company attract bigger brands and retailers to its ad platform—especially as demand for its core delivery services remains healthy.
The insight: Younger consumers are opting out of human interaction when they shop. Our take: While younger consumers tend to adopt new behaviors faster, they’re also driving the direction of retail innovation. Retailers looking to stay competitive should prioritize the tech-driven, convenience-first features these shoppers now see as table stakes.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how to get folks to buy something they can’t go and see in a store, how D2Cs should be thinking about generative AI, and how one DTC is negotiating the tariff minefield. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves and CEO and president of Eyebuydirect Sunny Jiang.
The news: US inflation ticked up 0.1% last month and 2.4% YoY, a softer read than many economists expected but one that kept the pressure on consumers already dealing with a higher cost of living. Our take: Retailers, especially grocers and discounters, can set themselves apart by helping consumers save money and be more financially responsible. Offering digital coupons, using in-store signage spotlighting sales on daily essentials, and rewarding loyal shoppers for repeat purchases can foster smarter spending.
With economic uncertainty influencing how people shop, marketers and retailers have a prime opportunity to create in-store value. Today’s shoppers seek more than products—they want a shopping experience that delivers immediacy, control, and sensory engagement. Here’s what retailers need to know about current consumer behavior in physical aisles.
In today’s episode, we talk about how to be both a product-led organization and a customer-centric one, what fintechs are doing that keeps them closer to customers, and how banks can rethink the customer journey around financial life stages. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development Rob Rubin, Analyst Lauren Ashcraft, and Principal Analyst Tiffani Montez.