Retail & Ecommerce

eMarketer principal analysts Nicole Perrin and Andrew Lipsman discuss the state of direct-to-consumer brands and why some major players, such as Brandless and Casper, encountered recent struggles.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and junior analysts Blake Droesch and Lucy Koch discuss the importance of online reviews, Facebook's suggested EU regulations, WhatsApp reaching 2 billion users, another potential Snapchat redesign, Apple's augmented reality shopping, which country's national animal is a unicorn and more.

Having established itself as a place for authentic self-discovery, YouTube is a mainstay for today’s kids. While entertainment preoccupies much of their time on the platform, it’s also evolved to a place of search and product discovery, ultimately influencing some on their path to purchase.

Ecommerce sales in Spain will grow faster than any other country in Western Europe in the next three years, propelled by the rise of AliExpress and its continued competition with Amazon to be the go-to marketplace.

As 2019 drew to a close, the furor around Brexit continued to rage, with a rare December election placing even more uncertainty on consumers’ shoulders. The result was a polarized retail sector, as shoppers held on for deeper digital discounts to the detriment of physical stores.

Relating to and connecting with teens—the core of Gen Z—can be confusing. For marketers, reaching this cohort starts with understanding how and where teens spend their time.

The 2019 holiday season saw several retail segments outperform the average, in addition to some underperformers.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio Paul Verna talk about why Casper wants to sell sleep, the Oscars' viewership, whether Uber can make money, a new FTC, cashless shops, driverless deliveries, who pandas belong to and more.

Retailers are well aware of consumers' desire to shop in the most effortless ways possible, but several in-store pain points continue to hinder such experiences, according to an October 2019 survey from Capgemini.

Younger generations are more likely to buy products based on influencer recommendations, as well as consider them reliable. However, these demographics still see influencers as less trustworthy than other sources.

Consumers in the US are planning to spend roughly $196 on Valentine’s Day this year, an increase of 21% over 2019, according to research from the National Retail Federation (NRF).

For Alexandra Waldman, launching Universal Standard was a no-brainer. She struggled to find clothes that fit her size-20 frame—even something as simple as a T-shirt that didn’t have a puppy or a "live, laugh, love" affirmation on it.

Digital installment plans are growing in popularity, particularly among more budget-conscious, younger consumers. In the past year, adoption of digital interest-free payment programs grew from 24% in Q1 2019 to 30% in Q3, per data from CivicScience.

AI has been a hot topic for a while, and attitudes about the technology vary throughout Western Europe. Still, companies are adopting AI to improve business results.

In a marketplace crowded with competition, ride-hailing pioneer Uber still dominates the US transportation-sharing economy. But as the first mover's growth slows, its main competitor Lyft will increasingly claim market share.

The rise of digitally native, direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses is one of the most transformative movements shaping the ecommerce landscape. In the coming years, many consumers intend to make a significant percentage of purchases with D2C brands, but there may be a ceiling.