Retail & Ecommerce

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how news on social media is different, if the movies are dead yet, the promise of new digital price tags, IKEA paying virtual employees in its virtual Roblox store, the most visited places in the world, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Blake Droesch and Sarah Marzano.

Australia may let merchants add BNPL surcharges to pass these costs on to consumers, but this likely won’t solve the problem

For issuers, an easy dispute process can boost customer satisfaction. But they must balance this with their merchant relationships, who bear the brunt of the costs

This limits the networks’ opportunities in the market as they try to capture growing travel spend

US omnichannel retail media ad spend will hit $129.93 billion in 2028, according to our forecast, up from $54.85 billion this year.

For advertisers—and consumers—the biggest shopping season has begun. But claiming a piece of the forecasted $1.37 trillion sales pie may mean stretching out promotions, expanding payment options, and investing in website and app enhancements.

68% of shoppers were deceived into buying counterfeits last year: Copycats’ rapid growth is a mounting problem for global players like Nike and Amazon as well as small merchants.

India quick-commerce startup Zepto raises $665 million to capitalize on surging demand: Rapid deliveries are gaining share of the country’s nascent ecommerce market, pushing heavyweights like Flipkart and Reliance to join the fray.

The year is nearly halfway over. As we prepare for H2, our analysts have been hard at work debating some very specific—and potentially unlikely—predictions that could play out in the coming months. Everything from retail media standardization to drone delivery to AI partnerships is at play over the rest of 2024. Here are some of our analysts' hottest takes.

The partnership reportedly causes the bank to hemorrhage millions of dollars per month.

It’s leaning on data monetization and an in-store push to maintain growth, but it still has a way to go

The Chinese retail landscape faces clear challenges: Despite steep discounts, sales during the 618 festival fell 7% YoY, marking the first decline in eight years.

Kroger grew its customer base in Q1: The grocer’s comparable sales and profits both outpaced expectations, but it faces some headwinds from its pharmacy business.

In part two of this two-part podcast episode, we discuss some more predictions for 2024 that are too specific to be 100% certain about but could still come true, including: what happens next when measuring retail media, Starbuck's drone delivery pilot, and how the publisher/AI relationship will play out. Tune in to the discussion with our vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna and analyst Max Willens.

Whoever takes over the portfolio will gain 12 million cardholders—a large but potentially risky volume opportunity

CVS Media Exchange (CMX) announced yesterday the beta launch of a new self-service offering in collaboration with The Trade Desk. The offering includes enhanced audience targeting, transparent ad pricing, the ability to activate media through its data service provider, and improved performance insights.

Instacart expands offsite retail media capabilities with YouTube partnership: The retailer’s first-party data will power shoppable ads for CPG brands

Best Buy goes all-in on AI computers: The retailer has exclusive rights to over 40% of Microsoft Copilot+ models and has trained thousands of workers on the technology.

Retailers and governments disagree on the best way to fight retail theft: Walmart and others are pushing back against legislative efforts in California and New York.

Easing UK inflation hurts budget grocers’ momentum: Asda and Aldi lost share in June as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and upmarket players regain the edge