Retail & Ecommerce

Mattel’s strong Q3 suggests the company’s IP-focused strategy is working: The Barbie movie helped consumer demand for the company’s products grow in the quarter.

Retailers look to redefine the customer experience: That’s leading them to invest in immersive experiences such as AR, VR, gamified social shopping, and AI-enabled personalization.

Customer loyalty comes with strings attached: As shoppers become more fickle, discounts and other incentives play a driving role in keeping consumers tied to a brand or retailer.

The luxury market is rapidly evolving: While consumers kept splurging on Hermès’ pricey handbags and Brunello Cucinelli’s high-end garments in Q3, Gucci owner Kering’s sales fell short of expectations.

Customer loyalty comes with strings attached: As shoppers become more fickle, discounts and other incentives play a driving role in keeping consumers tied to a brand or retailer.

Puma pushed past Europe’s macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds in Q3: The company’s sales rose 9.9% in the EMEA region, and 6.0% overall.

To build loyalty, brands first need to establish a foundation of trust by delivering on the basics. From there, brands can use subscription programs to ramp up purchase frequency and social media to engage with brand advocates. But to keep customers coming back, brands need to be constantly optimizing. Here’s some advice from executives at DoorDash and Taco Bell on how to build brand loyalty and what it takes to retain a loyal customer base.

We got an early look at the platform and exclusive access to Money20/20 executives to discuss this rollout and how it can transform fintech funding

We dive into how Mastercard and other payment providers are thinking about the technology and what it holds for the future

Just a third of adults in Canada will use mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) payments this year, and adoption will barely grow through 2027. Mobile banking apps and digital wallets must rethink their strategies to capture P2P users—making the most of a population that doesn’t yet have strong P2P brand loyalty.

US annual social commerce sales per buyer will nearly double from $627.8 in 2023 to $1,223.7 in 2027, according to our forecast.

Merging subscriptions and live events, Patreon buys Moment: aiming for a robust creator ecosystem in the digital age.

Retail media and connected TV (CTV) are like peanut butter and chocolate, Danielle DeLauro, executive vice president at the Video Advertising Bureau, said at Advertising Week New York last week. “Together, there’s nothing better.”

Physical stores are a massive untapped opportunity for advertisers, and as retail media evolves, more networks are beginning to explore in-store media formats. Here are three recent examples.

Uber launches tourism offering in Turkey as part of travel push: The company is looking to capitalize on the huge numbers of users who already use the app when traveling.

Zara tests more frequent store deliveries to keep up with demand: The move could keep Shein at bay as the latter tries to figure out its brick-and-mortar strategy.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why the internet might be getting worse, what a new device designed for generative AI (genAI) might look like, whether we're sure about self-checkout, why a new online safety bill matters, what consumers expect from brands on social issues, where the ultra-rich spend their holidays, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and analysts Bill Fisher and Carina Perkins.

Amazon tests Agility’s humanoid robot in warehouses: Digit will work alongside humans and do some of their work. We can expect the move will fuel workforce disruption anxiety.

With over 34 million members, Sephora’s Beauty Insider loyalty program is generally regarded as one of the best loyalty programs in the US. To keep customers coming back, Sephora is balancing gamified experiences with the classic rewards that it knows customers like. Here are five tips from Emmy Brown Berlind, senior vice president and general manager of loyalty at Sephora, on how retailers can level up their loyalty programs and deliver a best-in-class experience.

This can improve the user experience for Apple Pay but may reduce customer loyalty to the Discover app