Retail & Ecommerce

B2B marketplace Ghost raises $30 million to help retailers solve their inventory problems: The startup offers companies a place to buy and sell excess goods.

Amazon wants to compete with FedEx and UPS: The retailer relaunched its Amazon Shipping service, which delivers products sold on Amazon's marketplace, sellers’ own websites, and other sites and marketplaces.

Holiday retail sales will grow 4.5% to reach $1.317 trillion this year, according to our forecast. Retailers who want to carve out a share of that spend will need strong promotional strategies and a seamless digital-physical experience. It’s also not a bad idea to have a plan ready for when the returns start rolling in.

On today's episode, we discuss whether it's too early to talk about Gen Alpha, delivering things without the box, what's happening on TikTok Live, fast fashion looking to repairs, what websites will look like in the future, the most popular theme parks in the world, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, analyst Blake Droesch, and forecasting director Oscar Orozco.

The company has been beefing up its BNPL capabilities ever since its exclusivity period with Affirm ended earlier this year

It ramped up its probe against Visa over tokenization practices and amid wider investigations into anti-competitive behavior of Visa’s and Mastercard’s debit practices

Its financial results for the first half of 2023 showed a deceleration of growth and led to a stock tumble

Amazon's Sponsored Products ads now reach beyond its platform: High-performing format could grow retail media's share of market.

Lower-income consumers are feeling pinched: Although inflation is cooling, many are shopping discount stores for everything from basic necessities to groceries.

Estée Lauder has significant challenges: The combination of too much merchandise and weak travel retail demand is weighing on Estée Lauder’s results.

Wonder Brands’ $15.5 million fundraising round shows there’s life left in the aggregator model: The company found a more sustainable path to growth by building its own brands and focusing on fast-growing markets in Latin America.

Farfetch embarks on major cost cuts as luxury demand continues to soften: The luxury ecommerce platform is laying off around 11% of its workforce and sunsetting its beauty business as it tries to stem losses.

Klarna will generate $33.38 billion in US buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment value by 2027, pulling ahead of Affirm in a period of massive growth for BNPL providers, per our forecast.

Stability and predictability have returned to the global ecommerce market after three years of uncertainty. Digital sales will increase by 8.9% this year and 9.4% next year—exactly the same projections generated in our last forecast. Total retail sales growth will be in the mid single digits.

Walmart is set up for success: The retailer’s long-standing focus on value puts it in a prime spot to benefit when consumers are seeking deals and spending cautiously.

Aldi’s Winn-Dixie acquisition marks a departure for the discount grocer: The deal will allow Aldi to experiment with larger stores, but it could force a shift in its private label strategy.

Buy Buy Baby and Harmon still have strong brand equity: That’s why both brands, which were owned by Bed Bath & Beyond, are set to reopen.

Amazon implements new seller fee as FTC antitrust case looms: The retailer will take an additional 2% cut on sales from merchants not using its fulfillment services.

Though growth is slowing, digital grocery will continue to fuel overall ecommerce growth in the US. “Growth is no longer driven by new adopters, but heavy digital grocery users,” our analyst Blake Droesch said on a recent “Reimagining Retail” podcast episode. Here’s how retailers like Instacart, Amazon, and Walmart can capitalize on frequent buyers.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss the changes in how US consumers buy groceries, strategies for building future growth in grocery, and who has the best shot at winning. Then in a newish segment, "Loyalty Point, Counter Point," we present arguments both in favor of and against Uber and DoorDash being able to push even further into grocery. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and director of content Becky Shilling.