Retail & Ecommerce

Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop are contributing to a major surge in air freight demand: The ecommerce companies are squeezing out other players, leading to higher rates and shrinking capacity.

Amazon prepares to launch a fast-fashion initiative in India: It’s banking on a larger selection of cheap goods to fuel growth as it lags competitors.

Amazon’s website is by far the most visited ecommerce site by unique monthly visitors in the US, per November 2023 Similarweb data.

On this podcast episode, we explore the deployment of AI in payments in 2024. First, we discuss the most impactful use cases for AI in payments, such as fraud detection and prevention, false declines and purchase conversion, B2B payments, enhanced customer service, and digital wallets. In our "For Argument’s Sake" segment, we rank these use cases in order of impact and debate our decisions. Join the conversation with host Rob Rubin, our analyst David Morris, and Angela Murphy, PhD, client partner at Persistent Systems.

A Switch 2 delay and PS5 sales slump: Aging consoles pose a challenge for this year’s holiday sales forecast. But it could also create an opportunity for other gaming formats.

Walmart's Vizio buy signals major push into streaming and advertising: The retail giant is aiming for digital dominance against competitors like Amazon and Roku.

YouTube is trying to close the affiliate marketing gap: TikTok and Instagram far outperform YouTube’s affiliate links. YouTube is trying to remedy the problem.

Home Depot is in a tough spot: As long as interest rates remain high, few consumers are willing to embark on remodels or splurge on big-ticket items.

JD.com looks to expand abroad: It may bid for UK electronics chain Currys as it eyes new paths to growth given the numerous challenges it faces in China.

Walmart’s flywheel is accelerating: Strong ecommerce growth is helping to power the retailer’s market-share gains and its thriving ad business.

Amazon struggles to get on the same page as Gen Z consumers: Nearly half say they’re trying to shop less with the retailer, although Amazon retains a clear edge over other ecommerce players.

The service may incentivize more shoppers to pay with the BNPL provider, and it may also bring Klarna key data benefits

The solution serves both businesses and consumers, although A2A payments at the POS haven’t taken off yet

It’s capitalized on B2B payments digitization and demand for faster payments from both consumers and businesses

Digital ad spend is growing and going increasingly toward programmatic formats. Search ad spend is on the rise as well, as retail media growth remains healthy. And social media is in better shape than previously projected. Here are five recent charts forecasting the future of ad spend.

UK retail sales grew 3.8% YoY in January: That’s a promising sign, given that the UK economy fell into a recession in Q4.

DoorDash takes its show on the road: The company plans to spend big on international expansion while deepening its push into non-restaurant categories.

Apple’s VR headset, the Apple Vision Pro, became available in the US on February 2. Almost immediately after, brands began announcing immersive experiences that would be available for download on the headset.

Brands and retailers are responding to shifts in alcohol consumption, particularly those of the growing Gen Z demographic as they establish habits and steer the industry’s future. With younger people drinking less and mid-level beverages waning in popularity, product diversification is becoming an even bigger business imperative.

Influencers fail to disclose paid ads: The EU is eying tougher transparency laws at a time when influencer marketing spending is outpacing social media ad spending.