Retail & Ecommerce

Walgreens Boots Alliance to close 450 stores as part of its latest cost-cutting measures: The pharmacy chain will shutter 300 locations in the UK and 150 in the US in a bid to shore up its expensive healthcare venture.

Some 22% of beauty retail sales worldwide will take place online this year, the most of any sales channel, per McKinsey. Physical specialty stores, such as Sephora and Ulta Beauty, will come in a close second (20%), while department stores will rank last (8%).

DoorDash adjusts its business model: The company will offer drivers the option to be paid an hourly wage at the same time that it makes several updates to its app.

General Mills posts mixed Q4 as retailers look to save on inventory: The company missed revenue expectations as sales volumes continued to fall in response to price hikes.

The tie-up highlights the provider’s growing competitiveness in the biometric payments space, which Amazon dominates

X1 will bring its income-based credit card and associated investing platform to Robinhood’s offerings

Leaning into festival culture helps Forever 21 connect with Gen Z consumers. Abercrombie & Fitch uses generative AI to speed up the product design process. And Solo Brands embraces the changing definition of the D2C model.

Retail media will continue to be the fastest-growing segment of digital advertising in the coming years. By opening up their digital platforms to third-party sellers, retailers can generate high-margin revenues from advertising and marketing services charged to sellers to promote their products both on- and offsite. Amazon has built a commanding lead in this space—Amazon Ads draws more than three-quarters of US retail media ad spend.

US retail marketplace ecommerce sales will reach $603.20 billion in 2027, representing 34.8% of total retail ecommerce sales, per our forecast.

Skims is the latest digitally native brand to open its own stores: The underwear brand plans to open four locations next year as shoppers return to brick-and-mortar retail.

Established brands are beating digital natives at their own D2C game. As marketplace and wholesale opportunities obfuscate what it means to sell D2C, brands need to keep up with both their retail and marketing playbooks—or risk falling behind.

AI selects 70% of what Hungryroot’s customers buy: The technology was key to the online grocery and meal delivery company’s 50% growth last year.

Dollar Tree is adding more expensive items to store shelves: The move allows the discount retailer to bring in more name brands, boosting its shopper appeal.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss the sizes of different digital marketplaces, what their unique selling points are, and why smaller retailers are building out their own. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the future of digital marketplaces. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts forecasting analyst Whitney Birdsall and analyst Sky Canaves.

Amazon plans to launch a local delivery network: The retail giant aims to keep its costs in check by leaning on local merchants to bolster its delivery capabilities.

TikTok doggedly pursues ecommerce expansion: The platform inked several deals to help grow its merchant base, but it faces significant obstacles in its path to growth.

Key stat: In the US, 71% of Gen Z adults say they are likely to make a purchase directly via Instagram, according to Jungle Scout. Just 40% of adults overall say the same, with the caveat that older generations are less likely to buy from social networks in general.