Beauty brands experience stiff headwinds as Chinese consumers pull back: Estée Lauder, L’Oreal, and La Prairie maker Beiersdorf need to find new ways to drive growth amid the challenging landscape.
Circle K’s owner makes a major play to broaden reach: Alimentation Couche-Tard’s bid to buy 7-Eleven’s parent would create a retail colossus with more than 100,000 stores.
Digital grocery sales growth accelerated in July: Promotions from Walmart, Instacart, and Amazon pushed delivery sales up 22% YoY, but consumer interest may dry up as the discounts do.
58% of brands and 51% of agencies would like to see retail media-like offerings from verticals beyond retail, according to Q4 2023 data from Criteo.
Walmart's ad business drives 26% revenue growth: Walmart Connect leads with 30% increase, outpacing Amazon's ad unit.
From the staying power of self-checkouts to the growing integration of mobile, here are three trends shaping the way consumers are completing their in-store purchases.
This rollout puts Google in a strong position as the digital wallet competitive landscape shakes up
This tie-up helps the BNPL fintech keep up with major competitors Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay, which are all already integrated with the payments platform
But usage of the payment option remained quite limited compared with the share of buyers who use BNPL at any point during the year
Product safety issues could derail Chinese ecommerce platforms’ growth ambitions: Shein and Temu are struggling to keep products with high levels of toxic substances—as well as those hazardous to babies and children—off their marketplaces.
Amazon expands drone delivery to the UK while Walmart retrenches: The latter will end operations in Arizona, Florida, and Utah as it searches for a sustainable model.
By launching its own iOS store, Epic challenges Apple’s monopoly and sets the stage for more app competition.
Fast shipping, the vast selection of products, and high-quality customer service add to consumers’ growing attraction to online retail marketplaces, our analyst Sky Canaves said. “If there are any issues with the order, for example, there’s a trusted intermediary between the buyer and seller, which is why consumers may often feel that they have greater trust in marketplaces,” she said.
This decision will transform the digital wallet competitive landscape, giving players like Google Pay and PayPal the opportunity to catch up to Apple Pay’s in-store presence
The tie-up introduces the BNPL player to a new purchase category, helping it diversify payments volume as key partnerships face risk
The move is part of the BNPL fintech’s efforts to become a super app, and the accounts’ tie-in to Klarna’s newly launched rewards should help spur adoption
The US consumer is holding up, according to Walmart: The retailer raised its full-year outlook after solid spending from value-seeking shoppers drove it to a Q2 earnings beat—although it warned of uncertainty heading into election season.
Alibaba and JD.com disappoint on revenues as 618 shopping festival fails to lift sales: Both retailers fell victim to the difficult consumer environment in China, as shoppers spend more cautiously.
The FTC cracks down on fake reviews: A new rule bans their sale and purchase, alongside the use of AI to generate fake testimonials, to help restore trust in online marketplaces.
It’s not easy to get shoppers to switch grocery stores: Consumers are far more loyal to their grocers than they are to specific brands.