Retail & Ecommerce

Shipping costs for Temu and Shein may soon get more expensive: A new demand surcharge from DHL could drive the companies to accelerate their shifts away from China.

Urban Outfitters and Pacsun are tapping into Pinterest and in-person experiences to get students and families shopping, while Meijer, Walmart, and Target are focused on value. Those are just a few brands that made our Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List, Back-to-School Edition, for July 2024.

Over 70% of US digital retailers believe AI-driven personalization and genAI will affect their business in 2024, per a December 2023 survey by Bolt.

Both Cash App and Square contributed to growth, but money laundering and fraud allegations linger

The remittance provider’s turnaround plans have not alleviated its struggles

But other issuers are also revamping their rewards, so Chase will have to do more to stand out

The US economy hits speed bumps: A flurry of news events, a slowing labor market, and lackluster consumer confidence numbers are making it harder for retailers to convince consumers to spend.

Mercado Libre benefits from Americanas accounting scandal: The Latin America ecommerce giant gained share in Brazil by growing sales 36% in Q2.

The FTC could probe grocery prices as higher costs frustrate shoppers: Chair Lina Khan says the commission would investigate why profits and prices remain high even as costs have come down.

Nike bets on the Olympics to get back on track: The sportswear company is spending big to reignite consumer interest, but a slow product pipeline could stymie its efforts.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the likelihood of people using OpenAI's new SearchGPT, how much of a minefield dynamic pricing is, if its better for shoppers to have fewer choices, Harley Davidson waiting for customers to age in to the brand, how Olympic athletes are changing, and more. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson, vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, and analysts Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, and Max Willens.

Mattel is banking on in-store retail to uplift holiday sales, while Kimberly-Clark is building its profile through storytelling-driven ads. McDonald’s drawing customers to its loyalty program thanks to gamified features in its mobile app. Here are three insights from each company’s most recent earnings and what marketers can learn.

Etsy and eBay find room to grow amid stiff ecommerce competition: Both companies are leaning into their strengths—one-of-a-kind items for Etsy, collectibles, car parts, and secondhand luxury for eBay—to win over customers.

A company reorg should help keep up this momentum for the second half of the year

This should help boost the wallet’ use in the country, but plans for a government-run super app could diminish this growth opportunity

The tech can improve the checkout solution’s accuracy, removing potential customer frustrations

Amazon misses sales expectations as shoppers trade down to cheaper products: The retailer is trying to win over price-conscious customers with more sales events and a soon-to-be-launched budget marketplace.

The housing market is stuck: Wayfair’s sales fell 2% in Q2 due to an “unprecedented” slowdown in the home goods category that CEO Niraj Shah compared with the 2008 financial crisis.

Following an all-time high of $41 billion in 2023, US K-12 back-to-school retail spending will drop to $39 billion this year, according to July 2024 data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Amazon, Walmart, and Stitch Fix lead retailers when it comes to AI implementation: But retailers of all sizes are leveraging the technology to drive sales and improve CX, according to a report provided exclusively to EMARKETER.