Year of the chatbot: Google’s Apprentice Bard is among many chatbots we’ll see released by the tech industry this year. Investors are excited, but performance and monetization are market hurdles.
Returns have always been expensive for retailers, but right now they’re at an all-time high. “We’re seeing a lot of the fast-fashion retailers like Zara and others like J.Crew, and Abercrombie & Fitch starting to charge return shipping for online orders,” said our analyst Sky Canaves. But there’s more to it than charging. Here are six strategies for reducing returns.
Embedded finance fintechs and those with disruptive potential are still attracting investment despite the funding decline.
Snap continues its Q3 storyline into Q4: Users top estimates in fourth quarter, but dwindling cash is a hurdle to innovation and growth.
It’s applying for state regulatory licenses—but it still needs to deal with other hurdles standing in the way.
Some 58% of Association of National Advertisers (ANA) marketers used retail media networks last year, according to a report from the ANA. In the next year, expect to see more movement from marketers outside of consumer packaged goods as brands look to take advantage of the recession-friendly ad space.
On today's episode, we discuss why TikTok isn't as algorithmically driven as we once thought, the significance of its less expensive ad rates, and the likelihood of a US ban. "In Other News," we talk about Americans' brand engagement on social platforms and some upcoming milestones for social media in 2023. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.
Travelers may want to let loose on vacation, but they want their premium travel credit cards to be locked down tight. The most in-demand feature of these cards is free identity theft insurance, with 53% of prospective users in the US saying it was “extremely valuable” to them, according to our “US Premium Travel Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark 2022” report.
Grocers are less willing to put up with price hikes as inflation eases: Whole Foods is the latest retailer to ask suppliers to lower prices to relieve pressure on consumers.
Spotify’s $20 billion podcasting dream is a long way off: Despite a strong quarter for revenue and user growth, investments will take longer than expected to pay dividends.
Intel, Groupon, Workday announce layoffs: The historic bloodletting in Big Tech isn’t letting up anytime soon. While laid-off workers are left to evaluate their options, some companies are eager for Silicon Valley talent.
Public comments revealed that many feel like the plan for banks and card companies falls short.
Discovery—not influencers—is what separates TikTok and Amazon’s ecommerce businesses: The retail giant is trying to replicate TikTok’s success via its “Inspire” video feed.
Despite slower spending growth, both companies managed to pull in more customers—positioning them well in the long term.
TikTok’s magic is no longer in its mystery. The illusion of TikTok content being personalized for users through an all-powerful algorithm is fading. Two weeks ago, Forbes reported TikTok’s use of a secret “heating” tool. But TikTok’s heating controversy doesn’t mean marketers should immediately retreat to Instagram Reels. Rather, they should think of TikTok and Reels as two different tools.
The next phase of direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail won’t be defined by a singular distribution strategy, but rather by the goal of making a real connection with customers. To get to the next level, D2Cs must use their physical presence, partnerships, marketing dollars, and customer data.
Buy with Prime launch could be a turning point for Shopify: The ecommerce platform raised prices and diversified its retailer appeal to protect revenues, but could still take a hit should merchants flock to its biggest rival.
On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why returns volume is falling, where people will return items in the future, and what returns look like across the pond. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top five things retailers can do to reduce the volume of ecommerce returns. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Carina Perkins.
After several years of double-digit increases, worldwide digital ad spending saw growth slow to 8.6% in 2022, for a total of $567.49 billion, according to our forecast. This year, growth will rebound to 10.5%, and spend will reach $626.86 billion.
The tech industry is hurting—even Apple is expected to report a year-over-year revenue decline this week. Valuations are tumbling. Layoffs abound, and venture capital deal value is down. “People are not buying into the hype as much, and [these new technologies are] really going to start to be applied in useful ways for marketers,” said our analyst Yory Wurmser.