On today's episode, we discuss teens' social media behavior, how brands are pivoting their messaging to reflect consumer concerns, how best to reduce returns, whether Airbnb is in full recovery, how department stores are going local, an unpopular opinion about paid time off, what the least affordable housing markets in the world are, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti and analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Evelyn Mitchell.
US back-to-college retail spending will reach a new high of $73.9 billion this year, beating last year’s record of $71.0 billion and eclipsing the pre-pandemic figure of $54.5 billion in 2019.
The cost of school supplies is weighing heavily on US parents. Between May and June, 40% of those planning to do back-to-school shopping considered it a significant concern in their budget, compared with 30% last August. Meanwhile, 19% said they could not afford it, up from 14%.
TikTok announced new Shopping Ads this week in an effort to streamline in-app ecommerce.
The state of public EV charging leaves much to be desired: Why would consumers invest in EVs when there’s a dearth of working public chargers? A study shows reliable charging could be the biggest hurdle to future EV adoption.
We unpack the potential for cheaper consumer health devices as the FDA makes hearing aids directly available.
China’s loss is Vietnam’s gain: Apple is diversifying production into Southeast Asia as US relations with China deteriorate. Confidence in Vietnam’s production scalability could accelerate the shift away from China.
We detail nurse staffing solution Incredible Health’s latest $80M raise, and explore what it means for similar startups.
Europe’s startup slaughterhouse: After pandemic-era fattening, inflation, war, and an energy crisis have triggered a pullback in startup investment. Wintertime natural gas supplies and hiring are key indicators to watch.
Though they don’t explicitly name crypto firms, they provide an avenue—but no guarantee—for access.
Affirm and Splitit struck partnerships to shore up growth as market uncertainty takes a toll on the BNPL sector.
Steep discounting hurt Target’s bottom line in Q2: But the retailer doesn’t expect the short-term hit to hamper its profits for the rest of the year.
More than half of US adults shop online at least once a week, and 16% do so at least once a day. Overall, online shopping is on the rise and moving to mobile.
With millions of views on social media, celebrity endorsements, and even a scandal under its belt, Olaplex is primed for the spotlight.
Inflation gives Walmart a chance to shine: The retailer’s emphasis on value and low prices is attracting both low- and high-income shoppers and enabling it to retain grocery dominance.
Apple’s return to office could kickstart industry mandates: Companies are heading into their busiest quarter, requiring all hands on deck. Job uncertainty could complicate employees’ shift from remote to office work.
On today's episode, we discuss the most pressing questions related to The Walt Disney Co.'s streaming platforms: what should we make of the recent price increase announcement, will Hulu soon become a tile within the Disney+ app, and what is the significance of Disney+ expecting to sign up fewer subscribers in the future? "In Other News," we talk about whether streaming will save sports or kill it and why folks are more likely to put TV subscriptions on the chopping block. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Ross Benes.
Smart TVs are staring down a very different landscape: Hardware sales will recover this year as the industry addresses concerns about miscounting ads.
For years, small banks have handled deposits for large crypto firms. Their experience offers lessons to big banks that now want in.
Max Levchin said the company’s underwriting process and business model would help it withstand a financial downturn.