The auto industry ended 2024 on a high: Sales accelerated in Q4 as consumers rushed to take advantage of EV tax credits and avoid tariffs.
Washington will have an outsized influence on what consumers eat this year: A new surgeon general’s warning, growing trade wars, and a crackdown on processed food could shift consumption patterns.
China takes baby steps to address its consumption problem: Beijing will expand its trade-in program to include consumer electronics as it avoids committing to comprehensive stimulus measures.
Is bad content a solved problem? Businesses must leverage AI efficiency to create valuable, unique insights and maintain audience trust, argues HubSpot exec.
Interest rate cuts could help heading into 2025, but consumer financial health remains on shaky ground
While the lawsuit may not go anywhere under Trump’s CFPB, the P2P platform’s continual fraud concerns may damage its reputation
The deal highlights providers’ efforts to keep up with the growing demand for EWA
China’s economy faces more gloom in 2025: Sluggish consumer spending and a potential trade war will weigh on growth.
Dockworkers, port operators return to negotiating table as January 15 deadline looms: But clashing views on automation could scupper talks and trigger a costly—and disruptive—strike.
While our analysts have shared their major trends for the year ahead, the newsletter team has a few additional thoughts. In 2025, we think retailers will focus on personalized in-store experiences and technology to boost foot traffic and engagement while Amazon brings its AI assistant, Rufus, to brick-and-mortar locations. Discount retailers will struggle to retain customers, leading them to diversify or launch marketplaces to stay competitive.
Lidl delivered its most successful UK Christmas season on record: The discount grocer’s revenues rose 7% in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.
Over a quarter (27.9%) of US internet users use mobile apps to track their fitness and health, according to October 2024 data from Comscore.
Apple TV+ offers free weekend: A blend of traditional tactics and tech strategy aims to boost subscribers ahead of Severance Season 2.
The economy is looking good as the calendar turns to 2025: Consumers are in a good position to spend, but the new administration’s policies could change that trajectory.
2025 will bring significant change to the retail industry: Several of the main trends dominating retail—genAI, RMNs, and China’s ecommerce disrupters—will look very different this time next year.
China’s struggling economy will continue to frustrate retailers in 2025: We expect retail sales to grow just 3.5% in the absence of stimulus measures to boost consumption and sentiment.
Walmart dominated the US retail landscape in 2024: The mass merchant’s ability to offer savings and convenience won over shoppers, and its growing ecommerce and advertising businesses are helping it make inroads against Amazon.
We may have been a little too early with some of our predictions—rollouts for Paze and FedNow took longer than we expected
It opened up its ecosystem and seemingly gave up its grand financial services ambitions. But it’s still a major payments player.
Despite overall satisfaction, consumers will make the switch for the right offer. This lack of loyalty should make issuers rethink their retention strategies