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China-based firms look to skirt the tariffs: Some have reached out to Indian exporters to fill orders on their behalf, while others turn to bonded warehouses.

China’s AI agents, such as Manus, can tackle complex tasks with minimal human intervention. That’s helping accelerate the global arms race—nearly 7 in 10 Asia-Pacific decision-makers expect AI agents to bring major disruptions to their companies within 18 months.

Internet adoption in Asia-Pacific will rise from 65.8% in 2025 to 70.2% in 2030, thanks to rapidly expanding infrastructure—particularly in the Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. But parts of the region are still lagging.

ByteDance restructures TikTok Shop’s US operations: The move reflects growing dissatisfaction with the unit’s performance, as well as a potential change in strategy as uncertainty threatens growth.

Walmart promises support for tariff-hit Chinese manufacturers: The retailer will help suppliers get in front of domestic shoppers as it tries to stay on Beijing’s good side.

Gucci sales slid 25% in Q1: The brand’s struggles put parent company Kering in a tough spot as it attempts to navigate a slowdown in luxury goods spending.

Retailers aren’t likely to get certainty any time soon: The Trump administration is considering slashing China tariffs down to a still-astronomical 50% or 65%, leaving merchants to stay cautious on merchandising.

Digital’s share of total media ad spending in Asia-Pacific will reach a milestone in 2025, surpassing $200 billion for the first time. The region’s digital ad spending will increase 8.6%, led by India, while China’s growth will slip noticeably amid the country’s economic struggles before a rebound the following year.

JD.com challenges Meituan’s food delivery dominance: The Chinese ecommerce giant will hire 100,000 workers to help break the latter’s hold on the industry.

The Trump administration injects more uncertainty into supply chains with new ship fees: While less stringent than initially proposed, the levies will raise costs and complicate operations.

Tariffs drive ad pullbacks: Temu and Shein reduce US ad spending ahead of policy shift, signaling fallout across ecommerce and social platforms.

Anticipated tariffs are speeding up purchasing decisions, revealing a tension between economic caution and the desire to avoid future markups.

YouTube’s Shorts push favors quick hits over deep engagement, leaving influencers to balance reach with revenue in an uncertain ad economy.

Consumer spending surged in March: But the rapid decline in consumer sentiment and likely surge in inflation is sure to slow that momentum in the coming months.

Retail sales in China in March grew 5.9%: Government subsidies drove the fastest growth since December 2023, but the escalating US‑China trade war is likely to curb spending in the months ahead.

As TikTok sits in limbo, ByteDance bets on Seed-Thinking-v1.5, a smarter reasoning model, to carve out a distinct place in a crowded, high-stakes LLM market.

Temu pulls its Google Shopping ads: The escalating US-China trade war puts the company’s business model at risk and threatens ad giants like Meta and Google.

Despite skyrocketing adoption and falling costs, most companies are stuck with small wins—highlighting a need for sharper, use-case-driven strategies.

JD plans $27.9 billion investment in Chinese manufacturers to ease tariff impact: Ecommerce peers Alibaba and Meituan will join to help export-oriented companies attract domestic customers.

2025 could be another tough year for luxury companies: LVMH’s rough Q1 reveals considerable challenges as US spending drops.