蘑菇AV

Middle- and low-income consumers pulled back on fast food in Q1: That posed a significant challenge for McDonald鈥檚, which reported its US same-store sales fell 3.6%.

Amazon鈥檚 earnings follow a familiar pattern: The retailer expects solid sales growth as investments in convenience resonate with shoppers, but profits will be pressured as tariffs take their toll.

Gen Z will be the fastest-growing group of digital buyers in 2025. In addition, they鈥檙e more willing than previous generations to switch brands. So, brands and retailers should focus on enticing them while also retaining existing customers.

Amid dizzying policy unpredictability and a grab bag of unpleasant economic possibilities, precise ad spend forecasting is challenging. A scenarios-based approach can help clarify potential outcomes.

Snap earnings paint a grim picture for 2025: While revenues were up, the company pulled its guidance and lost 1 million users.

Execs face boardroom pressure to scale AI fast, but talent gaps, infrastructure issues, and employee resistance are holding progress back.

By automating reservations, triaging inquiries, and personalizing responses, Yelp is betting that smarter services will keep businesses paying and users engaged.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of April. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Analysts Arielle Feger and Sara Lebow will defend their list against Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

New tariffs will create ripple effects across retail鈥攁nd returns will be no exception. With US retail returns predicted to exceed $1 trillion this year, according to a December 2024 蘑菇AV forecast, the pressure is on retailers to adapt.

When it comes to mobile marketing, SMS is a timely approach to bringing brands closer to their audience.

53% of US Gen Z adults say they have, are, or will participate in an economic boycott鈥攎ore than any other generation, per a March 2025 Harris Poll.

Lakota Federal Credit Union introduced a mobile banking unit so remote tribal members can participate.

Banks have an opportunity to build trust by recommending relevant products and engaging on social media.

Brands redefine customer acquisition through tech partnerships: Retailers tap nontraditional channels to connect with new audiences in a challenging economy

Weakening demand hits QSR same-store sales: Starbucks, Chipotle, and Pizza Hut are among the chains reporting a slowdown as consumers pull back.

ChatGPT gets too friendly, OpenAI hits undo: The GPT-4o update turned ChatGPT into a sycophant, prompting OpenAI to reverse course and raising new concerns about rushed genAI development.

Shein considers restructuring to minimize tariff, de minimis impact: But any move to shift production out of China could provoke Beijing鈥檚 ire鈥攁nd derail its long-awaited IPO.

Etsy expects to benefit as tariffs hit competitors: A sizable domestic seller base and growing ad business offer protection, but declining consumer and business sentiment could still sting.

Pushing out contractors to prioritize automation could save costs but risks alienating users, hurting team morale, and compromising content quality in the short term.