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Walmart鈥檚 adaptive retail strategy is heavy on genAI, AR: The retailer is relying on the technologies to deliver personalized experiences, engage Gen Z, and improve customer service.

We expect social commerce sales in the US to reach $101.38 billion this year, driven by existing buyers increasing their spending. While social commerce plays a smaller role in holiday shopping, it's popular among Gen Z, who are more likely to make purchases influenced by creators. TikTok and Facebook are the top platforms, with apparel brands poised to benefit the most.

Unsurprisingly, younger shoppers are both more comfortable using AI tools and more optimistic about their ability to improve the customer experience than older generations. Nearly one-third of Gen Zers (32%) are comfortable with having an AI agent shopping for them, per Salesforce鈥攇ood news for Perplexity, Amazon, OpenAI, and other companies investing in the space.

Shoppers鈥攑补谤迟颈肠耻濒补谤濒测 Gen Zers鈥攎ay otherwise go elsewhere. Integrating digital wallet options directly into merchants鈥� point-of-sale systems, for example, helps maximize purchase conversion. But expanded payment choice should not come at the expense of cards. Overwhelmingly, consumers say that cards are their most preferred way to pay in-store, per October 2022 Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta data.

Sephora-related content resonated best with Gen Z consumers, but legacy brands like Neutrogena struggled to maintain relevance. Cultural moments like Pride and back-to-school drove Q3 UGC, while video tutorials on platforms like TikTok provide more effective ways for brands to connect with Gen Z. Here are four insights into how beauty brand-related, UGC performed among Gen Z consumers in Q3, according to research firm dcdx鈥檚 Gen Z's Top 50 Beauty Brands Report Q3 2024.

Tailored loyalty offerings based on shopper preferences topped the list of personalized shopping experiences sought by respondents in a March 2024 poll by Bizrate Insights. This was followed by special offers and discounts based on shopping habits, benefits that would fit naturally within a retail loyalty program with strong data analytics built in.

Gen Z is redefining family, community, and what鈥檚 expected from the shopping journey. Brands will need to meet these driven, digital natives where they are with dynamic media experiences to capture and retain loyalty.

The stakes are particularly high among younger users, with 53.3% of US Gen Z using social media primarily for messaging, and TikTok now entering the group chat space with its messaging feature now supporting up to 32 participants. The shift to messaging platforms is particularly evident among younger users, with direct messaging being a primary social media activity for Gen Z.

Gen Zers are slowly leaving big traditional banks for their digital competitors, making fintechs an existential threat to banks. To protect their bottom line, FIs must lean in to what differentiates them from their (mostly) charterless competitors, including:. Deposit insurance, which means their customers lose their life savings like those affected by the Synapse collapse.

It鈥檚 just a first step: Zelle operator Early Warning Services is launching the Paze ecommerce checkout solution. And FedNow offers several use cases to help banks of all sizes tighten relationships with their customers. Banks can combine Zelle, Paze, and FedNow鈥攇iving payment providers opportunities to partner with them. Declining remittance pricing is driving innovation and partnerships.

For all other generations, banking on their mobile devices is No. 1, cited by:. 64% of Gen Zers. 68% of millennials. 55% of Gen Xers. Online banking comes in second for each of those groups. But they don鈥檛 agree on their third-place options. Millennials and Gen Zers prefer banking at an ATM after online banking. Gen X prefers banking at a branch over ATMs.

Gen Zers鈥� habits diverge from other generations鈥� in the early stages of the customer journey. Our inaugural survey of banking consumers in Canada spotlights the differences to help banks drive conversions.

Brazil is Latin America鈥檚 largest retail ecommerce market by total sales volume and will be this year鈥檚 third-fastest-growing digital economy worldwide. Understanding the nuances of how and where Brazil鈥檚 diverse consumer base spends its money online is key for brands and retailers to thrive in this highly competitive ecommerce market.

Not all assumptions about how Gen Z consumers shop are correct. While it鈥檚 true that they鈥檙e motivated by sustainability, they鈥檙e also limited by their budgets. It may be difficult to earn their loyalty, but they still have brand affinities. Here are four assumptions about Gen Z and whether there鈥檚 any truth to them鈥攕traight from members of Berns Communications鈥� Z Suite network of Gen Z consumers.

A record number of people plan to shop over the Cyber Five: The NRF鈥檚 forecast dovetails with stronger-than-expected October sales, suggesting retailers have momentum heading into the holidays.

They鈥檙e as important as personal recommendations to Gen Zers. And while other cohorts look at price first, 33% of Gen Z consumers rated good online reviews as their most important consideration in selecting an insurer, nearly tying with price (34%), per an April 2023 ReMark survey. Agents looking to add more inbound Gen Z leads must focus on collecting positive reviews for those doing online research.

Kraft Heinz is distributing more of its products in value-oriented outlets like dollar and club stores to reach inflation-weary shoppers. Amazon, Target, and Albertsons are expanding their private label brands, which tend to cost less. Sixty percent of Americans with lower incomes prefer to buy store-label or generic brands, the Collage Group report noted.

Sometimes, consumers don鈥檛 behave how we expect. Despite their digital-native status, Gen Zers still shop in-store, while baby boomers are all about new-kid-on-the-block Temu. And though they鈥檙e still mostly children, Gen Alphas are making their mark on the retail landscape.

TikTok Shop leans on top brands, live shopping to boost holiday sales: The platform will feature exclusive products from brands like Benefit Cosmetics and celebrity-led livestreams alongside Cyber Five discounts.

The ecommerce giant also revamped 26 Amazon Fresh fulfillment centers to include a wider array of products, including items from Whole Foods Market and Amazon.com. Amazon is building a micro fulfillment center attached to a Whole Foods location in Pennsylvania, enabling Whole Foods shoppers to order items from Amazon鈥檚 website and Amazon Fresh and pick them up in store.