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The news: US inflation ticked up 0.1% last month and 2.4% YoY, a softer read than many economists expected but one that kept the pressure on consumers already dealing with a higher cost of living. Our take: Retailers, especially grocers and discounters, can set themselves apart by helping consumers save money and be more financially responsible. Offering digital coupons, using in-store signage spotlighting sales on daily essentials, and rewarding loyal shoppers for repeat purchases can foster smarter spending.

The news: With scams on the rise, advertisers and brands need to be thoughtful with their communications to keep it out of junk folders. 96% of US adults get at least one scam email, phone call, or text message each week, per CNET. Our take: To stop volume fatigue, brands should avoid inundating users’ phones and inboxes with constant messaging. Social media could offer a less-saturated space where short-form content can exemplify brand personality and where users are more likely to expect engagement.

The news: CI&T and Project Nemo have developed a prototype app called Nemo, Art of the Possible, designed to help adults with learning disabilities manage money independently and securely, per Stock Titan. The app includes calm mode, adaptive onboarding, emergency savings, and user-controlled support to promote financial inclusion. Our take: With one in five US adults experiencing learning or attention challenges, banks have a major opportunity to broaden access. By partnering with fintechs to deliver inclusive tech like Nemo, financial institutions can better serve underrepresented users and improve financial health, experience, and loyalty across their customer base.

The news: Over 40% of US consumers are comfortable with AI managing investments, and 89% are open to new technology, seeing it as trustworthy for financial advice, per a TD Bank survey. However, current AI-driven personal finance management (PFM) tools often lack human oversight, leading to poor or misleading advice, especially for vulnerable users. Our take: FIs should differentiate themselves from fintechs by highlighting the crucial role human expertise still plays in their offerings—making them more trustworthy than their competitors.

Over half (53%) of US hispanic adults look for websites or retailers that offer Spanish-language options at least sometimes when shopping online, according to March 2025 data from ThinkNow Research.

Major financial institutions like Bank of America are exploring issuing their own stablecoins, viewing it as a crucial strategic move. Tokenization, the underlying technology, enables payment transactions to settle in seconds, automating compliance and cutting costs significantly (e.g., 40-60% in bond operations). This transforms static financial instruments into dynamic, programmable assets, appealing to a broader, potentially younger, customer base through innovations like fractional ownership. Failing to lead in tokenization risks U.S. banks losing their global market dominance, especially if retailers develop their own digital currencies, bypassing traditional payment systems. Smaller institutions can participate by partnering or leveraging existing stablecoin services from larger players.

Chinese consumers’ travel spending softened during a recent holiday: That’s a clear sign that confidence is strained due to trade tensions with the US.

When we asked US banking customers how they felt about their banks using AI to improve their banking experience, attitudes were mixed—and often sharply divided along demographic lines.

US advertisers will spend 82% of their media budget on digital in 2025, and allocate 66% of that budget to mobile, per a March Ä¢¹½AV forecast.

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.

US ecommerce sales will be hit hard by tariffs: Many online platforms’ advantages could disappear as prices rise, inventory runs dry, and delivery times slow.

The average vehicle age keeps climbing in the US: Advance Auto Parts is banking on maintenance and repair to help it steer clear of macroeconomic speed bumps.

Though beauty has remained a relatively resilient category amid rising prices, tariffs could put a damper on that as they take hold. 29% of US adults say they’ll likely cut back on beauty/personal care spending if tariffs raise prices, according to February 2025 data from CivicScience. That’s why retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Target are boosting their beauty offerings to drive sales and increase customer loyalty. Here’s how.