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Gen Z鈥檚 complicated path to purchase leans heavily on digital platforms and channels. But offline resources still play a key role.

Burberry鈥檚 holiday resurgence is an encouraging sign for luxury brands: The company鈥檚 focus on core products won over US shoppers, although a full recovery is a long way off.

鈥淭he brand lost a lot of market share to brands like SKIMS and Fenty, and I don't think the fashion show is going to bring today鈥檚 consumer back.鈥�. 4. Abercrombie & Fitch. This is another 2000s brand revamping its image to be more inclusive.

Gap experienced slowing demand for weather-sensitive kids and baby apparel, while TJX experienced a dip in its Marmaxx business (Marshalls and TJ Maxx). 鈥淭he unseasonably warm weather kept pulling us down,鈥� said Ernie Herrman, CEO and president of The TJX Cos. As the weather cooled, consumers resumed their normal shopping patterns at both TJX and Gap banners.

As Walmart expands its marketplace, it鈥檚 focusing on categories like apparel, home decor, and automotive supplies鈥攚hich are different from the categories driving growth for Walmart鈥檚 first-party sales (like food and health and wellness).

The divide between top-tier brands and the rest of the luxury industry is widening: Companies like Brunello Cucinelli are outpacing the market as wealthy shoppers spend freely.

Retail includes mail orders/catalogs, restaurants/fast food, drugstores, retail stores, cosmetics stores, and merchants of apparel, home furnishings/textiles, toys, pet food/supplies, appliances, jewelry, and general merchandise.

Platform-driven content moderation is falling out of fashion. Meta鈥檚 content moderation makeover could help justify spending on X. In the US, Meta is replacing its third-party fact-checkers with Community Notes, an X-like program that relies on users to add context to some violative and misleading content on its platforms.

Skechers, Anta join the parade of sneaker brands capitalizing on Nike鈥檚 missteps: Both companies are thriving thanks to a focus on underserved markets and big-name partnerships

Alibaba has also found success with the fashion-oriented marketplaces it鈥檚 launched in Spain (Miravia) and Turkey (Trendyol) that sell a mix of local brands, and it aims to expand these concepts to other markets. Sustained growth demands creative reinvention. With roots in China鈥檚 highly competitive market, Shein, Temu, and TikTok are moving quickly to stay ahead.

Prominent retailers generated better-than-expected holiday results: While Abercrombie, Lululemon, and Nordstrom raised their Q4 outlooks, Macy鈥檚 and Kohl鈥檚 continued to face challenges.

For instance, they could ask for outdoor enthusiasts to launch new trail running shoes. GenAI can also help define richer and more numerous personas to help with targeting strategy. With more details on each cluster, advertisers can build messages that will resonate with the clusters and identify channels to reach them. How easy is it to implement?

Shein was the top US apparel retail site in terms of unique visitors in June. It could also encourage other Chinese companies, like Temu, to launch credit cards globally.

Services like clothing repair or electronics recycling can boost a retailer's image as sustainable and customer-centric. "L.L.Bean is a place I can go when my shoes are worn through, that might repair the soles for me,鈥� said our analyst Sara Lebow. 鈥淎nd then I also associate them with being a more sustainable brand.". What it means for marketers.

Tech firm Fast Simon claims retailers using its GenAI Hybrid Search have achieved a more than 30% increase in search conversions in apparel, footwear, and accessories compared with keyword search alone. By making it easier for customers to find what they want, genAI-powered search can also improve the shopping experience鈥攚ith benefits for loyalty and retention. How easy is it to implement?

Gauging the influence of digital on the shopper's journey.

For example, rather than buy 10 pairs of shoes from multiple sellers, a creator or eBay seller can go on the site to find items that will perform well with their community. Our take: Ghost is streamlining a formerly labyrinthian process by providing access to surplus goods to a wider array of buyers. That鈥檚 offering significant value to both buyers and sellers.

It also launched features such as bulk purchase discounts in apparel, virtual try-on for makeup, and dynamic pricing tools for sellers. Strong growth: Mercado Libre delivered a strong performance in Q3 and gained share in each of its major markets.

Credit sales were also spread across industries. 32% of credit sales came from travel and entertainment (T&E) cards. 24% came from specialty apparel cards. And 19% came from health and beauty cards. Why this matters: Bread was known for its focus on specialty apparel and department stores. But with T&E now its largest spend category, its diversification push is paying off.