蘑菇AV

Listen to the full episode to hear 蘑菇AV analysts Carina Perkins and Zak Stambor explore the reasons that retailers are launching new store formats, what those layouts look like in the US vs. the UK, which formats are working, and which aren鈥檛.

For example, only three other countries will exceed even a 25% ecommerce penetration rate: the UK (30.4%), South Korea (27.2%), and Indonesia (26.6%). China will account for 50.4% of all worldwide ecommerce this year, so its weight unreasonably skews the global math. If China is excluded, ecommerce鈥檚 share of worldwide retail lands at a more realistic 12.5%.

Customer service was the top business area that US and UK banking and insurance tech executives said would benefit most from genAI, per an August 2023 FintechOS survey. And they鈥檙e putting their money where their mouths are: Customer-facing functions are getting 47% of business leaders鈥� genAI investment, compared with 30% for IT functions, per October 2023 Gartner data.

In 2024, 蘑菇AV data partner GWI started offering data on respondents ages 65 and older in seven markets: the US, the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, and Japan. For ease of comparison, our report features data for respondents ages 16 to 64 in all countries. But we have included the data for respondents 65 and older for those seven countries here as a supplement.

Additional scrutiny in Japan and the UK adds pressure to its business model. Apple鈥檚 efforts to appease regulators include revamping some of its operations in the EU and opening up its devices to third-party marketplaces. Despite Apple鈥檚 reported adjustments for compliance, the EU remains dissatisfied, spotlighting the need for Big Tech to rethink app ecosystem dynamics.

ASOS in October began charging UK shoppers who frequently return items a return fee of 拢3.95 ($5.26) if they keep less than 拢40 ($53.22) worth of items, per the BBC. Nordic department store Boozt banned roughly 60,000 so-called 鈥渟erial returners鈥� who it claimed 鈥渆xploit high service levels of free shipping and returns at the expense of our business, other customers, and the environment.鈥�

The digital maturity of the market has lagged compared with other Western countries like the UK and the US. But as we emerge from the pandemic and the subsequent economic turbulence (exacerbated by the war in Ukraine), brands are increasingly shifting their advertising investments to digital channels. Advertisers will need to fine-tune their digital strategies.

Apple made its NFC tech available to developers in the US, the UK, and five other markets in the iOS 18.1 update. To use the tech, developers have to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple and pay fees. What this means: This could open the floodgates for more competing wallets on the iPhone. Google Wallet stands to gain the most.

Ranking as the fifth-fastest-growing digital ad spend nation worldwide, it leads European counterparts France, Italy, Germany, and the UK, according to our forecast. And although it captures only 0.6% of the global digital ad pie, Spain鈥檚 momentum signals a market ripe for expansion, with an eye on a greater international presence. Click here to view our full forecast for digital ad spending.

That could mean a divesture of Boots, the company鈥檚 UK pharmacy chain that has been in talks to be sold multiple times over the past few years. It would also likely indicate even more layoffs and an acceleration of its planned store closures as Sycamore looks to right-size the business.

Why it matters: A take-private deal with Sycamore could include a sell off of some pieces of Walgreens鈥� business, such as Boots, the company's UK pharmacy chain that has been in talks to be sold multiple times over the past few years.

Sora isn鈥檛 available in the UK and the EU, and complex regulations could prevent it from being offered at all. The competition: While a 20-second video clip is no feature-length film, Sora鈥檚 content capabilities surpass competitors鈥� offerings. Adobe鈥檚 generative AI (genAI) tools include a text-to-video and an image-to-video tool that can each create up to 5 seconds of content.

JPMorgan still leads in AI maturity, according to UK-based intelligence platform Evident Insights. It has prioritized hiring top AI talent鈥攁 costly endeavor. And it鈥檚 testing how genAI can 鈥渃opilot鈥� its private banking advisors by helping them identify important opportunities for their clients.