蘑菇AV

The news: Klarna will be the default payment option for Bolt鈥檚 CheckoutOS merchants, per a press release. Our take: Klarna faces multiple challenges. It has to increase its availability to US consumers while also rivaling credit cards that offer both installment plans and cash back or points that likely exceed the value of Klarna鈥檚 gift-based rewards system through Nift

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands like Eyebuydirect are overcoming traditional barriers in high-consideration purchase categories like eyewear.

The news: Saks Global鈥攖he roughly year-old troubled parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus鈥攕ays it is finding its footing and has no plans to close stores, Retail Dive reports. Our take: Saks Global needs more than fresh financing鈥攊t needs a clear strategy that will make clear how it can navigate economic headwinds and rebuild trust with suppliers. With luxury spending softening as consumers grow more cautious, execution in the months ahead will be critical鈥攏ot just for stability, but for long-term survival.

For instance, it saw year-over-year hardware sales growth during Amazon鈥檚 Big Spring Sale by showing up where customers are already shopping. Our take: For big-ticket items, an omnichannel experience isn鈥檛 optional鈥攊t鈥檚 essential. Micro-stores, gym partnerships, and retail platform visibility offer Peloton a more flexible, diversified path forward. But the strategy may be too little, too late.

Two-thirds of US retail media buyers expect to spend more on video advertising over the next 12 months, according to March 2025 data from Koddi. Nearly as many (63%) will up their investments in social media.

This is the first installment of our biannual 鈥淯K Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

H-E-B is expanding its retail media footprint with the launch of a new self-service advertising platform, developed in partnership with Epsilon.

The news: Brazil鈥檚 central bank rolled out a recurring payments feature to the Pix instant payment system, according to a report from Reuters. Our take: Pix鈥檚 use likely can keep growing steadily if it can target new volume opportunities.

The news: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME) have introduced a bill, The End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act, that would prohibit D2C prescription drug advertising on television, radio, print, digital platforms, and social media. Our take: Despite disdain for drug commercials among consumers and lawmakers, pharma marketers shouldn鈥檛 sound the alarm just yet.

The majority (80.9%) of worldwide retail media ad spend will take place in China and the US this year, according to a March 2025 蘑菇AV forecast.

Agentic AI, an advanced form of AI combining machine learning, LLMs, and automation, is set to revolutionize retail banking by creating intelligent digital employees. The Financial Brand predicts it will act as a "financial GPS on steroids," offering personalized, proactive financial support by understanding full customer context and anticipating life changes. This could significantly enhance customer experience, particularly appealing to Gen Z's preference for self-service. However, our take suggests a potential cost: job displacement in banking. The ideal scenario involves banks adopting Agentic AI while retaining customer-facing staff, balancing efficiency and personalization with the essential human touch.

Retail media will reach $60.81 billion in 2025鈥攁dding more new dollars than Meta and Alphabet combined鈥攁nd brands now rank incrementality as a top KPI. In this interview, Tinuiti鈥檚 Elizabeth Marsten lays out how to prove incremental sales, pick smarter tools, and keep measurement future-ready.

In today鈥檚 episode, we talk about how to be both a product-led organization and a customer-centric one, what fintechs are doing that keeps them closer to customers, and how banks can rethink the customer journey around financial life stages. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development Rob Rubin, Analyst Lauren Ashcraft, and Principal Analyst Tiffani Montez.

The news: Block鈥檚 Square will be Live Nation Canada鈥檚 exclusive provider of payments. Our take: Partnering with Live Nation Canada offers Square a space to test out its newest tech on large crowds in a confined space expecting fast turnaround times.

The data point: Constellation Brands expects to take a $20 million hit this fiscal year due to the Trump administration鈥檚 aluminum tariffs, CFO Garth Hankinson said on the company鈥檚 earnings call. Our take: Constellation Brands is one of the few companies openly acknowledging the real-time impact of the administration鈥檚 policies. With both hardline deportation rhetoric and tariffs hitting at once, the company faces a dual challenge that could weigh heavily on its performance throughout the year.

On this special edition podcast episode, learn about the rise of off-site retail media advertising with 蘑菇AV Principal Analyst, Sarah Marzano and Google鈥檚 Head of Retail Media, Shawn McGahee. This conversation is from the May 9th 蘑菇AV virtual summit, Commerce Media Trends 2025. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The news: The Trump administration recently met with leading retailers, including Amazon and Walmart, to explore ways in which more US consumers can get their prescription medications directly from pharma manufacturers, according to a Bloomberg report. Our take: It鈥檚 unrealistic to expect pharma鈥檚 middlemen to be cut out anytime soon, as they are so deeply rooted in the US healthcare infrastructure.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the ingredients of Walmart鈥檚 current recipe for success and the technology that鈥檚 most likely to propel them into the future. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Analyst Rachel Wolff.