蘑菇AV

Amazon Pharmacy expands medication services for caregivers and Medicare users: Healthcare service providers and pharmacies can earn customer loyalty by appealing to often overlooked caregivers with services that make their roles easier.

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 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.

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.

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.

The news: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said AI-driven efficiencies will reduce the company鈥檚 headcount. 鈥淎s we roll out more generative AI and agents 鈥�we will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,鈥� Jassy said in a letter to employees. 鈥淚n the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce.鈥� Our take: Companies that pursue an AI-first mission by laying off employees risk lower team morale, a resistance to AI adoption among workers, and damaged consumer trust. Still, Amazon鈥檚 scale, deep pockets, and cloud infrastructure dominance may insulate it from backlash or major fallout.

Ecommerce growth accelerated during the 2023 holiday season as US consumers shifted more of their shopping to mobile devices.

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.

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 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.

The New York Times will license its journalism to Amazon: The deal supports AI training while signaling a shift toward paid data partnerships.

The news: Adobe and Amazon are redefining how marketers produce video ads by launching new generative AI tools aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. Adobe Express for Ads, unveiled today, supports direct publishing to platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok, while Amazon鈥檚 AI video tool can transform product pages into multiple ad variants. These tools cater to resource-limited advertisers seeking scale and performance. Our take: The video ad market is maturing fast鈥攁nd AI is making it more accessible. As more marketers pilot GenAI tools, early adopters will gain an edge in personalization and efficiency, turning creative experimentation into reliable results.

The trend: Retailers and brands are rapidly weaving generative AI (genAI) into their operations to boost efficiency and scale without adding significant headcount. The breadth of the initiatives signals an abrupt shift in many companies鈥� thinking about genAI from a useful tool to a potential core business driver. Our take: GenAI enables companies to do more with less鈥攁 crucial advantage at a time when macro uncertainty is making many firms wary of increasing their headcount. As early adopters scale their efforts and share results, momentum will grow鈥攑rompting others to follow out of necessity, not choice.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we check in on how retailers鈥� financials are looking this year, different approaches to inventory, and what Q2 is telling us. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Senior Analysts Blake Droesch and Zak Stambor.

Wellness is becoming more digital, personalized, and consumer driven, with technology playing a central role in health management, fitness, and self-care.

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.