蘑菇AV

The auto industry is undergoing dramatic changes as advances in tech, consumer preferences, and retail strategies shift the market. The latest data reveals trends in ad spending and how shoppers research and buy cars.

As uncertainty lingers, advertisers in Europe have opted to delay campaigns, cancel projects, and shift media budgets, according to Digiday. For their US campaigns, brands are pushing for more flexible media agreements to quickly adapt if trade disruptions worsen, per CNBC. Still, there鈥檚 a potential upside for EU ad markets.

Stay tuned: Our Retail & Ecommerce Q1 Earnings Report will unpack challenges facing mass merchants, grocery, and other retail sectors.

The news: Temu鈥檚 foothold in the US is shrinking as the company pulls back sharply on advertising. Weekly sales slumped more than 25% YoY between May 11 and June 8, according to Bloomberg Second Measure. Our take: Given the importance of the US market to Temu and its merchants, it鈥檚 possible that its current pause on US ad spending and shift to Europe is a temporary effort to regroup as it searches for a business model more resistant to tariffs and the end of de minimis. At the same time, the longer the pause goes on, the more ground it will cede to Shein and other competitors鈥攁nd the harder it will be to regain market share.

Aiming for authenticity in a sea of AI: As AI fatigue sets in, tools that can replicate professional photo and video output that鈥檚 publication ready can drive down advertising production costs, or at the very least accelerate ideation with precise, high-quality assets.

The insight: Clothing rental services are in the midst of a resurgence. Rent the Runway ended Q1 with a record number of subscribers, while Urban Outfitters-owned Nuuly added 40,000 members in the quarter alone. Our take: It鈥檚 taken time for companies to prove that the clothing subscription model can be sustainable. While Nuuly was the first to reach profitability, Rent the Runway鈥檚 rebound shows that there is an appetite for rental services that can deliver high-quality products at an affordable price point, as well as capitalize on consumers鈥� desire for newness.

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 insight: Discounters are experiencing a resurgence as concerns about rising prices and economic stability spur shoppers of all income levels to seek out bargain retailers. Our take: The uncertain environment in many ways benefits Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Five Below, whose value initiatives are enabling them to win spending from cautious consumers. But鈥攁s with the broader retail industry鈥攖ariffs are a costly challenge for all three, particularly as they try to minimize price hikes and maintain their value advantage.

The news: Skims, the shapewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian, is on an expansion tear as it nears $1 billion in annual sales, per Business of Fashion. The company plans to open 16 stores in the US this year, bringing its total domestic footprint to 22. Over the next nine months, Skims expects to establish itself in seven new markets鈥攊ncluding stores in Mexico, London, and Dubai. Our take: While stores are hugely important to Skims鈥� growth, the company has several advantages over the rest of the D2C field. Unlike most other D2C companies, Skims doesn鈥檛 need to rely on its stores as billboards given its high-profile founder, who is also a fixture of its ad campaigns. Its partnership with Nike will give it access to an even larger audience and smooth its entry into the athleisure category鈥攁ssuming production delays don鈥檛 get in the way. The launch will also considerably increase Skims鈥� retail presence without needing to invest in premium real estate.

The insight: The US is mired in the 鈥渨orst housing market in almost 50 years,鈥� RH CEO Gary Friedman said during the company鈥檚 Q1 earnings call, as high housing costs and economic uncertainty chill demand. Our take: With the sluggish housing market showing few signs of improvement, retailers must lean into any pockets of opportunity they find. For RH, that鈥檚 burnishing its luxury credentials and pushing deeper into hospitality, while Wayfair is leaning on its diverse supplier base. The resilient pro market is another area companies should look to take advantage of as they try to ride out the downturn.

The news: Nexxen has launched an AI-powered Discovery platform that delivers audience insight decks in minutes, merging first-party data with sentiment, search, and competitive signals. Brands like LG Ad Solutions are using the tool to shape campaign strategy, validate ROI, and uncover untapped behaviors. Our take: In an era demanding speed and accountability, Nexxen offers a hybrid model: automation without sacrificing human analysis. With pressure rising on publishers to justify CPMs and on marketers to prove performance, tools like Discovery promise faster insight, smarter storytelling, and deeper advertiser confidence鈥攑ositioning Nexxen as a data partner in a post-cookie world.

For media companies, these divestitures represent a focus on digital growth areas rather than maintaining declining legacy businesses. 鈥淎udiences are going to streaming,鈥� said our analyst Paul Verna. "There's no turning back that tide. And every one of these media companies is struggling in general, but particularly with their linear TV assets.". Prediction: Starbucks will launch a stablecoin.

The scene: When Cooper Flagg鈥攖he odds-on favorite to be the NBA Rookie of the Year next season鈥攕teps onto the court for the first time, he鈥檒l be wearing New Balance basketball shoes. Our take: New Balance鈥檚 push to sign Flagg, along with its other star-powered ambassadors, underscores its clear ambition to break into the top tier of global sportswear brands. While Nike and Adidas still lead by a wide margin, New Balance has its sights set on Puma, which reported $9.5 billion in sales last year鈥攚ell ahead of New Balance鈥檚 $7.8 billion. To close the gap, New Balance needs to turn its growing visibility into demand, which is far from a sure thing. From there, it must maintain that momentum with consistent sales across both its performance and lifestyle lines. If Flagg lives up to the hype and the brand finds ways to ride that momentum, New Balance could take a meaningful step up the sneaker hier

Netflix House shows the power of brand marketing: The streamer鈥檚 retail play capitalizes on cheap real estate and consumer demand for experiences.

The news: Shein鈥檚 and Temu鈥檚 influence in the US is fading quickly as both companies cut ad spending and look to Europe for growth. Our take: Shein and Temu are finding that the billions of dollars they plowed into US advertising have not been enough to secure US customers鈥� loyalty in the face of higher prices. But rather than find ways to extend the longevity of their US businesses, both companies are fleeing to Europe to take advantage of the (currently) more favorable trade environment.

US retail social commerce sales.

The situation: Nike鈥檚 turnaround will likely take some time. In FYQ4, the company鈥檚 sales fell 12% YoY (11% on a constant-currency basis), reflecting what CFO Matthew Friend called the 鈥渓argest financial impact鈥� from the company鈥檚 reset strategy. Still, he expressed confidence that 鈥渉eadwinds will moderate from here,鈥� emphasizing Nike鈥檚 focus on execution and controlling what it can. Our take: Turning around a company the size of Nike is like trying to turn around an ocean liner in rough waters. Change takes time, especially amid headwinds like tariffs and shaky demand, and execution missteps keep dragging on performance. Nike is adjusting course鈥攍eaning back into wholesale, cleaning up its inventory, and getting more surgical with product drops鈥攂ut calm seas are still a ways off.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss our 鈥榲ery specific, but highly unlikely鈥� predictions for 2025. What would happen if Google preemptively broke itself into smaller pieces, if online shopping flatlined, and if the audio ad space doubled in size in short order. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Director of Reports Editing Rahul Chadha, and Senior Analysts Blake Droesch and Max Willens. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Brands are staying quiet this Pride Month: Retailers that once loudly proclaimed their LGBTQ+ initiatives are keeping mum to avoid government attention.

Tariffs overshadow Macy鈥檚 turnaround progress: Sales fell less than expected on strength at Bloomingdale鈥檚 and Bluemercury, but pressures on discretionary spending could add to department store headwinds.

Separating from the pack: Abercrombie is unique among retailers in another way: It raised its full-year sales outlook despite the uncertainty permeating the retail landscape. The company now expects sales to increase by 3% to 6%, up from its prior expectations of a 3% to 5% increase. However, most of that growth is expected to come in the first half, driven mainly by outperformance at Hollister.