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With retail media, connected TV, and identity solutions becoming more central to digital advertising plans, The Trade Desk鈥檚 open-internet focus may prove more valuable than ever鈥攅specially in a volatile economic and political year. The appointment of Kundra could also signal the company鈥檚 ambition to scale more effectively as enterprise clients grow in importance.

Retail media鈥檚 17.4% increase in 2025 will once again exceed the growth rate for traditional search (12.2%) and display (13.3%). Every year, retail becomes a more important part of the digital advertising story. (Note that portions of retail media ad spending fall under both search and display, so retail is buttressing those umbrella categories as well as the larger digital total.).

Key stat: 52.6% of US parents with children under 18 and 45% of urbanites are interested in buying smart glasses in the next 12 months, per an 蘑菇AV survey. That indicates a growing interest in the segment even before Apple has entered the market.

RBI reported a 1.3% drop in same-store sales, including a 1.1% decline in the US. Adjusted per-share profit rose 2.7% YoY to 75 cents, missing analyst expectations of 78 cents. Revenues rose 21.3% to $2.11 billion but were below the $2.13 billion consensus. Krispy Kreme posted a 5-cent adjusted loss per share鈥攄own from a 7-cent gain a year ago and in line with expectations.

With Google鈥檚 platform and broader affordability, Samsung鈥檚 headset might finally deliver on spatial media鈥檚 promise鈥攁nd give marketers a new playground.

Domino鈥檚 saw US same-store sales fall 0.5%. Yum Brands reported declines at two key banners: KFC鈥檚 US same-store sales dropped 1%, while Pizza Hut fell 5%. Starbucks posted a 2% decline in US comparable store sales, driven by a 4% drop in comparable transactions. The opportunity: Not all restaurant brands are struggling.

For the second year in a row, the US CPG industry will increase its digital ad spending more slowly than most other industries. However, a major growth rebound is in the cards for 2024.

Many retailers in Latin America like Mercado Libre, Rappi, and even Walmart function not only as commerce players, but as financial institutions as well. As a result, commerce media in Latin America is charting a different course than it has in the US, one that could result in unique opportunities for companies with access not only to shopper habits, but to financial data as well.

And Rite Aid couldn鈥檛 survive with just a 1.5% US pharmacy market share, per Drug Channels, with nothing else to lean on during tough times. There鈥檚 plenty of money to be made in the prescription drug market鈥攖otal prescription dispensing revenues at retail, mail, long-term care, and specialty pharmacies reached $683 billion in 2024, according to Drug Channels.

As retail spending slows down, consumers are increasingly using the same feeds that fuel impulse shopping to bond over the collective desire to curb their spending. This makes an influencer strategy embedded in value and relatability crucial.

The ripple effects won鈥檛 just hit grocers鈥攖hey鈥檒l reverberate across the entire retail sector at a time when stability is in short supply. Go further: Read our report 鈥淭he First 100 Days of Trump.鈥�.

Go further: Read our reports 鈥淚mpact of Tariffs on US Businesses鈥� and 鈥淭he First 100 Days of Trump.鈥�.

While the company didn鈥檛 break out numbers, it noted that Depop recorded its best GMS performance since its 2021 acquisition in Q1, driven by healthy US growth. Yes, but: Etsy may be better positioned to weather tariff headwinds than its competitors, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it will escape unscathed.

ThredUp sees a big opportunity ahead: Steep tariffs on China and the closing of the de minimis loophole will drive up prices for new products, which could be a boon to the resale platform.

Go further: Listen to our recent podcast episode: 鈥淩eimagining Retail: Tariffs Are Here: Consumer Shifts, Surprising Outcomes, and Must-Watch Metrics.鈥�. This content is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports.

Cyberattacks leave retailers reeling: Hackers are deploying an arsenal of tactics, from social engineering and ransomware to malware, to breach corporate defenses.

Marketers are cutting branding spend in favor of performance media: Search and retail win as caution dominates strategy.

Nearly three-quarters of Gen Alphas (ages 1 to 12) are online. This means they will likely be more adept than their predecessors at navigating digital spaces and using tech.

Looking ahead: Despite the macroeconomic headwinds, Domino鈥檚 remains optimistic, forecasting 3% growth in US comparable sales for the full year. Even as delivery slows, Domino鈥檚 sees major growth potential through third-party aggregators.

Amazon sellers rethink Prime Day participation: With tariffs wreaking havoc on their profits and ability to plan, merchants expect to reduce discounts or skip this year鈥檚 sale entirely.