蘑菇AV

The ecommerce giant鈥檚 launch of ads on Prime Video instantly gave it the largest audience for an ad-supported subscription video service in the US.

Uncertainty creeps into US spending: Luxury companies can no longer rely on US consumers to pick up the slack as Chinese shoppers curb their spending. While LVMH noted that the American consumer cohort has stayed fairly resilient, particularly in the fashion and leather goods segment, shoppers are spending less locally.

Our take: Limited-time discounts will likely unlock spending from cost-conscious shoppers鈥攇iving retailers a much-needed boost in an uneasy economic climate.

The diversification trend is evident when looking at both China鈥檚 export data and the actions of some of its largest ecommerce companies. April exports to the US sank 21% YoY in April as the prospect of 145% tariffs forced companies to put orders on hold.

Increased theft in drugstores is causing pharmacies to lock up more items, further frustrating shoppers. Walgreens plans to close 1,200 stores over three years, which is about 14% of its physical footprint. CVS will close 270 this year, per The Street, and is on track to close about 10% of its total locations.

Zooming out: During the company鈥檚 April investor day, Walmart unveiled a beta offering that will give advertisers direct access to Vizio鈥檚 connected TV (CTV) inventory, further tightening the integration between shopper behavior and ad exposure.

Douyin investments are helping P&G shore up China sales: It鈥檚 taking advantage of the platform鈥檚 popularity among deal-seeking shoppers to boost its brands鈥� profiles.

Retail media has evolved from ecommerce side hustle into a compelling opportunity to generate high-margin revenues. Retail media has captured the attention of multibrand retailers looking to offset ecommerce margin drains. Across the retail landscape, ecommerce sales penetration continues to inch up, following a major boost during the pandemic.

Six of the region鈥檚 leading retail and ecommerce platforms featured prominently in our global analysis鈥攊ncluding three from Brazil that posted triple-digit gains. While much of this growth came from a smaller base of ad revenues, it underscored Brazil鈥檚 position as the world鈥檚 fastest-growing retail media market鈥攁 title it鈥檒l reclaim from 2026 onward, per our forecast.

TikTok Shop wants to be a holiday season shopping hub: The platform鈥檚 Brand Palooza campaign features steep discounts, an extended returns window, and TikTok Lives from celebrities, brands, and creators.

Walmart鈥檚 strong Q3 bodes well for its holiday performance: The retailer鈥檚 sales and profits beat expectations thanks to healthy ecommerce growth, more affluent shoppers, and recovering general merchandise sales.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss what traveler media can do that retail media can鈥檛, what makes travelers more receptive to personalized ads, and the possibilities that emerge once fast, free WiFi becomes ubiquitous on planes. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano, and the CEO of MileagePlus, United Airlines Richard Nunn. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The promise of closed-loop attribution within RMNs has not been realized, as shoppers move between online and offline when researching and making purchases. Over 3 in 10 shoppers research online, but buy in-store, per 蘑菇AV and impact.com, making it difficult to track which ads influenced purchase.

Retailers that provide access to specific consumers with distinct shopping behaviors may see their competitive edge eroded. And advertisers that don鈥檛 take context into account may invest unwisely. Some retailers will adopt a 鈥測es ... and鈥� approach to measurement by providing two versions of some KPIs.

Looking ahead: Both companies expect the momentum to continue, as the business model鈥檚 value proposition makes it highly attractive to shoppers looking to stay stylish without breaking the bank. Urban Outfitters expects 鈥渉ealthy double-digit revenue and profit growth鈥� from Nuuly in Q2, following a 60% revenue surge in Q1.

Working with Selfbook makes PayPal鈥檚 app a bigger part of the transaction journey than just checkout鈥攎aking the app a one-stop shop for users鈥� travel needs. PayPal can also benefit from processing big travel purchases: We forecast that digital travel sales will increase by 5.4% in 2025.

It鈥檚 also re-branding its identity: Klarna鈥檚 spokespeople refer to the company as a neobank rather than a "payments network and shopping assistant," per The Financial Times. Klarna is also pivoting into even more diverse services, like phone service. This will help create a more integrated super app experience, increasing customer stickiness and opening new revenue avenues.

If marketplace sellers raise prices as expected, the impact on Amazon shoppers would be significant, since we expect roughly $2 out of every $3 (66.8%) US shoppers spend on the platform this year will go to those third parties.

Crush stands out for its performance-aligned model, charging based on growth instead of traditional agency fees鈥攁 strategy tailored to ecommerce-native clients. Why it matters: Retail media is booming, but brands need more than just ad buying鈥攖hey need partners who can manage the full funnel.

Nearly half of shoppers (48%) say that the presence of artificial colors or flavorings affects their purchase decisions at least some of the time. Our take: For most companies, removing artificial dyes from their product lineups is a fairly easy lift, as many have already done so in Europe.