蘑菇AV

Shoppers will first feel the pinch in back-to-school aisles. A child hoping for a blue backpack may have to settle for a red one. The strain will also be evident when shopping for higher-ticket items like strollers鈥攏early all of which are manufactured in China鈥攚here limited supply will likely translate to steeper prices. The pressure could crescendo during the holiday season.

Ecommerce platforms Temu and Shein claimed the third spot as they began raising prices in response to import costs and potential tariffs on Chinese goods. This price adjustment creates a critical strategic challenge for platforms whose primary competitive advantage has been ultra-low pricing.

Global gains power L鈥橭r茅al past expectations as US market cools: CEO Nicolas Hieronimus flagged slowing beauty demand and US retailer constraints but noted the brand is well positioned to handle tariff-driven disruptions.

This means more opportunities for advertisers to connect with shoppers not just online or in-store, but while they鈥檙e pumping gas or grabbing a snack. These quick-stop environments often spark impulse decisions, making them prime real estate for timely, behavior-triggering messaging.

Multi-industry players have the power to redefine the future of commerce media advertising. Unlike in the US, where retailers and FIs typically operate independently, many Latin American retailers act as financial services providers鈥攐ffering credit lines, digital wallets, and other banking products to unbanked and underbanked consumers.

The deal, which also includes FIS鈥檚 purchase of Global Payment鈥檚 issuing business, redraws lines that had previously been blurring

Retail ecommerce has entered a new era of slow and steady growth in most countries. This status quo replaces the previous era of spectacular growth and jarring declines.

Tens of millions of Americans will use weight loss drugs in the coming years. Here鈥檚 what pharma, food and beverage, wellness, and fitness brands and marketers need to know about GLP-1 patients鈥� changing behaviors alongside their medication use.

Retail sales in China in March grew 5.9%: Government subsidies drove the fastest growth since December 2023, but the escalating US鈥慍hina trade war is likely to curb spending in the months ahead.

Advertisers鈥� push for a unified strategy across retail media, loyalty programs, and merchandising is raising the bar on data and transparency. Paul Lentz, executive director and head of strategic development at CVS Media Exchange, shares how new collaborations鈥攆rom The Trade Desk to social platforms鈥攃an help brands see every ad dollar鈥檚 impact.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how department stores are getting on, how they鈥檙e evolving, and what the contemporary department store needs to do to stick around. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Carina Perkins.

The news: Paze notched a major partnership with Worldpay to expand its merchant network, per a press release. Our take: Groundwork has been set for Paze to take off. We predicted that Paze would make significant gains in 2025, and this partnership will help Paze establish its online presence and customer familiarity for strong back-to-school and holiday shopping spend.

The news: Sezzle debuted a suite of payment and deal-hunting features, per a press release. Our take: Sezzle needs to find any kind of foothold in the BNPL space, as its market share is massively outstripped by competitors like Klarna and Affirm.

The news: TikTok tweens and teens who make popular 鈥淕et ready with me鈥� skincare routine videos may be harming their skin. The takeaway: Amid the closer social media scrutiny, skincare health brands should be clear about products that are not made for young skin. Social media teams need to be aware and proactive when interacting with tween and teen content creators.

The news: Fiserv will launch its own stablecoin, FIUSD, by end of year to complement its existing banking and payments infrastructure. Our take: Reporting BNPL data to the credit bureaus would be a solid step toward combatting BNPL鈥檚 鈥減hantom debt鈥� criticism.

The news: Affirm partnered with Shopmonkey and Xsolla so auto mechanics and video game developers can offer installment plans at checkout. Our take: Affirm has focused on building out its partnership network and the Affirm Card鈥攁nd its fiscal Q3 results (ended March 31, 2025) bear out the strategies鈥� success, with total revenues increasing 36% YoY.

That could create an opportunity for secondhand retailers to gain share as shoppers look for ways to save. No wiggle room: Faced with the potential devastation of their manufacturing industries, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and other countries have signaled their willingness to negotiate with the Trump administration. But it鈥檚 not clear exactly what the government wants.

As consumers turn to fintechs and payment providers for timely, solution-based support, banks are losing relevance. Staying in the game means shifting from product pushing to customer-led journeys.