蘑菇AV

Our take: Much like their US counterparts Amazon and Walmart, both Alibaba and JD clearly see convenience as an important growth opportunity as consumers become more discerning. Those investments could enable the two companies to weather any further decline in sentiment stemming from the US-China trade war.

Our take: Based on the latest developments, we now expect ecommerce sales to grow between 5.1% and 7.9% in 2025. While the sector will continue to expand its share of total retail, it faces mounting headwinds. Rising costs, shifting platform strategies, and ever-evolving trade rules are pressuring margins and reducing competitiveness.

This feature represents TikTok鈥檚 continued investment in the US creator economy, cementing its position as a platform committed to the US market despite regulatory scrutiny.

With demand from Chinese consumers set to remain uncertain amid the country鈥檚 prolonged economic downturn and trade war with the US, it鈥檚 no surprise that luxury brands are targeting China鈥檚 wealthiest to stay afloat.

The company鈥檚 investments, which include building out its own logistics network to improve delivery times, has helped it deliver strong growth as the US-led trade wars disrupt much of the global economy. Mercado Libre, which doesn鈥檛 export to the US, has largely sidestepped that volatility鈥攑ositioning it to capitalize on regional growth even as rivals face headwinds.

Shein and Temu pull back US digital ad spending, shift to Europe: The change shows how geopolitical tensions trickle down to business operations.

Peloton balances expanding retail presence without busting budget: The company will build more 鈥渕icro-store鈥� kiosks as it pushes to meet consumers where they are.

Go further: Read our reports FAQ: How the US-China Trade War Is Affecting TikTok Shop, Temu, and Shein and Impact of Tariffs on US Businesses.

Consumers are skittish in several major markets around the world thanks to US-led trade hostilities and the possibility of a recession across North America. China, meanwhile, remains in an extended slump. But the world is large, and much of it will be only tangentially impacted by these challenges. Retail and ecommerce sales worldwide will muddle through.

奥补测蹿补颈谤鈥檚 US sales rose 1.6% YoY in Q1: Despite growing macroeconomic headwinds and a frozen housing market, demand remained strong.

Go further: Check out our US Amazon Ecommerce Forecast, as well as our latest reports on the Impact of Tariffs on US Businesses and The First 100 Days of Trump.

More than 60% of US adults feel 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渟omewhat鈥� uncomfortable with brands using AI-generated content in advertising, per our October 2024 study with CivicScience. Quality is crucial.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

We forecast the number of US crypto payment users to jump 82.1% between 2024 and 2026鈥攖hough they will still account for only 2.6% of the US population in 2026. Click here to view our full forecast for US cryptocurrency payment users. Sources. Autoweek. CBS News. CNET. IAB. KFF. Nielsen. PwC. The Budget Lab at Yale. University of Michigan.

The news: Budget concerns are top of mind for consumers as they plan their summers. Our take: Consumers鈥� inclination to save is likely to fuel anxiety in the hospitality industry鈥攅specially as uncertainty causes travelers to delay booking until practically the last minute.

Across the retail landscape, ecommerce sales penetration continues to inch up, following a major boost during the pandemic. Because ecommerce sales generally incur lower margins, the channel鈥檚 increasing share of sales means that retailers need to maintain a growing penetration of low-margin sales.

What do brands need to know about the next wave of digital growth?

Which adjective now shows up on 62% of US restaurant menus? A) Small-batch. B) Crispy. C) Deconstructed. D) Smashed. 鈥淐rispy鈥� appears on 62% US restaurant menus, according to Datassential, indicating a consumer focus on texture.

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.

The news: Walmart is testing dark stores in Dallas and Bentonville, Arkansas, as part of its broader effort to speed up deliveries, per Bloomberg. Our take: Amazon鈥檚 latest pledge to offer one- or same-day delivery in 4,000 smaller cities and rural areas by year鈥檚 end is the latest salvo in its relentless quest to raise the bar on convenience. For Walmart, keeping pace isn鈥檛 optional鈥攊t鈥檚 essential. Fortunately, Walmart has the scale and infrastructure to compete. Fast delivery isn鈥檛 just about logistics; it鈥檚 a powerful driver of customer loyalty. When shoppers know they can get essentials like toothpaste at their doorstep within hours, they鈥檙e more likely to click the buy button rather than venture out to a store.

Amazon links its speed to a sharp uptick in demand for groceries and household goods鈥攁 category that鈥檚 now growing more than twice as fast as all others in the US. Our take: Amazon Prime is already enormous, with roughly 3 in 4 US households, or 99.8 million, subscribed, per our forecast.

The event鈥檚 success鈥攊t generated $8.47 billion in US sales last year, per our forecast鈥攍ed competitors like Walmart and Target to launch parallel sales to stay competitive. Extending these events makes strategic sense: It not only drives incremental sales but also expands high-margin retail media inventory, a key priority this year since tariffs are compressing product margins across many categories.