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Canada is behind other Western economies in digital payments adoption, but new technologies are finding footing against cards. Diving into usage among different demographic groups foretells how adoption will progress.

Connected TV (CTV) has emerged as the fastest-growing ad channel tracked by 蘑菇AV. Its ad spend outpaced other digital ads, search, social media, and retail media in 2024.

North American retail net sales dropped 7% to $3.0 billion, below the expected $3.08 billion, driven by lower volume and unfavorable price realization and mix. The company鈥檚 divestiture of its Canada yogurt business also shaved 1% off net sales. Adjusted per-share profit fell 15% in constant currency to $1.00, though it still beat analyst estimates of 96 cents.

As more retailers recognize the value of leveraging their first-party data, the global retail media market will continue to expand and innovate. While the US leads the charge with $45.15 billion in spending this year, according to our forecast, other regions are showing similar patterns. In fact, Latin America is only four to five years behind the US, said our analyst Matteo Ceurvels on our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Around the World鈥� podcast.

The company doesn鈥檛 source from Canada and has 鈥渕inimal鈥� imports from Mexico. Mattel has also spent recent years broadening its supply chain. It now sources products from seven countries and expects China to represent less than 40% of its global toy production this year, with Mexico accounting for less than 10%.

Key clients: eBay, Ikea Canada, Heineken, Xbox, Hellmann鈥檚. Retail media and ecommerce. Retail media is the fastest-growing ad category we track, and it is expected to remain that way through at least 2028. This year, we expect US retail media ad spending to grow by 26% YoY to $54.48 billion. It will continue growing at annual rates above 20% through 2028, when it will top $128 billion.

42% of retail executives worldwide say the most important role of physical retail as omnichannel buying evolves is to provide an in-person component to the customer experience (CX), according to April 2023 data from Bain and Aptos.

Retail media. Over 9 in 10 US marketers who invest in creator marketing planned to promote their partnerships via retail media networks in 2025, per Q3 2024 data from LTK and Northwestern University. That trend will help drive retail media ad spending, which will rise by 20.2% YoY in 2025. Brand deals are no longer bound to social platforms.

On today's episode, we discuss the implications of the Federal Trade Commission thinking Amazon tricked customers into signing up for automatically renewing Prime subscriptions, whether it makes sense for companies to force livestream shopping on Americans, if speciality stores really work, the impact of Facebook and Instagram restricting news access in Canada, whether reduced inflation can save the day, what a real work-life balance looks like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, and analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

On today鈥檚 episode, host Bill Fisher is joined by our analysts Paul Briggs, Matteo Ceurvels, and Carina Perkins to examine what impact global economic turbulence is having on retail and ecommerce in different markets.

Large Canadian banks saw a decline in customer satisfaction from 2022, with midsize banks performing better in a few key areas.

Imports like tequila and Canadian whisky are also expected to become more expensive. Energy costs may climb if the US enacts 鈥渟econdary tariffs鈥� on Russian and Venezuelan oil鈥攄uties that would extend beyond direct imports to products from any country sourcing oil from those nations. Auto prices are likely to rise as 25% tariffs on imported vehicles and parts take effect in April and May.

Use this chart: Retail and marketing leaders can use this chart to benchmark their approach against peers. If you're absorbing tariff costs, consider how to preserve margin through efficiency. If you're passing them on, be transparent with customers and explore added-value messaging to maintain loyalty. Related 蘑菇AV reports:. FAQ: US-Canada Trade War (蘑菇AV subscription required).

Our take: The incoming Trump administration鈥檚 mandate to raise tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada has already resulted in China banning rare mineral imports to the US, putting companies like Nvidia on the defensive. This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.

Editor鈥檚 note: This article is part of a series on how the incoming Trump administration will affect key sectors of retail, marketing, tech, and finance. Keep an eye out for the full report, publishing just ahead of Inauguration Day.

The operative word is uncertainty: Walmart鈥檚 cautious projection is yet another red flag for the retail sector, especially coming on the heels of similarly downbeat forecasts from the likes of Amazon and Levi Strauss.

Walmart bought a mall, Coca-Cola launched a soda, and Nike partnered with SKIMS in February, marking some of the month鈥檚 most interesting retail moves. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers鈥� podcast.

Retail, telecom, and travel and leisure declined. The company maintained its full-year guidance for 2025. Zooming out: The company鈥檚 Q1 results were driven by the loss of major clients and missing the mark with new products. WPP recently lost Coca-Cola鈥檚 US and Canada media business to Publicis Groupe, though it retained global media duties.

President Donald Trump鈥檚 executive orders on new tariffs against China, Canada, and Mexico eliminate the 鈥渄e minimis鈥� exemption, which had allowed tariff-free shipments of goods valued under $800 per recipient per day. This will create major headwinds for Shein, Temu, and other retailers shipping directly from China, even as they work to diversify their supply chains.