The insight: Amazon is trying to figure out how it can benefit from the AI agentic boom without giving shopping agents unfettered access to its site, according to a report by The Information.
Our take: While agentic commerce is far from the norm for the time being, retailers need to be prepared. That’s especially true for companies with retail media businesses, given the potential for AI agents to upend their ability to monetize their sites.
Article
| Jun 20, 2025
Go further: Read our US Amazon Ecommerce Forecast 2025 report.
Article
| Jun 17, 2025
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Audio
| Jun 11, 2025
The trend: While many US schools are just beginning summer break, retailers aren’t wasting any time kicking off back-to-school promotions. Case in point: Apple is reportedly launching its back-to-school campaign on June 17, per Bloomberg—a few days earlier than last year. While Apple is typically among the first to roll out seasonal deals, this year it won’t be alone.
Article
| Jun 9, 2025
The news: Walmart rolled out Sparky, its generative AI (genAI) assistant, to all Walmart app users this week—a preliminary step that puts it closer to achieving its agentic ambitions.
Our take: By broadening Sparky’s capabilities, Walmart is trying to position itself not only as a shopping destination, but also as a place where consumers can go when they need everyday life advice or information—such as how to fix a leaky faucet or help with event planning. Whether the retailer succeeds will depend on how well Sparky works, and whether it can convince shoppers to overcome their current skepticism of AI tools.
Article
| Jun 9, 2025
“It’s a way for customers to get more items from us without needing to see a paid ad for it.”. Leaning into new audiencesFor Loop, broadening its ear plugs' use cases beyond nightlife was key to its growth, said co-founder Maarten Bodewes. The brand saw a surge of popularity after posts from moms on TikTok, who use the earplugs to manage noise and overstimulation when parenting.
Article
| Jun 5, 2025
“Being able to educate some of these new homeowners or DIYers is a big moment for ܲ.”.
Article
| May 29, 2025
While the company didn’t 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’t mean it will escape unscathed.
Article
| Apr 30, 2025
Retailers selling ultra-cheap goods from China dominate sales, but there are also opportunities for retailers selling goods from the US and Europe. This deck will:. Outline our forecast for cross-border buyer numbers in Europe's five biggest markets—the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy—through 2028.
Report
| Mar 19, 2025
Go further: Read our FAQ: How the US-China Trade War is Affecting TikTok Shop, Temu, and Shein.
Article
| May 27, 2025
The retailer will account for nearly one-third of ecommerce sales in the apparel, footwear, and accessories category this year, per our forecast, while roughly three-quarters of US households are Prime users. That makes Amazon an invaluable selling partner for any brand—and especially for Nike, which is struggling to emerge from a prolonged slump.
Article
| May 22, 2025
In the US, sales via social commerce are on track to exceed $100 billion by 2026, fueled by increasing buyers and spend-per-buyer, particularly on TikTok Shop. Amazon has partnered with social platforms, seeking to ease the path to purchase for products discovered on social that can be fulfilled by the company.
Report
| Mar 10, 2025
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’s sale entirely.
Article
| Apr 28, 2025
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Audio
| May 22, 2025
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Audio
| May 23, 2025
ĢAV 60% of its products are sourced from the US, with diversification efforts continuing. Expanding its pro business: Sales to professional customers, which are more stable than DIYers, grew mid-single digits in Q1. CEO Marvin Ellison credits these gains to strategic investments, including its recent acquisition of Artisan Design Group, and its revamped MyLowe’s Pro Rewards loyalty program.
Article
| May 21, 2025
Amazon discourages sellers from stockpiling goods with capacity limits: The strategy aims to prevent overload at its fulfillment centers, but it complicates merchants’ tariff mitigation abilities.
Article
| May 20, 2025
Target drops same-day delivery markups for Circle 360 members across Shipt network: The move, covering orders from over 100 partner retailers, aims to boost the program’s appeal.
Article
| May 20, 2025
Google has entered the AI shopping arena: The company’s AI Mode experience aims to assist consumers throughout every step of the shopping experience—from finding inspiration to buying at the right moment.
Article
| May 20, 2025
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Audio
| May 17, 2025
The second is the potential for closed-loop measurement, as media placements can be directly attributed to ecommerce sales—bolstering performance tracking for media platforms and ad networks. Certain formats are already successful. US social commerce is expected to grow nearly 20% in 2025, reaching $85.58 billion in sales, according to our forecast.
Report
| Feb 24, 2025
Even though a recent YouGov survey found 64% of US adults wouldn’t trust AI assistants with shopping, travel, or reservations, many merchants believe adoption is inevitable. That’s why 43% of retailers are already testing AI agents, and 75% expect them to be critical to competitiveness by 2026, per Salesforce’s Connected Shoppers report,.
Article
| May 16, 2025
layers browse, click, and buy real merch inside their favorite games, ushering in a new era of immersive ecommerce.
Article
| May 15, 2025
New features let brands display shoppable feeds and target ads during key video moments, capitalizing on YouTube's rising share of streaming time.
Article
| May 15, 2025
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Audio
| May 14, 2025