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A spending slowdown in Canada, Clover鈥檚 largest international market, also hurt volume. What鈥檚 next? Fiserv is leaning on acquisitions to expand its operations and accelerate growth. The company made four international acquisitions in the last two months. Fiserv acquired Canada-based Payfare to grow its embedded finance capabilities and push further into serving the gig economy.

For example, Affirm expanded its tie-up with Shopify in the UK and Canada, and Klarna partnered with Worldpay, JPMorgan Payments, and Adobe Commerce. Both firms have also partnered with Apple Pay and Google Pay. But individual partnerships are still important if BNPL players want to reach larger merchants like Stitch Fix.

The trend: Despite a solid close to 2024, retail-related headlines with 鈥渨eaker-than-expected guidance鈥� are becoming the norm as companies from Amazon to Levi Strauss to Whirlpool point to challenges ahead. Why is this happening? There are five interrelated reasons that retailers are feeling glum:. The labor marketing is moderating.

The Verge also reported that some Sony Bravia OLED TVs now cost about $500 more in the US than in Canada after currency adjustment. Chinese electronics brand Anker raised prices on 127 Amazon-listed products, with an average increase of 18%, per Mashable.

Last year saw 51 retail bankruptcies鈥攄ouble the number in 2023. A challenging environment, compounded by rising costs from the Trump administration鈥檚 trade policies, could drive more retailers to file for bankruptcy and liquidate. Already this year, Liberate Brands鈥攖he parent of Billabong, Quiksilver, and Volcom鈥攆iled for bankruptcy and announced plans to close its 120 US and Canadian stores.

On today鈥檚 episode, host Bill Fisher is joined by our analysts Paul Briggs, Matteo Ceurvels, and Carina Perkins to discuss everything retail media-related. There鈥檚 been a boom in the US, but how big is the opportunity elsewhere, and who are the early wave-makers in this space?

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of Microsoft putting ads in its AI-powered Bing Chat platform, the biggest pitfalls of companies using generative AI, and publishers' concerns about AI chatbots cutting readership. "In Other News," we talk about how much retail media networks are actually boosting the US ad market and which car manufacturers are leading the US electric vehicle (EV) race. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Gadjo Sevilla and Max Willens.

Trump鈥檚 tariffs roil the retail industry: Reciprocal measures will touch virtually every sector, leading to higher prices for the consumer.

Dig deeper: To learn more about how tariffs will roil the retail landscape, read our Retail & Ecommerce Briefing鈥檚 analysts鈥� take.

Our take: Bank of America鈥檚 and Citi鈥檚 earnings were steady in Q1 despite the larger uncertain economic environment that started in March with President Donald Trump鈥檚 threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico. But both issuers agree that these results may not repeat themselves in the coming quarters.

Retail media is taking Latin America鈥檚 digital ad industry by storm, with advertisers spending nearly $2 billion this year, per our inaugural forecast. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

Our take: The retail landscape is unusually uncertain, driven by significant unknowns surrounding the new administration and the short- and long-term implications of its policies.

The company is expanding Amazon Just Walk Out, its cashierless checkout offering, to more retail spaces. It鈥檚 also brought its hand-scan checkout solution, Amazon One, to more proprietary retail locations, including several Whole Foods stores. And Amazon partnered with Affirm to bring buy now, pay later (BNPL) to US and Canadian customers.

Tesco鈥檚 newest venture takes aim at Ocado: The UK grocer鈥檚 Transcend Retail Solutions division aims to help international supermarket chains develop their ecommerce operations.

In our first edition of the Global Digital Index, created in partnership with the RLC Global Forum, we explore retail and ecommerce in the Gulf States of the Middle East.

Methodology: Data is from the November 2024 Bazaarvoice report titled "Shopper Experience Index Vol 18." 8,000+ shoppers worldwide in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the UK, and the US were surveyed online by Savanta during September 2024.

The market鈥檚 retail media ad spending jumped 45.8% in 2024, according to our data, suggesting a rapid shift toward ecommerce-driven advertising channels. Our take: Brazil鈥檚 prominence in regional ad spending growth is a reminder that advertisers must look beyond established markets to remain competitive.

Loyalty data can supercharge retail media strategies. Shoppers are willing to trade valuable personal data for coupons. More than two-thirds of UK shoppers would join a retailer鈥檚 loyalty scheme and share personal data in order to get a coupon, per savi. Supermarkets are already leveraging loyalty data to enhance their retail media capabilities.

US retail and ecommerce sales growth will take a hit in 2025 as unpredictable changes in tariff policies ripple through the economy, shaking consumer confidence.

A bleak outlook: The fact that Abercrombie, with its solid growth streak, is cautious about the future underscores the challenging road ahead for the retail industry. Tariffs are eroding consumer confidence, weakening their desire (and ability) to purchase trendy apparel and other discretionary goods.

What retail and ecommerce categories are most exposed to current and proposed tariffs? Most retail sectors will be affected by increased tariffs, but some are more exposed than others, including the following:. Apparel and fashion. In 2024, the EU exported over 鈧�5.0 billion ($5.41 billion) worth of apparel and accessories to the US.

Methodology: Data is from a February 2023 Metapack report titled "Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark." 8,000+ adults ages 18+ in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the US were surveyed by Retail Economics during November 2022.