Ecommerce & Retail

Gen Z repayment behaviors require P2P players to consider settling up strategies for group payments.

North America improves, but China and merchandising woes linger.

TikTok video views for wellness brands grew 646.9% YoY in Q1 2026, even as views across all industries fell 6%, according to a Q1 2026 report from Dash Social.

In today's podcast episode, we discuss how consumer intent changes throughout the year, what actually happens to shoppers in the seconds after they complete a transaction, and what marketing looks like when you're buying a moment rather than media. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Vice President of Strategic Key Accounts at Rokt, Callum Donnelly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Just over a year ago, Jason LaRose became the CEO of Bombas, inheriting a direct-to-consumer (D2C) sock company that had grown to over $300 million in revenue while maintaining its buy-one-give-one mission. For LaRose, however, the company's success only underscored how much room it still had to grow.

It's not just advertising that's shifting, younger consumers are actively seeking ways to disconnect from their devices and engage in physical experiences, prompting brands to rethink how they reach audiences. This surge reflects a broader cultural shift as Gen Z and Gen Alpha trade digital feeds for real-world connections.

Last week, Ace Hardware held its annual Ace Rewards Day sales event, designed to capture the surge in shopping activity that Amazon's Prime Day helps create each summer. The preparation behind the event offers a playbook retail media leaders can apply to major retail moments throughout the rest of the year, including the holiday season.

Quiet Hours shows experience can be as powerful as assortment.

AI moves into the mainstream: The gender gap in adoption is fading, but divides in usage and chatbot type could determine who builds lasting AI habits.

Grocery spending falls while apparel gets a lift from changing wardrobes.

Consumers favor AI utility: Americans use AI mainly for search and work, giving marketers more reason to prioritize discoverability over image tools.

GenAI is one step in shopper journey: AI is joining shoppers’ research, not replacing it, as buyers still rely on reviews, Amazon, YouTube, and brand sites.

More flexible loyalty benefits could strengthen both customer retention and retail media appeal.

Social commerce gains value: One-third of Western consumers shop via social as AI referrals convert 31% better, rewarding structured product data.

Affluent users are becoming BNPL’s biggest customer base, making larger purchases the next revenue lever.

At this week's CommerceNext Growth Show in New York City, executives from Ulta Beauty, Tapestry, Stitch Fix, and Novi shared how they're using AI to deepen customer relationships and why winning loyalty now means appealing to both consumers and the AI models guiding product discovery.

Live sports was supposed to be streaming's killer app. The content that would justify the subscriptions, lock in the loyal audiences, and finally settle the cord-cutting debate in favor of digital. And by raw adoption numbers, the bet has paid off. The trouble is that arriving somewhere doesn't mean you can find what you're looking for once you get there.

The back-to-school season is gaining momentum for retailers in 2026. It’s worth $85.42 billion in US retail sales, according to EMARKETER. And the season keeps starting earlier as price-conscious families spread purchases out across the summer. This FAQ covers the season's timeframe, top categories, and channel preferences, and how marketers should position campaigns in 2026.