Need something to queue up for your holiday travel? Try these four “Reimagining Retail” episodes.
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Become a ClientThere’s a common thread across the brands that thrived in 2025: Retailers with a well-defined identity delivered strong growth.
Google Chrome controls 73.2% of worldwide internet traffic, more than five times the combined share of all non-Safari competitors, according to an October survey from StatCounter.
While we were right that retailers would offer richer in-store experiences to attract shoppers, we were wrong about how Amazon, discount retailers, and dollar stores would evolve their physical and digital strategies. From AI tools that stayed online to unfulfilled marketplace ambitions, here’s how we did with our 2025 predictions.
Truist has added a direct deposit switching tool to its consumer digital account opening flow using technology from Atomic. The feature lets customers move their payroll deposits from another financial institution (FI) to Truist during onboarding. Creating a direct-deposit relationship is a well-worn path to primary FI status. It positions FIs to retain customers and cross-sell higher-value, advice-driven products. FIs that transform direct-deposit switching from a paper-based process to a few clicks will find that customers are immediately stickier.
UK neobank Monzo has agreed to acquire online mortgage broker Habito as it expands its homeownership features—including tracking and brokering home loans—in its app. Neobank super apps create unique banking journeys that engage customers based on different needs as their financial lives progress. With an integrated mortgage broker, Monzo ties together its home insurance product and mortgage-tracking feature—and could debut a direct mortgage product in the future.
TikTok has agreed to a sweeping US restructuring that creates a majority-American–controlled joint venture, fulfilling bipartisan divestment demands and reducing the threat of an outright ban. Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX will hold 50% ownership, with US-appointed directors overseeing data protection, moderation, and the retraining of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm. ByteDance will retain a minority 19.9% stake and continue managing global operations outside the US. The shift brings long-missing stability for advertisers but also creates operational distance from ByteDance’s global systems, potentially slowing innovation and altering performance patterns. The next year will be a critical recalibration period for brands and creators.
Private labels surge in 2025: Store brands grew 3.7% while national brands lagged at 1.1%, widening the value gap for inflation-hit shoppers.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss our “very specific but highly unlikely” predictions for 2026: what Amazon will do with the price of Prime; between OpenAI and Apple, who’s most likely to buy whom; and why a potential WBD acquisition by Netflix might not go through in 2026—if at all. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Nate Elliott, and Vice Presidents of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.