The strategy: Despite ongoing economic headwinds, Domino’s delivered solid Q2 growth across all income levels by doubling down on value and innovation—key pillars of its Hungry for More growth strategy. CEO Russell Weiner noted during the company’s earnings call that Domino’s has consistently gained about 1 percentage point of market share annually over the past decade—and sees ample opportunity to build on that momentum and further outpace rivals. Our take: Domino’s is proving that even in a challenging, price-sensitive environment, smart innovation and a sharp value proposition can drive growth across income cohorts. By blending crave-worthy new items like stuffed crust pizza with a more personalized loyalty experience and increased delivery flexibility, the brand is positioning itself to win market share from slower-moving rivals.
In today’s podcast episode, we explore the blurring of social media and streaming, focusing on how content from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram is increasingly being consumed in the living room. We also discuss the significance of YouTube and whether streamers should be concerned about the rise of social media platforms. Join the conversation with Director of Reports Editing and host, Rahul Chadha, Vice President of Content, Paul Verna, and Senior Analyst, Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The news: Perplexity is in talks with smartphone manufacturers to make its new Comet browser a default app on smartphones to drive adoption and user engagement, per Reuters. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said it aims to reach “tens to hundreds of millions” of users in 2026 after a desktop rollout to a “few hundred thousand” testers, a plan that could be aided by expanding Comet access on phones. Our take: While Comet itself is a browser, its integrations with Perplexity’s AI could streamline access to mobile AI search tools, changing mobile search behavior and forcing marketers to rethink traditional search marketing practices. Getting Comet onto phones could also supercharge Perplexity’s data on user behavior and boost its ability to improve its AI search tools.
Over half of worldwide consumers (51%) want AI to improve their experience by helping them find products faster, according to February data from Twilio.
Last November, our analysts made some predictions about how the retail category would fare in 2025. Now that we’re halfway through the year, it’s time to check back in on what has (or hasn’t) happened. "We're seeing many of our predicted trends playing out, though not always in the ways we anticipated," said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of the "Behind the Numbers" podcast. "The retail landscape is evolving rapidly, with some developments accelerating faster than expected while others face unexpected headwinds."
AI is poised to transform everything in marketing from ad creation to targeting and even the future role of agencies in the advertising ecosystem.
Criteo is modernizing retail media by launching a global auction-based ad platform and integrating with Mirakl to enable self-serve advertising for over 100,000 third-party sellers. This dual move addresses two persistent challenges: outdated fixed-price ad systems used by most retailers, and untapped ad spend from marketplace sellers. The auction system gives advertisers more control and performance insights, while Mirakl opens up a scalable, automated path for small sellers. Criteo also brings standardized attribution and reporting across retail partners—fixing transparency gaps. These changes position Criteo as a full-spectrum solution for brands, retailers, and sellers looking to compete in a fast-evolving market.
Holiday shoppers in 2025 aren’t cutting back—they’re prioritizing. According to new research from Inmar Intelligence, 82% of shoppers plan to cut back on everyday essentials to make room for gifts and experiences.
The news: More than half (55.3%) of Gen Zers use advanced budgeting tools—a greater share than any other generation, per a PYMNTS Intelligence report. Our take: Payment providers, issuers, and banks can embed more advanced tools within their apps to reach Gen Zers actively seeking sophisticated ways to plot out their spending and saving habits.
The news: American Express’s net revenues grew 9% YoY in Q2 2025, per its earnings release. Our take: Amex’s expansion into international markets and bet on its Gen Z and millennial cardholders’ interest in exclusive, experiential rewards has been a winning combination. But there may be early signs that Amex’s strategy is reaching its limits as consumers grapple with financial anxieties.
The trend: People who actively use patient portals are less likely to skip an upcoming doctor’s appointment than those without portal accounts, according to recent research from Epic that analyzed 1.6 billion visits in 2024. Our take: Engaging with a patient portal is important, but it isn’t a major needle mover for appointment no-shows. Strategies such as helping coordinate transportation, sending text and email alerts, and communicating no-show fees could play a bigger role in eliminating costly no-shows.
The news: Abbott and Johnson & Johnson reported lower-than-expected costs from tariffs during Q2 earnings this week. Our take: It seemed like medical device companies would be the hardest hit by tariffs initially. So the positive spin from Abbott and J&J is encouraging. But tariffs are still costly. While device and diagnostic companies talk broadly about plans to mitigate tariff effects, raising prices for healthcare systems and consumers isn’t off the table.
The news: An FDA panel endorsed the removal of black box warnings on hormone therapies used for menopause. For context: Black box warnings are the strongest safety warning issued by the FDA for Rx drugs and highlight serious or life-threatening risks. Our take: Removing the black box warning could encourage pharma brands to not only develop more treatments but also market hormone therapy more. While personal risks and benefits still need to be weighed with a doctor, the change may result in more women on treatment.
In this podcast episode, we discuss the importance of physical touchpoints for brands and explore what attracts younger generations to in-store shopping experiences. We also examine the expectations consumers have for engaging in person experiences. Join our conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Chief Client Strategy & Integration; President of Quad Agency Services, Tim Maleeny, and Vice President of Content, Suzy Davidkhanian. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The insight: Amazon’s decision to double the length of its Prime Day sale delivered significant rewards for its advertising business—as we said it would. The takeaway: The first four-day Prime Day was an important learning experience for brands. With the event unlikely to get any shorter, sellers will need to be more precise about their ad strategy—focusing spending on times of day when shoppers are more likely to buy, or saving the bulk of their budgets for end-of-sale urgency.
The news: Bank of America notched a record second quarter for revenues, per Bloomberg. Revenues totaled $26.61 billion, lower than analysts’ anticipated $26.72 billion. Our take: Bank of America’s tight underwriting standards—its average credit cardholder FICO score is 777—have created a strong stable of superprime cardholders to drive volume through tempting rewards offerings.
The news: Cash App rolled out an extra layer of protection for minors’ P2P payments, with automatic flagging for sponsors (parents or guardians) to approve risky requests. Our take: Attracting young users at the beginning of their financial lives can yield long-term loyalty to the app.
The news: US retail sales rose 0.6% MoM in June, per the Commerce Department, well ahead of the projected 0.1% increase. On a YoY basis, sales were up a healthy 3.9%, a sign of consumers’ resilience in the face of considerable uncertainty. Our take: June’s upbeat sales report underscores the volatility of the current retail landscape. While consumers may currently feel secure enough to manage rising prices, that could quickly change as tariff-related cost increases begin to hit more directly.
The news: Mastercard launched the World Legend Mastercard, a premium card for higher-spending customers, alongside an overhaul of rewards and perks across the entire Mastercard Collection. Our take: We anticipate that card networks will jockey for the most premium cards as issuers cater to wealthy consumers’ reward wish lists.
The news: Circle K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard has dropped its bid to buy Japan’s Seven & i Holdings, casting doubt on whether the 7-Eleven operator’s planned US IPO will proceed, Bloomberg reported. Our take: As 7-Eleven continues efforts to strengthen its core business, the failed takeover bid offers lessons for retailers and brands. Decisions involving globally recognized brands should be strategic, not reactive. Retailers must maintain flexibility to revisit IPO or spin-off plans as business circumstances change.