Target introduced a self-checkout experience designed for blind and low-vision shoppers, as well as customers with mobility disabilities. For retailers, introducing accessible features is a relatively low lift that can immeasurably improve the experience for a subset of customers. They also boost goodwill—which Target desperately needs right now. Such solutions offer a crucial point of differentiation at a time when consumers are being especially strategic about where they spend.
Surging interest in installment loans for travel could reshape how travelers finance vacations, per The Wall Street Journal. One-fifth of US summer travelers already plan to finance trips with BNPL, per a survey by NerdWallet. And 42% of Gen Zers and millennials have used BNPL services—double the rate of their elder peers, per a J.D. Power survey. If BNPL providers lean into more partnerships with travel platforms, both parties can benefit from increased payment volume and ticket sales for the holiday season
Payee preference was the largest predictor of a consumer choosing to pay in cryptocurrency in 2024, per a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The GENIUS Act’s passage and the rising interest in stablecoins by incumbents and fintechs may reverse some of these trends as consumers gain regulatory clarity and more use cases.
More than half (53%) of US consumers turn to AI for conducting shopping research, per an August Adobe survey.
In-store retail media has the “reach, quality, rent, safety, and cultural relevance that marketers traditionally want,” said Andrew Lipsman, founder and chief analyst, media, ads, and commerce at Colosseum Strategy, during IAB’s Connected Commerce Summit.
Federal student loan borrowers may be prioritizing student loan repayments ahead of their credit cards and personal loans as the threat of wage garnishment creeps closer, per a TransUnion survey. Issuers need to offer products to help mitigate additional stress for embattled younger consumers, through expanded card-linked installment options that help cardholders avoid lofty interest rates as they pay down debts.
US LGBTQ+ viewers are more likely than the general connected TV (CTV) audience to cite exclusive content, ad-free content, and easier content discovery as reasons they prefer streaming, according to June 2025 data from LG Ad Solutions.
Target is pushing to reclaim its place as a premier destination for affordable fashion. The retailer is turning its small-format SoHo store into a design concept that showcases its apparel and beauty assortment, the company told Axios. Target also relaunched its Target Style Instagram account earlier this month, which will offer up both outfit inspiration and shoppable content. Target’s ability to regain its fashion authority goes hand-in-hand with its ability to reverse its declining fortunes.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of September, with a twist. This month ‘The Committee’ (Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Emmy Liederman) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight most interesting back-to-college campaigns and activations. In this month’s episode, Committee members Analyst, Arielle Feger and Senior Director of Content, Becky Schilling will defend their list against Analyst, Rachel Wolff and Senior Analyst, Blake Droesch, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.
The worldwide average session duration for apps in the Entertainment category was 7.3 minutes between April 2022 and June 2025, more than twice the time spent per session on the next-highest category, according to a June 2025 report from Airship.
Over half (51%) of US teen boys say they’ve made a purchase after watching a YouTube Shorts ad, compared with 43% of teen girls, according to June 2025 data from Precise TV.
AI is no longer a nice-to-have in retail, it’s becoming essential. It helps make shopping smoother, sparks product discovery, and guides motivated customers to make purchases. But trust still matters most. The retail playbook needs to adapt, using AI to enhance the shopping journey rather than replace it.
Adyen partnered with Simons, Canada’s oldest family-owned retail business. This tie-up will bring Klarna, AliPay, and WeChat to checkout. Deepening merchant partnerships help outsider or alternative finance platforms gain a foothold in new territories. Klarna has pushed tie-ups with Walmart, Bolt, and DoorDash to break into the US and Canadian markets, a formula that seems to be working as it waits for its Klarna Card to get off the ground in North America.
Spirit Airlines’ financial troubles exposed weaknesses in the ultra-low-cost airline model. The carrier has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice in the past year, most recently in late August, and is aggressively cutting costs to rightsize operations. The ultra low-cost model isn’t dead—carriers such as Allegiant and Sun Country Airlines are still profitable—but it’s in trouble. Should costs increase and middle- and lower-income consumers continue to cut back, bargain-hunting travelers may face much higher fares as airlines replace economy seats with pricier ones.
Gen Z’s expected holiday spend in 2025 is $1,357, down 22.5% from 2024, according to July data from PwC.
Retail media has rapidly evolved from a nascent idea into a core pillar of digital advertising. “If retail media was a baby, it would be like crawling or maybe walking… you still need to get the fundamentals right,” said Arthur Sylvestre, vice president, digital commerce at Danone North America at EMARKETER’s Future of Digital Summit event.
For Gen Z and millennials, shopping is about belonging as much as buying. From pop-ups to print catalogs, physical experiences paired with digital touchpoints are reshaping how brands build loyalty and cultural connection.
Saks Global is in talks to sell a 49% stake in luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman for about $1 billion, per The Wall Street Journal. Selling nearly half of Bergdorf Goodman to an outside investor could ease Saks Global’s liquidity pressures, but it doesn’t address the bigger challenge: The retailer lacks a compelling strategy for growth. The company has not articulated how it will differentiate its department store banners so that they do not compete directly, which is the case in about a dozen markets.
Shoppers are using AI tools at a high rate but are split on brands’ use of AI-generated content and whether companies are delivering on customer experience promises. Half (52%) of consumers are excited by the idea of having an AI agent shop on their behalf, per VML. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say AI-powered personalization helps them discover new products, but 45% think brands are still failing to tailor recommendations effectively. Brands can keep shoppers engaged by demonstrating AI’s value in tangible ways—like smarter recommendations and smoother checkout—rather than relying on broad claims of AI integration.