Bread Financial reported $188 million in net income in its Q3 2025 earnings—roughly flat on the year—while revenues fell 1% to $971 million. Co-brand issuers need to diversify their portfolios to withstand economic downturns and sector-specific slowdowns. However, issuers need to consider what’s going on in potential new sectors. Home goods likely is a low-growth choice based on current outlooks into the housing market, while more resilient industries may be a better play during economic uncertainty.
Coinbase debuted Payments MCP so that AI agents can access on-chain wallets, blockchain onramps, and stablecoin payments, per a blog post. Crypto payment rails don’t yet have market consolidation at the scale of the Mastercard-Visa duopoly. Crypto platforms that enable a broad range of commerce can lock up dominant positions as more mainstream payment platforms facilitate crypto and more retailers accept it. However, convincing consumers of the benefits of stablecoin will take time. Only 1.8% of the US population currently transact with crypto—but we anticipate that share to almost double by 2027, per our forecast.
A new wave of layoffs is hitting corporate America, with major firms like Target, Nestlé, Starbucks, Amazon, Rivian, and GM announcing significant job cuts amid slowing consumer demand and rising costs. More than 946,000 job cuts have been announced this year, the highest since 2020, deepening economic uncertainty. With consumer sentiment at a five-month low and a government shutdown straining millions of workers, inflation and surging insurance premiums are adding pressure. Our take: cautious companies may inadvertently fuel the downturn they fear, amplifying anxiety across the broader economy.
Rising restaurant prices are reshaping how Americans dine out. As 82% of consumers notice higher prices, many are cutting back, especially lower-income households. This shift has boosted value-focused chains like Chili’s and Texas Roadhouse, which have gained market share through affordable bundles and barbell pricing strategies that balance cost-conscious and premium offerings. In contrast, chains that serve less affluent consumers, such as McDonald’s, have seen visits fall despite renewed value promotions. With profitability concerns mounting, operators face pressure to raise prices carefully while using targeted deals and loyalty programs to sustain demand and protect margins.
The oldest members of Gen Alpha are highly connected to technology and wield $28 billion in spending power, per Numerator. Half of US 15- and 16-year-olds own multiple devices, giving them access to the internet wherever they are, according to 1,000 Gen Alpha parents surveyed by Attest. The vast majority (92%) have a smartphone. To reach the next generation of shoppers, marketers should be just as internet-savvy as they are and focus on digital content. Build creator and influencer partnerships, and ensure gaming ads are contextually driven and don't interfere with gameplay.
Shopping for fun was one of the top reasons consumers shopped Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale last month, cited by 30% of Prime Day shoppers, according to October data from CivicScience.
While holiday gift-givers do more of their shopping online every year, many shoppers will make purchases in physical stores this holiday season. The segment could make or break retailers facing economic challenges from tariffs and supply chains.
PayPal will use Rokt, an AI marketing service, to power its post-transaction advertisements for users in the US, per a press release. PayPal has for years tried to improve Venmo’s profitability, and post-transaction ads could help accomplish that without changing consumers’ retail checkout habits. However, one of FMNs key selling points to advertisers and consumers alike is trust. Platforms with FMNs should take care not to erode consumer trust—and down the line, loyalty—by pushing ads too aggressively too soon.
Splitit partnered with DXC Technology, enabling affiliated banks to offer installment options at checkout for their consumers, per a press release. Expanding BNPL availability during the upcoming holiday season will be critical. In order to capture consumers’ limited spending, issuers should broaden financing options to make gift-buying more manageable and interest-free, especially for consumers with children, who are more likely to use BNPL options than any other demographic besides millennials at 46.7%, per a PYMNTS study.
Amazon is introducing “Help Me Decide,” an AI-powered shopping feature that recommends the best product for users comparing similar items. The tool analyzes browsing patterns, search history, and purchase behavior to offer personalized suggestions, along with explanations based on customer reviews and key features. Initially rolling out to millions of US shoppers, it joins Amazon’s growing lineup of AI-driven tools like Interests, Shopping Guides, and Rufus. While Amazon and rivals such as Google, Meta, and OpenAI are all racing to integrate AI into ecommerce, the industry is still testing which approach will truly enhance the shopping experience.
Unilever said its core business grew in Q3 as sales in North America rose for the fifth straight quarter, fueled by demand for new deodorants and beauty products. Unilever’s focus as it restructures reflects a wider industry trend: Companies are expanding their beauty, well-being, and personal care product offerings to meet demand for clean, natural, and sustainable goods and position themselves as lifestyle brands. Earlier this week, Lysol maker Reckitt Benckiser reported rising Q3 sales as consumers bought its self-care and germ-protection products. Unilever will need to keep leaning into premium products and digital engagement to keep up with consumer changes in everyday wellness.
The NBA is experiencing one of its biggest advertising booms in decades following a record $76 billion media rights deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon. Ad spend on NBA programming jumped 15% last season to $1.52 billion, with NBCUniversal selling out its first-year inventory after returning to coverage for the first time in 23 years. ESPN, ABC, and Prime Video are also thriving—drawing hundreds of advertisers across broadcast and streaming. Amazon is fusing ecommerce and live sports with shoppable ad formats, while NBC and Disney leverage cross-platform studio content. The result: the NBA is redefining what live sports monetization looks like.
Hasbro and Mattel enter the 2025 holiday season on divergent paths after contrasting Q3 results. Hasbro outperformed expectations and raised its outlook, fueled by strong growth in its Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming divisions, while Mattel missed estimates and kept guidance steady amid cautious retailer orders and tariff pressures. Despite broader industry growth, slowing consumer demand and higher costs pose headwinds. With Hasbro’s diversified mix offering resilience if toy sales weaken, Mattel’s reliance on traditional toys could make it more vulnerable to price-sensitive shoppers this holiday season.
34% of social media users would be more likely to purchase products based on creator recommendations if those reviews appeared more authentic and included negative reviews, a March 2025 impact.com and EMARKETER survey found.
Forty percent of US adults have used AI as a shopping assistant in the past year, per a study by PayPal—and 77% of past or potential AI shoppers plan to use it while holiday shopping this year. Younger consumers are driving the change. Sixty-one percent of Gen Zers and 57% of millennials have used AI to assist with a purchase in the past year. The holiday season’s cheer has been dimmed. We lowered our forecast for November-December sales growth to 1.3% in light of tariffs and economic uncertainty. For merchants to compete amid that slowing spend, adopting AI is critical. To score the most volume from ecommerce-led sales, merchants need to make sure their partnerships with AI platforms prioritize mobile-first ecommerce: Mobile commerce will propel over 56.5% of holiday ecommerce sales, per retail mcommerce holiday forecast.
Plaid introduced a credit risk score based on real-time cash flow data as it dives further into credit scoring amid an industrywide push to monetize formerly unused or underused data sources. The fintech, a huge player in data aggregation, has diversified its business interests as aggregation has commoditized. Consumer-permissioned financial data shows promise as a new pipeline for consumer credit information. But the introduction of new forms of credit data doesn’t guarantee anything will change for consumers who struggle to access credit.
TikTok is mandating that sellers buy ads using its new tool, GMV Max, in order to participate in Black Friday and other holiday promotions. At the same time, it is making it harder for sellers to drive sales to platforms outside its system. The company is limiting merchants’ ability to advertise videos linking to their websites and other outside sources. TikTok’s attempts to tie sellers to its platform make sense given parent ByteDance’s ambitious US ecommerce goals—but such efforts will only be successful if TikTok can prove its importance as a sales channel.
The US government shutdown has entered its fourth week, becoming the second-longest in modern history and increasingly straining the economy. The travel industry alone has lost nearly $3 billion, while companies like Unilever are delaying major moves due to halted SEC operations. Grocers fear SNAP benefit disruptions that could hit Walmart and Kroger hardest. Oxford Economics estimates GDP growth could fall by up to 2.4 percentage points if the shutdown persists through Q4. With holiday sales already under pressure from weak confidence and high rates, the timing couldn’t be worse for retailers or consumers.
The effects of the Capital One-Discovery merger are still coming into relief, two quarters after the deal exploded the size and scope of Capital One’s business. If issuers continue to reorient their investments strictly to their premium offerings, subprime cardholders will become increasingly stranded for lines of credit from incumbents. This gives an opening for fintechs and buy now, pay later platforms to snag this population, as traditional lenders back away from credit-thin consumers in pursuit of wealthy spenders.
Adidas raised its full-year earnings guidance to about €2 billion ($2.32 billion) after stronger-than-expected global results. Currency-neutral sales rose 12% year-over-year, led by double-digit growth across all major regions, while operating profit surged 58%. Gross margin improved to 51.7% despite currency and tariff pressures. The company is countering headwinds through pricing strategies and supply shifts, gaining ground as Nike continues its turnaround. With demand for its Samba and Gazelle lines boosting apparel and accessories sales, Adidas appears to be solidifying its momentum and strengthening its competitive position in key markets.