MoneyGram launched a mobile app that uses stablecoins to make cross-border payments easier and cheaper. Investment in crypto services can help MoneyGram secure loyal patrons as its rivals also offer stablecoin-backed cross border payments.
Industry KPI data from Placer.ai reveals a clear divide in retail foot traffic trends. Essentials-focused merchants and dollar stores are maintaining growth while discretionary-heavy sectors like department stores and housing-related chains fall behind. Understanding foot traffic trends is critical for brands and retailers to understand where growth—and risk—will lie in the coming months. Necessities will keep grocers and discounters in demand, while discretionary-focused chains must offer value, cut prices, and explore adjacent business lines—such as off-price formats or supply services—to keep sales coming.
American Express refreshed its consumer and business Platinum Cards, complete with $895 annual fees and an enhanced slate of travel, dining, entertainment, and shopping credits. Amex’s annual fee is creeping closer to $1,000, and the issuer is arguing its fleet of perks—on paper worth over $3,500—more than pays for the price hike. However, cardholders will need to enroll to access many of Amex’s latest offerings, a snag that’s likely to reduce members actual use rate of their perks—eroding Platinum’s value and potentially pushing away the premium consumers Amex is trying to court.
Google and PayPal ink multiyear partnership for commerce solution with a focus on agentic AI, per a press release. Google and PayPal’s surprising partnership reflects the ongoing scramble to secure the best positioning in the Wild West of AI development. All players want to have an early mover advantage; that can incentivize unlikely partnerships to avoid falling behind rapidly evolving technology.
Halloween spending will hit a record $13.1 billion this year, per the National Retail Federation (NRF). That’s up nearly 12% YoY, and well above the previous record of $12.2 billion in 2023. The healthy increase in Halloween spending reflects consumers’ growing excitement around the holiday, and retailers’ concerted efforts to cater to it. At a difficult time for retail spending, companies should take note of shoppers’ willingness to spend big on items that get them into the holiday spirit, and carry that enthusiasm forward in their assortments and messaging for the rest of the year.
Early Warning Services’ Zelle disclosed double-digit year-over-year (YoY) growth across critical segments during the first half of 2025, per a press release. With P2P’s absence in Zelle’s volume increase list, the platform holds firm hold on essential payments, but seemingly has failed to disrupt established use patterns among users who still differentiate between smaller transactions—Venmoing a friend back for coffee—and large, major payments, such as Zelle-ing a landlord monthly rent.
As brands broadly step away from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments, consumers are looking to those who stay the course. While the pressure to scale back DEI efforts is real, the backlash from doing so can be significant.
Amazon used its annual seller conference, Amazon Accelerate, to unveil new tools and fulfillment capabilities that underscore its ambition to serve as the infrastructure of retail. The retailer is weaving together AI-driven tools, externalized logistics, and its vast seller network to extend its influence beyond its own marketplace. As Amazon extends its reach through MCF and Buy with Prime, it increasingly sees merchants and marketplaces not as rivals but as collaborators.
While social media drives discovery, it serves primarily as a path to purchase—not as the final destination. Over three-quarters (78%) of US consumers say their purchases are influenced by brands on social media, per Clutch’s From Scroll to Sale report. However, only 15% use social media platforms or apps to make direct purchases. The opportunity in social media commerce lies not just in driving discovery, but closing the gap between interest and action. Brands can earn trust by setting up mechanics like secure checkout to promote cybersecurity and maintaining consistency between marketing voice and website appearance to avoid confusing customers.
Almost all US adults (95%) have heard of AI, and 88% are at least somewhat concerned about it, per a Pew Research Center survey. Most (73%) are willing to let AI help them in daily tasks at least a little, per the survey. Three-quarters (77%) of adults ages 19 to 29 would agree to AI assistance. Although US consumers are concerned about AI, they’re willing to use it in some scenarios. AI that simplifies their lives without taking away their creativity will fare the best. Personalization, product recommendations, and search assistants will help consumers speed up their shopping journeys.
One in three Gen Zers and one in four millennials prefer to go to generative AI (genAI) platforms—not search, social media, or influencers—when deciding what to buy, per a new Future Commerce survey of consumers from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Trust in AI is a key driver, with these users viewing platforms as trusted companions, not just tools. Brands that design campaigns to build discovery and trust within AI-driven journeys will amplify their reach and relevance as AI-assisted shopping scales.
Amazon has unveiled an upgraded AI-powered Seller Assistant designed to streamline operations for third-party sellers by automating product listings, ad creation, inventory management, and strategic planning. The tool, showcased at the Amazon Accelerate conference, shifts sellers from handling every task themselves to collaborating with an intelligent assistant that acts like an expert team. Already embraced by over 1.3 million sellers, it has boosted ad performance and improved listing quality, leading to higher conversions. Our view is that by lowering barriers and equipping even small businesses with sophisticated tools, Amazon strengthens its marketplace efficiency while enhancing customer choice and shopping experiences.
Nearly 9 in 10 US adults (88%) are stressed about grocery prices—including 53% who say food costs are a major source of stress—according to a July AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. This news comes as food prices continue to go up. The US Consumer Price Index for food increased 0.5% in August MoM. Grocery prices, as measured by the food-at-home index, rose 0.6% from July and were up 2.7% YoY. Grocery stores may be the most visible flashpoint for consumers’ financial stress, but the ripple effects extend far beyond food. The financial strain is prompting fundamental shifts in how people shop, which all retailers will need to watch closely in the back half of the year.
Beauty companies are rapidly diversifying beyond traditional sales channels to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and seize opportunities made possible by ecommerce, social platforms, and digital tools. This push is designed to forge closer, more direct connections with shoppers. Selling through multiple channels is no longer a choice in beauty. Consumers now shop across apps, websites, social media and stores, and brands that don’t meet them where they are will lose out. Still, distribution alone won’t set brands apart. Beauty companies that win will offer technology like AR try-ons, use their physical stores as hubs where people can gather for makeup classes and to sample products, and sell through external retailers while also beefing up their own direct channels.
Target is expanding next-day delivery service to 35 US markets by the end of next month as it prepares for the holidays and looks to better compete with Amazon and Walmart. Markets that will gain next-day delivery include San Diego; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Cleveland. In stepping up its next-day delivery, Target recognizes that the competitive stakes in retail are escalating. Its recent sales softness suggests it may be at risk of falling off shoppers’ radar as speed, selection, and convenience become critical retail differentiators.
In this podcast episode, we discuss the backlash to Delta’s decision to use personalized AI pricing, how consumers feel about dynamic pricing, and if there is a way for retailers to implement it without losing shopper trust. Listen to the discussion with Analyst and guest host, Rachel Wolff, Vice President of Content, Suzy Davidkhanian, and Senior Analyst, Zak Stambor.
In today’s episode, we talk about how stablecoins differ from the crypto hype cycles of the past like bitcoin and NFTs, the risks stablecoins introduce for traditional financial institutions, and from the consumer side, do people actually want or need stablecoin payments. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development, Rob Rubin, Senior Analyst, Grace Broadbent, Vice President of Content, Suzy Davidkhanian, and Principal Analyst, Tiffani Montez.
PayPal debuted PayPal links, a new peer-to-peer (P2P) payment request method available for US consumers. When PayPal bought Venmo, it prioritized growing that brand’s P2P clout in the US rather than absorbing it into the PayPal brand. Making a new, more convenient P2P payment method available only on PayPal and not Venmo could be a sign the company is trying to reestablish PayPal’s perception as a financial “everything” app rather than just its strong association as an ecommerce payment method.
Best Buy is relying on its store footprint, rich first-party data on tech shoppers, and in-house creative capabilities to win more spending from endemic and nonendemic advertisers. Best Buy is smart to lean into its physical footprint to differentiate itself in retail media. While some advertisers remain reluctant to lean into in-store due to measurement concerns, Best Buy’s ability to tie purchases back to consumers and to literally turn its stores into billboards should help ease those worries. If it can succeed, Best Buy can move beyond its tech niche to become a more serious player in retail media.