DoorDash unveiled a host of features designed to make its services stickier for both businesses and customers. DoorDash’s fulfillment updates position the platform as a stronger partner for the many retailers trying to keep pace with Amazon and Walmart on delivery speed. At the same time, the company’s latest features show the pressures of competing with Uber and Instacart, both of which are adding more retailers to their platforms while courting customers with broader perks.
Budget hotel chains are facing the same turbulence as discount airlines, per Yahoo Finance. Lower-income travelers are pulling back while wealthier consumers trade up to more comfortable stays, pressuring budget hotels. Usually resilient in downturns, these companies face what Bank of America calls “structural” headwinds: lower-income travelers contending with slow income growth, weakening sentiment, and persistent inflation.Companies like Hyatt and Marriott have the cushion of diversified portfolios—and may even pick up business as wealthier travelers trade up. But others, such as Choice Hotels and Wyndham, don’t have that safety net. Their focus on the budget segment makes them more vulnerable, which is why Bank of America downgraded Choice shares to “underperform” from “buy” this week.
Visa launched the Visa Commercial Services (VCS) Hub, a platform that helps issuers and fintech companies deliver commercial payment solutions and embedded finance services backed by the power of genAI. If AI and stablecoins significantly disrupt traditional payment rails, Visa can still offer essential commerce solutions to issuers and fintechs, with businesses benefiting from the convenience of gaining access to tools that otherwise would require a separate contract with another provider.
OpenAI has launched Instant Checkout, a new feature allowing ChatGPT users in the US to buy products directly from Etsy sellers, with plans to expand to more than 1 million Shopify merchants including Glossier and Skims. Built on the Agentic Commerce Protocol and integrated with Stripe, the tool currently supports single-item purchases but will soon add multi-item carts, more merchants, and global rollout. While this marks a major step toward positioning ChatGPT as a commerce hub that could challenge Amazon and Google, success depends on whether consumers see in-chat shopping as truly easier than traditional ecommerce.
ByteDance will maintain control over TikTok’s US ecommerce and advertising businesses under the deal brokered by the White House, according to Reuters. Continued uncertainty around the TikTok deal and broader economic terms requires brands and advertisers to stay flexible. That’s harder to do for sellers, since few social commerce alternatives have the scale and success of TikTok Shop. Still, platforms like YouTube and Pinterest can offer similar opportunities to engage, inspire, and educate shoppers, while live commerce platforms like Whatnot and creator-led shopping app LTK could also emerge as winners should TikTok’s influence fade.
Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) has introduced a new suite of off-site capabilities, aiming to help small- to mid-sized brands navigate the complexities of programmatic channels.
McDonald’s is bringing back its Monopoly promotion after nearly a decade, with help from an unexpected retailer: Best Buy. The partnership between Best Buy and McDonald’s could be a harbinger of things to come, as companies across industries look for ways to broaden their appeal to value-seeking customers—and as retailers with media networks look to bring in more nonendemic advertising dollars.
The US government faces a shutdown Wednesday unless Congress approves funding for FY 2026 or a stopgap bill, and this one could prove more damaging than past episodes. Unlike prior furloughs, President Donald Trump has vowed mass layoffs of federal workers, a move Goldman Sachs warns could push unemployment higher and worsen already fragile labor conditions. A prolonged shutdown would disrupt air travel, tourism, and retail, with the US Travel Association estimating $1 billion in weekly losses from cancellations and closures. With tariffs, weak international demand, and cautious consumers already weighing on spending, the timing threatens to intensify holiday-season challenges for retailers and travel companies.
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.
Pinterest announced new ad offerings at its Pinterest Presents summit as it looks to cement its position as a key destination for digital advertisers. Advertisers can use Pinterest to capitalize on intent-driven shopping.
President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on kitchen cabinets, vanities, and upholstered furniture—without clear White House guidance—has added fresh uncertainty for retailers already struggling with volatile policy shifts. While consumer spending rose 0.4% in August and GDP growth was revised upward to 3.8% in Q2, inflation pressures remain with the PCE index up 2.7% YoY. Real disposable income barely grew, the savings rate fell to its lowest this year, and sentiment slipped across most groups. Retailers face tightening margins and fatigued consumers, requiring nimble strategies to sustain engagement amid economic headwinds.
Bolt launched a super app, named SuperApp, that combines payments, banking, crypto trading, rewards, and shopping, per a press release. For the select few crypto-forward consumers, Bolt’s crypto reach across 40+ cryptocurrencies could be attractive but there’s not much differentiating it from fintechs that already offer crypto services, like PayPal or Cash App.
US auto sales are on pace to rise 6.2% year-over-year in Q3, with GM, Toyota, Ford, and Hyundai leading gains, while record EV sales of 410,000 units pushed electric vehicles to nearly 10% of the market ahead of expiring tax incentives. Cox Automotive lifted its full-year forecast to 16.1 million vehicles, but the industry faces growing challenges as CarMax reports steep declines, Ford leans on risky financing, and Volkswagen and Porsche cut output. GM is also scaling back EV production with layoffs in Tennessee and Detroit. Despite recent momentum, fading incentives, rising costs, and tighter demand signal a turbulent road ahead.
Uber Eats will offer customers weekly discounts on fresh groceries in markets worldwide as it looks to become a top destination for grocery shopping. Fierce competition between Uber and other delivery platforms, as well as Amazon and Walmart, is making grocery delivery more affordable, which is in turn driving online grocery adoption. By offering weekly discounts, Uber is hoping to turn occasional shoppers into regulars—and grow its small share of grocery spending into a much larger one.
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.
Amazon agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, including $1 billion in civil penalties and $1.5 billion in customer refunds, over allegations it misled users into Prime subscriptions and made cancellation intentionally difficult. The FTC argued Amazon’s “Iliad” cancellation process violated consumer protection laws, requiring excessive clicks to exit. Under the deal, Amazon must simplify cancellation and clearly disclose pricing and renewal terms. While the settlement forces operational changes, it represents just 5.6% of last year’s $44.37 billion Prime revenue, leaving the program’s dominance—and Amazon’s market lock—firmly intact.