While commerce media networks expand, retailers can take advantage of the efficiencies and measurement capabilities that they can provide.Retail media networks alone are expected to claim one-fifth of US digital ad spending by 2029, according to EMARKETER’s September forecast.
US inflation eased more than expected in November, with headline CPI rising 2.7% and core inflation slowing to 2.6%, but many highly visible essentials—including electricity, insurance, beef, and coffee—continue to climb much faster than the overall index. These increases are weighing on sentiment as wage gains cool and more households struggle to cover rising costs, leading to softer financial confidence and growing paycheck-to-paycheck pressures. With forecasts pointing to weaker real spending and looming jumps in healthcare premiums, easing inflation does little to offset the reality that household budgets remain under significant strain.
Mastercard and LoanPro launched Loan on Card, a personal loan service for consumers and small businesses delivered through virtual and physical cards, per a press release. Loan on Card provides a patch for issuers trying to retain customers that otherwise would have fled to BNPL platforms for larger loans to avoid revolving debt on credit card transactions they couldn’t pay off within a month. BNPL platforms can still boast direct connections at the point-of-sale and the fact that even longer-term BNPL loans don’t appear on customers’ credit scores. Banks need to make sure their loans are just as accessible when consumers are shopping for bigger purchases—with real-time underwriting.
SoFi launched the SoFiUSD stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain. The bank will also provide infrastructure that lets other banks and fintechs issue white-label stablecoins that are interoperable with SoFiUSD. “Stablecoins as a service” like SoFi’s offering—and Fiservs’—may democratize stablecoins to a broader base of financial institutions. Up until now, banks that wanted to issue stablecoins needed to develop their own decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure and internal compliance guardrails. A widespread entry into stablecoins would be a massive pivot for a banking sector used to dealing in fiat currency, normalizing stablecoins as a payment mechanism across the US—further blending traditional finance and DeFi.
Foot traffic trends softened retail in Q3, a potentially troubling sign for holiday spending, according to our Industry KPI data from Placer.ai. The four categories tracked—discount and dollar stores, grocers, department stores, and home improvement stores—had slower growth from July to September, providing more evidence that consumers are feeling the strain of higher living costs. The data points to a rocky year-end for department stores and home improvement retailers, which have struggled this year to overcome sluggish consumer sentiment and uneven spending. At the same time, retailers that offer necessities and can deliver clear value are positioned to win.
As rising food-away-from-home costs push diners to prioritize value, Darden Restaurants is gaining ground with compelling offers like Olive Garden’s $13.99 Never Ending Pasta Bowl and LongHorn’s budget-friendly lunch plates, which helped drive strong Q2 sales and foot traffic gains. Net sales rose to $3.10 billion and same-restaurant sales exceeded expectations, though higher beef costs pressured margins. With both Olive Garden and LongHorn outperforming and fine dining posting modest growth, Darden has raised its full-year sales outlook, reflecting confidence that its value-forward approach will keep resonating with cost-conscious consumers.
Nike is in the "middle innings" of a multiyear turnaround, making tangible progress in rebuilding its wholesale business and reigniting growth in North America, even as deeper challenges persist. Revenues and earnings topped expectations, with wholesale gains helping offset continued declines in Nike Direct and a sharp pullback in Greater China. That progress has come at a cost, however, as promotions and tariff headwinds weighed heavily on margins. With direct-to-consumer sales and China unlikely to rebound quickly, Nike’s recovery will depend on steady execution and patience as it works through lingering structural and demand-related pressures.
Omnichannel strategies are crucial to capture multigenerational shoppers in their product discovery and research journeys. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of US Gen Zers say social media is their main source for learning about new products, per Salsify, and about two-thirds (61%) of Gen Xers discover products while browsing in physical retail stores. To earn the attention and trust of multigenerational shoppers, build channel-specific messaging and invest in measurement tools that track cross-channel behavior to see how different audiences are finding, researching, and buying products across platforms.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what Crayola is aiming to achieve with its “Campaign for Creativity,” how the brand guides children from digital creation to hands-on creative play, and what’s top of mind for the art supplies company as it heads into the holiday season. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Crayola Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Lozano.
Online return volumes dipped 2.5% YoY early in the holiday season, though momentum slowed after Cyber Week and a surge is still expected post-Christmas, consistent with retailers’ forecasts that returns will represent 15.8% of annual sales. To curb costly returns, merchants are improving product detail pages and adopting tools like virtual try-on, while many are also adding return fees—moves that risk dampening demand as shoppers grow wary of stricter policies. A smoother, more supportive returns experience remains critical, as most consumers hesitate to buy when returns seem difficult and reward retailers that make the process easy and fast.
UK holiday spending is expected to rise 3.5% this year, according to PwC, with average spending per shopper projected to increase 2.7%, driven in part by younger consumers planning to increase their budgets. Beneath the surface, however, the outlook is less robust. After accounting for inflation, sales volumes are likely to be flat or slightly negative, as most shoppers expect to spend the same amount as last year, and higher prices shape behavior. Tepid consumer confidence and rising living costs are pushing households to manage spending more carefully, a dynamic likely to carry over into 2026 and increase pressure on retailers to deliver clear value.
Walmart wants discretion to refuse cards based on their issuer at the point-of-sale, per an objection filed in response to the proposed settlement to end the decadeslong interchange fee legal battle. While new types of fee agreements with banks remain entirely speculative at this point, it’s unclear whether a patchwork quilt of deals with issuers would benefit Walmart. Discontinuing acceptance of certain issuers at the POS will likely cause just as much friction for consumers as the purportedly “useless” changes to the honor all cards rule, especially if Walmart stands alone in its issuer blacklist.
General Mills reports that lower- and middle-income consumers remain financially strained, driving more at-home eating and increased reliance on promotions while trimming discretionary purchases like wet dog food. In response, the company is boosting product innovation by 25% and sharpening pricing to compete with lower-cost alternatives, with early wins such as Cheerios Protein gaining meaningful market share. Despite a tough environment, General Mills outperformed expectations in FYQ2, a sign that its adaptive strategy is gaining traction, though our team notes that CPG brands must continue innovating and pricing smartly to maintain share amid ongoing consumer pressure.
Over one-third of Gen Z (39%) and millennials (34%) who have used genAI tools to check symptoms report that they would put off seeing a doctor if the AI told them their issue was low-risk, according to an October 2025 poll from The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com conducted by SurveyMonkey. Overrelying on AI for medical guidance carries real risk, especially as models are still maturing and sometimes produce faulty information. AI companies should add explicit in-chat disclaimers against being used as a replacement for medical care and strengthen guardrails to block unvetted or potentially harmful health advice.
As consumers grow more comfortable with using AI, retail industry leaders see 2026 as a pivotal year in shaping how the emerging technology disrupts the way people shop.
Later has transformed from a scheduling tool into a full-scale creator-commerce engine. One year after acquiring Mavely, the combined platform is processing more than $2.4 billion in annualized GMV and has paid out over $250 million to creators. During Black Friday–Cyber Monday alone, creators drove $50 million in sales through Later and Mavely systems. With link-in-bio tools, affiliate rails, workflow software, and AI-powered attribution stitched into one stack, Later now acts as a performance channel for brands like Southwest and Bissell. Its EdgeAI engine ties creator posts to SKU-level results, reflecting a broader shift toward creator marketing as a full-funnel, revenue-driving discipline.
Consumer spending held up in October, despite broader signs of growing strain on lower- and middle-income consumers. Retail sales rose 3.5% YoY, according to the US Commerce Department. Control group sales—which exclude food services, autos, building materials stores, and gas stations, and are used to calculate GDP—increased 0.8% MoM, the biggest rise in four months. However, the US economy appears increasingly fragile. While spending is growing at a healthy pace for now—largely due to higher-income households with a greater capacity to absorb higher prices and a stronger appetite for discretionary purchases—a softening labor market and tariff-driven inflation could push consumers to pull back next year.
Home Depot introduced The Home Depot Creator Portal, a centralized hub that offers resources and earning opportunities for creators developing home improvement content. The creator portal is intended to inspire creators while giving them access to advertising opportunities with Home Depot and its extensive supplier network. More retailers are setting up their own creator platforms as they look to tap into influencer marketing and ensure relevance as more product discovery shifts to social media. Establishing a creator platform allows retailers to bring greater standardization and quality control to their influencer partnerships, while still taking advantage of all the opportunities that influencer marketing can offer.
Klarna launched the Agentic Product Protocol, an open standard that makes products on the internet discoverable and understandable by AI agents, per a press release. All payment providers need to meet consumer demand for AI-powered commerce that allows them to save time and money on shopping. However, to speed up adoption of agent-driven checkout, platforms need to ensure safety and privacy with AI agent transactions: 65.5% of US consumers still have misgivings about agent-led payments, per Omnisend.