Brands and retailers are struggling to keep up with changes to the shopper experience as consumers adopt genAI-powered “click-less journeys.”
Canada published the draft of its Stablecoin Act as part of its Budget 2025 Implementation Act. It applies to stablecoins issued by entities that are not prudentially regulated. For Canadian banks and fintechs, the impending legislation signals that stablecoins are normalizing everywhere as a regulated alternative to cash as a store of value and for electronic payments. The use cases are particularly interesting for Canadian financial institutions and stablecoin issuers who will use stablecoins to move money across the US border.
A slate of retailers boosted their outlooks following strong Q3 performances, a positive sign as the industry heads into the most important shopping period of the year. Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Kohl's all updated their FY sales guidance, pointing to ongoing consumer resilience despite growing pessimism about the state of the economy and personal finances. The outlook for holiday spending is notably stronger than it appeared earlier this year: We expect sales in November and December to rise 3.6% YoY, slower than last year’s 4.4% growth but a significant upgrade from our May forecast.
Klarna will launch its own stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, per a press release. The Swedish fintech is building KlarnaUSD on Stripe’s Open Issuance powered by Bridge, making it the first neobank to release a token on the platform. To execute this future, firms need to educate consumers on the nature of stablecoins versus other digital currencies, which historically have experienced dramatic price volatility. By assuring consumers that stablecoins are backed by fiat, payment providers have a greater chance of convincing shoppers to convert to crypto.
OpenAI introduced a shopping research feature for ChatGPT that builds personalized buying guides based on user queries and past conversations. The feature is available to all ChatGPT users, including those on free plans; OpenAI is offering “nearly unlimited usage” throughout the holiday season. Making the feature widely available at no cost suggests that OpenAI is looking to get users to rely on ChatGPT for purchase decisions, which could eventually result in greater buy-in for its agentic checkout features. However, it faces stiff competition: Perplexity, Google, and Amazon have all rolled out advanced AI functions to help holiday shoppers.
PayPal merchants will now be discoverable within Perplexity, per a press release—right in time for Cyber Five. PayPal merchants stand to benefit from the rising tide of genAI adopters who are reinventing the research, product recommendation, and deal-seeking status quo. Merchants that cater to Gen Z should push to be early adopters of the new update: 47% of Gen Zers already have found a new brand or product through AI, per an Adobe survey. Early mover merchants could get a boost from genAI holiday volume this season.
A new report from ANA and Harris Poll indicates that future marketing success will require delivering offline experiences. Brands will need to recalibrate budgets to accommodate this hybrid landscape of high-touch engagement blended with AI-driven discovery. Brands should use AI to handle low-touch decisions, then reinvest the time and trust gained into high-touch offline experiences and brand activations like pop-up shops or store takeovers. Those events create meaning that will help brands stay visible and valued.
France’s government is pushing for a three-month suspension of Shein’s entire site after authorities discovered illegal firearms and sex toys for sale on its marketplace, per Reuters. It is also being sued for up to €3 billion ($3.25 billion) in damages by a consortium of French retailers and retail associations for allegedly using fake promotions to attract shoppers and failing to comply with regulatory standards. Political considerations are contributing to the crackdown on Shein as governments seek ways to protect local retailers from ultra low-cost rivals, but the company hasn’t helped its case.
Kohl’s topped Q3 expectations and raised its outlook, crediting stronger product assortments, better value through promotions, and improved in-store and digital experiences for helping it win back customers. The company also named interim CEO Michael Bender to the job permanently. Bender, the third person to hold that role in roughly three years, plans to sharpen Kohl's product assortment, offer more proprietary clothing and home goods, and make stores easier to shop to appeal to customers who are “increasingly savvy and are seeking more value.” Kohl’s was upbeat that its recovery is gaining momentum, but it has more work to do to turn sales declines into gains.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what makes Dollar General Media Network unique, how it's approaching measurement, and what it’s focusing on for next year. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano, and Vice President and General Manager of DG Media Network, Austin Leonard. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
China’s Singles’ Day has lost much of its hype and enthusiasm. As the curtain falls on this year’s festival, now a five-week event, value-driven consumers and global ambitions have redefined the world’s largest online shopping event.
As more brands build retail media networks (RMNs) to connect advertisers with shoppers, the once experimental channel has grown pivotal to marketers. US retail media search ad spending alone is projected to rake in $38.42 billion this year, according to our March 2025 forecast.
Consumer concerns over AI scams are rising, as three-quarters of UK adults believe AI advancements have made online scams more difficult to identify, per Barclays. Just 36% of UK consumers are confident they could spot an AI scam. As consumers wade through scams to find legitimate retail sites, ecommerce marketers should review brand search results, monitor social mentions, earn trust through About and FAQ pages, and advertise with caution on social media sites.
A new study shows that while commerce media enthusiasm is high, actual readiness is far lower. Nearly half of respondents believe they are operationalized, yet only 13% qualify as advanced across leadership, technology, and measurement. Most fall into nascent or emerging categories, limited by siloed workflows, manual creative processes, and fragmented data systems that prevent closed-loop attribution. Advertisers seeking accountable, performance-driven programs may be surprised by how few networks can truly support scaled, automated operations. The findings highlight a widening gap between ambition and capability—and the need for unified data, automation, and clearer measurement.
A new rewards card for mortgage payments, the Made Card, launched in partnership with Fairway Home Mortgage, per a press release. The Made Card’s expanded rewards tiers could help train consumers to make the card top-of-wallet for all housing concerns.Pitching its product to first-time homeowners may help lock young adults on the pathway to ownership into their ecosystem, especially as Bilt captures more of the rental market. But even more importantly, it will also need to convince a critical mass of mortgage servicers not to charge acceptance fees that would wipe out any gains consumers get from the rewards.
Q3 was another strong quarter for Walmart and Amazon, and another weak one for Target. Shoppers are showing a clear preference for the convenience, product selection, and overall value that Amazon and Walmart offer, while being less impressed by Target’s assortment and shopping experience. Economic uncertainty is heightening the gap, as more shoppers turn to Amazon and Walmart for necessities like groceries while pulling back on the discretionary spending that fuels Target. Walmart's and Amazon's ability to combine low prices with an extensive product selection and fast and convenient delivery will serve them well this holiday season, while Target has the harder task of convincing price-conscious shoppers to spend on nonessential items.
Amazon blocked several OpenAI-affiliated crawlers from accessing its site, a move first reported by ecommerce analyst Juozas Kaziukėnas. That marks the retailer’s latest attempt to keep third-party agents from encroaching on its turf and endangering ad revenues. Amazon’s insistence on keeping AI agents at bay is the right move for the company for the time being. Adoption is minimal for now, hampered by trust issues, clunky UX, and minimal merchant participation. However, the gates will have to open at some point—and the longer Amazon waits, the more ground it cedes to rivals like Walmart.
More shoppers are looking to make secondhand purchases this holiday season, according to two new reports. Nearly 40% of consumers’ holiday budgets will be spent on secondhand items, per ThredUp. The vast majority of US shoppers—81%—expect to shop secondhand for holiday gifts, according to OfferUp. Resale holds clear appeal to shoppers grappling with economic uncertainty and limited budgets. While saving money is a primary concern, shoppers are also drawn to the possibility of unearthing unique or one-of-a-kind items, as well as the environmental benefits of shopping secondhand.
Convenience stores are playing catch-up as they jump into retail media, exploiting their local reach to offer advertisers new ways to connect with shoppers. The brick-and-mortar landscape is highly fragmented—unlike ecommerce, where just a few players dominate. That provides an opening for convenience stores to become valued retail media partners. Their dense footprints, frequent visits, and strong ability to influence impulse buys can give brands targeted and measurable insights. C-store RMNs that can tie ad exposure to sales, use loyalty data, and offer multiple ways to surface ads are best positioned to deliver reliable performance to advertisers.
The share of US adults who say quality materials define luxury dropped from 55% in 2021 to 49% in 2025, while those citing 'expensive' as the defining trait rose from 52% to 62%, according to an October report from Ipsos.