By 2026, nearly 30% of US consumers’ average retail spending (excluding food and beverage sales and ticketing) will be made using proximity mobile payments, as providers look to build on the pandemic-driven adoption of the technology.

Industry trade groups fear that a CBDC would shrink deposits at private banks and hinder banks’ ability to offer credit. But as CBDCs are developed across the globe, the US can’t afford to be left behind.

Meta clashes with Apple over AppTrackingTransparency: The change damaged Meta’s profits, but Apple’s ad business is soaring.

Sony’s service game push could be good for advertisers: The lucrative model could be a platform for its rumored ad program

Apple raising worker pay by more than 10%: It’s the latest Big Tech company to take steps to retain talent during the Great Resignation, a move that could set the tone for various industries.

Broadcom boosts software with VMware buy: The $61B deal allows the chipmaker to rely less on chips for growth while assembling parts for massive cloud, edge computing, and IoT expansion.

BNPL attracts users who are higher-risk and younger than the general credit-seeking population, a TransUnion study found.

Investors want retailers to take decisive action on ESG initiatives: But companies like Amazon and McDonald’s are pushing back on shareholder demands.

Insider Intelligence spoke with Kate Lubenesky, president at W&P, a food and beverage essentials brand that sells sustainable packaging for everyday food items.

On today's episode, we discuss the social media regulations coming this year, whether virtual try-on will ever take off, how not to interrupt the consumer, whether shipping is the new ecommerce frontier, Formula One racing's newfound US popularity, an unpopular opinion about in-store shopping, some facts about sea creatures, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our senior director of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, and analyst Bill Fisher.

Big-box retailers are aggressively upgrading their beauty offerings to attract returning in-store shoppers and younger, digital-first consumers.

Leisure travel is picking up, but economy clouds outlook: Inflation, continued COVID-19 challenges raise concern about longer-term demand.

Reddit trails other social networks in time spent: The platform’s efforts to boost its mainstream appeal could improve engagement.

It’s a difficult landscape for retailers: We break down how some retailers have successfully navigated the shifting terrain—and why others couldn’t.

Is CVS Health turning into a primary care behemoth? The company’s new virtual primary care service fits into CVS’ goal of becoming a preferred healthcare destination for millions of consumers.

Consumers are driven by value more than anything else. About two-thirds of consumers worldwide who had switched brands in the past year were looking for better deals. More than half were seeking better product quality.

While traditional TV ad spending will struggle for growth in the coming years, digital video will not. A portion of digital video spend will go to the nascent CTV space, but traditional broadcasters are also developing their own streaming services (with BVOD ad spend rising at a far faster rate than traditional TV spend). Overall, the advertising opportunity for CTV remains small.

VR fitness will stick long after the pandemic: We detail how the tech will help make exercise more accessible and reduce preventable diseases.

AI replaces metal detectors: Amid alarming rates of gun violence, Evolv Technology is deploying AI scanners to track guns in public places. But it has a lot of learning to do.

It now lets users convert payments to Bitcoin, and it launched two products to let customers access third-party apps.

On today's episode, we discuss what makes a customer data platform (CDP) successful, what kind of ROI brands can expect from them, and some best practices. "In Other News," we talk about whether companies are tracking the customer service metrics that really count and what happened when Old Navy made clothing sizes for everyone. Tune in to the discussion with senior vice president of sales at mParticle Kyle Robinson and our analyst Patty Soltis.

Social platforms struggle to contain violent footage, misinformation: Two recent mass murders have exposed longstanding cracks in harmful content policies.

CMOs grapple with challenges of data growth: Survey of marketing execs shows split sentiment on whether increased volume and sophistication of data hurts or hampers creativity.