This is the first installment of our “Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

DoorDash forgoes gig workers for employees with wages: The delivery platform announced a surprising pilot that would significantly upgrade the worker experience in select markets.

Olive Garden inks delivery partnership with Uber following parent Darden Restaurants’ poor quarter: The company missed sales and earnings expectations as consumers cut back on restaurant visits.

The quick-commerce space isn’t totally dead: German startup Flink raised $150 million at a nearly $1 billion valuation, as the company finds success in staying local and partnering with food delivery platform Just Eat Takeaway.

DoorDash is the latest delivery platform to turn to streaming to boost membership sign-ups: The company will offer DashPass subscribers free access to Max’s ad-supported tier in a bid to boost sign-ups and grow sales.

The media model popularized by retailers is now being adapted by companies in other verticals. Financial services and travel companies are among those launching commerce media networks in a bid to monetize their first-party data.

Uber and DoorDash report double-digit growth as customers prioritize convenience: Order frequency rose in Q2 thanks to both companies’ membership programs and growing selections of merchants.

Intermediaries like Instacart and DoorDash have a unique place in retail media. With consumers buying goods from major retailers through their platforms, intermediaries have engaged audiences and valuable first-party data. Here are three recent intermediary moves that caught our eye, and what they mean about broader retail media trends.

Instacart launches new ad formats to help CPGs drive impulse purchases: The delivery platform will roll out shoppable recipes, occasions, and bundles to facilitate discovery and boost brand engagement.

While intermediaries’ share of ecommerce sales (grocery or otherwise) will remain relatively flat for the next couple of years, they’re still a long-term threat to traditional retail. But there’s an opportunity for retailers to use intermediaries’ strategies against them.

How are consumers adapting to digital dining tools designed to make ordering and delivery more convenient? Are they embracing restaurant apps, delivery platforms, and digital ordering kiosks?

Bad weather drove more shoppers to Instacart in Q1: The company expects the positive trend to continue in Q2 as it prepares to add Uber Eats to its platform.

Instacart and Uber team up to keep DoorDash at bay: Instacart hopes the deal will protect its grocery business and widen consumer appeal, while Uber looks for new customers.

Canada’s click-and-collect buyer growth tops our rankings among the countries we forecast. It’s a key option for consumers in Canada who prefer speedier order fulfillment and want to avoid home-delivery costs.

Uber, Lyft, and Instacart fine-tune their ad strategies: The platforms are leaning into personalization and experimenting with formats as they try to boost revenues without alienating users.

Brands and retailers are responding to shifts in alcohol consumption, particularly those of the growing Gen Z demographic as they establish habits and steer the industry’s future. With younger people drinking less and mid-level beverages waning in popularity, product diversification is becoming an even bigger business imperative.

Instacart’s ad growth slowed in Q4: That could create problems for the company as it relies more heavily on ads to offset softening grocery delivery demand.

What is shoppable media and which formats have the most potential?

Retail media will make huge gains this year in Canada. Our first-ever forecast for retail media ad spending in Canada and our joint survey of ad buyers (conducted with IAB Canada) highlight the latest developments.

This report presents five of the most intriguing and/or under-the-radar positive forecasts for 2024 that clients should be aware of, as compiled by our forecasting team.