Market growth for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) has been on the rise for the last few years. But with recession looming, payment service providers (PSPs) need to pivot to helping clients keep their doors open, or else risk losing ground.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how inflation got so high and which metrics retailers should be looking at to determine the economic reality of this moment. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top two companies reacting the best to economic uncertainty—and which two are reacting the worst. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Briefings director Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

Shopify offered a lifeline for merchants during the pandemic. Now, as the ecommerce environment grows more challenging, the company is devising new strategies to help brands expand their reach.

Consumers shift their spending from goods to services: US household spending rose at its slowest pace this year in May as inflation dragged on people’s purchasing power.

Bed Bath & Beyond’s early-pandemic inventory revamp had unforeseen consequences: The decision to reduce its in-store SKU count and launch private-label brands left the retailer vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

A recent crypto market implosion has magnified the volatility risk of stablecoin—an asset named for stability. Payment incumbents must weigh the crash’s implications and closely watch regulatory advances as they plan for short- and long-term crypto payments growth.

BNPL providers are in the eye of a perfect storm, as investor and regulatory scrutiny, increasing competition, and the prospect of recession put them at risk. But it’s still early days—and we see foresee a long growth runway. Read on to learn how retailers and providers can navigate the current landscape to their maximum benefit.

The Amazon way of management’s unanticipated long-term costs: The retailer is running out of people to hire in its US warehouses, which could hinder its service quality and growth.

Our exclusive analysis of 12 companies unpacks key trends in Latin America retail ecommerce, providing retail professionals with a better understanding of the current landscape and insight into what these trends mean for the industry at large in 2022.

Consumers want to buy sustainable products: But inflation is driving them to trade down, which may slow sales of products made from recycled materials as well as organic foods.

It wants to know what obstacles the public faces when seeking customer service help at big banks. Here’s why banks of all sizes should focus on the customer experience.

New games, same ideology: Beijing regulators approved dozens of video games this week. But it may end up benefiting the broader tech sector and economy more than the gaming industry.

PayPal users can send cryptos to other users free of charge—and to external wallets and exchanges, but they’ll need to pay network fees.

At Insider Intelligence, our forecasting team is constantly analyzing historical data, combing through insights from thousands of data sources, and reacting to industry forces to predict where markets and segments are heading. Peter Newman, senior forecasting analyst, worked on our latest forecast for US digital ad spending in Q1. He tells us how the recent market turmoil, supply chain issues, and economic uncertainty could impact the numbers in our forecast.

It’s a volatile retail environment out there: That’s driving many retailers to make changes to their executive teams as they look for fresh strategies to navigate the difficult terrain.

China’s economic woes squeeze smartphone growth: The largest market and producer of smartphones, rocked by monthslong lockdowns, is holding back global production and sales for the remainder of the year.

Tech wrestles with an era of uncertainty: As 2022 hits the halfway point, we look at how various technology companies navigate expected and unexpected challenges that could alter the business landscape.

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.

Didi gets short shrift, again: Forced to delist from NYSE, the ride-hailing giant was made an example of by Beijing’s ruling. Now that China is loosening controls, Didi remains in delisting limbo.

Canada ramps up 5G security: Huawei and ZTE solutions are banned. Critics say the move comes a little too late as telecoms bear the burden of replacing without disruption by June 2024.