Heura is on a mission to make plant-based meat better: The Barcelona-based startup is addressing the struggling food category’s cost and nutritional value issues.

Temu is eating away at dollar stores’ market share: Dollar General and Dollar Tree face significant headwinds as their core customer base reduces spending and competition mounts.

Digital ad spending in the payments industry is set to surge as consumers start to get through the financial headwinds of the past few years. We look at where payment providers should focus their ad spend to maximize returns.

August retail sales data points to consumers’ continued resilience: While spending is healthy, shoppers remain deal-focused as they look ahead to the holiday season.

Consumers still think fast food is too expensive, despite the value meal wars: While deals are boosting foot traffic in the short term, operators face long-term difficulties as customers either trade up to fast-casual chains or pull back entirely.

Retailers faced no shortage of challenges in the first half of the year as elevated interest rates, the lingering effects of inflation, and a loosening labor market weighed on consumer spending. In this report, we’ll contextualize our coverage of retailers’ Q2 revenues across four key verticals: department stores, home, mass merchants, and off-price.

Lowe’s joins Home Depot in warning of sales pressure amid difficult market conditions: The home improvement retailer lowered its FY sales forecast as skyrocketing prices, limited supply, and high borrowing costs weigh on the housing market.

The US consumer is holding up, according to Walmart: The retailer raised its full-year outlook after solid spending from value-seeking shoppers drove it to a Q2 earnings beat—although it warned of uncertainty heading into election season.

Dynamic pricing plans risk alienating price-sensitive consumers: The mere possibility of variable prices is triggering anxiety over inflation and hurting trust in retailers

Consumers don’t feel great, but they’re still spending: Retail sales blew past expectations in June despite subdued confidence among lower-income households.

PepsiCo and Conagra temper outlooks as they struggle with consumers’ shrinkflation concerns: Sales volumes for both companies fell as private labels capture record dollar and unit share.

Consumers spend cautiously as inflation perceptions, higher debt payments hurt confidence: But we expect retail sales growth to be healthy as buying power recovers.

Retailers are cautiously optimistic as they look ahead to the holiday season: Imports are expected to be slightly higher YoY as companies bring in more mid-priced items.

Consumer spending rose in the first four months of 2024: Shoppers are becoming more deal-conscious as cost-of-living pressures weigh heavily.

Deal-seeking shoppers spent $222.1 billion online this holiday season: Elevated discounts drove spending across the electronics, apparel, furniture, and toy categories.

Marketers have upbeat outlook for 2024: Digital channels will continue to gain favor, but measurement challenges loom.

What trends will we be talking about this year? Consumer behaviors will be shaped by continued uncertainty and cultural trends spilling over into commerce.

The payments industry has used its marketing budgets to reap the rewards of a strong market for credit card acquisitions. But marketers will need to embrace doing more with less as credit conditions tighten and savings run dry.

Our latest analysis of 12 companies in Latin America unpacks key trends in the region’s retail ecommerce during H1 2023. This will provide retail and marketing professionals with insights into the current landscape, company developments, and what trends to look out for in 2024.