How should businesses view these global trends and events? How are behaviors and spending changing? In this report, Insider Intelligence analysts weigh in on the questions they’re being asked by both clients and the media about the shifting landscape in key areas like digital advertising, retail and ecommerce, and financial services.

As online shopping continues to increase, gross payment volume (GPV) across digital commerce platforms in the US is expected to grow by 26.4% to reach $275.2 billion this year.

Shopify doubles down on logistics with its latest acquisition: The company is spending $2.1 billion on ecommerce fulfillment startup Deliverr to help it offer an “end-to-end logistics platform.”

Amazon looks to blunt Shopify’s momentum: Buy with Prime extends the marketplace’s reach by letting shoppers use their Amazon Prime membership to receive fast shipping on other retailers’ websites.

‘This is what we’ve always needed’: We talk with Delta CleanTech’s Lionel Kambeitz about what Big Tech’s plan to invest $925 million in carbon removal technologies means for his industry.

Increasing digitization among the 32 million US small businesses is changing the competitive landscape and forcing banks, acquirers, and fintechs to invest in next-generation features. These features range from payments and value-added services to outreach.

SXSW’s return reemphasized the importance of experiential marketing activations: Prime Video and others made big splashes, though pandemic-era virtual experiences remain.

Inflation hasn’t cooled consumers’ desire to spend: Nonstore sales rose 14.5% in January, and overall retail sales increased 3.8%, in the latest sign that the US economy remains strong.

Payments Ecosystem: This year will reveal how providers must adapt to lasting pandemic-driven digitization across payments channels, ranging from in-store retail to B2B ecommerce.

Payments Ecosystem: POS hardware, POS software, and gateway providers are working to become one-stop shops for merchants. Offering simple, robust access to front- and back-end solutions across industries lets them better serve merchants demanding integrated solutions.

Shopify works with ecommerce giant JD.com to help its merchants sell in China: The deal marks a major push into China for Shopify and broadens JD.com’s international reach.

Key developments to watch in 2022 include the evolution of in-store retail technology; hotter competition in the paid-for video marketplace; the revival of digital out-of-home ads; and ongoing issues with digital privacy and security.

Our annual lookahead for Canada highlights some growth areas for brand marketers as well as the mediascape that’s evolving to serve them.

It’s not alone in the race. An influx of new BaaS entrants indicates the emergence of an industry to underpin embedded banking.

Shopify’s cross-border features show it’s shifting away from smaller sellers: The platform rose to popularity in part due to supporting mom-and-pops, but its newest international-focused features show it’s going all in on its biggest clients.

TikTok’s new marketing tools focus on customization and commerce: It’s taking steps to make advertisers feel comfortable on the platform and heavily push social commerce.

Take a look at some of Insider Intelligence's latest retail stories.

Shopify lets merchants go worldwide: A new global commerce hub and a recent investment in marketing tools hint at Shopify’s future.

TikTok’s Shopping tab marks a big but necessary shift: The feature will let select Shopify merchants add product catalogs to their profiles, likely the first of many interface changes to facilitate ecommerce on the TikTok.