US beauty demand is normalizing as price sensitivities creep into purchasing behavior: That’s good news for e.l.f. Beauty but an added struggle for Coty and Estée Lauder, for which China remains a hurdle.

Nordstrom targets teens with curated beauty selection: The department store hopes to capitalize on their growing appetite for premium products and desire for in-store purchases.

Consumers plan to return to malls this holiday season, shop more in-person: Mall visits are expected to rise 18%, which is good news for department stores—although Amazon, Walmart, and Target remain top destinations.

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.

Nordstrom, Kohl’s look to brand partnerships to boost sales: While Nordstrom turns to buzzy companies like Savage X Fenty to attract younger shoppers, Kohl’s takes a kitchen-sink approach.

Saks launches retail media network amid slowing sales: The ecommerce retailer is billing its offering as a unique opportunity to connect with luxury shoppers.

Mall foot traffic is returning to pre-COVID-19 levels. In 2023, visits to indoor shopping malls were down 5.8% from 2019 levels, an improvement from the 15.3% decrease in 2021, per Placer.ai’s The Comeback of the Mall in 2024 report.

Off-price’s momentum continues as shoppers’ trade-down behaviors intensify: Nordstrom Rack, Burlington, and Ross are among the beneficiaries of consumers’ cost-of-living pressures.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss which app experiences best transfer over to the new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, whether instant AI-generated videos will be a hit, department stores' path to relevancy, if folks are ready for shoppable media, how marriage is changing in the US, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Ross Benes, Bill Fisher, and Carina Perkins.

Department store websites and apps lead. Respondents to our survey were more likely to have made an online purchase than an offline one at department stores, off-price retailers, and brand-owned stores—the top three types of retailers for personal luxury goods

Amazon and big-box stores are likely to win from Bed Bath & Beyond’s collapse, while fast-fashion retailers could score displaced David’s Bridal customers. But keep a lookout for underdogs like Etsy, which may bring in shoppers looking for personalized party supplies in Party City’s absence.

Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Hudson’s Bay rethink their strategies as department store sales fall: Tactics include using data science to predict trends and improve pricing strategy, doubling down on luxury, and maximizing store appeal with experiential concepts.

Macy’s strong quarter underscores the difficulties facing Kohl’s: While the former is making a name for itself as a one-stop shop ahead of the holidays, Kohl’s lack of brand identity is hurting its chances of recovery.

Malls are becoming less relevant to the overall retail landscape: While top players like Simon continue to thrive, other developers struggle to stay alive.

On today's episode, we discuss teens' social media behavior, how brands are pivoting their messaging to reflect consumer concerns, how best to reduce returns, whether Airbnb is in full recovery, how department stores are going local, an unpopular opinion about paid time off, what the least affordable housing markets in the world are, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti and analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Evelyn Mitchell.

When Amazon starts a new business, competitors scrap business plans and markets shudder. We examined 19 of Amazon’s divisions to help parse how the company fuels its flywheel to keep driving the virtuous cycle.

On today's episode, we discuss why Amazon is diving into department stores, what they might look like, and what kind of impact they might have. We then talk about how some other retail giants fared in Q2, whether the online shopping boom has run its course, and where Warby Parker and Allbirds go from here. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Andrew Lipsman.

Amazon's department stores will let it offer more categories under one roof: The model gives Amazon an advantage for in-store purchases like clothing and apparel.

eMarketer forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom and principal analysts at Insider Intelligence Andrew Lipsman and Nicole Perrin discuss the size and growth of ecommerce channel advertising, and where it is headed. They then talk about Sephora stores inside Kohl's, the future of the department store, and why Google is in a spat with the IAC.