ESPN’s new platform marks a bold digital pivot: Meanwhile, Fox is launching Fox One to stay competitive in the streaming era.

Acadia acquires Crush to expand Amazon-first capabilities: The deal reflects growing demand for full-funnel retail media solutions.

This year’s festival highlighted a maturing creator economy, a reality check for AI, and bigger and bolder brand activations and marketing trends.

NWSL secures key women-led sponsorships: E.l.f. Cosmetics and Unwell partner with the soccer league, marking a shift in how beauty and lifestyle brands invest in sports.

WBD grows streaming profits as TV revenues decline: It added 6.4 million Max subscribers, but TV ad declines and cord-cutting continue.

Comcast gives details on its spinout of several NBCU cable networks: As Peacock takes center stage, legacy TV networks must adapt to stay relevant.

Nike's recent struggles highlight the risks of an ill-timed shift to direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales. The sportswear giant's sales slumped 10% YoY for the quarter ending August 31 as competitors gained market share.

The boom times for ecommerce and retail have largely passed. “It’s going to be harder [for retailers] to identify pockets of growth and opportunity. But, the good news is that it’s not going to be that roller coaster of demand fluctuations that has been challenging for retailers to navigate over the last couple of years,” our analyst Blake Droesch said.

Nike’s Olympics efforts kicked off in April, with the brand launching new products, hosting in-person events with athletes like Jordan Chiles and Sha’Carri Richardson, and debuting a controversial ad campaign.

Ecommerce has become a dominant sales channel in the pet industry, fueled by convenience and a broad range of online offerings. By 2028, nearly half of pet products sales will come from ecommerce.

After boosting the D2C model over the last decade, digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs) face a slowing market, with sales growth declining every year through the end of our forecast period in 2028. That means acquiring customers and revenue can’t solely be done through online channels such as social media, as DNVBs have relied on in the past. Here are three ways DNVBs can continue the momentum of their digital buzz.

Brands and marketers have an increasingly prominent presence at the annual technology, arts, and culture festival in Austin, Texas, which this year took place from March 8 to 16. We break down the key topics that drew the most attention from attendees.

Our analysts have already made their big predictions for the year ahead, but the newsletter team has a few more to add to the list. As Amazon hits the gas on grocery, it may use its Amazon Fresh stores for fulfillment. Plus, we think beauty will get personal, Amazon could give digitally native brands a helping hand, and a healing economy could spell trouble for discount stores.

This year was challenging for retailers as inflation kept prices high and consumers cut back on spending. But there were a few bright spots, as some in-store shopping rebounded and retail media boomed. Here’s some advice for retailers on how to use in-store experiences and retail media to their advantage.

Digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs) have a long way to go to catch up to established brands. While established brands will make up $134.55 billion in D2C ecommerce sales in 2023, digitally native brands will make up just $34.84 billion, according to our March 2023 forecast.

On Running is firing on all cylinders: The performance footwear company grew D2C and wholesale revenues—as well as market share—in Q2.

Digitally native brands look for a new D2C playbook: Brands are embracing wholesale, physical retail, acquisitions, and even selling on Amazon to regain momentum and achieve profitability.

Embracing mobile gives consumers access to a branded experience both online and in-store, while in-store technologies bring the digital world into the physical. To cater to shoppers no matter where or how they shop, brands should also make sure they’re balancing in-store and online rewards as well as D2C and wholesale commerce.

US cosmetic and beauty sales are expected to grow over 10% this year—more than three times the 2.9% rate of the overall retail market, according to our forecast. It’s a sign of the “lipstick effect,” said our analyst Sky Canaves on our “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast.