Forty-four percent of US adults plan to spend their normal amount on health and beauty products this year, according to a MetaPack survey. More than two-thirds said they’re not changing their spending on apparel (39%) or on DIY and gardening (34%).

US consumers spent $497 billion on tech last year, according to the Consumer Technology Association. That’s a $15 billion drop from 2021. This year, spending will decline again, by $12 billion.

A fragmented world is tech’s undoing: The post-pandemic global landscape is experiencing geopolitical friction that could derail decades of technological progress rooted in collaboration. Tech companies should be worried.

Amazon will account for 38.2% of all US ecommerce sales this year, per our estimates. In addition to dominating the books, music, and video category, Amazon will capture 50.3% of computer and consumer electronics ecommerce sales and 47.0% of office equipment and supplies ecommerce sales in the US.

In a year plagued with rising prices and supply chain constraints, many retailers are hoping the holiday season will signal a return to normal. But according to Adobe, that may not be the case.

During last week’s Prime Early Access Sale, households spent about 40% less than Amazon’s Prime Day event in July, noted data analysis from Klover.

US back-to-college retail spending will reach a new high of $73.9 billion this year, beating last year’s record of $71.0 billion and eclipsing the pre-pandemic figure of $54.5 billion in 2019.

Energy independence undermined: A group is using propaganda to keep other countries dependent on rare-earth minerals from China. As more disinformation looms, social media companies could help stop it.

Mineral arms race dives deep: The future of clean energy and ocean ecosystems hangs in the balance of the UN’s closed-door decision-making on deep-sea mining. Yet there are greener trajectories.

Health and beauty items are the most-purchased products via smart speaker, with 8.9 million US internet users ordering these products on their smart speakers between August 2019 and August 2021.

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered the US retail and ecommerce landscape, with varying impacts in retail category growth.

Coronavirus effects have radically altered the US retail and ecommerce landscape, with surprising changes in consumer behavior and category and retailer performance.

This report provides an overview of the most important technology at CES 2019 and what it means for marketers, now and in the future.