ChatGPT use has declined over the past few months, but AI isn’t going anywhere. Retailers are innovating with their own homegrown and acquired AI tools to scale listings, improve search, and enhance personalizations.

Beauty is proving resilient to the cost-of-living crisis as shoppers splurge on premium products to boost their mood and skin health. But it won’t escape unscathed, with consumers already streamlining their beauty regimes and searching for bargains online.

The Chinese economy shows signs of life: While that’s good news for retailers after flat growth last year, many are adopting conservative strategies to protect their bottom lines.

Economic uncertainty caused investors to grow cautious: Even so, there were several significant acquisitions in 2022.

China’s COVID strategy continues to hurt retail sales: Estée Lauder and Canada Goose are among the high-end brands pointing to China’s policy as a reason they’re lowering their outlooks.

The beauty industry is getting a digital makeover, thanks to Gen Z, viral TikTok trends, AR capabilities, and new consumer behaviors. Brands will need to take a multichannel approach to keep up.

Discovery and consideration are in a different place than before the pandemic. With less access to in-person touchpoints, consumers started exploring technology like augmented reality for their shopping needs. Brands have since launched new experiences to cater to consumer demands, but preexisting implementations also saw upticks in usage.