It was a happy holiday season for several retailers: Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, Crocs, and Pandora are among the companies that beat expectations over the final months of 2023.

Gen Z teens cut spending in response to inflation: Shoppers in this cohort are shopping more often at off-price and ecommerce retailers to save money, although the beauty category is as resilient as ever.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) case against Amazon, the tech giants' defense, and what is most likely to come of this. "In Other News," we talk about what to make of Peloton and Lululemon striking a deal and why social media burnout is back on the radar. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Zak Stambor.

Digital D2C disruptors, like Peloton and Casper, will bring in about $100 billion less in US ecommerce sales than the $134.55 billion of their established counterparts this year, according to our forecast.

D2C ecommerce will continue to grow at above-average rates. But that growth will be driven by established brands selling directly—not digitally native brands.

On today's episode, we discuss what the biggest impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) will be, whether time spent with ad-supported media is falling, why Lululemon is looking to sell its connected fitness company Mirror, the battle between SMS and email, what makes a shopping experience convenient, which country could see its population cut in half; and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, and analysts Blake Droesch and Paul Verna.

Retailers struggle to find a balance between growth and sustainability: Efforts to reduce environmental footprints often run counter to the desire to grow sales.

Consumers pulled back on spending in December: Even as inflation eases, consumers’ diminished spending power is forcing them to make choices about what they buy.

Consumers pull back on discretionary spending: While that’s an ominous sign for retailers such as Macy’s and lululemon, there are still some glimmers of hope on the horizon.

Amid economic uncertainty, brands and retailers need to reevaluate how they market sustainability to consumers who are more concerned about prices than the environment.

The 2022 US holiday season outlook is surprisingly strong amid inflation and economic uncertainty, but revenue growth will be easier to come by than profits.

Naver sets its sights on the US with Poshmark acquisition: The South Korean tech giant plans to use its resources and ecommerce capabilities to create a “socially responsible and sustainable shopping experience.”

Recurring revenue is the key to long-term success for connected fitness: Peloton and Mirror take steps to get people to buy their gear—the first step toward getting them to subscribe.

Our Retail Reimagined podcast team talked connected fitness this week. Here are the highlights.

Just 7% of US consumers who exercise expect to work out entirely at a gym or studio for the next year. By comparison, 42% plan to exercise only at home, while the rest anticipate using some combination of the two.

As digital fitness goes mainstream, leading brands Nike, lululemon athletica, Peloton, and Apple are trailblazing a path for lifestyle brands toward a more profitable future.

This year, 42.6 million US adults will use a connected fitness platform such as Peloton at least once a month. This figure ballooned from 24.0 million in 2019.

Supply chain issues have eased back from their pandemic peaks: But there are plenty of challenges ahead and slowing consumer demand could lead to a new issue: inventory pileups.

Subscription models are driving customer loyalty in online sales of groceries and other essential goods, but fatigue among consumers threatens long-term growth.

On today's episode, we discuss Elon's pitch deck plans for Twitter, lululemon athletica betting on the future of connected fitness, how to best augment our reality, how fast online checkout should be, what kind of power video podcasts hold, an unpopular opinion about 15-minute grocery delivery, and where Nobel prizes come from. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Evelyn Mitchell, Blake Droesch, and Paul Verna.