Shein is moving ahead with its public debut, taking on some competitors (like Amazon and Temu) while teaming up with others (like Forever 21). Though a brick-and-mortar footprint doesn’t seem to be a part of Shein’s plan yet, it could take a cue from other fast-fashion brands, like H&M and Zara, and establish a physical presence to engage with offline shoppers.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss whether TikTok Shop will face the same challenges as Instagram's social commerce efforts, how much Amazon's partnership with Meta's social media platforms will affect TikTok, and if TikTok Shop is ruining TikTok. Then in a newish segment, "Loyalty Point, Counter Point," we discuss whether Instagram or TikTok has a better overall ecommerce experience. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Blake Droesch.

The fintech is focused on expanding in foreign markets like India and improving products at home with higher-rate savings accounts.

The partnership opens up the provider to a massive merchant network, which can help it add users and grow volume.

Klarna hailed AI’s potential, but it needs to consider how the tech can bring benefits that competitors can’t replicate.

For luxury brands, tapping into the partnership channel presents a unique opportunity to reach new audiences and maximize brand awareness. The pay-for-performance partnership model mitigates risk by allowing luxury brands to work with partners that can curate rich stories all the way down the purchase funnel for an established community.

Resilient consumer spending was a bright spot for Mastercard, but higher costs squeezed profits in Q1.

Friction developing between Microsoft and OpenAI: The tech companies compete for AI customers under a profit-sharing model that could undermine Microsoft’s cloud growth. An acquisition attempt is likely.

Private 5G partnership could boost enterprise adoption: The rise in ransomware and security exploits in enterprise will accelerate private 5G solutions. Provider consolidation can go a long way in gaining adoption.

Slowing growth forces Beijing to capitulate to Big Tech: Facing the weakest growth in decades, China seeks cooperation with the EU and will loosen its iron grip on tech monoliths to spur the economy.

In 2021, affiliate marketing investment drove $71 billion in ecommerce sales and a 12-to-1 return on ad spend, illustrating that this area is still booming for creators and the brands that support them.