Computer and consumer electronics purchased during the pandemic are due for an upgrade, which is good news for Amazon and retail as a whole. But besides that possible bright spot, this year’s Prime Day event will likely be “unremarkable” as other retailers steal Amazon’s spotlight.

US ecommerce marketplaces will account for $384.57 billion in sales this year, a growth of 10.2% over 2022, according to our forecast. That growth will accelerate through the end of our forecast period in 2027, at which point sales will surpass $600 billion. “Amazon has really written the playbook for operating a successful marketplace in the US,” said our analyst Sky Canaves. Here’s a closer look at how the three biggest US ecommerce marketplaces stack up.

As more retailers recognize the value of leveraging their first-party data, the global retail media market will continue to expand and innovate. While the US leads the charge with $45.15 billion in spending this year, according to our forecast, other regions are showing similar patterns. In fact, Latin America is only four to five years behind the US, said our analyst Matteo Ceurvels on our “Behind the Numbers: Around the World” podcast.

Established brands are beating digital natives at their own D2C game. As marketplace and wholesale opportunities obfuscate what it means to sell D2C, brands need to keep up with both their retail and marketing playbooks—or risk falling behind.

US retail marketplace ecommerce sales will reach $603.20 billion in 2027, representing 34.8% of total retail ecommerce sales, per our forecast.

Attention-grabbing shopping ads bridge the gap between businesses and consumers, fostering an engaging shopping experience while also driving profitability.

On today's episode, we discuss when people are most likely to boycott a brand, whether folks will shop elsewhere if they are charged for returns, where the NBA will live next season, if an ad-supported tier for Amazon Prime Video will work, how much vacation time people take in the US versus other countries, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and analysts Ross Benes and Paul Verna.

US alcohol off-premises retail ecommerce sales will reach $6.85 billion this year, growing 6.1% over 2022, according to our forecast. Growth will reach double digits come 2026.

Inflation for pet food and services was over 10% in April, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the category has won a reputation of being somewhat recession-proof, thanks to its necessity for pet owners. “People will be spending more on the pets that they have already, despite the fact that it’s been a relatively inflation-wary populous,” said our analyst Jeremy Goldman on a recent episode of our “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast.

Retailers worldwide will spend $4.09 billion advertising on YouTube this year, per WARC Media. Next year, that figure will increase by nearly half a billion to $4.56 billion.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of loyalty program professionals, across industries, say their biggest challenge is offering deep enough discounts to attract customers, per a global survey by Eagle Eye. Another 23% have a hard time balancing margins with attractive discounts, and 21% find it difficult to deliver offers to customers at the right time.

Though there’s still a ways to go, retail media is evolving toward a system that’s media- and retailer-agnostic, offering unfettered visibility and optimization potential, increased transparency, and better outcomes for retailers, advertisers, and consumers.

“If you want to dominate the digital landscape, you’ve got to win or be a clear leader on the three core pillars: media, advertising, and commerce,” our analyst Andrew Lipsman said during our recent “Attention!” summit.

To survive the era of subscription fatigue, brands and retailers need to invest in models that bring customers value and convenience.

Amazon is the top dog of US retail, accounting for 37.6% of all US ecommerce sales this year for a total of $431.11 billion dollars, according to our forecast. While the giant has a successful stronghold in many US industries, Amazon isn’t dominant everywhere, especially as it pertains to a physical footprint and getting consumers comfortable with its elite tech. Here are a few areas Amazon hasn’t overtaken—yet.

Instagram has become an essential platform for ecommerce businesses’ social media strategies. Brands that leverage the social platform’s Instagram Story ads can boost their online presence, broaden their audience, and enhance engagement to achieve success.

The crypto winter has brought assets crashing down to earth and dampened payments growth. But key crypto payment use cases remain intact, drawing continued investment from major payment providers. This helps set a path for US crypto payment adoption to grow by a 21.3% average annual rate from 2022 to 2025 and worldwide volume to grow by 12.6%.

Total media ad spending in the US will pass the $350 billion mark this year, but growth is slow at just 3.8%, according to our forecast. “That is not great compared to almost anything in recent memory; however, there is a U-shape to this line,” our analyst Ethan Cramer-Flood said during our “US Digital Ad Spend Outlook” webinar. Connected TV and retail media will prove to be bright spots, but social media could be a challenge.

Tapestry brings its D2C and wholesale teams together to create a consistent brand experience across channels, while Hollister enables teens to fill their carts and send to a parent for purchase. Instacart and eBay find ways to offer customers more value.

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.