Retailers across Western Europe are pioneering the use of AI to boost digital sales, and new options for delivery and returns are emerging. Yet Europe’s main markets have been slow to embrace social commerce.

UK’s digital media and technology landscape is facing changes and challenges in 2020—including privacy, Brexit and more—which will impact UK digital marketers.

Americans are poised to spend $590.67 billion in retail ecommerce in 2019, with a year-over-year growth rate of 12.8%. "To keep growing at double-digit rates, future channel growth will increasingly rely on continued strong gains in the spending rate per buyer," said Andrew Lipsman, eMarketer principal analyst. eMarketer has curated this Roundup of articles, insights and interviews to help you understand the latest trends in the retail industry.

The term "Cyber Monday" was first introduced to the retail world in 2005 via a press release from Shop.org. What is now the moniker of one of the biggest shopping holidays of the year was coined by members of the organization and its then-executive director Scott Silverman.

Consumers in China, whether buying at retail outlets or street stalls, are using proximity mobile payments—largely supported by QR codes—and reducing their dependency on cash.

eMarketer was pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk webinar presentation featuring Loran Gutt, vice president of corporate development at Bazaarvoice, where he discussed the strategies retailers are employing to deliver on a complex and ever-changing set of demands.

Biometric technology may soon give marketers the opportunity to learn more about their customers and deliver personalized messaging. While this could be a potential boon for business, it also has major privacy implications.

People routinely refer to the digital era as one of rapid change. But it’s more accurate to say the pace is uneven. This Roundup includes data, insights and interviews on the latest trends impacting digital ad spending and key happenings across marketing channels.

eMarketer analysts discuss our digital ad spend by industry forecasts, exploring verticals such as automotive, CPG, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceutical, travel and retail.

Digital ad spending in Germany will approach €7.3 billion ($8.6 billion) this year—nearly 10% more than in 2018. The sectors we analyze—including automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG), financial services, healthcare/pharma, retail and travel—will all see much higher spending on mobile ads.

Digital ad spending will total £14.73 billion ($19.64 billion) in the UK in 2019. For such a digitally advanced country, it’s no surprise to see every industry investing in digital channels, leading to an even spread of spend.

In the first of two special episodes of “Behind the Numbers,” we look back at three key digital trends from earlier this year: Facebook ad revenues, digital disruption in retail and the surge of voice assistants.

Global trends shifting shopping, including omnichannel selling, the rise of “New Retail,” cross-border ecommerce, social commerce, and top ecommerce players like Amazon and Alibaba and why marketplaces are dominating worldwide.

Growth of retail sales in China is declining, due to economic and geopolitical challenges, and will not overtake the US until 2021. But retail ecommerce has continued to flourish in some surprising ways under these current circumstances.

Furniture is one of the fastest-growing categories in ecommerce today. More consumers have come around to the idea of purchasing furniture online, and new direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies are entering the space, hoping to win market share by streamlining aspects of the customer experience like cost, shipping and installation.

After initially struggling to gain traction, social commerce has finally begun to materialize as platforms, including Instagram and Pinterest, fill the need for discovery in the digital shopping environment.

eMarketer is pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk presentation featuring Mahmoud Arram, co-founder and CTO at Bluecore and William Bonnell, Customer Engineering Manager at Google. While there are many factors that contribute, Mahmoud and William will discuss the heart of the issue: The CMO-CIO relationship and whether or not they are able to create true synergy between their respective organizations.

Three in five US internet users say they've purchased clothes, shoes or accessories online in the past month, according to an April 2019 eMarketer survey conducted by Bizrate Insights. That figure climbs to 68% for females as well as younger consumers (ages 18 to 34).

The fashion resale market has grown 21 times faster than the traditional retail market over the past three years, according to a January 2019 report from online resale marketplace thredUP.

Mundane concerns like getting a quality product or service at a good price are still the biggest drivers of brand loyalty for US internet users.