Strong incentives, enhanced rewards, and greater convenience encourage consumers to identify themselves.

GLP-1s are creating a new consumer economy that reaches beyond healthcare. As treatment becomes easier to access, brands must balance growth opportunities with misinformation, fragmented support, and rising expectations for lifestyle services.

Consumers are collecting memberships much faster than they're building habits. The average consumer now belongs to 17.4 loyalty programs, up 60% over the past decade, according to Upside’s “Escaping the loyalty plateau” report. But active participation has risen just 8% over the same period, to 8.4 programs.

More frequent visits and larger tickets show consumers are still willing to splurge on affordable indulgences.

Marketers are following the trend, as fiber emerges as a front-of-package selling point for supplement and food brands.

New tools turn barista content into scalable advertising.

Starbucks, Target, and Uber are reconsidering their strategies as costs climb and investments underdeliver.

Brands broadening their appeal outperform, but lower-income exposure is becoming a bigger risk.

The company’s new beta app aims to meet Gen Z at the moment of inspiration.

The company is offering cash bonuses and expanding tip opportunities to power its turnaround.

Starbucks went live with its overhauled loyalty program last week, shifting from a single-tier model to a multi-tiered structure that fundamentally changes how members earn and redeem rewards.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why Starbucks just revamped its loyalty program, what the ideal loyalty program looks like, and how this revamp could tie into a broader strategy to bring customers back into stores and drive frequency if you were CEO of Starbucks for a day. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Analyst Arielle Feger.

This FAQ explores the main types of loyalty programs and how retailers can use them to drive lasting customer relationships.

McDonald's leads all US food and grocery sites and apps with 57 million unique visitors, outpacing DoorDash (52.8 million) and nearly doubling the top traditional grocer Kroger (31.3 million), according to November 2025 data from Comscore.

In 2026, economic uncertainty is quietly reshaping consumer payment behavior, driving shifts across cards, cash, BNPL, and emerging alternatives as households adapt how they manage spending and access liquidity.

The coffee chain is reintroducing tiers to incentivize deeper loyalty.

This FAQ addresses what commerce media is, how it differs from retail media, and where growth opportunities exist for advertisers in 2026.

Dunkin’, Starbucks, and Walmart are among those looking to capitalize on “better for you” food trends.

In a special Thanksgiving-themed episode of “Behind the Numbers,” we ranked the retail and brand initiatives we’re thankful for this season, from viral merchandise to purpose-driven campaigns. "We're looking at those strategies, launches, and collabs that we're genuinely grateful for, the moves that made us smile, surprised us, or gave us hope for where retail is headed," said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian.