Block has been working to grow Cash App Pay, but the buy button still trails competitors

While the deal could bring in new revenue, integrating Expedia risks overcomplicating Uber’s app and driving users to competitors.

Self-driving car companies might rely on ride share platforms until consumer accessibility expands and manufacturing costs drop. But this strategy could drive down wages for human drivers.

The Cybercab prototype lacks clarity on timeline and technical details, raising investor concerns about the company’s ability to meet its ambitious autonomous vehicle goals.

DoorDash forgoes gig workers for employees with wages: The delivery platform announced a surprising pilot that would significantly upgrade the worker experience in select markets.

Olive Garden inks delivery partnership with Uber following parent Darden Restaurants’ poor quarter: The company missed sales and earnings expectations as consumers cut back on restaurant visits.

The media model popularized by retailers is now being adapted by companies in other verticals. Financial services and travel companies are among those launching commerce media networks in a bid to monetize their first-party data.

Uber and DoorDash report double-digit growth as customers prioritize convenience: Order frequency rose in Q2 thanks to both companies’ membership programs and growing selections of merchants.

Here are four takeaways and brand examples to guide your full-funnel creative strategy.

Instacart launches new ad formats to help CPGs drive impulse purchases: The delivery platform will roll out shoppable recipes, occasions, and bundles to facilitate discovery and boost brand engagement.

Instacart and Uber team up to keep DoorDash at bay: Instacart hopes the deal will protect its grocery business and widen consumer appeal, while Uber looks for new customers.

Starbucks eliminates global CMO role: Reflecting broader trends, this move showcases a shift toward more localized and specialized marketing strategies.

Uber, Lyft, and Instacart fine-tune their ad strategies: The platforms are leaning into personalization and experimenting with formats as they try to boost revenues without alienating users.

Instacart’s ad growth slowed in Q4: That could create problems for the company as it relies more heavily on ads to offset softening grocery delivery demand.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how buying alcohol online is different, what Uber’s shutdown of Drizly means for its retail media business, and how consumption habits are changing. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the future of alcohol. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

This report presents five of the most intriguing and/or under-the-radar positive forecasts for 2024 that clients should be aware of, as compiled by our forecasting team.

Grocery is set to become the largest US ecommerce category by 2026.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether Uber's business is actually sustainable, how many Americans use ride-hailing apps, and what the ad opportunity is. "In Other News," we talk about whether there will be more—or fewer—self-checkout options by the end of next year and whether the world is ready to accept humanoid robots used by Amazon. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Yory Wurmser.

77.6 million people in the US will use Uber or Lyft next year, according to our August 2023 forecast.

Instacart leans on advertising to bolster its bottom line: The company’s advertising revenues grew 19%, significantly outpacing the 4% growth in the number of online orders on its platform.