The ads that actually capture Gen Z’s attention aren’t on the social platforms you’d expect—and that can make all the difference for brands. YouTube is unlike social feeds, where it’s easy to swipe past sponsored posts in a split second, Viewers often have to watch at least part of an ad before getting to the content they clicked on.
Where Is Gen Z Watching Ads? Read More »
From selling cheeseburgers to Lego sets, the modern vending machine has evolved into a convenient storefront in the retail world. Wait until you see what’s next.
It’s Not Your Father’s Vending Machine Read More »
The reinvigorated Luddite movement (after 216 years) has some clear messaging to business leaders. The retail industry has a new, unavoidable question: If software is being engineered as an addictive consumer product, how much responsibility falls on digital platform advertisers––the biggest share of which are retailers––to mitigate consumers’ exposure to these addictive devices?
The Summer of Ludd Read More »
AI assistants could do what retail media networks promise but often fail to deliver: increase basket size without making shoppers feel relentlessly barraged by transactional ads. The macro-opportunity for any retailer is to connect a shopper to information that changes a purchase decision and deliver a better customer experience. If an AI assistant can do that, the tool is an asset, not a gimmick.
AI Agents: Trusted or Transactional? Read More »
Although a convergence of economic and geopolitical pressures is souring consumers’ outlook and pulling sentiment down, when looking at their actual spending—especially heading into the back-to-school and college season—they seem to put those concerns aside if you’re looking for a correlation between sentiment and spending.
The Consumer: Anxious, Financially Stretched, and Driving Retail Growth Read More »
Join Shelley and Dan Altman, author of the High Yield Economics newsletter, as they unpack why the K-shaped economy is persisting, and why diversified supply chains and revenue streams are a survival strategy for retail leaders.
An Economist’s Warning on Shifts Impacting Holiday 2026 Read More »
Retail media is a money grab dressed up as innovation. The industry likes to talk about enhancing the shopper journey, but what gets these programs funded is squeezing incremental trade dollars out of CPG brands already stretched thin by tariffs, climate changes that affect supplies, a war in Iran that is increasing transportation and farming costs, and a retailer’s own margin pressure. No shopper ever asked for more screens in a store.
Retail Media: Retail Hype Read More »
A lot of companies think that loud and messy and customizable and, honestly, an unserious aesthetic proves a human actually made it. Packaging with the low-fi, Nickelodeon slime-esque aesthetic of hyper goo maximalism is the perfect in-group signifier to make next gen impulse purchases move.
Decoding Hyper Goo Maximalism Read More »
I’ve spent four decades walking supermarket aisles and restaurant floors trying to spot the next place where food and commerce would collide. I’ll admit this one surprised me. Cannabis retailers in San Francisco are about to become the new competition for restaurants and supermarkets
Cannabis Dispensaries Taking Dinner Reservations Read More »
With the entire home furnishings category, especially furniture, in the doldrums, retailers in the sector are looking at new categories, including services, as the way to save themselves. But will it work?
Home Retailers: Search for Life Beyond Furniture Read More »
