Several conservative Supreme Court justices voiced skepticism over President Donald Trump’s claim that emergency powers allow him to impose sweeping tariffs on countries like Canada, Mexico, and China. A ruling against Trump could reshape the already disrupted US retail sector, with nearly half of imports now under duties. Analysts warn that consumers are beginning to feel the strain, with inflation rising and spending slowing. While a legal setback may limit Trump’s options, his administration still has other trade tools available—ensuring that economic and policy uncertainty will continue well into next year.
Artificial intelligence now shapes how insights are gathered and applied. Over the past year, nearly all US market researchers (98%) have used generative AI, and 72% use it at least once a day, per a new Harris Poll–QuestDIY survey. AI’s speed and scale have replaced early skepticism, even as trust continues to lag behind. Brands adopting AI should build oversight and human judgment into their marketing pipelines to guarantee that every automated insight passes the test of accuracy, transparency, and brand integrity.
Amazon has launched a new Whole Foods concept store in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, featuring a 10,000-square-foot micro-fulfillment center that stocks over 12,000 items from both Whole Foods and Amazon. Shoppers can order online for pickup or scan QR codes in-store to access Amazon’s broader catalog, blending organic groceries with mainstream brands. However, the two-checkout setup adds friction and limits scalability. Despite the new format, Amazon’s long-term focus seems to be on strengthening online grocery sales and expanding same-day delivery to 2,300 locations—positioning the doorstep, not the store, as the future of grocery shopping.
Facing slowing GLP-1 drug sales, Novo Nordisk lowered its full year sales forecast for the third time this year as it continues to lose ground to Eli Lilly in obesity and diabetes. Novo’s next opportunity to close the gap with Lilly lies with the Wegovy pill. Novo is set to be first to market with a next generation weight loss pill and a potential new swath of customers who don’t like needles or prefer the convenience of a pill.
Spotify’s Q3 2025 results show a company redefining success around efficiency and engagement rather than scale. Revenue rose to $4.62 billion, with 713 million monthly active users and 281 million premium subscribers, up 12% YoY. Gross margin reached 31.6% as AI integration, subscription pricing, and product diversification drove profitability. The company’s upcoming leadership transition—Daniel Ek to executive chairman, Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström to co-CEOs—signals continuity through maturity. While ad sales grew just 7%, Spotify’s dominance in user time and audio engagement positions it as the anchor of digital audio. The next chapter: sustainable margins, smarter growth, and steady leadership.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski expects pressures on US consumers to remain “well into 2026,” he said on the company’s Q3 earnings call. The deepening cost of living crisis is especially painful for lower-income households, who are struggling to manage higher rents and childcare costs alongside a renewed spike in food prices. McDonald’s playbook for navigating those pressures is relevant to both fellow QSRs and the retail industry. By successfully combining value initiatives with marketing and product innovation, the company is gaining share with higher-income consumers and staying relevant with less affluent households.
After years of athleisure dominating closets, denim jeans are back in the spotlight. As brands reinvest in fit, quality, and cultural relevance, the US denim market is set to reach $21.5 billion by 2028, according to Euromonitor International.
Google added integrations to Gemini that pull information and insights from Gmail, Google Chat conversations, and Google Drive files. It can also connect with PDFs, Docs, Slides, and Sheets. For enterprise users, this means faster and more context-rich insights—especially for tasks like internal research, competitive benchmarking, or campaign planning, where information is often scattered across different tools and channels. Marketers should begin with targeted use cases like analyzing brand sentiment from team discussions or summarizing performance reports.
"[The oldest members of Gen Alpha are] turning 16 next year, so we are on the eve of them becoming pretty powerful consumers," said Dani Mariano, CEO at Razorfish. "[GWI found that] 30% of 12- to 15-year-olds said that they had used AI in the last seven days. I think it could be even higher."
Coca-Cola is putting out another AI-generated holiday advertisement, its second after an AI ad campaign last year that drew mixed reactions from audiences. While attitudes toward AI in ads are mixed, smaller brands are at a higher risk of receiving negative impacts from creating ads entirely using AI.
Holiday shoppers are stressed and overwhelmed, per Accenture’s 19th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey. And this is leading to lower conversion rates: 85% of consumers are likely to abandon their carts due to frustration or indecision, according to the survey. To best meet customer needs quickly, retailers can partner with providers like Checkout.com on its one-click checkout solution Flow Remember Me or PayPal-owned Honey as it integrates AI-powered product recommendations based on users’ conversations with chatbots.
United Airlines rolled out the MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card in partnership with Sofi-owned Galileo, per a press release. The debit card is issued by Sunrise Banks and runs on the Visa network. United’s debit card may appeal to younger United customers who are early in their financial lives and are skeptical of credit cards. But for others, it may be a tough sell as loyal travelers could instead get the United Gateway credit card, which has no annual fee and stronger rewards.
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to reject Coinbase’s application for a national trust charter, arguing that the application has “serious deficiencies.” The Trump administration’s crypto friendliness is a threat to banks as much as regulatory leniency and stablecoin clarity is a relief: A trust charter confers legitimacy on a crypto firm, but it doesn’t require deposit insurance. These standards may enable crypto companies to compete more vigorously with traditional institutions.
U.S. Bank and investment advisory firm Edward Jones announced co-branded checking account and credit card products, which will be distributed to Edward Jones clients through its advisors. The co-branded offering consolidates investment and banking products into a single digital experience. The U.S. Bank–Edward Jones partnership is just one approach that banks can take to capitalize on the Great Wealth Transfer and cross-sell between investment and retail banking products and services. With the mass-affluent segment in mind, banks can use partnerships to attract customers they might not otherwise reach for basic banking products, like deposit accounts and credit cards.
More companies are looking to shed underperforming assets or overhaul their business structures to strengthen their businesses in an uncertain environment. Yum, Starbucks, and AB Foods are among those either looking to sell or restructure to better position themselves for growth. With the global economy on increasingly shaky footing due to geopolitical tensions and trade disputes, it’s no surprise that companies are moving to mitigate risk either by slimming down or seeking partners to help extract greater strategic value from their assets.
ThredUp posted its strongest revenue growth in nearly four years in Q3 as rising price sensitivity fuels interest in online resale. Active buyers surged 26% YoY as ThredUp touted its “best quarter for new buyer acquisition” in company history. Resale is having a moment. The end of de minimis import exemptions and new tariffs on apparel are making buying secondhand more appealing to price-sensitive consumers, while younger generations are embracing resale for its affordability and creative possibilities. We expect fashion online resale platform sales to expand 10.4% this year, nearly double the rate of online apparel, footwear, and accessories sales.
Instacart has launched a new suite of AI-powered tools aimed at helping grocers deliver more personalized and efficient shopping experiences both in-store and online. The rollout includes features like Cart Assistant for customized recommendations, Store View for real-time shelf monitoring, and Agentic Analytics for data-driven insights. Instacart’s bet is that the more it can use emerging technologies to simplify life for both grocery shoppers and retailers, the stickier its platform will become.
Uber is pursuing aggressive cross-platform integration to boost revenue, noting that customers who use both its mobility and delivery services spend three times more and stay longer. With only 20% of users currently overlapping, the company is pushing its Uber One membership and personalized offers to bridge the gap. Delivery growth remains strong, with bookings up 24% YoY, and Uber is expanding into grocery and retail through partnerships with major brands and new promotions like “Fresh Days.” Overall, Uber’s record trip volumes and strong earnings outlook highlight sustained demand for convenience and position the company for continued growth.
Between 2022 and 2024, Novo Nordisk spent about $7.5 million to have Ozempic ads run on related search keywords to drive users to its prescription drug brand website, according to a JAMA Network Open study. Novo spent the $7.5 million across 15,000 paid keywords related to weight loss, which generated 2.4 million paid visits to Ozempic.com. Some drugmakers might be getting away with pay-per-click drug advertising that promotes their product for off-label use. Given that pharma companies devote about 56% of their annual digital ad spend to search—the second-highest share of any sector—marketers should work with search platforms to better align paid keywords with appropriate drug ad placements.