News

Retail
H&M, Shein Explore New Retail Model With Third-Party Brands
July 03, 2023

The announcement that H&M and Shein are diversifying their offerings through third-party assistance (brand incorporation or sellers) isn’t unusual because now when a consumer shops on Shein they can find a house appliance to go hand in hand with their summer crop top (It’s not...

Loyalty & Rewards
Banks Try Digital Gift Cards to Turn Everyday Spend Into Loyalty Perk
July 03, 2023

Today’s hostile macroclimate is proving to be historically hungry for consumers’ purchasing power. Record inflation is eating up Americans’ ability to make everyday purchases with little to no worry. Fortunately, an ongoing foundational shift in the very nature of money and payments is helping cash-strapped...

Delivery
New Platforms Test Legacy Carriers’ Ability to Go the Last Mile, Says AxleHire CEO
July 03, 2023

According to Raj Ramanan, who has just taken the reins as CEO of AxleHire, the last mile is the last and best chance for eCommerce firms to make the best impression. At a high level, “consumers hold brands accountable for the delivery experience,” he told...

Digital Banking
Cybersecurity Is Driving Banks to the Cloud
July 03, 2023

Digital banking quickly became standard for consumers nationwide as the pandemic cemented a shift to mobile that had been years in the making. Consumers expect targeted and personalized digital banking experiences rather than one-size-fits-all. Forty-six percent want personalized help from their financial institutions (FIs) in...

Retail
Mytheresa’s Auto Body Shop Pop-Up and the Rise of Differentiated Immersive Experiences
July 02, 2023

In the retail landscape, immersive experiences have become the new standard. However, when it comes to creating these experiences, it’s like the wild Wild West out there, with endless possibilities. As long as customers are buzzing about it and it’s making a significant impact, retailers...

IPO
IPO Market Struggles as It Enters ‘Rebuilding Mode’
July 02, 2023

Initial public offerings (IPOs) might be back, but they’re not all the way back. As The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday (July 2), last week saw a trio of companies — thrift store chain Savers Value Village, reinsurer Fidelis and Kodiak Gas Services — all...

Regulation
Private Equity Firms Could Suffer Under New Merger Rules
July 02, 2023

New U.S. rules governing mergers could hit private equity firms harder than most companies. That’s according to a report Saturday (July 1) by the Financial Times, citing interviews with antitrust experts. These experts argue that proposed changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) form, which companies use to notify...

Retail
Consumers Are Trading up, but Is $70 Sriracha a Stretch?
July 01, 2023

From worries about Ozempic hitting the black market to now a Siracha shortage, the consumer world is in a place of interesting chaos. Sriracha sauce prices have surged on eBay, reaching as high as $70, as consumers rush to acquire this popular spicy condiment. On...

Social Commerce
ByteDance Plans Cost-Free Platform for TikTok’s Marketplace
June 30, 2023

TikTok will soon be launching its first online retail store within the United States version of the app. The ByteDance-owned social media app’s new store will be up and running as soon as next month, Semafor reported Thursday (June 28). The store will include an array of...