May 24, 2023 Insights

Meet Gen Z: Fueling the Future of Retail

Younger consumers have the urge to splurge. Recent data from McKinsey found that 61% of Gen Z intend to splurge in 2023. Similarly, Visa found Gen Z to be the only age group that, in any given month in the past 2.5 years, was spending more than they were a year prior. Gen Z will […]

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May 22, 2023
Insights

Summer 2023: What Consumers Are Shopping and How to Win Them

What do travel, footwear, and pets have in common? If you guessed these are some of the faster growing categories on Rakuten as of recent – that’s right. While economic pressures are driving a focus on value and savings, we’re continuing to see shoppers spend money. In the US, first quarter ecommerce sales hit $253.1 […]
May 18, 2023
Insights

Gen Z’s Love for In-Store Shopping: Why Physical Shopping and the Omni-Channel Experience Matters

In Rakuten’s last blog post, we talked about Gen Z being a key driver of retail spend. In this piece, we will dive into a few pro-tips on how to enhance their in-store shopping experience.   Despite growing up in a digital age, Generation Z (Gen Z) still values the in-store shopping experience. This may come […]
April 20, 2023
Insights

Redefining Luxury for Growth

Luxury is poised for continued economic resilience and steady growth. Despite market turbulence, the global luxury market grew 20% in 2022 reaching $1.65 trillion dollars. Th persistence of the category during times of financial stress, though contrary to expected behavior, proves luxury is more resilient than ever.   Rakuten and Vogue Business partnered to survey 1,200 […]
April 19, 2023
Insights

The Retail Calendar Revolution

Despite unpredictable market conditions, retail sales have remained remarkably stable. Interestingly, the National Retail Federation anticipates retail sales will grow between 4% and 6% in 2023. Consumers continue to spend on non-essential items with a willingness to try new brands, while many have returned to in-store shopping. All the while, shoppers have adjusted their spending […]
April 18, 2023
Insights

How Are Inflationary Concerns Impacting Consumer Spending?

Inflation has retreated from the four-decade high it reached last summer, but consumers continue to feel the impact as inflation is still higher than pre-pandemic levels. The prices of groceries and rent remain high. A recent Gallup poll reveals that 8/10 US adults will be a year of economic difficulty.    Despite concerns, and contrary to […]
February 9, 2023
Insights

Savvy shopping will stay top of mind in 2023

Inflation is easing but it’s still higher than the three-year average pre-pandemic Consumer spend remained positive through December 2022, despite consistent pressure for high inflation rates. In particular, the second half of the year saw a steady decline in inflation with the year closing at a 6.5% inflation rate. In looking at retail sales, consumer […]

Recent Posts

Getting Ready for Kickoff: Rakuten’s Big Game Journey

With the big game just days away, we’re overwhelmed with a whirlwind of emotions: excitement, anticipation, pride, and so much more. Rakuten is advertising in the Big Game for the second year in a row, and as we count down the days to kickoff it’s important for us to reflect on our journey as a […]

Rakuten Proves Incrementality of Our Cash Back Program

We get asked about incrementality all the time. We have new data that proves the incremental revenue Rakuten Cash Back programs deliver for our brand partners. Rakuten recently partnered with a leading high-end department store to test the incremental value gained from their Cash Back program. MediaPost sheds light into the findings of Rakuten’s incrementality […]

A return to health for retail

2023 is the year for reset The start of 2023 looks vastly different than the beginning of 2022. For the first time in three years, retailers are entering the new year with more predictable conditions consistent with the ebbs and flows of regular economic cycles. Without the burden of latent inventory upsetting the shelves, and […]

What’s ahead for affiliate in 2023

To drive maximum growth, every affiliate marketer must look ahead to understand how their category and customers will evolve. So, what’s ahead for affiliate? We asked our experts to point out the most important trends they expect in the next 12-18 months. Here are six ways the market is changing, plus tips and recommendations for […]

How the cash back customer can propel resale retail

Have you bought anything pre-owned online yet? Resale is a large and fast-growing segment of e-commerce. According to Statista, online sales of resale items were projected to exceed $77B in 2022 and rise to almost $200B by 2030. Online resale revenue will exceed offline by 2026. Online retail is the fastest-growing segment of the second-hand […]

Cash Back optimizes performance

Shutterfly proves the effectiveness of Cash Back Brands often ask us what’s the best Cash Back rate to power optimal performance against their business targets. Any decision to increase or decrease Cash Back rate impacts margins and gross profit. Whether or not it makes sense to offer a higher Cash Back rate depends on demand […]

Fashion & Finance: The new economic realities of luxury consumers

Rakuten and Vogue Business investigate how luxury shoppers are responding to economic uncertainty. More than 1,000 luxury fashion consumers in the US were surveyed to find out how they are responding to new economic realities. This research investigates how shoppers are funding luxury purchases; the brands they are prioritizing; and the impact of macroeconomic trends […]

The Holiday Outlook

Shoppers are poised to spend throughout the season. Are you ready?  Holiday shopping has seen an undeniable pull forward this year and the seasonal race to steal share has intensified with looming economic uncertainty and persistent shopper demand.   Rakuten maintains the Holiday outlook is positive for retailers over the next two weeks if they can […]