🚗 Amazon Quietly Enters the Online Auto Market

Mobile, Visual Ads, & AI: Key 2025 FMCG Trends Revealed in New Report from Semrush & Euromonitor

In 2024, mobile drove 60% of FMCG ecommerce traffic, display ads spiked 156%, and AI referrals soared 1138%. See how top brands are adapting in 2025—get the full data from Semrush & Euromonitor.

🗃️ What’s Shaping the Shelves?

Amazon is now offering select car models for purchase online, starting with Hyundai. Buyers can choose their vehicle, handle financing, and complete paperwork through Amazon’s platform before picking up the car at a local dealership. This move brings Amazon’s retail model into a high-ticket industry and hints at how major platforms could reshape categories that were once off-limits to ecommerce. While not a full disruption yet, it signals a step toward a new kind of showroom—one driven by clicks, not square footage. Read more.

🧙 Retail Masterclass

With President Trump proposing new trade agreements between the US and Vietnam, some retailers are eyeing long-term shifts in sourcing and manufacturing. Vietnam is already a strong alternative to China for textiles, electronics, and furniture. If favorable trade terms are formalized, expect more supply chains to move operations to Vietnam, especially for price-sensitive categories. The lesson: keep your sourcing options flexible. Regulatory signals often shape tomorrow’s cost structures.

💡 An Everyday Market Hack

If you're planning to expand or pop up in new areas, use mobile device foot traffic data to study where your current customers also shop. Look for overlap with high-traffic shopping centers, lifestyle areas, or adjacent retail zones. It’s a practical way to test market fit without investing in leases too early.

🧐 Shopper Insights

Armani’s 2024 revenue dropped slightly to €2.65 billion, with the brand citing economic uncertainty and more cautious shoppers worldwide. Even in luxury, there is evidence that consumers are pulling back, choosing fewer pieces and prioritizing timeless styles over trend-driven purchases. This reflects a broader pattern—customers remain active, but they’re slowing down and thinking more before they buy.

Retail Innovation

🏷️ Featured Brand - U.S. Polo Assn

U.S. Polo Assn. is expanding into Brazil through a licensing deal with Grupo Pasquini, aiming for 60 stores and a strong ecommerce push. Brazil's young, brand-aware population and growing middle class make it a strategic market. The brand will offer both casual and lifestyle products, backed by local marketing and retail operations. It’s a reminder that emerging markets can offer growth where mature ones slow down—if brands localize properly.

🌱 Eco Trends

US consumers still show preference for sustainable packaging—but with conditions. Many want to know how recyclable or compostable materials really are, and whether brands follow through on eco-promises. It’s not enough to use green buzzwords. Retailers must back claims with labeling, third-party certifications, or in-store education. Packaging still matters, but transparency is now part of the value.

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