Stung by leftover inventory and unsure about consumer spending, India’s auto dealers are worried about having to discount more to boost demand in the upcoming festive season, a representative of the dealers’ body said on Thursday. The double-whammy of higher inventory costs and deeper discounts are a nightmare for auto dealers as that has a … Read more
India’s biggest budget airline IndiGo has been trialing a booking feature that will allow women to avoid booking a seat next to men on flights. The feature, the first of its kind for an airline, works by showing female travelers a pink seat at the seat selection page if it will be occupied by a … Read more
A customer shops at a Safeway store on June 11, 2024 in Mill Valley, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images The rate of price increases for food has subsided in recent months, according to the latest government inflation data. However, shoppers still report feeling burdened by the prices they’re seeing in the grocery store aisles. … Read more
Consumers from China and India were the biggest users of digital wallets for both online and physical sales. D3sign | Moment | Getty Images Digital wallets are the fastest growing payment method in the world, and Asia is leading the charge, according to the latest report by payments processing firm Worldpay. Globally, digital wallets accounted … Read more
Elena Perova | Istock | Getty Images High inflation is subsiding, but many Americans have yet to see relief from elevated prices at the grocery store. “Grocery prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, and in many cases, they’ve kept going up, even though the pandemic is over,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at a Wednesday Senate … Read more
E-commerce artisan marketplace Etsy is at a crossroads as it tries to balance declining gross merchandise sales, a tumbling stock price and high inflation with the needs of its 7 million sellers. “After the big increase in both buyers and spending per buyer during Covid, it looks like they’ve hit a wall,” said Jason Helfstein, … Read more
Higher-income consumers may be creating a frothy situation at Walmart. Even though affluent shoppers helped drive the retailer’s latest beat on quarterly results, former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon warns they’ll be hard to keep. “The Walmart experience is better than it used to be, but it’s still not a premium experience. Walmart is built … Read more
Lourdes Balduque | Moment | Getty Images High inflation eased slightly in April, which may provide some relief to consumers who have been contending with elevated prices. For retirees and people approaching retirement, higher than normal inflation poses unique challenges. Most retirees have access to one of the few inflation-adjusted sources of income — … Read more
The window for interest rate cuts may be closing. On the eve of the Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting, Wall Street forecaster Jim Bianco believes the central bank will likely stay on hold until next year. “I’m in the camp that the Fed does not change policy in the summer of an election year,” the … Read more
Pixelseffect | E+ | Getty Images Some grocery store products are providing less for your money. And everyone from President Joe Biden to Cookie Monster has noticed. Blame shrinkflation. The term — which is increasingly used in conversation — refers to products becoming smaller in size, weight or quantity as their prices stay the same … Read more
