Recent data on ecommerce in Indonesia highlights evolving patterns in online purchasing behavior, including social commerce.

The news: Nvidia is facing a new obstacle in its ability to sell chips to China—Chinese authorities are urging ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, and others to halt purchases of Nvidia hardware. This follows an agreement between President Donald Trump, Nvidia, and AMD that requires the two companies give the US government a 15% cut of Chinese chip revenues in exchange for permission to sell hardware there, per Bloomberg. Our take: ability to develop and deploy AI models for things like algorithm recommendations, content moderation, and generative AI (genAI) features. Marketers should diversify their AI-powered marketing tools to stay ahead if TikTok’s ad products and UX features develop more slowly.

Swiss footwear company On posted raised its full-year sales and gross margin outlook, citing broad-based geographical strength as Gen Z consumers scoop up its premium-priced athletic shoes.

The news: Two-thirds (66%) of consumers in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region ignore repetitive ads when they are shown on a single platform, per a report from The Trade Desk. Gen Z respondents were over twice as likely (57%) to feel irritated when exposed to repetitive ads compared with other demographics. Our take: Ads often need to be repeated to boost brand recall, putting advertisers in a tricky position of balancing brand recognition while not frustrating consumers. But there are approaches marketers can take to address the fatigue issue.

The news: President Donald Trump said he will enact 100% tariffs on all chips imported into the US, exempting companies that have promised to build or have begun building in the US. The plan was announced during a White House meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who said Apple will invest another $100 billion in US manufacturing and jobs, bringing its total commitment to $600 billion, per The Financial Times. Our take: Brands should prepare for new marketing challenges and opportunities tied to supply chain visibility, patriotic manufacturing narratives, and potentially longer product cycles if companies reshore production. Keeping an eye on where key suppliers are building and how quickly they can pivot to US-based operations will be crucial in forecasting product costs and shaping future campaigns.

Ralph Lauren posted higher-than-expected quarterly results and raised its full-year revenue outlook, though it warned that tariffs could pressure consumer spending in the second half. Amid economic uncertainty, Ralph Lauren’s performance highlights the resilience of brands that sit at the intersection of aspiration and accessibility. The company appears better positioned than some of its luxury peers to weather volatility. Its quarterly results offer a blueprint for its retail peers, showing the value of a diversified supply chain and brand equity over aggressive discounting and heavy dependence on a single market.

The news: Klarna and Afterpay will not share the majority of their consumers’ loan information with credit bureaus until they can receive confirmation that their customers will not be penalized for seeking buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans. Our take: Affirm’s early plunge into credit reporting has been blunted against its competitors’ refusal to participate in the system, but it still takes the reputational lead in terms of being a “trustworthy” provider.

China is taking more decisive steps to encourage domestic consumption and rein in price wars that are fueling deflation and straining trade relations. Beijing said it would allocate an additional RMB 69 billion ($9.6 billion) to its consumer goods trade-in program starting in October, bringing the total funds issued this year to RMB 300 billion ($41.87 billion). At the same time, the government plans to “address disorderly competition among enterprises” and more closely scrutinize overcapacity in key industries, according to a Politburo statement. Addressing both issues—domestic consumption and damaging price wars—are key to China’s ability to weather higher tariffs and expand its influence on a global stage. But that’s easier said than done.

Meta’s Q2 2025 earnings showed the company thriving despite softening engagement in mature markets. Revenue surged 22% YoY to $47.52 billion, largely driven by better ad pricing, AI-optimized performance tools, and growing monetization via WhatsApp. Although user growth was modest, Meta demonstrated strong pricing power—especially in North America and Europe—and continues to see big potential in Asia-Pacific. Operating margins remained healthy at 43%, even with record AI investments. As Meta extracts more value per user and expands monetization across platforms, its performance proves that engagement isn’t the only growth lever—it’s how well each session gets monetized.

The luxury sector is facing a “challenging” and “somewhat unprecedented” environment, Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli said—causing even once-hot brands like the company’s namesake label to lose momentum. Luxury companies for the most part view the current downturn as a cyclical blip in an otherwise robust industry. But the prolonged slump is revealing structural challenges—namely, heavier reliance on American and Chinese consumers, as well as a tendency to lean on price hikes rather than innovation to drive sales.

The news: President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close the so-called de minimis trade loophole, which allows foreign packages valued under $800 to enter the US tariff-free. Effective August 29, all shipments under that threshold—regardless of origin—will be subject to duties based on value and country of origin. The White House already ended the exemption for packages from China and Hong Kong on May 2. Our take: Eliminating the de minimis exemption levels the playing field between international ecommerce sellers and domestic retailers—but could also drive up prices for consumers.

The situation: Despite logging a sixth consecutive quarter of negative comps in FY Q3, CEO Brian Niccol—who famously steered Chipotle out of its food‑safety crisis—said Starbucks’ turnaround is running ahead of schedule. Our take: While it’s encouraging to see Starbucks take some small steps in a positive direction, the road is still steep. Consumers remain price‑sensitive, agile rivals in the US and China are taking multiple paths to steal share (both value‑led and trend‑driven), and commodity costs are rising. To break out of its sales slump, Starbucks must execute on four fronts: Make service faster and better. The chain needs to speed up service without sacrificing the high-touch hospitality that Niccol is seeking. Find ways to differentiate. It’s easy to roll out new offerings, but it's hard to develop unique beverages that consumers will clamor for rather than recoil at (who can forget Starbucks’ Oleato line of olive oil-infused drinks?). Lean on technology. Refreshing Starbucks’ Rewards program and revamping its app are proven tools to drive occasional customers back into its stores. Stabilize China. Price cuts may lift traffic, but Starbucks needs to balance volume gains against margin erosion and fend off lower‑priced competitors such as Luckin. Nailing these pillars—speed, product innovation, tech‑powered engagement, and a calibrated China play—will determine whether early green shoots turn into sustained growth.

The challenges: UPS’ turnaround remains in the early innings due to structural inefficiencies, operational missteps, and mounting macroeconomic headwinds. Our take: UPS faces a difficult road ahead. The company is actively trying to streamline operations—planning to shutter up to 10% of its buildings, downsize its fleet, and reduce its US workforce to better align with leaner volumes. It’s also trimming low-margin business, notably cutting back on Amazon deliveries, which made up as much as 11.8% of its total revenues last year, in an effort to prioritize more profitable shipments. Still, with demand under pressure and cost headwinds mounting, stabilizing performance will be an uphill climb.

The news: Z.ai’s new open-source GLM-4.5 model is undercutting DeepSeek and US rivals in cost and efficiency and intensifying global AI competition. Our take: For marketers, open-source tools like Z.ai offer affordable alternatives to costly AI platforms, levelling the playing field for smaller agencies looking to compete. But Z.ai (formerly Zhipu) is on the US Entity List due to its Beijing ties after OpenAI flagged its rapid progress. With this in mind, companies piloting open-source options should do so cautiously and consult with compliance teams before integrating.

Digital’s rapid adoption in recent years has made it the dominant medium with which people spend time in China, Japan, and South Korea, with consumption booming in India.

The news: The Nintendo Switch 2 shattered hardware sales records despite a $150 price hike over its predecessor and higher game and subscription prices. US sales hit 1.6  million units in June—the best console launch month ever—surpassing the PlayStation 4’s November 2013 record of 1.1 million. Our take: Nintendo’s end-to-end control over hardware, software, services, and first-party games sets it apart in a gaming industry chasing endless content and fragmented subscription models. By owning the full experience, Nintendo delivers consistency others can’t. To ride the wave, brands can partner with Nintendo for themed consoles, accessories or in-game downloads. Or, they could seek out third-party developers for subtle, story driven placements in games.