When Google autocompletes search queries about retail brands, it offers a glimpse of what most confounds customers. This new feature looks for answers.

In 2000, before Elon Musk and Peter Thiel became known for flummoxing media consumers, they co-founded a payments company that aimed to be such a friend to consumers that they put “pal” in its name.

Today, PayPal—which reports serving more than 430 million account holders and merchants in more than 200 markets—has become synonymous with e-commerce. And yet, the biggest retailer in the world, Amazon, doesn’t accept PayPal.

Amazon states on its website that PayPal is among a list of payments it does not accept, a list that also includes checks, cash, and EBT cash benefits.

But consumers aren’t primarily googling to ask if Amazon takes PayPal; they’re googling to ask why it doesn’t.

SorryPal: A member of Amazon’s press team, Deniz Sonmez, responded with a statement that gave no clear answer to our question.

“Our goal is to meet the needs and preferences of every Amazon customer,” the statement, which made no mention of PayPal, read in part. “We’re always listening to customer feedback to improve our shopping experience—and that includes the payment methods we accept in our stores.”

Asked again to explain why Amazon does not accept PayPal in a follow-up email and phone call, Sonmez declined to elaborate.

PayPal, similarly, declined to respond directly to the question of why it’s not accepted at Amazon but did note that the PayPal debit card and cashback Mastercard can be used as a workaround. (More on this below.)

Amazoff: There are two popular theories—cited, among other places, by Insider—about why PayPal is not a payment option on Amazon.

• From 2002 to 2015, PayPal was owned outright by Amazon rival eBay, and both eBay and Amazon may have been disinclined to partner with a competitor.
• Amazon has its own third-party payment method, Amazon Pay, which could be considered a direct competitor to PayPal.

Keep reading here.—AAN

They grow up so fast. Inflation gripped retail last year, but a number of brands whose products play nice with consumers’ wallets saw a payoff.

Morning Consult aggregated the top 20 brands with the sharpest rise in purchasing consideration last year, and how that played out across generations. The rankings are determined by measuring the growth in customers who said they would consider purchasing from a brand over the course of the year.

Inflation defined 2022, which meant shoppers were buying fewer of their favorite products and they were less willing to experiment. However, a handful of brands—especially in food and beverage—were able to stand out from the rest of the pack, which could inform who will dominate 2023.

Of the 1,689 brands examined this year, Crocs saw the second-highest purchase consideration among US adults.

• You might have believed Gen Zers were fueling the Crocs craze, but that was the only age demographic not in the top 20 for growth this year.
• Morning Consult says that Crocs is able to dabble with trendier styles and looks without alienating its core audience, who appreciate the shoe for its comfort and functionality.

Food and beverage brands saw a lot more purchase consideration last year. A handful of the top 20 include Stōk, Great Value cream cheese (yes, you read that correctly), Gatorade Fit, Chobani, Häagen-Dazs, Frito Lay, and the infamous Four Loko.

• For many of these brands, their low price points are the explanation for their growth.

“The food and beverage category tends to do well in economically tense times, which means this year, Gen Xers are responding positively to efforts from a number of brands in the category,” Emily Moquin, food and beverage analyst at Morning Consult, said in the report. “What’s more, our data shows Gen Xers’ healthy-eating intentions are waning under the weight of inflation.”

Keep reading here.—KM

“Big January-in-the-Northeast vibes out of Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday, as the company announced in a public filing that it has ‘substantial doubt’ about its ability to continue and could potentially file for bankruptcy,” writes Morning Brew’s Max Knoblauch:

BBBY expects to report a 33% sales decline compared to Q3 last year (which included Black Friday). The company anticipates losses to reach $385.8 million…and warned that it may not have cash for suppliers and lease agreements in the coming months.

What happened? Maybe shoppers are just less impressed by towels these days. But the retailer also committed numerous own goals, such as replacing big brands with private labels amid supply-chain snarls.

Read the whole story here on Morning Brew.

Today’s top retail reads.

Fast and the furious: Accelerated production rates are impacting the once high-quality consumer goods that would last for years, including everything from apparel to kitchen appliances and personal tech gadgets. (Vox)

Out of town: New legislation and rising costs are pushing clothing brands to look outside of manufacturing hubs in the US like Los Angeles for their production needs. (Bloomberg)

New horizons: Hit by near-constant supply-chain issues, several American companies are pulling back from production in Asia and instead looking to Laredo—a Texas border city poised to become the center of global trade. (the New York Times)

Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. Hefty released a “Snack Scarf” lined with secret pockets to help smuggle snacks from a party.
2. A poorly rated restaurant in Florida is offering diners a chance to win over $100,000 for exclusively ordering and eating its scallops every day for a year.
3. Equinox has banned New Year’s resolution members as part of its January campaign.
4. A Minneapolis restaurant was slammed with a cease and desist order by Smucker’s for selling round, crustless sandwiches.

Keep reading for the answer.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• How luxury is likely to fare in 2023
• How Reformation is approaching sustainability this year
• The trends brands will pursue in Web3 and the metaverse this year