After a 12-year legal battle, Google has agreed to pay $23 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by consumers who claimed that the company's search engine shared their queries with advertisers or other third parties without their permission. Originally filed in 2010, the lawsuit alleged that when a Google user clicked on a link in search results, the site shared the search terms entered with third parties, potentially revealing personal information about the searcher. According to the suit, advertisers pay Google to see what search terms led consumers to a particular page.

As we head into 2023, retailers will need to be even more agile and responsive to the changing landscape to stay competitive and continue driving growth. This means adapting to shifting consumer preferences, new market conditions, and rising costs. One major challenge facing retailers is the shift toward e-commerce, which has accelerated rapidly during the pandemic. Online sales are projected to reach more than $31 trillion by 2025, taking an increasingly larger slice of total retail sales worldwide. To stay competitive in this environment, retailers need to offer seamless and convenient online shopping experiences and effectively leverage social media and influencer marketing to drive customer acquisition and retention.