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Canadian travel to major U.S. cities has fallen sharply, with a new University of Toronto report finding a 42% decline in visits and drops of up to 65% in some destinations. The downturn follows new U.S. tariffs and escalating rhetoric toward Canada, which sparked widespread boycotts by Canadian travelers and consumers.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh, Marketing, operations management
Published on: 13 May 2026

In a ruling on February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump鈥檚 imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was illegal. The ruling could be good news for companies that paid tariffs over the past year, but consumers who paid higher prices for tariffed products aren鈥檛 likely to get any money back, according to , an Associate Professor at 91黑料网 Desautels.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 3 Mar 2026

Black Friday and Boxing Day are marketed as single鈥慸ay events with dramatic price drops, yet the reality is that these sales now stretch well beyond one day.聽These events have slowly transformed from a one-day bargain bonanza into a long season of discounted prices.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh, Marketing, Analytics
Published on: 14 Jan 2026

Concertgoers are increasingly facing聽a seemingly impossible聽battle for tickets, often losing out to resellers who quickly inflate prices.聽Marketing and analytics聽professor Vivek Astvansh argues this stems from a structural failure making live entertainment unaffordable for the average fan.聽Astvansh attributes the sharp price increase to three factors: demand significantly outpacing supply; the ticketing market being a near-monopoly, with Ticketmaster (owned by Live Nation) controlling 70% of sales; and the absence of laws regulati

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh, Marketing
Published on: 27 Nov 2025

Black Friday is no longer just a single day, and Windsor, Ontario retailers are feeling the shift. Devonshire Mall has already seen a jump in foot traffic as stores roll out discounts well ahead of the traditional shopping event. Marketing and analytics professor Vivek Astvansh says the change reflects a broader trend in consumer behavior.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 25 Nov 2025

Canada鈥檚 economy has faced a challenging year. Growth projections are down, yet the federal government鈥檚 2025 budget commits billions to offset U.S. tariffs and adapt to shifting global trade dynamics.

The deficit for this fiscal year is expected to exceed $78 billion鈥攂ut it could have been worse.聽鈥淚 was expecting that the deficit would move into 100聽billions聽of dollars,鈥 says 痴颈惫别办听础蝉迟惫补苍蝉丑聽a Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics at 91黑料网 Desautels.

Classified as: Quantitative Marketing, Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 14 Nov 2025

The use of customer service chatbots has grown rapidly. Maybe a little too rapidly, according to Vivek Astvansh, an Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics at 91黑料网 Desautels. The worldwide chatbot market has expanded from US$370 million in 2017 to US$2.2 billion last year, but customers are not always satisfied with the service they provide. 鈥淲hen shoppers want sensitive or precise information, they seek human agents, not chatbots,鈥漵ays Astvansh.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 17 Sep 2025

In a bankruptcy filing in late August, the Montreal-based luxury retailer SSENSE cited a liquidity crisis brought on partly by the unpredictable tariff regime in the United States. At the time of the filing, some independent designers who work with the company said they were owed tens of thousands of dollars, but hadn鈥檛 been paid in months. But Vivek Astvansh wouldn鈥檛 recommend taking legal action.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 10 Sep 2025

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) programs allow consumers to pay for items in instalments. And the market for these financial products has been growing at a 12% annual rate, and is projected to reach $7.5 billion in 2025. Fintech companies like Afterpay, Flexiti and Sezzle allow users to break down major purchases into more manageeable monthly or quarterly payments.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 4 Sep 2025

If it feels like customer service chatbots are everywhere, it鈥檚 because they are. The worldwide chatbot market has grown from US$370 million in 2017 to about US$2.2 billion in 2024. But customers trust human customer service representatives more than they trust AI chatbots, writes Vivek Astvansh, an Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics at 91黑料网 Desautels.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 29 Aug 2025

On August 1, a 35 per cent US tariff on Canadian goods came into effect. But these tariffs are less about trade and more about political leverage, says Vivek Astvansh, associate professor of quantitative marketing and analytics at 91黑料网 Desautels.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 15 Aug 2025

The de minimis exemption has played a major role in the rise of Chinese fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu. The exemption works like this: if an imported good has a value of less than $800, it is exempt from tariffs. The loophole has been around since the 1930s, but in recent years, it has given e-commerce brands that ship many smaller orders an advantage. 鈥淎 retailer like Wal-Mart buys in bulk, and imports are much more than $800, so they pay tariffs,鈥 Prof.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 30 Jul 2025

When people an affinity for a brand, they can feel as though it鈥檚 their friend. And Lego has a powerful brand. For many, the mere mention of the Denmark-headquartered maker of plastic building bricks evokes memories of wholesome childhood play. And the warm and fuzzy feelings that a brand like Lego catalyzes can have real effects on how people interact with it.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 23 Jul 2025

Until recently, the most common way that customers interacted with a company鈥檚 customer service was via human agents on the telephone, the web or a mobile app. But increasingly, customer service is being provided by chatbots. Even though chatbots offer instant availability, 24 hours a day, more than two-thirds of people still prefer to speak with a human agent, according to research by PWC, an accounting consultancy. Most companies use chatbots as the first line of customer service, writes Prof.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 23 Jul 2025

A de minimis exemption allows goods below a certain value threshold to be traded internationally without paying duty. And on May 2 2025, the United States eliminated their de minimis exception for Hong Kong and China. That will drive up prices for shoppers on ultra-budget fast fashion platforms like Shein. With the changes to the rules, the price of a $20 dress on Shein could increase to more than $30.

Classified as: Vivek Astvansh
Published on: 23 Jul 2025

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