Market Analysis

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 28, 2026 -- The global smart shopping cart market is projected to grow from $0.59 billion in 2026 to $1.65 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 18.7%, according to new data from MarketsandMarkets. The market stood at $0.33 billion in 2025, reflecting near-doubling growth in a single year as retailers accelerate deployment of AI-enabled carts to automate checkout and deepen in-store digital engagement.

Pune, India – September 25, 2026 -- The global AI in Clinical Trials Market is set to more than triple from USD 2 billion in 2025 to USD 7.32 billion by 2034, expanding at a 15.5% compound annual growth rate, according to Maximize Market Research.

Pharmaceutical firms accelerate AI adoption to cut trial delays

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, along with contract research organizations, hospitals and research institutes, are deploying machine learning, natural language processing and deep learning to speed patient screening, cohort selection, trial design and large-scale data analysis. These tools are applied across Phase I, Phase II and Phase III trials for patient recruitment, safety monitoring, drug discovery and personalized medicine.

Pune, India – September 24, 2026 -- The global placenta market is set to nearly triple from USD 96.1 billion in 2025 to USD 275.18 billion by 2034, expanding at a 12.4% compound annual growth rate, according to a new analysis by Maximize Market Research.

Asia-Pacific leads global demand as Japan, South Korea and China drive placenta research

Asia-Pacific held the leading market position in 2025, backed by strong placenta research and development in Japan, South Korea and China, alongside rising production of placenta-derived products for pharmaceutical and cosmetics applications. The region's large consumer base and appetite for anti-aging and skincare solutions continue to underpin its dominant position.

Shanghai – September 24, 2026 -- Pearson has warned that early-career workers in skilled trade, technical and service occupations are entering the workforce without the AI literacy, human skills and hands-on experience employers now require simultaneously. The findings come from a new report, "For Every Future: Preparing Early-Career Skilled Trade, Technical and Service Talent for an AI-Infused World," launched at the WorldSkills International Conference 2026 in Shanghai.

Howell, Mich. – September 23, 2026 -- Ninety-one percent of U.S. wholesale Christmas tree growers plan to hold or lower prices for the 2026 season, up from 84% a year earlier, according to the Real Christmas Tree Board's fifth annual grower survey.

Growers absorb rising input costs instead of passing them to retailers

The survey of 47 wholesale growers, representing roughly half to two-thirds of the U.S. real Christmas tree market, found that despite continued year-over-year increases in input costs, most producers are choosing to absorb them rather than raise wholesale prices. Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board, said the outlook reflects the industry's consistency for both first-time buyers and returning customers.

Delray Beach – September 22, 2026 -- The global modular data center market is projected to grow from $41.0 billion in 2026 to $93.6 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 18.0%, according to a new MarketsandMarkets report. The market stood at $34.9 billion in 2025, underscoring an accelerating pace of adoption driven by AI workloads and cloud infrastructure buildouts.

Solution segment dominates as AI deployment demand climbs

The solution segment is set to command $29.85 billion of market value by 2026, the largest share among segment categories. All-in-one modular data centers, which integrate IT racks, power distribution, cooling, fire suppression and security into a single prefabricated enclosure, are forecast to post the highest CAGR at 19.6% through 2031. Skid-mounted systems will grow even faster, at 21.2% annually, as operators seek compact, self-contained infrastructure for rapid rollout in remote and edge locations.

Hyderabad – September 21, 2026 -- The global soybean oil market is set to expand from $43.87 billion in 2026 to $57.66 billion by 2031, a 5.62% compound annual growth rate, according to Mordor Intelligence. Renewable diesel mandates and the EU Deforestation Regulation are reshaping demand and sourcing patterns across the value chain, while new crushing capacity in Brazil and Argentina offsets slower North American expansion.

US biofuel mandates lock in record demand floor for soybean oil

The EPA finalized record-high Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2026 and 2027 in March 2026, with biodiesel and renewable diesel production projected to grow more than 60% versus 2025 levels. The rule strengthens crush margins for domestic processors and guarantees a structural demand base that buffers the market against swings in food consumption, according to the report.

Singapore – September 21, 2026 -- Seoul has emerged as the top overseas holiday destination worldwide for this year's Golden Week, recording a 91% year-on-year jump in international flight bookings, according to new data from Trip.com Group. Chinese travellers are combining Golden Week with the Mid-Autumn Festival into a 13-day break by taking three additional days off, with outbound departures expected to spike as early as September 25 and average trip lengths exceeding nine days.

Chinese Outbound Departures Shift Earlier to Avoid Holiday Rush

More than half of outbound flight bookings this season are for departures before the official holiday begins on October 1, with daily volume peaking on September 25 and 30. The shift comes as Mid-Autumn Festival lands the Friday before the October holidays, prompting travellers to front-load their trips.

Beijing – September 19, 2026 -- iQIYI's smart TV application, QIYIGuo TV, recorded 141 million monthly active devices in June 2026, leading China's connected-TV market as long-form video consumption shifts decisively to the big screen.

China's smart TV base expands to 302 million active devices

QuestMobile data shows active smart TV devices in China reached 302 million in June 2026, up 12.04 million year-over-year. QIYIGuo TV posted 50.42 million daily active devices that month, edging past the 45.14 million daily active users on iQIYI's mobile app.

Cross-screen data implies 130 million daily viewers on TV

Television is a shared device: Gozen Data estimates each smart TV averages 2.6 viewers, implying iQIYI's big-screen content reaches roughly 130 million individual viewers daily -- nearly three times its mobile daily active user count.

Las Vegas – September 19, 2026 -- The paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) market across the seven major markets was valued at approximately $1.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.1% through 2036, according to DelveInsight.

Regeneron's pozelimab-cemdisiran combination leads next wave of PNH therapies

Pozelimab, a fully human anti-C5 monoclonal antibody developed on Regeneron's VelocImmune platform, is expected to generate the highest revenue among emerging PNH therapies in the seven major markets. The drug is being tested in combination with Alnylam's siRNA therapy cemdisiran; Regeneron has said Phase III results in PNH are anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027.