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IFA Berlin renews global retail pact with NielsenIQ
BERLIN: IFA Berlin has renewed its partnership with consumer and retail intelligence firm NielsenIQ (NIQ), naming it the official global retail partner for 2025. The tie-up promises sharper data and market analyses for brands, retailers and media, as the world’s biggest consumer-tech fair gears up for its September edition.
The partnership kicked off with an NIQ keynote on 1 July, setting the tone with a barrage of consumer trends and retail forecasts. NIQ’s insights will continue to flow through IFA’s press talks and digital channels, all freely accessible to the industry.
“We’re bringing together IFA’s global stage and NIQ’s data firepower to help steer strategic decisions across consumer tech,” said IFA Management chief executive Leif Lindner.
A centrepiece of the collaboration is the inaugural IFA Retail Leaders Summit on 4 September, where NIQ will steer panels on omnichannel experience, personalised engagement and data-driven go to market strategies. Panellists include e-commerce heavyweight Coolblue.
NIQ will also host a business breakfast on 6 September in Hall 6.3, tackling shifting consumer behaviour, cross-channel sales, and the rise of refurbished markets. A dedicated NIQ Lounge near the press centre will serve as a networking hub.
“IFA is the world’s shop window for innovation. With tech and durables evolving at breakneck speed, industry players need hard consumer truths, not guesswork,” said NIQ global tech & durables president Julian Baldwin.
IFA Berlin, which traces its roots to 1924, remains the world’s leading stage for home and consumer technology, attracting industry leaders and innovators every September.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
