The Chinese retail landscape faces clear challenges: Despite steep discounts, sales during the 618 festival fell 7% YoY, marking the first decline in eight years.
Kroger grew its customer base in Q1: The grocer’s comparable sales and profits both outpaced expectations, but it faces some headwinds from its pharmacy business.
The year is nearly halfway over. As we prepare for H2, our analysts have been hard at work debating some very specific—and potentially unlikely—predictions that could play out in the coming months. Everything from retail media standardization to drone delivery to AI partnerships is at play over the rest of 2024. Here are some of our analysts' hottest takes.
CVS Media Exchange (CMX) announced yesterday the beta launch of a new self-service offering in collaboration with The Trade Desk. The offering includes enhanced audience targeting, transparent ad pricing, the ability to activate media through its data service provider, and improved performance insights.
Whoever takes over the portfolio will gain 12 million cardholders—a large but potentially risky volume opportunity
Instacart expands offsite retail media capabilities with YouTube partnership: The retailer’s first-party data will power shoppable ads for CPG brands
Retailers and governments disagree on the best way to fight retail theft: Walmart and others are pushing back against legislative efforts in California and New York.
In part two of this two-part podcast episode, we discuss some more predictions for 2024 that are too specific to be 100% certain about but could still come true, including: what happens next when measuring retail media, Starbuck's drone delivery pilot, and how the publisher/AI relationship will play out. Tune in to the discussion with our vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna and analyst Max Willens.
Easing UK inflation hurts budget grocers’ momentum: Asda and Aldi lost share in June as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and upmarket players regain the edge
Best Buy goes all-in on AI computers: The retailer has exclusive rights to over 40% of Microsoft Copilot+ models and has trained thousands of workers on the technology.
To keep loyalty members engaged, brands must focus on what customers want, offer smart rewards, and keep tweaking their programs. For example, Victoria’s Secret built a special community in its app, while Vitamin Shoppe added multiple tiers and benefits after careful planning.
Earlier this year, Best Buy partnered with CNET to expand advertisers’ reach among high-intent shoppers. This is a part of a larger trend where retail media networks (RMNs) team up with outside partners to expand their ad capabilities.
Asia-Pacific is key to TikTok’s growth thanks to its expanding number of users, swelling middle class, and friendlier political environment. Which countries are leading the way, and how will TikTok continue its growth?
Retail media measurement is more important than ever.
China’s retail sales rose 3.7% YoY in May: While that outpaced expectations, the retail landscape still faces clear challenges due to middle class consumers’ growing focus on value.
Brazil and South Africa push back against Temu, Shein, and others: The countries look to level the retail playing field and protect domestic sellers by closing their de minimis loopholes.
Since the pandemic, online ordering and delivery have become table stakes for the grocery industry. Retailers like Albertsons have begun to develop tools and capabilities that provide added value for customers, focusing on creating a more convenient experience. “Consumers think about food 226 times a day, that’s a lot of cognitive load,” said Jill Pavlovich, senior vice president of digital shopping experiences at Albertsons Cos. “So we want to take the experience from a transactional one to a helpful set of tools that can help people manage this.” Albertsons leveraged customer data to identify areas for improvement across its website and mobile app.
Growing use of weight-loss drugs drives sales of smaller, more revealing clothing: Apparel retailers are expanding their size ranges and offering more risqué styles to accommodate shifting tastes.
In part one of this two-part podcast episode, we discuss some more predictions for 2024 that are too specific to be 100% certain about but could still come true, including: what will actually end up happening with Paramount, what Nordstrom will do next to get back on track, and where folks will be watching the NBA over the next 10 years. Tune in to the discussion with our vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna and analyst Max Willens.
Halloween creep has crept into June: Lowe’s and Party City are following Home Depot’s lead in promoting Halloween merchandise months before the holiday, while Spirit Halloween staffs up.