TikTok and Meta continue to diverge on social commerce strategies, Pinterest teams up with Wayfair on a data clean room test, and YouTube introduces unskippable ads.
It wants to lean on AI to attract users, while new environmental-focused features should strengthen its brand with younger shoppers.
Retail media meets live sports: Walmart Connect partners with NBCUniversal for targeted advertising.
The holiday season could be tough: Despite better-than-expected retail sales in recent months, 43% of merchants are ordering less to avoid getting stuck with excess inventory.
Google joins Amazon’s crusade against fake reviews: Both platforms are going after fake review brokers to protect their reputations and preserve consumer trust.
US alcohol off-premises retail ecommerce sales will reach $6.85 billion this year, growing 6.1% over 2022, according to our forecast. Growth will reach double digits come 2026.
REI doubles down on resale: The specialty outdoor retailer will open its second standalone REI RE/Supply store featuring used gear and apparel in late August.
JD.com, Alibaba, and Pinduoduo resort to steep discounts to spur spending: But that may not be enough to restore consumer demand as shoppers cut back amid economic uncertainty.
Google enhances generative AI shopping and search features in a bid to challenge Amazon’s dominance: The search giant is looking to win shoppers over with a more relevant, helpful shopping experience.
It partnered with Spotify Premium and can use other tie-ins and products to sustain rapid growth.
Walmart Connect is teaming up with NBCU to power ads in sports livestreams: The partnership is part of Walmart Connect’s growing CTV ambitions, which includes an expanded deal with Roku.
Younger consumers and higher-income shoppers are powering Walmart’s grocery growth while its physical footprint gives it an edge in retail media. Its burgeoning logistics business could be the next big thing for the retailer—and its bottom line.
US consumers keep spending despite lingering inflation: Retail sales rose 0.3% MoM in May, surpassing expectations.
Inflation and economic uncertainty cause Kroger’s growth to fade: Cost-conscious shoppers’ traded down to lower-priced items during fiscal Q1.
Over half of US and UK adults research and buy products online via a retailer’s website, per Coveo. More than a third (37%) take a slightly different approach, researching products on a retailer’s website but waiting to buy them in a physical store.
Inflation for pet food and services was over 10% in April, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the category has won a reputation of being somewhat recession-proof, thanks to its necessity for pet owners. “People will be spending more on the pets that they have already, despite the fact that it’s been a relatively inflation-wary populous,” said our analyst Jeremy Goldman on a recent episode of our “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast.