Walmart raised its full-year outlook again as its strong value proposition and fast-growing ad business drive broader consumer spending. It now expects net sales growth of between 4.8% and 5.1% this year, and EPS between $2.58 and $2.63. Q3 comps rose 4.5% YoY, with higher traffic and ticket size, and gains were strongest among higher-income shoppers. US ecommerce sales jumped 28%, supported by faster delivery, rising Walmart+ signups, and 33% growth in US ad sales (excluding Vizio). Walmart is also expanding to emerging channels, including ChatGPT. Its focus on value, convenience, and tech has strengthened its position, helping it compete with Amazon and capture more holiday and online spending.
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Become a ClientLevelField Financial, a crypto-friendly “bank” without a bank charter, has obtained conditional state approval to acquire Burling Bank, a state-chartered Chicago community bank with $206 million in assets. Crypto-friendly and crypto-native banks are increasingly operating like traditional banks. That would be a mistake: As crypto firms acquire banks or receive bank charters—and as banks build crypto-related businesses—the lines will blur between legacy and decentralized financial systems. Banks must eventually be prepared to do it all.
TD Bank will finally offer Amazon Shop with Points in the US for its credit cardholders, per a press release. Earning consumers’ loyalty requires delivering on competitive rewards. While perks like fraud protection and Amazon rewards are seen as default credit card features, issuers trying to impress should incorporate at least 2% cash back, rewards for paying off balances, and payment flexibility at checkout, per our 2025 US Cash-Back Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark.
FICO has partnered with Plaid to incorporate cash flow data from consumers’ checking, savings, and money-market accounts into its UltraFICO Score. The updated scoring model is designed to give lenders a more comprehensive view of a customer’s creditworthiness than legacy credit files indicate. Consumers who have credit products can access more, but those who don’t are less likely to be approved. Yet in a short time, scoring has evolved to better reflect consumers’ everyday financial behaviors and their willingness and ability to pay. This should get more credit products into more consumers’ hands.
Cash App will offer Afterpay on the Cash App Card powered by a new Visa Debit Flex Card, per a press release. Expanding BNPL offerings helps encourage spending from consumers who can’t access a credit card under tightening underwriting conditions. While the Cash App card is already geared toward underserved and underbanked consumers, rewards or features for young parents could help capture their hunger for credit: Two-thirds of caregivers hold three or more BNPL loans at once, per a Lending Tree survey.
Shoppers are spending about 10% more on gifts this year, even if they’re feeling less confident. New insights from PMG show how that mix of caution and momentum is shaping a holiday season built on smart pacing and steady engagement.
28% of B2B buyers worldwide have AI review boards or steering committees review AI products during evaluation, making it the least common internal review method, according to a July 2025 Responsive survey.
Speaking with EMARKETER at Web Summit, Vast chief astronaut and former NASA commander Drew Feustel described how the company’s Haven 1 station is designed to shift low Earth orbit from a research environment to a commercial manufacturing platform. Building on decades of ISS science, Vast aims to serve industries like biotech, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials that benefit from microgravity’s unique conditions. With the space economy expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, Feustel says the next leap is scaling production—from artificial retinas to specialty crystals—into repeatable, revenue-generating processes. For brands and investors, orbit is becoming a legitimate industrial supply chain.
Bath & Body Works’ new CEO is overhauling the company’s strategy as it struggles to revive sales and win over younger consumers despite being a major player in the fast-growing fragrance space. CEO Daniel Heaf aims to fix a “slow and inefficient” organization with a four-part plan: refocusing on core categories, expanding ecommerce (including launching on Amazon in 2026), reclaiming cultural relevance through targeted promotions and influencer partnerships, and streamlining operations to unlock $250 million in savings.
Convenience stores are transforming into fast-casual dining destinations, increasingly competing with quick-service restaurants for shoppers seeking affordable, healthy meals. And while consumer perceptions of these stores continue to improve, concerns around food safety and hygiene remain potential barriers. To succeed, convenience chains can adopt strategies such as adding prep-time labels to grab-and-go items to underscore freshness and maintaining clearly visible cleanliness standards throughout the store.