TikTok users ages 25-44 lead all age groups in taking action after seeing ads, with 54% gathering more info about products and 47% making purchases, according to an October 2025 survey from Edison Research.
After a 20% jump in streaming subscription prices, when will consumers cut back?
Retail media is entering an execution era; advertisers are now judging networks on speed, flexibility, and clarity, not just closed-loop performance or topline growth.
The growing role of AI in shopping is forcing retailers to rethink discovery and decision-making. Walmart, for example, is embedding its ecommerce capabilities into external AI assistants like Google’s Gemini. Meanwhile, Amazon is keeping AI-led discovery and decision-making inside its own ecosystem with tools like Rufus.
Consumer credit could be radically transformed.
On today’s podcast episode, the team reports straight from the show floor at NRF’s Big Show 2026 to break down the most compelling themes dominating the conference, noteworthy insights from off-stage and hallway conversations, and what retail leaders should prioritize next based on what mattered most at one of the retail industry’s most influential events. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, along with Principal Analysts Sky Canaves and Sarah Marzano.
Retailers face an uphill battle when it comes to loyalty and enticing repeat customers in 2026. Customers challenged by high prices are searching for the best deals wherever they can find them. And compared with practical considerations like convenience and customer satisfaction, brand love isn’t as effective in influencing customers as some marketers think.
This FAQ discusses how the holiday marketing season is evolving into a longer, leaner, and more competitive period, driven by economic headwinds, earlier shopping behavior, and the growing importance of retail media. It outlines why marketers must plan earlier, prioritize measurable and omnichannel strategies, and avoid overconcentrating spend around the Cyber Five to capture demand across an extended season.
Cardholder metrics improve as the issuer takes on Apple’s outsize subprime borrowers.
New protocols aim to secure their role as default rails for bot-led shopping.
Issuers warn of legal fights, tighter credit, and shrinking perks for premium users.
A 0.7% MoM spike in December is testing consumers' wallets and retailers' pricing strategies.
Most Member’s Mark foods now meet “Made Without” standards banning 40+ ingredients.
Social media tops the priority list for 84% of US digital media professionals, outpacing influencer marketing (61%) by 23 percentage points, according to an October survey from Integral Ad Science and YouGov.
Delta leans into premium demand as broader travel industry shows signs of strain.
"Retailers are reinventing the ways that they connect with their customers in real life," said our analyst Blake Droesch during a recent “Behind the Numbers” episode. "The D2C revolution that we saw play out online has now really reached its limitations, giving way to a disconnection between brands and their customers."
It’s not just for fintechs and credit bureaus.
As budgets consolidate and scrutiny intensifies, retail media networks are being asked to prove their value in the same way that the rest of digital media does. That shift was on full display at CES, where platform updates from Albertsons, DoorDash, Instacart, and Walmart Connect signaled a deeper evolution underway. Rather than chasing more inventory or novel formats, retail media players are investing in the foundational capabilities that underpin long-term credibility: measurement, data access, and intelligence.
Google’s latest AI tools let users buy via chat as the company tries to turn its search dominance into agentic commerce gains.
As genAI assistants play a more prominent role in shopping, retailers and brands will have to rethink how their loyalty programs support direct consumer relationships, and how loyalty benefits can be surfaced in AI conversations.