Amazon launches Temu competitor Haul to maintain price advantage against online retailers: However, growing pains like shoddy AI-generated imagery could limit its traction with customers.

US beauty demand is normalizing as price sensitivities creep into purchasing behavior: That’s good news for e.l.f. Beauty but an added struggle for Coty and Estée Lauder, for which China remains a hurdle.

46.6% of US internet users are also Amazon Prime members, nearly two times as many as Costco (25.1%), the No. 2 biggest retail membership , according to data from Comscore.

The phrase “retail apocalypse” once dominated industry conversation, Ethan Chernofsky, senior vice president of marketing at Placer.ai said during the EMARKETER Summit on November 1. “We were convinced [that] the store was dying,” Chernofsky said. “It was a thing of the past, and we were going to move to this fully online environment.”

On today's podcast episode, we discuss a special edition of the unofficial list of the retailers who have made a comeback (from the dead). This month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers who have most impressively come back from the brink, and how they did it. In this month's episode, Committee members Senior Analyst Sara Lebow and Senior Director of Content Becky Schilling will defend their list against Senior Analyst Sky Canaves and Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

A number of retailers and brands have eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs this year. These changes may not present a PR issue for many brands, said Dr. Marcus Collins, clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Grocery prices remain front of mind for many consumers: That presents an opportunity for value-oriented merchants such as Aldi, Target, and Walmart to steal share by offering low prices for Thanksgiving staples.

Dollar General’s Popshelf format announces app, loyalty, and store updates to attract wealthier shoppers: The retailer will also close all locations in DG Market stores after the assortment failed to win over the dollar store’s core customer base.

Drugstores’ decline is hurting the US beauty market: Both Coty and L’Oréal linked the sector’s challenges to softer beauty demand, although sales broadly remain healthy as ecommerce and specialty retailers pick up the slack.

To help shoppers search more quickly and efficiently, Google has revamped Google Shopping, using AI to deliver more relevant, personalized information, product listings, and deals.

Toys and hobby sales have normalized after a pandemic-era spike, though some brands are still flying high. Here’s what to expect from the industry this year.

As the path to purchase becomes more fragmented, brands must be everywhere the customer is—and retail media partnerships are stepping up. “There really isn't [one] common flow, and so you really have to make sure you're present in any place the consumer is thinking about your brand's products,” Eric Tarnowski, senior vice president, connected commerce at Kenvue, said during Advertising Week New York. “Every conversion point is a brand-building opportunity.”

Amazon and Google are enhancing their visual search tools as consumers seek more seamless, intuitive ways to search for products online.

Sweater weather has arrived, meaning pumpkin spice-flavored everything will flood retail shelves. But consumers’ price consciousness could make it difficult for retailers to encourage spending on discretionary purchases. That’s why Amazon, Target, and Albertsons are expanding their private label brands, leaning on fun, seasonal flavors and small indulgences to get consumers to splurge beyond their normal groceries.

Consumers plan to return to malls this holiday season, shop more in-person: Mall visits are expected to rise 18%, which is good news for department stores—although Amazon, Walmart, and Target remain top destinations.

Temu is eating away at dollar stores’ market share: Dollar General and Dollar Tree face significant headwinds as their core customer base reduces spending and competition mounts.

Publicis acquires Mars United Commerce: The deal strengthens holding company’s ability to offer commerce media solutions.

GenAI could help boost the efficiency of customer service teams and give shoppers access to fast, personalized, 24/7 support. To make the most of the technology, retailers and brands need to understand the key use cases in a customer service setting—and stay mindful of the risks.

GenAI search could have a transformative impact on the shopping journey. To satisfy customers and stay competitive, retailers should focus on two essential innovations.

Amazon and Walmart are search advertising’s growth engines: The latter is a distant second to the former, accounting for nearly 4 in 10 non-Amazon retail media search ad dollars this year.