The insight: The gap between Target and its mass merchant competitors Amazon and Walmart is widening. While Amazon and Walmart are consolidating their grip on consumer spending after investments in value and convenience, Target’s largely discretionary assortment and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) controversies are sharply curbing its appeal. Our take: Shoppers are prioritizing necessities over discretionary goods and favoring retailers that offer value and convenience.

Shifting policies erode consumer spending bit by bit: Looser bank fee rules, weakening appliance and insurance standards, and rising tariffs all combine to strain household budgets.

The outlook for retail media ad spending remains bright throughout most of the world, even as ad budgets are increasingly constrained in the face of economic storm clouds.

With origins in performance advertising and a focus on efficiency, retail media is likely to remain resilient, even amid an economic upheaval exacerbated by US tariffs. However, impacts won’t be evenly felt, leaving some players better positioned to withstand headwinds.

Tariffs threaten to reduce US digital ad spending growth this year. This series explains the effects tariffs will have on ad spending in search, social, CTV, and retail media—and which parts of each might fare best and worst.

Though beauty has remained a relatively resilient category amid rising prices, tariffs could put a damper on that as they take hold. 29% of US adults say they’ll likely cut back on beauty/personal care spending if tariffs raise prices, according to February 2025 data from CivicScience. That’s why retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Target are boosting their beauty offerings to drive sales and increase customer loyalty. Here’s how.

Strong Q1 ad results show resilience: But AI, tariffs, and antitrust pressures will reshape how and where marketers spend in 2025.

Memorial Day sales are live at Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, and more: As consumers cut discretionary spending, retailers aim to boost sales through holiday-driven promotions.

Private label brands are no longer just the cheaper alternatives sitting on store shelves. They've evolved into strategic assets that build customer loyalty, boost retailer margins, and increasingly compete with national brands on quality and design, not just price.

Walmart’s Q1 ad revenues surged 50% year over year: Vizio’s integration is powering its leap into connected TV and retail media dominance.

Walmart will raise prices soon to offset “too high” tariffs: Even with the reduction in China duties, the cost is too much for the retailer and its suppliers to absorb.

Despite the current duopoly between Mercado Libre and Amazon in Mexico’s ecommerce market, roughly 60% of online sales remain up for grabs for local, regional, and global retailers.

Growth rates in retail media ad spending are slowing YoY. The channel’s contribution to total digital ad spending continues to rise, however, highlighting the increasing influence of retail media on holistic advertising strategies.

SNAP rollbacks could shrink grocery baskets and curb discretionary spend: With household spending already under strain, further benefit cuts risk triggering a broader pullback in consumer demand.

Although no single player rivals Mercado Libre’s hold on Latin America’s ecommerce market, nearly 70% of online sales are still fair game for the long tail of retailers.

In April, Walmart led the retail rankings thanks to its advanced grid-based delivery system and an elevated in-store beauty experience. Amazon followed closely with the testing of a new AI-powered “Buy For Me” feature designed to simplify purchases. Meanwhile, Temu and Shein adjusted their pricing strategies due to rising import costs, risking their low-price appeal. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our “Behind the Numbers” podcast.

Turbulence in trade relations is changing how China’s ecommerce platforms do business in the US, with spillover effects on US retail and advertising.

Amid dizzying policy unpredictability and a grab bag of unpleasant economic possibilities, precise ad spend forecasting is challenging. A scenarios-based approach can help clarify potential outcomes.

Hispanic consumers curb spending over immigration policy fears: Their discretionary purchases are falling sharply, hurting sales at Walmart and Constellation.

2 in 5 brands plan to scale back Pride engagement: The change results from mounting conservative pressure—but some brands are reaffirming commitment.