Record holiday sales helped retailers, but purchasing patterns across income groups diverged starkly. Middle- and lower-income consumers grew more selective, carefully weighing where and when to spend amid economic uncertainty. Meanwhile, higher-income shoppers continued to spend freely.

Costco tries to shift tariff burden onto China suppliers: But that strategy comes with increasing risks as Beijing takes a more active role.

The partnership will give the BNPL provider a boost and help it better compete against rival Affirm

As customers grab the same grocery staples they have for decades, Walmart is betting that gamifying the experience will challenge those habits. The retailer plans to launch Walmart Unlimited, a three-part miniseries that features the entrepreneurs behind its products. Launched last month on Spatial, the game includes full commerce integration that enables in-app purchases.

Amazon and Walmart dominate the landscape, but the other half of US ecommerce sales is still up for grabs.

Dollar General’s core customer is under considerable financial strain: Many shoppers can only afford basic essentials as inflation and economic uncertainty take their toll.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what malls are doing well (and why), the reasons folks have been skipping the mall, and why IKEA and Walmart bought one each. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Analysts Emmy Liederman and Rachel Wolff.

Consumers’ value focus is an expansion opportunity for Costco, BJ’s: The two plan to open dozens of stores to capitalize on demand for warehouse retailers.

Retail media networks (RMNs) are eyeing the open web as an opportunity for scaled growth, but successfully integrating retailer data off-platform won’t happen overnight.

Walmart bought a mall, Coca-Cola launched a soda, and Nike partnered with SKIMS in February, marking some of the month’s most interesting retail moves. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our “Behind the Numbers” podcast.

This earnings season revealed retailers with strong value propositions and efficient omnichannel operations are positioned to outperform, while those relying on middle-market discretionary spending face challenges.

Consumers are slowly making changes to how they pay at checkout. We look at the top seven payment methods and delve into what’s pushing forward and detracting from their growth.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of February. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Analyst Arielle Feger and Senior Analyst Sara Lebow will defend their list against Vice President Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

The challenging retail environment is fuel for TJX: The off-price retailer sees greater opportunities to attract shoppers amid tariff threats and declining consumer confidence.

Walmart recently bought Monroeville Mall near Pittsburgh, signaling either a massive retail expansion plan or a shrewd real estate grab. Either way, the purchase strengthens Walmart's market foothold while adding rental income. This isn't a random acquisition but a calculated move.

In our exclusive survey with ESW, data from shoppers in 18 countries reveals new twists in the path to purchase, the rising momentum of marketplaces, and the resilience of age-old fundamentals.

Shoppable ads will be a focus for brands in 2025 as they test new formats offered by retail media networks and their media partners.

Walmart ended 2024 on a high note: But 2025 could tell a different story, with tariff uncertainty and economic volatility on the horizon.