Walmart imported fewer goods this holiday season: While that could be a sign that it expects tepid sales, it also reflects the retailer’s growing reliance on third-party marketplace sellers to broaden its product assortment.

Grocers experiment with new formats and products to target Asian, Hispanic consumers: Kroger, Walmart, and Save A Lot are among the retailers looking to attract a more diverse audience.

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.

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.

For Walmart, Black Friday officially starts on November 11: The retailer will offer savings throughout the month, with exclusive deals and early sales access for online shoppers and Walmart+ members.

Sensei raises $16 million in seed round: The retail tech provider has its sights set on bringing automated, contactless stores to Europe.

Walmart rolls out same-day delivery for Rx, general items: The new service threatens struggling retail pharmacy chains, but we think Walmart’s main motivation is to capture customers for its membership program.

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.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how a department of justice suggested breakup of Google could change search, the potential impact of Walmart’s personalized homepages and customer support, what’s next for the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space, how Tesla’s new “cybercab” could change the world of robotaxis, what charitable donations in America look like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson, director or Briefings Jeremy Goldman, analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf and vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti.

Marketplaces play a major role in beauty and clothing, while grocery shoppers rely on in-store visits. Retailers must balance both online and in-store strategies, leveraging loyalty programs and fast delivery to stay competitive.

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.

But this isn’t a sign that the cashierless tech industry is struggling. Grabango’s big-name competitors are ramping up their operations

Walmart’s adaptive retail strategy is heavy on genAI, AR: The retailer is relying on the technologies to deliver personalized experiences, engage Gen Z, and improve customer service.

Walmart rolls out series of initiatives to attract customers to its stores and boost ecommerce business: The retailer is opening a cashierless Sam’s Club store, adding pet care centers, and automating more distribution centers.

Walmart is unlikely to put Vizio data behind closed doors: A renewed measurement deal with Comscore could assuage concerns about signal loss.

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

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.

This is the first installment of our “Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.