Inflation continues to impact spending in Q2, with 84% of consumers saying inflation had an impact on their spending, a 10% increase over Q1, per Jungle Scout’s research. Meanwhile, Amazon product categories recorded sales increases and social media shopping is on the rise.

Prime Day 2024 shatters records yet again as consumers stock up on essentials: Shoppers spent $14.2 billion online, spurred by significant discounts and the chance to get a head start on back-to-school needs.

Consumers take a cautious approach to back-to-school shopping: To drive shoppers to spend, Macy’s revamped its Epic Threads brand, Kohl’s added Limited Too, and Old Navy offered cash back.

Amazon’s pricing and returns policies draw complaints from sellers: Merchants flag lost revenues, higher fees, and inadequate seller support as reasons for their discontent.

Walmart’s retail media network generated 11 billion impressions in Q1: The retailer is chipping away at Amazon’s dominance, despite the latter’s moves to boost non-endemic spend.

Kroger leans into value: The grocer is hosting a big sale about a month before a crucial court hearing on its proposed merger with Albertsons.

Ecommerce will account for 35% of all back-to-school shopping this year: That’s a massive shift from the 23% share it accounted for prior to the pandemic as consumers embrace convenience.

Walmart bets on AR: The retailer experiments with several use cases for the technology that it hopes can make shopping online as immersive, interactive, and social as in-person experience.

Marketplaces will continue to expand their share of US retail ecommerce as new players with roots in China vie for prominence.

Retail media is the fastest-growing ad channel we track in the US, driven by new innovations, inventory growth, and new players launching media networks. Here’s a look at some of the biggest retail media moves from the first six months of 2024.

Amazon Prime Day conditioned shoppers to expect bargains in July: That’s driven Google, Target, Walmart, and others to seize on the opportunity to drive consumers to spend.

Albertsons, Costco, and Instacart are enhancing their retail media offerings. TikTok Shop reached a $1 million livestream. And three-time consecutive first place winner Walmart is developing immersive ways to shop and catering product lines to younger shoppers. Here’s our Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List for June 2024.

As the share of US ecommerce sales on marketplaces continues to expand, our latest survey examines consumer buying habits and expectations across leading platforms.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of June. 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 Becky Schilling and Sara Lebow will defend their list against vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

Amazon will pull in over 80% of US retail media search dollars this year, per our forecast. But Walmart will continue growing its share of non-Amazon retail media search ad spending over the next two years.

Retail media is taking Latin America’s digital ad industry by storm, with advertisers spending nearly $2 billion this year, per our inaugural forecast. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

Retail media search is gaining steam while Google and other traditional search players lag. Marketers will grapple with genAI and measurement challenges as they rely more heavily on retailers’ search ad offerings.

Walmart’s automated warehouses enable it to do twice the work with half the staff: Those gains are creating more capacity for third-party sellers, and putting the retailer on track to hit ecommerce profitability in two years

US consumers shop frequently with Temu and Shein, despite trust issues: Both Chinese retailers are winning more repeat customers than established players like eBay and Etsy.

Consumers' definition of value is evolving as they demand not just the lowest prices, but quality and convenience too. Gen Z beauty shoppers prioritize innovation and sustainability over price, grocery shoppers seek high-quality products at lower prices, and high fees deter online purchases. Loyalty programs should be tailored to offer consumers the kind of rewards they want most, but not at the expense of brand identity. Here are five key stats to help brands understand what consumers value and stay competitive.