Smaller beauty brands are shaking up the retail space by achieving faster-growing sales than their big name competitors. Independently owned and operated brands with under $300 million in revenue, called "indie beauty brands" by NielsenIQ in a new report, are rising fast online and outpacing their conglomerate competitors in-store.

The reality: Tariff-driven grocery price hikes have been relatively modest so far this year. Food and beverage prices rose 2.9% YoY through mid-May, up from 1.7% a year earlier, per Circana. While tariffs haven’t caused a major inflation spike, supply-side shocks—like drought, avian flu, and extreme weather—have pushed up prices on staples such as coffee, eggs, and chocolate. Our take: Tariffs haven’t led to major price hikes yet, but that’s likely to change soon as duties push up costs on goods like seafood, alcohol, and produce. And even before those increases take effect, shoppers are becoming more cautious, more price-sensitive, and quicker to trade down or skip nonessentials altogether.

Inflation causes Gen Z shoppers to rethink when and where they shop: Growing financial strain is forcing shoppers to adjust their spending habits.

Sam’s Club’s rich collection of first-party data provides advertisers with insight into members’ shopping and purchase behaviors. This near real-time visibility, powered by Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP), allows advertisers to meaningfully engage members along their shopping journey with content and offers that align with their interests.