Every retailer heading into the back half of 2026 knows consumers are stretched, and most plan to win them through price. That assumption is only partly right. Some shoppers still have room to spend and just need a reason to feel good about it. Others are counting every dollar and have learned to distrust the retailers asking for it. Treating both groups the same, or treating the whole market as simply "trading down," is how a promotion or a pricing strategy that should work ends up falling flat.

US toy and hobby retail sales will grow steadily through 2030, but the real momentum is online. Ecommerce growth will outpace the retail market as its role in the category continues to expand.

While Chipotle struggles to get customers through the door, Taco Bell is gaining share.

Yelp’s newest Most Loved Brands list identifies which national chains consumers returned to most in a year defined by cautious, value-sensitive spending. Unlike perception-based rankings, Yelp’s loyalty score draws from behavioral signals—repeat visits to brand pages, review volume, sentiment, and photo activity—revealing what people actually do, not just what they say. Dave’s Hot Chicken leads the list on the strength of customizable experiences and overwhelmingly positive ratings, while legacy chains, nostalgia-driven brands, and Zillennial favorites succeed for distinct reasons. For marketers, the findings echo broader path-to-purchase trends: consumers increasingly depend on reviews, consistency, and social proof to validate where they spend.

In this podcast episode, we discuss rebrands: how much consumers notice them, how important of an ingredient nostalgia is, and how to successfully execute one. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and guest host, Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst, Zak Stambor, and Analyst, Rachel Wolff.

A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to the Friday 5. This week, Temu and Shein get a scare, consumers use buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps to discover new products, and Super Bowl viewers don’t really care about ads for AI products or services.

Super Bowl 2024 ads leverage celebrity allure and nostalgia, balancing entertainment with subtle political commentary: The messaging was a reflection of advertising's evolution.

’Tis the season for a deluge of holiday ads, as everyone tries to score a piece of the $1.317 trillion holiday sales pie (per our June 2023 forecast). To break through the noise, brands need to zero in on what resonates with consumers—and maybe even have a little fun.

Toy sales growth can be attributed to kids’ shifting interests, the influence of online platforms, and expanding into older audiences. In our recent “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast episode, we dive into trends impacting toy retail sales and how marketers can reach new consumers.

Olipop uses TikTok and the promise of gut health to capture Gen Z’s attention, while Crocs leans on Gen Z’s sense of nostalgia and cool collaborations. Coach reinvented itself to appeal to a younger generation of fashion consumers who want to express themselves and GU makes its US debut as Uniqlo’s little sister.

Leverage your own data to guide decisions, meet consumers where they are, and find some partnerships outside of your comfort zone—but never forget your brand identity or what made consumers love it in the first place.

Burger King, McDonald’s, and Crispy Fantasy (yes, this is work-friendly) have all launched marketing campaigns that make what’s old new again.

Especially for younger consumers, a significant attraction of digital products and platforms has been their novelty, as opposed to their utility. But the novel coronavirus has given most of us as much novelty as we care to deal with. As the pandemic drags past Q1 and into Q2, the desire for a return to normalcy will only grow stronger, to one degree or another. This is why nostalgia marketing will likely continue to enjoy a renaissance in 2021.