DoorDash unveiled a host of features designed to make its services stickier for both businesses and customers. DoorDash’s fulfillment updates position the platform as a stronger partner for the many retailers trying to keep pace with Amazon and Walmart on delivery speed. At the same time, the company’s latest features show the pressures of competing with Uber and Instacart, both of which are adding more retailers to their platforms while courting customers with broader perks.

Nike returned to growth in fiscal Q1, snapping a four-quarter streak of declining sales. Nike is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as Hill’s turnaround plan begins to make headway despite considerable uncertainty. While tariffs are weighing on margins, investments in new product lines are beginning to restore brand heat.

Whole Foods has cut prices on more than a quarter of its products in the past year, including over 1,000 private-label items, its chief merchandising and marketing officer said at Groceryshop, per Modern Retail. Weekly promotions and deals tied to specific days reinforce the value push. The retailer needs to prove that “premium” and “value” aren’t mutually exclusive. By doubling down on price investments, amplifying Prime-member discounts, and leaning into convenient, high-quality prepared foods, the grocer can reframe itself as both aspirational and accessible.

The US government faces a shutdown Wednesday unless Congress approves funding for FY 2026 or a stopgap bill, and this one could prove more damaging than past episodes. Unlike prior furloughs, President Donald Trump has vowed mass layoffs of federal workers, a move Goldman Sachs warns could push unemployment higher and worsen already fragile labor conditions. A prolonged shutdown would disrupt air travel, tourism, and retail, with the US Travel Association estimating $1 billion in weekly losses from cancellations and closures. With tariffs, weak international demand, and cautious consumers already weighing on spending, the timing threatens to intensify holiday-season challenges for retailers and travel companies.

McDonald’s is bringing back its Monopoly promotion after nearly a decade, with help from an unexpected retailer: Best Buy. The partnership between Best Buy and McDonald’s could be a harbinger of things to come, as companies across industries look for ways to broaden their appeal to value-seeking customers—and as retailers with media networks look to bring in more nonendemic advertising dollars.

ByteDance will maintain control over TikTok’s US ecommerce and advertising businesses under the deal brokered by the White House, according to Reuters. Continued uncertainty around the TikTok deal and broader economic terms requires brands and advertisers to stay flexible. That’s harder to do for sellers, since few social commerce alternatives have the scale and success of TikTok Shop. Still, platforms like YouTube and Pinterest can offer similar opportunities to engage, inspire, and educate shoppers, while live commerce platforms like Whatnot and creator-led shopping app LTK could also emerge as winners should TikTok’s influence fade.

OpenAI has launched Instant Checkout, a new feature allowing ChatGPT users in the US to buy products directly from Etsy sellers, with plans to expand to more than 1 million Shopify merchants including Glossier and Skims. Built on the Agentic Commerce Protocol and integrated with Stripe, the tool currently supports single-item purchases but will soon add multi-item carts, more merchants, and global rollout. While this marks a major step toward positioning ChatGPT as a commerce hub that could challenge Amazon and Google, success depends on whether consumers see in-chat shopping as truly easier than traditional ecommerce.

US auto sales are on pace to rise 6.2% year-over-year in Q3, with GM, Toyota, Ford, and Hyundai leading gains, while record EV sales of 410,000 units pushed electric vehicles to nearly 10% of the market ahead of expiring tax incentives. Cox Automotive lifted its full-year forecast to 16.1 million vehicles, but the industry faces growing challenges as CarMax reports steep declines, Ford leans on risky financing, and Volkswagen and Porsche cut output. GM is also scaling back EV production with layoffs in Tennessee and Detroit. Despite recent momentum, fading incentives, rising costs, and tighter demand signal a turbulent road ahead.

Target introduced a self-checkout experience designed for blind and low-vision shoppers, as well as customers with mobility disabilities. For retailers, introducing accessible features is a relatively low lift that can immeasurably improve the experience for a subset of customers. They also boost goodwill—which Target desperately needs right now. Such solutions offer a crucial point of differentiation at a time when consumers are being especially strategic about where they spend.

President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on kitchen cabinets, vanities, and upholstered furniture—without clear White House guidance—has added fresh uncertainty for retailers already struggling with volatile policy shifts. While consumer spending rose 0.4% in August and GDP growth was revised upward to 3.8% in Q2, inflation pressures remain with the PCE index up 2.7% YoY. Real disposable income barely grew, the savings rate fell to its lowest this year, and sentiment slipped across most groups. Retailers face tightening margins and fatigued consumers, requiring nimble strategies to sustain engagement amid economic headwinds.

Uber Eats will offer customers weekly discounts on fresh groceries in markets worldwide as it looks to become a top destination for grocery shopping. Fierce competition between Uber and other delivery platforms, as well as Amazon and Walmart, is making grocery delivery more affordable, which is in turn driving online grocery adoption. By offering weekly discounts, Uber is hoping to turn occasional shoppers into regulars—and grow its small share of grocery spending into a much larger one.

Amazon agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, including $1 billion in civil penalties and $1.5 billion in customer refunds, over allegations it misled users into Prime subscriptions and made cancellation intentionally difficult. The FTC argued Amazon’s “Iliad” cancellation process violated consumer protection laws, requiring excessive clicks to exit. Under the deal, Amazon must simplify cancellation and clearly disclose pricing and renewal terms. While the settlement forces operational changes, it represents just 5.6% of last year’s $44.37 billion Prime revenue, leaving the program’s dominance—and Amazon’s market lock—firmly intact.

The US economy grew 3.8% year-over-year in Q2, its fastest pace in nearly two years, driven by stronger consumer spending, according to new government data. While spending resilience supports the Atlanta Fed’s 3.3% growth forecast for Q3, cracks are showing as retail hiring cools and risks of a government shutdown loom. Uneven unemployment rates and tariff-driven price pressures add strain, making holiday sales particularly vulnerable. We believe growth will slow sharply to 1.2% from last year’s 4.3%.

Starbucks said it would lay off about 900 workers and close 1% of its US and Canada stores—including its flagship Seattle Roastery—as part of a $1 billion restructuring plan. Turning Starbucks around was always going to take time, due to its sheer size as well as the magnitude of its problems. Niccol’s strategy banks on restoring the chain’s reputation for stellar customer service—an advantage that could help it stand out in a space increasingly oriented toward convenience. But the company remains vulnerable to upstarts like 7 Brew and Dutch Bros that are more tuned into beverage trends.

Target is pushing to reclaim its place as a premier destination for affordable fashion. The retailer is turning its small-format SoHo store into a design concept that showcases its apparel and beauty assortment, the company told Axios. Target also relaunched its Target Style Instagram account earlier this month, which will offer up both outfit inspiration and shoppable content. Target’s ability to regain its fashion authority goes hand-in-hand with its ability to reverse its declining fortunes.

Albertsons added a travel perk to its loyalty program, joining retailers that are extending membership benefits beyond core offerings in a bid to boost sign-ups and engagement. Loyalty programs increasingly serve dual functions for retailers. Not only do they help reward and retain customers, they are also an invaluable source of consumer data that can power companies’ retail media strategies. By enhancing the value of its loyalty program—and extending those perks to free members—Albertsons can make inroads with both customers and advertisers.

Aldi will put its name on every private label product it stocks—over 90% of its assortment—as part of the largest packaging refresh in company history. Aldi’s decision to stamp its name across nearly every product it sells reflects a fundamental shift in how shoppers perceive private labels. Once primarily chosen for their price point, private labels are now drawing consumers with quality, variety, and attractive packaging.

A growing share of consumers are integrating AI into their shopping journeys, with ChatGPT driving nearly 21% of Walmart’s referral traffic in August and playing a major role for Etsy, Target, and eBay. GenAI is now the second-biggest source of product recommendations, with trust in AI shopping tools soaring from 46% to 86% in just months. Retailers are experimenting with frictionless AI-driven checkout, while Salesforce predicts AI tools will drive 21% of global holiday orders this year. Amazon, however, is blocking AI crawlers to protect its ecosystem, a risky strategy that may drive shoppers to rivals.

Retailers are projected to add fewer than 500,000 seasonal jobs in the final quarter of 2025, the weakest holiday hiring since 2009 and an 8% drop from last year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The slowdown reflects a broader labor market slump that recently led the Fed to cut rates, compounding concerns about rising prices and weak consumer sentiment. With forecasts pointing to sluggish holiday sales growth, lean staffing could further hurt retailers by creating long lines and poor service at a time when customer experience is critical.

Amazon will sell products from its Whole Foods private labels in Singapore, a country where it has no physical stores, per Bloomberg. That experiment could be repeated in other markets, giving the retailer an opening to grow its grocery business without investing in brick-and-mortar retail.