Walmart+ Week member participation rose thanks to popularity with wealthy shoppers: While Amazon’s Prime Day sale attracted twice as many participants, its lead is narrowing.

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

Walmart’s market share gains continued in Q1 as the retailer emphasizes value and convenience: The company continues to draw in more high-income shoppers, while its advertising and marketplace offerings boost revenues.

Amazon rolls out US grocery subscription as it tries to halt Walmart’s momentum: But the offering’s high cost relative to those of competitors could limit its impact on Amazon’s grocery business.

Walmart may be playing catch-up to Amazon when it comes to ecommerce and retail media, but recent moves like its $2.3 billion acquisition of VIZIO are giving the retailer momentum. But what are some other big moves that Walmart can make to grab more attention, loyalty, and customers?

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what finding products online will look like in 2025, if Target's new membership program can stack up against Amazon Prime and Walmart+, how ads on chatbots will change advertising, how to make stores more fun places to shop, what the world's first "ketchup insurance" offers, how Americans use dating apps, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf and Carina Perkins.

Target looks to a paid membership program to fuel growth: The Amazon Prime-like program could incorporate Shipt, the company’s $99 annual delivery service.

Etsy’s sales have remained “essentially flat” for two years: The niche online marketplace’s inability to broaden its reach led it to lay off about 225 employees.

Large retailers are in a prime position for the final holiday push: Amazon, Target, and Walmart are poised to leverage their infrastructures to capture an outsize share of spend and retail media dollars.

Walmart Marketplace is thriving: Black Friday and Cyber Monday were the two best-selling days on the platform, and those strong results are providing a boost to Walmart Fulfillment Services.

US grocery ecommerce sales will grow 17.4% in 2024 to total $219.04 billion, according to our forecast. Meanwhile, UK grocery ecommerce sales will grow only 5.1% to total $37.06 billion in 2024. “At the end of the day, consumers in the US enjoy the conveniences of delivery, but they’re not necessarily willing to pay an exorbitant fee,” said our analyst Blake Droesch, emphasizing the perceived value of Walmart+ and Amazon Prime memberships to these shoppers.

Walmart’s grocery, ecommerce business powered it through another solid quarter: The retailer’s emphasis on value and convenience are helping it win market share, even as shoppers exhibit more signs of price sensitivity.

As the top two retailers in the US, Walmart and Amazon are battling for holiday success by rolling out the best deals, the fastest delivery, and the best in-store experience. Here’s who we expect will come out on top in each of those areas, plus a post-holiday outlook.

Walmart is opening a pet services center: The move positions the retailer to grab a share of some of the most lucrative areas of the pet industry: health and other services.

Amazon explores standalone subscriptions as Prime user growth slows: The retailer could roll out separate grocery and healthcare membership services as early as this year.

Amazon’s advertising division ranked highest in our Power of Amazon in 2023 report. Its retail ecommerce division, Amazon’s biggest business by dollars, lost share between our initial rankings in 2021 and our current forecast.

Instacart’s gross transaction volume grew just 5% in the first half: That’s a troubling number that can’t be glossed over by the company’s 30% revenue growth.

On today's episode, we discuss how a new era of social media is rising, whether folks want to pay for things with their hand, when the best time to email your co-worker is, how Walmart+ is getting on, what AI in the home might look like, the most popular cars in the US, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Ross Benes and Blake Droesch and forecasting director Oscar Orozco.

A more accessible and expansive Walmart+ membership will help the retailer to reach 29 million subscribers this year, while in-store retail media formats could boost ad revenues. A push into B2B, logistics, and international markets may also prove lucrative.

Walmart is reaping the benefits of Walmart+: And it has clear opportunities to unlock even greater growth.