蘑菇AV

On today's episode, we discuss whether Amazon can keep expenses down while also keeping customers happy, where the company will place its bets on grocery, and how its advertising arm has performed of late. "In Other News," we talk about why most retailers site searches aren't working and how many streaming viewers will watch ads to save a few bucks. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what non-AI technology took the spotlight at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), second-tier TV audiences, what streaming will look like in a few years, what its like to shop with a chatbot, how digital grocery will take things up a notch, how big the sun actually is, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, analyst Bill Fisher, and forecasting analyst Zach Goldner.

Which categories performed best in 2022鈥攁nd which struggled? Inflation drove consumers to spend more on essentials like groceries, at the expense of discretionary categories.

Since bringing its retail media capabilities in-house, grocery giant Kroger continues to develop its self-service strategy for advertisers, Cara Pratt, SVP, Kroger Precision Marketing at 84.51掳, recently told 蘑菇AV.

Slowing but persistent inflation continues to strain US consumers鈥� buying power: Real wages fell in February as prices for groceries, recreation, and airfare continued to rise.

Inflation eased in November: Slowing grocery inflation and falling energy costs are giving consumers and businesses a reason for optimism heading into 2023.

Retail media has been buoyed by consumer packaged goods companies and grocery brands looking to get their products in front of shoppers closer to the point of purchase. But now, other categories are looking to join the party: nonendemic advertisers.

Macy's and Best Buy are seeing a drop in sales of nonessential goods: Economic uncertainty, inflation force consumers to focusing on necessities like groceries.

Many retailers are predicting that consumer spending patterns in 2024 could be similar to 2023鈥攑ulling back on discretionary categories and sometimes essentials like groceries. So far, discount and dollar stores have benefited from tightened consumer spending, but that success isn鈥檛 guaranteed in the new year. Here鈥檚 how three low-price retailers are planning to appeal to consumers and keep sales up in the months ahead.

On today's special episode, we continue our new monthly show where we discuss the biggest trends of the moment and the newest research, sprinkle in some analysis, and bundle it up into a quiz. Every month, three of our analysts representing their respective coverage area teams compete against each other. (We also encourage you to play along at home.) We鈥檒l keep a running score all year and crown a winning team at the end of the year. Today, we cover Google reinventing search, Amazon's grocery strategy, and what Twitter appointing a new CEO means for growth. Tune in to the discussion with this month's contestants: our analysts Ross Benes, Blake Droesch, and Debra Aho Williamson.

Providing such support often forces consumers to make trade-offs, such as skipping meals or not buying groceries. Indeed, cost pressures have led nearly 1 in 5 adults to receive food or household goods from a food bank, stop buying healthier foods, and/or trade down to cheaper or different medications over the past 12 months.

Grocery retailer Asda is selling refurbished TVs in select supermarkets. Pre-loved resale app Vinted has launched a dedicated category for refurbished electronics. Predictions. GenAI will help boost profitability for resellers. By automating the time-consuming and expensive process of listing individual items for sale, genAI will bring some welcome profitability to the secondhand sector.

In 2025, discount grocery retailers like Aldi or Dollar General will lose their footing with consumers as other retailers offer more convenience, value, or variety. Walmart Inc. will amass $69.60 billion in US grocery ecommerce sales this year, making it the top grocery retailer by ecommerce sales, per our forecast.

Uber has evolved from a ride-hailing app to a prominent player in restaurant and grocery delivery, while DoorDash has been working to expand beyond restaurant delivery into groceries and general merchandise. Instacart, meanwhile, has developed a tech portfolio under its Connected Stores offering that enables in-store advertising.

Instead, Amazon is focusing on its physical grocery banner, Amazon Fresh. Digital defense: Bookshop.org, an online bookstore connecting readers with independent bookstores, has launched an ebook platform (like Amazon鈥檚 Kindle) allowing readers to purchase and download ebooks from local bookstores.

CEO Andy Jassy鈥檚 efforts to cut costs by shuttering experimental and unprofitable initiatives such as contactless tech at its Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods grocery stores are paying off in strong bottom-line results. Amazon is winning ecommerce share in everyday essentials like health and personal care, thanks to its relentless focus on speed.

Grocery prices are also set to spike. The US is heavily reliant on Mexico for fresh fruit and vegetables, which accounted for $17.3 billion of imports in 2024, per the US Department of Agriculture. The big takeaway: Trump鈥檚 tariffs鈥攚hatever shape they take鈥攚ill drive up retailers鈥� costs and upend consumer spending patterns.

The next front in Temu鈥檚 campaign against Amazon will revolve around low-cost grocery. Temu could appeal to inflation-weary consumers by introducing the gamified, group-buying grocery shopping concept that made sister app Pinduoduo enormously popular in China. Mounting pressure will squeeze the long tail of retail media networks.

From fridge to cart: Samsung said its Bespoke refrigerator models will identify low-stock items and enable consumers to reorder groceries on Instacart via the fridge screen. The fridge integrates Samsung鈥檚 AI Vision food recognition, which the company says can identify up to 37 items. It also uses Instacart鈥檚 product-matching API to link users to product listings on the delivery platform.

Premier cardholders will earn 6 points per dollar on JetBlue and Paisly purchases, 2 points at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point on all other purchases. They will get $300 in statement credits on Paisly purchases and a $120 application fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Cardholders will also get complimentary access to JetBlue鈥檚 future lounges.

Likewise, Tesco pointed to economic uncertainty, rising grocery inflation, and budget-related cost increases as challenges for the year ahead. The concerns: British retailers ended 2024 on a sour note, as a late surge in spending failed to deliver a meaningful boost to holiday retail sales.

Digital: Albertsons鈥� digital sales grew 23%, reaching over 7% of its grocery revenues. The retailer attributed these gains to new mobile app capabilities and improvements in its DriveUp & Go and in-home delivery services. Albertsons still sees significant room for expansion, as its digital penetration remains under industry benchmarks.

Even as grocery price inflation eases, consumers continue buying store brands. When asked what鈥檚 driving the trend, roughly two-thirds of shoppers mentioned factors like quality, taste, and store brands鈥� ability to meet specific dietary needs, per an FMI consumer survey. Private labels differentiate retailers鈥� offerings.

Three-quarters of the retailer鈥檚 share gains in 2024 came from higher-income consumers visiting Walmart for groceries and general merchandise like apparel. They鈥檙e also willing to pay more for faster delivery options. Walmart is courting those customers with a broader array of premium products across a number of categories, including grocery, beauty, and apparel.

Pepsi is accused of offering an unnamed big-box retailer鈥攚hich sources identified to CNBC as Walmart鈥攁n unfair price advantage over competitors ranging from big grocery chains to local convenience stores. The FTC鈥檚 suit argues that Pepsi violated the RPA by giving Walmart advantages, such as 鈥減romotional payments鈥� and advertising, which it did not offer to rival retailers.