蘑菇AV

In-store sales data is a massive opportunity gap. The biggest gap between how retail media networks (RMNs) perform today versus their most desired attributes was with in-store sales data. With nearly 90% of grocery sales still occurring in physical stores, RMNs that deliver seamless omnichannel sales attribution will be well positioned to capture consumer packaged goods (CPG) advertising budgets.

That鈥檚 true for both everyday necessities like groceries as well as discretionary categories like apparel and toys.

On today's episode, we discuss how we should feel about Amazon's online sales being flat, how its ad business was able to have such a good quarter, and why the company has yet to find a mass grocery format worth expanding. "In Other News," we talk about how Pinterest has been doing and just how popular self-checkout is. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Blake Droesch.

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.

More than other generations, Gen Z shopped for every non-grocery retail category online, except home furnishings and alcoholic beverages. Key stat: Economic uncertainty has consumers putting off plans for renovations.

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.

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.

The big picture: The outlook for pet spending is decidedly more upbeat than the rest of the retail landscape, in large part because consumers see those expenses as essential. 1 in 3 pet owners has reduced spending in other areas, such as groceries and entertainment, to ensure they could afford pet-related expenses, per a Rover report.

Grocery inflation, which moves quickly through supply chains, will be an early sign of tariff impact. Employment metrics, such as job openings and unemployment rates, can signal how companies are reacting to economic pressure. In the meantime, here are three immediate actions retailers can take. Reassess ad spend.

The big picture: Walmart is well-positioned to ride out uncertainty thanks to its large grocery and private-label businesses, price advantage, and scale. But its cautious outlook underscores the challenging environment retailers face in 2025 as they navigate tariffs, falling consumer sentiment, and weakening demand.

Shoppers are increasingly looking for functional products that offer some kind of health benefit, be it high protein or digestive aid, possibly as a way of justifying the purchase in an era of skyrocketing grocery costs. That trend has hugely benefited Poppi and competitor Olipop, which netted over $500 million and $400 million to $450 million in sales, respectively, in 2024.

And American Express told 蘑菇AV it expanded its rewards program by working with a large grocery retailer to target frequent but not loyal customers, offering discounts to make consumers shop there more often and build larger baskets.

Target threatened to raise grocery prices within a few days due to tariffs on Mexican produce, while Best Buy similarly warned that consumers would bear the brunt of higher import costs. And while the North American front may be safe (for now), tariffs on China imports remain, along with retaliatory levies of 10% to 15% from Beijing targeting the US agricultural industry.

Our take: With digital grocery sales growth slowing considerably, Instacart will have to pull as many levers as it can to lure shoppers and encourage them to spend. Its partnership with Uber is paying early dividends, as are its affordability efforts, but that momentum could soon shift in the face of broader economic uncertainty.

German grocery retailer Lidl launched a TikTok Shop pop-up in the UK, marking one of the first major grocery retailers to experiment with TikTok鈥檚 ecommerce capabilities.

Announced last month, Amazon鈥檚 Alexa+ will update some Echo devices to create smart home routines, order groceries, and analyze images. Our take: If Apple doesn鈥檛 accelerate AI deployment, it risks losing Gen Z and millennial consumers who are already adopting AI-enabled assistants from its biggest rivals.

He added that 鈥渜uick commerce will work in grocery and some adjacent categories,鈥� but Singh is skeptical of success in other categories that are led more by assisted browsing behavior. In China, the quick commerce industry has struggled with rising costs and price competition in recent years.

But it鈥檚 also a reflection of the fact that warehouse retailers offer value in ways that the vast majority of retailers can鈥檛, attracting both lower-income shoppers in search of grocery deals and cheap gas and high-income consumers willing to splurge on gold bars and pinball machines.

The insight: Popular consumer beverage brands might be poised to escape the trading-down effect even as inflation pressures consumers to seek affordable grocery alternatives. Though some US households are decreasing their soda consumption, strong brands are proving resilient, per a Q4 2024 survey by Big Chalk Analytics.