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Instacart and Uber team up to keep DoorDash at bay: Instacart hopes the deal will protect its grocery business and widen consumer appeal, while Uber looks for new customers.

Amazon will offer grocery delivery to non-Prime members nationwide: The retail giant also plans to resume opening Amazon Fresh stores next year.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss points of tension around Trader Joe's and other cult grocery brands. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top four private label grocery brands people go out of their way for鈥攁nd why. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Zak Stambor.

Younger consumers and higher-income shoppers are powering Walmart鈥檚 grocery growth while its physical footprint gives it an edge in retail media. Its burgeoning logistics business could be the next big thing for the retailer鈥攁nd its bottom line.

Albertsons hit its marks in Q1: The company is leaning into private labels, growing its loyalty program, and boosting its digital sales.

Amazon Fresh could get a refresh to conquer the grocery market, Finesse uses AI to reduce fashion waste, and Claire鈥檚 leans on content to engage Gen Zalphas. Meanwhile, Macy鈥檚 downsizes, e.l.f. Beauty aims to go viral, and Walmart makes strides in media. Here are six retailers that are most likely to makeover, reinvent, go viral, and more, as predicted by our analysts in a recent 鈥淩eimagining Retail鈥� podcast episode.

One category rules them all: The future of retail media is tied distinctly to grocery and grocery ecommerce, according to Lipsman. All of the top 13 retail media networks used by brands (identified in a survey by the Association of National Advertisers) sell groceries and/or consumer packaged goods.

That feeling is due to Trader Joe鈥檚 dedication to what it believes makes a good customer experience, which is slightly different than other grocery stores.

Ad spend across digital channels has been mixed so far this year, with spend on social networks slowing and connected TV spend boosted by new ad-supported subscription tiers. Meanwhile, retail media is diversifying at a rapid rate as nonendemic retailers get in the game

Amazon鈥檚 physical focus will be more on its grocery business in 2024, as the company resumes Amazon Fresh openings after a yearlong pause. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got to figure out how to bridge the gap between online and in-store, without doing it in a gimmicky way,鈥� Davidkhanian said. Best retailer you don鈥檛 know of yet. Nominees: Martie, Flip, B&H Photo Video. Winner: Flip.

Walmart鈥檚 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.

Last year, Kroger found success embracing omnichannel shoppers and personalizing digital promotions, which helped it grow its identical sales (without fuel) 0.9% YoY. Looking ahead, the retailer is counting on its digitally engaged customers to fuel its retail media network, which Kroger expects to grow 20% next year.

This year鈥檚 Groceryshop 2023 event in Las Vegas focused on marrying in-store and digital experiences, the growing retail media wave, and the benefits of personalizing messaging based on each consumer鈥檚 motivations, among many other takeaways. All of that comes as US food and beverage retail sales are expected to reach $1.378 trillion this year and surpass $1.578 trillion in 2026, according to our June forecast.

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.

When the cost of groceries and other essentials are eating up a bigger share of consumers鈥� wallets, they cut back on expenditures like dining out and entertainment, our analyst Blake Droesch said. Weekly visits to dining chains nationwide trended downward YoY throughout 2023, per a February 2024 report by Placer.ai. AI to the rescue?

Brand spending on retailers鈥� websites and in stores offers leverage when negotiating prices with suppliers, a spokesperson for Belgian supermarket Colruyt told Reuters.

Giant Eagle integrated Chicory鈥檚 Contextual Recipe Targeting solution into its retail media network, Leap Media Group, which lets advertisers target consumers without relying on cookies or other digital identifiers. The solution helps brands reach shoppers as they鈥檙e looking for meal inspiration, when they鈥檙e most receptive to trying new products and brands, per Chicory.

The tool will build a grocery list around nonspecific questions, like, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 a good summer meal I can prepare in under an hour?鈥�. Instacart is an example of how even as casual use of ChatGPT declines, professional and retail use cases are still very much alive. Top fashion retailers experiment with AI search. ChatGPT and Instacart aren鈥檛 the only companies leveraging AI search.

Thanks to sales in affordable groceries and strategies to draw higher-income consumers, Walmart is having a successful year. Momentum is expected to continue through the holidays, as the retail giant leverages click-and-collect solutions in physical stores and a mass scale of product offerings for its online marketplace, Stambor said.

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.

Walmart has made headlines for higher-income shoppers trading down on groceries. Another strong area is the Walmart+ program, which has grown among younger shoppers who may have less spending power. As of December 2022, 23% of respondents to an Insider Intelligence survey conducted by Bizrate Insights said they subscribed to Walmart+, up from 11% in June.

Only 2.3% pay for Shipt, which offers free grocery deliveries on orders of at least $35, as well as free delivery from Target, Petco, Walgreens, and other national chains. Given that Target would be a late entrant to the paid membership space, it would need a clear differentiator to drive shoppers to enroll.

Many advertisers see retail media solely as a performance marketing channel. But 7-Eleven鈥檚 retail media network, Gulp Media, is aiming higher up the funnel.

For Albertsons, video can be used as both an in-store and online tool to help customers find inspiration or discover new products.

Retail media advertising has existed on digital marketplaces like Amazon for years. And now that retailers are expanding offerings and other digital ad formats like social media are waning, it鈥檚 time to pounce. 2. Advertisers have options. Key stat: 56% of marketers advertise on five or more retail media networks.