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On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we check in on how retailers鈥� financials are looking this year, different approaches to inventory, and what Q2 is telling us. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Senior Analysts Blake Droesch and Zak Stambor.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the ingredients of Walmart鈥檚 current recipe for success and the technology that鈥檚 most likely to propel them into the future. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Analyst Rachel Wolff.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how to get folks to buy something they can鈥檛 go and see in a store, how D2Cs should be thinking about generative AI, and how one DTC is negotiating the tariff minefield. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves and CEO and president of Eyebuydirect Sunny Jiang.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how retailers are approaching their DEI initiatives under the current administration, the impact of staying quiet this Pride Month, and where the discussion around DEI goes next. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, Analyst Paola Flores-Marquez, and Dr. Marcus Collins鈥攁uthor and Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss our unofficial list of the most unexpected retailer campaigns this year. This month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial themed list of the top eight retailers based on the most surprising marketing campaigns we've seen in the last six months. In this month's episode, Committee members Analysts Arielle Feger and Sara Lebow will defend their list against Senior Analyst Zak Stambor and Analyst Rachel Wolff, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

The trend: Gen Z is turning to social media for job and career guidance in the UK, but typical pharma company content isn鈥檛 engaging them. The takeaway: Pharma and biotech companies need to embrace social media as serious recruiting channels to connect with Gen Z, and create unpolished, everyday snapshot-type videos with real employees. Social teams should track video trends on TikTok like 鈥渄ay in the life鈥� or 鈥減ut a finger down鈥� and enlist employees to replicate them.

Sports remains a profitable ad opportunity: Two-thirds of Americans are sports fans and over half have made a purchase based on audio ads.

The news: Women鈥檚 sports is continuing to grow in relevance, reaching new milestones in 2024, per research from the charity Women鈥檚 Sport Trust. Leagues like the Women鈥檚 National Basketball Association (WNBA) grew significantly across social media in the 2024 season, reaching a single-season record of nearly 2 billion video views across WNBA social media platforms鈥攎ore than quadruple the previous season. Our take: As more brands invest in women鈥檚 sports and viewership spikes, advertisers must recognize women鈥檚 sports not as a niche category only relevant for select moments, but as a critical part of a comprehensive sports marketing campaign.

The news: OpenAI is discounting enterprise ChatGPT subscriptions鈥攂ut only if customers agree to buy more AI products. Microsoft is unhappy, as it rarely offers discounts for its competing services aimed at enterprise users, per The Information. Key takeaway: Business leaders should anticipate potential shifts in AI pricing resulting from fraying alliances and increased competition between OpenAI and Microsoft. Lock in longer-term pricing and negotiate for essential services while pushing back on expensive add-ons. Diversifying AI vendors and solutions reduces reliance on single entities and provides opportunities for testing of models from different sources, some of which may be more easily customized for specific use cases.