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We鈥檝e never broken out Walmart retail clinic patients, but the company said earlier this year it鈥檚 getting out of the health clinic business entirely. What鈥檚 next? Expect to see retail clinic operators that don鈥檛 intend to completely exit the market adopt new strategies for getting patients to their locations.

"Nobody ever talks about Sam's Club as much as they talk about Walmart, but they really are doing some cool things when it comes to making the shopping experience more frictionless," our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian said. "They're not using technology to use technology, they're using it to solve a problem, and I think that's probably what makes them stand out the most.".

Improving the experience: At the same time, TikTok is testing an integration that allows some creators to add product links from third-party affiliate networks such as Amazon, Walmart, and Rakuten directly to their posts, per Modern Retail.

Pharmacies and convenience stores struggled as consumers shifted to lower-priced competitors like Walmart, Costco, and Ulta Beauty. Pharmacies鈥� margins also shrank under pressure from pharmacy benefit managers and waning demand for pandemic-era staples like tests and vaccines. Major chains like CVS (586 locations), Rite Aid (408), 7-Eleven (492), and Walgreens (259) all closed underperforming stores.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers calibrate their sales mix against the market.

Without the advantage of de minimis, Shein and Temu would lose their price advantage relative to players like Amazon and Walmart. The two also face growing competition from Amazon, which is challenging Shein and Temu on their own turf with its own low-cost marketplace, Haul, where all products sell for $20 or less.

Just 15.8% of US retail media spend will go to networks that aren鈥檛 Amazon or Walmart, per our November 2024 forecast. That means retail media ad buyers will need to be selective about where investments go. While many networks are comparable (such as similar grocery retailers), they each offer unique audiences, measurement capacities, and ad formats.

Coca-Cola鈥檚 steps dovetails with Walmart, Lowe鈥檚, and other retailers retreating from their DEI initiatives as conservative activists and shareholders put corporate diversity programs under the spotlight. Our take: Coca-Cola is making a bet that any criticism it faces from its more modest goals will quickly fade.

As Walmart demonstrates with its AR showrooms, the next step will be integrating conversational AI into these immersive environments. Shoppers may interact with AI assistants within virtual storefronts, getting real-time advice as they virtually try on clothes or arrange furniture in digital homes. What does this mean for marketers?

Leaning into value: Beyond private labels, Kroger has tried to beat back Walmart and others by leaning into value via loyalty discounts, personalized offers, and fuel rewards. The number of digital offer clips is up 5% this year, which has reportedly saved customers an additional 14%.

Forbes also held a Creator Upfront with Walmart in November, where a roster of creators pitched to potential brand partners the same way TV networks have long-pitched upcoming content to advertisers. Creators move to the living room. To break through the noise, brands and agencies will continue to test creator partnerships that span beyond an unpredictable algorithm on a social feed.

Experiential marketing clients include: Nike, Verizon, Modelo, Walmart, Microsoft. Saatchi & Saatchi X (Publicis). Founded in 1999 as shopper marketing agency ThompsonMurray and acquired by Saatchi & Saatchi in 2004. Key clients: Crest, General Mills, CoverGirl, Olay, Vicks. dotdotdash (Omnicom). Formed in 2015 as an experiential marketing agency. Acquired by Omnicom鈥檚 TBWA Worldwide unit in 2022.