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As customers grab the same grocery staples they have for decades, Walmart is betting that gamifying the experience will challenge those habits. The retailer plans to launch Walmart Unlimited, a three-part miniseries that features the entrepreneurs behind its products. Launched last month on Spatial, the game includes full commerce integration that enables in-app purchases.

Tariffs could add $12,000 to new car prices, drive up costs for electronics, and inflate grocery bills. Marketers must pivot to value-driven messaging as economic uncertainty reshapes spending.

Egg prices are up, and so are consumers鈥� concerns about affording groceries amid rising cases of avian flu, inflation, and President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs. Here鈥檚 how grocery shopping may change in the year ahead and what retailers need to know.

A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to the Friday 5. This week, price comparisons drive online shopping, consumers consider their grocery necessities, and retail media proves its effectiveness to consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands.

Grocery is the second-largest ecommerce category we track, garnering $220.48 billion in 2025, according to our 鈥淯S Digital Grocery Forecast 2025鈥� report. Walmart is the top digital grocery retailer, capturing 31.6% of US grocery ecommerce sales in 2025, followed by Amazon (22.6%) and Kroger (8.6%).

The Super Bowl is one of the few collective experiences left: That鈥檚 why Walmart, Amazon, and Aldi are going head-to-head on grocery deals, and retailers like Abercrombie are making plays related to the game.

The National Retail Federation鈥檚 (NRF) Big Show closed earlier this week, bringing together retailers, tech companies, and industry experts to discuss the future of retail. Key takeaways included Gen Z鈥檚 influence on shopping, which will last even if TikTok goes away, the accelerating trend cycle, hesitation to adopt new payment technologies, and the transformation of digital grocery. Here are four takeaways from the event.

Credit card issuers can steal share from debit cards by expanding grocery-focused rewards and promoting budgeting tools

Households with GLP-1 users slash their spending on groceries: Food companies need to adapt to the shifting buying patterns of consumers on GLP-1s to stay competitive.

Fifty-eight percent of US households are 鈥渆xtremely concerned鈥� about inflation: While grocery price growth has normalized, the rapid increases over the past few years continue to influence shopping behaviors.

FTC scores another antitrust victory after judge blocks Kroger-Albertsons merger: The deal would reduce grocery competition and raise prices for shoppers, the court decided.

As the digital grocery landscape grows more crowded, retailers must meet consumers' expectations around product selection, mobile app features, and fulfillment. 鈥淒igital grocery is no longer an emerging category,鈥� said our analyst Blake Droesch. 鈥淚t鈥檚 grown really fast over the last couple of years, and the market is pretty mature at this point.鈥� Here are three ways retailers can stay competitive, according to our Digital Grocery Opportunity report.

In November, retailers made strategic moves across grocery, apparel, and beauty. Amazon turned Black Friday into a weeklong event and launched its Shein competitor, Haul. Meanwhile, e.l.f. Beauty strengthened its value proposition through a new Dollar General partnership, while Kroger announced plans for specialized Asian experience stores in North Texas. Here are our eight unofficial picks for the most interesting retailers in November.