蘑菇AV

Walmart imported fewer goods this holiday season: While that could be a sign that it expects tepid sales, it also reflects the retailer鈥檚 growing reliance on third-party marketplace sellers to broaden its product assortment.

Walmart, Amazon, and Instacart continue to bolster their offerings, making online grocery services more affordable and accessible. And as consumers adjust to higher grocery prices, they will be willing to pay slightly more for the convenience of grocery delivery. On an international scale, the US remains the second-largest ecommerce market after China.

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.

Walmart鈥檚 ad business fuels operating income growth: Retail media revenues jumped 29% driven by marketplace expansion.

Walmart ended 2024 on a high note: But 2025 could tell a different story, with tariff uncertainty and economic volatility on the horizon.

Walmart and Carvana will mark somewhat stronger sales growth for all three years, and only Walmart has sufficient scale to gain notable ecommerce market share: It will grow by 1 percentage point to reach 9.2% in 2026. In 2025, Walmart will become the only US retailer that鈥檚 not Amazon to surpass $100 billion in annual online sales.

Marketplaces will continue to expand their share of US retail ecommerce as new players with roots in China vie for prominence.

As the share of US ecommerce sales on marketplaces continues to expand, our latest survey examines consumer buying habits and expectations across leading platforms.

Walmart and Target reported their Q3 earnings last week. Despite varying retail success, both reported strong growth in their retail media networks鈥�Walmart Connect鈥檚 US business grew 26% while Roundel鈥檚 growth was in the mid-teens, per CEO Brian Cornell.

While our analysts have shared their major trends for the year ahead, the newsletter team has a few additional thoughts. In 2025, we think retailers will focus on personalized in-store experiences and technology to boost foot traffic and engagement while Amazon brings its AI assistant, Rufus, to brick-and-mortar locations. Discount retailers will struggle to retain customers, leading them to diversify or launch marketplaces to stay competitive.

Walmart dominated the US retail landscape in 2024: The mass merchant鈥檚 ability to offer savings and convenience won over shoppers, and its growing ecommerce and advertising businesses are helping it make inroads against Amazon.

Major retailers like IKEA, Walmart, and ThredUp are launching peer-to-peer resale marketplaces, aiming to capture a slice of the booming secondhand market. This trend comes as US marketplace ecommerce sales are projected to surpass $500 billion next year, according to our forecast.

Both retailers used generative AI to improve employee productivity in Q2鈥�Walmart leveraged the tech to improve its product catalog and Target used it to enhance in-store employee tools. Target鈥檚 curbside pickup service helped it grow digital comparable sales 8.7% YoY, while Walmart鈥檚 marketplace and sales of GLP-1 drugs contributed to its 4.2% comp sales growth YoY.

US ecommerce marketplaces will account for $384.57 billion in sales this year, a growth of 10.2% over 2022, according to our forecast. That growth will accelerate through the end of our forecast period in 2027, at which point sales will surpass $600 billion. 鈥淎mazon has really written the playbook for operating a successful marketplace in the US,鈥� said our analyst Sky Canaves. Here鈥檚 a closer look at how the three biggest US ecommerce marketplaces stack up.

Marketplaces are fighting for the crown in US ecommerce. Though Amazon remains solidly atop ecommerce sales, Walmart and Shopify are attempting to carve into Amazon鈥檚 revenues. Here are the latest updates in ecommerce, advertising, and partnerships from these major players.

Recently, Walmart rolled out a suite of new features at its first-ever seller summit, including enhanced fulfillment and logistics services for merchants. As Walmart attempts to challenge Amazon鈥檚 marketplace dominance, integrating fulfillment allows it to take advantage of its physical footprint for a more comprehensive marketplace offering.

This year, furniture and home furnishings will make up a $179.75 billion ecommerce market in the US, according to our forecast, and growth is accelerating. With challenges coming from big names like Amazon and Walmart and resale platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, Ikea has no choice but to innovate to keep up.