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B2B ecommerce is particularly enticing to Walmart given that it offers high margins that could help offset its growing low-margin grocery business. The big takeaway: There鈥檚 plenty of opportunity for Walmart to find a niche within the B2B ecommerce market. While B2B customers have different needs from B2C, Walmart is well-versed in delivering value and service.

They鈥檒l double down on rewards in essential categories (like groceries and gas) or recurring sectors (like utilities and bill pay). They may also personalize rewards for specific types of spending or partner on co-brands in promising sectors. Mobile Wallets Will Double Down on New Features. Increased time spent with smartphones is trickling into financial services.

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.

Alcohol brands face a daunting challenge in the crowded aisles of grocery stores: capturing shoppers鈥� attention amidst a sea of competing products. They manage hundreds to thousands of active items sold across millions of stores worldwide.

The question is which grocery delivery company with a growing retail media network business recently had a much anticipated IPO? Which grocery delivery company recently had a much anticipated IPO? Evelyn says Instacart, Stephanie Instacart, and hopefully Suzy says Instacart. It's true, Instacart is the correct answer. They just IPO-ed. A point each for all of you.

Today鈥檚 consumers have high expectations of brands and retailers. They want to shop seamlessly across digital and physical channels, they want to get from inspiration to purchase as quickly as possible, and they prioritize value above all else.

DoorDash doesn't have the location data that Lyft does, and Lyft needs the kind of more restaurant, grocery delivery data that DoorDash has. So I think that's just going to really strengthen both of their ad networks. Sarah Marzano (14:35):. Yeah, I completely agree with you.

Reach more than 100 million shoppers with Ibotta鈥檚 network of retailers, publishers, and owned digital properties. The Ibotta Performance Network delivers unprecedented scale with performance marketing efficiency. Introducing the era of Rewards as a Service - promotions will never be the same. Click here to learn more. Episode Transcript:. Sara Lebow:. Hello, listeners. Today is Wednesday, March 15th.

More brands will have the opportunity to create their own dedicated online storefronts to differentiate themselves from the competition and highlight specific products. Walmart鈥檚 growth opportunity: Walmart considers its marketplace to be a cornerstone of its strategy to grow sales and profits, especially as its expanding grocery business weighs on margins. So far, it鈥檚 seeing results.

Here鈥檚 what they used them for:. 42.1% of pay later users purchased clothing and accessories. 35.1% bought groceries. 29.6% used the plans for appliances. 29.0% used them for consumer electronics. And 28.5% used pay later for home furnishings.

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.

Walmart+鈥攚hich we forecast 16 million US households belong to鈥攈as gained traction by offering free delivery on low-cost groceries, along with other benefits such as discounts on gas and auto repair, and access to Paramount+. The big takeaway: There鈥檚 a reason that Amazon and Walmart keep running the same play: It works.

Getting its costs in check: Amazon has been on an ongoing push under CEO Andy Jassy to focus squarely on its core businesses鈥攍ike ecommerce, grocery, advertising, and AWS鈥攁nd aggressively cut costs wherever possible.

Private label grocery brand growth reached 3.9% in 2024, significantly outpacing national brand growth鈥檚 1.0%, according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA)鈥攚hich doesn't even keep pace with inflation. This growth pattern may continue as economic pressures persist.

鈥淕谤辞肠别谤测 is a very human business. I鈥檝e been in Amazon Fresh stores and the technology is cool, but they鈥檙e lacking something in terms of the quality of experience on a human level.鈥�. The takeaway: Amazon ended the year in a dicey position. Slowing online sales were offset by an increase in ad revenues, but even those aren鈥檛 growing as fast as they once were.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how GenAI is changing the customer shopping journey the most, the impact of AI agents, and how to maintain brand messaging in a more conversational universe. Tune in to the episode with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, our Analyst Jacob Bourne, Vice President Suzy Davidkhanian, and Global Digital Commerce Senior Director, Strategy & Execution, Todd Hassenfelt. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Likewise, Tesco pointed to economic uncertainty, rising grocery inflation, and budget-related cost increases as challenges for the year ahead. The concerns: British retailers ended 2024 on a sour note, as a late surge in spending failed to deliver a meaningful boost to holiday retail sales.

Two judges鈥攐ne federal, one state鈥攕eparately blocked the merger on the grounds that it would drastically reduce grocery competition, raising prices for shoppers and reducing workers鈥� bargaining power. The claims: Albertsons alleges that Kroger chose to act 鈥渋n its own financial self-interest鈥� rather than make meaningful attempts to engage with regulators and advance the merger.

Restaurant prices continue to rise faster than grocery prices. The most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) data shows that the cost of 鈥渇ood away from home鈥� is still rising faster than the cost of 鈥渇ood at home.鈥�. Prices are likely to keep rising in 2024. More than 61% of US restaurant operators said they will raise menu prices in 2024, per Restaurant365.

And one touch I've really appreciated, and I'm surprised by how rare it is, is getting a sample in an order like a curbside or home delivery grocery order. It's happened a few times with a little note or coupon. And it does have the ability to surprise and delight and possibly inspire later purchase, even a digital coupon or a QR code that could then spur an online purchase.

Trump鈥檚 proposed tariffs could sharply increase grocery bills, as about 60% of fresh fruit and 40% of fresh vegetables in the US are imported. Mexico, which faces a potential 25% tariff, is the leading source of these imports. Meanwhile, climate change will likely continue to disrupt agriculture, with last year鈥檚 adverse weather driving up prices for staples like cocoa, coffee, and oranges.

The newest digital ad powerhouse is making the duopoly sweat, capturing 12.9% of the US digital ad market this year (behind Google鈥檚 27.1% and Meta鈥檚 19.5%). Amazon is expected to see its US ad revenues increase by $5.04 billion this year, more than that of Google and Meta combined ($3.34 billion). Amazon is moving beyond search ads to display, video, and streaming TV ads.

Especially now, with all this uncertainty over what tariffs will mean for everything from grocery prices to car prices. Sara Lebow (10:33):. Zak? Zak Stambor (10:34):. Yeah. On the surface, I think this looks like a solid close to a solid year. But if you look a little bit closer, you see a growing split on the haves and have-nots within retailers.

Amazon still can't figure out store formats despite how many times they introduce the new bookstore, the new convenience store, the new grocery store. Zak Stambor (13:29):. It is surprising, but it gets to the crux of shopping online and shopping in the real world.