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鈥淎nyone paying an ounce of attention will recognize that Costco has the scale and data to quickly become a formidable player in the space,鈥� Marzano said. "Consider that every in-store shopper is a known customer, thanks to Costco's robust membership model, and the fact that Costco is the third largest retailer in the country.鈥�.

Larger players like Walmart and Costco may gain share by leveraging their scale to absorb or negotiate around added costs. Ecommerce is particularly exposed. Beginning May 2, the administration will suspend the de minimis exemption for packages from China and Hong Kong. Goods valued under $800 will now face either a 120% duty or a flat $100 fee per item鈥攔ising to $200 after June 1.

Okay, people who aren't touching Costco yet. Suzy Davidkhanian (03:34):. Or a category. Sara Lebow (03:36):. Okay. Suzy Davidkhanian (03:36):. So it doesn't have to necessarily be Costco. Because if you're on a Costco property, you're most likely a Costco shopper, but not the category shopper. Depends on if they're onsite or offsite.

There are now more than 80 retail media networks (RMNs) in the US. The volume of RMNs, combined with the dominance of Amazon and other established competitors, makes it challenging for new and niche RMNs to capture share.

Amazon and Walmart dominate the landscape, but the other half of US ecommerce sales is still up for grabs.

Private label brands are no longer just the cheaper alternatives sitting on store shelves. They've evolved into strategic assets that build customer loyalty, boost retailer margins, and increasingly compete with national brands on quality and design, not just price.

Retail media鈥檚 rapid growth has spurred nonretail verticals to harness their first-party data to fuel their own commerce media networks. Retail media spending still dominates the commerce media landscape, but distinct challenger cohorts are finding their footing.

Larger players like Walmart and Costco are better positioned to secure favorable terms or absorb extra costs, potentially gaining market share as they did during the pandemic. Retailers with pricing power are likely to come out ahead. That鈥檚 particularly true among those focused on essential goods, strong private label brands, and discount chains.

The lack of concern could be because most of these players鈥攊ncluding Walmart, Costco Wholesale, The Kroger Co., and Albertsons Companies鈥攁lso operate pharmacies. So any spending decline for groceries could be offset by more customers picking up GLP-1 prescriptions. Meanwhile, a slew of food sellers and CPG brands are developing product lines and reformulating items with GLP-1 users in mind.

In the short term, retailers like Costco are rushing to import goods before they take effect. Over the longer term, merchants like grill maker Traeger, fashion brand Steve Madden, and Academy Sports and Outdoors are shifting sourcing away from China. Geopolitical tensions: Even though Houthi attacks in the Red Sea no longer attract headlines, tensions haven鈥檛 dissipated and risk remains.

In the short term, retailers like Costco are rushing to import goods, driving up shipping costs. It cost about $6,000 to book a 40-foot container from Asia to the US West Coast on January 1, a 50% jump from December, per Xeneta data cited by Bloomberg. While some merchants might absorb those costs, many will likely pass them on to consumers, driving up prices.

To compete against larger rivals like Walmart and Costco, the retailer plans to slash prices on some products, CEO Vivek Sankaran said. The strategy: As it attempted to merge with Kroger, Albertsons was also investing more money in capital expenditures than ever before, CFO Sharon McCollam said on the company鈥檚 first earnings call since July 2022.

Retailers like Costco are rushing to import goods, driving up shipping costs. It cost about $6,000 to book a 40-foot container from Asia to the US West Coast on January 1, a 50% jump from December, per Xeneta data cited by Bloomberg. While some merchants might absorb those costs, many will likely pass them on to consumers, driving up prices. Consumers are pulling spending forward.

While 58% of US adults are Amazon Prime subscribers, far fewer are members of Sam鈥檚 Club (27%), Walmart+ (25%), and Costco (21%). And even fewer subscribe to other services, per our survey done in partnership with Bizrate Insights.

Costco recently rebuffed a push from investors to move away from DEI initiatives, and Apple has asked shareholders to block an effort to roll back commitments.

The volume of imports has been rising, and the nation鈥檚 major container ports expect that surge to continue through spring as Costco and other merchants stock up on goods before tariffs take effect, per the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates鈥� Global Port Tracker.

Costco is the brand most preferred by Democrats, according to the Axios Harris Poll 100. What is the brand most preferred by Republicans? A) Chick-fil-A B) Arizona C) John Deere D) Hobby Lobby. Chick-fil-A is the brand most preferred by Republicans, according to the Axios Harris Poll 100. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. May 27, 2025.

Walmart, Costco, Target, and Home Depot are among the retailers pressing their Chinese suppliers to lower prices. But those efforts are running into resistance from both manufacturers and Beijing, which summoned Walmart for a widely publicized dressing down. Amazon is paying higher prices to some vendors to help them cushion the blow of tariffs.