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Since the pandemic, online ordering and delivery have become table stakes for the grocery industry. Retailers like Albertsons have begun to develop tools and capabilities that provide added value for customers, focusing on creating a more convenient experience. 鈥淐onsumers think about food 226 times a day, that鈥檚 a lot of cognitive load,鈥� said Jill Pavlovich, senior vice president of digital shopping experiences at Albertsons Cos. 鈥淪o we want to take the experience from a transactional one to a helpful set of tools that can help people manage this.鈥� Albertsons leveraged customer data to identify areas for improvement across its website and mobile app.

That shift has allowed the retailer to grow its grocery share, but at the expense of its profit margin, which fell eight basis points YoY to 29.4%. Exposure to lower-income households also makes the chain vulnerable to potential changes in SNAP funding. Amid a more challenging environment, Dollar General is rethinking its aggressive expansion strategy.

Amazon is the biggest retail media network in the US, accounting for three-quarters of retail media revenue share, per our forecast. But its limited grocery footprint leaves an opportunity for competition. Here are recent updates in grocery retail media, and a prediction on the future of in-store retail media.

Grocery spending is slowly shifting online as consumers seek convenience: More shoppers are leveraging grocers鈥� ecommerce options as well as delivery platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Instacart and Uber team up to keep DoorDash at bay: Instacart hopes the deal will protect its grocery business and widen consumer appeal, while Uber looks for new customers.

On today's episode podcast, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why Amazon is struggling to get Amazon Fresh off the ground, what it has going for it, and what would happen if Amazon broke out a separate subscription for grocery. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the other players that could offer lessons on how Amazon Fresh could compete with Walmart. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and director of content Becky Schilling.

Instacart鈥檚 ad growth slowed in Q4: That could create problems for the company as it relies more heavily on ads to offset softening grocery delivery demand.

Before the pandemic, online alcohol sales rates were in close proportion to the rest of food and beverage. But the pandemic-induced digital grocery boom accelerated the pace of ecommerce penetration among food and beverage sales. For many reasons, alcohol did not keep up with this larger category trend.

Gen Z spends significantly on beauty products online while favoring in-store shopping for apparel. For groceries, this tech-savvy generation relies heavily on search engines and social media to discover new products. Additionally, the trend toward low- and no-alcohol beverages is gaining momentum, as many Gen Zers embrace initiatives like Dry January.

Instacart鈥檚 revenues and profits spiked in 2022, helped by its growing ad business: That could speed up the timeline for the grocery delivery company鈥檚 long-awaited IPO.

Less than half of US grocery retail executives are worried about competition from third-party apps. False. In fact, over half (53%) are worried about competition from third-party grocery shopping apps, according to June 2024 data from Deloitte. June 13, 2025. Cannes trivia: What year did the first Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity take place? A) 1922 B) 1954 C) 1984 D) 1999.

C) Grocery stores. D) Meal kit services. Of the 58% of consumers who use online retail and delivery platforms, 36% order from restaurants, followed by 28% from online supermarkets, according to the study. April 15, 2025. What brand is encouraging profitable donations with a 鈥楶ay What You Want鈥� food truck tour? A) KIND Snacks. B) Newman鈥檚 Own. C) Ben & Jerry鈥檚. D) Chobani.

While retail sales growth is expected to slow this year, ecommerce sales will grow by double digits to reach $1.148 trillion, buoyed by online grocery, health and personal care, and online resale. Here are five charts on the categories, retailers, and channels driving ecommerce growth

Traffic is up at Aldi and Lidl: With the cost of rent, car insurance, and electricity continuing to rise, consumers are looking to save on groceries.

Victoria鈥檚 Secret, Party City, and Lush Cosmetics are the newest retail partners DoorDash has added to its platform as it expands beyond restaurant delivery to offer customers on-demand delivery for alcohol, grocery, and convenience items.

Kroger鈥檚 sales sag as grocery prices stabilize: That new state of play could drive the grocer to look to high-margin retail media to drive growth.

Costco鈥檚 fiscal Q4 earnings report, with total revenues of $78.94 billion, offers a glimpse into shifting consumer priorities: its shoppers are now favoring essentials, opting for groceries and gasoline, while luxury and other discretionary items have taken a backseat.

Retailers like Dollar General, Walmart, and Target are rethinking the self-checkout experience, scaling back on kiosks or removing self-checkout from their locations altogether. But considering 55% of US adults prefer to get through their in-store grocery shopping as fast as possible (according to a November 2023 survey from Kearney) it鈥檚 unlikely self-checkout will be leaving stores anytime soon. Here are five stats on self-checkout, including how and why consumers like to use it, the reason some retailers are pulling back, and what the future holds for the technology.

Amazon Fresh, despite failing to gain traction with its brick-and-mortar endeavors, is trying to assert itself in the grocery space. Its customer base, though much smaller than competitors like Walmart and Target, is attractive to consumer packaged goods (CPG) advertisers because those shoppers are open to trying new products.

Walmart is undergoing a 鈥渕uch broader shift,鈥� said our analyst Sky Canaves on our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail鈥� podcast. Where Walmart was once seen as primarily a retailer, it鈥檚 pivoting into tech and services. Walmart鈥檚 business remains rooted in grocery, but through its retail as a service and Walmart+ offerings, it鈥檚 expanding that flywheel.

Mobile app install ad spending is on the rise, and more video content on social media means an increase in time spent on platforms. Plus, click and collect remains a popular option for grocery buyers. Our forecasters laid out some good news for advertisers.

Our analysts have already made their big predictions for the year ahead, but the newsletter team has a few more to add to the list. As Amazon hits the gas on grocery, it may use its Amazon Fresh stores for fulfillment. Plus, we think beauty will get personal, Amazon could give digitally native brands a helping hand, and a healing economy could spell trouble for discount stores.

Amazon Fresh could get a refresh to conquer the grocery market, Finesse uses AI to reduce fashion waste, and Claire鈥檚 leans on content to engage Gen Zalphas. Meanwhile, Macy鈥檚 downsizes, e.l.f. Beauty aims to go viral, and Walmart makes strides in media. Here are six retailers that are most likely to makeover, reinvent, go viral, and more, as predicted by our analysts in a recent 鈥淩eimagining Retail鈥� podcast episode.

Trader Joe鈥檚 small, curated stores and limited footprint sets it apart. Between its branding, product choice, and customer experience, there are a lot of lessons other retailers beyond grocery can learn from the Trader Joe鈥檚 model. Here are four takeaways from Trader Joe鈥檚.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of Twitter changing its name to X, whether Walmart is crushing Amazon in the grocery wars, what a billboard in your living room would look like, what Gen Z has done to the purchase funnel, why Airbnb doesn't have a loyalty program, what the most popular museums around the world are, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Blake Droesch and Carina Perkins.