蘑菇AV

This win combats Affirm鈥檚 recent loss of Walmart to Klarna. Affirm also benefited from recent tie-ups with Adyen, which helped the company burrow into the UK market. Our take: Affirm is attempting to break away from its competition by mimicking traditional lenders: Affirm started reporting loans to TransUnion this month and is chipping into in-person retail sales with the Affirm Card.

Amazon and Walmart show ads to virtually every shopper on virtually every search result page. Collectively, the two powerhouses claim over 80% of retail media ad spending; Amazon comprises three-quarters, and Walmart comes in at a distant second.

Other major corporations, including McDonald鈥檚, Walmart, and Target have followed suit. The latter has faced significant backlash over this decision鈥攑articularly because the company was previously fiercely committed to DEI efforts.

The US consumer is holding up, according to Walmart: The retailer raised its full-year outlook after solid spending from value-seeking shoppers drove it to a Q2 earnings beat鈥攁lthough it warned of uncertainty heading into election season.

Walmart Connect stands out with first-party data scale, while Ulta Beauty leverages unique loyalty program insights. If your RMN doesn鈥檛 have a differentiator, find one. Per the IAB, advertisers are looking for:. The ability to reach new/incremental audiences (55%). The ability to leverage retailers鈥� first-party data (52%). Demonstrably strong performance (48%).

Amazon received 236.9 million unique US visitors in June 2024, according to Comscore. It far exceeded Walmart in second with 137.2 million unique visitors.

In August, brands got physical, with Olipop entering a new stadium, Nordstrom inking a deal with Rihanna, and Walmart growing with nonendemic retail media opportunities. Others took a more digital approach, making shopping more seamless on social media sites and AI-powered search. Here are the moves that made our analysts name eight brands to our unofficial most interesting list in August.

Copying a page from retail鈥檚 acquisition playbook: These agency M&A moves mimic retail strategies, such as Walmart investing in ad tech to better compete with Amazon. Obtaining first-party data, identity resolution, and advanced targeting platforms directly addresses cookie deprecation.

Our take: Much like their US counterparts Amazon and Walmart, both Alibaba and JD clearly see convenience as an important growth opportunity as consumers become more discerning. Those investments could enable the two companies to weather any further decline in sentiment stemming from the US-China trade war.

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.

Walmart. Worldpay.

The non-Amazon portion of the market will be divided up mainly among Walmart Connect, Loblaw Advance, Best Buy, and Canadian Tire Triangle. Source. Mars United Commerce.

The retailer ranked No. 5 among the most trusted US brands in this year鈥檚 Axios Harris Poll 100, ahead of retail media competitors like The Home Depot (No. 15), Amazon (No. 19), Lowe鈥檚 (No. 23), and Walmart (No. 81). Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of consumers are buying more private label products than they were a year ago, according to an Ipsos consumer survey from August 2024.

The retail media landscape is dominated by national retailers like Amazon and Walmart, which boast the No. 1 and No. 2 retail media networks in the US by digital ad spend, per our forecast.

With $400 million in media under management and clients like Biossance, Puma, and Gerber Childrenswear, the agency is deepening its commitment to platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger. Crush stands out for its performance-aligned model, charging based on growth instead of traditional agency fees鈥攁 strategy tailored to ecommerce-native clients.

蘑菇AV 75% of Joann shoppers say they鈥檒l now shop at Michaels or Hobby Lobby鈥攆ar ahead of online retailers (44%), mass merchants like Target or Walmart (39%), local craft stores (24%), and discount chains (23%), according to a recent Numerator survey. Our take: Michaels is looking to fill two major voids left by Party City鈥檚 850 stores and Joann鈥檚 700 locations.

Amazon, Walmart, and Stitch Fix lead retailers when it comes to AI implementation: But retailers of all sizes are leveraging the technology to drive sales and improve CX, according to a report provided exclusively to 蘑菇AV.

Some of retail media鈥檚 fastest climbers are flying under the radar: During H2 2024, Uber Eats, Meijer, and Albertsons posted ad growth rates that dwarfed Walmart and Target, soaring 317%, 157%, and 94%, respectively. Even though it is still in the lead, Amazon is slowing down. After growing at a rate of more than 30% in previous years, its global ad revenues are expected to increase by 18.6% in 2025.

Shopping companion: AI鈥檚 developing autonomy can be a big asset when shopping, especially for making purchase suggestions and streamlining the browsing process. 27% of consumers trust AI-powered shopping suggestions, per Walmart, coming in above 24% for content creators. 9% of consumers rank genAI as their most trusted source of what to buy, per Accenture.

Changes to SNAP could affect retailers that serve those recipients, which include Walmart and Kroger. Our take: Retailers, especially grocers and discounters, can set themselves apart by helping consumers save money and be more financially responsible.

By comparison, sales at general merchandise stores such as Walmart and Target fell 1.7% YoY in February. Behind the trend: Warehouse clubs are one of the few bright spots in an otherwise difficult retail landscape.

Any tariff costs passed on to consumers could spell more trouble for Apple, both from iPhone buyers and from Trump, who previously called out Walmart when it said it would raise prices. However, eating the cost of a 25% tariff could hurt Apple鈥檚 bottom line as it pushes into costly VR and AI ventures.

Several major brands鈥攊ncluding Walmart, Birkenstock, Mattel, and Puma鈥攈ave already signaled that consumer prices will rise, and wage growth is unlikely to keep pace. As a result, we expect a sharp deceleration in retail sales growth to just 1.2% in 2025鈥�1.7 percentage points below our pre-tariff forecast.

Ecommerce may be hit particularly hard after President Donald Trump ramped up tariffs on China to 245% and announced plans to tighten regulations on de minimis imports from China and Hong Kong鈥攎oves that will likely dampen sales from Chinese-based sellers on online marketplaces operated by retailers like Amazon and Walmart, as well as reduce growth for platforms like Shein and Temu.