The Latest

• 

  What to know about holiday consumers this year

  How much will this year’s anomalies — including a presidential election, inflation and a super-short season — affect shopping in 2024?

  Consumer Trends

• 

  Sponsored by Pacvue

  Busting the myths of incrementality measurement in 2025

  Discover how brands are leveraging iROAS to measure incremental sales and optimize retail media strategies across growing channels.

  E-Commerce

• 

  Google revamps shopping feature with AI-powered product curation

  Upcoming features include AI-generated briefs, dynamic filters to narrow searches based on specific attributes and personalized feeds.

  Marketing

• 

  Adidas momentum continues with 7% sales growth

  Preliminary results for the third quarter also showed that, excluding Yeezy sales from this year and last, currency-neutral revenue surged 14%.

  Operations

• 

  Havenly Brands acquires Burrow as it builds out its portfolio of home brands

  Havenly CEO Lee Mayer discusses the company’s fifth acquisition, its multibrand strategy and why she remains bullish on retail.

  Operations

• 

  Foxtrot relaunches delivery, will reopen third location this week

  Restoring e-commerce services marks the beginning of a return to form for Foxtrot after a tumultuous past several months.

  Operations

• 

  NRF expects holiday sales to rise as much as 3.5%, reaching at least $980B

  With wages outpacing inflation and an expansive economy — and despite ongoing consumer wariness — spending will set a record, the group said.

  Marketing

• 

  Deep Dive

  ‘Everybody benefits’: Why the beauty industry needs to get serious about accessible packaging

  Rare Beauty and Target have taken steps to develop guidance around universally accessible design. But the industry isn’t prioritizing it yet.

  Operations

• 

  Bloomie’s to open fourth location

  The 21,000-square-foot store is set to open at The Grove Shopping Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, on Nov. 14.

  Operations

• 

  Amazon unboxes advertiser capabilities spanning AI, DSP and insights

  The retail media giant refreshed its demand-side platform and rolled out new generative artificial intelligence tools to help marketers utilize its ad services.

  Technology

• 

  Column

  The Weekly Closeout: Primark plans a Manhattan flagship and Walmart expands pet offerings

  The global retailer will set up shop minutes away from Macy’s Herald Square store, as the big-box giant opens more Pet Services centers. 

  Operations

• 

  How retailers can foster loyalty for Black Friday and beyond

  Half of U.S. consumers say they will remain loyal to the brands they buy from on Black Friday, a SAP Emarsys survey found.

  Marketing

• 

  Walgreens to close 1,200 stores

  The drugstore retailer’s plans reverse its expansion ambitions from a few years ago, when the company attempted to merge with rival Rite Aid.

  Operations

• 

  Looking to replace pumpkin spice? Stop looking.

  One day there may be another innovative product that hits the cultural zeitgeist, but even then experts say the fall favorite is here to stay.

  Marketing

• 

  Guess launches recycling initiative with SuperCircle

  The program, called Guess Again, allows customers to mail in textiles of any brand.

  Technology

• 

  Nearly half of holiday shoppers plan to shop in stores

  While online shopping is returning to pre-pandemic behaviors, there is a generational divide between those who shop on computers versus mobile devices, according to Experian. 

  Marketing

• 

  What’s the winning formula for a loyalty program?

  Sephora, PetSmart and Famous Footwear operate loyalty programs that lean into data to meet customers’ interests and preferences.

  Marketing

• 

  Gorjana signs LA Sparks forward Cameron Brink as brand ambassador

  Brink is the second professional athlete ambassador the DTC jewelry brand has brought on, following tennis player Jessica Pegula last year.

  Marketing

• 

  Walmart names chief growth officer to head up new business group

  Seth Dallaire is now heading up an expanded division as the company continues its transition toward a focus on omnichannel retailing.

  Operations

• 

  Why Home Depot is turning to DIY as its retail media network scales up

  Executives at Advertising Week detailed how the home improvement retailer added a self-service offering to Orange Apron Media.

  Marketing

• 

  Amazon rolls out AI Shopping Guides for curated product discovery

  The guides use product searches to deliver pages filled with relevant product details and suggestions.

  Marketing

• 

  Another rough year for department stores

  The segment is undergoing a quiet shakeup in 2024, with major players pursuing varying degrees of change to their operations.

  Operations

• 

  Why Whole Foods’ Daily Shops won’t feature Just Walk Out tech

  Display movement is “very restricted” when the tech is in use, a Whole Foods executive said during a store tour of the new format.

  Operations

• 

  True Value files for Chapter 11

  The 75-year-old brand, whose stores are largely excluded from the bankruptcy, is seeking court approval to sell itself to rival Do it Best for $153 million.

  Operations

• 

  Amazon will reprise holiday beauty sale

  This year the e-commerce giant will be competing for attention not just with rival retailers but also the November election.

  Marketing

• 

  Here’s how retailers are staffing up for the 2024 holiday season

  With e-commerce expected to surge once again, extra fulfillment center workers are just as critical as store staff for many.

  Updated Oct. 4, 2024

  Operations

More stories