Recent earnings reports from the nation's largest retailers gave a peek behind the curtain for how they aim to improve AI offerings, and where they value it most in their business.

Consumers are treating health and wellness as essential spending even in a tough economy. Social media and wellness culture are fueling demand for supplements, healthier food, and longevity products. At the same time, misinformation and pressure to stay healthy are increasing.

The earlier sales time frame could attract price-sensitive shoppers seeking summer and seasonal items.

AI shopping features offered by ChatGPT, Google, and Microsoft Copilot are broadly similar, but there are variations in the overall experience worth noting. Marketers should know how these tools compare to invest in the right place.

Low-key rollouts aim to dodge backlash without abandoning inclusivity.

Retail media ad spend in Japan is growing fast. But it remains less mature due to a fragmented retail sector, strong traditional players, legacy systems, and a culture favoring offline relationships. Convenience stores and mobile payments will drive growth.

The retailer is codifying customer engagement benchmarks to ensure consistency and elevated guest experiences across stores.

Starbucks, Target, and Uber are reconsidering their strategies as costs climb and investments underdeliver.

Q1 results show how the biggest retailers are managing uncertainty as the Iran war pressures consumer spending

The brand will make its Walmart debut next month as part of a broader emphasis on big-box retail.

As ecommerce scales, online returns are becoming a permanent margin drag. Fees and tighter policies can shift consumer behavior but put sales and loyalty at risk, forcing retailers to balance cost control with convenience expectations.

Retail media is concentrating as a scaled second tier takes shape and the long tail slips further behind. Growth will persist, but the hierarchy is sharpening, raising the stakes for how networks compete and where advertisers place bets.

As marketers increasingly bet on in-store commerce media and consumers shorten their shopping trips, GSTV argues that brevity is a reason advertisers should bet on convenience stores.

"Marketing is less about persuasion now, it's more about participation," said Justin Breton, head of partnerships, content and emerging experiences at Walmart, at the IAB Connected Commerce Summit last month. "How do you actually get consumers to participate with your brand?"

"One of the biggest disconnects in our industry today is that commerce media has shoppers experience a certain single, continuous omnichannel journey," said Guthrie Collin, vice president of product at Roundel, during the Interactive Advertising Bureau's (IAB) recent Connected Commerce event. "But in our world, media, data, technology, measurement systems, we think of them, and they still operate in quite a fragmented way."

Ad spending will surge in 2026 as AI-driven gains and a packed events calendar offset mounting economic strain. Social will lead the way as Meta overtakes Google in net revenues and the wider ad industry closes in on the half-trillion-dollar milestone.

As shrink returns to pre-pandemic levels at major retailers, margins get a lift in a still-tough climate.

Retail media is reshaping search advertising. Costs are rising unevenly while performance gaps widen, forcing advertisers to rethink where spend delivers real results as traditional search dominance fades.

Essential spending keeps traffic positive while superstores fluctuate and then climb early this year.

Shipt expansion widens next-day reach as rivals race ahead.