On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers in July, focusing on back-to-school initiatives for this episode. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Arielle Feger and Sara Lebow will defend their list against vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Sky Canaves, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

Are millennials pulling away from Amazon? While they were the one demographic group whose Prime Day spending dropped year over year, they continued to spend on other retailers’ sites.

Prime Day 2024 shatters records yet again as consumers stock up on essentials: Shoppers spent $14.2 billion online, spurred by significant discounts and the chance to get a head start on back-to-school needs.

Consumers take a cautious approach to back-to-school shopping: To drive shoppers to spend, Macy’s revamped its Epic Threads brand, Kohl’s added Limited Too, and Old Navy offered cash back.

Amazon’s pricing and returns policies draw complaints from sellers: Merchants flag lost revenues, higher fees, and inadequate seller support as reasons for their discontent.

Walmart’s retail media network generated 11 billion impressions in Q1: The retailer is chipping away at Amazon’s dominance, despite the latter’s moves to boost non-endemic spend.

TikTok’s top brands pulled back spending after ban signing: Ad spend growth slowed in the month after the ban was signed, and major retailers like Target reduced spend.

Consumers spend cautiously as inflation perceptions, higher debt payments hurt confidence: But we expect retail sales growth to be healthy as buying power recovers.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the main ways the shopper journey is evolving, how retail media is shifting to encompass the full funnel, and how in-store retail media can help bring a brand's shopping message to life, particularly during holidays and events. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Sarah Marzano and Nikhil Sharma, senior director of performance and insights at Roundel.

Target looks to its online marketplace to drive growth: The retailer’s new partnership with Shopify could expand its selection online and in stores, while also boosting its retail media business.

With consumers increasingly shopping across multiple channels, Roundel, Target’s media network, offers comprehensive media solutions that connect brands with customers at every stage. By combining on-site and off-site strategies, advertisers can maximize their return on ad spend and strengthen customer relationships.

Retail media search is gaining steam while Google and other traditional search players lag. Marketers will grapple with genAI and measurement challenges as they rely more heavily on retailers’ search ad offerings.

Pride products are plentiful this year: Walmart, JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Abercrombie push past the right-wing backlash to offer Pride-related products.

Dupe culture goes mainstream: Target and e.l.f. Beauty are among the companies benefiting from Gen Zers’ affinity for cheaper versions of premium products.

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’s 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.

In a recent Tech Talk webinar, John Pawlowski, vice president of marketing at pet food company Heckova!, shared four steps to build a successful CPG brand and get it on to retail shelves, from identifying the opportunity for growth to finding the right retail partners.

Nearly a third (32%) of US consumers decreased online spending in Q1 2024, according to Jungle Scout’s latest Consumer Trends Report. Here are five insights into how and where consumers shopped over the first quarter of 2024.

Leveraging over 90% of sales data, Target's innovative use of first-party information through its Circle program and Roundel network is redefining how brands connect with consumers. Explore the transformative power of data in crafting personalized shopping experiences that resonate and drive loyalty.

Store card revenues fell throughout 2023, and the CFPB’s late fee cap won’t help. We look at how retailers like Target are coping

Amazon is ditching Just Walk Out in favor of Dash Carts. Not only will the move satisfy customers’ desire for familiar technology, but it’s also creating more ad inventory. Walmart Connect also emphasized its in-store retail media potential last week, with a focus on expanding familiar strategies like sampling and TV screens. This back-to-basics approach might spark more in-store retail media ad spend.