Retail leaders map the road to 2026 with AI driven strategy, omnichannel execution, and sharper private label growth. Explore Amazon supercenter tests, Walmart AI partnerships, Aldi expansion, club format momentum, and how smarter data and culture power retail success.
IKEA and Decathlon launch a strategic partnership in London, transforming traditional big-box retail into a collaborative omnichannel shopping destination to enhance consumer accessibility.
Retail leadership that wins in the age of AI demands clarity, leverage, and trust. Drawing on 18 years at Walmart, we share strategies for omnichannel success, empowered teams, clear metrics, and values driven decision making that fuels growth without burnout.
Walmart's partnership with OpenAI is transforming retail by enabling AI-driven, conversational shopping through ChatGPT. This innovation shifts customer experiences from reactive searches to proactive, personalized interactions.
Retailers faced $796 billion in losses from shrink, return abuse, and fraud in 2025, with returns driving the majority of financial impact, according to Appriss Retail.
New AI-powered approaches are reshaping websites into adaptive, context-aware sales engines that personalize user journeys in real time and drive higher conversions across digital channels.
AI and voice technology are reshaping retail by unlocking underutilized sales channels and enhancing the omnichannel experience. This article explores recent innovations, funding developments, and industry trends driving retail transformation.
Walmart's partnership with OpenAI is transforming retail by enabling AI-driven, conversational shopping through ChatGPT. This innovation shifts customer experiences from reactive searches to proactive, personalized interactions.
Retail in 2026 will be shaped by AI shopping agents, private brands, and health driven demand. We explore agentic commerce, smarter product pages, value beyond price, and how retailers can win with better data, fulfillment, and wellness focused merchandising.
Video is now the shopping experience. Vyrill CEO Ajay Bam explains how AI powered video search, UGC, and retail media drive discovery, trust, and conversion across ecommerce and stores. Learn how to index clips, personalize PDPs, and turn short form video into measurable revenue.
These 2026 investments highlight a growing focus on integrating AI, rapid delivery, and seamless customer support across channels.
AI and voice technology are reshaping retail by unlocking underutilized sales channels and enhancing the omnichannel experience. This article explores recent innovations, funding developments, and industry trends driving retail transformation.
Nvidia maintains its dominant position in the AI chip market as soaring demand for high-performance computing reshapes corporate strategy and global technology investments.
Seamus Blackley cautions that Microsoft’s leadership shakeup and AI-centric strategy could signal the end of traditional Xbox gaming as the company prioritizes generative intelligence.
Walgreens cuts at least 628 positions following its private equity buyout by Sycamore Partners as the company reorganizes operations under new ownership.
Rising merchant credit card fees at checkout are straining consumer loyalty, with many shoppers altering spending behavior or switching merchants over surcharges.
The reopening of Sesame Street Learn & Play at American Dream showcases how experiential retail and themed entertainment draw families and drive visitation for mixed-use destinations.
A new study reveals that residents of several Southern states spend a higher share of their income on groceries due to lower median earnings, highlighting cost pressures and food affordability challenges.
A Federal Reserve Bank of New York analysis found U.S. businesses and consumers absorbed about 90% of the economic burden from 2025 tariff increases, challenging claims that foreign exporters paid most of the costs.
Key supplier readiness strategies that help brands succeed within Walmart’s omnichannel retail ecosystem.
New research finds that AI agents can infer and exhibit human-like altruistic tendencies by learning from real human decision-making across cultural contexts.
Arkansas entrepreneurs gain structured pathways to scale consumer products into major retail channels through the Ozark Retail Accelerator.
FedEx has filed a landmark lawsuit seeking a full refund of duties following a Supreme Court ruling against the administration's tariff authority.
Wall Street reacts to a 15% global tariff shift following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down previous emergency trade levies.
The European Union pauses a major trade agreement with the United States as global tariff uncertainty grows following a landmark Supreme Court decision.
Washington’s Supreme Court ruled that families can sue Amazon over deaths linked to sodium nitrite bought on its platform, a decision that could reshape online marketplace liability.
Nvidia maintains its dominant position in the AI chip market as soaring demand for high-performance computing reshapes corporate strategy and global technology investments.
Wall Street reacts to a 15% global tariff shift following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down previous emergency trade levies.
U.S. stock index futures held steady as investors anticipated major economic releases, including fourth-quarter GDP and inflation figures that could influence the Federal Reserve’s policy path.
Incoming CEO John Furner begins leadership at Walmart with strong recent results but a cautious forecast for 2026 amid economic headwinds and strategic transition.
Lowe’s surpassed Wall Street projections for the fourth quarter, reporting $20.58 billion in revenue and robust earnings per share as the home improvement giant gains momentum in the retail sector.
American consumer confidence climbed to 91.2 in February as strengthening labor market expectations offset persistent inflation concerns, signaling potential resilience in nationwide retail spending and household economic sentiment.
These 2026 investments highlight a growing focus on integrating AI, rapid delivery, and seamless customer support across channels.
FedEx continues its aggressive Network 2.0 strategy, merging Express and Ground operations to streamline logistics, resulting in facility closures and workforce reductions across North America.
IKEA and Decathlon launch a strategic partnership in London, transforming traditional big-box retail into a collaborative omnichannel shopping destination to enhance consumer accessibility.
American consumer confidence climbed to 91.2 in February as strengthening labor market expectations offset persistent inflation concerns, signaling potential resilience in nationwide retail spending and household economic sentiment.
These 2026 investments highlight a growing focus on integrating AI, rapid delivery, and seamless customer support across channels.
Assembly has been appointed as Jabra’s global paid media and Amazon agency to power their direct-to-consumer growth strategy. This partnership integrates brand storytelling, performance media, and retail commerce using Assembly's STAGE platform for smarter, real-time marketing optimization.
IKEA and Decathlon launch a strategic partnership in London, transforming traditional big-box retail into a collaborative omnichannel shopping destination to enhance consumer accessibility.
Lowe’s surpassed Wall Street projections for the fourth quarter, reporting $20.58 billion in revenue and robust earnings per share as the home improvement giant gains momentum in the retail sector.
Kohl’s is doubling down on a long-term strategic pivot, prioritizing inventory velocity, prestige partnerships, and a simplified value proposition to stabilize its off-mall retail footprint.
Inflationary pressures and digital shifts have created a "fragile" consumer base, forcing retailers to adapt their corporate strategy to meet highly fragmented shopper behaviors.
Discover how Y Combinator-backed payments startups in 2026 are innovating cross-border payments, AI integration, fintech solutions for emerging markets, and streamlined payroll technologies, transforming global financial infrastructure.
Arkansas entrepreneurs gain structured pathways to scale consumer products into major retail channels through the Ozark Retail Accelerator.
Ozark Retail Accelerator helps Arkansas CPG founders scale from local sales to major retailers like Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Kroger. Learn packaging, pricing, trade math, working capital, and buyer pitching, plus key dates for the Bentonville kickoff, virtual cohort, and demo day.
Jennifer Garner-backed Once Upon a Farm is planning a $764 million IPO, signaling momentum in health-driven consumer brands and a recovering IPO market.
IKEA and Decathlon launch a strategic partnership in London, transforming traditional big-box retail into a collaborative omnichannel shopping destination to enhance consumer accessibility.
Lowe’s surpassed Wall Street projections for the fourth quarter, reporting $20.58 billion in revenue and robust earnings per share as the home improvement giant gains momentum in the retail sector.
American consumer confidence climbed to 91.2 in February as strengthening labor market expectations offset persistent inflation concerns, signaling potential resilience in nationwide retail spending and household economic sentiment.
Assembly has been appointed as Jabra’s global paid media and Amazon agency to power their direct-to-consumer growth strategy. This partnership integrates brand storytelling, performance media, and retail commerce using Assembly's STAGE platform for smarter, real-time marketing optimization.
Walmart is advancing a revised decarbonization roadmap focused on achieving zero operational emissions by 2040 after acknowledging delays in its original 2025 and 2030 goals and shifting its carbon targets.
FedEx announces plans to shutter more than 475 facilities by 2027 as it consolidates Express and Ground operations under its Network 2.0 strategy, aiming to cut costs, streamline delivery routes and modernize its U.S. and Canada parcel footprint.
In 2026, JD Logistics continues advancing its global logistics footprint — building on its 2‑3 day delivery infrastructure, expanded international express reach, and an integrated omni‑channel supply chain network to compete in the era of seamless cross‑border e‑commerce.
General Mills and Walmart are accelerating regenerative agriculture efforts across U.S. farmland through grassroots partnerships and sustainability investments.
AI and voice technology are reshaping retail by unlocking underutilized sales channels and enhancing the omnichannel experience. This article explores recent innovations, funding developments, and industry trends driving retail transformation.
Assembly has been appointed as Jabra’s global paid media and Amazon agency to power their direct-to-consumer growth strategy. This partnership integrates brand storytelling, performance media, and retail commerce using Assembly's STAGE platform for smarter, real-time marketing optimization.
FedEx continues its aggressive Network 2.0 strategy, merging Express and Ground operations to streamline logistics, resulting in facility closures and workforce reductions across North America.
Walmart reports significant progress in its high-tech supply chain transformation, leveraging automation across distribution centers to increase throughput and enhance delivery speed for customers.