PepsiCo said Tuesday it would reduce the cost of snacks and chips like Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, and Tostitos following a year of customer complaints. “We’ve spent the past year listening closely to consumers, and they’ve told us they’re feeling the strain,” said Rachel Ferdinando, CEO, PepsiCo Foods U.S. “Lowering the suggested retail price reflects our…

Inflation eased in 2025, but cost pressure for e-commerce sellers remained high. Acquisition costs climbed, margins stayed tight, and growth became harder to earn. That makes one thing clear: sellers cannot afford to lose the customers acquired during the holiday shopping season. In 2026, retention is the growth strategy. Retaining holiday customers is often overlooked…

Personalization may be the promise, but the retail experience that customers get from their favorite brands often tells a different story. Despite claims of sophisticated, advanced and "personalized" engagement, many retailers still group customers by generic segments that look similar on paper, such as demographics or purchase history. This approach overlooks the fundamental requirement of…

Walmart’s Q3 earnings, 2025 holiday shopping trends, tariff/inflation hangovers, and the rise of agentic commerce signal a clear shift: consumers are shopping differently, and the pace of change is only accelerating. More consumers are deal-seeking, increasingly channel-agnostic, and far more willing to comparison shop when value tilts in another direction. Retailers and brands have had…

2025 was the stress test. 2026 will expose who actually learned from it. Retailers now face higher landed costs, compressed contribution margins, and rising pressure on customer acquisition. For example, the removal of the de minimis exemption didn’t just hit retail logistics. It’s rewired the P&L by forcing retailers to face a broader issue that’s…