Retail Growth is Going Local. Media Plans Haven’t Caught Up

In December 2025, same-store sales for independent retailers grew 4.5 percent year-over-year, while total U.S. retail sales grew 2.4 percent over the same period.

While the broader retail market cooled, neighborhood retail accelerated.

When growth separates like that, it’s worth asking why and what it means for brands allocating media dollars in 2026.

The Quiet Resilience of Proximity Commerce

Independent retailers live in the rhythm of everyday life. They're where consumers stop on the way home, restock midweek, and grab what they forgot. These are habitual trips.

When economic conditions tighten or confidence softens, shoppers don’t stop buying, they prioritize convenience and familiarity. This shift favors proximity.

Stronger same-store sales growth among independent retailers suggests more frequent trips and steady basket activity in categories tied to everyday consumption. That includes the kinds of products that win through repetition such as snacks, beverages, vice categories and household staples.

If retail growth is consolidating around habit, brands should rethink where influence actually happens.

The Media Allocation Gap

Retail media innovation has largely centered on scale at the top: the biggest networks with the biggest data sets.

Since large retailers offer efficiency, standardization and built-in reach, that makes sense operationally. However, growth doesn't always follow the largest platforms.

When independent retailers are outpacing total retail growth by this margin, it raises this question: Are media plans aligned with where retail performance is accelerating?

Independent and regional retailers may not each offer national-scale media networks, but collectively they represent a massive share of everyday consumption. That’s where habitual brand choice is formed.

If your category depends on frequency, proximity commerce is not optional because the majority of retail transactions in the U.S. still happen outside the largest retail chains.

Habit is Where Brands Win

There is a strategic difference between influencing a one-time purchase and shaping a routine.

Habitual environments create default behavior. Someone grabs a particular soda every week or a certain detergent because it’s always on the shelf where they shop most often.

When same-store sales growth is strongest in those environments, the opportunity is reinforcement on top of incremental reach.

Brands that consistently show up in habitual retail settings can embed themselves in weekly purchasing patterns. That kind of embedded demand is far more defensible than episodic promotional spikes.

What Brands Should Do Now

This data is a signal for action. Here are four practical moves brands should consider:

1. Audit your growth alignment.

Look at your category’s performance across retail tiers and ask the important questions:

• Are you overweight in environments where overall retail growth is slowing?
• Are you underinvested in independent or regional channels that are seeing stronger same-store momentum?

Don’t pay attention to historical precedent. Growth concentration should be what influences allocation.

2. Rebalance retail media mix.

Large retail media networks will remain foundational, but consider whether your media mix reflects the role of proximity commerce in your category.

For high-frequency products, everyday environments matter. Explore partnerships, in-store media, localized activation or aggregated retail networks that provide access to independent retailers at scale.

If the consumer is shopping there more often, your brand should be visible there.

3. Tie measurement to everyday trips.

As marketers push for outcomes-based validation, ensure that your measurement frameworks capture performance in neighborhood retail.

If independent retail is outperforming the broader market but your reporting only reflects top-tier networks, you’re missing a meaningful portion of your impact.

Growth signals should inform attribution priorities.

4. Design for reinforcement.

In proximity commerce, repetition wins.

Brands should think beyond one-off bursts. Furthermore, they should consider sustained presence strategies that reinforce brand choice in everyday categories. That might mean more consistent activation in local environments rather than concentrating spend into short national campaigns.

The Bigger Shift

Marketing and retail conversation often centers on scale and consolidation. However, December 2025 data tells a different story. The most resilient retail growth is happening where shopping is local, frequent and embedded in daily life.

Independent retailers are not a sentimental footnote to the retail economy. They're participating in measurable outperformance at a moment when broader retail momentum is moderating.

For brands, following the growth is paramount.

If independent same-store sales are accelerating faster than the national average, proximity commerce deserves a serious place in both your retail and media strategy. The brands that align their investments with where consumers are shopping most habitually will be better positioned to capture durable, repeat growth.

Michael Blanche is the co-founder and co-CEO of Surfside, the operating system for the retail majority.