Marketing

When times get tough, the old playbook says to tighten your belt and cut costs wherever you can. But small businesses in 2026 are flipping the script. For Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report, we surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners to understand their concerns and strategies around marketing for 2026. While they…

Physical retail is fracturing into specialized formats. Some locations function as micro-distribution centers processing online orders. Others prioritize in-person engagement and product discovery. The shift isn't cosmetic. It reflects a fundamental change in why shoppers visit stores at all. Instant availability has become the baseline, and retailers are reconfiguring entire networks to match that expectation.…

In episode 505 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Tim Parr, founder of Caddis, a cultural lifestyle and eyewear brand boldly celebrating the 40-plus community. Parr shares that he launched Caddis after seeing a cultural and marketing void around aging consumers (3:30). He argues Gen X and older customers are overlooked despite significant…

At Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month, Total Retail Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan spoke with Elina Vilk, president and chief business officer, and Lisa Horton, chief communications and creative officer at David's Bridal, the wedding technology company, media powerhouse, and marketplace platform. They discuss the bridal company's "Aisle to Algorithm" strategy, balancing the risks and rewards…

Retailers have spent the past several years optimizing for efficiency. Lower acquisition costs, clearer attribution, tighter dashboards. Digital channels delivered speed, precision and performance, so budgets followed. But as commerce becomes more connected and competitive, retailers are rediscovering a simple truth: purchase decisions do not happen only on screens. Shoppers move fluidly throughout their day.…

At Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month, Total Retail Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan spoke with Paul Toms, chief marketing officer at Wayfair, one of the world's largest destinations for the home. They delve into Wayfair's multifaceted growth strategy, including the opening of physical retail stores in Chicago and Atlanta (with more locations to come), as well…

As customer acquisition costs climb and digital channels become increasingly saturated, many direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands are hitting a growth ceiling. They're asking themselves, "What comes next?" Yet many still treat TV as something to “graduate” to — an expensive and exclusive awareness channel that’s been reserved for the biggest brands with even bigger budgets. Performance…

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…

In episode 504 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Matt Navarro, global president of Stanley 1913, the iconic global lifestyle brand synonymous with premium food and beverage innovation, operated by PMI WW Brands. The discussion begins with talk about Stanley's evolution into a global lifestyle brand (2:00). Navarro explains Stanley's strategy to diversify…

When most people think about data companies, they think about Big Tech: companies like Meta and Google, which made their billions by acquiring and deploying user information. But the fact is, in 2026, virtually every sufficiently large business is a data company, no matter what its ostensible function is. And some of these data companies,…