April 2, 2026
 
 
 

How OLLY is Staying Visible in AI-Driven Search

Joe Keenan interviews experts from OLLY and Contentsquare on the rise of AI-driven search.

 

After Months of Declines, Retail Sales Rose in February

by Marie Albiges

The Commerce Department’s latest U.S. retail sales report — delayed because of last year’s government shutdown — shows that Americans spent more than expected in February following three consecutive months of decline. The report comes at a time of extreme consumer wariness: gas prices have reached a national average of $4 a gallon as the…

 
  

From SEO to GEO: What Retail Marketing Teams Need to Do Now

by Daniella Sampson

The search bar isn’t dead, but it’s no longer running the show. For years, retail marketing teams optimized content for search engines that crawled text and hunted for keywords. Now, generative artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, answer shoppers’ questions directly, drawing from a much wider pool of user-generated signals. They determine which…

 
 
 
Sponsored by Melissa

Your Secret Weapon For E-commerce Profits

Slash shipping costs, stop fraud and enhance customer experience, all with just your address data. Download our new eBook, “7 Keys to Unlocking E‑Commerce Success with Your Address Data” to learn how. Plus, get tech tips, checklists and a 30-day action plan to turn the ideas in the eBook into action

 

 News & Notes

AI and Other Things Retailers Cared About at Shoptalk

by Jon Sherry

Shoptalk 2026 had little choice when creating the theme for this year’s show: “Retail in the Age of AI.” But what artificial intelligence actually means to the thousands of retailers and brands that will be attending the show varies significantly. Some brands and retailers care about intelligence, some about automation, while others want to improve…

 

Retail M&A is Doing Fewer Deals, With Bigger Checks

by Mike Sabutis

While dealmakers aren’t stepping back from consumer mergers and acquisitions (M&A), they are getting more selective. New data from KPMG shows deal value jumped 52 percent in 2025, even as deal volume fell 7 percent. Early 2026 looks similar. New global consumer deals in the first two months of the year fell 6 percent year-over-year…

 

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

by Michael Blanche

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…