Merchandising

Consumers are now searching and discovering across entirely new surfaces: AI chat assistants, artificial intelligence-integrated browsers, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps. They're no longer typing keywords. They're having a conversation, and decisions are being shaped in real time. Brands that show up with relevance in these conversations will outperform the ones still optimizing…

The convenience of online shopping makes it easy for consumers to treat their homes as fitting rooms. In apparel especially, shoppers are increasingly ordering multiple sizes, styles and colors with no intention of keeping everything. What was once occasional behavior is now expected, with shoppers planning for returns as part of the purchase. It’s no…

Walmart on Tuesday announced the return of Walmart Deals, a weeklong savings event designed to help customers save big on the items they want most this summer. Running June 22 through June 28, Walmart Deals will feature thousands of offers across top brands, popular categories, and early back-to-school essentials. Walmart Deals begins online at 12:01…

More shoppers are starting their buying journey by asking an artificial intelligence assistant instead of typing into a search bar. They ask ChatGPT which running shoe suits flat feet, or have Gemini compare two coffee makers. The AI answers in a few sentences, names a handful of products, and the shopper moves on, often without…

Retail brands are stuck in a promotional paradox: Everyone’s running discounts but finding it harder to see and sustain results. The economy is faltering, margins are under pressure, loyalty is fragile, and consumers are more promotion-aware than ever. The result? A vicious cycle where brands run even more discounts, even as those discounts become less…

Ordinary retail is simple: the store sells other companies' brands. The shopper wants TIDE, NIKE, RAO'S, or LA ROCHE-POSAY, and the retailer earns a margin for making it available. Private labeling changes that relationship. The retailer places its own mark on the goods and asks consumers to trust its judgment and consistency even when the…

Retail has no shortage of “artificial intelligence shopping agent” demos that promise to get shoppers to the right product faster. And discovery is still hard. Shoppers still get lost in endless options, retailers still struggle with relevance, and the stakes are high when the product is physical. But in apparel and footwear, the failure that…

Memorial Day has long served as one of retail's most reliable revenue weekends, a moment when showrooms fill up, floor traffic spikes, and big-ticket purchases finally get made. This year, however, the familiar playbook faces some unfamiliar pressure. The conflict in the Middle East has raised the cost of energy and has people concerned about…

At some point in business growth, a retail catalog becomes too large to manage the same way. More products enter the system, supplier input becomes uneven, and the team looks for control without adding people every time the assortment grows. With artificial intelligence now part of almost every automation conversation, it naturally enters this one…

Brand used to guide choice. Increasingly, price is becoming the dominant decision influencer. Zappi’s 2026 CPG Mega-Trends report shows brand-name-only buying has dropped from 21 percent to just 10 percent in less than a year. At the same time, nearly one-third of shoppers (32 percent) say they will buy the cheapest option that meets their…