As early movers launch ads within OpenAI's ChatGPT, they're closely watching how consumers interact with their campaigns and where this emerging channel fits within broader strategies. “Investment in technology and AI…goes hand-in-hand with great experience,” said Target CEO Michael Fiddelke, at the retailer’s 2026 Financial Community Meeting. “We know those tech investments pay off with stronger experience, whether that's digital or whether that's in-store.”

To capture a share of limited holiday gains, retailers and brands must zero in on pockets of opportunity across mobile commerce, social platforms, and consumer adoption of AI for shopping.

High-margin ads, more third-party sellers, and investments in fulfillment and loyalty are set to drive growth in 2026.

Beauty, wellness, and grocery investments anchor a push to reverse traffic and sales declines.

This FAQ explores the main types of loyalty programs and how retailers can use them to drive lasting customer relationships.

The platform is introducing ChatGPT ads for merchants as it looks to become the go-to partner for agentic commerce.

The retailer is betting on Levi’s brand heat to lure shoppers, while the denim company expects Target’s reach to support its lifestyle ambitions.

The marketplace is pausing plans to force merchants to use its fulfillment services after considerable backlash.

As conversational AI becomes a new entry point for discovery, advertisers are rethinking how relevance and usefulness show up in these environments. Roundel’s pilot with OpenAI offers an early look at what user-first advertising could mean inside AI-driven conversations.

CEO Michael Fiddelke is moving swiftly to spark growth after 12 quarters of sluggish sales.

Allbirds and Warby Parker built their brands as digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs), cutting out the middleman to offer lower-priced products directly to consumers. Now, they’re confronting many of the same challenges as legacy brands: slowing ecommerce growth, rising customer acquisition costs, and an increasingly crowded competitive landscape.

US fashion ecommerce is maturing just as AI, social commerce, and resale gain traction. Slower growth and costly returns are raising the stakes, reshaping how consumers discover, decide, and buy.

Brands from PepsiCo to Ulta are leaning on wellness framing to nudge cautious consumers to spend.

With workers and consumers demanding action, staying quiet may be the riskiest move retailers can make.

Health and wellness is the only category where plans to increase spending outweigh plans to cut back in 2026, according to December 2025 data from CivicScience. That’s why retailers are stepping up their investments in wellness-driven products, services, and in-store experiences, trying to capitalize on consumers’ resolutions well into the new year.

Regulatory crackdowns and trade barriers threaten growth—but its consumer appeal remains strong.

The global last-mile delivery market is valued at approximately $201 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 12% compound annual rate through 2029. For retailers competing with Amazon's delivery dominance, mastering last-mile logistics is no longer optional.