Consumer Spending Slows in September
The NRF Retail Monitor found that consumer spending slowed on a monthly basis in September after a busy summer but year-over-year increases remain strong as retailers prepare for the holiday season.
Valuespending: Retail’s New Competitive Advantage
There’s a seismic shift happening at the checkout—and it’s not about payment methods or point-of-sale screens. It’s about intent. Welcome to the age of Valuespending.
New Survey Finds Gap in Offline-to-Online Customer Engagement
AI-powered platform Brij released a new report, The AI Fluency Gap: The Hidden Retail Opportunity in Offline-to-Online Engagement, revealing a widening disconnect between retailers’ AI ambitions and their ability to unify and activate customer signals across channels.
Research Finds Retailers Suffering From Stock and Staffing Challenges
Tariff turmoil has put retailers in a tough spot, leaving them guessing how much inventory to buy while grappling with staff shortages and unhappy customers. Warehouse and store inventory software provider GreyOrange released its Eye on Inventory report revealing how tariffs are disrupting store inventory levels and sales floor operations.
Wakefern Selects New Platform for Personalized Marketing Campaigns
Supermarket customer intelligence and engagement ecosystem Birdzi announced that Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S., will implement Birdzi’s customer intelligence platform to better understand shopper needs and enhance promotional outreach.
2025 E-commerce Study Found Shoppers Prioritize Cost Savings
Ryder System, Inc. published its 11th annual benchmark study on U.S. shopping behaviors, preferences and expectations, with a special section on holiday shopping. Ryder E-commerce Consumer Study: How U.S. Consumers Are Shopping in 2025 offers insights to help brands and retailers optimize omnichannel sales and supply chain strategies amid economic uncertainty.
NRF Predicts Halloween Spending to Reach Record $13.1 Billion
Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion this year, according to NRF's annual consumer survey. The figure is up from $11.6 billion last year and exceeds the previous $12.2 billion record set in 2023.
August CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor Data Shows Increased Sales
The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor found that retail spending continued to grow in August as consumers stocked up on school supplies and tried to beat rising tariffs that could be beginning to affect prices.
New NFIB Survey Finds Small Business Optimism Improves Again
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 0.5 points in August to 100.8, nearly three points above the 52-year average of 98. Based on these findings alongside a new survey from NFIB, small business optimism is improving once again.
End of ‘de minimus’ Exemption Disrupting Small Businesses
The "de minimis" U.S. tariff exemption for package shipments under $800 just ended on August 29th, 2025. This rule aimed to avoid the administrative cost of collecting small amounts of tax and facilitated global e-commerce by enabling companies like Shein and Temu to ship directly to consumers.
