Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: At Stratably’s recent in-person Amazon Ads event, industry experts and consumer brand peers shared actionable strategies for solving key challenges spanning optimizing Amazon Ads investment, Amazon Marketing Cloud, incrementality measurement, and AI-driven advertising shifts. Brands embracing data-driven decision-making, consistently testing and learning, and leaning into Amazon’s advertising innovation are gaining a competitive edge. 6 […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: Target’s outlook for the year ahead reinforces value-focused consumer behavior persists, hurting its business while helping rivals Walmart and Amazon. Brands will be focused on leaning into personalized promotions, on-trend innovation, and digital excellence to capture share gains, while maintaining a moderate pace of spend on Roundel. 5 minute read Target reported its fiscal […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: Presenting CPG companies at CAGNY 2025 made it clear that AI, premiumization, and digital commerce are now critical for growth, with a widening gap between brands that fully integrate digital commerce versus those that still treat them as secondary. 1 minute read The 2025 CAGNY conference featured presentations from leading consumer packaged goods (CPG) […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: Instacart is growing faster than the grocery market overall (brick and mortar plus digital), but its growth is less compelling when compared specifically to the eGrocery channel. No major catalysts appear on the horizon to accelerate GTV in 2025, and foundational issues around brands growing ad spend remain. 3 minute read Instacart released its […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: Walmart’s focus on omnichannel excellence has resulted in persistent retail share gains and an improving P&L. 5 minute read Walmart’s fiscal 4Q25 earnings were characterized by broad-based strength across geographies and categories, share gains in grocery and general merchandise, fast eCommerce growth, and improving profitability from digital-related revenue streams. We expect growth-hungry brands to […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: CPG revenue growth forecasts have come down, but digital remains a bright spot—leading brands are doubling down on online channels to grow market share. 4 minute read Compared to 90 days ago, the CPG industry outlook has softened. While some companies outperformed expectations, several reported slowing revenue growth and/or lowered guidance, reflecting a cautious […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: Amazon’s unit growth, promotional intensity, and advertising gains fueled its outperformance of the broader retail market in 4Q, while fulfillment and cost efficiencies are poised to drive sustained growth and profitability improvements in 2025. 3 minute read Amazon remains the fastest-growing platform at-scale for brands, outperforming the broader retail market by 3.6x in the […]
Article
in Briefings
TL;DR: Assess Amazon’s AVN asks through the lens of business impact, guided by the Competitive Edge Framework. Direct Fulfillment and Subscribe & Save Accruals can deliver a competitive edge, while Vendor Flex, Merchandising Accruals, and Safe Listing Accruals warrant closer scrutiny. AVS offers potential for positive returns if brands effectively manage the program and align […]