The Hershey Company has started using new AI tools to maximize sales performance of s'mores ingredients in stores — including its own chocolates, as well as marshmallows and graham crackers.

Tariffs

Walmart gets close to $3 billion in tariff refunds

August 20, 2026

Tariff refunds continue to bolster the balance sheets of big retailers while consumers remain constrained by higher fuel prices and other macroeconomic factors.

Target receives almost $1 billion in tariff refunds, plans to lower prices

August 19, 2026

Tariff refunds were a massive tailwind for Target last quarter that could help it continue to lower prices.

Other news to know

  • Inside Walmart’s evolution
  • Walmart+, the retailer’s paid membership program, has launched in Canada, marking the first time it has been available outside of the U.S.
  • Walmart announced it would begin delivering Subway items as part of Express Delivery, either on its own or alongside other products such as groceries. 
  • Walmart executives are now training associates to use AI widely throughout the organization.
  • Walmart has announced Upstream Facility Services, a new business through which it will sell its in-house maintenance services to other U.S. companies.
Top Stories Aug 24

The big business of dorm decor with Urban Outfitters

August 22, 2026

This week on the Modern Retail podcast, Urban Outfitters' Karen Booker dives into the company's dorm room decor strategy.

Walmart finally starts supporting Apple Pay and Google Pay

August 21, 2026

By the end of this year, shoppers will finally be able to use Apple Pay and Google Pay in Walmart stores, ending years of frustration that the retailer didn't support what is now a nearly ubiquitous payment option.

With a record $2.7B in sales, U.S. Polo Assn. is scoring points with younger audiences

August 21, 2026

U.S. Polo Assn. is celebrating a record year, thanks to its larger store footprint and growing fanbase of teens and twenty-somethings.

Walmart gets close to $3 billion in tariff refunds

August 20, 2026

Tariff refunds continue to bolster the balance sheets of big retailers while consumers remain constrained by higher fuel prices and other macroeconomic factors.

Big-Box Briefing: Target sees sales boom in reinvented snack category

August 20, 2026

Target has entered a new era of trendy snacks, creating more space for products like protein bars and meat sticks as part of a massive refresh of its grocery business.

Walmart extends Scintilla data platform to Sam’s Club

August 20, 2026

Sam's Club merchants and brands will soon be able to use Walmart's data analytics platform to better understand and predict member behavior.

The new AI playbook: The rules brands are setting around customer-facing content

August 20, 2026

While the majority of marketers say they're using AI, many are setting boundaries around use cases for customer-facing content.

Tariffs

What to know about new proposed tariffs on Canadian goods

July 24, 2026

A fresh round of Trump tariffs on Canadian goods were announced this week that target industries like dairy, alcohol and automobiles.

Nike says it expects $986 million in IEEPA tariff refunds

June 30, 2026

Nike says it’s in a better financial position as it awaits nearly $1 billion in refunds related to IEEPA tariffs.

Marketplace Briefing: Online merchants welcome Trump customs crackdown amid wave of tariff evasion pitches

June 11, 2026

Online merchants are encouraged by a new Trump administration effort to crack down on customs fraud after a surge in tariff evasion schemes rattled sellers over the past year.

Podcasts

Technology

Inside Best Buy’s push to sell shoppers on a new generation of TVs

August 11, 2026

One of Best Buy’s big priorities this year is pushing a new generation of RGB LED TVs to consumers. The hope is that customers will find the technological improvements convincing enough to make an upgrade, six years after many of them bought a new TV during the Covid-19 pandemic.

gray phone on a white and green background displaying a text conversation. One person texts "what's the status of my order?" and a robot replies with three dots, indicating they are typing back

Kroger’s AI shopping assistant has ads at launch

August 04, 2026

Kroger made advertising part of its AI shopping assistant on day one, following the implementation of advertising features on competitors’ chatbots.

Unpacked: How agentic AI is reshaping the consumer journey

July 28, 2026

This Unpacked guide, sponsored by Talon.One, explores how brands can make their loyalty and promotions agent-ready, as agentic commerce evolves from a theoretical concept into practical applications, and AI agents begin to handle the end-to-end shopping journey for consumers.

Marketing

Beyond the backlash: What the Neutrogena controversy says about long-term brand loyalty

August 20, 2026

The online backlash over Neutrogena’s handling of partnership with former ambassador Hayden Panettiere raises questions over brand cancellations, boycotts and long-term brand loyalty.

Inside Sticki Rolls’ YouTube strategy to tap Gen Alpha

August 19, 2026

Toy brand Sticki Rolls is hoping to turn its YouTube creator-generated buzz into a Gen Alpha collectible brand through pop-ups and retail expansion.

Brands Briefing: Ugg’s latest creators aren’t conventional fashion influencers. They’re art students

August 18, 2026

Class is in session at Ugg. The brand is creating a new college ambassador program as it works to establish itself as a go-to style destination.

Operations

A package sits on a doorstep while a dog can be seen barking through the window

Why more companies are investing in same-day shipping

August 24, 2026

More companies are rolling out services to speed up shipping and delivery as the costs to deploy such systems comes down.

Illustration of two paper shopping bags.

TJX to accelerate store openings as off-price continues its hot streak

August 19, 2026

The parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods is ramping up its store count as it sees gains in the off-price channel.

The new rules of cross-border commerce after de minimis

July 27, 2026

In a post-de minimis environment, price certainty stops being a slogan and becomes the operating rule for cross-border growth. Sponsored by Swap