Consumer Trends

  • An entrance to a clothing store.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Lululemon CEO: ‘We have become too predictable’

    The retailer, facing stalled growth in the U.S., is overhauling its design and development process as it looks to bring in more newness, faster.

    By • Sept. 5, 2025
  • Exterior of an Ulta store
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    Kaarin Vembar/Retail Dive
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    Ulta targets wellness growth as consumers spend on beauty

    The retailer’s latest performance demonstrates consumer resilience in the category, though analysts poked at the company’s operating margin expectations.

    By • Sept. 5, 2025
  • A woman puts clothing into an RFID self-checkout kiosk Explore the Trendline➔
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    Thai Liang Lim via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    How retailers are thinking about in-store experience

    Complementary shop-in-shops, age-appropriate experiences and integrated technology are just a few ways retailers are reworking stores to suit shoppers.

    By Retail Dive staff
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    daboost via Getty Images
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    Gap Inc. bets big on beauty, accessories

    At the Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference Thursday, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson called these high-margin “sleeper categories” that its customers want.

    By • Sept. 4, 2025
  • A close up of a man's hand holding a phone displaying a conversation with a chatbot.
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    ArtMarie via Getty Images
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    Worldpay rewires for bot shoppers

    The processor aims to prepare its merchant clients for the opportunities and risks of AI-driven agentic shopping.

    By Lynne Marek • Sept. 3, 2025
  • a display case showing an AI-enabled laptopt
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    Joe Raedle/Staff via Getty Images
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    Consumers want AI guardrails, but few business leaders have policies in place

    More than one-quarter of customer experience leaders say their organization is ready to deploy agentic AI, despite having no governance policy in place, Genesys found.

    By Michael Brady • Sept. 3, 2025
  • Exterior of Dollar General store in York, Pennsylvania
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    Sam Silverstein/Retail Dive
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    Dollar General revenue grows, but tariffs begin impacting prices

    The retailer, which noted shrink improvements helped Q2 gross profit, reported growth with consumers across income brackets.

    By • Aug. 28, 2025
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    Podcast

    The Backroom: Bankruptcy court is in session

    Debtwire’s global head of legal, Sarah Foss, and Retail Dive Senior Reporter Daphne Howland discuss retailer bankruptcies – in 2025 and beyond.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Aug. 28, 2025
  • Cosmetic and beauty products
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    Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
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    Mass beauty outpaces prestige in the first half of 2025

    Fragrance was the fastest-growing category in the mass channel, with dollar sales up 17%.

    By Howard Ruben • Aug. 27, 2025
  • A customer holds a box in her hands in an aisle of toys at a big box retailer.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Consumer confidence dips on anxiety about jobs, income

    The average 12-month expectation for inflation jumped to 6.2% this month from 5.7% in July, the Conference Board found in a consumer survey.

    By Jim Tyson • Aug. 27, 2025
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    ArtistGNDphotography via Getty Images
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    Sponsored by DHL

    Rethinking eCommerce returns as a value driver

    Transform eCommerce returns from costly headaches into profit opportunities with strategic supply chain solutions that enhance customer experience while protecting your bottom line.

    By Lars R. Dzedek, Global Head of Returns and Circularity at DHL Supply Chain • Aug. 25, 2025
  • A Home Depot storefront in Oxon Hill, Maryland on June 22, 2024.
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    Neal McNeil via Getty Images
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    Home Depot sales up nearly 5% in Q2, reaffirms full-year outlook

    The home improvement retailer notched a 1% comp sales gain, below analysts’ estimates, as consumers take on fewer large discretionary projects.

    By • Aug. 19, 2025
  • A Hoka storefront in Los Angeles
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    Cara Salpini/Retail Dive
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    Active footwear a bright spot in the first half of the year

    Nevertheless, a Circana report found U.S. footwear sales fell 1% from January to June, with the fashion and outdoor categories leading the declines.

    By • Aug. 19, 2025
  • Ulta shop-in-shop at Target
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    Courtesy of Target
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    Target and Ulta’s ‘conscious uncoupling’

    A shop-in-shop deal ends as both companies get back to retail basics. Analysts weigh in on the move while Bank of America downgraded Target.

    By • Aug. 18, 2025
  • A Walmart storefront showcases its refreshed brand identity, with a new typeface and the spark logo set apart as a standalone asset.
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    Permission granted by Walmart
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    Column

    The Weekly Closeout: Walmart settles $5.6M lawsuit, Target drops Halloween assortment

    The consumer protection lawsuit alleged the mass retailer overcharged customers, while products from Target's spooky collection start at $1.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Aug. 15, 2025
  • A person holds multiple shopping bags and a coffee cup.
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    FreshSplash via Getty Images
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    Over half of holiday shoppers plan to use AI to compare prices, search for products

    Consumers are shopping earlier and leveraging AI tools to find the best deals amid a holiday season clouded with economic uncertainty, per a new report.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Aug. 14, 2025
  • Sydney Sweeney poses for American Eagle
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    Courtesy of American Eagle
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    Deep Dive

    How to win back-to-school marketing as American Eagle’s big bet blows up

    Though spending forecasts are bleak, value-focused messaging and smart social media plays could help brands transcend the turbulence. 

    By Jessica Hammers • Aug. 13, 2025
  • The Lego Brand logo is seen at the store.
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    Leon Neal via Getty Images
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    After 3 years of consistency, toy prices are on the rise

    The industry is showing strength, as consumers are anticipating even higher prices, according to a Circana report.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Aug. 11, 2025
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    Permission granted by PA Consulting
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    Sponsored by PA Consulting

    The Brand Impact Index 2025: How today’s leading brands shape a better future

    We asked consumers what keeps them loyal. Our research shares the secrets from the top performing brands and how they keep up with changing consumer demand. 

    By Jorge Aguilar • Aug. 11, 2025
  • The name "claire's" in lowercase block letters adorns the gray, corrugated-metal side as well as the slatted-wood front of a storefront overhang.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Why Claire’s is closing 700 US stores, mulling liquidation

    If a buyer doesn’t come forward, and some analysts doubt any will, the retailer is prepared to wind down its operations in North America.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
  • Mountaineer Aron Ralston recreates his harrowing real-life experience trapped between a boulder in an ad for Columbia Sportswear.
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    Permission granted by Columbia Sportswear
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    Columbia slams ‘pristine’ outdoors marketing with new brand platform

    Part of a broader strategy to attract younger consumers, “Engineered for Whatever” leverages dark humor and grit to show off the brand’s gear.

    By Peter Adams • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Three customers shop at a Target store.
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    Courtesy of Target
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    Retail buyers are reacting to tariffs with AI and early orders

    A Deloitte report found the industry is using the tech to navigate a shifting trade environment — and making holiday buys two months earlier than last year.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Sign for Kittery Maine
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    "Sign for Kittery Maine" by Mr.TinMD is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
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    Traffic to Simon malls is down along the US border, despite the weak dollar

    Otherwise, visits to the REIT’s malls are up slightly compared to last year, CEO David Simon told analysts.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • A store with pink neon signs featuring a Labubu toy monster on the front.
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    Robert Way via Getty Images
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    Labubus, Gen Z and the collection obsession

    The adorable tiny monster that’s taken over social media feeds speaks to a larger phenomenon of the need for trending trinkets.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • A large, lit-up sportswear store at night.
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    Courtesy of Adidas
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    Adidas poised to grab market share this year as Nike falters

    Shein, Uniqlo, Skechers and New Balance are also projected to broaden their share of the apparel space, according to GlobalData analysis.

    By • Aug. 1, 2025
  • A woman in pink and white clothes lounges at a table covered in pink desserts and fruit.
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    Courtesy of Victoria's Secret
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    Victoria’s Secret’s Pink goes after Gen Z with LoveShackFancy collab

    The move builds on a larger effort to attract young shoppers by dedicating more in-store space to Pink and broadening that banner’s apparel assortment.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • July 31, 2025