Paper Clips

Athletic Brewing Company, a leading nonalcoholic brewer, announced Dan Kleinman has been appointed chief marketing officer after a monthslong search, per information shared with Marketing Dive. “As Athletic Brewing continues to evolve from an industry pioneer into a transcendent global brand, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dan Kleinman to our senior leadership team,” said Bill Shufelt, co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Company in press materials. The nonalcoholic beer category has seen significant growth, and now makes up 87% of all non-alcohol sales in the U.S., per Beer Institute data. The category saw a growth of 23% in 2025. Alcohol consumption has fallen considerably in recent years, with 54% of U.S. adults saying they drink as of 2025, the lowest in nearly 90 years, as measured by Gallup. That number is even lower among young Americans at 50%.

The UPS Store on Monday introduced Blu, its first brand character. Blu, a friendly woman wearing a blue The UPS Store polo and black pants, is part of a larger national, multiyear campaign set to run on television, digital, social and print channels. The effort is aimed at small business owners and spotlights the retailer’s services, such as printing, shipping and mailboxes. The effort follows a recent pivot by United Parcel Service, the parent company of The UPS Store, to focus on premium services. In early 2025, it announced it was reducing deliveries for Amazon by over 50%. The reduction in volume led to a broad restructuring of the company’s network, including the elimination of 48,000 jobs that year, with an additional reduction of 30,000 positions planned for 2026.

T&T Design Group puts human, AI, and hybrid package design to the test, uncovering a complicated relationship between visual standout, trust, perceived value, and purchase intent. A T&T Design Group study of 3,600 consumers found that packaging graphics created through a hybrid human-AI process significantly outperform both pure AI-generated and human-only designs, earning higher scores for appeal, trust, and purchase intent, with consumers willing to pay 7% more for hybrid designs compared to 1.8% less for AI-only graphics.

One million nonprofits worldwide now use Canva for free to tell their stories, rally support, and create change. From day one, Canva has run on a simple idea: Step One is building one of the world's most valuable companies. Step Two is putting that value to work and doing as much good as we can. Somewhere today, a health organisation is communicating how to stop the spread of a pandemic. Emergency relief workers are distributing flyers to find missing people after a natural disaster. A hospital team is putting together a campaign that brings a moment of joy to a child in treatment. A school breakfast program is designing the flyer that convinces a new community to get involved. None of them set out to become designers. But today, they're part of something we get to celebrate: one million nonprofits now have free access to Canva's premium features to power their missions.

Walmart continues expanding its high-tech supply chain facility model. The discounter has announced the location for its next high-tech, next-generation fulfillment center. The new 1.5 million-square-foot automated facility will be located at the Franklin 85 Logistics Center in Carnesville, Ga. Walmart expects the hub will create 1,000 new jobs and bring $1.3 billion in investment to Franklin County, Ga. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026. Walmart’s presence in Georgia includes 209 Walmart and Sam’s Club  stores, as well as 11 supply chain facilities, employing more than 65,300 associates across the state. The retailer says it also spent more than $26.2 billion with Georgia suppliers and supported more than 167,600 supplier jobs in fiscal year 2025.

We’ve all heard the customer objections: "It’s too expensive," "Everyone is using digital," or "I need a more sustainable solution." https://www.sappi.com/en-us/insights/campaigns/lets-talk-about-print It’s time to turn that conversation on its head. We have gathered the ammunition you need—from ROI stats to sustainability facts—to prove that print doesn't just survive in a digital world; it drives it. The Facts at Your Fingertips Explore the five key arguments that define the modern relevance of print media. We’ve all heard the customer objections: "It’s too expensive," "Everyone is using digital," or "I need a more sustainable solution." It’s time to turn that conversation on its head. We have gathered the ammunition you need—from ROI stats to sustainability facts—to prove that print doesn't just survive in a digital world; it drives it. The Facts at Your Fingertips Explore the five key arguments that define the modern relevance of print

Every few months, a new headline declares that AI has finally killed Google Search.  Between ChatGPT, AI overviews and zero-click search, it’s easy to assume that paid search is headed toward irrelevance. Some marketers have responded by rushing to optimize for AI-generated answers or experimenting with emerging advertising opportunities before the economics have been proven.  The excitement is understandable, but the conclusions are premature.  While consumer search behavior is undoubtedly evolving, the advertising data tells a very different story. Paid search remains one of the most reliable, profitable and widely adopted channels in the marketing mix. Rather than abandoning search, successful brands are recalibrating its role while continuing to invest where returns remain strongest.  According to data from over 275 brands in the Keen ecosystem, paid search has held steady since 2023, accounting for 15% of all ad investments.

As the national debate over blanket classroom screen time limits intensifies, a new survey from Savvas Learning Company reveals that educators are pushing for a more nuanced perspective, suggesting that the focus should shift from the quantity of screen time to the instructional value of classroom technology. Nearly a third of educators feel the current public narrative does not reflect the realities of the classroom, while at the same time an overwhelming 92% distinguish between passive and instructional technology use. Ultimately, these findings from the 2026 Savvas Educator Index, a national survey of more than 1,700 U.S. public school educators, suggest that the conversation needs to move beyond a binary choice of more or less screen time, centering instead on how technology can meaningfully support student outcomes. “Rather than simply imposing one-size-fits-all, blanket limits on screen time use in K-12 classrooms, we must take into consideration the quality and pedagogical intent of the specific digital content and edtech tools being used,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation K-12 learning solutions leader. “Finding the right balance and the right use of technology for the classroom should be an objective we all share.

The U.S. political advertising season continues to gain momentum -- slowly accelerating to a total $6.1 billion through Aug. 24 -- according to the most recent estimates from political ad tracker AdImpact. This is about halfway to the estimated total spend by the media researcher for the entire political season -- $11.6 billion. The August reading is up $1.3 billion from the reading on July 16 of $4.8 billion.

As specialty substrates continue to expand across every print technology, selecting the right material has become more challenging—and more important—than ever. At PRINTING United Expo 2026 (Booth N6343), Midland will showcase the tools, samples and expertise that help commercial printers make those decisions faster and with greater confidence. Highlights at Booth N6343 include: • Specialty media swatchbooks for HP Indigo, dry toner, offset and inkjet printing. • Print technology-specific application guides and product catalogs. • Hands-on samples of synthetic papers, films, pressure-sensitive materials, digital substrates and specialty papers. • Fusion Board, Midland's paper-based alternative to traditional plastic board. • Expert guidance from Midland's Specialty Paper & Film team to help printers match materials to specific presses, applications and performance requirements.

For the past few years, marketers have repeated the same line: Data is the new oil. The saying is tidy, but it made more sense in the era when data scarcity was a major challenge. The companies that were seen as winners were the ones that extracted the most data and analytics. But today, scarcity is no longer the issue — far from it. Every modern brand has more customer data than it knows what to do with. The constraint isn’t collection anymore; it’s analyzing and extracting insights to produce meaningful actions that can transform the business. A more accurate comparison is to say that data is uranium. It is one of the most powerful assets a business has when refined with the right containment. Left unattended, disconnected from a clear strategy or handled without discipline, it does damage. Poorly used data can easily become a wasted budget, eroded customer trust or bad decisions that are made with confidence, but no real insight behind them.

The following update is from MIDLAND, Postal Affairs Manager-Matt Jensen. Last Friday afternoon, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) rejected a USPS request tied to density rate authority for January 2027, which would comprise the majority of that increase. Based on that and the USPS’s current ability to raise rates once per fiscal year (their FY runs October through September), here’s where it currently stands: Scenario 1 The USPS can still pursue a January 2027 increase. However, if they do it’s now estimated to be 1.8%. If that happens, they wouldn’t be able to pursue another increase until October 2027 at the earliest, when their new fiscal year starts. Scenario 2 – More Likely Prior to being able to only raise rates once per fiscal year, the USPS typically raised rates in January and July. If the USPS foregoes a January 2027 increase for that smaller figure—it’s a lot of work to file and implement—we’d likely see them file for a July 2027 increase. If so, that’s currently estimated at 6.3%. We’ll know by mid-October whether the USPS pursues a January 2027 increase. They’re required to file with the PRC for review at least 90 days prior to implementation.

A barrel of diesel measured by one yardstick is now about twice the cost of a barrel of crude The yawning gap between crude and diesel that is bringing broad attention to the price of the fuel, driven in part by fleets frustrated to hear reports of crude rising slowly or even falling while their own fuel costs most definitely are not. Diesel is even taking the spotlight from gasoline, which as a product consumed by far more people than diesel generally draws the most attention from the media, politicians and general consumers. Historically, Currie said, the spread between product prices and crude prices was “relatively stable.” But on a day when Brent was trading at about $87/b, Currie noted that diesel in European trading was about $170/b. The question then is why since the Iran war began has diesel reacted to the whole range of bullish market factors more than crude and more than gasoline. The list is a long one. Diesel still ripping higher than the rest of the barrel; here’s why - FreightWaves

The retail giant shared the figure in second-quarter results. However, at the same time, the company reported a dip in sales, something it attributed to consumers cutting back on spending. The retail giant earned roughly $6.4 billion in net income in the three months ending on July 31, the report said, a higher number than the company’s earlier guidance. It has since raised its forecast for the remainder of the year. Walmart told investors that it is eligible for approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds—money it will get back from the government for tariffs paid on imports in 2025 and early 2026. It has already received most of the money and, according to CNN, Walmart said it would invest the tariff refunds in “customer experience and price investments.”

Private label products are continuing to improve their standing with shoppers. More than half (58%) of consumers say they don't care whether a product is a national brand or a private label, according to a new report from NielsenIQ (NIQ). Sixty-eight percent of consumers view private label products as a good alternative to national brands, while 69% believe they offer good value for money. Younger consumers are especially keen on private brands, as 67% of Gen Z consumers believe private label products are just as good as national brands.

The education system in Sweden is making global headlines by shifting away from heavy digital learning toward more traditional pen-and-paper teaching. Once praised for embracing tablets and laptops in classrooms, Sweden is now rethinking how much technology belongs in everyday instruction. The change reflects concerns about literacy, concentration, and equality, and it offers valuable lessons for educators and parents worldwide.

If a national ban were enacted, Snapchat would see ad revenue decline 6%, while TikTok could see a $1.26 billion drop. Most states have already passed some sort of restriction of cellphone use in classrooms, to varying degrees of success. Enforcement has proven tricky, and the full impact of these bans on marketers has yet to be determined. However, the majority, 74%, of U.S. adults support banning phones during class, per Pew Research cited by Emarketer.  Teen social media users are a key demographic for many marketers, and with 19 million users between the ages of 12 and 19, any changes in social media usage can impact the ad revenues of social media platforms, per Emarketer’s “How A Nationwide Classroom Cell Phone Ban Would Affect Social Network Use.”  Phone bans, and social media bans for teens in general, have gained traction in recent months. To date, a national ban on smartphones is not under consideration, although the regulatory environment around smartphone use and social media use is heating up quickly.

Recently, retailers have had a hard time finding space in which to put new stores. The problem is that there are not a lot of buildings going up to begin with. Retail construction completions fell to 5.7 million square feet in the second quarter, setting record lows for both quarterly and rolling four-quarter totals, according to CBRE. The commercial real estate firm cited rising construction costs and labor shortages. The low level of construction has kept the availability of retail space tight. Retail space availability held at an extremely low 4.9% in the second quarter, according to the real estate firm. “That has made it very difficult for retailers who are in expansion mode trying to find desirable, well-located space,” said Ebere Anokute, Americas head of retail research for CBRE, who was previously a real estate manager for Warby Parker. He added that retailers have been less willing to move into older or lower-cost properties. “We’re seeing a major flight to quality in the industry right now.”

Amazon.com Inc. said its delivery locker network now includes more than 750 pickup points across 500+ U.S. college campuses, part of an expansion to bring package pickup closer to where students already spend their day. Amazon Locker is the company’s self-service package pickup offering. By placing its kiosks near college dorms, dining halls and academic buildings, Amazon is effectively creating centralized delivery hubs in areas already packed with young online shoppers. The campus rollout is part of Amazon’s larger last‑mile pickup network, which it said now includes more than 25,000 package pickup locations nationwide.

Angry Orchard’s latest summer promo saw the brand, and a famous ball player, come to the rescue of one very beleaguered recreational softball team. To highlight the brand’s tagline, “Don’t Get Angry, Get Orchard,” the hard cider launched a search earlier this summer for “one of the worst rec softball teams in America.” Settling on the “Sons of Pitches,” a rec team out of New York City that was on a 14-game losing streak, the brand sent in a “Super Sub” in the form of pro baller Nick Swisher. Former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman Swisher, who won a World Series title with the New York Yankees in 2009, surprised the Sons of Pitches by suiting up for an actual game. Videos featuring Swisher, such as seen here, show the pro baller stepping into the lineup.

The past several months have shown how quickly a broad, near-universal tariff can reshape the trade environment. Even as one specific measure expires, the underlying dynamic it introduced is not going away. The evolving trade landscape and implementation of a broad range of tariffs changes how retailers think about sourcing, pricing, and supply chain design. While the global Section 122 tariffs have expired, the implementation of Section 301 forced labor tariffs reflect a new challenge for retailers. Tariffs raise a fundamental commercial question: how much of the cost can be passed through to consumers? While some retailers may absorb portions of the increase, experience shows that tariffs often translate into higher retail prices over time. This creates both risk and opportunity.

Direct mail is a highly accountable, data-driven growth channel that gives marketers unmatched control over who they reach, how they engage and what results they generate. Organizations now dedicate an average of 25% of their marketing budgets to direct mail, and nine in 10 leaders increased investment year over year, signaling confidence in its performance and predictability. Direct mail is taking on a more strategic role in today’s marketing mix as a high-impact complement to other channels that helps brands create demand, strengthen performance and build longer-lasting relationships. It offers a physical brand moment that supports stronger recall, emotional engagement and credibility. Recent Epsilon research also points to the channel being a strong driver of customer engagement, with 41% of Gen Z and 45% of millennials stating that they are likely to use catalogs for holiday shopping.

Two Sides North America is the North American arm of the global non-profit organization advocating for the sustainable attributes of print, paper, and paper-based packaging. This year, the group marked a major milestone: more than 1,500 companies worldwide have now pulled back or amended environmental claims that unfairly cast paper and paper-based packaging as bad for the planet. The effort is part of a public-awareness push the organization has run for over a decade.  Since the campaign began, TSNA has reached out to 422 companies, and 228 of them—better than half—have since altered or dropped unsubstantiated anti-paper language. In 2025, TSNA engaged 62 companies over greenwashing claims, prompting 25 to change their messaging.  In the U.S., the FTC’s Green Guides call for environmental claims to be precise, evidence-based, and truthful, warning that catch-all terms like “eco-friendly” or “green” can create a misleading impression of a product’s overall impact.  Canada updated its Competition Act in 2024, adding stiffer consequences for unverified environmental claims and putting the onus on companies to prove their assertions. That change raises the stakes for any business still leaning on unproven “paperless is better for the planet” language.

Think about the last gift you gave someone. How was it wrapped or packaged? You probably stood in the aisle longer than you expected – picking up rolls of gift wrap, holding bag after bag up to the light, comparing tissue paper colors and prints, debating whether the shiny ribbon was too much or just right. Every detail got a decision. Because you knew someone was going to open it in front of people, and you wanted that moment to feel special. Intentional. Branded internal packaging changes consumer behavior in ordinary unboxings – 57% more likely to recommend the brand, 50% more likely to share on social media. Those effects don't disappear in a gifting context. If anything, they compound. The social share dynamic is particularly relevant in Q4. Unboxing content spikes during the holiday season – Google found roughly a third of unboxing views happen in the October–December window, about 1.5x the rest of the year. Gift reveals are filmed, photographed, and shared at a rate the rest of the year doesn't match. A premium branded unboxing moment in December has an organic reach multiplier that the same moment in March simply doesn't.

Coca-Cola, Adidas, Unilever, AB InBev and Home Depot reaped the benefits of official partnerships with the global tournament via a variety of marketing approaches. With 104 games across three host countries, the 2026 World Cup was the soccer tournament’s largest iteration ever, and possibly the biggest sporting event of all time. The event, held June 11 – July 19, broke and rebroke records for soccer viewership in the U.S. — great news for the advertisers who spent a combined $1.42 billion on media within game time across the full tournament, according to MediaRadar data. In the run-up to the World Cup, marketers spanning alcohol, beverage, snacks and retail categories — both with and without official FIFA sponsorships — rolled out campaigns, some starting as early as January, that looked to engage consumers around the unprecedented excitement.  The results of these efforts have started to come into focus in recent comments by executives during calls with analysts to discuss broader financial performance. The full impact isn’t likely to be known until the fall when companies report Q3 earnings, since the tournament ran across both the second and third quarters, with most World Cup marketers hoping to reap the benefits for a long time.

For more than five years now — since the onset of the pandemic — San Francisco has seemed to be the epicenter of store closures in the U.S., as crime and other troubles gave the city’s major retail corridors a bad reputation.  Retail in San Francisco has never been entirely doomed, though, and now there are early signs of a comeback. A recent tour by bike, transit and foot found numerous boarded up buildings and “for lease” signs, but also stores flourishing in the city’s neighborhoods and even its beleaguered downtown. Macy’s Inc. had shuttered its Macy’s men’s store in 2016 and rumors swirled that it would close Macy’s flagship there, too. Barneys closed there as part of a 2019 bankruptcy. Saks Global closed Saks Fifth Avenue last year, months ahead of its 2026 Chapter 11 filing.  But, while empty storefronts remain, several luxury and upscale direct-to-consumer stores stuck around or recently arrived. Macy’s Union Square store, for one, stayed open. In a recent study of office, lodging and retail in San Francisco, Trepp found evidence of an emerging recovery downtown, thanks in part to a rebound in office leasing driven by AI tech companies.

Beginning mid-August, Keurig Dr Pepper, owner of the 7UP brand in the United States, is rolling out a reformulated 7UP with new packaging designed to differentiate the brand in the $5 billion lemon-lime category. The refresh is the “most significant brand evolution in more than 15 years,” the company says. It affects the brand's four core variants: 7UP Regular, 7UP Zero Sugar, Cherry 7UP, and Cherry 7UP Zero Sugar. The packaging redesign will affect all package sizes and formats of these variants. It features a vertical logo orientation, bolder colors, more distinctive graphics, and a new “Lime Lemon” designation that signals the reformulated flavor profile. According to the brand, the design was selected from 10 tested concepts and offers what it describes as “a modern take on iconic elements from 7UP’s past.” “By giving lime the spotlight, we’re rewriting the rules of the lemon lime category,” says Drew Panayiotou, chief marketing and innovation officer at KDP. He positions the move as "transforming a beloved heritage brand into a modern disruptor.”

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) released the StatShot Annual report covering the calendar year 2025, estimating that the U.S. publishing industry generated $33.4 billion in aggregate publishing revenue for books and course materials across print and digital formats. U.S. Publishing revenue is up 2.5% as compared to $32.5 billion in revenue in 2024, and up 16.1% when comparing 2021 to 2025. “This year’s report reflects a healthy and agile publishing industry,” commented Syreeta Swann, Chief Operating Officer, Association of American Publishers. “Print formats continue to dominate Trade publishing, accounting for 76.3% of Trade revenue, while Digital Audio and digital course materials remain strong.”

Consumers aren’t abandoning brands. They’re reassessing value and brand loyalty. A brand you love raises prices by 20%. What happens next? We asked 250 consumers whether they’d stay loyal, shop less often, switch brands, or start comparing alternatives. The answers revealed something interesting: people aren’t abandoning brands. They’re reassessing value. More than half of respondents said they’d start comparing alternatives. Far fewer said they’d immediately switch brands or remain completely loyal. One respondent put it this way: “No brand is worth unconditional loyalty. If prices change, I’ll consider other options.” Another said: “I want to make sure they were competitive.” The message is clear: when prices rise, people look around and decide what’s worth it. But that’s only part of the story. click on the link to get the full story. Burning Questions — What Happens to Brand Loyalty When Prices Rise? | J. Schmid

Consumers’ concerns about higher prices remains near record highs even as inflation slowed in July. Prices for everyday household purchases decreased 0.4% in July following a 0.7% increase in June and a 0.5% increase in May, according to the Numerator Consumer Goods Price Index. In July, prices for everyday goods are up 2.6% versus a year ago, down from 3.4% in June.

Retailers are likely well-stocked for the coming holidays as this year’s peak shipping season is coming to an end, National Retail Federation Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said in a statement Friday. The Global Port Tracker report released Friday by NRF and Hackett Associates found a 13.2% year-over-year increase in 20-foot containers or their equivalent at major U.S. ports in June. That’s lower than the industry group’s previous projection of nearly 19% growth in June. Additionally, July imports are now expected to be down 7.6% year over year, though the Global Port Tracker previously predicted July imports would “hit a new all-time record,” per a press release last month. Ports have not yet reported August numbers, but the industry group projects 20-foot equivalent units at major U.S. ports in August will decrease 4.2% year over year.

Kraft Heinz is heaping another $100 million on its turnaround plan, with most of that investment concentrated on marketing, the company said in prepared remarks for its Q2 earnings. Marketing will now represent at least 6% of net sales in 2026, up half a percentage-point. The move follows the packaged foods giant stating it “overdelivered” on expectations in the first half, when it began deploying $600 million of incremental spend into areas including product superiority, pricing, marketing, sales and research and development.  The marketer of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Jell-O and Ore-Ida has been directing its dollars toward a smaller number of heavier-hitting media partners as part of the turnaround. That approach recently manifested in major sponsorships, including a five-year pact with the NFL and work around America250 celebrations, as well as a strategic partnership with The Walt Disney Company that encompasses the House of Mouse’s media outlets, cruise lines, parks and events.

Mid-summer sales events and early back-to-school deals gave a boost to retail sales in July, which rose for the 10th consecutive month. Core retail sales (excluding restaurants, auto dealers and gas stations) inched up 0.3% month over month in July and were 4.72% year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation Retail sales gains in July were led by digital products, such as electronic books and games. Sales declined in four categories: electronics and appliance stores; furniture and home furnishings stores; building and garden supply stores; and sporting goods; and hobby, music and book stores.

Acquisitions in 2026 are proving to be all about health and wellness. Last week, Procter & Gamble announced its acquisition of supplement brand Thorne for $3.8 billion, part of a wave of high-profile acquisitions in the wellness space.  It’s another strong signal that large CPG conglomerates are increasingly seeking out science-backed, high-growth brands to add to their portfolios as consumer priorities shift toward longevity, functional health and the nutritional demands of the growing GLP-1 user base. The Thorne buyout is the latest high-profile supplement acquisition of 2026. Earlier this year, three-year-old gummy multivitamins startup Grüns was acquired by Unilever for an undisclosed figure.  The P&G deal comes after a series of ownership shifts for Thorne, including an IPO in 2021. Since then, the company, founded in 1984, was taken private by L Catterton in a deal valued at $680 million. According to Thorne, its annual revenue surpassed $500 million in 2025.

Student Watch’s annual study reports that average student spending on college course materials, including textbooks and digital materials, was just $338 for the 2025-2026 academic year. The figure represents a dramatic decline of 44% as compared to student spending in the category ten years ago. “Since about 2014, the role of digital in the course material space has really grown,” said Lacey Wallace, Research Analyst for the National Association of College Stores, which produces the Student Watch Report. “This year about 40 percent of purchased course materials were digital, compared to about 38 percent last year. Digital course materials can save students money because they’re often cheaper than print alternatives.”

Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has awarded its U.S. media assignment to Omnicom following a review, the company has confirmed.   The firm spends upwards of $600 million annually on media, according to agency research firm COMvergence.  The firm previously worked with WPP on the account. WPP's Wavemaker was awarded U.S. duties in 2020 after a review.

Another USPS postage increase is here. For direct mail marketers, the immediate concern is not simply that every piece will cost more. It is that plans made months ago may no longer work as expected. Direct mail programs are rarely planned one campaign at a time. Annual budgets, mailing volumes, testing strategies, production schedules, and revenue forecasts are often established well in advance. When postage changes during that planning cycle, the effects can ripple through the entire program. A budget that once supported twelve campaigns may now support only eleven. A carefully designed test may need to be reduced. An acquisition campaign may face a higher cost per response before the first piece enters the mail. That is why the most useful question after a postage increase is not simply, “Should we mail less?” It is: “How do we protect the plan?”

Originally published in The Page_ Spring 2026 edition By Paul Bobnak Consumer tolerance for digital messaging is shrinking. According to a February 2025 survey by the Harris Poll for Quad, 81% of Gen Z adults and 78% of millennials often wish they could disconnect from digital devices more easily. The Two Sides Trend Tracker 2025, a comprehensive global survey investigating consumer attitudes toward paper-based products, mirrors these findings. For example, 55% of U.S. consumers said that they “don’t pay attention to most online marketing advertisements”; for Canada, the figure was 60%. The survey also showed that personalization in print is valued similarly by consumers in the U.S. and Canada. 35% of Canadian consumers agreed that they “are more likely to act when marketing materials are personalized to their needs and consumption habits. That figure rose to 41% for U.S. respondents. Digital fatigue and continued affinity for offline channels like mail is one factor causing marketers to shift their spending. In Lob’s State of Direct Mail: Business Insights 2026 Report, 90% of marketing leaders say that the direct mail share of their marketing budgets increased this year.

Tyson Foods' third-quarter results not only missed Wall Street expectations, but also painted a sad picture: Consumers are trying hard to balance the pressure of rising costs against their love for beef, which has gotten so pricey that ground hamburger is turning into more of a luxury than a basic. Tyson, the country's largest meat producer and owner of brands like Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm and Ball Park, says sales for the quarter were flat at $13.87 billion. But those results, bolstered by healthy gains in chicken and pork, mask a 16% decline in beef unit sales. Because the price of beef has risen so dramatically -- an increase of about 12% compared to the comparable period a year ago -- dollar sales fell less, slipping to $5.4 billion from $5.6 billion in the third quarter of 2025. And the beef segment generated an operating loss of $138 million for the three-month period. The beef industry's problems are complex, and as much an issue of supply as demand. America's cattle herds are now at a 75-year low, due to persistent challenges, including rising feed costs, drought and international competition, all driving more ranchers out of the cattle industry.

Dutch Bros is accelerating its expansion by acquiring the real estate of a bankrupt fast-casual salad chain. The fast-growing drive-thru coffee chain said it has entered into an agreement to acquire the real estate and related site assets of up to 65 Salad and Go locations across Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas. (See list of locations at end of article.) The purchase price was not revealed. Salad and Go filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 4, and abruptly closed all its locations on the following day. Similar to Dutch Bros, Salad and Go operated a drive-thru model. Its menu featured made-to-order salads, breakfast options and more.  Dutch Bros expects to convert the Salad and Go locations its format in 2027. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. Earlier this year, Dutch Bros acquired the 20-unit Clutch Coffee Bar chain. The coffee chain has set a goal of 2,029 shops in 2029, with a long-term goal of 4,000 shops in the next 10-to-15 years. (As of June 30, it had 1,225 locations.)

It's no secret that economic pressures are weighing heavily on American consumers, with current credit-card debt topping a record $1.277 trillion by the end of last year. Rocket Mortgage wants to ease some of that debt load, with a new campaign positioning home-equity loans as a solution. Rocket Mortgage's spots highlighting the anxiety consumers already feel about too-high credit card balances -- like tossing and turning in bed, or being afraid to open a credit card statement. And they make it clear that with a second mortgage from Rocket, people can make a clean start. The average credit card interest rate is 21%. By contrast, home equity loans range from 5.76% to 10.75%, according to Bankrate, with an average just over 8%.

Hearst announced an agreement with subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) where Hearst will acquire Disney’s 50% interest in A+E Global Media for approximately $1.2 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close in September, subject to customary closing conditions.  Upon closing A+E Global Media will become a wholly owned Hearst business within its Entertainment group.  A+E Global Media, launched as A&E (the Arts & Entertainment Network) in 1984, today reaches more than 414 million households across 200 territories in 40 languages, and its well-known brands include A&E®, Lifetime®, The HISTORY® Channel, LMN®, FYI® and VICE TV®.    Hearst is one of the nation’s largest global, diversified information, services and media companies.

Gibson is bringing its immersive retail concept to Sin City. The iconic guitar brand will open a 9,000-sq.-ft. Gibson Garage in 2027 at the Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip. The location will mark the brand’s fourth Gibson Garage location, and will follow the opening of Gibson Garage Miami, which is slated to debut on Sept. 10. Gibson Garage Las Vegas will showcase the full Gibson family of brands, including Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer and more, in a highly-interactive and high-energy environment that brings together the brand's signature craftsmanship, rare and collectible guitars, live performances, music history, art and more.

When Amazon acquired chip design company Annapurna Labs in 2015, the AI boom was still years away. The bet was straightforward: if you design chips specifically for cloud workloads rather than relying on general-purpose hardware, you can deliver better performance at lower cost. A decade later, that bet has become one of the fastest-growing businesses in Amazon’s history. Amazon’s chip business—spanning Trainium for AI training and inference and Graviton for general cloud computing (and increasingly, agentic AI)—all based on the Nitro System for security and networking—recently exceeded a $25 billion annual revenue run rate, growing triple-digit percentages year over year. Rather than relying solely on off-the-shelf processors, Amazon designs chips from the ground up for specific workloads. The approach is vertically integrated: hardware and software engineers collaborate from chip design through server deployment, working backwards from the system to create silicon tailored for the workloads customers actually run.

Retail has spent years accelerating with faster shipping, faster browsing, faster checkouts, faster everything. But today, consumers are signaling something different. They’re tired. Tired of rushing. Tired of impulse buying. Tired of digital noise. Tired of the pressure to make decisions instantly. A new movement is emerging in response: slow commerce. Slow commerce isn’t about being sluggish. It’s about being intentional. It’s about thoughtful shopping, meaningful storytelling, and purchases that feel grounded rather than reactive. And it’s a shift that plays directly to the strengths of catalogs. Why Slow Commerce Is Gaining Momentum Consumers are pushing back against the “buy now” culture for several reasons including overstimulation, quality concerns, and emotional fatigue. Shoppers are craving experiences that feel human, tactile, and trustworthy. They want to slow down, consider their options, and choose products that align with their values. Consumers are pushing back against the “buy now” culture for several reasons including overstimulation, quality concerns, and emotional fatigue. Shoppers are craving experiences that feel human, tactile, and trustworthy. They want to slow down, consider their options, and choose products that align with their values. This is exactly where catalogs excel. Click on the article link to discover more on this fascinating subject.

The biggest FIFA World Cup 2026 audience wasn’t in the stadium; those fans were everywhere else. That shift is reshaping how brands think about fan engagement. According to Nielsen’s 2026 World Cup research, only one in four self-identified fans had planned to attend a match in person. That’s both a practical necessity and a choice, reflecting a broader cultural shift: for most fans, being part of the World Cup didn’t require a seat in the stadium. For brands, that gap between attention and access is creating new opportunities. “Merchandise is no longer just a promotional tool,” said Liz Grabek, Senior Vice President of Consumer Strategy at Betty, a Quad agency. “It’s a tangible way for brands to participate in a cultural moment while helping fans express their identity and giving them a greater sense of belonging.” The numbers reinforce the trend. The global football jersey market is expected to reach $8.7 billion in 2026, growing at a 7.2% annual rate, with World Cup years driving the biggest demand spikes. It’s evidence that merchandise isn’t simply a keepsake; it is increasingly how fans express their identity and connection to the moments that matter most.

Walmart is following through with plans to deliver online orders via drone in a major Florida metro market. The discount giant is now offering its drone delivery service in Orlando via a partnership it launched with Wing, an on-demand drone delivery provider powered by Google parent company Alphabet, for drone delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth market in August 2023. Walmart is now delivering to more than 50,000 homes, businesses, and apartment buildings surrounding Supercenter locations in Apopka and Clermont, Fla. The retailer plans to expand the drone delivery program throughout Central Florida, including three Supercenter locations in Ocoee, Clermont and Haines City in the coming weeks.

You've invested in great design. The copy is polished. The mailing list is solid. Everything is printed beautifully and dropped at the post office on schedule. Then the responses trickle in. What happened? More often than not, it isn't the list, the design, or even the timing. It's the offer. An irresistible offer gives people a compelling reason to stop, pay attention, and take action. Without one, even the most creative direct mail campaign can fall flat. After all, recipients are asking one simple question every time they open their mailbox: "What's in it for me?" If your offer answers that question clearly and convincingly, you're already ahead of most marketers. Read the full article to get the complete story.

Jimmy Kimmel Live's team proved it again last week, pouring cups of Erewhon's new $12 "sacred water" in LA. People swirled it, noting notes of nutmeg, a clean mineral finish, a little tingle of energy... one guy asked if water this good was even legal. It was hose water. From the parking lot behind the studio. And now the internet is going wild in the comments section. I've seen a lot of blind taste tests in my years working with CPG brands, and the results (still) always surprise me. The product is identical across every player in this category. The gap between a $12 cup and the hose is marketing. Nobody in that clip was lying; the water genuinely tasted better to them because the cup told them it would. That's the power of marketing (and placebo). Stay hydrated, brand builders💧

United Parcel Service parcel volumes fell during the second quarter as it completed the phase out of low-margin Amazon business, but revenue per piece and profits increased behind a focus on premium shipments, efficiency gains, and strong pricing amid ongoing economic volatility. UPS has worked with Amazon over 18 months to eliminate unprofitable shipments from its network, which accounted for half the volume tendered by the retail marketplace — its largest customer. In total, UPS eliminated 2 million pieces per day of Amazon volume and $4.5 billion in related expenses. The drawdown, along with slower overall parcel demand, led UPS to initiate a network reconfiguration aimed at aligning capacity with market demand. The initiative involved closing 150 parcel sort facilities, eliminating 30,000 positions and 50 million labor hours, and adding technology to improve the throughput of existing distribution stations.

For packaging professionals, the pressure has never been higher: reduce costs, meet compliance, and now, prove impact beyond the shelf. At the same time, brands are trying to buy attention in an increasingly expensive and inefficient media landscape. But the brands actually breaking through aren’t outspending the market. They’re outthinking it. They’re reimagining packaging not as a cost to manage, but as a marketing platform built to earn attention. Most brands are competing for attention in the same places, using the same playbook. When done right, packaging can function as a high-performing marketing platform, driving awareness, engagement, and purchase without relying solely on continuous media spend. Mini Moments give brands a faster, lower-risk way to generate conversation, test bold ideas, and create impact people actually remember.

We are in a time of rapid change across the workforce. While AI is being framed by many as a job eliminator, it seems too early to make predictions on the impact. At Walmart, we believe it will be the combination of our associates and technology that will power our ability to best serve our customers and members. We also believe that opportunity should grow alongside innovation. As the largest private employer in the United States, Walmart sees firsthand how technology, customer expectations and business needs are changing work. As the world evolves, we're betting on our associates, supported by technology, to power the future. Our founder, Sam Walton, said, “To succeed in this world, you have to change all the time.” We believe the future of work will fundamentally be about people and technology. The careers highlighted in this report are helping power Walmart today while preparing our company for tomorrow.

As the recent heatwave turned New York’s subway system into its own kind of hell, Degree Deodorant decided to let the straphangers themselves write the campaign. It took over multiple stations, renaming them with the exact words commuters were already using. West Fourth Street got rebranded as “Sweat Central.” Union Square became “the Boiler Room.” And Herald Square South got launched as “Molten Core.” The campaign is “based on a very simple consumer truth,” says Chris Symmes, the brand’s head of marketing. “Every New Yorker has a story about surviving the subway in the summer. And over the last five to six years, the heatwaves in New York have become more extreme.” That has meant more online chatter. “When we saw so many New Yorkers joking and venting on social media, we decided to tap into an existing conversation rather than trying to start a new one.”

Consumer brands like Tiffany (blue), UPS (brown) and T-Mobile (magenta) have long had their own trademarked colors identifying their brands, but in an ad-tech industry first, ecommerce platform ROKT has one too. In fact, it is now an official color in color-matching platform Pantone’s matching system: Beetroot by ROKT. Developed in partnership with the Pantone Color Institute, recognized as a global authority on color, Beetroot by ROKT standardizes the bold fuchsia that has been part of ROKT's identity since the company's founding in Sydney in 2012. The certification establishes a proprietary color standard that will serve as a consistent visual signature across the company's physical, digital, and experiential presence worldwide. "Color has the power to create immediate recognition and establish a lasting connection with audiences," Pantone Vice President Laurie Pressman says in a statement announcing the new ROKT "owned" color.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup came to a conclusion on July 19, and to no surprise, the global soccer tournament had a large economic impact on the North American host cities. According to new data from Visa, the World Cup drove significant growth in cross-border spending, international travel and digital commerce across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Cross-border Visa transactions in host cities increased nearly 20% year over year during the tournament period, with Santa Clara and San Jose, Calif., Boston and Miami recording the largest increases in in-person spending from international and domestic cardholders. Visa found that fans from Colombia, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Argentina and Brazil generated the highest levels of cross-border spend across host cities. Overall, consumers spent most heavily on transportation and entertainment.

Higher prices are pushing families to spend more on back-to-school needs this year. Families are expected to spend $252 per child on back-to-school purchases this year, marking a 6% year-over-year increase, according to the Consumer Pulse Back-to-School 2026 survey released by audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG LLP. Nearly 80% of parents say the increase in planned spending reflects higher prices for the same school essentials and technology purchases as last year, including big-ticket items like laptops.

For years, conversations about promotional products often centered on price, product selection, and delivery timelines. Those factors still matter, but in 2026, another consideration has become increasingly important: where products are made. Over the past year, conversations about domestic manufacturing have come up far more frequently than they did just a few years ago. Some organizations are motivated by supply chain concerns. Others are responding to customer preferences, corporate values, or procurement requirements. Whatever the reason, Made-in-America promotional products are becoming a more significant part of marketing and branding conversations than they were before. https://www.promoimpressions.com/post/american-made-promotional-products-2026/

The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack Holding Corp. is being acquired by the largest tire dealership in the U.S. Mavis Tire Express Services Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire the automotive services company from Carl Icahn’s Icahn Enterprises for approximately $700 million in cash. Icahn Enterprises, which bought Pep Boys in 2016, will retain the owned real estate previously transferred to it from Pep Boys, as well as the AAMCO Transmissions and Precision Tune Auto Care businesses. Pep Boys operates nearly 800 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The acquisition expands Mavis’s presence in new and existing markets, particularly across the Western United States, where Pep Boys has a significant retail footprint. It grows Mavis’s network to more than 4,400 auto service center locations across the United States and Canada.

Women in Print Alliance, a division of PRINTING United Alliance, is once again bringing a dynamic lineup of networking, professional development, and community-building experiences to PRINTING United Expo 2026, taking place September 23-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Designed to help women maximize their Expo experience, this year's programming includes pre-show education, exclusive networking events, leadership development opportunities, and dedicated spaces to build meaningful industry connections. Visit https://womeninprintalliance.org/expo-events/ for a complete Women in Print Alliance guide

Despite some early doubt, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has served as a major marketing and retail catalyst for the U.S.’s retail and service industries throughout the summer.  From tourists’ obsession with ranch dressing to viral Waffle House trips, the 2026 World Cup brought a much-needed boost to the U.S. retail and service industries this summer. Host cities, in particular, experienced a surge in consumer activity as millions of international and domestic fans flocked to stadiums and fan zones. This influx of visitors delivered a revenue boost from foot traffic as people spent more on sports merchandise, watching games at bars and restaurants and even hosting their own watch parties.

Retailers press for passage of a bill to enact rounding standards as cash-handling businesses grapple with the cent’s gradual demise. Businesses would gain new guidelines for rounding transactions if the government gradually phases out the U.S. penny under legislation Congress is considering. The Common Cents Act, which passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, enacts formal guidelines for businesses to round tabs to the nearest 5 cents as the U.S. gradually retires the penny. “We need a clear standard from Congress allowing businesses to round cash transaction amounts and a safe harbor from liability in doing so fairly,” wrote the groups, which included the National Restaurant Association and the National Association of Convenience Stores.

Shoppers are forecast to spend a record $43.3 billion on K-12 students this year, up from $39.4 billion in 2025. Meanwhile, back-to-school shopping for college students is expected to reach $103.5 billion, exceeding $100 billion for the first time, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.In response to price-sensitive consumers’ concerns, retailers have introduced back-to-school deals well before classes begin this fall.  In June, Target debuted back-to-school offers and refreshed more than half of that inventory with new apparel, dorm decor, school supplies and other products. Earlier this month, Kohl’s promoted its own back-to-school discounts, with “thousands of products” priced below $25. This week, Walmart marked down select items to 25 cents and reduced prices on its 14 most popular school supplies to their “lowest prices since 2019.”  So far, retailers’ early sales have attracted consumers’ attention. Over half (54%) of respondents to the NRF’s survey said they bought their school supplies during sales such as Target Circle Deal Days, Walmart Deals and Amazon’s Prime Day.

Proposal would sideline paper communications millions rely on for critical financial information. American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Interim Vice President of Industry Affairs Mark Pitts released the following statement in response to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed Regulation E-Delivery, a consequential rulemaking that would make electronic delivery the default method for many investor communications and significantly reduce the role of paper in delivering important financial information. "For many investors—particularly seniors, rural communities and individuals with limited or unreliable digital access—paper is not a preference; it is an essential, trusted and secure way to receive and retain important information. “This proposal also raises serious concerns for the U.S. printing and writing paper sector, which supports U.S. manufacturing jobs and provides essential products for consumers, businesses and institutions across the country.

Import volume at the nation’s major container ports is forecast to hit a new all-time record in July as retailers stock up ahead of a potential new round of tariffs and other trade uncertainties. Global tariffs that took effect in February are set to expire July 24. But a new round of higher tariffs regarding forced labor are expected to be imposed by the Trump administration as early as August, according to the Global Port Tracker Report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Deborah Corn is the founder of the Print Media Centr (www.printmediacentr.com), providing strategy, intel, and insight for printing and marketing professionals and print enthusiasts around the world. Every mailer can be an Oscar-worthy experience, not just a printed thing that shows up in a mailbox and ends up in a pile. The moment it is picked up becomes showtime, with the audience standing in their kitchen or sitting at their desk, deciding in seconds whether to give you their attention or move on. There is a psychological reason those first seconds matter so much. It is known as the threshold effect. It describes the moment when someone crosses from one state of awareness into another, when distractions fall away and attention resets. On the other side of that threshold, people are more present and more open to what comes next. When a strategically crafted mailing invites someone to touch it, unfold it, explore it, or notice a detail they did not expect, their attention resets. Curiosity takes over. The recipient moves from mail sorter to an engaged audience member. What happens next determines whether the performance earns applause or closes on opening night. Thinking like a director, rather than just a sender, alters how mail is perceived. Directors concentrate on the audience’s experience at every moment. This same approach is relevant to direct mail. Read the full article here: Direct Mail is a Performance

As Amazon, Walmart, and Target race to out‑discount one another during summer deal season, Etsy has taken a very different approach. Instead of trying to beat the giants at their own game, Etsy launched its cheeky, defiant “Shop Other Jeffs” campaign — a celebration of the thousands of non‑billionaire sellers named Jeff who make pottery, lighting, furniture, and handcrafted goods across the country. As noted by Retail Dive, the message is simple and sharp: there’s more than one Jeff worth shopping from. And more importantly, there’s more than one way to win in retail. For catalogers, this campaign could serve as a blueprint. Read more here-Why Catalogers Should Lean into Their “Non Billionaire, Non Big Box”

Smurfit Westrock partnered with Coca-Cola China to launch a series of innovative paper-based packaging solutions for the brand's 2026 World Cup campaign, designed to deliver standout impact across both retail and e-commerce channels. The collaboration comes as global sporting events like the World Cup continue to drive significant spikes in consumer spending. Industry data shows major increases in sales of snacks and soft drinks during the 2022 World Cup, as viewers stocked up for at-home viewing and social gatherings.  Chris Zhong, Retail Customer Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola China added, "The World Cup is a key moment for connecting with consumers, and packaging plays an important role in that.

Consumers are making tough decisions at the grocery store in the face of sustained high prices. A recent survey of consumers in the United States and United Kingdom by retail and supply chain planning firm Relex Solutions revealed that 61% of shoppers have changed how much food they purchase due to higher grocery prices. More than seven-in-10 (71%) consumers are concerned that tariffs, geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and more will continue increasing the cost of everyday goods over the next six months.

Tariffs may dominate headlines. But for retailers, they’re part of a broader pattern of trading uncertainty that shows no signs of slowing. Talk with any buying or merchandising team right now and you’ll find people wrestling with the same questions: What if our costs spike or transportation lags? Should our prices change? Do we need new sourcing strategies? And what are the downstream impacts of each decision we make? The pressure to answer these questions faster and more confidently is causing many retailers to fundamentally rethink how planning gets done. According to Accenture, more than 75% of supply chain executives expect higher disruption in 2026, with 85% planning to increase AI spending in response.

In July of 1776, the most important piece of direct mail in American history was delivered the only way it could be: as a physical document, carried by hand to recipients who needed to see it. Post riders moved copies of the Declaration across the colonies mile by mile, to assemblies, to committees, to commanders in the field. It was targeted, addressed, and hand-delivered. And when one arrived, it wasn't skimmed and set aside. It was read aloud in the town square, to crowds and to George Washington's troops. That's direct mail at its core: get the right message into the right hands, and make it impossible to ignore. 250 years later, the principle holds. A real piece of mail carries weight that a notification never will. It gets opened. It gets read. It gets remembered.

Americans’ outlook about the economy improved somewhat in June as moderating gas prices brought some relief to inflation-weary consumers. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index ticked up by 0.6 points to 91.2, in June, up from a downwardly revised 90.6 in May but below its year-ago reading of 95.2. “Consumer confidence inched up in June as falling oil prices in recent weeks provided some relief to consumer inflation fears,” said Dana M Peterson, chief economist, The Conference Board. Perceptions of the current labor market softened measurably in June as the percentage of consumers saying jobs were ‘hard to get’ rose to 22.5%, the highest level since January 2021 (22.8%).

Online spend surrounding Amazon’s Prime Day sales event is inching closer to Black Friday levels. In comparison to the $26.4 billion in online spend during this recent Prime Day, consumers spent about $32.45 billion across Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year, per Adobe. Online sales from June 23 through June 26 were driven by electronics, appliances, tools and home improvement, as well as home and garden merchandise. Consumers used the sales period to buy more expensive products. Adobe’s data found the share of the most expensive products grew 19% compared to average levels year to date. The share of the most expensive goods in electronics jumped by 51%, and shoppers were trading up in categories such as toys, appliances and furniture.

Canva's Executive Creative Director reflects on Day 4 at Cannes Lions, making the case that in a world where the tools keep changing, the brands that endure are the ones with the courage to be distinctive and the consistency to earn genuine trust over time. Four days on the Croisette, and one question I keep coming back to isn't about budgets, AI, or the next big thing. It’s a simple, yet surprisingly hard one: what makes people care now? I’ve had an unscientific but genuinely useful test for this, and it comes back to my mum. When our first Canva ad aired, I was at home in New Zealand watching it with her. Thirty seconds later, she turned to me and said, "that was so nice, dear - what was it about?" I'd failed the mum test. Canva is all about empowering everyone to design, so if my mum didn't walk away feeling like she could pick up the tools and create something herself, we hadn’t quite done our job. It's something I come back to often: the best ideas aren't judged by how clever they are, but by whether they resonate with the people they're made for. And in today's world, where attention is harder to earn than ever, that kind of genuine connection matters even more.

By 2032, Eli Lilly will constitute a “league of its own” in worldwide pharma sales, according to researcher Evaluate’s Annual World Preview Report, released June 23. Lilly’s expected global sales of $137 billion in 2032 will be almost 60% more than that of the second largest pharma firm, AbbVie, Evaluate reports. The overwhelming success will be driven by Lilly’s weight-loss trio, with Mounjaro at # 1 in sales of all drugs, Zepbound at #3 and Foundayo (its new pill) at #4, according to Evaluate’s forecasts. Mounjaro and Zepbound together will be worth more than $70 billion, making their common ingredient -- tirzepatide -- into “the biggest drug ever," surpassing Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccines, Evaluate said. The three weight loss drugs together “will make up nearly half of total 2032 sales of the top ten best-selling drugs,” per the report.

Two Sides North America (TSNA), a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the sustainability story of print, paper, and paper-based packaging, is pleased to announce the launch of a newly redesigned Love Paper website (LovePaperNA.org), the North American home of the global Love Paper campaign and a destination for everyone who has ever folded, written, wrapped, boxed, read, or created with paper. The updated website is a celebration of paper’s past, its present, and the countless ways it shows up in everyday life. From the forests where it begins to the recycling bin where its story continues, LovePaperNA.org invites visitors of all ages and backgrounds to discover just how remarkable and sustainable this everyday material really is.

After the first seven days of FIFA World Cup action, through 24 matches, viewership is now more than double the total for the 2022 event in Qatar. Viewing for the event is now up 116%, averaging 5.7 million average minute viewers on Fox Television Network, FS1 and Tubi, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel and Adobe Analytics. Through sixteen games so far on Telemundo, Peacock, and Telemundo digital platforms, these matches with Spanish-language commentators have averaged 5.3 million. The highest-rated match so far was Mexico-South Africa, with 10.1 million viewers.

QuadMed, a nationally recognized provider of employer-sponsored healthcare solutions, today announced that Michelle Bowers has joined the company as Vice President of Growth, where she will lead strategic sales initiatives and support the next phase of the company’s growth strategy. QuadMed, LLC, a subsidiary of Quad/Graphics, Inc. is a healthcare experience company that partners with employers across the country to provide direct access to whole-person care for employees and families.

The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper, PepsiCo, along with other US beverage companies, have announced the nationwide expansion of a shared digital ingredient transparency infrastructure developed to empower consumers with information about the ingredients in their drinks. The QR codes displayed on beverage cans and bottles enable consumers to connect to Good to Know Facts, a database created by American Beverage, a trade association that represents the US non-alcoholic beverage industry.  The database is said to offer factual, non-industry information about more than 140 beverage ingredients.

Reading is good for you. That’s not just an opinion—it’s the consensus of a growing number of researchers who see reading as not only vital to our ability to learn new things, but also important for our overall state of mind. There’s something to be said about the feel of paper—the physical, tactile experience of holding a book and turning its pages has real advantages over pixels on a glowing screen. And it turns out the data backs up what most of us already sense. A major study tracking more than 236,000 Americans over two decades found that reading for pleasure has declined by nearly 40% since 2003—a trend researchers at University College London called “deeply concerning.” Co-author Daisy Fancourt put it plainly: “The research is clear. Reading is a vital health-enhancing behavior for every group within society, with benefits across the life-course.” The irony is that most people already know they should be reading more. Studies consistently show that the gap between how much people read and how much they wish they did is wide—and that the vast majority of adults view reading as a meaningful investment in their own well-being.

A Brookings researcher told a House subcommittee last week that the U.S. Postal Service's financial condition cannot be fixed by cutting costs alone — and that Congress, not postal management, is the only actor that can resolve it. Congress created the universal service obligation — the requirement to deliver to all 170 million U.S. addresses at uniform, affordable rates, six days a week — but has never directly funded it. Instead, it relied on the letter-mail monopoly to pay for it. That monopoly revenue has collapsed, and no replacement financing mechanism exists. The core finding is one Congress has avoided acting on for decades: the Postal Service's universal service obligation is a public good that the market cannot sustain on its own, and the financing model Congress created to pay for it is gone. Patel's statement frames the choice starkly — either fund the mandate explicitly, or let a liquidity crisis narrow the network by default, at the expense of the communities that depend on it most.

73% of Millennial and Gen Z diners say they visit restaurants based on social media reviews. These diners choose restaurants that feel memorable, photograph well, and create an experience worth talking about. Materials, textures, and dimensional branding have become as important as the food itself in shaping how guests connect with a restaurant. That means successful restaurants must constantly evolve — and the graphics they use need to keep pace with this evolution. Restaurants are increasingly using walls, floors, and countertops as extensions of their brand story. Restaurants constantly rotate promotions: happy hour specials, holiday cocktails, brunches, catering offers, and limited-time menu items. Traditional signage can be messy, time-consuming, and difficult to update. The restaurants winning the social game in 2026 aren't the ones with the best food alone — they're the ones whose spaces, menus, and seasonal promos feel intentional and on-brand. As hospitality brands continue to invest in experiential dining, specialty media will be key for turning signage into opportunities for branding and customer engagement.

On July 4, as the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial — aka 250th anniversary, or birthday. Scores of consumer brands are marking the occasion with limited-edition graphics, patriotic-themed color palettes, and heritage-focused storytelling. These packages commemorate the holiday, connect with consumers, and in some cases, reinforce their own brand's history.

The upcoming Amazon Prime Day annual sales extravaganza is expected to produce impressive results. Amazon is hosting Amazon Prime Day June 23-26, marking the second time the event will take place in June and third time it will occur outside of July. For the second year in a row, Prime Day will span four days, and as always numerous other U.S. retailers are holding competing online discount promotions. U.S. retailers are expected to drive a record $26.3 billion in online spend from June 23 to 26, representing 9% growth from $24.2 billion in 2025. This would be more than what consumers spent on Cyber Monday and Black Friday 2025 combined, which drove $14.25 billion and $11.8 billion, respectively ($26.05 billion total).

Proposed forced-labor tariffs, USMCA negotiations and refund litigation create another summer of uncertainty for importers A new round of tariffs and policy moves could include proposed Section 301 tariffs tied to forced labor concerns, changes to Section 232 metal duties, uncertainty surrounding the future of USMCA negotiations, and continued litigation over tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Marcus Eeman, director of customs at Flexport, said importers should not expect major changes when the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement reaches its scheduled July 1 review milestone. “The July 1 deal is looking unlikely, but benefits continue,” Eeman said, noting that USMCA preferences would remain in effect even if negotiators fail to reach new agreements this summer. According to Eeman, the U.S. is seeking a stronger U.S.-specific labor content requirements, particularly in automotive manufacturing, while Canada and Mexico continue pushing for relief from Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and other metals.

Nearly every research study of consumer shopping habits reports that many people initially investigate merchandise online and then go to stores to purchase. But a company called LiveLaunch has reversed that concept. In a 7,136-sq.-ft. store in Chicago’s Fulton Market district, the developer has placed 11 modular storefronts that allow digitally native brands to meet customers in person and have them make purchases online — thereby establishing a physical presence minus build-out costs and long-term leases. LiveLaunch’s first tenants include the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, the fitness tech company Surreal Cycling, Lux & Nyx handbags, and a clothing shop run by “Project Runway” alum Michael Drummond.

The slumping housing market is still having its way with the furniture business, but La-Z-Boy seems to be outsmarting the prolonged downturn. While the retailer's overall sales were flat in the fourth quarter at $570 million, sales in its retail segment increased 11%. That came from an aggressive retail move: adding four new stores. With 230 of the fleet now company-owned -- about 60% of the store total -- the company was able to deliver a sharp jump in profits.  Industry research seems to confirm that La-Z-Boy's investment in store expansion is a smart one. A recent survey from the Home Furnishings Association, which included 9,000 consumers, reveals that customers increasingly find furniture inspiration online, and the need for hands-on interaction is growing.

Marketers spend a lot of time talking about impressions, clicks, open rates, and conversions. But very few talk about the brain. And that may be one of the biggest reasons some campaigns succeed while others disappear unnoticed. Because before someone responds to marketing, their brain has to decide whether the message deserves attention in the first place. That is where physical mail has a major advantage. The neuroscience behind physical media is fascinating because it helps explain why direct mail often creates stronger recall, emotional engagement, and brand recognition than digital advertising alone

The iconic collaboration brings Dunkin’ to Walmart’s 150th in-store location, delivering bold beverages, beloved breakfast favorites and unmatched convenience to customers across the country. What began as Dunkin’ franchisees bringing bold beverages and breakfast to Walmart stores has grown into one of retail’s most energizing relationships. Both companies are actively exploring new markets and new opportunities to bring this winning combination to more communities because when America’s favorite coffee meets America’s favorite place to shop, everybody wins.

Xerox introduced a new logo and brand identity in a LinkedIn post last week, describing the move as “the next phase” of the company and a foundation for what comes next. The refreshed brand reflects the combined strengths of Xerox and Lexmark, following Xerox’s recent acquisition of that company, and “reinforces our commitment to delivering greater value, expanded capabilities, and stronger outcomes for our clients and partners,” the announcement said.

The debate over the balance between short- and long-term marketing can get a little tiresome. But at its heart is an inescapable truth that has been given too little attention: People who may be in-market for your product at some point in the future, may not be in-market for your product today. In fact, 95% of the buying universe for your product are not shopping for you now. Only 5% are. In the mattress category, there are 134 million potential buyers in the U.S. That’s the ice cream -- the universe of people who will, one day, buy a mattress. On average they will be in the market every seven to 10 years. Right now, though, only about 14 million people are in any kind of conversation about mattresses. And a little less than 54,000 of them are ready to buy a mattress. Clearly, 54,000 is a small piece of a 134 million person pie. But here's the rub, as with all categories, the mattress business is experiencing hyper-competition. There are 600 national brands in the mattress category now. All 600 of them are fighting tooth and nail to win their share of those 54,000 sales. But there’s a compound problem: just two of those companies account for 45% of all mattress sales in the category. So, the other 598 are now fighting tooth-and-nail for their share of 30,000 sales.

Following similar measures from several other countries across the globe, the United Kingdom plans to ban all teens in the region under 16 years of age from accessing Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, as well as select game platforms and livestreaming apps. The British government's planned social-media ban follows months of deliberation, during which time the majority of citizens have grown to support the action for teens. According to the government, 90% of parents who responded to a national survey agreed with the restriction for an age minimum of 16.

Earlier this month, Amazon announced that Prime Day will run June 23 through June 26, marking the second year in a row that the company has expanded the event beyond its traditional two-day format. The sale arrives after a turbulent spring for many merchants, who grappled with a series of Amazon policy changes, new fees and concerns about cash flow. But unlike last year, when tariff uncertainty dominated conversations among sellers, many brands say they now have a clearer picture of their costs heading into one of Amazon’s biggest shopping events. “People are excited for Prime Day, and people are less pessimistic about Prime Day summer than they were last year,” said Adam Wilkens, founder of Amazon consultancy Dotcom Reps, which advises around 30 merchants. Wilkens said Prime Day is “widely anticipated” among many sellers. Last year, he said, “There was a reluctance or uncertainty around tariffs that is no longer an uncertainty.”

Aventura Mall, a luxury center near Sunny Isle Beach, halfway between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, has retained its title as the best mall in the United States by USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards. "Being named once again as the Best Mall in America is an incredible honor and a testament to the experiences created every day for our guests, tenants, and community," said Jackie Soffer, the CEO of Turnberry, Aventura Mall’s developer. The up-market retail destination’s tenant list is highlighted by a long line of luxury brands that include Prada, Dior, Hermès, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Cartier.

For most marketing teams, the promise of AI for marketing teams has largely delivered. Content that used to take days now takes hours, teams that used to bottleneck on design are shipping independently, and the volume question has largely been answered: how do we produce enough, fast enough, across enough channels? But spend any time talking to CMOs right now and a different question keeps surfacing. Not “are we using AI"? Almost everyone is. And that’s compounding the problem. It’s “how do we make sure everything is still on brand?” Keeping content on-brand at that speed and scale turns out to be a harder problem to solve than anyone anticipated.

On June 16, Lionel Messi will appear at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium to begin his sixth and potentially final World Cup campaign. Four years ago, the living soccer legend led Argentina to victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Now, Argentina will play its opening game in the 2026 North America-based edition of the international soccer tournament against Algeria, with the 38-year-old Messi still the undisputed star of the South American squad.  Messi will also be appearing at a Kansas Ulta Beauty store — sort of. On Friday, the soccer star’s namesake fragrance brand will host a giveaway for the launch of the Messi Elixir fragrance, where select attendees will be able to snag Messi fragrance swag and sign up for a chance to win a signed Messi jersey.   Four years after Qatar, that now includes grooming brands looking to use the power of soccer to reach the evolving male beauty consumer base.   “The World Cup is like 50 Super Bowls all in one, over the course of a month,” said Steven Koss, president and CEO of Sheralven.   Getting in on the excitement is Unilever. The personal care and beauty giant will be the official personal care sponsor of the men’s edition of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2026. Its brands, including Dr. Squatch and Dove, will launch limited-edition products and marketing campaigns around the tournament.

In many ways, Father’s Day -- always a bit of a retail afterthought, compared to mom's day -- will look the same as it always does this year. The National Retail Federation reports about 77% of the consumers it surveyed intend to celebrate Dad in some way, in line with previous years. And while it expects spending to hit a record $27.9 billion, that’s likely due to inflation rather than devotion. For context, the NRF forecast $38 billion on Mother's Day this year, nearly $10 billion more than Dad's record haul. But the research did detect some shifts, with more people looking to give a gift like a wearable tech item or shaving-related products. While nearly every gift category is seeing an increase in planned spending this year, electronics and personal-care items have the largest gains.

Kohl’s is courting shoppers seeking discounts for dorm room essentials, school supplies and summer wardrobe upgrades. The department store moved its summer sale to June. Last year, its four-day Summer Cyber Deals event launched in July — one day prior to Amazon’s Prime Day. Meanwhile, other major retailers this year are also rolling out their summer sales earlier. Amazon recently announced its Prime Day sale will take place between June 23 and June 26. Following that change, Walmart and Target each announced summer sales on or around those same dates.

Amazon is expanding its third-party logistics presence and potential to compete with UPS and FedEx. The online giant is extending the availability of its U.S. less-than-truckload (LTL) freight beyond its current inbound-to-Amazon offering to any type of destination. This includes third-party warehouses, distribution centers, and retail partners. The new expanded LTL service is part of the suite of offerings from Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), a third-party logistics platform the company launched in May 2026.

Marketers just can’t seem to escape the tyranny of performance marketing metrics. Gartner has just released a survey of more than 400 senior marketing execs and finds that 84% say the companies they work for are trapped in that familiar cycle known as the “brand doom loop.” It’s because companies underinvest in brand measurement and lack confidence in the results. Unsurprisingly, it then becomes harder for them to make the case for sustained brand marketing budgets, let alone increases, to increasingly skeptical CEOs and CFOs. That’s contributed to brand marketing being viewed as an expense that drains capital, rather than an investment that increases revenue.

The athletic apparel giants are both at a crossroads, and their campaign centerpieces play up soccer bona fides alongside the sport’s stars and other pop culture icons. On the list of the greatest rivalries in soccer that could play out at the World Cup, there are Argentina versus Brazil, England versus Germany, United States versus Mexico… and Nike versus Adidas.  The athletic apparel brands have both rolled out star-studded, cinematic videos ahead of the tournament, as well as collaborations and activations that speak in a deeper way to these brands’ identities, marketing methods and financial goals. And while both campaigns speak to the joy and freedom of play on the pitch, they demonstrate how each brand plays differently in marketing. The month-long tournament and the brands’ campaigns around it, arrive as the companies themselves continue on separate trajectories: Adidas’ record growth and Nike’s lagging turnaround. While Adidas notched another quarter of growth in Q1, with revenue up 7%, Nike’s revenues were flat year over year.  Each company hopes its World Cup marketing pays dividends both now and in the future.

Consumers continue to show their resilience as retail sales rose for the eighth consecutive month in May despite high gas prices and ongoing inflation. Total retail sales (including restaurants, but excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations) increased 0.42% month over month and were up 7.19% year over year in May, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation. That compared with increases of 0.34% month over month and 5.73% year over year in April.

From major splashy ad rollouts by Nike and Adidas to sponsorships by Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola, there is no shortage of brand collaborations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. But not all brands will pour millions of dollars into official sponsorships. Some smaller U.S. startups, like Crumbl Cookies and Olipop, are getting into the spirit of the World Cup with watch parties, soccer-themed products and more, taking advantage of their proximity to matches to get in on what will perhaps be the biggest cultural moment of the year. With millions of tourists descending on North America in the coming month, brand executives feel like they have to find a way into this moment. According to a new Bank of America Global Research report, the 2026 World Cup is set to be the biggest to date, with 75% of the world set to engage with the event in some way. “Sectors best positioned to benefit from the World Cup include beverages, sportswear, restaurants, broadcasting, social media and online betting,” the report said.

Last summer, a record-low 58% of U.S. adults said they were “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American, per a Gallup poll. That figure was down nine points from the previous year, and down nearly 30 points from when the firm first polled Americans about their pride in January 2001. While Gallup has yet to reveal this year’s findings, 2026 so far has delivered month after month of political polarization and economic strain, which has taken a toll on consumers. But even as the culture wars that have ensnared brands like Bud Light and Target continue — this time with a red, white and blue facade —  there is still value in being associated with America. For example, Brand Keys’ 25th annual index of patriotic brands includes a top 10 featuring institutions like Coca-Cola, Ford, Disney, Amazon and Walmart — companies with big marketing footprints and bigger market values. “As we gear up for the 250th party, more brands are viewed through a political lens — and authentic patriotism is more important than ever,” Robert Passikoff, president of research firm Brand Keys, said in a press release.

500-member dedicated sales force targeting numerous sectors The nation’s largest less-than-truckload carrier, FedEx Freight, began trading last Monday on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FDXF. The spinoff from parent FedEx Corp. allows the carrier to approach the market with a narrowed commercial focus. The transaction is also expected to unlock shareholder value at both companies. FedEx Freight now has over 500 dedicated LTL sales reps and is currently targeting small- and midsize shipper accounts, which typically generate higher margins. It is also targeting the healthcare, grocery and energy (data centers) verticals.

Walmart is celebrating a major milestone: more than one million drone deliveries completed to hundreds of thousands of customers. What started as a pilot just a few years ago has officially taken off, giving customers a faster, easier way to get the everyday items they need, right when they need them. Forgot the family favorite topping for pizza night? Running out of printer ink before a school project is due? Need cold medicine fast? That’s exactly the kind of everyday “uh-oh” moment Walmart drone delivery was built for. And we’ll continue to over the next one million and beyond – the sky really is the limit! The one millionth delivery comes as Walmart continues to rapidly expand drone capabilities across 66 stores in four states serving five metro markets. Since launch we’ve seen customers evolve from trying it to experience the novelty of the service for items like bananas or snack food, to now turning to it frequently to get items delivered really fast, when they need them most.

Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in May with store expansion plans and new formats. Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent. Burlington in 14th straight quarter of double-digit EPS growth; to open 115 stores.- Tim Hortons to open 80 new Canadian locations in 2026; renovate hundreds more .- Canada's T&T Supermarket to make California debut.- Digital-first furniture brand Article to open first U.S. stores.- Chicken Salad Chick in ‘landmark’ deal to expand in New York.- Whole Foods to expand smaller-store Daily Shop format.- Aritzia focused on U.S. store expansion in 2026.- Target in biggest store remodel program in a decade.- Dick's continues House of Sport expansion.

Months after breaking ties with Under Armour, Steph Curry has found a new home at Li-Ning. The athlete signed a long-term deal with the Chinese sportswear company that will focus on co-creation across multiple categories, according to a Monday press release. Li-Ning, founded by Olympic gymnast Li Ning in 1990, will work with the NBA star to advance the Curry Brand in basketball and golf. The pair plan to expand Curry’s eponymous brand into “broader consumer lifestyle sport categories” over time. “When I think about the future of Curry Brand, I think about building something that lasts, something that continues to push the game forward and creates real impact for athletes around the world,” Curry said in a statement, highlighting the quality and innovation of Li-Ning’s products. “For Curry Brand, this is about growing the right way, with a partner that understands the standard we’re trying to set and the good we want to do.” Under Armour cut ties with Curry in November after working with the basketball star for more than a decade. The activewear brand released its last Curry-branded shoe in February.

The retail landscape is shifting fast, and one trend is cutting across every category, price point, and demographic: the rise of the value‑seeking consumer. For catalog brands, this shift isn’t a threat rather it’s an opening. Print has always been a channel where value can be shown, felt, and proven through storytelling, curation, and clarity. But the definition of value is expanding, and catalogers who adapt will be the ones who stay indispensable. Read the full article from our friends at Dingley in the link below. According to Deloitte’s 2026 retail outlook, nearly seven in 10 Americans are now engaging in deal‑seeking behaviors, from switching to more affordable retailers to redeeming loyalty points more aggressively. Retail executives overwhelmingly believe this is not a temporary reaction to inflation but a structural, long‑term change in how people shop.

Soccer may not be the most popular sport in the United States, but the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to drive significant retail spending. New data from Numerator shows that 32% of U.S. consumers (89 million adults) plan to watch the global soccer tournament between June 11 and July 19 (+6 points vs. January 2026). An additional 17% are considering tuning in. Of those who plan to watch the World Cup, 89% expect to make a purchase related to watching the matches, with the top planned purchases being snacks/chips/dips (51%), alcoholic beverages (38%), prepared foods/appetizers (35%), sweets/desserts (31%) and frozen foods/appetizers (25%). Most intended shoppers (78%) will spend less than $100 on their World Cup-related items, with an expected average spend of roughly $74 per shopper.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the 66th Annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey. The report provides detailed data on U.S. paper industry capacity and production compiled by the AF&PA statistics team. Though U.S. paper and paperboard production declined 3.7% in 2025, to 66.3 million tons, several sectors showed continued resilience. Containerboard operating rates held firm at 91.9%, while printing-writing operating rates improved to 82.8%, reflecting continued capacity adaptation to demand changes. Packaging paper production increased 1.7%, boxboard production was essentially flat at 12.4 million tons Printing-writing capacity fell 13.9% in 2025 to 7.7 million tons. Capacity has fallen from nearly 18 million tons in 2015, reflecting a long-term adjustment in this segment. However, operating rates for Printing-Writing increased from 76.8% in 2024 to 82.8% in 2025. Containerboard production fell 4.4% to 36.1 million tons, and containerboard capacity declined 5.1% in 2025. Despite that reduction, containerboard continued to account for more than half of total U.S. paper and paperboard capacity, and mills maintained a 91.9% operating rate.

Ad spending for 2026 midterm political season is already trending 47% higher to $3.9 billion through May 29 versus the same time period in 2022, according to AdImpact. For the 2022 midterms, spending amounted to $2.65 billion through the same day, and totaled $9.0 billion by November. Earlier projections estimated that $10.8 billion would be spent for the entire 2026 political election period -- with $5.3 billion going to broadcast TV and $2.5 billion to connected TV. Roughly 70% of overall political ad spend goes to TV (national/local) and streaming/CTV.

The USPS has proposed another postage increase set to take effect in July 2026, and for many marketers, the first reaction is predictable: “Should we mail less?” That’s the wrong question. The better question is: “How do we make our mail work harder?” Because despite rising postage costs, direct mail continues to outperform many digital channels in response, recall, engagement, and trust. The marketers seeing the best results today are not abandoning mail. They are becoming more strategic with it. Poor strategy costs more than postage ever will. I’ve seen campaigns with mediocre targeting, weak creative, and generic offers waste thousands of dollars while highly targeted, well designed mailings generate exceptional ROI, even at higher postage rates. When direct mail is done correctly, it still commands attention in ways digital advertising often cannot. Consumers are overwhelmed online. Physical mail still has the ability to slow people down, create interaction, and build trust. That matters.

Ulta, a perennial sparkler in the often-flat retail world, reports earnings next week. With a 36.4% market share and 46 million loyalty members, trends in its quarterly financials tend to say as much about the national spending mood as they do about the latest lip gloss. The backdrop looks reasonably healthy. Circana finds the beauty sector growing steadily, with prestige sales rising 6% to $8.1 billion in the first quarter, and mass retail climbing 7% to $18.1 billion. Notably, it's the first time in five years both segments have grown at nearly the same rate. And in both cases, growth was largely value-driven, reflecting a mix of premiumization and careful spending. Fragrance was among the strongest performers, with double-digit gains in women's fragrances at mass and continued momentum in prestige minis — a format that captures both the trade-up and trial-driven shopper. Skincare remained a steady engine, with clinical brands capturing over a third of prestige dollar sales. Makeup was the softest spot.

The U.S. Postal Service and DHL eCommerce have reached a multi-year contract agreement with an expected value of “well over $10 billion,” extending their partnership of over 25 years, according to a news release Thursday. Through the deal, DHL eCommerce will continue to hand off parcels it picks up, sorts and transports exclusively to the Postal Service for last-mile delivery to the end customer, the release said. Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner said that the deal showcases how the agency can leverage its expansive last-mile delivery network to fuel growth and add value for its customers. He said since DHL eCommerce would rather not spend extensively to build out a last-mile network in the U.S., the deal is “a total win-win.”

Online retail (ecommerce) sales in April 2026 grew at a rate of more than 10% year over year for the first time since 2021, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. ecommerce in April 2026 also grew at more than twice the rate of total sales that month. Total retail sales in April 2026 reached $137.56 billion. That was about a 4.9% year-over-year increase from $123.85 billion. Additionally, total retail sales growth came despite higher fuel costs tied largely to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, which began at the end of February. Ecommerce has also grown at more than twice the rate of total retail in both March and April.

Four retailers ranked among the top 10 companies in an annual survey of  the 100 brands that Americans feel best embody the value of “patriotism." Levi Strauss & Co., took the fourth spot in brand loyalty and consumer engagement research consultancy Brand Keys' 25th annual “Most Patriotic Brands” survey. Amazon came in sixth, with Walmart and Ralph Lauren taking the seventh and ninth spots respectively. Jeep once again took the top spot. (See end of article for a list of top 20 brands, and all the retailers that cracked the top 100.) For 2026, the top 20 "most patriotic" brands were: Jeep Coca-Cola Ford Levi Strauss Disney Amazon Walmart Hershey’s Ralph Lauren Weather Tech Harley Davidson ChatGPT Apple American Express Gillette McDonald’s Wranger Jack Daniels Dunkin’ KFC

Walmart could be eligible for tariff refunds worth less than half of 1% of its U.S. annual sales, or about $2.4 billion, which could be used to support lower prices for shoppers, CFO John David Rainey said Thursday. The comments came during Walmart’s earnings call for its fiscal 2027 first quarter ended April 30. Rainey said Walmart would “definitely bias and try to prioritize” using any tariff refunds toward price cuts, citing pressure on consumers from fuel prices as a factor. “We think the single best return that we can have on a dollar capital right now is to invest in the customer and invest in price,” he said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection last month began accepting claims from businesses for refunds tied to tariffs that were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February. In a court filing, the agency said it had processed $35.46 billion in refunds, including interest, as of May 11. More than 15 million entries, including those that have gone through to refund, have been validated, the filing said.

Consumer sentiment fell for the third straight month in May as supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continued to lift gasoline prices. Sentiment is now just below the previous historical low seen in June 2022, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, whose Index of Consumer Sentiment fell 10% in May to 44.8 in May.  In addition, consumers anticipate that business conditions will worsen over both short and long time horizons. The Current Conditions Index fell 12.8% to 45.8, and is down 22% year over year.

Walmart Inc. reported strong revenue growth for its first quarter, driven in part by soaring e-commerce sales and continued growth in its advertising business.   But the nation’s largest retailer issued soft second quarter and full-year guidance amid soaring gas prices.  In an interview with CNBC, Walmart CFO John Rainey warned that high gas prices could take a toll on shoppers going forward.  “I think higher tax returns muted some of the pressure related to higher fuel prices and as we’re in a period of time right now where those tax refunds are largely not coming in, I think consumers are going to feel more of that pressure from higher fuel prices,” he said. “It’s something that we’re keeping a close eye on, but that expectation is built into our guidance for the second quarter.”

TikTok Shop says it’s continuing to drive rapid growth for small businesses, even as bigger brands swarm the platform. U.S. small businesses on TikTok Shop — sellers with less than $15 million in annual revenue — increased sales by 66% in 2025 compared to the year before, TikTok Shop shared exclusively with Modern Retail. TikTok Shop now has more than 215,000 small businesses actively selling on the platform in the U.S., up 25% year over year. The numbers come alongside a new report from GlobalData commissioned by TikTok Shop that examined how people discover and buy brands on the platform. The report was based on a nationally representative survey of 6,000 U.S. consumers ages 16 and older conducted in April and May.

The “now” part of Nike’s high-stakes Win Now turarnound plan is starting to feel like a “later” to some industry watchers nearly two years in. The legendary sportswear giant is beset by challenges related to tariffs, deflating growth in China and an overall uncertain global environment. A lack of clear marketing vision may be further amplifying its problems, with a recent stumble around the Boston Marathon indicative of Nike’s difficulties replicating the aspirational messaging it once delivered with a rare level of finesse.  There are critical fronts, including women’s sports, where Nike can and is still winning. But it may need to pare down focus and switch up tactics to make its narrative cohere in a way that appeals to both choosier consumers and impatient investors. Nike reported flat revenue for the Q3 period ended Feb. 23, with company leaders admitting they were not satisfied with the pace of progress for the Win Now strategy. Marketing experts are in line with the sentiment.

Ultra-fast delivery is back in a big way, and retailers need to adapt. Ultra-fast delivery services focused on getting customers in densely populated urban areas their online orders in as little as 15 minutes or less began popping up in the U.S. a few years ago, but most failed to gain traction.  Companies such as Jokr and Buyk shuttered operations in the U.S. in 2022, with Philadelphia-based Gopuff a rare success story in the space. However, more recently, both Amazon and Walmart have launched efforts to get goods to consumers as quickly as possible. Amazon Now, which delivers thousands of items including household essentials, personal consumer electronics and groceries to customers’ doorsteps in about 30 minutes or less, is available in dozens of U.S. cities and will be rolled out to millions of customers across the country by year’s end.

Dutch Bros is growing its footprint in the Midwest. The drive-thru coffee chain has opened its first-ever location in the greater Chicago market, in the suburb of Melrose Park.  The opening is part of Dutch Bros greater expansion in Illinois. To date, it has opened in Urbana, Fairview Heights, Mt Vernon and Edwardsville, with additional openings planned for Rockford, New Lenox and Buffalo Grove this summer. "Opening in the Chicago area has always been a dream for us at Dutch Bros, and Melrose Park is just the beginning," said Allie Lahti, local market lead at Dutch Bros Coffee. "We've already felt so much love from this community, and we're so grateful to be here.” Dutch Bros recently reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and earnings.. Total revenues grew 30.8% to $464.4 million. Systemwide same-shop sales increased 8.3%, with a 5.1% rise in transactions, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of transaction growth.

Despite the capacity reductions carried out in the second half of 2025, there is still excess capacity in the European market for publication paper, especially in the magazine paper segment. While producers report relatively good capacity utilisation for newsprint (standard and improved grades), the existing production capacity for SC and LWC/MWC paper continues to outstrip demand. For all grades, the gap between supply and demand is expected to widen over the course of the year. 

Retail sales rose slightly for the seventh consecutive month in April despite rising gas prices and stubborn inflation. Core retail sales (excluding restaurants, auto dealers and gas stations) inched up up 0.34% month over month in April and were up 5.53% year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, released by the National Retail Federation. That compared with increases of 0.41% month over month and 7.05% year over year in March.

Summer travel plans appear resilient overall, despite higher oil and gasoline prices, though consumers are adjusting at the margin. According to the 2026 Bank of America Summer Travel Outlook, around 30% of respondents say higher gas prices won't change their summer travel plans, but others are looking to take fewer trips or cut back on items like accommodations. However, a "K-shaped" pattern appears to be emerging this travel season. Lower-income households are much more likely to have no travel plans (nearly 40%), and Bank of America card data shows their travel-related spending is down year-over-year (YoY) so far in 2026. By contrast, middle- and higher-income households are seeing stronger travel spending. Domestically, California, Florida, Texas and New York are the top states to visit. Internationally, travelers favor North America (ex US) and Europe.

The Home Depot has teamed with soccer-focused media network Men in Blazers Media Network for a traveling activation that will see the brands produce content around this summer’s FIFA World Cup, per details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. The Home Depot is the official home improvement retail supporter of the tournament in North America. “Our customers are passionate about their communities, and soccer is an increasingly important part of that,” said Allison Kolber, vice president of integrated marketing at The Home Depot, in a statement. “This partnership with Men in Blazers allows us to show up in meaningful ways for our customers — celebrating local stories, supporting the people building the game, and connecting with soccer fans across the country.”

The U.S. Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today to adjust some prices on some domestic competitive package and service offerings. Pending favorable review and comments from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), these price changes and adjustments will take effect on July 12. Changes include, but are not limited to, elimination of ounce-based rate differentiation for published Commercial USPS Ground Advantage prices, which will not impact customers that have negotiated commercial rates for USPS Ground Advantage; and a competitive PO Box price increase of 3 percent. Also, the Postal Service will introduce Addresses API, a new Address Management System offering, and will align the divisor for dimensional weight pieces to industry standards for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select.

Higher-income shoppers have kept retail sales healthy, but the economic impact of the war in Iran presents an unknown, according to industry analysts. Retail industry segments dependent on broad-based or price-sensitive spend are facing weaker outlooks, according to a report from Moody’s Ratings analysts. However, credit and debit card payment volume through the end of 2025 shows consumer spending remained healthy. A growing dependence on higher-income households continues to be of concern, however, as spending growth within the economic cohort outpaced lower-income households who are prioritizing essentials and trading down.

The company also owns Wrangler, which it says will be a $5 billion brand, and last year bought Norwegian outdoor apparel maker Helly Hansen. Lee — the iconic denim brand made famous by James Dean — is up for sale, and owner Kontoor Brands has already received significant interest, the company announced Thursday. The divestment will allow Kontoor to focus on what it calls its growth businesses – the Wrangler denim brand and Helly Hansen, the Norwegian outdoor apparel maker acquired last year for $957.5 million. Wrangler is poised to become a $5 billion brand by the 2030s, Kontoor CEO Scott Baxter told analysts, who were surprised by the move in part because of notable progress in Lee’s turnaround. Kontoor has fielded strong interest in acquiring Lee, from multiple parties, and is

For years, direct mail has been surrounded by myths. Some came from outdated marketing assumptions. Others came from marketers who tried direct mail once, executed it poorly, and decided the entire channel didn’t work. Meanwhile, the brands quietly getting exceptional results from direct mail never stopped using it. In fact, many are investing more heavily into it because physical marketing has become more valuable in a world overloaded with digital noise. The reality is, direct mail has evolved. The strategies are smarter. The targeting is better. The tracking capabilities are stronger. And when done correctly, direct mail remains one of the most effective ways to capture attention and drive response. Click on the read more link to discover the "myths"

Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to remain below last year’s levels into early fall despite a skewed year-over-year bump in May and June. That’s according to the Global Port Tracker report released Friday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. While the numbers in the report show a year-over-year increase for the next two months, that’s only because of the sharp fall-off in imports after ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were announced in April 2025, explained Jonathan Gold, NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy. “ "With inflation rising and consumer confidence falling among global economic uncertainty driven by the conflict in Iran, the overall trend of lower imports is expected to continue after that," he said.

For decades, the narrative of the American economy was written in the shadow of shuttering factories. As production moved offshore, our economic engine shifted gears from physical goods to services and finance. Firms that produced almost nothing became the new American titans, fueling a consumer-driven boom that enriched the coasts while hollowing out the interior. We became a nation that designed and sold, but no longer built. This story was told most clearly by our freight patterns. For twenty years, goods flowed overwhelmingly from the coasts inward. Millions of containers arrived at our ports filled with products made by foreign labor, then trucked toward the center of the country to feed a consumption-heavy lifestyle. The Heartland was a destination for finished goods, rarely the source. This year, that logic flipped. The catalyst is the voracious build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Contrary to the popular imagination, AI is not purely a digital phenomenon; in the physical world, it is the bedrock of a new heavy industry. These “Gigasites” represent a new economy dependent on three pillars: data centers, energy supply, and the AI models that optimize them both. This is where the digital becomes physical. According to SONAR analysts, a standard 500-megawatt data center requires roughly 30,000 truckloads of concrete, structural steel, and copper.

Amazon on Monday invited third-party businesses to access the full suite of logistics services it uses internally to support e-commerce orders on its platform, officially packaging the discrete shipping and delivery services it has been offering for years under the umbrella brand of Amazon Supply Chain Services. The announcement essentially declared that third-party logistics services is now a main business line, along with retail, cloud computing services and grocery. “It’s a playbook Amazon has run for years. Build world-class capabilities to meet internal needs, productize and make it available commercially,” said Nate Skiver, founder of LPF Spend Management, on LinkedIn. Amazon has been evolving for years into an integrated freight and logistics provider, externalizing portions of its logistics operation and offering wholesale capacity to shippers.

High prices are pushing consumers away from dining out in an effort to cut costs. That’s according to new data released by SmartSense by Digi, an Internet of Things (IoT) Sensing as a Service solutions provider, which noted that 66% of consumers are cutting back on dining overall as 59% of consumers report worsening economic conditions over the past six months. The most common type of restaurant consumers plan to curb spending at is full-service restaurants, with 78% reporting that they plan to do so. Nearly seven-in-10 (69%) say they will decrease spending at fast-casual restaurants, primarily fast counter service locations with customizable order options.

If you’re at the National Postal Forum this week, there may not be a better time to be a part of the industry’s top event. Be sure to say hello to Midland's Postal Affairs Director--Matt Jensen! I often think about the history of the postal system, about how change, both good and bad, seems to be happening faster now than our ability to respond to it. We’re coming to the end of the 250th year of the post office, just days after the country marks the same anniversary of independence. It’s no coincidence. Postal history is intertwined with American history. Thanks to the dedication, vision, and hard work of countless people in dozens of professions, the post office has helped bind America together and help it grow in so many ways over the centuries.

Major retailers like Target, Walmart and Aldi have recently announced redesigns of their private-label brands. The recent string of rebrands signals new investment in how these products are perceived. As more consumers embrace store brands, many major retailers have decided they need to improve the way they look. In 2024, Target introduced new, colorful packaging for its Up&up brand designed to make it easy to identify products as customers shop with large product names. Last year, Aldi began a refresh of its branding and packaging to put its logo on every private-label product in the store, and to bring consistent fonts and graphic design to all Aldi-branded products. In April, Walmart announced a redesign of its Great Value brand, its first full brand refresh in more than a decade. The refresh aimed to provide consistent placement of nutritional information, clearer visual cues to help customers pick the correct items and a modernized look.

Amazon reported a strong first quarter with better-than-expected earnings and revenue.  The company also announced that it will move its annual Amazon Prime Day  sales extravaganza from its traditional mid-July setting to unspecified dates in June.  (The only other two times Prime Day occurred outside of July were 2020, when it was pushed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021 when Amazon hosted the event in June as the economy was still in recovery from the pandemic.) Amazon's first-quarter performance was helped by strong growth in its cloud business, with its AWS (Amazon Web Services) segment’s revenue rising 28% year-over-year to $37.6 billion. Amazon said it was the segment's fastest growth in 15 quarters.

Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce business is booming and Supercenters are making a comeback, its annual report from Friday shows. The company’s growth during the 2026 fiscal year came as it continues to navigate a technological evolution in the retail industry. “We are at a pivotal moment, not just for our company, but for the industry, as artificial intelligence fundamentally reshapes how customers shop and how associates work,” Walmart CEO John Furner said in a statement. “We are harnessing its power to enhance our business, guided by our foundational values of service, excellence, respect, and integrity. In this new era, our purpose positions us to set the standard – making it a perfect time to be an omnichannel retailer dedicated to helping people save money and live better.”

Some retailers score better than others when it comes to being trusted by comsumers. Brands that have earned a high degree of trust among consumers are highlighted in Newsweek’s “Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2026” report.  “Trust in an organization dictates the brands people select, the certainty shareholders provide, and the devotion staff maintain,” the report said. “Nevertheless, many enterprises overestimate the actual depth of this bond." The 2026 ranking includes 700 companies in 23 industries ranging from retail, travel, hospitality, leisure and food and beverages. Rankings are based on independent survey of 25,000 U.S. respondents, resulting in over 100,000 evaluations that reflected the perspectives of consumers, employees and investors. The analysis also considered online media sentiment. To see the list click on the read more link below.

The second that U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened its tariff refund portal at 8 a.m. ET on April 20, tens of thousands of business owners and customs brokers hurried to submit their information. For some, the site crashed; for others, their entries received an error alert. Those who did get through breathed a sigh of relief. “Everybody was anxious to press the button as quickly as they could,” said Rick Woldenberg, the CEO of the educational toy company Learning Resources Inc., who submitted a request for $10 million in refunds. “It’s like getting Taylor Swift tickets.”

Consumer confidence has been on the wane all year, and economic realities aren’t helping much. Yet retailers just wrapped up the month, and the first quarter, with surprising strength. In March, consumer sentiment hit a new low as inflation rose — the highest spike in four years — as the Iran war took a toll on energy supplies and people’s nerves. In the mostly discretionary segments covered by Retail Dive, though, retail sales surged more than 8%, with gains in most categories. That came on top of a nearly 5% increase in February and a nearly 6% increase in January. “Overall, a solid March rounds off a good start to the year for retail,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders said in emailed comments. But he warned that economic storm clouds are gathering, and the numbers aren’t all that they seem.

The Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI) is pleased to announce the publication of the 2026 State of the Book Industry Report. This comprehensive report, produced in partnership with Alliance Insights, the research division of PRINTING United Alliance, examines the economic, technological, regulatory, and market forces shaping the book manufacturing industry in 2026. The report draws on industry surveys, in-depth stakeholder interviews, and data from leading economic and market research sources. BMI members can access the full report as part of their membership. Executive summaries are available to interested parties in the broader print and publishing sectors by contacting BMI directly.

The Trump administration on Monday began accepting requests for tariff refunds, after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s tariff policy earlier this year, but some analysts warned Americans likely won’t see lower costs as a result. Only an importer of record—the entity that officially paid the tariffs—can request refunds, though some legal analysts have criticized the process as only a few businesses publicly committed to sharing the proceeds, and many firms would benefit from the refunds despite asking consumers to pay higher prices brought on by the tariffs.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the March 2026 Packaging Papers Monthly report. According to the report, total packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in March increased 7% compared to March 2025. They were up 3% when compared to the same 3 months of 2025. Total unbleached packaging paper shipments in March were at their highest level in over 2 years, with an operating rate that exceeded 90%.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the March 2026 Printing-Writing Monthly report. According to the report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 7% in March compared to March 2025. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels in March decreased 1% when compared to February 2026. Using the latest available U.S. Census Bureau trade data, February purchases of total printing writing papers decreased 3% compared to the same month last year.

Celebrate more than four decades of outstanding achievements in the printing sector with the special 42nd edition of the 2025 Printing Impressions 300 ranking! Compiled by the editors at Printing Impressions, this edition showcases the largest printing companies in the United States and Canada and features comprehensive insights into the industry's key players.

The DTC footwear brand may have overestimated its customers’ appreciation for sustainability, and underappreciated their desire for fashion. A key Allbirds differentiator is its use of innovative materials, made from recycled and natural sources. But the company may not have appreciated that even the consumers laser-focused on the environment would want more. “Indeed, sustainability comes way down the batting order behind factors like style, price and comfort,” Saunders said. “Allbirds could have leaned into any of these things alongside its green credentials but largely chose not to do so.” Anyone looking closely at Allbirds’ supply chain may have quibbled with its claims, given the carbon footprint, according to Matt Powell, senior adviser with BCE Consulting. Even if the supply chain were squeaky clean, though, the brand would have needed the right merchandise.

The value was never in the tools; it was in the thinking. Will AI replace creative teams? The real answer is much more interesting. AI won’t replace creativity. It will separate real creativity from the kind that only looked good because the process was slow. For decades, creative work had a natural protection: time. It took days to mock up ideas. Weeks to explore concepts. Months to produce campaigns. That friction often hid average thinking. AI removes that friction. Now, anyone can generate headlines, visuals, and concepts in seconds. Which means the easy ideas, the obvious ones, are suddenly everywhere. And when everyone can produce average work instantly, average becomes worthless. That’s the real shift.

The United States Postal Service has officially filed its latest rate case with the Postal Regulatory Commission, with proposed changes set to take effect July 12, 2026. For marketers, publishers, and brands that rely on direct mail, catalogs, and magazines, this isn’t just a routine update—it’s a moment to reassess strategy, optimize production, and find new efficiencies. The proposed increases vary by mail class, but most Marketing Mail programs will see increases in the 5–6.5% range for commercial mailings.

In just a few days, we’ll mark what we believe will be the most significant moment in Canva’s history as we unveil a major step forward in how the world creates. We can’t wait to see 6,000 of you at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and millions more joining from around the world to share it with us. Looking back, it was only a decade ago that design was limited to a privileged few. Even the simplest task meant navigating a maze of complex and disconnected tools. You had to use one tool to find a template, another to source founts, another to design and animate, another to publish and print... and on, and on. Each tool had its own interface, its own learning curve, and its own file format that couldn’t work with anything else. We believed there was a better way, so we set out to bring everything you need to design into one platform, making it simple and accessible to the world. Today, we’re incredibly proud to be empowering more than a quarter of a billion people across 190 countries to create with Canva. What started as a crazy big dream has become the default way hundreds of millions of people bring their ideas to life.

“We CHEWS you, Chi!” Those four words emanating from The National Confectionery Sales Association (NCSA) put sweet smiles on the faces of all Chicagoans, knowing that their town had been selected as the permanent home of the Candy Hall of Fame Experience. Chicago triumphed over fellow finalists New York and Orlando to land the planned 60,000-sq.-ft. HOF that will honor—not Babe—but Baby Ruth. “For more than a century, Chicago has been home to some of the most iconic names in American candy, including Ferrara, Mars, Brach’s, Tootsie and Wrigley,” said Shelly Clarey, Chairman of the NCSA. “Establishing the Candy Hall of Fame Experience here reflects the city’s deep connection to the industry and creates a home to celebrate the people who helped build it.

The e-commerce giant’s CEO noted the dominance of brick-and-mortar retail despite decades of disruption, but sees that as a massive opportunity. “We’re not investing approximately $200 billion in capex in 2026 on a hunch,” Jassy wrote. Closer to retail, Jassy reiterated the company’s investments in rural America, saying “we understand that rural customers are often de-prioritized by logistics and telecom providers because remote communities are more expensive to serve.” “While other companies have been backing away from these customers, we’ve been running to them,” he said. “We’ve committed over $4 billion to expand our rural delivery network.” “Our retail business is now approaching $600 billion in topline, yet roughly 80% of global retail sales still happens in physical stores,” he said. “That will change.”

Consumer sentiment plunged in early April to the lowest level ever recorded in the more than 70-year history of the University of Michigan’s survey. The Index of Consumer Sentiment’s preliminary reading for April  fell to 47.6, down 10.7% from March, extending a decline that began with the start of the Iran conflict. Year-ahead inflation expectations rose to 4.8% this month from 3.8% in March. Comments show that many consumers blame the Iran conflict for unfavorable changes to the economy, according to Joanne Hsu, director, surveys of consumers.

The Postal Service has informed the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of its intention to temporarily suspend its employer’s contributions for the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to conserve cash and preserve liquidity due to its ongoing, severe financial crisis. “There will not be any immediate detrimental impact to our current or future retirees if normal FERS cost payments are temporarily withheld,” said Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Luke Grossmann. The Postal Service pays about $200 million every other week to OPM for the FERS annuity. Suspension of payments, effective April 10, will free about $2.5 billion in the current fiscal year.

In good news for shoppers, a bump in the cost of consumer goods reversed course in March 2026. Prices for everyday household purchases decreased 0.02% in March 2026 following a 0.19% increase in February and a 0.33% decrease in January. The monthly Numerator Consumer Goods Price Index (CGPI) also indicates that  prices for everyday goods are up 2% compared to March 2025.A similar trend is expected for the comparable categories covered in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ upcoming Consumer Price Index (CPI) release.

We expect the US Postal Service to file for an across-the-board rate change in monopoly postal products with the Postal Regulatory Commission this coming Thursday afternoon. Rate hikes are expected to average about 5%. Upon PRC approval, you can expect a July 12th implementation date.

Amazon.com announced it reached a new agreement with the U.S. Postal Service on package deliveries, and sources ​said the cash-strapped mail system would retain about 80% of its ‌existing deliveries from its biggest customer. That 20% cut is a dramatically better outcome for the postal agency than the two-thirds or larger reduction that Reuters reported last month Amazon had threatened. USPS has a roughly $80 billion budget, and Amazon represented $6 billion in annual revenue to the agency, according to two people familiar with the business arrangement. "We're pleased to have ​reached a new agreement with USPS that furthers our longstanding partnership and will ​let us continue supporting our customers and communities together," Amazon said in a statement.

Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in March with store expansion plans and new formats. Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent. CVS opens first of nearly 20 pharmacy-only stores planned for 2026 Five Below sales, earnings surge as comps jump 15.4%; to open 150 stores Bob's Discount Furniture targets 500-plus stores by 2035 Dollar Tree Q4 sales up 9%, traffic falls; to open 400 stores Costco tops estimates; eyes 28 new openings, with 30-plus in ‘coming years’  Marco's Pizza eyes 80-plus new stores for 2026

Starbucks Coffee Company has finalized its joint venture with private investment firm Boyu Capital, selling control of its China operations, the coffee giant’s second-largest business. Under the terms of the agreement, which was announced in November and has a value of about $4 billion, Boyu and Starbucks will operate a joint venture, with Boyu holding up to 60% interest and operating the approximately 8,000 Starbucks stores in China. Starbucks will retain a 40% interest in the joint venture and will continue to own and license the brand and intellectual property to the new entity.

Rapidly rising fuel prices are already having an impact on consumer spending. According to new data from loyalty marketing technology provider Snipp Interactive, 31% of consumers said gas price increases have "significantly" or "extremely" impacted their household budget, while only 13% said they felt no impact at all.  When asked which spending categories they had cut, dining out led all responses at 63%. Clothing (44.7%), entertainment (43.2%) and travel (38.9%) were the next most common answers. Nearly 36% of consumers said they had reduced grocery spending by trading down or buying less.

It will soon be a little more expensive to obtain an annual membership at Sam’s Club. The warehouse club subsidiary of Walmart is increasing the fees to join both its Club and Plus membership tiers. In an email to Chain Store Age, Sam’s Club will raise the annual cost of a basic Club account from $50 to $60 and the yearly price of a premium Plus membership from $110 to $120, effective Friday, May 1, 2026

Consumers are continuing to spend so far this year despite ongoing financial pressures. New data from Circana shows that total U.S. retail sales revenue, across discretionary general merchandise, retail food and beverage, and non-edible consumer packaged goods, is up 2% year over year for the first 10 weeks of 2026. Circana noted that the data shows consumers are changing their behaviors instead of cutting back spending all together.

We're thrilled to share something years in the making: the solar farms we co-funded are now generating renewable electricity to match energy used in our Canva Print supply chain. Four solar farms are now live, each producing 4–5 MW of renewable energy. It's a milestone we're proud of, and one we couldn't have reached alone. Built in partnership with Watershed, a sustainability AI platform, these projects show what’s possible when we invest in climate solutions together, rather than asking individual suppliers to take on a global challenge by themselves. Print is one of the largest contributors to our carbon footprint, from the materials and manufacturing to the energy required to bring physical products to life. If we want to make meaningful progress, this is an impactful place to start. In 2024, we committed to funding a portfolio of community solar projects in Illinois, USA, helping add new power to the grid in regions where renewable power is still limited. Now, as these projects begin generating electricity, they’re supporting a shift toward lower-emissions Print production.

Smurfit Westrock, the world’s largest paper-based packaging company, announced a multi-year agreement to become a Worldwide Partner of the Ryder Cup. This marks a meaningful milestone for Dublin-headquartered Smurfit Westrock as it celebrates the return of the Ryder Cup to Ireland alongside golf fans, players and partners. “Smurfit Westrock has always had a strong connection to golf in Ireland,” said Tony Smurfit, President and Group CEO of Smurfit Westrock. “As our Company has grown globally, our Irish roots remain deeply important. I’m thrilled for Smurfit Westrock to be part of the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in the 100th year of the event, as we showcase Ireland, Smurfit Westrock and the game of golf at its very best. We are also proud to support JP McManus and his family in bringing the Ryder Cup back, as the event holds great significance for Irish sport and the broader economy.”

The lines between apparel, activewear and everything in between have only continued to blur. That isn’t a problem, except if the customer says it is. Apparel is changing. Vuori and Fabletics provided a microcosm of the shifts in the space with the simultaneous release of new denim collections earlier this year. It’s a trend that’s been on the rise: athleisure brands are expanding further beyond their core offerings. At the same time, traditional apparel companies are staking a claim in activewear. Brands want to go where the money is, and sometimes that means broadening the scope of what they sell.

The humble e-commerce site is getting a major upgrade at Lowe’s. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based home improvement retailer is expanding a feature that uses customer data — things like location, browsing behavior and past purchases — to personalize its website. The feature is now being rolled out to a percentage of customers — though Lowe’s declined to specify how many — with a broader launch planned by the end of the year. The personalization will show up through modular content blocks on Lowe’s website that can be swapped, reordered or customized based on customer behavior.

After a particularly harsh winter in many parts of the country, shoppers are ramping up their Easter spending. Consumer spending on Easter is expected to reach a record total of $24.9 billion this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount surpasses the previous record of $24 billion set in 2023. Candy is the leading shopping category for Easter, with 92% of consumers planning to purchase sweets. Other top categories include food (90%), gifts (64%), decorations (53%) and clothing (51%). Across these categories, food spending is expected to reach $7.5 billion, followed by gifts ($3.9 billion), clothing ($3.7 billion), candy ($3.5 billion) and flowers ($2.2 billion).

2026 is shaping up to be a year where consumer demand defies every economic headline and most brands aren't prepared for the split that's emerging across income tiers, categories, and generations. Here's what the data is telling us loud and clear: ✔️ Retail sales projected to grow 4.4% ✔️ Higher-income shoppers are accelerating luxury and premium buys ✔️ Gen Z +Millennials are shifting spend towards experiences, travel, and convenience ✔️ Larger tax refunds + steady wages are fueling momentum. For more on the subject from Cohere One click on the link below. #retailoutlook2026 #consumertrends #retailst

Amazon is getting even faster, posing a competitive threat to Walmart as well as other big-box retailers and grocers that people turn to for quick purchases. One-hour delivery from Amazon is now available in hundreds of cities across the U.S., in addition to three-hour delivery in 2,000-plus cities and towns, the company announced last week. The selection is limited largely to products found “in a local supercenter,” including pantry items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, and over-the-counter medications, the e-commerce giant said. “Our customers are busier than ever and are looking for new ways to save time while keeping their households running,” Udit Madan, svp of worldwide operations at Amazon, said in a news release.

FedEx Corp. revenue continued its upward trend in its fiscal Q3 2026, which ended Feb. 28. The carrier also increased its net income in the quarter. FedEx net income increased year over year to $1.35 billion in Q3 2026, from $1.29 billion the prior-year period. On an earnings call with analysts, CEO Rajesh Subramaniam called FedEx’s quarter the carrier’s “most profitable yet.” It was also FedEx’s sixth straight quarter of increasing its margins, he said. The carrier said its plan for FedEx Freight to become a new publicly traded company is on track for June 1, 2026.

Summer 2026 is arriving with a mix of economic caution, experiential spending, and a renewed appetite for tactile brand interactions. While digital channels continue to evolve, consumers are leaning into physical experiences like travel, outdoor living, home refreshes, and hands‑on shopping, creating a unique opportunity for catalogers to meet customers where they’re most inspired. For brands that rely on print to drive discovery and sales, this summer’s trends point to one clear takeaway: catalogs remain one of the most effective tools for capturing attention and guiding purchase decisions in a crowded retail landscape.

Brands love the fantasy of the limited edition. A seasonal pack tied to Halloween, a sports final, a pop culture collaboration, or an anniversary gets launched with the quiet hope that shoppers will treat it like a keepsake. Sometimes that happens. Most of the time, especially in fast-moving grocery categories, it does not. In fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), a limited edition usually lives in a very different reality from the one imagined in the boardroom. If units are still sitting on shelf after the event has passed, the package stops signaling novelty and starts signaling age. To a shopper moving quickly through the aisle, that stale seasonal pack can read less like “special” and more like “this has been here a while.” The safer choice becomes the regular version, the one that still feels current, familiar, and easy.

Costco Wholesale Club will unveil its first standalone gas station in June. The membership warehouse giant will open the 17,000-sq.-ft. station in Mission Viejo, Calif., reported USA Today, on the site of a former Bed Bath & Beyond store. The 40-pump station will be Costco’s first fuel station that is not co-located with one of its stores. Similar to the retailer’s other gas stations, it will be open only to Costco members. A second standalone Costco gas station is planned for Honolulu, the report said. It is slated to open in 2027. At a time of rising gas prices amid the Iran conflict, industry analysts have described Costco’s gas prices as its secret weapon, sending more customers to its locations. The company’s gas is, on average, 10 to 30 cents cheaper a gallon than at other gas stations, according to U.S. News Costco operated 747 gas stations globally at the end of fiscal 2025, which contributed 10% of its total net sales for the year, according to its annual report.

The other day, I saw an early sign of Spring: an election campaign commercial on TV. It was just a 30-second ad, but it did make me wonder how long it will be before more of them start showing up everywhere, even on streaming. With so many seats and offices at stake in this midterm election year, we’ll be bombarded with them. That’s why direct mail plays such a crucial role in modern campaigns. Mail has a built-in advantage. A well-designed piece consists of a strong headline, crisp, high-resolution images, and a focused message. It gets physically handled, read, and often saved. It doesn’t disappear with a click or get buried in an inbox.

Recent press coverage has mischaracterized our relationship with the United States Postal Service (USPS). The truth is simple: we negotiated with them in good faith for more than a year to reach a deal that would bring them billions in revenue and believed we were heading toward an agreement. Our goal was to increase our volumes with USPS, not reduce them—until USPS abruptly walked away at the eleventh hour in December.

Postmaster General David Steiner warned that USPS could reach a financial cliff as soon as fall 2026. As a response, he floated reducing the postal agency’s mandate to deliver mail six days per week or raising stamp prices to 90 to 95 cents. Stamps currently are 78 cents, having been increased six times since 2021.  “If you want the same number of delivery days and post offices, we can do that, but someone has to pay for it. If you want to have a discussion about reducing services, we can do that,” Steiner said. “But there's one thing we can't do, and that is the status quo, and we don't have a lot of time.” David Marroni, a senior official at the Government Accountability Office, testified that any fix to the USPS’ finances will likely require congressional action, calling the postal agency’s current business model "unsustainable."

Consumer brands and retailers aren’t sitting on the sidelines this March Madness. Companies across sectors, from footwear to personal care, are racing to sign college basketball players and feature them in marketing materials as the NCAA tournament gets underway. Earlier this month, Jordan Brand announced it was working with University of Connecticut shooting guard Azzi Fudd, while NYX Professional Makeup said it was joining forces with UCLA center Lauren Betts. On March 16, Freddy’s, a custard and burger chain, announced deals with 10 collegiate athletes in Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Meta is turning a pop-up that it opened in New York City in November into a permanent retail location. The parent company of Facebook said it has signed a 10-year lease with Vornado Realty Trust to make its temporary Meta Lab outpost in Manhattan a permanent flagship location. Located at 697 Fifth Ave., the skateboarding-themed Meta Lab is designed as a hands-on experiential space where customers can check out the company’s latest retail offerings, including its lineup of AI glasses, and immerse themselves in virtual worlds with Meta Quest headsets.

The total number of books published in the U.S. in 2025 with ISBN numbers jumped 32.5% over 2024, to more than four million books, according to statistics compiled by Bowker. The increase was led by self-published works, for which the number of print and e-books (including those without BISAC codes) soared 38.7% to more than 3.5 million from 2.5 million in 2024.

Amazon passed the U.S. Postal Service as the largest domestic parcel carrier in 2025, anchoring a broader market shift away from traditional couriers, as it in-sourced a large amount of last-mile delivery work previously handled by UPS, according to data published Monday by ShipMatrix Inc. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) handled 6.7 billion parcels last year, up 9.8% year over year, compared to an 8.3% decline for the U.S. Postal Service to 6.6 billion pieces. UPS (NYSE: UPS) also experienced an 8.3% volume decline at 4.4 billion deliveries. FedEx (NYSE: FDX) delivered 3.6 billion parcels in 2025, up 5.9%. Amazon’s parcel growth isn’t just fueled by its own online orders, but new contracts from third parties that don’t sell on the retailer’s platform.

The June 1 spinoff is locked in. Here's what shippers, investors, and the LTL market need to know. On June 1, 2026, the freight industry’s competitive landscape will change permanently. FedEx Corporation will complete the spinoff of FedEx Freight into an independent, publicly traded company, establishing the largest standalone less-than-truckload carrier in North America. The new entity will trade on the NYSE under the ticker FDXF, generate nearly $9 billion in annual revenue, and operate with a 15.8% operating margin, a benchmark most LTL competitors aspire to achieve. FedEx’s decision to separate Freight reflects a broader strategic shift to prioritize focused operations and profitability over conglomerate scale. After the spinoff, FedEx will focus exclusively on parcel, ground, and express services. FedEx Freight will have full autonomy over pricing, network strategy, and capital allocation, tailored specifically to the LTL market without the constraints of a parcel-focused corporate structure.

A Chicago-based fast-casual chain has tapped a new executive to oversee its future store expansion. Portillo’s has named Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling as its chief development officer. In this role, she will lead Portillo’s restaurant development strategy, including real estate and site selection, prototype design and construction, and will play a “key role” in advancing long-term expansion. A Chicago native, Pecoraro-Striepling most recently served as chief development officer for Miller’s Ale House for the past year, where she was responsible for driving the development and expansion strategies.

Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) today announced a hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Postal Service: The Financial Future Under Postmaster General Steiner.” During the hearing, members will highlight the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) troubled financial situation after losing billions of dollars and will examine the initiatives Postmaster General David Steiner is taking to transform the agency and maximize revenue. Members will also assess whether USPS is reliable enough for Congress to allow it to borrow more money from the Department of the Treasury. WATCH: The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed-go to the link below to find the livestream link.

Ulta Beauty is opening a storefront on TikTok’s e-commerce platform just in time for spring. Ulta Beauty is the first beauty and wellness retailer to join the platform. It will roll out with more than 15 brands spanning makeup, skincare, hair and fragrance, in addition to more than 25 exclusive bundles.

Harris Poll research commissioned by Quad points to the importance of blending physical and digital in retail: Eighty-six percent of Gen Z and Millennials say touching and feeling products is essential to their purchase decisions, and 84% value brands that blend technology with physical experiences. With more than 80 percent of retail purchases happening in brick-and-mortar locations1, the in-store experience is still where buying decisions are made. Quad experts will share unique insights on these and other trends at the annual retail and e-commerce conference, whose theme is “Retail in the Age of AI .”

While some company leaders may underestimate direct mail's current market position, the channel represents about $40 billion or ~20% of all US offline channel spend. The growing focus on synchronizing digital and…

Whole Foods Market is expanding its presence across the pond. The Amazon-owned natural and organic grocer will open six new stores in the United Kingdom in the coming months, just one year after the company opened its first new store in the country in over a decade. With the six new stores in the London area (locations found later in article), Whole Foods’ U.K. store count will reach 12. The new locations will vary in size, spanning between 3,300 and 10,000 square feet. All stores will provide Whole Foods' a wide selection of organic items across its grocery, meat, seafood, cheese and prepared foods departments.

AT&T and Amazon Web Services are working together to extend 5G and fiber connectivity from business customers and locations directly into AWS environments, creating secure, resilient and reliable premises-to-cloud architectures for AI workloads. The solution is designed to reduce network complexity and latency while supporting real-time analytics, machine learning, and agentic AI use cases.

The fashion retailer has a new CEO, is expanding in the U.S. and will soon open a flagship in New York City. It just wants you to know it exists. Primark is making moves.  The fashion company last week appointed a CEO, Eoin Tonge, who had been acting as its interim for the past year.  The Dublin-founded retailer also recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary in the U.S., has been expanding its nationwide presence with new locations in Texas, Illinois, Tennessee and Florida, and is eyeing a flagship store opening in New York City’s Herald Square this spring.  Rene Federico, Primark’s U.S. head of marketing, is just ready for more people in this country to know about the company.  “We talk about ourselves as the best kept secret in amazing retail,” she said in an interview with Retail Dive this fall. “We don’t want to be such a kept secret anymore.”

Early bird pricing for Paper Meets LIVE! 2026 ends March 13. This premier paper industry networking event focuses on programming and networking that will enhance and grow business relationships among our member business partners and facilitate important discussions on the unique challenges and opportunities of the U.S. paper products industry. Paper Meets LIVE! 2026, taking place May 12-14 at the Opal Sands Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida, is co-hosted by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and National Paper Trade Association (NPTA).

Imports at major U.S. container ports are expected to remain below prior year levels for the first half of 2026. U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.08 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) — one 20-foot container or its equivalent — in January 2026, although the ports of New York/New Jersey and Miami have not yet reported their data. That was up 3.8% from December 2025 but down 6.4% year over year. Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said it is too soon to gauge the impact of the conflict in Iran on import cargo volume. "The immediate impact on containerized traffic to the United States is not likely to be substantial since little U.S.-bound container cargo is sourced from the region," Hackett said. "While it is too early to measure in the monthly data, increasing oil and gasoline prices will inevitably drive structural inflation if the conflict persists. That, in turn, could squeeze consumer discretionary spending and U.S. manufacturing, and ultimately drive down import volumes in the longer term."

The width and breadth of the 5 million-plus-square-foot Mall of America will ring with Spring Break promotions from the beginning of March through the middle of April. Breakers flow into MOA from Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin--as well as Minnesota—for six weeks. “Spring Break kicks off in the first week of March and extends to Easter because different towns celebrate the occasion on different weeks,” said Mall of America’s CMO Jill Renslow. “One unique thing is that the entire state of Iowa has the same week off, so we always note what week it is to be ready for the Iowans.”

See MIDLAND’s New Products in Action at Booth #776 in Aurora CO March 8-10, 2026 Innovative and sustainable, MIDLAND launches compelling new products which fulfill unmet needs in the market.  MIDLAND’s booth #776 is a “must” on your list of companies to see at Dscoop Edge 2026. Stop by our booth and learn how these new products will give you a competitive advantage and boost your bottom line.

For years, sales advice has glorified the close. ABC. Always Be Closing. We’ve all seen the movie clip. And many leaders still ask for more closing techniques, better closing lines, stronger closing pressure. Here’s the problem: In complex print sales, closing is rarely the real issue. If your team isn’t winning as often as they should, the breakdown is almost always upstream. It’s in prospecting. It’s in discovery. And most often, it’s in qualification. When your team slows down and qualifies hard — around pain, budget, internal alignment, and decision structure — closing becomes the natural next step. It feels collaborative, not confrontational. Predictable, not pressured.

Smurfit Westrock joined forces with Spanish fashion brand Ecoalf to create a store made from 100% paper and cardboard. Ecoalf specialises in turning materials such as plastic bottles, rejected industrial cotton and discarded fishing nets into clothing. The brand tasked Smurfit Westrock, which also has circularity at its core, to create a permanent retail store as inherently sustainable as the products on sale. The beautifully designed new shop, which is located in San Sebastián, Spain, features fully recyclable kraft paper walls and corrugated furniture produced in the Smurfit Westrock Sorpel and Cordovilla plants. It also runs on electricity from renewable energy sources. “We are very proud to open our first store built entirely from paper and cardboard. At Ecoalf, we work every day to minimize our impact on the planet, not only through the garments we design, but also through the spaces we create,” said Javier Goyeneche, Founder and President of Ecoalf.

Major apparel retailers are among those that have filed lawsuits specifically for refunds, with interest, related to IEEPA since the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments, per court filings reviewed by Retail Dive. Those companies include Kohls Inc., PacSun, J Crew Group, Uniqlo’s U.S. entity and Abercrombie and Fitch Trading Co.

When you work in a Walmart store, you learn that every minute matters for customers wanting to get in and out quickly and for associates juggling dozens of tasks to keep things running smoothly. That’s why digital shelf labels, or DSLs, have been such a meaningful upgrade in our stores. Today, roughly 2,300 Walmart U.S. locations are already using digital shelf labels, and we expect this technology to be chain-wide within the next year. For our associates, that expansion can’t come soon enough.

Even if you don’t sign up for the position, you still might have to take the leadership seat. The recent passing of Bob Weir, The Grateful Dead’s longtime rhythm guitarist and songwriter, sparked a conversation on leadership in a recent gathering. Although Weir held the band together for decades, his death inevitably turned the discussion to the shadow he often stood in—that of the band’s creative center, Jerry Garcia.  Garcia was the band’s natural leader. However, he never wanted or took that seat. (A move I certainly can relate to, but that’s another column for another day.) A strong distaste for authority and decision-making meant leadership in a vacuum. That meant organizational dysfunction, financial chaos, a lack of direction, and other fundamental issues. This was all despite making music that has endured for decades and inspired future generations.  Garcia’s problems aren’t unlike the problems many leaders today face. Leadership may be something you didn’t ask for. But sometimes, you have to face the music.