Kim Souza is an Author at Talk Business & Politics. She specializes in areas such as retail, e-commerce, and business economics, with a particular focus on consumer behavior analytics and retail management. Kim's insights and expertise have been featured in Talk Business & Politics and Kasu FM.
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Kim Souza's coverage heavily focuses on the retail industry, sales, and consumer spending in Arkansas. She regularly cites data and press releases to support her articles. To effectively reach out to Kim, consider providing localized insights into retail trends or consumer behavior specific to Arkansas. Additionally, if you have access to relevant data or can offer expert commentary on topics such as supply chain disruptions or strategies for retailers in Arkansas, your pitch is more likely to resonate with her.
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By: Kim Souza
Retail returns topped $850 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation, and that number continues to grow as online retail accelerates. Returns have risen to roughly 17% of sales in recent years with no signs of slowing.
By: Kim Souza
The top four Northwest Arkansas cities saw a combined sales tax revenue decline in the June report. The total monthly revenue among the cities was $9.037 million, down 9.19% from a year ago. A significant dip in the Bentonville numbers pushed the overall tally down.
Amazon Prime Day, which took place June 23 through June 26, generated $26.4 billion in online sales, up 9.3% from a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics. The marketing firm had forecast Amazon sales to total $26.3 billion over the four days.
Value continues to matter to consumers when shopping for consumables and discretionary items, and it's also changing how retailers operate, according to a new report from McKinsey & Co.
Retailers are importing more goods this summer, and major container ports are expected to set a record ahead of Trump administration tariff increases coming later this month, and ahead of gathering inventory for the holiday shopping season.
By: Kim Souza
Walmart executives are optimistic about the company's AI-powered shopping agent known as Sparky. Even though agentic commerce — where AI agents and not humans shop for and make purchases for a person — is still in its early stages, the early reading indicates Sparky could be a game-changer for the retailer.
Consumer spending in June sent retail sales up 9.4% in June, according to the National Retail Federation's Retail Monitor. The year-over-year growth excluded automobile dealers and gasoline stations. June sales were more than the 7.19% gain in May, marking the ninth consecutive month of sales gains.
By: Kim Souza
A decades-long lawsuit over the pollution of the Illinois River Watershed (IRW) by poultry waste runoff has resulted in a settlement of nearly $44 million, according to Oklahoma State Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
By: Kim Souza
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) came in at 3.5% in June compared to a year ago, better than the 3.8% forecast by economists, according to Tuesday's (July 14) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, prices remain elevated for many households.
By: Kim Souza
Kieran Shanahan, second in charge of Walmart's U.S. business as chief operating officer, is leaving the retailer. Shanahan is the third top executive to leave in the past two months, following Tom Ward and Cedric Clark. The three have 70 years of retail experience.
