This Week in Retail: eTail Boston and July retail sales

One of the biggest retail conferences of the year, eTail Boston, is kicking off today, and Retail Brew is on the scene. Reporter Vidhi Choudhary is moderating two panels, including a chat with David’s Bridal President and Chief Business Officer Elina Vilk on leadership strategies to drive AI adoption among employees, and another with Boll & Branch Chief Commercial Officer Katia Unlu on best practice for using AI in service-oriented retail.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In conferences: Also coming to Boston later this week is the NACDS Total Store Expo. The event unites mass merchants, supermarkets, and stand-alone drug stores that have pharmacy operations with pharmacy suppliers and other partners to discuss trends, survey the latest products and technologies, and explore potential collaborations. Product categories making an appearance in the exhibit hall include consumer package goods, over-the-counter, and beauty.

In data releases: For a look at how the summer (and early back-to-school season) are fairing for retailers, check out the monthly retail sales numbers for July coming out this FriThursday. The previous report showed sales ticking up just 0.2%, as lower gasoline sales hampered the benchmark. Still, retail sales kept up their momentum overall with a 6.7% YoY gain.

The latest consumer price index is also coming out this week. The benchmark is fresh off a decline in June, when prices fell 0.4% while still rising 3.5% YoY. The momentary reprieve coincided with a drop-off in energy prices, but a resumption of the war with Iran could reverse the downward trend if gasoline prices spike again.

In earnings: Meanwhile, major Q2 retail earnings are still a week away, but coming in ahead of the pack is Simon Property Group with its latest quarterly results on Monday, which typically provide some insight into the shopping trends impacting its tenants and the broader retail landscape.