News Briefs

Consumers around the globe are expected to rely on artificial intelligence-based tools this holiday season with shopping set to soon kick off for many.

New Infobip research also reveals that 63% of consumers in nine markets worldwide have used an AI assistant or chatbot while shopping during the past 12 months, with 22% using one frequently.

Among consumers willing to use AI for shopping, almost three-quarters (73%) would use it to compare products, and more than two-thirds (67%) would use it to find deals matching their preferences. Nearly a quarter (23%) say they have not used one yet, but would consider it. 

[READ MORE: Mastercard Economic Institute: Holiday spending to rise 5.5% year over year]

Consumers’ reliance on AI tools comes as they start the holiday season early. Nearly six-in-10 respondents will have started holiday shopping by early November, while only 19% wait until Black Friday week itself.

A quarter (25%) of those surveyed plan to start holiday shopping in October or earlier, and a third (34%) plan to begin in early November.

“Black Friday is no longer a single day or even a single week – it has become an extended conversation between consumers and brands, beginning with discovery and continuing through purchase, delivery and support,” said Goran Juršić, chief growth officer at Infobip. “AI gives retailers the opportunity to make those conversations faster, more relevant and more personal. The winners will not be the brands that send the most messages, but those that understand when, where and how each customer wants to engage.”

Infobip’s full report can be found here.

Dollar General is doubling down on toys for the holiday season.

The deep discounter’s expanded holiday assortment includes more than 170 seasonal toys. Half the assortment is priced at $10 or less, while approximately 95% is priced $20 or less. The offering includes a dedicated shelf featuring toys priced at $5 and under.   

Dollar General is also offering 25% off toy purchases of $75 or more in a single transaction starting Oct. 1 through Dec. 24. The offer applies to qualifying toy purchases, including clearance toys, with some exclusions.

“This holiday season, we’re focused on delivering what matters most to our customers: creating memorable moments for less because holiday toy shopping should be exciting, not stressful,” said Steve O’Brien, Dollar General’s VP and division merchandise manager. “We’re helping families discover affordable gifts from brands they know and love and we are bringing back our printed toy guide to help create a little nostalgia with wish-list making with prices families can feel good about.”

As of July 31, the company operated 21,148 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and Popshelf stores across the United States and Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico.

Seattle has become the first city in the country to ban the use of personalized, or surveillance, pricing in the sale of groceries.

The Seattle City Council has passed the Fair Pricing and Transparency Act, which prohibits large online and brick‑and‑mortar grocery retailers from using a consumer’s personal data to change the price they see for groceries and other essential items. This includes, for example, data about a consumer’s web-browsing history, their real-time location, inferences about their income, family size, health conditions and more. Prices must be clearly posted and available to all shoppers.

The bill also permits a vast array of discounting practices while requiring increased transparency around discounts and placing some limitations on how consumers can be profiled.

[READ MORE: Maryland’s surveillance pricing ban signals new era for AI-driven grocery pricing]

“Food is an essential good that’s getting more expensive all the time,” said Mayor Katie Wilson. “People have been clear: they don’t want their data fed into algorithms that decide how much they pay at the grocery store. Everyone deserves transparent pricing and equal treatment, not hidden systems that charge some shoppers more than others.”

Other states have taken action to sign bills into law to ban the practice of surveillance pricing, including New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut.

Digital-first Set has made its Midwest store debut.

The Los Angeles-based athleisure brand has opened a store in Chicago’s West Loop, on Randolph Street. It joins the company’s two other locations, in New York City’s West Village neighborhood and West Hollywood, Calif. The company also has a pop-up in Austin, Texas.

Set, which sells bras, leggings, shorts and hoodies at affordable prices, said it designed its Chicago store as a "love letter" to the Midwest. The space is meant to feel more like the living room of a nostalgic lake house as opposed rather than a traditional retail store.  

The decor elements are designed to make the space feel distinctly Chicago and rooted in the community. They include shiplap walls, A-frame ceilings, vintage sports collectibles, founder family photos and a custom Set baseball logo wall.

[READ MORE: First Look: Gen Z fashion brand Cider expanding in brick and mortar]

The store also features an experiential dressing lounge where shoppers and their friends can grab a drink from the complimentary fridge, catch the game on TV or play a classic hook-and-ring toss while they shop.

Founded by Lindsay Carter, Set was launched by online in 2018. The brand has developed a huge social media following through its transparent behind-the-scenes content and customer involvement, with polls on Instagram and TikTok that let fans vote on upcoming colorways, themes and product drops.

Aldi is reducing prices on nearly one-third of its products in a limited-time fall promotion.

The discount grocer said the move will deliver an estimated $86 million in savings to shoppers. The price reductions, which come as consumers continue to deal with inflation, will be in effect from Sept. 23 until at least Nov. 3 at Aldi stores nationwide.

[READ MORE: Survey: Grocery prices to impact consumers’ holiday shopping]

The reductions build on hundreds of items where prices are already lower than they were in 2025, Aldi noted, spanning products such as ground and organic whole bean coffee, mixed nuts and dried fruit, everyday essentials. Honeycrisp apples are priced at $1.99 per pound, 35% lower than last year and their lowest everyday price in more than five years, while Kirkwood chicken breast family packs are $1.99 per pound, the lowest everyday price since 2022.

Earlier this week, BJ's Wholesale Club said it will offer a 42% discount on a variety of foods and other items from Sept. 24 through the end of October. The promotion is part of the company's 42nd birthday celebration.

According to the “2026 Aldi Price Leadership Report,” the grocer offers the lowest prices of any national grocery store, saving shoppers an estimated $10.2 billion. Select stores will carry the meals starting in early October, with more markets added through the fall and full national availability expected by January 2027.

Aldi recently debuted its first-ever ready-made meals line. The collection includes five single-serve meals priced under $8.

"At Aldi, value is a year-round promise, not a promotion," said Scott Patton, Aldi's chief commercial officer. "Customers trust us to help them make the most of their grocery budget, and we never stop looking for ways to run our business more efficiently so we can pass along savings. As shoppers head into fall routines and healthier habits, we're making additional investments to lower prices on our better-for-you favorites, building on the value customers already see throughout our stores."

Sixty-plus years after setting up shop as one of the premier providers of classic Chicago-style pie, Rosati’s Pizza Enterprises is making plans for baking up its biggest order yet.

The brand — which has been voted Chi-town’s premier pie-maker and is annually ranked in Franchise Times’ Top 400 and Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 — has announced that it will be opening 11 new locations over the next 90 days.

“Opening 11 new stores in just three months is a testament to the enduring strength of our brand legacy and unit-level economics," said the chain’s owner Anthony Rosati. 

The swath of store launches highlights accelerated demand from both single-unit franchisees and existing multi-unit operators scaling their portfolios into expansion territories nationwide, according to Rosati.  

He commented that streamlined commercial real estate site selection, flexible retail footprint options, turnkey construction workflows and dedicated field operations support are enabling franchise owners to quickly expand their pie networks.

"Achieving record-setting annual store growth and our highest number of multi-unit operators in company history underscores the deep confidence our franchise partners have in Rosati’s long-term business model,” added Rosati.

Best known for its “Chicago’s Greatest Thin Crust Pizza,” Rosati’s has more than 200 shops nationwide.