The outlook for 2026 I'm watching 2026 with equal parts optimism and urgency. Optimism because consumer demand is still there. Retail sales have remained resilient in recent data. Urgency because the operating environment is only getting tighter. Coming out of FY2025, large retailers demonstrated resilience amid inflation pressure, shifting consumer behavior, and global supply-chain complexity. Walmart raised its outlook and leaned further into a model that blends physical stores, e-commerce scale, and execution discipline.
From a growth standpoint, subscriptions have been a major win. At our lowest point, we had roughly 1,500 subscriptions. We made a focused effort to rebuild, and recently we surpassed 11,000 active subscriptions. Hitting 10,000-plus gives us predictable revenue and long-term stability. Churn has remained low, and we're still adding members weekly, which is encouraging.
AI is becoming deeply embedded in how people shop, influencing more moments of the buyer journey than ever before. What began with simple personalization algorithms has evolved into systems that anticipate intent and remove friction from the buying process. Adobe forecasts a 520% surge in AI-assisted online shopping this holiday season-evidence of how quickly consumers are embracing these advancements. The traditional sales funnel is beginning to collapse as once-separate steps-search, comparison, and checkout-converge into a single, seamless interaction.
Few traits are celebrated today as much as sheer persistence. We demand it of ourselves as we grind toward the mythical 10,000 hours of mastery. We demand it of our children as they sit through years of standardized schooling that promise career paths their neighbors will envy. We praise athletes for "toughing it out" and entrepreneurs for "grinding harder than others" while we pat ourselves on the back when we "stick with the plan."
This allows the company to tailor and curate the experience based on which option they select and better communicate the difference between shipping and delivery. If guests select curbside, the app will "make sure that we're getting them the items they purchased before so they can get in and out and choose a slot that's most convenient for them," Pulsifer said.
"I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up," she said. This perspective emphasizes the unending nature of exploration and adaptability over rigid planning.
