Kroger

Retailers Make EDI Compliance Non-Negotiable in 2026

Sponsored analysis (Aug 17, 2026) explains why major retailers are enforcing vendor EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) compliance in 2026. The article argues that modern EDI platforms have reduced onboarding time and resolution friction, making vendor noncompliance less tolerable. A cited Orderful case study of Every Man Jack shows on-time delivery falling from the mid-90s to 80% on legacy EDI, then returning above 95% after migration to modern EDI. Retailers are setting practical standards — timely purchase order acknowledgments, advance ship notices (ASNs) before goods leave the dock, invoice-to-PO matching and real-time exception handling — and vendors that do not upgrade risk scorecard penalties and operational chargebacks. Orderful is presented as a modern EDI platform that helps retailers and brands meet these standards.

Berkshire Increases Alphabet Stake by 83%

Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake in Alphabet by 83% in Q2, growing to roughly 106 million shares valued at about $37.8 billion as of June 30. The holding includes a June-announced $10 billion investment tied to Alphabet's financing of AI infrastructure. Apple remained Berkshire’s largest equity holding (~$66 billion), followed by American Express (~$51.3 billion) and Alphabet. Berkshire bought $23.5 billion of stocks and sold $3.7 billion in Q2, ending a 14-quarter streak of net selling and reducing cash reserves from $380.2 billion to $364.7 billion. Berkshire fully exited its position in Constellation Brands and adjusted stakes in Delta Air Lines, Macy’s, Lennar, D.R. Horton and several financial and industrial firms. Warren Buffett remains chairman and says the Alphabet position originated with him; Greg Abel is running capital allocation as CEO.

Non-endemic brands target Amazon via retail media

Kiri Masters requested her Amazon advertising data and discovered nearly 400 advertiser audiences that included many non-endemic brands (banks, insurers, airlines, streaming services). The piece argues retail media networks (RMNs) are increasingly attractive to advertisers that do not sell on the retailer, driven by harder-to-access consumer data elsewhere, DSPs expanding offsite reach (notably Amazon DSP), and improved measurement (e.g., Amazon Marketing Cloud). Examples cited include Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media beta with Pinterest, Kroger running Chevrolet’s Equinox EV via Yahoo DSP, and Dick’s Sporting Goods exploring financial-services partnerships. Industry sources and forecasts (eMarketer, IAB, academic commentary) are used to frame this as a structural growth opportunity for sophisticated RMNs able to service non-endemic demand.