Walmart Inc. is the most recent major company to halt its advertising on the social media platform X. “We are not advertising on X because we have found other platforms to better reach our customers,” a Walmart spokesperson told Bloomberg News. He declined to say when the change would take effect or what influenced it. The exit of Walmart, the largest US retailer, joins a growing number of companies abandoning the social platform formerly known as Twitter after owner Elon Musk endorsed anti-Semitic messaging. Musk said the message was “the…

As online advertisements become less effective, brands are resorting to a traditional marketing tactic by distributing complimentary samples at nearby supermarkets. In US stores, the companies sell everything from small peanut butters and sanitary napkins to Halloween-themed Oreos. While warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s have offered freebies for years, more and more retailers are finding that samples offer something digital marketing can’t: shoppers can try products before they buy them. After conducting a successful trial, Walmart Inc. recently announced plans to expand the samples to more than 1,000 locations.…

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has unveiled an electric truck designed to compete with Tesla Inc.’s Semi, as part of the ongoing competition to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation industry. A unit of Daimler Truck Holding AG said on Tuesday that the eActros 600, which can travel 500 kilometers on a single charge and carry up to 22 tonnes of cargo, will go on sale at the end of this year. It aims to take on Tesla’s truck, which has already received orders from Walmart Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc. The…