The October retail sales data shows the consumer is still going strong. The Census Bureau data shows retail sales rose 0.4% in October. That was higher than the 0.3% economists were expecting, according to Bloomberg. September's headline number was also revised upwards.

LSEG Director of Consumer Research Jharonne Martis says the data point that stood out to her was the year-over-year growth in e-commerce sales. She notes that the October data benefits from Amazon's (AMZN) Prime Deal Days but adds that other retailers piggyback off that promotion and offer their own deals. "It's telling us the consumer is still gravitating toward those online deals," she says.

When it comes to the e-commerce business, Martis thinks Walmart (WMT) is starting to give Amazon some more competition. Why? "They're giving the consumer the ability to shop the way they want to, whether it be ordering it on your mobile... and picking it up at the store on your way home or just having it delivered right there from the store to your house. Walmart is definitely giving Amazon a lot of competition," she tells Yahoo Finance.

Watch the video above to hear which companies Martis is watching this holiday season and how tariffs may impact retailers and shoppers.

To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief here.

This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.