Recent Posts
News•Mar 2, 2026
From Boll & Branch to Bogg, Brands Are Battling a Surge of AI-Driven Return Fraud
Retailers are confronting a new wave of return fraud powered by AI‑generated images. Executives at Boll & Branch and Bogg Bag discovered counterfeit photos used to claim damaged goods, prompting tighter verification. Experts say AI tools have accelerated fraud, contributing to an estimated $100 billion in annual losses and a projected $379 billion cost of returns by 2026. Brands are now rethinking return policies, adding video checks and shared fraud databases to protect revenue without alienating honest shoppers.
By Modern Retail
News•Mar 2, 2026
2026 Modern Retail Index: How Retailers Are Tackling Financial Challenges, AI, Marketplaces and Supply Chain
Retailers faced a turbulent 2025, grappling with tariffs, supply-chain disruptions and a cooling consumer market. While some brands posted gains, drugstore chains such as Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS shuttered hundreds of locations, and big‑box retailers struggled with shifting demand...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 28, 2026
Modern Retail Podcast: Marketing Is Experiencing an AI Reckoning
In the latest Modern Retail Podcast, co‑hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels, joined by executive editor Anna Hensel, examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping retail marketing. They note that rising customer‑acquisition costs and a more discerning shopper base are driving...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 27, 2026
Gymboree Turns to Partnerships with Brands Like Marchesa for Its Next Stage of Growth
Gymboree is reviving its brand by launching co‑branded collections, beginning with a limited‑edition Marchesa line priced between $20 and $170. The retailer also introduced everyday collaborations with Peter Rabbit and Hello Kitty, aiming to attract both special‑occasion and casual shoppers....
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 26, 2026
Why Ruggable’s Lauren Sherman Is Focused on Resetting the Balance of Brand and Performance Marketing
Lauren Sherman, Ruggable’s chief marketing officer, is leading a deliberate reset that shifts focus from pure performance‑driven digital spend to brand‑centric initiatives. After seven months in the role, she aims to embed consumer‑led creative, real‑world activations, and designer collaborations into...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 25, 2026
How IKEA Got Closer to Its Shoppers with New Small-Format Stores, Best Buy Partnership
IKEA U.S. announced four new stores in Chicago, Tulsa, Fort Collins and Los Angeles, bringing its 2026 rollout to ten locations, including its first city‑center store in LA and first Oklahoma outlet. The retailer posted $5.3 billion in total sales for fiscal 2025, with...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 24, 2026
Hims Alums Launch Fiber-Boosted Sweetener Brand Poca
Hilary Coles and Emily Boschwitz, former Hims executives, have launched Poca, a zero‑calorie sweetener syrup enriched with three grams of fiber per serving. The product combines allulose, monk fruit, and inulin, avoiding sugar alcohols and stevia, and is offered in portable sachets...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 23, 2026
The Anatomy of Perfect Content: How Marketers Can Reach Consumers in the AI Era
The Expedia Group Advertising "Science of Wanderlust" study surveyed over 7,000 consumers and used eye‑tracking to pinpoint the creative elements that cut through today’s AI‑saturated content stream. It found video drives purchase intent three times more than static images, while...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 23, 2026
The Playbook for Winning over Price-Conscious Consumers
U.S. retail sales are still growing modestly despite inflation, but brands must win over increasingly price‑conscious shoppers. Executives say the era of blunt discounting is giving way to “value articulation,” where consumers evaluate a product’s real‑life solution and equity impact....
By Modern Retail
Deals•Feb 23, 2026
Once Upon a Farm Raises $198M in IPO, Valued at $724M
Organic kids’ food brand Once Upon a Farm went public on the NYSE under ticker OFRM, raising $198 million at a $724 million valuation. The IPO, announced earlier this month, signals growing investor interest in better‑for‑you CPG brands for children.
Modern Retail
News•Feb 19, 2026
From Prime Day and Black Friday to Surprise Spikes: Why Retailers Are Rethinking Peak Sales Readiness
Retailers are abandoning the outdated notion of seasonal peak‑sales windows and adopting a year‑round growth‑readiness mindset. Unexpected demand spikes—from TikTok trends to surprise influencer drops—can now rival traditional events like Prime Day, exposing fragile point‑to‑point integrations. Mark Simon of Celigo...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 19, 2026
Walmart Says AI Users Build 35% Bigger Baskets than Others
Walmart’s AI‑driven shopping assistant, Sparky, is generating baskets that are about 35% larger than those of non‑users, according to CEO John Furner on the Q4 earnings call. Launched in June, Sparky lives behind a smiley‑face button in the Walmart app...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 19, 2026
Marketplace Briefing: Inside Marc Lore and Melissa Bridgeford’s AI Shopping Agent Wizard
Wizard, the AI shopping agent co‑founded by Marc Lore and Melissa Bridgeford, has moved from a stealth B‑to‑B conversational commerce model to a consumer‑facing platform. Founded in 2021, the startup spent years refining its technology before publicly debuting in February...
By Modern Retail
Deals•Feb 13, 2026
Dutch Bros Acquires 20 Clutch Coffee Bar Stores to Fuel 2026 Expansion
Dutch Bros announced it has acquired 20 stores from regional chain Clutch Coffee Bar, converting them to Dutch Bros locations as part of its aggressive 2026 expansion plan. The deal, disclosed during its Q4 earnings call, supports the company's goal...
Modern Retail
Deals•Jan 27, 2026
Bouqs Launches $5M Crowdfunding Raise to Fund Brick‑and‑mortar Expansion
Bouqs, the floral delivery company, announced a crowdfunding raise of up to $5 million on the DealMaker platform to finance its planned brick‑and‑mortar expansion, aiming for 70 stores in the next few years. The offering, live since mid‑January, requires a minimum...
Modern Retail