Gymshark Appoints Carly Natalizia as Chief Commercial Officer
Gymshark has promoted Carly Natalizia to chief commercial officer after four years as vice president of marketing and most recently chief digital officer. Natalizia previously led marketing at The Very Group and held senior roles at Virgin Money, MBNA, Bank of America and NatWest. In her new role she will steer Gymshark toward a fully omnichannel business while continuing to refine its digital customer journey. CEO Ben Francis highlighted her rare blend of digital expertise and commercial instinct as key to the brand’s 100‑year ambition.
‘A Beautiful Mess’: Best & Less Unveils New Branding Campaign
Best & Less has partnered with Connecting Plots Group to launch a new brand repositioning campaign called “So. Much. Better.” The campaign reframes value as freedom for Australian families, emphasizing authentic, messy moments over curated perfection. Research underpinning the work...
Cosmix by the Numbers: What Marico Gets in Its Latest D2C Acquisition
Marico announced the acquisition of a 60% stake in plant‑based nutrition startup Cosmix, adding the brand to its growing D2C portfolio that already includes Plix, True Elements, Just Herbs and Beardo. Cosmix more than doubled its FY25 revenue to ₹50.93 crore...
Beverage Startup CHINI KUM Raises Pre-Seed Funding
CHINI KUM, a zero‑sugar beverage startup, secured ₹1 crore in pre‑seed funding from a group of angel investors and founder participation. The capital will fund product innovation, flavor expansion, and nationwide distribution, with a focus on quick‑commerce channels. The brand launched its...
Taste Meets Technology: How Dotshop Is Putting Curation Back Into Luxury
Dotshop, an Australian luxury e‑commerce platform founded by Lisa Ruffle and Steve Jensen, combines human editorial curation with AI to deliver intuitive product discovery. Unlike algorithm‑driven marketplaces that prioritize scale, Dotshop’s AI interprets taste, intent and behavior within a framework...
JB Hi-Fi Launches Retail Media Network, a First for the Electronics Sector
JB Hi-Fi announced the launch of its own retail media network, the first dedicated to the consumer electronics sector. The service is built in partnership with Retail MediaWorks and will allow brands and agencies to run targeted omnichannel campaigns across...
How Brands and Retailers Should Strategically Respond to the GLP-1 Consumer Boom
Coresight Research projects the U.S. GLP‑1 drug market to surge from $42.6 billion in 2024 to $137 billion by 2030, driven by broader insurance coverage and next‑generation oral therapies. The rapid adoption of GLP‑1 medications is reshaping retail demand, with consumers buying...
With New Launch, Hailey Bieber’s Makeup Artist Aims to Dominate Foundation Sales at Sephora
Celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips’ brand m.ph by Mary Phillips introduced Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation, a $49, 35‑shade, medium‑coverage formula with 2% niacinamide. The launch follows the brand’s underpainting palette and aims to become Sephora’s number‑one foundation, challenging Haus...
Glossy Beauty Podcast: Why Creators Are Building Systems — Not Chasing Virality — on TikTok Shop
TikTok’s U.S. operation was sold for roughly $14 billion to a consortium that includes Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, underscoring the platform’s strategic value. Recent data shows TikTok Shop moved about $19 billion of goods globally in Q3 2024, rivaling legacy marketplaces. Brands...
The Health and Wellness Trends Modern Retail and Glossy Staffers Are Watching in 2026
Modern Retail and Glossy highlighted a surge in health‑focused consumer behavior for 2026, driven by wearable tech like the Oura ring and the rise of biohacking. Shoppers are increasingly demanding data‑backed efficacy for functional ingredients such as adaptogens, pre‑biotics, and...
The Health and Wellness Trends Glossy and Modern Retail Staffers Are Watching in 2026
Consumer enthusiasm for health data is reshaping the wellness market, driven by wearable devices such as the Oura ring and the rise of biohacking. Shoppers are increasingly demanding proof of product efficacy and are scrutinizing health claims more rigorously. Brands...
How Zegna Accepts Full-Year Revenue Pressure to Reset Its Luxury Growth Model
Ermenegildo Zegna Group posted €1.92 billion in full‑year 2025 revenue, a 1.5% decline year‑on‑year, while the fourth quarter saw organic sales rise 4.6% driven by direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) growth across Zegna, Thom Browne and Tom Ford Fashion. The group accelerated its strategic shift toward...
Walmart Shopper Reportedly Buys Nvidia RTX 5080 at Almost Half-Price — Clearance Aisle Could Be a Way to Beat GPU...
Walmart’s clearance aisle is offering deep discounts on Nvidia GPUs, with a Reddit user reporting a PNY GeForce RTX 5080 purchased for $562—almost half its $999 MSRP. Similar markdowns include RTX 5070 cards at $439, roughly a one‑third price cut. The reductions...
PFG’s New CEO Signals Tech Focus as Sales Rise 5.2% in Fiscal Q2
Performance Food Group appointed Scott McPherson as CEO, pledging a stronger technology and efficiency agenda. The company posted fiscal Q2 net sales of $16.445 billion, up 5.2% year‑over‑year, and net earnings of $61.7 million, a 45.5% increase. Integration of the recent Cheney Brothers...
E.l.f. Beauty CEO Outlines Rhode’s International Expansion Plan, Holiday Sales Wins, Fall Mascara Launch on Today’s Earnings Call
E.l.f. Beauty posted a 38% jump in Q3 fiscal 2026 net sales to $489.5 million, largely fueled by the recent acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s brand Rhode. The company lifted its full‑year outlook, now expecting Rhode to contribute $260‑$265 million, up from $200 million....
The Knot Unveils ChatGPT App for Wedding Planning
The Knot launched its first ChatGPT app, integrating its wedding planning platform with OpenAI’s conversational AI. The app draws on the company’s vendor marketplace and over 14.6 million reviews to deliver personalized, visual‑first vendor recommendations, review summaries, and smart rankings. Couples...
Klarna Joins Google's AI Protocol; Payoneer Expands Footprint
Klarna has joined Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), enabling its buy‑now/pay‑later service to operate within Google’s AI‑driven shopping ecosystem. The protocol, now backed by major card brands and PayPal, seeks to standardise agentic AI interactions for safer, more transparent commerce....
Senate Bill Would Require Online Platforms to Prevent Fraudulent Ads
Senators Ruben Gallego and Bernie Moreno introduced the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct Act (SCAM Act) on Feb. 4, requiring online platforms to take reasonable steps to block fraudulent and deceptive ads. The bill expands the Federal Trade Commission’s and...
Clorox Completes $580 Million ERP Overhaul to Link Operations with Digital Commerce
Clorox has finished a five‑year, $580 million SAP ERP rollout across the United States and Canada, replacing a two‑decade‑old legacy system in 21 manufacturing plants. The cloud‑based platform unifies finance, supply chain, sales and planning with real‑time data, after training more...
Grainger Expands AI in Sales, Marketing, and KeepStock Tools
Grainger announced a 2026 AI expansion across its sales, marketing, and inventory services. The company will embed artificial intelligence into its SellerInsights platform to deliver prescriptive selling recommendations, new customer contacts, and coaching insights. Machine‑learning models will also optimize marketing...
Payments Protocol by Coinbase, Shopify Processes Just $1.2M USDC Since June: Growthepie
Shopify, Coinbase and Stripe launched an open‑source Commerce Payments Protocol that lets merchants accept USDC on Base. Since the June 2025 rollout, growthepie reports only $1.2 million in USDC transactions across roughly 5,700 merchants and 3,200 customers. The bulk of that...
Albertsons Creates End-to-End Digital Party Planning Hub
Albertsons has introduced Celebrations, a digital hub that consolidates party supplies, custom cakes, décor, and beverage options into one online destination. The platform leverages the Albertsons AI shopping assistant to deliver personalized recommendations and curated party inspiration. Exclusive items from...
Equifax Says AI Tools Help Drive New Product Innovation to Record High
Equifax reported that AI tools and its cloud platform powered a record‑high Vitality Index in 2025, with 90% of employees using AI and 1,900 developers leveraging AI coding assistants. The firm added 40 AI patents, bringing its total to over...
Japan Retreats From Chinese Payment Apps Amid Money Laundering Concerns
Japanese retailers are pulling WeChat Pay and Alipay from their checkout systems amid rising political tension with China and intensified anti‑money‑laundering (AML) enforcement. The move reflects concerns that Chinese criminal groups are exploiting these platforms to launder funds by buying...
UGC Product Videos that Actually Reduce Returns
User‑generated content (UGC) videos are emerging as a practical tool to curb e‑commerce returns by filling the information gap that static images and copy often leave. Short, authentic clips demonstrate fit, material feel, color fidelity, setup steps, and performance, turning...
How Retailers Can Reset for Growth in 2026
Retailers entered 2026 after a bruising 2025, facing higher landed costs, tariff‑driven logistics fees and slimmer contribution margins. The article urges a reset that starts with P&L‑centric SKU costing and a measurement stack focused on true incremental profit rather than...
Embedded Payments Give SaaS a Lifeline as AI Reshapes Workflows
AI-driven agentic systems are unsettling traditional SaaS subscription models, prompting a sharp sell‑off that saw software indexes tumble over 14% and marquee names like Thomson Reuters and Salesforce plunge double‑digit percentages. Investors fear that conversational AI could bypass entire application...
Wero Payment Service Expands Pan-EU Availability Through Banking Circle
Wero, the European mobile payment solution developed by the European Payments Initiative, is now accessible through Banking Circle, extending its pan‑EU footprint. The integration enables businesses and fintechs to tap Wero’s real‑time, account‑to‑account transfers via Banking Circle’s APIs, complementing existing...
Shoppers Focus on Health as Supplement Sales Soar
UK shoppers are prioritising health, with one in four households naming physical health their top goal for 2026. NielsenIQ data shows protein and fibre‑based foods posting double‑digit growth—protein up 9.6% and fibre up 14.1% over the past 26 weeks. Supplement...
Ulta Spotlights 6 Female Athletes with New Beauty Roster, Strengthens Support for Women’s Sports
Ulta Beauty has introduced its inaugural Ulta Beauty Roster, partnering with six high‑profile female athletes across emerging and established sports. The roster is supported by a Roster for Change grant program aimed at reducing the dropout rate of girls in...
The Global Wallet War: Who Will Own the Customer?
Digital wallets have evolved from simple payment tools into comprehensive consumer interfaces that combine payments, identity, loyalty, and credit. Big Tech, banks, and fintechs are racing to own this hub, each leveraging distinct strengths—device ecosystems, trust, and agility. Ownership of...
Mastercard Offers Agentic AI Tools
Mastercard announced it will roll out a new suite of agentic AI tools for business customers in the second quarter of 2026. The platform lets firms build, test and deploy AI‑powered agents to enhance security, payments processing and customer‑experience functions....
Six Retailers Investing in Bricks-and-Mortar in 2026
Six UK retailers are accelerating physical‑store investment in 2026, marking a clear swing back to bricks‑and‑mortar. Co‑op will launch 18 new or reopened stores in the first quarter, while clothing brand Seasalt is adding locations in market towns and eyeing...
PayMore Continues Rapid Expansion with Plans for 96 New Stores in 2026
PayMore announced plans to open 96 new stores in 2026, expanding its footprint across the United States and Canada at an average rate of eight locations per month. The chain more than doubled its store count in 2025, rising from...
Walmart Readies Cross-Border Shipping Program for Sellers
Walmart is set to roll out Walmart Exports, a cross‑border shipping service for sellers using its Walmart Fulfillment Services, in early 2026. The program will initially ship eligible U.S.‑based inventory to customers in Mexico and Canada, with automatic enrollment for...
American Golf Acquired by Peter Jones and His Investment Group
Peter Jones and his investment group have acquired American Golf from private‑equity owner Endless. The specialist retailer, which generates £135 million in annual revenue and employs over 1,000 staff, operates more than 80 stores across the UK and Ireland alongside a...
The Payment Facilitator Model as a Growth Strategy for ISVs
The episode explores how the payment facilitator (PayFac) model is becoming a key growth engine for independent software vendors (ISVs) amid the rise of SaaS, AI, and embedded finance. It highlights the superior merchant experience PayFacs deliver—simplified onboarding, ongoing risk...
Google Ad Network Invalid Clicks Report: Fraud vs Accidental
Mike Ryan examined over 550 million ecommerce clicks from Q4 2025 using Google’s new “general invalid clicks” metric. He found the Google Display Network (GDN) registers the highest invalid‑click rate—nearly one in five clicks—though most are accidental. In contrast, the Search Partner...
Love Island Live Shopping Event via eBay Live with Toni & Cacherel
eBay is launching a one‑day live shopping event on Friday 13 February at 3 PM GMT, streaming on eBay Live and hosted by Love Island All Stars winners Toni Laites and Cacherel Mercer. The showcase will sell the exact pre‑loved designer pieces...
PROFILE: How Beer52 Built a Community‑driven Craft Beer Empire
Beer52, launched in 2013, has become the UK’s leading craft‑beer subscription club, amassing over 200,000 members and earning a spot among the Sunday Times 100 fastest‑growing companies. For £27 a month, subscribers receive eight curated beers, snacks and the Ferment...
Crypto Going Mainstream Among US Merchants
According to a PayPal and National Cryptocurrency Association survey, 39% of U.S. merchants now accept cryptocurrency at checkout, and 84% anticipate it becoming commonplace within five years. Customer demand is a primary driver, with 88% of merchants reporting inquiries about...
Prolisto Officially Launches Prolisto Lite, a Free AI-Powered Web App for Creating eBay Listings From Product Photos
Prolisto has launched Prolisto Lite, a free AI‑powered web app that creates eBay listings from a single product photo. The Image‑to‑Listing engine generates a search‑optimized title, detailed description and item specifics without relying on barcodes or catalog data. It supports...
Watches of Switzerland Group Raises Full Year Sales Guidance
Watches of Switzerland Group lifted its full‑year sales guidance to 9‑11% in constant currency after a robust third quarter, with demand for luxury watches outpacing supply in both the UK and US. The company highlighted broad‑based growth across categories and...
Marketing Email Campaigns Reflected Tariffs, TikTok Trends in 2025
Omnisend’s 2025 analysis shows that three‑quarters of marketing email campaigns referenced tariffs or broader trade‑policy news, underscoring how supply‑chain costs dominate brand messaging. Thirteen percent of those emails highlighted “Made in USA” to reassure shoppers about product origin and pricing...
OfferUp Scammers Are Out in Force: Here’s What You Should Know
OfferUp, the 15‑year‑old U.S. marketplace that processes more than 30 million transactions each year, is grappling with a surge of fraud schemes. Scammers routinely steer buyers and sellers toward off‑platform payment methods such as Zelle, Venmo, gift‑card codes, or cash‑app transfers,...
Watch: Waitrose Launches Sci-Fi TV Ads
Waitrose has unveiled a new television campaign titled “The Gastronaut,” created by Wonderhood Studios. The sci‑fi ad follows an astronaut who abandons space‑fuel meals for a home‑cooked prawn linguine, underscoring the brand’s “food lovers” ethos. The spot is sound‑tracked by...
Same-Day Pay Becomes a Hiring Edge as Paycheck Gaps Bite
Instant, same‑day pay is emerging as a competitive advantage in talent acquisition as workers grow intolerant of traditional payroll delays. The lag between work completion and wage access forces many to rely on high‑APR credit, effectively eroding 20‑30 % of earnings....
Pay Flexibility Rises as More Workers Earn Variable Income
A PYMNTS Intelligence study shows 66% of U.S. consumers still live paycheck to paycheck, with 42% doing so out of necessity. Income volatility is rising as six‑in‑ten Americans now earn their primary income from hourly wages, gig platforms, or contracts,...
Billing Shifts From Back-Office Chore to Customer Loyalty Test
Paymentus CEO Dushyant Sharma argues billing is evolving from a back‑office cost to a loyalty driver. Over the past five years, tech innovations have turned billing and payments into a value‑generating function, enabling hyper‑personalized engagement and reducing service costs. Intelligent...
M&S Leads Valentine’s Day Dining Spend, Says Research
Marks & Spencer leads Valentine’s Day dining spend, according to Vypr research, with 15% of shoppers choosing its ingredients and 18% planning dine‑in deals, edging out Tesco. The study, based on 1,900 UK consumers, shows only 65% intend to celebrate,...