Hims & Hers to Launch an AI Agent Focused on the Weight-Loss Journey Amid Strategic Shifts Related to GLP-1s
Hims & Hers is rolling out an AI weight‑loss companion to deepen its telehealth offering as it navigates a post‑GLP‑1 boom environment. The company recently introduced Labs AI, an agent that interprets biomarker data for patients, and is expanding its AI team to about 40 engineers. Revenue rose 4% year‑over‑year to $608.1 million after a 69% surge in 2024, while a settlement with Novo Nordisk lets it sell branded Wegovy and Ozempic. The AI push aims to create a modular, end‑to‑end platform that keeps providers in clinical control while personalizing care.
Here Comes the Brand: Inside the Business of Influencer Weddings
Influencer weddings have evolved into high‑value marketing platforms where brands embed products and experiences into the ceremony. Couples partner with sponsors for skincare lines, floral arrangements, and jewelry, turning personal milestones into content that reaches millions. Brands are allocating six‑figure...
Amazon Offers Non-Sellers More of Its Supply Chain Services
Amazon launched Amazon Supply Chain Services, a unified portal offering freight, distribution, fulfillment and parcel shipping to any business, not just marketplace sellers. CEO Andy Jassy likened the expansion to the growth of AWS, positioning logistics as a new revenue...
Made In Uses Its Cast Iron Launch to Land in Williams-Sonoma
Made In announced a new cast‑iron cookware line that will debut exclusively at Williams‑Sonoma before reaching its direct‑to‑consumer site on June 1, timed for Father’s Day. The retailer will also carry the brand’s American‑made stainless‑steel collection, expanding Made In’s presence alongside...
How Roller Rabbit Became TikTok’s Favorite Sleepwear Brand
Roller Rabbit, founded in 2003, has reinvented itself as a direct‑to‑consumer brand by slashing wholesale to roughly 30% of sales and embracing a frequent‑drop model. High‑profile collaborations with LoveShackFancy, Starbucks and Target have sold out within seconds, fueling more than...
The Tradeoff Economy: Why Stressed Shoppers Are Still Spending
The Kearney Consumer Institute’s Q1 2026 Consumer Stress Index shows that despite heightened financial, geopolitical and health stress, U.S. shoppers are not pulling back overall but reallocating spending. Consumers are cutting back on dining out and experience‑based purchases while increasing apparel...
Havenly Has Been on an Acquisition Streak in the Home Space. Now, It’s Launching a Brand of Its Own
Havenly Brands, after a four‑year spree acquiring The Citizenry, The Inside, Interior Define and Burrow, has launched its first internally incubated product line, Weft, a performance rug brand sold online for $149‑$649. The collection emphasizes durability—about a third are machine‑washable...
Marketplace Briefing: Temu Wants to Sell You a Steak Now
Temu, the bargain‑shopping app famed for cheap Chinese imports, has added U.S.-sourced steaks and other food items, marking a strategic pivot toward domestic warehousing and a broader marketplace. The move follows the loss of the de‑minimis exemption that made cross‑border...
Inside RadioShack’s Audio-Fueled B-to-B Revival
RadioShack relaunched in August 2024 as a wholesale and direct‑to‑consumer electronics brand, leveraging its nostalgic appeal. About 60% of sales now come from B‑to‑B channels, with turntables and AM/FM radios driving rapid sell‑outs. The company works with over 170 authorized...
Target’s New Supply Chain Facility Could Be First of Many
Target opened its first "receive center" in Houston, a pilot hub that stores imported, seasonal and bulky merchandise before it reaches regional distribution centers. The facility serves six distribution centers and a Chicago flow center, giving Target three‑week inventory visibility...
Kraft Heinz Wants to Regain Market Share for Its Iconic Foods Like Kraft Mac & Cheese and Capri Sun
Kraft Heinz halted its planned 2025 split and is now pursuing a unified turnaround focused on better‑for‑you innovations. The company introduced high‑protein products such as PowerMac mac & cheese and revamped Capri Sun and Lunchables lines. First‑quarter sales reached $6.05 billion, surpassing the...
Modern Retail+ Research: Marketing Workflows Benefit From AI, but Trust Is Still a Barrier to Adoption
Modern Retail’s 2026 research, based on 142 brand and agency professionals, finds AI now embedded in roughly 80 % of marketing workflows, from generative copy to automated media buying. While these tools boost speed and personalization, the rapid rollout has surfaced...
Nike Alumni, Now at Superfeet, Want Their Insoles in ‘Every Shoe in the World’
Superfeet, the longtime running‑focused insole maker, is pivoting to serve athletes across soccer, basketball, volleyball and football. The shift is driven by new leadership – CMO Mike Donnelly, a 23‑year Nike veteran, and CEO Trip Randall, also ex‑Nike – who...
Brands Briefing: Anthropologie’s Weddings Business Has Become a Powerful Customer Acquisition Engine
Anthropologie entered the wedding market in 2011, but its bridal segment has exploded in the last two years as brides seek coordinated outfits for every ceremony moment. Chief merchandising officer Holly Thrasher says the business is growing "exponentially," turning weddings...
How Molly Baz’s Ayoh Managed the Cost of Reformulating Its Mayonnaise to Swap Seed Oils for Avocado Oil
Ayoh, the mayo brand founded by chef Molly Baz, is rolling out a reformulated product that swaps high‑oleic sunflower oil for avocado oil in more than 4,000 retail locations, including Whole Foods, Target and Sprouts. The ingredient change boosts the...
‘A Shock to the System’: Roughly $300 Billion in U.S. Imports Changed Country of Origin Last Year
The Kearney 2026 Reshoring Index reveals that roughly $300 billion of U.S. imports switched country of origin between 2024 and 2025. Direct imports from mainland China fell by almost one‑third, costing the United States $135 billion, while Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and other...
Why Aldi, Walmart and More Are Redesigning Their Private-Label Packaging
Retail giants Target, Aldi, Walmart and regional chain Hannaford are overhauling private‑label packaging in 2024, introducing brighter colors, larger product names and unified branding. The redesigns aim to make store brands instantly recognizable on crowded shelves and to convey quality...
Legacy Retailers Like Party City and Staples Are Increasingly Teaming up on Shop-in-Shops in a Bid for Relevance
Party City is re‑entering the market through a shop‑in‑shop partnership with Staples, which will install Party City mini‑stores in 700 Staples locations this summer. At the same time, Bed Bath & Beyond has acquired The Container Store for $150 million, rebranding...
Winx Health Has Tripled Its Retail Revenue in the Last Three Months. Now, It’s Launching Into Walmart
Women’s health startup Winx Health is launching its products in more than 1,200 Walmart stores, Walmart.com and the Walmart app after tripling retail revenue in the past three months. The rollout features its UTI “Test + Treat” kit and a...
How TikTok Shop Is Winning over Major Brands
TikTok Shop, now less than three years old, commands roughly 20% of U.S. social‑commerce sales and generated $500 million during last year’s Black Friday‑to‑Cyber Monday window. Sales from brands with at least $30 million in annual revenue surged 97% year‑over‑year, signaling growing...
Retailers Are Rushing to Build AI Apps. It’s Unclear if Shoppers Will Use Them
Retailers are rapidly deploying shopping apps inside OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude, with over 900 ChatGPT apps and 353 Claude connectors now available. About 10% of the ChatGPT apps focus on commerce, and major brands like Target, Walmart, Sephora, and...
Amazon Says Its AI Shopping Assistant Is Gaining Traction, with Rufus Users up 115%
Amazon reported that its AI‑powered shopping assistant Rufus saw monthly active users jump 115% year‑over‑year, with engagement climbing 400%. The chatbot, launched in early 2024, now handles tasks like recurring purchases and price‑triggered auto‑buy. Rufus helped generate roughly $12 billion in...
Tractor Supply Taps Real Customers for Ads to Stand Out From AI-Generated Content
Tractor Supply Company launched its third consecutive spring campaign featuring real customers, employees and local events, emphasizing authentic "Life Out Here" moments. While the retailer leverages AI behind the scenes for customer journey planning, it insists that all consumer‑facing ads...
30 Days of Using Za’atar the Wrong Way: How Spice Startup Hayati Used Repetition to Hit 21,000 Instagram Followers
Hayati, a Palestinian‑American spice brand, leveraged a quirky Instagram series called “Day X of using za’atar the wrong way” to accelerate its social following. Founder Yasmine Borno filmed unconventional recipes—za’atar on nails, popcorn, and parmesan potatoes—turning entertainment into education. The repeatable...
Moving on From ‘Reach without Resonance’: Modern Retail’s Marketing Summit Defines New Industry Directives
At the Modern Retail Marketing Summit in Huntington Beach, brand and retail leaders convened to redesign their go‑to‑market playbooks amid tightening macro‑economic conditions. A dominant theme was the need to move beyond one‑way messaging and instead invite customers, especially Gen Z, into...
Live-Shopping Platform Whatnot Taps Shopify to Reach Millions of Merchants as It Chases Growth
Whatnot launched a native integration with Shopify that automatically syncs product listings, inventory, and orders between the two platforms. The tool lets merchants manage catalog details in Shopify while conducting live sales on Whatnot, with purchases routed back to Shopify...
Why Tariff Refunds Won’t Necessarily Go Back to Consumers
Retailers are poised to claim refunds for the $175 billion in tariffs deemed illegal after the Supreme Court struck them down. Starting April 20, firms can request reimbursements under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but the refunded amount reflects only the...
Brands Briefing: How Higher Oil Prices Are Shaking up the Footwear Industry
Higher oil prices, spurred by the U.S.-Iran conflict, are rippling through the footwear sector. Shipping and logistics costs are climbing, while petroleum‑derived inputs such as midsoles, padding and stitching become more expensive. At the same time, rising fuel prices are...
Quip’s Latest Ad Wasn’t AI-Generated. People Were Convinced It Was
Quip launched a whimsical 15‑second electric‑toothbrush ad in March that many viewers instantly labeled as AI‑generated. In reality, the spot relied on practical effects—miniature sets, a custom mouth headpiece and blue‑screen compositing—to achieve its surreal look. The mistaken AI assumption...
Suri Got Shoppers on Board with Recycling Toothbrush Heads. Now, It Is Turning Them Into Soap Dishes
U.K.-based oral‑care startup Suri has turned its recycled electric‑toothbrush heads into a new line of soap dishes, produced with sustainable manufacturer Reborn. The company achieved a 35% return rate on used heads in the U.K. and U.S. by including prepaid...
How Urban Outfitters Co-Creates Campaigns with Gen Z
Urban Outfitters is reshaping its marketing by co‑creating campaigns directly with Gen Z creators, challenging the myth that the cohort only has short attention spans. Head of brand marketing Cyntia Leo says authenticity and digital fluency are key to earning their focus....
Williams-Sonoma Relaunches Dormify a Year After Acquiring IP
Williams‑Sonoma, Inc. has relaunched the Dormify dorm‑room brand after acquiring its intellectual property for about $1 million in May 2025. The new Dormify website features a wishlist, a 3‑D bed visualizer and fresh products such as the $149‑$199 GellyRoll Mattress Topper,...
Modern Retail Podcast: What It Takes to Build a True Lifestyle Brand
In a live episode of the Modern Retail Podcast recorded at the Modern Retail Marketing Summit, Mandy Fry, co‑owner and president of Z Supply, explained how the Southern California apparel brand transformed from a single‑product T‑shirt line into a full‑fledged...
Starbucks Ends Its Coffee Loop Rewards Pilot After Six Months
Starbucks is ending its six‑month Coffee Loop rewards pilot on April 30, after launching it in October as a separate website where members earned a free hot or iced coffee for every nine purchased. The program excluded Nitro Cold Brew,...
Retail Just Lost One of Its Few Female CEOs. She Kept Best Buy Afloat During the Pandemic
Best Buy announced that CEO Corie Barry will step down in late October 2026, ending a seven‑year tenure that began in 2019. Barry steered the company through pandemic store closures, pivoting to curbside pickup, drive‑up fulfillment and a stronger digital presence, while launching...
Marketplace Briefing: Amazon’s Seller Count Falls as Revenue Concentrates Among Top Sellers
Amazon disclosed that its marketplace saw a second‑quarter dip in active sellers, while revenue grew increasingly concentrated among the platform’s largest merchants. The top 1% of sellers now account for more than 70% of marketplace sales, a shift driven by...
Walmart Now Wants to Be the Plumber for Your Local Convenience Store
Walmart has launched Upstream Facility Services, a new venture that offers its in‑house maintenance expertise—covering HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, plumbing and more—to external businesses. The unit already serves about 500 locations, including quick‑service restaurants and small retailers, and leverages Walmart’s predictive...
Marine Layer Fights Digital Saturation with Print Catalogs and Whimsical Pop-Ups
Marine Layer, the California‑based casual apparel brand, is countering digital fatigue by reintroducing print catalogs and rolling out whimsical pop‑up experiences in major markets. The 48‑page catalog, printed on 100% recycled paper, showcases new collections and embeds QR codes that...
Retailers Roll Out Fuel Perks as Consumers Look for Relief From $4 Gas Amid U.S.-Iran War
Retailers and restaurants are rolling out limited‑time fuel discounts as U.S. gasoline averages $4.02 per gallon amid the Iran‑related supply shock. Amazon Prime members can save up to 20¢ per gallon through May 29, while Kroger doubled fuel points on two...
How Thorne Drove 63% Growth in DTC Sales After a Brand Awareness Push
Thorne, a leading supplement brand, achieved a 63% increase in direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) sales after launching a focused brand‑awareness campaign. The initiative leveraged data‑driven media mix modeling, influencer collaborations, and personalized content to convert research‑heavy shoppers. Nearly 90% of supplement buyers...
Brands Briefing: Brands Like Hint Water Are Redoing Packaging to Reach New Audiences and Gain Market Share
Hint Water, now led by CEO Michael Pengue since 2024, posted roughly $250 million in annual retail sales but saw flat household penetration, especially among younger shoppers. To spark growth, the brand launched a new "Water For People With Tastebuds" platform...
Dollar General Prioritizes In-Store Audio over Digital Screens
Dollar General is expanding its in‑store audio network to 12,000 locations by July, swapping 6,000 stores to a new partnership with audio‑tech provider QSIC. The move prioritizes audio over digital screens, citing limited store space and faster campaign rollout. QSIC’s...
How Target Plans to Own the Baby Category as It Rolls Out New In-Store Displays
Target is rolling out "Baby Boutiques" in 200 stores across 37 states, swapping out low‑turn crib displays for larger, interactive sections that showcase premium strollers and higher‑priced gear. The redesign adds more than 2,000 new items, from upscale brands like...
How ThredUp Is Using AI to Improve Its Marketing Operations and Move Further up the Funnel
ThredUp, the online resale platform, is embedding artificial intelligence across its operations, from automated product tagging to personalized recommendation engines. In its marketing division, AI is now being used to sharpen demand forecasting, allowing the team to allocate spend more...
Lowe’s Aims to Make Mulch Buying Easier with AI
Lowe’s has introduced “Mulch Me Now,” an AI‑driven feature within its Mylow assistant that asks customers yard dimensions and desired depth to calculate exact mulch quantities, then suggests products and adds them to the cart. Launched in spring, the tool...
Modern Retail+ Research: Expectations Around AI Are Straining Brand-Agency Relationships
A Modern Retail+ Research survey of 62 agency professionals in Q4 2025 reveals that 38% view reduced client budgets and another 38% see AI’s impact as the biggest challenges for agencies in 2026. Rapid adoption of AI tools—once considered cutting edge...
David’s Bridal Ramps up Its Creator Strategy as Part of Its Post-Bankruptcy Comeback
David’s Bridal, the nation’s largest bridal retailer, is accelerating its creator‑led marketing through the Style Squad ambassador program launched in January. The initiative now includes more than 250 internal and external creators, who generate shoppable TikTok and Instagram content that...
Sam’s Club Hires ‘Experts’ to Make Video Reviews for Product Pages
Sam’s Club is rolling out a new "expert review" video feature on product pages, hiring niche specialists—such as chefs, tech gurus, or health professionals—to create short, brand‑specific videos. The initiative, announced on April 16 as part of the Member Access Platform,...
The Growing Debate over Digital Price Tags
Retail giants Kroger and Walmart are accelerating the rollout of electronic shelf labels (ESLs), replacing paper price tags with digital screens. ESLs promise faster price updates, higher accuracy, and reduced labor for store employees. However, the United Food and Commercial...
Goop Kitchen Expands Delivery Business with New York City Launch
Goop Kitchen, Gwyneth Paltrow’s health‑focused ghost‑kitchen brand, is launching three delivery‑only sites in Manhattan’s Flatiron, Upper West Side and Upper East Side starting April 20. The expansion follows a 60% year‑over‑year revenue jump in 2024 and a near‑doubling of the company’s...