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. These partnerships have already driven over 32,000 unique site visits and 223,000 social‑media impressions in the first four days. The strategy supports Gymboree’s broader repositioning under The Children’s Place, which recently secured $450 million of refinancing despite a 13% Q3 sales decline.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
Amazon Surpasses Walmart in Annual Revenue for the First Time
Amazon reported $716.9 billion in 2025 revenue, overtaking Walmart's $713.2 billion for the first time. The shift ends Walmart's 13‑year streak as Fortune's top‑revenue company and highlights Amazon's transformation into a tech‑services powerhouse. Growth is now driven by Amazon Web Services, advertising...
TikTok Shop Halts Plan to End Independent Shipping for U.S. Sellers After Backlash
TikTok Shop has scrapped its planned deadline to end seller‑fulfilled shipping for U.S. merchants, keeping the existing independent‑shipping model in place for now. The reversal follows a wave of backlash from brands that warned the shift would raise fulfillment costs,...
Macy’s Is Drawing on Events Like the Thanksgiving Day Parade to Grow Its Creator Program
Macy’s is scaling its Style Crew influencer program in 2026, aiming to grow from roughly 600 members to 1,000 by adding more in‑person events tied to marquee assets like the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The creator storefronts have generated a 478%...
Brands Briefing: The Brands that Are Ripe for Acquisition in 2026
M&A activity is reviving in 2026 after a subdued 2025. Last year saw marquee deals such as e.l.f. Beauty’s $1 billion purchase of Rhode and PepsiCo’s $2 billion acquisition of Poppi. Tariff pressures that kept many potential buyers on the sidelines are...
Dutch Bros Plans More Locations in 2026 After Growing Revenue by Nearly 30% in 2025
Dutch Bros reported a record $1.64 billion revenue in 2025, a 27.9% year‑over‑year increase, and announced plans to open roughly 181 new stores in 2026. The chain aims to reach 2,029 locations by 2029, testing walk‑up formats and scaling a food...
Exclusive: Chubbies Launches Women’s Swimwear Brand Cheekies
Chubbies, the men’s‑shorts brand, has introduced Cheekies, a dedicated women’s swimwear line, debuting online and slated for select Dick’s Sporting Goods and Chubbies stores. The collection, a result of a two‑year research effort by an all‑women design team, offers adjustable...
Thrive Market’s Amina Pasha Believes Brands that Focus on Trust Will Win in an AI-First World
Amina Pasha, CMO of Thrive Market, argues that trust will be the decisive advantage for brands in an AI‑first landscape. The online grocery retailer, with over 1.7 million paying members, is leveraging AI to personalize discovery while reinforcing its mission of...
Brands Lean Into Grand Gestures This Valentine’s Day
Brands are turning to grand‑gesture promotions to cut through the clutter of Valentine’s Day advertising. Venus et Fleur revived its 10‑foot floral pop‑up trucks in major cities, offering a $5,000 influencer prize. Brilliant Earth introduced hyper‑personalized showroom date‑night experiences in...
Blind Boxes Are Here to Stay, and Brands Are Leaning Into the Mystery Product Format
Blind boxes are cementing their place in retail, with beauty brands leading the surge. Gisou, Emi Jay, Ipsy and major retailers like Walmart have launched limited‑edition mystery boxes that sell out within days. Ipsy’s monthly mystery bags posted a 30%...
Modern Retail Podcast: Inside the Super Bowl Activation Boom
The Modern Retail Podcast explores how brands are sidestepping the $8 million Super Bowl TV price tag by deploying pop‑ups, concerts, and other in‑real‑life experiences around Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. These activations aim to capture the attention of millions of...
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...
Fitigues Is Back After Its Founders Reclaim the ‘90s Casual Brand
Fitigues, the iconic 1990s casualwear label, has returned after founders Steve and Andi Rosenstein reclaimed its intellectual property from Sycamore Partners. The duo opened a new flagship store in Scottsdale’s luxury shopping center and added a location at Newport Beach’s...
Goodwill Plans 100 New Stores for 2026 After Hitting Record Revenue in 2025
Goodwill Industries posted a record $7 billion in revenue for 2025, its strongest performance in 125 years, and processed roughly 300 million store transactions. Its online platform, ShopGoodwill.com, achieved $450 million in gross merchandise value, underscoring digital growth. To capitalize on rising thrift...
The Modern Retail Marketing Summit Heads to Huntington Beach This April
The Modern Retail Marketing Summit will convene top brand and retailer marketers in Huntington Beach from April 20‑22, spotlighting how companies are navigating rapid shifts in SEO, influencer, and AI-driven channels. Speakers include ThredUp’s SVP Kristen Brophy, Thrive Market’s CMO Amina Pasha, PacSun’s CMO...
Brands Briefing: Why Anthropologie Is Embracing Print Catalogs for Both Acquisition and Retention
Anthropologie is expanding its print catalog program, increasing annual issues from five to seven in 2026. The retailer will boost total circulation to 2.5 million copies, up from 2 million. A test‑and‑learn methodology drives the change, allowing the brand to send catalogs...
How Tree Hut Used AI to Turn Customer Feedback Into Product Insights and Quadruple Social Engagement
Tree Hut integrated an AI tool into its social channels to automatically process community comments and direct messages, creating a searchable database of consumer requests. The system quantified demand for the Cinnamon Dolce scent, revealing thousands of mentions that justified expanding the...
What Hemp Brands Want From Federal Regulations
Congressman Morgan Griffith introduced the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization and Protection (HEMP) Act, proposing federal caps on THC levels for hemp‑derived edibles, beverages, topicals and inhalables. The bill would limit oral products to 10 mg per serving and 5 mg of delta‑9 THC...
What C-Suite Additions and New Board Members at Walmart, Target Signal About Their Priorities
Walmart announced a sweeping C‑suite overhaul, moving growth, e‑commerce, and merchandising leaders into roles that centralize its global platforms and accelerate AI‑driven capabilities. New CEO John Furner highlighted the need for shared technology infrastructure to stay ahead of Amazon’s AI...
Modern Retail Podcast: How ICE Activity Became an Issue Retailers Big and Small Can No Longer Ignore
The Modern Retail Podcast examines how increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in cities such as Minneapolis is reshaping the retail landscape. Executives are grappling with heightened security concerns while shoppers stage protests that threaten foot traffic. Brands are...
Walmart’s and Target’s Outgoing CEOs Leave Contrasting Legacies
After more than a decade, Walmart and Target will each install new CEOs next week, ending the tenures of Doug McMillon and Brian Cornell. McMillon left Walmart with expanded three‑hour delivery coverage, a thriving Walmart+ membership, and a reengineered advertising...
Follett Is Making a Bigger Push Into Private-Label Merch at Its College Bookstores
Follett Higher Education, which runs roughly 1,000 college bookstores, is accelerating its private‑label strategy. The company launched the Cameron J performance‑apparel line, now in 190 locations and already generating millions in sales, while its earlier Campus United brand has posted...
Popflex’s Cassey Ho Is Taking Dupes of Her Viral Skort and Turning Them Into DIY Fashion Kits
Popflex founder Cassey Ho launched the Upcycle Project, offering DIY dress kits made from duplicated Pirouette Skort fabrics. The kits, designed by independent up‑cyclers Kiana Bonollo and Tracy Garcia, let customers deconstruct and redesign the material, with profits benefiting the...
Rhone Debuts Resale Site Built on Customer Returns
Rhone has launched ReRhone, a branded resale channel that sells customer returns through a partnership with Archive. The program debuts with roughly 400 items ranging from $19 to $274 and leverages the 5,000 returns the brand processes each month. By...
Brands Briefing: AI Personalization Tools Become Sales Drivers
Leatherology introduced "Yours, Truly," an AI‑driven design tool that lets shoppers create or upload artwork for debossed leather products on its direct‑to‑consumer site. Launched in October ahead of Cyber Week, the feature helped the brand exceed its holiday sales goal...
Bouqs Launches $5M Crowdfunding Raise to Support Future Store Openings
Floral delivery platform Bouqs has opened a crowdfunding round on DealMaker seeking up to $5 million to finance its brick‑and‑mortar rollout. The company, which posted $90.3 million in sales last year and remains EBITDA‑positive, aims to open 70 stores in the next...
What’s In Your Cart?: E.l.f. Beauty’s Chief Brand Officer Laurie Lam on Her Obsession with Black Sesame, Hotel Experiences and...
Laurie Lam, chief brand officer of e.l.f. Beauty, shared her personal shopping habits, emphasizing a preference for minority‑owned and female‑founded brands. She highlighted recent impulse buys such as a black‑sesame crunchy butter from Rooted Fare and sustainable travel experiences at...
Retail’s Busiest Streets Are Booming with New Investment, Flagships
Transaction volume in North America’s high‑traffic urban retail corridors jumped 82% from 2024 to 2025, signaling renewed investor confidence. Major retailers such as Uniqlo, H&M and luxury houses are opening flagship stores, with New York, Los Angeles and Miami accounting for 60%...
Modern Retail Podcast: The High Cost of Free Returns
The Modern Retail podcast examines the escalating cost of free returns, noting that 72% of brands now impose return fees. Hosts Melissa Daniels, Samantha Gold of Motette, and Arin Schultz of Naturepedic discuss how retailers can redesign policies to protect...
Fabletics Is Turning Its Stores Into Membership Growth Hubs
Fabletics is repurposing its 120‑store footprint as a primary engine for VIP membership acquisition, with roughly half of in‑store shoppers signing up. The VIP program now accounts for more than 95% of the brand’s revenue, supporting a $1 billion revenue milestone...
What It Takes for Startups to Pull Off a Costco Launch
After a regional test in Southern California, beverage brand Hiyo raced to launch in 400 Costco stores across 47 states within six weeks. The company produced an exclusive 18‑can variety pack, prepared over 1,000 pallets, and secured a national shelf...
Sam’s Club Aims to Make Free Samples More Measurable Using Kiosks, Tablets
Sam’s Club is integrating Freeosk’s free‑sample kiosks into its Member Access Program, rebranding the machines and managing sales opportunities in‑house. The retailer treats the kiosks as a retail‑media asset, linking sampling data to its broader advertising ecosystem. New interactive tablets...
Behind Pacsun’s Strategy for Keeping a Pulse on the Changing Tastes of Gen Z
Pacsun has launched a Youth Advisory Council and published its first Youth Report, gathering insights from 6,000 Gen‑Z and Gen‑Alpha respondents. The data fueled the creation of the PS Community Hub, a shoppable app that lets users curate purchases and...
What Amazon’s Proposed Big-Box Store Could Mean for Walmart
Amazon has filed plans for a 225,000‑square‑foot big‑box store in Orland Park, a Chicago suburb, that will combine groceries, general merchandise and dining, directly rivaling the average Walmart Supercenter. The concept marks Amazon’s first attempt at a full‑scale supercenter format, a...
Brands Briefing: Founders Hope for a ‘Dependable and Stable’ 2026 After the Chaos of 2025
The retail sector spent 2025 scrambling to absorb a wave of unpredictable tariff hikes that forced many brands to delay product launches, tighten inventory, and curtail hiring. Frequent duty changes eroded profit margins and triggered cost‑cutting measures, including layoffs. As...
Albertsons Is Putting Digital Screens for Ads in More than a Third of Its Stores
Albertsons Media Collective is rolling out an in‑store digital screen network to 800 of its more than 2,200 locations in 2026 after a successful pilot in 80 stores. The expansion follows the onboarding of over 50 advertising partners and a...
Goodwill’s E-Commerce Business Hits Record Sales as Online Thrifting Surges
Goodwill’s online marketplace ShopGoodwill.com recorded a record $450 million gross merchandise value in 2025, a 22 % increase over 2024 and the highest in its 26‑year history. The platform now exceeds $3 billion in cumulative sales, though it still represents less than 10 %...
Walmart’s Fashion Push Is Resonating with More Six-Figure Households
Walmart is rapidly expanding its fashion portfolio, adding ten private apparel brands since 2020 and debuting the teen‑focused Mills line in 750 stores and online. The retailer has also partnered with resale platform Rebag to offer pre‑owned luxury accessories, while...
Avocados From Mexico Turns to AI to Advertise Around the Super Bowl Instead of a TV Buy
Avocados From Mexico is forgoing a traditional $8 million Super Bowl TV spot in favor of an AI‑driven Prediction Pit that delivers real‑time football forecasts and custom guacamole recipes. The experience features a realistic Rob Riggle avatar powered by a predictive AI...
Modern Retail Podcast: Cautious Optimism at NRF Around AI and Shopper Sentiment in 2026
At the National Retail Federation’s 2026 conference, retailers displayed cautious optimism about AI’s role in commerce. Brands highlighted agentic commerce use cases, including AI-powered checkout and product discovery, while tech giants Google and Microsoft unveiled new retail AI tools. Despite...
The Next Retail Advantage Is Hiding in Merchants’ Payments Systems
Merchants are hitting conversion walls because legacy checkout systems can’t keep up with mobile traffic and buy‑now‑pay‑later demand. Adobe’s Payment Services, built into Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source, offers a unified payments layer that simplifies adding digital wallets and...
Marketplace Briefing: Inside the Marketplace Strategies of Target, Best Buy and Nordstrom
At NRF’s Big Show, executives from Target, Best Buy and Nordstrom detailed how their third‑party marketplaces have evolved into strategic growth engines. After years of investment, each retailer is using the marketplace to broaden product assortments, boost margins and enhance...
