Know What's Happening in Retail
Know What's Happening in Retail
AI start‑ups deploy virtual‑try‑on tech to slash $850 billion retail return losses
AI start‑ups such as Catches are launching virtual‑try‑on platforms that create realistic digital twins of shoppers, aiming to reduce the retail sector’s $850 billion return problem. The National Retail Federation reports that 15.8% of U.S. sales – 19.3% online – were returned in 2025, eroding margins. Generative AI and cheap cloud compute now make these tools cost‑effective.
Also developing:
After successful pilots in Spain and Portugal, IKEA has introduced digital ordering kiosks at its Liège, Belgium restaurant. The self‑service system lets customers order and pay via touchscreens, with an app option coming soon, while preserving traditional counter service. Early results show a 14% increase in customer traffic and higher satisfaction scores. The rollout also improves staff collaboration and kitchen workflow.
Retailers are confronting an order‑management crisis as legacy ERP systems fail to deliver real‑time inventory visibility and seamless omnichannel experiences. Customers now expect instant, consistent information across online and physical stores, a standard set by hyper‑convenient players like Amazon. Discrepancies...
Commerce media, originally built on intent‑driven placements like search and checkout, is entering a new phase that prioritizes discovery within high‑trust moments of the customer journey. Checkout proved performance follows intent, but today brands seek value where attention, context, and...
E‑Catalog, a long‑standing product aggregator, has integrated PriceHub.AI to turn static price lists into an intelligent shopping assistant. The AI engine pulls real‑time marketplace data, evaluates specifications, prices, and reviews, and delivers data‑driven, transparent recommendations. Personalization adapts to user preferences...
Aldi has pledged the lowest Easter prices on key meat and vegetable items, advertising explicit per‑kilogram rates—£3.75 ($4.70) for pork loin, £3.99 ($5.00) for prime gammon and £6.19 ($7.74) for whole lamb—plus unmatched vegetable pricing. The chain expects to sell...
Everyone sees a price: 'That's expensive.' Ecom founders see a price: 'What's the value and what's the ROI?' Different mindset. Different way of thinking.
TikTok Shop is launching a three‑day beauty pop‑up at Westfield Stratford from March 27‑29, coinciding with its spring sale. The immersive hub will showcase brands such as Dr. Melaxin UK, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and AXIS‑Y UK, with products purchasable via QR codes...
Cape Town‑based BNPL startup Happy Pay closed a US$5 million (R86 million) seed round led by Partech, with participation from several local investors. The company, which counts more than 600,000 registered users, operates a merchant‑funded, ad‑subsidised payments network that places instalment options...
Razorpay has teamed up with Sarvam, a sovereign AI platform, to launch voice‑first conversational commerce in India. The collaboration blends Sarvam’s multilingual AI models with Razorpay’s payments infrastructure, enabling users to discover products, place orders and complete payments via natural...
Grab will acquire Delivery Hero’s Foodpanda Taiwan for $600 million in cash, marking its first move beyond Southeast Asia. The deal, cash‑free and debt‑free, is slated to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory sign‑off. Foodpanda Taiwan posted roughly...
WUKA, a UK sustainable period‑care brand, has expanded its partnership with Tesco, boosting its in‑store presence from under 300 locations to more than 1,800 nationwide. The rollout reaches over 1,300 Tesco Express stores, marking the first large‑scale introduction of reusable...
The article evaluates the most effective AliExpress browser extensions, highlighting tools that streamline product sourcing, price comparison, and order automation. It references broader e‑commerce trends—Alibaba’s New Retail push, mobile lending apps, and marketplace revitalization—to illustrate why advanced extensions are essential...
Biohacking has moved from Silicon Valley labs to mainstream retail, creating a multi‑category ecosystem of supplements, devices, and ritual‑driven services. Platforms such as iHerb aggregate thousands of products, while flagship stores like Mecca’s “Apothecary” turn physical space into curated wellness...
The fashion wholesale ecosystem is undergoing a structural reset as a cascade of bankruptcies—Matches, Ssense, and Saks Global—exposes the fragility of the multibrand retail model. Historically, wholesale offered emerging labels credibility and established brands geographic reach without the cost of...
Subway has named Yellowstone Investment as its master franchise partner for Taiwan, granting the firm full control over restaurant management and development. The agreement aims to accelerate store openings across urban and suburban areas over the next ten years. Yellowstone...
Babylist is launching a 20,000‑square‑foot showroom in Manhattan’s Soho this summer, eclipsing its 18,000‑square‑foot Beverly Hills flagship. The space will blend retail with education, offering product demos, barcode‑based registry additions, and regular community programming tailored to New York’s compact living and...
Pawn shops are experiencing heightened demand as inflation and economic uncertainty tighten household budgets. EZCorp, operating about 1,500 stores, reported a 9% year‑over‑year rise in outstanding pawn loans and a 16% revenue increase to $270 million in the latest quarter. The...
Remedy Place, a boutique wellness club with locations in Los Angeles, New York and Boston, has introduced a $500 smart NAD injection pen that lasts 30 days and is reusable with a fresh needle for each dose. The pen is manufactured by UK‑based...
German leather‑goods label Aigner has signed a distribution deal with Melchers China to accelerate its expansion across Mainland China. The agreement gives Melchers control of Aigner’s retail and e‑commerce channels, beginning with a flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion....
Cashback apps promise shoppers a rebate on purchases, but the model relies on commissions from retailers and extensive data collection. ShopBack, the market leader with over 55 million users, was recently valued at A$1.4 billion, while banks such as Westpac and...
Free AF, the alcohol‑free beverage brand, is expanding in the United States by adding Whole Foods and Kroger to its retail network, bringing its presence to over 4,000 stores. The rollout introduces the Margarita Variety 4‑Pack and Apero Spritz 4‑Pack...
Daiso Industries has chosen RELEX Solutions to overhaul demand forecasting and automate replenishment across its domestic network of 4,625 stores and more than 20 distribution centers. The AI‑native platform will replace the retailer’s rule‑based, judgment‑driven ordering with data‑driven predictions, aiming...
Hong Kong’s K11 Musea is undergoing a major revamp, adding over 60 new luxury brands and redesigning roughly 30% of its retail floor. Rents are projected to increase by double digits as flagship stores like Audemars Piguet, Prada and Rolex...
Miller Lite and Michelob ULTRA rolled out high‑profile Super Bowl‑season ads featuring 82‑year‑old Christopher Walken and 75‑year‑old Kurt Russell, hoping the trusted faces will win over Gen Z drinkers. Industry insiders warn the elder‑centric approach may clash with a generation...
Costco announced a suite of member‑only benefits, including a guaranteed $1.50 hot‑dog price, automated pay stations that cut checkout time to eight seconds and tariff‑shielding actions, to improve renewal rates. The moves come as the wholesale club battles rising churn...
SM Investments reported 2025 revenues of 681.7 billion pesos (≈US$11.4 billion), driven largely by a 5.4% rise in retail sales. The conglomerate is accelerating expansion beyond Metro Manila, with 82% of its 490 new stores and two new malls opened in provincial...
Vietnam's e‑commerce logistics is entering a consolidation phase as two major players, Ninja Van and Flex Speed, have withdrawn from B2C delivery. Shopee and TikTok Shop are projected to capture about 97% of the market, driving 429.7 trillion VND in...
A leading dollar‑store chain announced the closure of more than 75 stores and a price hike across its remaining locations, citing persistent inflation and higher supplier costs. The move threatens the affordability of millions of price‑sensitive shoppers and signals a...
Episode EP337 of The Jason & Scot Show #ecommerce podcast is a discussion on the Future of Agentic Commerce from Citi’s Global Consumer & Retail Conference https://t.co/IBJ4DZuVIC https://t.co/QlMbDXvoqj
On March 23, 2026, UK‑based alcoholic beverage brand WKD announced the appointment of a new social‑media agency to overhaul its digital presence. The partnership is aimed at revitalising WKD’s content strategy, targeting younger consumers and expanding reach across TikTok, Instagram...
How To Build A $10,000/mo AI Ecom Brand in 2026 (Full Guide) WATCH HERE 👉 https://t.co/VuFsAF4ETI The "Old Way" of E-commerce is dead. In 2026, if your store looks like "dropshipping," it won't convert. I’m showing you the exact AI-first workflow...
Target has added a Store Mode feature to its mobile app that automatically activates when customers enter a store, offering AI‑powered navigation and checkout shortcuts. The move seeks to capture a larger slice of the roughly $21 billion in sales generated...
Outlet malls have a bunch of strategic advantages that make them unlike any other “mall” 1. They are open air, so lower HVAC costs 2. They are far away, so land prices are low 3. Every store has smaller footprint (no large dead...
Amazon is treating India as a long‑term growth market, expanding its zero‑referral‑fee program to cover roughly 125 million products. The company announced an additional $35 billion investment in India by 2030, on top of the $40 billion already spent. A new air...
Nothing, the London‑based consumer‑tech brand, opened its first exclusive Bengaluru store to overwhelming demand, seeing 700‑750 visitors daily and projecting profitability within a year. Riding that momentum, the company announced plans to add 5,000 offline touchpoints, taking its Indian footprint...
Major UK retailers, led by Currys Plc, Associated British Foods Plc and the British Retail Consortium, are pressing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to accelerate the removal of the £135 de‑minimis customs exemption. They argue the loophole gives fast‑fashion platforms...
Also in Power On: Retail inventory of HomePod, HomePod mini and Apple TV dwindles — again. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-22/apple-s-airpods-max-2-blurs-the-lines-between-marketing-and-innovation-mn1pfx3h
Walmart has installed electronic shelf‑label screens in roughly 2,300 U.S. stores and plans to cover its entire network within a year. Shoppers are flooding social media with complaints that the AI‑driven labels enable dynamic or surveillance pricing, eroding confidence in...
Chai Kings, the Chennai‑based new‑age tea retailer, is set to open about 30 new outlets in the city this year and expand into Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The chain, which posted roughly ₹56 crore in revenue this fiscal year, is targeting...
AI agents are emerging as autonomous digital employees that can handle customer support, inventory management, marketing, and even checkout within chat interfaces. Brands such as Naadam and Ridge have already shifted routine support and ad generation to AI, reporting lower...
Louis Bofferding, a veteran Manhattan antiques dealer, is closing his Upper East Side showroom and moving his entire inventory online after decades of resisting e‑commerce. Known for curating rare, story‑rich pieces, he will transition to a digital boutique while offering...
Resale platforms such as Depop and Poshmark are now embedded in the sports arena, where fan‑driven merchandise fuels a booming secondhand market. ThredUp projects the global resale sector to reach $367 billion by 2029, growing 2.7 times faster than overall apparel. Sports...
Amazon is offering the Addlon 48‑foot solar patio string lights for $22, a steep drop from the original $40 price. The lights boast waterproof, windproof, snowproof and sunproof durability, with a PET‑plastic housing and shatter‑proof Edison bulbs. They can charge...
The Atour model: cross-selling products to customers. Does this really work? I doubt it’s much of a revenue line for Ya Kun https://t.co/plm2GxOcbJ
Lacoste is executing a dual‑track activation strategy, pairing the Miami Beach "Club Lacoste" tennis experience with a fashion‑focused pop‑up at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann in Paris. The Paris installation, dubbed "The Locker Room," transforms eleven storefront windows and two pop‑up spaces...
Max Fashion announced plans to open 40‑50 new stores across India within the next year, extending its rapid expansion strategy. The retailer inaugurated its 34th Chennai outlet, the 71st in Tamil Nadu, featuring a 14,000 sq ft format with dedicated men’s, women’s and...
Sally Beauty has opened an official storefront on TikTok Shop, launching more than 1,000 products over the next weeks. The assortment blends Sally‑owned labels such as Beauty Secrets and Silk Elements with national brands like Sauce Beauty and upcoming partners...
K‑Beauty World has added 17 new Korean beauty brands to Ulta Beauty’s online marketplace, expanding its roster to 12 initial brands with five more slated for May. The assortment leans heavily toward skincare, featuring nine skincare labels alongside hair‑care, body‑care,...
Thai lifestyle retailer Moshi Moshi is capturing a growing share of Thailand’s Gen‑Z market by offering ultra‑low‑priced stationery, cosmetics and smartphone accessories. The chain expanded to over 200 stores in 2025 and posted a 12% year‑on‑year sales increase, outpacing the...
