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.
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Lowe’s rolled out its generative‑AI assistant Mylow a year ago and now handles roughly one million monthly queries from DIY shoppers and professional contractors. A dedicated version, Mylow Companion, equips store associates with instant product recommendations, cutting preparation time from hours to under a minute. The platform supports both English and Spanish, tailoring advice to the expertise level of each customer. Senior VP Chandhu Nair emphasizes weekly store walks to gather real‑world feedback and continuously refine the AI experience.
In 1962, Avis was losing money. Had been for thirteen years straight. Hertz owned the car rental market. Avis was a distant second with no realistic path to first. Their agency, Doyle Dane Bernbach, came back with a campaign built entirely around...
UK online retail delivered £9.25 billion in February, a 3.3% year‑on‑year increase despite rain and geopolitical tension. The growth was powered by mobile commerce, social‑driven discovery and a rapid uptake of generative AI tools in the purchase journey. Falling prices in...
Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott, the Western‑inspired lifestyle brand launched in 2023, is opening its first flagship outside Texas in Nashville, Tennessee. The 10,000‑square‑foot store will showcase curated jewelry, hats, boots, apparel, and feature a Hat Customization Atelier and the...
Grind, a South London coffee brand, evolved from a family mobile‑phone shop into a multi‑channel specialty coffee business. After a government‑ordered shutdown forced the founder to start from zero, the company rebuilt with a flagship Shoreditch café and expanded into...
Levi Strauss & Co. announced it will adopt SCAYLE as the core technology for its global ecommerce operations. The migration of Levi’s online storefronts to the SCAYLE platform will begin in 2026 and continue through 2027, covering multiple international markets....
Portugal's e‑commerce market reached 5.8 million online shoppers in 2025, a 4 percent increase year‑over‑year and representing 67.9 percent of the population. The Marktest E‑commerce Barometer found free delivery to be the most influential purchase driver, ahead of price discounts and loyalty incentives....
Retailers are urged to treat store presentation as a strategic asset, shaping shopper pathways, lighting, and sensory cues to boost engagement. Research shows 90% of U.S. shoppers instinctively turn right, making that zone prime real estate for new or high‑margin...
FedEx has launched a reusable shipping box system for B2B shipments, created with Returnity. The collapsible containers hold up to 50 lb, survive roughly 50 reuse cycles, and fit existing FedEx sorting equipment. FedEx says the solution can slash packaging costs...
Retail expert Gino Van Ossel warned that e‑commerce, while technically mature, remains a fiercely contested battlefield. He highlighted that omnichannel is now the baseline, with supermarkets such as Delhaize and Colruyt expanding click‑&‑collect, subscriptions and home delivery to capture online...
Colruyt’s AI‑powered Easy Checkout, which speeds scanning by roughly 20 %, has moved from a 2023 pilot to deployment in over 100 Belgian stores and is slated for a full rollout across all 273 locations this year. The system’s “caddy‑to‑caddy” workflow...
Whole Foods Market announced the opening of six new Daily Shop stores in London, doubling its UK presence to twelve locations. The stores, ranging from 3,300 to 10,000 square feet, occupy former Amazon Fresh sites and will launch between April...
SmartLabel, the QR‑code based product‑labeling platform launched in 2015, now serves over 106,000 SKUs from more than 1,000 brands and records roughly 22 million consumer interactions annually, with users spending about 90 seconds per scan. The initiative is gearing up for...
Geox reported an 8.3% decline in sales for FY 2025, bringing revenue to €608.7 million. The drop reflects both weaker demand and deliberate exits from underperforming markets, notably the United States and China, costing €16.7 million. The Italian footwear maker is initiating...
Santander and Visa have launched Latin America’s first end‑to‑end agentic commerce pilot, completing real‑world transactions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay using Visa Intelligent Commerce. AI agents bought chocolates in Brazil and books in the other markets, proving that...
In this episode, the host celebrates Patina, a retailer renowned for its flawless merchandising across all locations. They describe a recent visit to the Maple Grove, Minnesota store, highlighting a standout capsule presentation that exemplifies the brand's aesthetic and attention...
White Castle is rolling its Cheddar Bacon Cheese Slider out of the freezer aisle into Albertsons, Safeway and other grocery chains, with Dollar General joining in April. The slider, first sold in a Walmart variety pack last year and then...
At Shoptalk Spring 2026, Epson Robots will demonstrate scalable retail automation solutions, featuring its compact T‑Series SCARA robots and the RC+ industrial development platform. The showcase highlights applications from back‑office fulfillment—such as picking, packaging, and kitting—to customer‑facing kiosks, emphasizing ease...
Dollar General reported a 5.9% year‑over‑year increase in fourth‑quarter net sales, reaching $10.9 billion, and a 5.2% rise in full‑year 2025 sales to $42.7 billion. Same‑store sales grew 4.3% in Q4 and 3% for the year, but the company forecast slower growth...
Woolworth celebrated the opening of its thousandth European store in Essen, marking a key milestone for the German non‑food discounter. The retailer now operates roughly 850 outlets in Germany and is targeting 1,500 domestic locations, while maintaining a presence in...
Sigma Sports announced a specialist marketplace launching in summer 2026, powered by Mirakl, to give niche cycling and triathlon brands a premium, high‑converting sales channel. The platform imposes no listing fees, lets sellers control pricing, and offers weekly payouts while...
Mead Lumber will finalize its brand unification on March 13, 2026, by renaming its former Knecht Home Center in Cañon City, Colorado to Mead Lumber. This marks the completion of a rollout that began in October 2025 and now brings...
Checkpoint Systems has signed a multi‑year global software agreement with JD Sports Fashion Plc to deploy its ItemOptix RFID inventory management platform across the retailer’s European stores. After a successful pilot in the UK, France and Spain, the rollout will...
Beauty remains a bright spot in the UK retail landscape, prompting major chains to experiment with boutique formats. Sephora is rolling out its first boutique stores on Carnaby Street and Old Spitalfields Market, with plans for a broader regional rollout....
This was an interesting stat given by Petco in their call last night, “Industry data tells us that 34% of Gen Z customers shop exclusively in stores. Interestingly, this group’s preference for an in-store experience is much higher than Gen...
Today at 11am PT @itslukeaustin and I are walking through the Prophit Engine live. What it is. How it works. Who it's for. https://t.co/GX7yzTTDT8
Consumer trust in paid beauty endorsements has hit historic lows, prompting a shift toward unsponsored product recommendations. Industry experts note that when influencers share products without a brand deal, audiences perceive the advice as genuine personal experience. Freelance beauty editor...
Whole Foods Market announced six new London stores opening between April and June 2026, doubling its UK presence to twelve locations. Five of the sites will occupy former Amazon Fresh spaces, while the Angel store launches first on April 2....
Casey’s General Stores announced it will extend its chicken wing line to all 2,900+ locations over the next two years, following a successful pilot that began in Des Moines in January 2025. The wing rollout now covers more than 550...
Retail research by Savvy forecasts UK Mother’s Day spending to reach £18 billion in 2026, a 15% year‑on‑year increase. Participation is strong, with 65% of shoppers planning to celebrate and 88% among households with children. The trend toward premium and at‑home...
John Lewis reported a 3% rise in FY 2025/26 sales, reaching £4.9 bn ($6.6 bn). The growth is attributed to its customer‑focused omnichannel strategy, which blends online and physical store experiences. Ongoing investment in store upgrades underpins the strategy, aiming to boost...
Australian BNPL firm Zip launched a new brand platform, “In You We Trust,” and the accompanying “You Trust Me?” ad campaign. The campaign puts trust front‑and‑center, humorously showing Zip repeatedly affirming confidence in customers. By making trust the core message,...
The retail sector is moving past AI hype toward measurable Economic Impact, emphasizing Decision Intelligence over mere adoption. Executives are urged to focus on core business decisions, especially pricing, by shifting from low‑fidelity, commodity‑driven models to high‑fidelity, data‑rich approaches. High...
Conversational marketing is becoming essential for retailers as shoppers demand real‑time, personalized communication. A 2025 Infobip‑Retail Economics survey found 61% of UK consumers view retailer messages as irrelevant and 56% say they lack personalization. Retailers are turning to live chat,...
Ingka Group, Ikea’s largest retailer, is launching a medium‑format store concept, adding 20 compact locations across Europe and North America within six months. The new stores target smaller towns and suburbs where Ikea currently has no presence, complementing its traditional...
Gift cards are experiencing renewed growth, especially in fashion, as UK consumers bought them for others 16% of the time in the first half of 2025, up from 15.8% a year earlier. Self‑gift purchases also climbed to 9%, reflecting a...
Huber & Holly, the premium ice‑cream brand of HOCCO Ice‑Cream, has entered the impulse ice‑cream segment with a new “Cones & Candies” range. The line offers ready‑to‑eat cone packs of four priced at Rs 250 and candy‑style single‑serve packs priced between...
U.S. consumers are rapidly embracing AI, with 71% reporting usage and 37% engaging daily or several times a week, according to Numerator’s survey of over 5,000 adults. Frequent users are predominantly high‑income, urban Gen Z and Millennials, while non‑users skew low‑income...
Decathlon has launched a new global advertising campaign created by AMV BBDO, co‑written and voiced by 9‑year‑old Frida. The film celebrates the thrill of first‑time sporting experiences, featuring families, beginners and seasoned athletes across a range of activities. By showcasing...
UK shoppers are increasingly evaluating clothing on a cost‑per‑wear basis, with 70 % of adults and 79 % of 25‑34‑year‑olds prioritizing long‑term value over price. The trend, described as “investment wardrobes,” is driven by sustainability concerns and a desire for durable pieces....
AI shopping assistants drove $67 billion in Cyber Week 2025 sales, representing one in five digital purchases. However, 82 % of AI failures are hallucinations—confidently wrong answers that erode trust. Traditional QA misses these errors because it tests ideal scenarios, not real‑world shopper...
A $13 million streetscape overhaul completed in summer 2022 turned Hudson Street’s narrow, congested blocks into a pedestrian‑friendly boulevard with protected bike lanes, benches and wider sidewalks. The redesign helped drive the storefront vacancy rate down to 17.2% in 2025, a...
Roksanda launched a three‑month concept store at 171‑172 Sloane Street in London. Designed by architect Bradley Taylor and curated by Roksanda Ilinčić with four female collaborators, the space blends fashion, art, and design. The pop‑up showcases the spring/summer 2026 collection...
Zalando is positioning itself for an AI‑driven e‑commerce future, where analysts expect AI agents to handle 15 % of online sales by 2030. The retailer, which has been experimenting with AI for fifteen years, now creates 90 % of its marketing content...
Retail brands rely on customer trust, which is jeopardized by compliance gaps rather than deliberate misconduct. The article outlines five practical steps—transparent disclosures, secure data handling, e‑commerce rule adherence, truthful pricing, and omnichannel consistency—to protect that trust. Implementing these measures...
Amazon will stop accepting meltable inventory for FBA after April 20, initiating a seasonal restriction that runs until September 28. Products that melt at 155 °F or lower—such as chocolate, gummies, and wax items—must be removed or risk being marked unfulfillable. Starting May 1,...
Buchanan Galleries has become the first Scottish shopping centre to equip all staff with specialist sighted‑guide training, delivered by the Guide Dogs charity. The program covered communication techniques, safe navigation of busy areas and guide‑dog etiquette for security, cleaning and...
Zalando posted double‑digit growth in 2025, with GMV rising 14.7% to €17.6 billion, revenue up 16.8% to €12.3 billion and EBIT reaching €591 million. Active customers hit a record 62 million and non‑fashion categories grew 13%. The July 2026 acquisition of ABOUT YOU is expected...
Levi Strauss & Co. launched a high‑visibility window takeover at Selfridges on Oxford Street, wrapping 16 storefront windows in vinyl as part of its "Behind Every Original" campaign. The activation runs through March 18 and showcases a roster of global...
Anya Hindmarch is releasing a Mini version of its Universal Bag in partnership with Tesco, rolling out in more than 500 UK stores this March. The smaller, navy‑blue bag with red handles is priced at £10 and targets quick‑shop trips,...
