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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Reckitt Benckiser’s CEO Kris Licht declared India and China must‑win markets as middle‑class households there now outnumber those in Europe and the United States combined. Emerging markets now represent about 42 % of Reckitt’s core net revenue, with India and China delivering a 17.2 % year‑on‑year revenue rise in the fourth quarter, while Europe fell 4.5 %. The company posted double‑digit growth for the tenth straight quarter, driven by deeper category penetration and expanded distribution. New Indian tax relief and rapid demand in tier‑3‑5 towns are boosting consumer buying power.
Tiffany & Co., now owned by LVMH, has launched the Enamel Diamond Watch, a high‑end timepiece that transforms the iconic 1962 paillonné enamel “Bird on a Rock” bangle into a watch. The piece features a spinning enamel‑filled dial ring mounted...
Vacheron Constantin, led by CEO Laurent Perves, posted over SFr 1 bn in 2023 revenue while producing roughly 25,000 watches, yet it refuses to chase volume growth. Instead, the brand is diversifying across classic, sport, high‑complication and Métiers d’art segments, treating its portfolio like...
Luxury watch growth is now driven by daring dial designs rather than new movements, with brands like Rolex and Piaget showcasing vivid colours and exotic stones. The trend has filtered down to affordable makers, most notably Dennison, which relaunched in...
Awards season is driving a surge in vintage jewellery loans as celebrities seek unique pieces for red‑carpet events. Auction house Sotheby’s has become a prominent lender, providing items like Jennifer Lawrence’s 1987 JAR ear clips and a Suzanne Belperron brooch, while...
Canada’s retail landscape is undergoing rapid change, from heightened French‑language compliance pressures in Quebec to strategic expansions and brand launches across the country. Major retailers such as BAPE entered the market with a flagship store in Vancouver, while Sungiven Foods...
St John Knits announced Mandy West as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. West, who joined the luxury knitwear label in 2019, most recently held the chief commercial officer role and previously oversaw retail, wholesale and buying as senior...
UNIQLO India posted a 44% year‑on‑year revenue jump to Rs 1,100 crore in FY25, driven by a 60% compound annual growth rate since 2019 and a 140% CAGR in e‑commerce sales. The retailer opened its 18th store, a 17,000 sq ft flagship in Bengaluru,...
Retailers are pivoting from Gen Z to Generation Alpha, the cohort born after 2010 that has grown up entirely in a digital ecosystem. The oldest Alphas will be 16 in 2025, already accounting for roughly half of US household spending...
Levi Strauss & Co. has appointed longtime executive Vicky Skelton as managing director of its East Asia Pacific region, tasking her with accelerating growth across a highly diverse market set. Skelton, who previously led Levi’s Canada, will drive a brand‑led,...
Singapore’s retail sales slipped 2.8% year‑on‑year in January 2026, totaling SG$3.9 billion, with online channels accounting for 16.8% of the mix. The drop is largely attributed to the Chinese New Year moving to February, postponing festive spending that boosted sales in...
Inside Retail and OneMusic Australia surveyed 1,250 ANZ consumers, revealing that in‑store music directly shapes dwell time, spend and brand perception. About 40% of shoppers leave a venue because the soundtrack feels wrong, while roughly half stay longer when it...
Long day? Climb into the bath tub and spend 3 hours soaking in this conversation with me and eComs Lex Friedman: @markbrazil https://t.co/MILIpQXdKG
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has entered its fourth week of serving contextual ads, with Sensor Tower reporting that retail and grocery promotions dominate the ad inventory. Over a two‑week sample, more than 100 distinct brand ads appeared, outpacing other categories such as...
The Material World roundup highlights a wave of sustainable and performance‑focused textile innovations. SXSW introduced a limited‑run, plant‑based filmmakers jacket produced with Unless Collective, while Lululemon launched ShowZero fabric that conceals sweat without sacrificing breathability. Polygiene unveiled OdorCrunch 2.0, a heavy‑metal‑free...
L.E.K. Consulting’s 2026 Brand Heat Index, based on a survey of nearly 5,000 U.S. consumers, shows Nike retaining the top spot in athletic footwear for both men and women. Hoka and On Running are closing the gap, especially among female...
Casavogue, Montreal’s flagship high‑end furniture showroom, marks its 54th anniversary with a $500 discount for every $3,000 spent on sofas, bedroom and dining sets. The promotion runs across a curated selection of premium collections, encouraging customers to refresh core home...
Gap Inc. posted fourth‑quarter revenue of $4.2 billion, falling short of Bloomberg’s consensus. Old Navy and Athleta missed comparable‑sales targets, while Gap and Banana Republic exceeded theirs. Despite the revenue miss, the retailer logged its eighth consecutive quarter of comparable‑sales growth,...
Brilliant Earth reported record Q4 net sales, propelled by a 34% year‑over‑year jump in fine‑jewelry bookings that now represent 23% of its mix. The company’s premium brand and data‑driven pricing engine helped preserve mid‑50s% gross margins despite gold up 67%...
Walgreens announced a pilot program that equips employees in select New York City stores with body‑worn cameras. The initiative aims to de‑escalate conflicts and improve safety for customers and staff while maintaining privacy safeguards. The move follows similar pilots by...
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Subway is offering a free foot‑long upgrade on March 9 for customers who purchase a six‑inch Meatball Sub as part of its Sub of the Day or Meal of the Day. The promotion, timed with National Meatball Day, aims to sell...
Beef.com is building a digital infrastructure platform to link cattle producers directly with real‑time pricing data, transaction routing and settlement services. The system will feature a Beef Index for verified price discovery, a digital settlement layer to accelerate payments, provenance...
Escalating conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States is disrupting key air and maritime corridors in the Persian Gulf, notably the Strait of Hormuz. The disruptions are lengthening transit times, raising freight costs, and forcing carriers like DHL to...
Pilot Coffee Roasters has opened a new café in the post‑security transborder lounge at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ). The outlet is operated by SSP Canada in partnership with Nieuport Aviation, bringing the Toronto‑based roaster’s premium, locally roasted beans...
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has asked New York City for $70 million to launch five city‑run grocery stores, one in each borough, despite a $5.4 billion budget gap. The proposal offers no detailed operating plan and relies on subsidies to private businesses, eliminating...
Reformation has joined the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) initiative as a Signatory Friend, granting the brand access to ZDHC’s chemical‑management tools. The company already routes 85% of its products through facilities certified by OEKO‑TEX Standard 100 or Bluesign and...
7‑Eleven, along with its Speedway and Stripes banners, rolled out two new frozen drinks to counter the sleep‑loss effects of daylight‑saving time. The lineup features a Sour Patch Kids Watermelon Slurpee, a tart, candy‑inspired beverage, and the first‑ever Fresca Zero...
One thing I’ve learned watching iconic companies up close: They never stay the same. They reinvent. They relearn. They adopt new tools before the market forces them to. Right now AI is creating one of those moments again. The founders and brands that...
Target fuels AI in $2B spending plan | @CIOdive https://t.co/bz9LR1PLOB More evidence that companies view AI as absolutely strategic to their future growth.
Shein’s latest Digital Services Act transparency report shows the platform’s European monthly active users reached 155.7 million, a 6.9% increase over the previous six months. Growth has decelerated from the prior 11.6% rate, with France remaining the largest market and Germany...
Coupang announced it is hiring an in‑house legal team dedicated to stablecoin issuance and regulatory compliance. The initiative will enable the e‑commerce giant to embed blockchain‑based digital assets across its South Korean and Taiwanese operations, as well as its Farfetch...
Klarna and Affirm have integrated their buy‑now‑pay‑later (BNPL) services into Stripe’s shared payment token platform. The move enables AI‑driven shopping agents to automatically offer installment plans at checkout instead of defaulting to stored credit cards. The partnership targets the “bridge‑millennial”...
OpenAI is in early talks with ad‑tech giant The Trade Desk to sell advertising on its ChatGPT platform, part of a broader push to generate $17 billion in consumer revenue this year. The company has already partnered with Criteo to launch...
Christine Hunsicker, founder of fashion‑rental tech firm CaaStle, pleaded guilty to securities fraud for inflating the company’s revenue and cash position. Over six years she misrepresented financials, showing a $24 million operating profit that was actually under $30,000 and a $50 million...
Amazon Haul, the low‑price, direct‑from‑China storefront, now hosts 3,287 sellers after launching in November 2024. The platform’s seller base is heavily China‑registered and generates roughly $2 billion in annual GMV, with most sellers offering items under $20. Amazon has backed the...
Ingram Micro posted fiscal Q4 2025 net sales of $14.88 billion, up 11.5 % YoY, and net income rose 46 % to $121.4 million. Growth was driven by its Xvantage platform, which integrates over 400 AI/ML models to automate commerce functions such as pricing,...
Pilot Travel Centers, operating over 900 locations across North America, has signed a five‑year exclusive agreement to deploy NCR Voyix’s point‑of‑sale and fuel technology at every site. The move expands an existing partnership and aims to modernize Pilot’s tech stack,...
Brands and retailers are confronting intensified regulatory scrutiny and potential sanctions over sustainability claims, prompting many to adopt “greenhushing” – the practice of keeping environmental initiatives hidden. While this approach reduces the risk of violating emerging green‑claim laws, it also...
Albaray marks its fifth anniversary with fresh collaborations and expanded retail partnerships while reaffirming its sustainable ethos. Drapers has released a Conscious Fashion Manifesto urging government support for Made‑in‑UK production, recycling infrastructure, compliance financing, and clear sustainability guidance. The CMA’s...
Domino’s is rolling out a social‑first campaign that showcases influencer‑crafted pizza combos ahead of March Madness, promoting its under‑$10 “Best Deal Ever.” The initiative pairs creators like Jesser, Trisha Paytas and Courtney Cook with college basketball players, and includes a partnership with...
Back Market reported a 2025 gross merchandise value (GMV) exceeding €3.5 billion, a 32 percent rise from the prior year. The French marketplace also posted a 35 percent EBITDA margin in France and achieved global EBITDA profitability. In Germany, GMV and revenue jumped...
Circuit & Chisel, a New York startup founded by former Stripe crypto executives, raised $19.2 million to launch ATXP, an agent transaction protocol that enables AI agents to navigate and execute payments autonomously. The company’s backers include Stripe, Polygon Labs, and Samsung Next, signaling strong...
Retail leaders at a pre‑show panel highlighted three critical shifts shaping commerce: dwindling cookie data is forcing brands to seek new engagement tactics and own product lifecycles, headless architectures on platforms like Shopify are slashing implementation costs and enabling rapid...
TikTok Shop announced a new US‑Mexico cross‑border program that lets U.S. merchants sell to Mexican consumers without establishing a local legal entity. The initiative, called the TikTok Shop US‑MX Program, allows sellers to use their existing U.S. shop credentials while...
LoveShackFancy has teamed with Crocs for a limited‑edition spring collection that debuts on March 5. The line includes classic clogs, platform clogs and ballet‑style flats, all drenched in the brand’s pastel floral prints, bows, gold accents and interchangeable Jibbitz charms. Prices...
Reelables unveiled a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Smart Label indoor tracking solution that delivers location accuracy up to 10 centimeters, matching ultra‑wideband performance at a fraction of the cost. The system combines Reelables’ flexible smart labels with IOSEA’s SEAgnal AoA RTLS...
Men’s Wearhouse partnered with Ovation Group and The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform to run an audio‑only campaign from March to June 2025 across Spotify, iHeart, Acast and Pandora. The effort, aimed at younger, digitally‑first men, leveraged Ovation’s EMRge marketing intelligence...
Men’s Wearhouse partnered with Ovative Group and The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform to run an audio‑only campaign across Spotify, iHeart, Acast and Pandora from March to June 2025. The campaign, aimed at younger “Stylish Steve” and older “Professional Paul” men,...
Retail experts argue that dynamic pricing can help merchants offset tariff‑driven cost spikes by aligning prices with real‑time demand. The approach builds on traditional markdown optimization, extending it to continuous price adjustments across channels. Altug stresses that supply‑chain resilience—through redundancy...
EE opened an Experience Local store on London’s Oxford Street, marking the third experiential outlet the carrier has launched in the capital. The opening, celebrated by former Love Island star Luke Trotman, is part of a £3 million investment EE has...
