Rumored Feature Coming to Steam that Will Help You Track Prices, and Microsoft Should Copy It Immediately for Xbox and...
Valve is reportedly rolling out a broader 30‑day price‑history tracker on Steam, extending beyond the limited EU pilot launched in 2023. The feature would let gamers see recent price fluctuations directly in the store, reducing reliance on external tools. Xbox currently offers no native price‑history view, forcing users to turn to third‑party sites like XBDeals. The article argues that Microsoft should adopt a similar built‑in solution to match competitors and improve shopper confidence.
Retailers Like Pact, MaryRuth’s and Ollie Turn Customer Experience Into a Growth Function
Retailers Pact, MaryRuth’s and Ollie are turning customer experience (CX) into a profit engine rather than a cost‑center. Pact deployed AI‑powered chat that now resolves 57% of conversations and converts 17% of visitors, while using the channel to move excess...
Authentic Brands Group Is Bringing Barneys Back
Authentic Brands Group, the owner of Juicy Couture, Brooks Brothers and Forever 21, plans to revive Barneys New York at its former Madison Avenue flagship. The move follows the 2019 $271 million purchase of Barneys’ intellectual property and a failed licensing partnership with...
Popular Convenience Store, 99 Years Old, Closing Over 600 Locations
7‑Eleven’s parent, Seven & I Holding, announced it will close 645 North American stores by February 28, 2027, while simultaneously opening more than 200 new locations. The closures represent the fifth consecutive year the chain has net‑closed more stores than it opened,...
Stop Waiting for Insights. Build the System That Produces Them
Marketing leaders often centralize customer data expecting instant insights, but they end up with clean dashboards that lack actionable guidance. The article argues that insight emerges only when data is coupled with a systematic execution engine that captures response metrics...
FTC Slaps Oak Street Bootmakers Over ‘More Than Made in USA’ Claims
The Federal Trade Commission has fined Oak Street Bootmakers $75,000 and ordered it to stop misrepresenting its footwear as wholly made in the United States. The FTC found the company sourced uppers from the Dominican Republic and outsoles from Brazil,...
Does Maryland’s Measure on Surveillance Pricing Do Enough?
Maryland’s legislature passed the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act (H.B. 895), which would make the state the first to outlaw surveillance pricing—dynamic price changes based on shoppers’ personal data. The bill includes exemptions for loyalty programs and subscription‑based pricing, and...
Retail Technology Has a Speed Problem, Not a Scale Problem
Retail CIOs spent a decade engineering massive, scale‑focused platforms, but those systems now impede rapid market response. The hidden cost is a web of manual workarounds that add decision latency, turning the legacy burden into a speed problem rather than...
The Fresh Market Revamps Loyalty Program, Redesigns App
The Fresh Market unveiled a revamped loyalty program, TFM Rewards, alongside a redesigned mobile app. The new rewards scheme adds 5% savings on curbside orders, personalized promotions, birthday bonuses and exclusive in‑store events. The app now serves as a hub for...
Christopher John Rogers’s Old Navy Collab Is All You Need This Spring
Old Navy has launched its second designer partnership, teaming with LVMH‑prize finalist Christopher John Rogers to reimagine classic American staples. The collection leans heavily on cotton fabrics, bold color‑blocking, and versatile silhouettes aimed at a wide range of body types. CEO Zac Posen...
Emma Grede’s 4 Rules for Making Your Brand Actually Matter on Social
Emma Grede, founding partner of Skims and author of *Start With Yourself*, outlined four brand‑building rules at ADWEEK’s Social Media Week. She argues that trust and authenticity now eclipse raw follower counts, and that product excellence must precede any marketing...
Listening, Adapting and Earning Loyalty: How Retailers Can Win Customers in a More Intentional Economy
Retailers face a summer 2026 that is no longer a mid‑year lull but a decisive sales window, as inflation‑pressured shoppers spread purchases across longer periods and seek value. NRF data shows consumers start buying earlier, with nearly 20% beginning months...
Home Depot April 2026: Best Deals Available This Month
Home Depot’s “Spring Black Friday” event in April offers deep discounts on a mix of garden, tool and storage items. Highlights include a $50 markdown on the Ryobi 18V push mower kit, a 50% price cut on the DeWalt Atomic...
Bluon Launches PartsConnect Tool for HVAC Contractors
Bluon unveiled PartsConnect, a new feature in its mobile app that lets HVAC‑R technicians scan a unit’s model number, instantly see compatible replacement parts, check real‑time inventory at nearby distributors, and purchase the items within the platform. The tool builds...
Founder’s Diary: Batch Ldn’s Julian Osborne
Julian Osborne and Sam Matanle launched Batch Ldn in 2021 as a men’s casual‑suiting label. Within three years the brand generated roughly £3 million (about $3.8 million) in revenue and secured a 2,000‑sq‑ft flagship on Covent Garden. Osborne’s diary entry details the...
How Manscaped Used AI to Evolve Beyond Ball Memes
Manscaped, famed for its ball‑trimmer humor, partnered with Consiglieri’s AI tool Clamor to break out of its meme‑centric niche as it expanded into hair and beard care. The platform monitors every social channel, decodes sarcasm and emojis, and delivers real‑time...
The Idea that the Internet Is Built for People Is Crumbling. That Has Huge Implications for Your Business
Companies have long built the web for human visitors, but a new wave of AI agents is changing that premise. Protocols such as Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, Google’s Agent‑to‑Agent and Universal Commerce Protocol, and OpenAI’s Operator are creating a standardized...
Iarnród Éireann Travelers Can Now Pay with PayPal
Iarnród Éireann has integrated PayPal into its website and mobile app, allowing travelers to buy rail tickets using PayPal balances or linked funding sources. The move serves the operator’s 55 million annual passengers and targets both domestic and international customers. PayPal...
Indie Retailers Thriving Globally as Share of Orders Grows, JOOR Data Survey Shows
Independent fashion brands are increasingly turning to independent retailers, which have posted a 27% year‑on‑year order increase since 2020, while enterprise retailers fell 4% over the same period. Nearly half of brands now cite payment terms as a decisive factor...
Lacoste Serves Summer Pop-Up in Four Frasers Locations
Lacoste has launched a summer pop‑up experience in four Frasers department stores—Meadowhall, Belfast, Glasgow and Norwich—running through May 5. The temporary spaces recreate a tennis‑court atmosphere and showcase the brand’s SS26 collection alongside the newly released Elite Active trainer. Design elements...
Antler to Take Big Retail Step Forward with Regent St Flagship
Antler opened a flagship store on Regent Street on April 21, covering 2,400 sq ft over two floors. The design‑led space, created with Checkland Kindleysides, features natural materials, a six‑metre layered table, and a floral art installation by Hamish Powell. Lower‑ground areas convert into...
Why TikTok Is the New Battleground for FMCG Sales
TikTok Shop is emerging as a dedicated social‑commerce channel for fast‑moving consumer goods, leveraging its discovery‑led format to turn viral videos into purchases. Ninety‑three percent of users engage with the shop feature and 88 % discover new brands, while a two‑click...
Say Yes to the AI: David’s Bridal Introduces Chatbots to Help with Wedding Dress Shopping
David’s Bridal has integrated its wedding‑dress catalog into ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot using Shopify’s agentic storefronts, allowing brides‑to‑be to describe style, budget and size and receive instant recommendations with images, pricing and ratings. The AI‑driven experience lets shoppers save favorites...
Albertsons Looks to Store Remodels and Technology to Juice Growth
Albertsons announced a $1.8 billion capital‑expenditure outlay for fiscal 2025 and plans to raise that to $2 billion‑$2.2 billion in fiscal 2026. The retailer remodeled 94 stores, opened nine new locations last year, and expects store openings to increase 50% next year. It is also...
Asda Tests Vending Machines for Scents, Male Grooming to Combat Shoplifting
Asda is testing vending machines for high‑theft items such as fragrances and male grooming products to curb shoplifting. The pilot in Ashton‑under‑Lyne, Greater Manchester, builds on an existing vending system for vapes and cigarettes, where shoppers select on a screen,...
Commentary: FedEx and UPS Need to Move up the E-Commerce Food Chain
Legacy parcel carriers FedEx and UPS are under unprecedented pressure as their biggest retail customers build private residential delivery networks. B2C shipments now represent about 70% of the parcel market, up from 10% in 1985, forcing carriers to rethink a...
Shoplazza Launches AI Store Builder, Delivering Ready-to-Sell Storefronts Through a Single Agent
Shoplazza, the global DTC commerce platform, unveiled its AI Store Builder, an AI‑driven agent that lets merchants generate a complete online storefront from a simple natural‑language prompt in minutes. The tool automatically creates homepage layouts, product pages, collections, policy content,...
Inside Giant Food’s Strategy for Linking Healthy Eating with Affordability
Giant Food, an Ahold Delhaize subsidiary, has launched a weekly 10‑minute podcast called “This Week at Giant” that blends nutrition advice with the chain’s current promotions. The audio shows, hosted by the retailer’s Healthy Living team, highlight discounted items and demonstrate...
He Reinvented the Hoodie. (Good Luck Getting One.)
British designer Jake Burt has turned the humble hoodie into a cult‑status item by selling exclusively from a single Saturday‑only shop in London and handling every transaction himself. His collections blend workwear heritage with high‑fashion twists, featuring bold prints like...
He Reinvented the Hoodie. (Good Luck Getting One.)
British designer Jake Burt has reimagined the hoodie with a high‑fashion twist, offering pieces that blend workwear aesthetics with avant‑garde details such as leopard‑print hoods. The garments are sold exclusively at his tiny Saturday‑only shop in London and through in‑person...
First Look At New Aldi Format Set To Rollout Across The U.S.
Aldi is piloting a new modular store format in Aventura, Florida, the first U.S. test of a design developed with Australian firm Landini Associates after a 14‑year partnership. The flexible layout can adapt to both suburban supermarkets and compact urban...
Wingstop Reveals 4/20 Hot Box Combo and It Comes with a Rolling Tray
Wingstop is reviving its Hot Box combo on April 17, 2026, featuring three tenders or eight Fiery Nacho wings, seasoned fries, a dip and a 20‑ounce drink. To celebrate 4/20, the chain will give away 420 limited‑edition rolling trays to the...
IStore SA Expands Amid Growing Trade-In Business
iStore South Africa is accelerating its retail expansion, having opened its 40th store last year and targeting additional locations this year. The growth is fueled by rising iPhone sales, especially through a robust trade‑in programme that makes upgrades more affordable...
How Zenni Optical Leveraged Mobile Gaming to Achieve 30-Percent Sales Growth in February | Exclusive
Zenni Optical partnered with Ghost Gaming and ad‑tech firm Digital Culture Group to run a mobile‑gaming ad campaign in February. The initiative leveraged AI‑driven inventory targeting and achieved a cost‑per‑unique‑user (CPUU) of just $0.02. As a result, Zenni recorded a...
Are Retailers Ready for What the Weight-Loss Boom Requires?
A quarter of U.S. households are now on GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, prompting a surge in clothing and shoe purchases as consumers anticipate size changes. More than half have already refreshed their wardrobes, creating a multi‑phase demand that extends beyond a...
AI Can Now Help You Pick Your Starbucks Drink
Starbucks has begun testing a ChatGPT‑based app that recommends drinks based on a user’s mood, weather, outfit or photo. Customers can chat with an @starbucks AI agent, customize a beverage, select a location and then complete checkout in the regular...
Walmart Is Refreshing Its Look As It Tries to Attract More Walmart+ Subscribers
Walmart has launched the most extensive redesign of its Great Value private‑label brand, updating the packaging of roughly 10,000 food and consumable items while keeping product formulas and low prices intact. The rollout begins with salty‑snack products and will extend...
Macy’s Is Closing More Stores in 2026: See an Updated List of Locations that Will Shutter Soon
Macy’s Inc. announced the imminent closure of 14 additional stores, bringing its total planned shutdowns to about 164 by the end of 2026. The locations, spread across 12 states from California to Texas, include both already closed sites and those...
Junction 32 Strengthens Footwear Offer as Hotter Returns with New Outlet Store
Yorkshire’s Junction 32 outlet centre has welcomed back British comfort‑shoe brand Hotter with a 1,507 sq ft outlet that opened on 8 April. The store marks Hotter’s first foray into the outlet channel after a six‑year absence, offering its premium range of shoes, sandals...
Megan Fox Puts Men Through Deodorant School for Dr. Squatch
Unilever‑owned personal‑care brand Dr. Squatch has launched a six‑part “Foundation for Odor eXcellence” campaign starring Megan Fox as Professor Fox, a leather‑clad instructor teaching men about natural deodorant. The series blends humor, innuendo and a riding crop to highlight the brand’s all‑natural formula...
SubscriptionX 2026: Why Recurring Revenue, Membership and Loyalty Are Converging
SubscriptionX 2026, held on 17 June at Convene in London, spotlights the convergence of recurring revenue, membership and loyalty as a unified growth engine for retailers. The agenda shifts focus from rapid sign‑ups to retention, margin and lifetime value, with...
ShopMy’s New Personal Shopping Service Is Powered by Actual Humans
ShopMy launched Noir, a human‑curated personal shopping service, on Wednesday. The free perk is currently limited to gold and black tier members, who can text prompts and receive hand‑picked selections within about 30 minutes. Noir taps ShopMy’s network of over...
NWSL Moves to Restrict Which Brands Players Can Wear on the Field
The National Women’s Soccer League is drafting a league‑wide “exposure agreement” that would require players to hide non‑partner logos on cleats and goalkeeper gloves. Nike and Adidas have already signed on, and the league projects at least $320,000 in annual...
Alohas Branches Into Bags
Alohas has introduced the Hilma bag, a new accessory line featuring ten variations across maxi, midi and mini sizes. Priced between £245 and £395 (approximately $313‑$506), the bag emphasizes personalization with a transparent front pocket and metal charm rings. It...
Paragon Uses Everyday Shopping Moments in Women’s Footwear Campaign
Paragon Footwear has rolled out a new women’s footwear campaign crafted by Turmeriq, featuring humorous short films that spotlight everyday indecision and purchase justification in household and couple settings. The ads, running on TV, YouTube and Meta in seven regional...
Lancôme Debuts 'Culturally-Driven’ The Devil Wears Prada 2 Collaboration. That’s All
Lancôme, a L’Oréal brand, has become the signature skin‑care partner for the upcoming film *The Devil Wears Prada 2*. The partnership launches the Absolue Longevity MD line on May 1, a range built on Timeline’s Mitopure technology that targets the skin’s biological age....
Jysk Opens Six New Stores in a Single Day in the Benelux
Jysk opened six Benelux stores in a single day, converting former Leen Bakker locations into its own format. The openings include four Dutch sites—Amsterdam, Leek, Veendam and Zierikzee—and two Belgian stores in Dendermonde and Marche‑en‑Famenne. The chain now operates 108...
UK Subscription SMEs Lose £160k a Year to Failed Payments, New Study Shows
An Access PaySuite‑commissioned study of 250 UK subscription‑based SMEs finds they lose an average of £159,500 (about $204,000) each year due to failed payments, abandoned renewals and checkout friction. Transaction failures occur in 3.4% of attempts, with 55.8% never recovered,...
OLLY’S Launches Chilled Olive Pots in Tesco & Sainsbury’s
Snack brand OLLY’S is launching a new 200 g chilled olive pot range in Tesco and Sainsbury’s this April, marking its first foray into the refrigerated aisle. The line features three flavours per retailer, with Piri Piri exclusive to Tesco and Smoky...
As Costs Surge, Is Circularity Too Costly an Ambition for Value-Driven Primark?
Primark has introduced Circular Product Standard 2.0, a framework aimed at embedding product circularity across its fast‑fashion range. The move comes as the retailer grapples with rising material, logistics and compliance costs that threaten its low‑price model. While the standard aligns...