Unilever on Boosting Its Personal Care Strategy for 2026 and Beyond
Unilever has sold its food division to McCormick for $44.8 bn, sharpening its focus on beauty and wellness. The company is accelerating its personal‑care strategy with the launch of Dove’s refillable antiperspirant and recent acquisitions of Wild and Dr. Squatch. These moves underline a commitment to sustainable packaging and a growth‑driven portfolio through 2026. Executives say the shift will make personal care the core engine of earnings.
Inside John Frieda’s Bold and Complex Rebrand to ‘Defend’ Its Market Position
John Frieda, the 38‑year‑old hair‑care brand owned by Kao Corporation, has launched a comprehensive rebrand that refreshes formulas, fragrances and packaging under the global platform “Salon Attitude. Every Day.” The initiative seeks to defend its premium position in the mass‑market...
ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report Sees Secondhand Hitting $393B by 2030
ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report projects the global secondhand apparel market to hit $393 billion by 2030, expanding at a 9 % CAGR and outpacing new‑apparel growth. In the United States, resale is expected to reach $78.8 billion, growing four times faster than overall...
Shein Customers Prioritise Price, Fit and Comfort, Survey Finds
Shein’s 2025 Global Circularity Study surveyed 15,461 shoppers aged 18‑44 across 21 markets, revealing that price, size availability and personal style dominate purchase decisions, with 71.6% always considering cost. Most respondents buy fewer than 30 items annually, yet they wear...
5 Ways to Sell on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop has transformed from a pure social platform into a full‑fledged commerce ecosystem, demanding coordinated paid, affiliate, and live strategies for scalable growth. The article outlines five core tactics—direct storefronts, creator‑driven affiliate marketing, shoppable videos, TikTok Lives, and branded...
Typo Unveils World-First Concept Store in Malaysia, in Global Brand Refresh Push
Typo, a Cotton On Group brand, launched its first-ever concept store at IOI Mall Puchong in Malaysia, marking the debut of a global retail format. The new space is styled as a "creative playground" with open layouts, doodle‑inspired graphics, and...
Toshiba Leader Talks Mobile Device Innovations, Retail Customer Experience Tech
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions unveiled its TCx M7 handheld alongside the existing TCx M11 tablet, expanding a mobile‑first portfolio aimed at turning any store associate into a portable checkout and service point. The company also promoted its AI‑driven Elera Security Suite, now...
Men Admit They Wear the Same Underwear for up to a Three Days without Washing
Jacamo’s 2026 survey of 1,006 UK adults reveals that British men now change underwear and socks roughly every three days, a modest improvement from 2016 but still short of daily recommendations. Men also delay washing nightwear (average six days) and...
HSS ProService Marketplace Launches Integrated Hire & Buy Service
Europe’s largest building services marketplace, HSS ProService, has introduced an integrated Hire & Buy service that lets contractors both rent equipment and purchase materials through a single platform. The marketplace now hosts roughly 50,000 products from 550 sellers, offering everything...
Gap Adopts AI Technologies for ‘Simpler’ Online Shopping Experience
Gap is deploying two AI solutions to streamline its online shopping experience. The retailer will use Bold Metrics’ Agent Sizing Protocol to deliver personalized fit recommendations and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol to enable conversational, one‑click purchases. Gap says the AI...
From Product Drops to TikTok Trends: How Beauty Brands Scale with Lemonpath
Lemonpath has teamed with SnapFulfil, a cloud‑based warehouse management system, to give beauty brands the speed and flexibility needed for viral product drops and seasonal spikes. The platform delivers dynamic order routing, multi‑warehouse logic, paperless picking and real‑time inventory visibility,...
Huddled Group to Rebrand as Peeko in Cost-Cutting Platform Overhaul
Huddled Group plc will rebrand as Peeko, merging its Discount Dragon, Nutricircle and Boop Beauty sites into a single e‑commerce platform. The consolidation is projected to save more than £500,000 (approximately $630,000) annually while simplifying operations and enhancing the customer...
Bata to Step up India Growth, Double Turnover in 5 Yrs
Bata’s new CEO Panos Mytaros announced an aggressive plan to double the company’s Indian turnover within five years. The strategy hinges on expanding owned and franchise stores, boosting e‑commerce, and launching a dedicated sneaker line aimed at Gen Z shoppers. India...
The Revival of the Fashion-Tech Love Affair
Meta has secured a 10‑year lease for a 15,000‑square‑foot flagship on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, turning a former holiday pop‑up into a permanent retail presence. The bright‑blue store, flanked by luxury houses like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada, features a wall...
The RealReal Combats AI Fakes in ‘I Am Real’
The RealReal has launched an AI‑generated short film called “I Am Real,” created with advertising agency Team One and director Sebastian Strasser, to spotlight the platform’s authentication guarantee. The film deliberately inserts visual glitches that reveal the limits of generative video tools, ending with...
Myntra’s International Brands Portfolio Records 50% Growth in March Quarter; 45% Sales Come From Non-Metro Regions
Myntra’s International Brands portfolio surged 50% year‑on‑year in the March quarter, fueled by the addition of 40 new global fashion and beauty labels. Women’s apparel accounts for roughly 60% of this segment, while the kids category grew over 65% YoY....
Returns Are Rising Due to Failures in Product Info - Report
Akeneo reports that incorrect, incomplete, and inconsistent product data is a major driver of product returns, eroding margins and customer trust. The National Retail Federation estimates US retail return rates near 17%, costing roughly $900 billion annually. The study shows 62%...
AllSaints Implements AI Across Buying and Merchandising
AllSaints announced a partnership with Impact Analytics to embed artificial intelligence across its buying and merchandising functions. The retailer will replace spreadsheet‑heavy, manual workflows with AI‑native planning tools designed to streamline processes and boost forecast accuracy. A key goal is...
Coverage of Alexandria Locals Campaigning Against the Metro Conversion
In September 2023, Alexandria residents organized a campaign to confront Woolworths about its plan to convert the local supermarket into a Metro‑branded store. The protest, highlighted in a April 2 2026 update, underscores community anxiety over reduced product variety, potential price hikes, and...
First Look: Peachy Den Opens Second London Store in Soho
Peachy Den has opened its second London boutique at 10 Brewer Street in Soho, occupying an 805 sq ft former Marc Jacobs youth space. Designed by architect Kat Milne, the store will showcase core collections, new releases, and host events to drive foot...
OKA Expands Concession Partnership with Fenwick
OKA has broadened its concession partnership with Fenwick by launching a new 2,800‑sq‑ft space at the department store’s Kingston branch. The concession will feature the brand’s latest range, including the Icons collection, and offers made‑to‑order sofas plus a complimentary home...
Standout Stores: Jennifer Fisher, Chanel, Nespresso
Luxury and lifestyle brands are redefining brick‑and‑mortar with three new flagship concepts. Jennifer Fisher opened a 1,281‑sq‑ft Beverly Hills store featuring rich materials, banquette seating and an in‑store café bar. Chanel launched a 5,370‑sq‑ft boutique in Boca Raton, designed by...
Online Resale Is Booming. Why Are So Many Users Unhappy?
Online resale platforms such as ThredUp, eBay, StockX and Rebag are pivoting from broad inventories to AI‑driven, curated selections to address rising user dissatisfaction. While secondhand sales volumes continue to climb, the influx of low‑cost fast‑fashion items means resale alone...
Fashion Briefing: As AI Shopping Agents Proliferate, Both Retailers and Consumers Have Concerns
AI-powered shopping agents are rapidly entering fashion e‑commerce, but both retailers and shoppers voice strong concerns. Retailers worry about security breaches, fraud, and the erosion of advertising revenue as agents sidestep traditional ad placements. Consumers are uneasy about data privacy,...
Why AI-Powered Wellness Chatbots Will Be ‘Table Stakes’ for Supplement Brands, with Thorne CSO Dr. Nathan Price
Thorne, a leading supplement brand, launched Taia, a generative AI wellness chatbot, on its website. In its first six months, Taia processed over 200,000 messages, delivered more than 350,000 product and lifestyle recommendations, and generated an 8% higher average order...
FedEx Goes After DoorDash, Amazon, UPS with Same-Day Delivery
FedEx launched FedEx SameDay Local in partnership with last‑mile platform OneRail, offering two‑hour or end‑of‑day delivery for retailers. The service taps OneRail’s network of 12 million drivers across more than 1,000 carriers, positioning FedEx against Amazon, DoorDash, Walmart and UPS. FedEx...
Unified Commerce Powers Future Retail Success
Unified commerce, as outlined in Manhattan Associates’ new whitepaper, replaces fragmented omnichannel setups with a single real‑time platform that synchronizes data, operations, and customer experiences. The model promises seamless shopping across online, in‑store, app, and emerging AI channels while eliminating...
Suman Guha Joins Croma as CDO; Exits Tata CLiQ and Tata Digital
Suman Guha has been appointed Chief Digital Officer of Croma, the Tata Group’s electronics retailer, leaving his dual roles at Tata CLiQ and Tata Digital. Guha brings over 20 years of consumer‑tech leadership, including stints as CPTO at Reliance Retail and senior...
First Compute, Now Conversation: Why Companies Are Racing Toward Voice AI
Voice AI is transitioning from a novelty to a core commerce interface, driven by rising user adoption and linguistic diversity. Companies like Meesho and Swiggy are deploying conversational assistants that handle end‑to‑end shopping and food‑ordering experiences, leveraging edge computing and...
CRC Sports Invests B200m in Expansion, Renovations
CRC Sports, the Supersports arm of Thailand's Central Retail Corporation, is allocating more than 200 million baht (about $5.6 million) to open two new stores and refurbish ten existing outlets this year. The first locations will debut in Central Khon Kaen Campus in May...
Marimekko Targets Southeast Asia with Indonesia and Philippines Debut
Finnish design label Marimekko is set to enter Indonesia and the Philippines this summer, using a franchise model for both markets. The first Indonesian store will open at Jakarta’s Plaza Senayan in partnership with PT Panen Lestari Indonesia, while the...
Why Retail Media Is Your Secret Weapon Against Inflation
An energy‑driven inflation cycle is compressing consumer baskets, forcing shoppers to drop items and focus on price. Retailers face shrinking margins as freight, fertilizer and packaging costs cascade to shelves. The article argues that retail media—screens, digital shelves and sponsored...
Open for Business? Ontario Considers Unlocking Retail on Family Day and Victoria Day
Ontario’s government has introduced amendments to the Retail Business Holidays Act that would allow retailers to decide whether to open on Family Day and Victoria Day, starting with Victoria Day 2026. The proposal eliminates municipal authority to mandate closures on...
ZKong to Showcase Smarter, Greener Retail at NRF Apac 2026
At NRF Retail’s Big Show APAC 2026, ZKong will demonstrate its “One Step Smarter, One Step Greener” vision, showcasing a full suite of electronic shelf labels, LCD displays and cloud management tools. The Quantum Series ESL features an ultra‑narrow bezel...
BeautySpace Shop-in-Shops Open in Belk
BeautySpace is opening shop‑in‑shop concepts inside select Belk department stores. The rollout begins with five locations in the Southeast—Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina; and Birmingham, Alabama. The curated assortment will highlight emerging, founder‑led and high‑growth...
Vivo Lança Crediário Para Parcelar Eletroeletrônicos Em Até 21 Vezes
Vivo has launched Vivo Pay Crediário, a new credit product that lets customers finance electronic purchases in up to 21 interest‑bearing installments. The offering is currently available in more than 20% of Vivo’s physical stores, with a plan to roll...
How OLLY Is Staying Visible in AI-Driven Search
OLLY, the wellness supplement brand, is leveraging AI‑driven search technologies to keep its products front‑and‑center in an increasingly algorithmic retail landscape. By deploying generative‑AI keyword clustering, structured‑data markup, and voice‑search optimization, the company has lifted organic traffic and captured higher‑intent...
How Search Visibility Influences Consumer Buying Decisions in Retail
Retailers increasingly rely on search engine visibility to capture shoppers at the moment they begin their buying journey. Appearing on the first page of organic results builds credibility and influences both online purchases and in‑store foot traffic, especially through mobile...
HRG Launches New Video Series
HRG announced “The Details Decide,” a new video series that explains its product eligibility, classification, and pricing strategies for health, beauty and wellness (HBW) items. The series showcases the Fine Line Classification System, updates to the Master Product Library, and...
How Can Ecommerce Platforms Encourage Customers to Come Back Daily?
E‑commerce operators are turning to entertainment‑industry playbooks to turn casual browsers into daily visitors. By streamlining checkout and adding cliff‑hanger product teasers, sites can mimic the low‑friction, binge‑worthy experiences of iGaming and streaming services. Personalisation—addressing shoppers by name and curating...
How the Uber Eats Fees Stack Up Against 3PD Competitors
Uber Eats announced on March 11 a revision to its Marketplace fee structure, raising the Lite tier commission from 15% to 20% and increasing the pickup fee to 7% for all tiers. The Plus tier remains at 25% but jumps...
Brunello Cucinelli Expanding Vancouver Flagship
Italian luxury label Brunello Cucinelli is enlarging its downtown Vancouver presence by annexing the former Thom Browne boutique at 747 Thurlow Street, creating a combined flagship exceeding 4,500 sq ft. Construction began in March with a target opening in fall 2026, coinciding with...
April Fools’ Day Gets Real: Why some Brands Are Choosing to Release Actual Products on April 1
On April 1, several brands are swapping traditional pranks for genuine product launches and giveaways, using the holiday’s high‑visibility to cut through cluttered media feeds. Examples include Crumbl’s one‑day‑only “Almost Everything Bagel Sandwich Cookie,” Bocce’s corn‑chip‑scented dog candle, and a pickle‑flavored...
Chagee Adjusts After a Tough 2025 with Big Goals for the U.S.
Chagee, the Shanghai‑based tea chain, reported a Q4 revenue decline of 3.34 billion RMB (≈$483 million) and a share price plunge to $9.31 after its earnings release. The company posted a $5 million operating loss tied to restructuring and admitted it underestimated competitive pressures...
True Shopping Shuts Amid Expanding Digital Reboot
True Shopping, the home‑shopping arm of joint venture True GS, announced it will shut down on April 1 after more than 14 years in operation. The closure reflects intensifying competition from fast‑growing e‑commerce and social‑commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok. True GS...
Your Sam's Club Membership Is About To Get More Expensive — Here's What It'll Cost
Sam’s Club announced a membership price hike effective May 1, 2026, raising the standard Club fee from $50 to $60 and the Plus tier from $110 to $120. The change follows a 2022 increase and arrives as grocery prices continue to climb....
US Retail Sales Rebound in February, Beating Projections
U.S. retail sales rebounded in February, climbing 0.6% from January after three months of decline. Clothing sales led the recovery, rising 2% month‑over‑month and 6% year‑over‑year. Department stores posted a 3% gain and health‑and‑personal‑care stores rose 2.3% month‑over‑month. The uptick...
The Retailer That’s Obsessed With AI | The Debrief
Revolve, once famed for influencer‑driven fashion events, is reshaping its strategy around artificial intelligence. Founded by software engineers, the company treats e‑commerce as a data science problem, building proprietary AI tools rather than buying off‑the‑shelf solutions. Its new AI‑powered search...
Bing Is Testing a Much Larger Sponsored Product Carousel in Shopping Results
Bing is trialing a double‑row carousel for sponsored products within its shopping results, dramatically expanding the ad footprint compared with the current single‑row format. The test, first spotted by marketer Sachin Patel, pairs the larger carousel with organic product cards...
AI and Other Things Retailers Cared About at Shoptalk
Shoptalk 2026 centered on "Retail in the Age of AI," revealing that retailers are moving beyond curiosity to demand proven AI solutions that can be scaled from pilot to production. Attendees highlighted four AI use cases—enhanced insights, workflow automation, content creation,...