As TikTok barrels toward a U.S. ban, American users, or so-called “TikTok refugees,” are joining another Chinese short-form video app in droves. Some of those expats include American brands. 

Analysis

Amazon’s Temu competitor Haul is an AI image wasteland

November 14, 2024

Modern Retail reviewed many product listings on Amazon Haul and found numerous instances of seemingly AI-induced image issues, if not outright hallucinations.

How Walmart is becoming a better-for-you grocery destination

November 11, 2024

As it unveils its "Modern Soda" section, Walmart is on track to become the top grocery chain for better-for-you products.

Other news to know

  • Startup Cooler Screens secretly cut data feeds to its smart doors in more than 100 Walgreens stores in the Chicago area. This came after it sued the retailer last summer when it tried to get rid of the doors.
  • Retail sales rose 3% from full-year 2023 to 2024 as customer spending remained strong despite elevated interest rates.
  • Amazon is cutting about 200 jobs, including positions in its fashion and fitness group.
$729.2B
Retail sales in December, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce
Top Stories Jan 20

Walmart partners with Rebag to bring tens of thousands of luxury products to its marketplace

January 16, 2025

Walmart is adding tens of thousands of pre-owned luxury handbags, jewelry and watches to its marketplace through a partnership with resale platform Rebag, which allows users to buy, sell and trade such items.

As a TikTok ban looms, sellers brace for the end

January 17, 2025

With the federal government’s TikTok ban set to take effect on Sunday, dread is beginning to grip the platform’s roughly 500,000 merchants.

Why Wing chose malls as the next frontier for drone delivery

January 17, 2025

After flying drones from Walmart stores and fast-food restaurants to shoppers' backyards, Alphabet-owned Wing is now taking flight from shopping malls in Texas.

Marketplace Briefing: What a $20,000 container house for sale on Temu says about its ambitions 

January 16, 2025

By expanding its logistics infrastructure to accommodate bigger and more expensive items, Temu is betting it can attract new customers, such as those looking for a broader range of products, and also shed its reputation as a discount-only store.

Limited Series
The Modern Retail Vanguard

In our annual series, the Modern Retail Vanguard, we’re highlighting 15 people who exemplify the skills needed to succeed in today’s retail environment across three categories: operations, marketing and technology. These are the people who, behind the scenes, helped companies grow amid an uncertain retail environment.

Podcasts

Technology

Phone screen that displays a "TikTok" logo sits on a green and white background. Other icons pop up out of the phone, displaying products like lipstick and footwear.

Despite a looming TikTok ban, social commerce takes center stage at NRF

January 15, 2025

Retail executives and analysts attending this week’s NRF Big Show spoke confidently about the future of social commerce, even as the fate of TikTok in the U.S. is uncertain.

At NRF, companies like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sweetgreen talk up expanded uses of AI

January 15, 2025

At NRF’s Big Show, retailers touted the latest results from the AI tools they’ve been testing for the past few years.

The consumer trends shaping 2025

December 19, 2024

Consumer habits continue evolving, with shoppers planning to choose healthier options and cut costs across categories in 2025. According to the MikMak Shopping Index, the wellness industry is thriving, driven by strong demand across online and in-store channels for better-for-you grocery, alcohol, personal care and health products. Brands and retailers with health-conscious offerings are poised […]

Marketing

Green "calculator" balloon on a green background with white clouds

How inflation and dynamic pricing are fueling concerns of ‘price paranoia’

January 16, 2025

Some shoppers have developed price paranoia as they have struggled to make sense of price hikes in recent years.

Still from Mack Weldon campaign "Comfortable Anywhere" featuring man in sweater and t-shirt

DTC Briefing: Mack Weldon kicks off 2025 with a new TV campaign after rebuilding its digital marketing strategy

January 14, 2025

Mack Weldon has essentially spent the past couple of years rebuilding its digital marketing program; the hope is these investments will pay off in 2025, and the brand can return to double-digit growth.

Brands are seeing an influx of traffic from ChatGPT and Google Gemini

January 14, 2025

DTC brands are grappling with how best to harness the traffic coming from AI chat tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

Operations

Brands like Babylist and Bobbie are sharing resources to help victims of the LA wildfires

January 16, 2025

Hundreds of brands have donated products to people who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires. Now, they are trying to figure out how to best work together to provide long-terms support.

At NRF, retailers plow ahead despite the prospect of tariffs

January 14, 2025

While tariffs were front and center in headlines the week of the election, at NRF, tariffs took a back seat to buzzier topics like artificial intelligence, marketplaces, social commerce and omnichannel strategies.

How brands are using AI to optimize shopping ads for natural customer language

December 11, 2024

While search ads account for a large percentage of marketing budgets, organic search traffic is anticipated to decrease 50% by 2028 because of AI. By ensuring advertising is set up to maximize the most effective search ads — shopping ads — fashion and beauty brands can capitalize on micro-trends, micro-occasions and more to drive incremental […]