'It's like getting Taylor Swift tickets': Brands rush to request tariff refunds, with some snags The tariff refunds process has been smoother for some folks than others, according to half a dozen brands Modern Retail spoke with.

💰NEW: I spoke to half a dozen brand execs about their experiences applying for a #tariff refund this week -- and why there's still a long road ahead. @modernretail.bsky.social www.modernretail.co/operations/i...

📣 Call for sources!

Are you a business owner who applied for a tariff refund this a.m.? Please drop me a line at jwaldow@modernretail.co!

Thanks so much. 😊

#JournoRequest

Babylist's newest arrival is a New York showroom Nearly three years after opening its first showroom in Beverly Hills, Babylist is making its debut in the Big Apple.

First on @modernretail.bsky.social: @babylist.bsky.social is coming to the Big Apple! 🍎 🍼

The baby registry company is opening its second showroom this summer in Soho. The space will focus on product education, content creation, events & raising a kid in NYC. 🚕

www.modernretail.co/operations/b...

Customer reviews become a key battleground as AI revolutionizes product discovery Brands are chasing after an old, but powerful tool in the age of AI-powered search engines: customer reviews.

⭐ New this morning: Customer reviews are becoming even more important to brands, thanks to #AI engines scraping product testimonials and user feedback. Now, brands are stepping up how they solicit reviews. www.modernretail.co/technology/c...

'Product is king': Mephisto U.S.A.'s new CEO readies the brand for its next chapter Mephisto, a nearly 60-year-old premium footwear brand based in France, has tapped a new CEO of its growing U.S. business.

🥾 "We’ve been in this business now for 60 years & product is king. Product is ultimately what drives the consumer to us & brings them back."

It was great to speak to Mephisto USA's new CEO Logan Bird about all things merchandising, marketing & tariffs: www.modernretail.co/operations/p...

From lollipops to lobsters, Whatnot pushes further into selling food via livestream shopping Whatnot, a live-selling platform that launched with collectibles, is looking to be a major player in shelf-stable and fresh foods.

🍬 🍭 New this a.m.: On Whatnot, the next big thing in livestream shopping isn’t sneakers or Pokémon cards — it’s sour gummies and seafood.

Some more food for thought in my latest for @modernretail.bsky.social: www.modernretail.co/operations/f...

Confessions of an ex-Saks employee caught in the fallout of the company's bankruptcy filing Modern Retail spoke with an anonymous former Saks Global employee, who is feeling the effects of the bankruptcy on a personal level.

"Right now, my unemployment benefits are all messed up. I have no idea what to do, because now it’s like, ‘Well, you might get the money, but you might not.'"

I spoke with a former Saks worker whose severance payments were cut off amid the bankruptcy:

www.modernretail.co/operations/c...

Frida Baby faces backlash over the use of sexual innuendos in marketing Consumers are calling to boycott the baby products brand Frida Baby over its use of sexual innuendos in marketing.

NEW: Consumers are calling to boycott Frida Baby over its use of sexual innuendos in some of its packaging and marketing. A Frida spokesperson told me, "We’re never trying to offend, push boundaries for shock value, or make anyone uncomfortable." www.modernretail.co/marketing/fr...

The Super Bowl pop-up playbook: How brands are showing up on the ground in San Francisco Brands like Béis and Abercrombie & Fitch are showing up at the Super Bowl with pop-ups offering everything from bingo to bar snacks.

🏈 Happy almost #SuperBowl day! Wrote about the many brands doing pop-ups on the ground in the Bay Area, from BÉIS to Abercrombie & Fitch Co. to while on earth™ 🏆 www.modernretail.co/marketing/th...

Brands take to social media to speak out against ICE's presence in Minnesota As ICE agents occupy Minneapolis, consumer brands are taking to social media to call for action, raise money and spread information.

New: Wrote about the brands speaking out against ICE raids in Minneapolis and the broader U.S. for @modernretail.bsky.social: www.modernretail.co/marketing/br...

Smaller vendors, still waiting on payments, debate their futures with Saks after bankruptcy Saks Global’s bankruptcy marked a turning point for the struggling retail giant. For smaller vendors, the fallout is still unfolding.

NEW: Saks Global's bankruptcy filing was a turning point for the struggling retail giant. But for its smaller vendors, the fallout is still playing out. I spoke to 3, who told me they're out up to 6 figures & aren't sure if they'll work with Saks again. www.modernretail.co/operations/s...

#JournoRequest: Looking to speak to Saks vendors for an upcoming article. (Can be anonymous.) Please get in touch via DM or jwaldow@modernretail.co — thanks! 🙌

Walmart’s fashion push is resonating with more six-figure households Walmart is focusing on fashion as it competes with Amazon and department stores. Its strategy is paying off with higher-income households.

ICYMI: Walmart has launched or relaunched 10 private apparel brands since 2020. Now, 40% of Walmart Fashion customers belong to a $100K-plus household. More on how Walmart's fashion push is paying off with higher-income shoppers: www.modernretail.co/operations/w...

Brands Briefing: How leaders at Fabletics, PayPal and more are thinking about the agentic AI opportunity Leaders at companies like PayPal and Fabletics acknowledged there's still a ways to go before more people trust AI to complete a transaction.

Today's members-only Brands Briefing is straight from the halls of the NRF Big Show. 👀

Here's how leaders at Fabletics, PayPal, PACSUN, and more are thinking about the agentic #AI opportunity, as explained in sessions and one-on-one interviews:

www.modernretail.co/technology/b...

How apparel brands aim to win the spotlight at the Winter Olympics Fashionable designs and technical fabrics are front and center at the Winter Olympics, thanks to apparel and footwear partners like J.Crew, Nike and Ralph Lauren.

⛷️ 🏂 ❄️ We're less than a month out from Milan-Cortina 2026, and apparel and footwear brands are looking to nab a win in the fashion capital, too. My latest: www.modernretail.co/marketing/in...

Memory-Holing Jan. 6: What Happens When You Try to Make History Vanish? The Trump administration’s decision to delete a DOJ database of cases against Capitol riot defendants places those who seek to preserve the historical record in direct opposition to their own governme...

Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to memory-hole Jan. 6, thousands of videos from the riot live on ProPublica’s website and other places.

Additionally, much of the deleted DOJ database can be found on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

(Published Jan. 2025)

IYCMI: BAGGU is planning price hikes of $2-$8 on "select styles" as soon as next month. The brand alluded to supply chain challenges, saying that "rising production costs" are a factor. On its website, Baggu says it manufactures in Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

"It’s not a completely new challenge, sources said. When it comes to AI-enabled checkout, retail brands are now finding themselves in a situation familiar to other industries, like air travel and dining, where more customers have started buying from middleman platforms like DoorDash or Expedia."

2026 will prove whether AI checkout is here to stay 2026 will be the year that proves whether people have gotten comfortable enough with AI shopping to click "buy" within ChatGPT or Perplexity

Happy New Year! My first story of 2026 is now up 👉 Why 2026 will prove whether #AI checkout is here to stay. Featuring Forum3, Bain, Brooklinen, Everlane and Winx Health. www.modernretail.co/technology/2...
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Rx Inspector: ProPublica’s New Tool Provides Drug Info the FDA Won’t We’ve launched a first-of-its-kind app to help you find out where your generic drugs come from and see the track records of the factories that made them.

Consumers don’t know if their medications came from factories that used dirty water, were infested by insects or birds, or were outright banned from shipping drugs to the U.S.

Our new app provides answers that the FDA won’t.

For the first time in years, Pacsun is opening more stores than closing stores 2025 marks the first time in 18 years that Pacsun is increasing its store count, rather than decreasing it.

👖🏄 2025 marks a major milestone for the Y2K-favorite brand
Pacsun: It’s the first time in 18 years that it’s increasing its store count, rather than decreasing it, the company told me. For @modernretail.bsky.social 👇 www.modernretail.co/operations/f...

❤️

Fake apologies from brands are all over Instagram The fake apology is the latest social media trend that brands are glomming onto — but some are growing tired of the bit.

Lol, love reading @juliawaldow.bsky.social on the tired fake apologies trend @modernretail.bsky.social

www.modernretail.co/marketing/fa...

'You want to play defense': Amid economic pressure, brands usher in Black Friday by trimming deals Turmoil from tariffs and pressure on margins are forcing some brands to play it safer this Cyber Week, offering less steep discounts.

New: While some companies are touting “bigger than ever” discounts for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, others are dialing back deals from the year before. ⬇️

www.modernretail.co/marketing/yo...

Urban Outfitters stores will now accept Nuuly returns In a closer tie between the sister brands, Urban Outfitters will now accept Nuuly rental returns at its U.S. stores.

👗👚 First on @modernretail.bsky.social: Urban Outfitters stores will now accept Nuuly returns. More on the program here: www.modernretail.co/operations/u...

Brands Briefing: Substack will play a bigger role in brands' holiday plans this year Brands including Rare Beauty and M.M.LaFleur are making Substack an important part of their marketing mix during the busiest — and, for many, the most lucrative — time of the year.

Deck the halls with ... #Substack newsletters! 🎄

Brands including Rare Beauty, M.M.LaFleur and Loftie are making Substack an important part of their marketing mix during the busiest — and, for many, the most lucrative — time of the year: the holidays.
www.modernretail.co/marketing/br...

Brands and retailers are already rushing to capitalize on World Cup fever With 48 participating nations, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest one yet -- and brands and retailers want in on the hype.

⚽ With 48 participating nations, 104 matches & 16 host cities, the 2026 #FIFA #WorldCup will be the biggest one yet.

From official products to soccer-forward marketing campaigns, here's how Adidas, Nike, Soccer.com, Coca-Cola & more are getting in on the hype: www.modernretail.co/marketing/br...

🎁 #JournoRequest: Are you a brand that's adjusting your BF/CM promotions from last year, particularly in terms of percent off? I'd love to talk to you! Please DM me here or email me at jwaldow@modernretail.co. Thanks! ❄️

How Pure Daily Care designed a new product with TikTok scrollers in mind Skin-care brand Pure Daily Care took cues from TikTok Shop when developing packaging for its latest product, a liquid acne patch.

Could big font and bold colors be the key to upping product sales on TikTok Shop?

Pure Daily Care thinks so. The skincare company developed packaging for its new Zap Patch specifically with TikTok scrollers and creators in mind. 👇

www.modernretail.co/marketing/ho...