Not requiring customers to send back returned items can significantly improve customer satisfaction, even if it raises trust concerns.

Tariffs

Brands Briefing: Founders hope for a ‘dependable and stable’ 2026 after the chaos of 2025 

January 20, 2026

As brands plan for 2026, they are determined to not have their growth initiatives upended by another year of macroeconomic uncertainty.

‘Quitting wasn’t an option’: How tariffs took an emotional and financial toll on founders in 2025

December 30, 2025

Many founders had to completely upend their business models in 2025 due to tariffs, resorting to production delays, raising prices and putting off hiring to save their businesses.

Other news to know

  • Retailers respond to ICE
  • On the Modern Retail Podcast, the hosts discuss how the growing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in cities like Minneapolis is impacting retail
  • As ICE agents occupy Minneapolis, consumer brands are taking to social media to call for action, raise money and spread information.
  • Retail leaders are finding themselves having to walk on a tightrope as they respond to the bloodshed happening in their hometown while avoiding language directly condemning the federal administration or local officials.
  • Target has sent corporate employees a page with answers to FAQs related to ICE’s increased presence in Minnesota, as it avoids commenting on high-profile incidents at its stores.
Top Stories Feb 10

Brands lean into grand gestures this Valentine’s Day

February 10, 2026

Valentine's Day is still expected to generate record sales, according to the NRF. So brands are competing for customers' attention through unique promotional stunts.

AI is changing how retailers select tech partners

February 09, 2026

The quick rise of artificial intelligence-powered tools has reshaped retailers' process of selecting technology partners for anything from marketing to supply chain to merchandising.

Blind boxes are here to stay, and brands are leaning into the mystery product format

February 09, 2026

In the era of viral Labubu unwrapping, mystery boxes are taking over feeds, and brands are jumping on the merchandising opportunity. 

Modern Retail Podcast: Inside the Super Bowl activation boom

February 07, 2026

This week's Modern Retail Podcast examines the brand activations around Super Bowl LX.

Tariffs

‘Quitting wasn’t an option’: How tariffs took an emotional and financial toll on founders in 2025

December 30, 2025

Many founders had to completely upend their business models in 2025 due to tariffs, resorting to production delays, raising prices and putting off hiring to save their businesses.

The winners and losers of tariffs

December 29, 2025

This year, tariffs kicked in at their highest rate since the Great Depression, completely upending the retail industry. In turn, Modern Retail rounded up the biggest winners and losers of all the changes in tariff policy this year.

The year of Thriftmas: Why secondhand gifts could finally go mainstream this holiday season

December 16, 2025

Secondhand gifts are shedding their stigma this holiday season as shoppers, squeezed by tariffs and inflation, turn to thrift stores and resale platforms for thoughtful, lower-cost presents.

Podcasts

Technology

Marketplace Briefing: TikTok’s rocky U.S. transition gives brands pause after outage hits sales

February 05, 2026

TikTok’s new U.S. owners have gotten off to a rocky start, drawing scrutiny from brands.

Walmart is basically a tech company now

February 05, 2026

After building up fast-growing e-commerce and advertising businesses, moving its stock to the Nasdaq, and — as of Tuesday — crossing $1 trillion in valuation, Walmart is starting to look a lot more like a big tech company.

The next retail advantage is hiding in merchants’ payments systems

January 16, 2026

Cori Voorhees, partner marketing manager, Adobe The start of a new year often brings a shift in focus for merchants. As the urgency of peak shopping season fades, teams turn their attention to how their systems and technology performed. It’s a moment to look beyond seasonal results and examine the infrastructure that supported them. Payments […]

Marketing

In a still from Manscaped's Super Bowl ad, electric shaving tools sit on a counter next to anthropomorphized clumps of hair

Brands Briefing: Manscaped uses the Super Bowl to usher in a new brand platform

February 10, 2026

Manscaped, a 10-year-old startup known for below-the-belt grooming tools, ran its first-ever Super Bowl ad on Sunday. It comes at an important inflection point for the brand.

The Super Bowl pop-up playbook: How brands are showing up on the ground in San Francisco

February 06, 2026

Brands like Béis and Abercrombie are touching down at the Super Bowl with pop-ups offering everything from bingo to bar snacks.

How food and beverage giants like Ritz and Diageo are showing up for the Super Bowl this year

February 05, 2026

It’s Super Bowl week, which means countless food and beverage brands are competing for stomach share. Here’s how brands like Oikos, Ritz, Diageo and more are showing up this week.

Operations

amazon walmart scale

Amazon set to pass Walmart in annual revenue for the first time after hitting $700 billion in sales

February 05, 2026

Amazon may soon outpace Walmart when it comes to total revenue. 

Fitigues is back after its founders reclaim the ‘90s casual brand

February 04, 2026

Fitigues, a ’90s casualwear brand previously owned by Chico’s, is back after its founders reclaimed the IP and reopened stores.

Unpacked: Why brands and retailers like Sephora and Adidas are merging loyalty and promotions

January 29, 2026

Discover why retailers are adopting a unified incentives marketing strategy to cut discounting, strengthen loyalty and drive long-term growth.