Luxury resale is having a moment this holiday season as it benefits from people looking for value and a growing acceptance of pre-owned items as gifts.

Tariffs

‘You want to play defense’: Amid economic pressure, brands usher in Black Friday by trimming deals

November 24, 2025

Turmoil from tariffs and pressure on margins are forcing some brands to play it safer this Cyber Week.

Marketplace Briefing: Some Amazon sellers skip Black Friday deals as tariffs and platform fees bite

November 20, 2025

Some Amazon sellers are reducing or skipping their Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions as tariffs and platform fees squeeze margins.

Other news to know

  • Brands’ AI strategies
  • This year, Guitar Center launched a chatbot to help customers find the right products and an employee training tool that simulates customer interactions.
  • Kroger has launched a weekly AI-generated insights report for brand executives, analysts or category managers to analyze their performance.
  • In partnership with OpenAI, Target has launched a new Target app within ChatGPT, allowing shoppers to ask for ideas, build multi-item baskets, shop for fresh food and check out using their Target account.
  • John Furner’s tenure as the next CEO of Walmart will at least initially be defined by how the company evolves from testing and experimenting with AI to implementing it throughout the company.
Top Stories Dec 03

From UGC to R&D: POV Beauty’s Ani Hadjinian on leveraging community for every product launch

December 03, 2025

POV Beauty CEO Ani Hadjinian breaks down how creator intuition, community feedback and social commerce are reshaping beauty’s growth playbook.

Brands Briefing: Changing Cyber Week patterns and drawn-out sales force brands to shift strategies 

December 02, 2025

Consumers are demanding value, which only made it more crucial that brands got the lead-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday right this year. Brands like Brooklinen, Tecovas and Made In adopted slightly different strategies to ensure they made their value proposition clear to customers in the weeks and months leading up to Cyber Week.

Lowe’s, Oura and Build-A-Bear are Modern Retail Awards finalists

December 02, 2025

For this year’s Modern Retail Awards, the finalists underscored the value of blending in-store engagement with digital tools and platforms to create frictionless customer journeys. From personalization as a core strategy to innovative and interactive experiences, the finalists are deepening customer connections and seeing high-impact results.

TikTok Shop sheds bargain-bin reputation as average prices climb across categories

December 02, 2025

TikTok Shop’s once-ultracheap prices are rising as subsidies fade, tariffs climb and major brands join the platform, driving average unit costs sharply higher across multiple categories.

Tariffs

Cash register with a receipt with lots of dollar signs popping out of it

‘You want to play defense’: Amid economic pressure, brands usher in Black Friday by trimming deals

November 24, 2025

Turmoil from tariffs and pressure on margins are forcing some brands to play it safer this Cyber Week.

Marketplace Briefing: Some Amazon sellers skip Black Friday deals as tariffs and platform fees bite

November 20, 2025

Some Amazon sellers are reducing or skipping their Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions as tariffs and platform fees squeeze margins.

Why US shoppers are still getting hit with tariff invoices on overseas e-commerce orders

October 27, 2025

Online shoppers are getting blindsided by tariff invoices from shipping carriers and U.S. customs. Logistics experts say the complicated issue of accidental bills could drag on for months.

Podcasts

Technology

‘AI is permeating everything we do’: How Guitar Center developed 2 AI tools this year

December 02, 2025

Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto says that “AI is really permeating everything we do right now.” In an interview with Modern Retail, he explained how Guitar Center came up with two AI tools it has rolled out this year, called Pitch Practice and Rig Advisor.

Instacart tripled its smart cart store count this year

November 25, 2025

Instacart’s smart carts are in triple the number of stores this year than they were in 2024, the company told Modern Retail.

Why location data is the next personalization tool for brands and retailers

October 09, 2025

While personalization is something customers increasingly ask for, they also are wary of anything verging on creepy. Real-time location data doesn’t rely on who a shopper is but where they are. It’s a foundational signal for effectively engaging consumers and driving sales — and it can be used at every touchpoint. Timely location-based messages boost […]

Marketing

‘Unwrap the chaos’: Carter’s new CMO pushes for more emotional, relatable marketing

December 01, 2025

Carter’s CMO Sarah Crockett joined the company in the summer of 2025 with a goal of doing more realistic, relevant storytelling around childhood and parenting. In an interview with Modern Retail, she shared more about her approach.

MAC Cosmetics maps out its holiday live-shopping push

November 28, 2025

MAC Cosmetics’s svp of global marketing, Emily Bromfield, shared how the brand is thinking about live shopping on platforms like Douyin, Tmall and TikTok Shop.

Fake apologies from brands are all over Instagram

November 26, 2025

Dozens of brands like Tower 28 and JVN Hair have taken to social media to ask followers for forgiveness and to say “sorry.” The catch: They’re apologizing for their products being too good. The fake apology is the latest social media trend that brands are glomming onto.

Operations

How Nisolo’s new CEO plans to turn the footwear brand around

December 01, 2025

IRL Ventures is mounting a turnaround of leather footwear brand Nisolo as its first majority stakeholder investment.

The header image shows a puzzle with each piece spelling out Amazon.

Inside Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, the team hunting fakes across its marketplace

December 01, 2025

Amazon is ramping up its crackdown on counterfeits, using a team of ex-prosecutors, brand partnerships and AI tools to investigate fraud and seize fake goods.

How Gladly is redefining AI in CX for retailers and customers

November 25, 2025

Many retailers are turning to AI in customer experience (CX) solutions to automate service, facilitate transactions and drive revenue. However, most are still falling behind when it comes to harnessing the full potential of AI. For instance, the telephone remains a preferred channel for many consumers, yet impersonal automation and long hold times continue to […]