Cruise ships and duty-free shops are seeing an uptick in purchases, especially in high-end and vintage categories.

Tariffs

Why Dame is refunding $10,000 in tariff surcharges to customers

March 03, 2026

Dame is refunding customers who paid its “Trump Tariff Surcharge” last year, becoming one of the first brands to proactively return money tied to President Donald Trump’s now-invalidated tariffs.

Marketplace Briefing: Online merchants aren’t lowering prices despite Supreme Court ruling

February 26, 2026

Many Amazon sellers and online brands say they won’t cut prices despite the Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump’s tariffs.

Other news to know

Top Stories Mar 20

Alibaba’s vision for the agentic era comes into focus as it targets $100B in AI and cloud revenue over 5 years 

March 20, 2026

During its latest quarterly earnings report on Thursday, Alibaba disclosed aggressive growth goals for its AI and cloud computing divisions as it seeks to maintain its dominance in the agentic AI era.

Marketplace Briefing: Amazon says customers make three times more purchases using Alexa+ on devices than the original version

March 19, 2026

Amazon says customers are making three times more purchases using Alexa+ on devices than the original version, as the company bets its generative AI assistant will drive shopping engagement and deeper Prime ecosystem usage.

Beef tallow is starting to go mainstream on grocery shelves

March 19, 2026

Beef tallow products are making their way onto mass grocery shelves, as brands like Masa, Prima, and Jesse and Ben’s expand nationally. Now, the rise in retail and consumer demand is causing higher production costs.

Some creators don’t see immediate value in Instagram’s controversial ‘Shop the Look’ AI test

March 19, 2026

Instagram's controversial Shop the Look rollout didn't ask for creators' consent, nor did it tag products they've endorsed. What did they learn from it?

Tariffs

Why Dame is refunding $10,000 in tariff surcharges to customers

March 03, 2026

Dame is refunding customers who paid its “Trump Tariff Surcharge” last year, becoming one of the first brands to proactively return money tied to President Donald Trump’s now-invalidated tariffs.

Marketplace Briefing: Online merchants aren’t lowering prices despite Supreme Court ruling

February 26, 2026

Many Amazon sellers and online brands say they won’t cut prices despite the Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump’s tariffs.

Red and black sneaker on a black hightop on an orange background

Footwear brands navigate uncertainty after latest tariffs flip-flop

February 25, 2026

Shoe brands, which are out billions of dollars from U.S.-imposed duties, are trying to find their footing after recent tariffs whiplash.

Shoptalk

How Nuuly tweaked its business model to hit profitability

March 22, 2024

Urbn CTO David Hayne and Nuuly’s executive director of marketing Kim Gallagher sat down with Modern Retail earlier this week at Shoptalk. The two dove into the dynamics that helped bring the company to its current financial position.

Amazon Briefing: As competitors up their retail marketing game, Amazon maintains a low profile at industry conferences

March 21, 2024

Shoptalk was held in Las Vegas earlier this week, with retailers, brands and vendors descending on Las Vegas to make deals and pitch services. But Amazon, for its part, wasn’t actively pitching retail media offerings.

The risks and benefits of AI take centerstage at Shoptalk

March 21, 2024

AI was the hottest topic at Shoptalk this year, but there was a healthy dose of realism around the tool’s rollout.

Podcasts

Technology

Retailers turn to digital rebates as alcohol sales slump

March 16, 2026

Grocers and C-stores are turning to digital alcohol rebates to try to boost alcohol sales and digital engagement.

Shopify says purchases are coming ‘inside ChatGPT’ through agentic storefronts as OpenAI retreats on Instant Checkout 

March 12, 2026

Shopify told merchants their products will soon be discoverable and purchasable inside ChatGPT through its new “agentic storefronts” feature as OpenAI shifts how checkout works inside the chatbot.

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

The real winners of March Madness? Brands that move fast on NIL deals

March 18, 2026

March Madness is becoming a more integral part of the brand marketing playbook, as NIL deals make it easier for startups to find a way into the cultural conversation around the NCAA tournament. Here’s what the Madness campaigns of brands like Every Man Jack and NYX entail this year.

What’s in your cart? Poppi founder Allison Ellsworth shares favorite food, beauty and wellness finds

March 17, 2026

Poppi founder Allison Ellsworth spoke with Modern Retail about her go-to grocery items and what she splurged on after selling her company to PepsiCo.

Fifth Avenue’s next chapter: Inside the push to evolve the iconic shopping corridor

March 16, 2026

Fifth Avenue is a retail powerhouse, known for glitzy flagships like Tiffany and Gucci. But it’s also a time of change for the more than 200-year-old avenue and the nonprofit that keeps it moving.

Operations

Why Parker Thatch transformed its strip-mall storefront into a livestreaming studio

March 18, 2026

Handbag and accessories brand Parker Thatch recently remodeled its store to serve as both a sales channel and a broadcast studio, as the brand sees more success from livestreaming across Instagram and YouTube.

Brands Briefing: Inside Cotopaxi’s plans to double its store count by 2029

March 17, 2026

Travel bag and backpack brand Cotopaxi plans to double its North American store count from 20 locations to 40 locations in the next three years, its CEO told Modern Retail.

As retail media enters its second act, savvy brands diversify networks and tactics

March 17, 2026

Justin Jefferson, vp of strategy and insights, Keen Decision Systems The honeymoon phase of retail media is over. After years of explosive, low-hanging-fruit growth, the channel has reached a high-stakes maturity. With retail media now commanding 22% of total media budgets, the pressure to deliver more than a decent ROAS has reached a breaking point. […]