Unpacked: How Uber’s logistics ambitions are becoming more serious

After acquiring Transplace for $2.25 billion, Uber Freight is cementing its status as an important player in the growing world of digital freight brokerage. But it is also opening itself up to an entry into the parcel shipping space.

CMO Summit Recap: How marketers are adjusting to the delayed phase-out of third-party cookies

Digiday Media’s CMO Summit on July 19-20 covered some of the big issues facing marketers in this pivotal year, including the new timeline for the phase-out of third party cookies.

In-store shelf labels are getting an e-commerce makeover

Retailers like Walmart and Amazon are increasingly displaying customer reviews from their e-commerce site, on their shelf labels in-store. These new shelf labels are not only deepening the connection between e-commerce and physical retail, but they are also heightening the stakes for brands around customer reviews and search placement.

Modern Retail Research: More brand and retail employees are going back to the office full-time

Brand and retail employees have mixed feelings about returning to the office full-time. In an April-May 2021 Glossy and Modern Retail survey of brand and retail employees, 28% said they've gone back to work full-time, and 32% said they'd be willing to go back to the office full-time in the next month.

Grocery brands are increasingly advertising on Nextdoor

As retail brands migrate their ad dollars toward commerce-focused sites like Amazon or Instacart, or up-and-coming social apps like TikTok, outlets like Nextdoor, are also getting a second look. Brands like Stop & Shop, Imperfect Foods and Hershey’s have all invested in Nextdoor ads over the past year, and the social platform is especially gaining interest among grocers looking to run heavily local campaigns.

Gap is crowdsourcing its next hoodie re-release via a TikTok competition

These days, brands going viral on TikTok is becoming the norm, leading these brands to build on the buzz by creating challenges or releasing in-demand products. The latest example is Gap, which is re-issuing its recently-viral vintage hoodie and crowdsourcing which new color it will release next.

Instacart is courting CPG brands by giving them more control over product display

In early May, Instacart quietly added a new feature called “Product Library,” which lets brands whose products are bought and sold on Instacart edit how their products appear on the platform. The Product Library update might be small, but it showcases the extent to which Instacart, as it becomes an increasingly ad-focused company, has tried to make itself more friendly to brands.

Pitch Deck: How Pattern Brands laid out its new holding company vision

This week Pattern Brands -- a holding company formed by the former members of branding agency Gin Lane -- announced that it was pivoting away from launching its own brands, and instead would look to acquire a number of smaller brands in the home goods space. It's a move that has been in the works for over a year. Modern Retail obtained a pitch deck that Pattern Brands sent around last summer, laying out its vision for the holding company it hoped to build.

Modern Retail Research: Half of brand and retail workers are concerned about their mental health

The last year has taken a significant toll on company culture across brands and retailers -- stores were shut down, people lost their jobs and teams were separated from one another. But new research from Glossy and Modern Retail shows that, while worries about mental health still remain, morale across these industries is improving.

Modern Retail Research: Brands’ marketing budgets are inching back to pre-pandemic levels

Retailers and brands are experiencing a marketing rebound. New data from a Modern Retail and Glossy survey showcases that brands are expecting a post-pandemic recovery. And it's a distinct shift from 2020.

‘A much more open canvas’: Why Roblox is the next brand marketing frontier

The fact that a major fashion brand like Gucci is investing in Roblox underscores how, in recent months, retail brands have increasingly been eyeing ways to build out a presence on the platform.

Modern Retail Research: 62% of brands and retailers say sales are back to pre-pandemic levels

The Roaring '20s are here, according to brands and retailers. In a new Glossy and Modern Retail survey, 62% of brand and retailer workers said their company’s sales are at pre-pandemic levels. Of those, 36% said their sales hadn’t slid at all during the pandemic, and 26% said their sales went down but have since recovered.

Report: The state of online marketplaces