The Modern Retail Podcast

Halloween is no longer just for children trick-or-treating. The holiday has transformed into a multi-billion-dollar season increasingly fueled by adult consumers.
On the latest episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabi Barkho explores the "Adultoween" phenomenon alongside Katherine Cullen, senior retail analyst at EY and Danielle Sporkin, senior vp of media & marketing for Ferrero North America.
From lawn animatronics to spooky cocktails, adults are spending more time and money celebrating Halloween than ever before. In this episode, we’ll explore what’s driving this trend, how brands and retailers are adapting, and what it means for...

Peer-to-peer resale platform Depop is trying to differentiate itself from the competition through the power of music.
Driven by data showing that 56% of the Depop community attends live music events, the company recognized there is an opportunity to cater to users scrolling its app for secondhand concert looks. To capitalize on this insight, the company scaled its popular shop drop model, in which prominent musicians list items directly from their personal wardrobes. To date, it has collaborated on drops with the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Zara Larsson and Olivia Rodrigo.
Beyond digital storefronts, the London-based company is...

Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Days has fundamentally altered the retail calendar, turning October into the official kickoff for holiday shopping. What started out as a summer event has expanded into a crucial Q4 marker. The deals are now driving consumers to research and buy earlier each year amid sustained inflation.

In just a few short years, the fall event has become a key acquisition channel and testing ground for sellers ahead of Black Friday. Consumers are increasingly researching deals days in advance, comparing prices and deals before making purchases.

On this week’s Mo...

Three years since the debut of TikTok Shop, brands are still weighing whether it’s worth investing in the social commerce channel.

In the past year, Whisker, the maker of Litter Robot, finally took the plunge, joining TikTok Shop primarily to secure an early adoption advantage on the platform and reach younger demographics like Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Whisker CMO Hew Loyd joined this week’s Modern Retail Podcast to discuss the pros and cons of DTC brands betting on TikTok Shop.

Despite being a high-consideration item at $699, Litter Robo...

Increasingly, people are asking ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for product recommendations, and it's changing how brands position themselves online.
Brands are used to optimizing their products for physical shelves and digital storefronts. But now, they also increasingly have to think about the AI shelf, a concept recently outlined by tech writer Deana Burke in the newsletter Boys Club. Burke decided to test AI bots by creating a completely fictional natural deodorant brand to see if she could get it recommended on the AI shelf. And the experiment actually worked.
As product discovery evolves from the physical shelf...

Footwear brand Rothy's, which crossed $211 million in sales last year, is an example of a company that has managed to successfully navigate the volatile direct-to-consumer shoe category, even as competitors like Allbirds have failed.

Brands that began as strictly DTC are increasingly looking at what they can do to survive and grow beyond just putting out digital ads. But doing so without burning money is a challenge and requires discipline. 

So how has Rothy’s not only survived but stayed profitable at a time when many of its DTC-era peers have gone under? By growing its...

These days, it is borderline expected that brands will use artificial intelligence in at least some capacity as part of their marketing. But they also have to tread carefully; otherwise, consumers may slam them with “AI slop” allegations.

As a result, more companies are creating playbooks for how they approach these tools in consumer-facing campaigns. Some, like Coca-Cola, have doubled down on using AI-generated ads despite initial backlash. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s REI, which pulled an AI-generated Facebook ad after consumer backlash, saying the use of AI does not align with the compan...

Fragrance continues to dominate the beauty sector in 2026, but it's increasingly showing up as a differentiator in other sectors like personal care and household essentials.
This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels speaks with Diana Melencio, general partner at XRC Brand Capital Fund, about the ways companies are using fragrance to set themselves apart.
“On the shelves of Target and Walmart in the traditional laundry and household cleaning aisles, you're going to start seeing more premium products that have that differentiated scent architecture," Melencio said.
Melencio, who is actively looking to in...

In an era where a brand's reputation is tethered to the relentless cycles of social media, silence is no longer a defensive strategy for brands and can even become a liability.

In this episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabi Barkho is joined by crisis PR consultant Sam Gauchier to break down why the old-school public relations tactic of trying to sweep a major scandal under the rug is increasingly failing major brands.

The latest example came this week, when Target quickly scrambled to do damage control after one of its...

This year, back-to-college spending is estimated to cross $100 billion for the first time, according to data from the National Retail Federation. About $14 billion of that, or about $194 per shopper, is in dorm and apartment furnishings.

It’s the second-highest category after electronics, and some data suggests it's growing: Research from CTV ad platform MNTN last year shows that advertisers in dorm-adjacent categories saw average revenue grow 73.65 year over year during the peak purchase window in July.

One of the companies at the center of these trends is Urban Outfitters, which has made a concerted effort to...

For many founder-led brands, the transition from a scrappy, bootstrapped startup to a major retail player is the ultimate test of sustainable growth. For some, that means taking on more debt or venture capital; for others, it means bringing on private equity investors to shoulder the costs.

This week, senior reporter Gabi Barkho is joined by Andrea Faulkner Williams, co-founder and president of baby care brand Tubby Todd, to discuss her strategic decisions behind that evolution. After launching in 2014 and spending years building the brand through a DTC community-driven approach, Tubby Todd sold a majority stake to...

Once Upon a Farm is on a growth trajectory that is powered in large part by a new look in the baby aisle.

The brand, founded in 2015, offers organic, cold-pressed baby food and children's snacks. It went public in February after spending the past several years building up a unique wholesale strategy that places branded coolers in baby food aisles. The company ended 2025 with more than 3,400 coolers in grocery stores across the U.S. and is looking to surpass more than 5,000 by the end of 2026.

Overall, the company saw net sales hit $85.4 million in the...

Many Americans have spent the last few weeks contemplating whether to eat fresh produce, due to concerning headlines about the ongoing cyclospora outbreak. The parasite is creating a wave of confusion for shoppers, retailers and food service businesses. 

The outbreak has food service chains like Sweetgreen and Taco Bell scrambling to assure customers their produce supply is safe. But the question remains: How much responsibility do companies actually have to communicate these health concerns? This week, the Modern Retail Podcast is diving into the new rules of retail safety, the PR challenges caused by food outbreaks and t...

As an official sales partner for Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Best Buy is rethinking what it means to deliver experiential retail in the age of AI.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels sat down with Best Buy's executive vice president and chief revenue officer, Patrick McGinnis, to go behind the scenes into the development of the new 30-by-30-foot Meta AI shop-in-shops rolling out in select stores.

It’s the latest example of how Best Buy is looking to position itself as a destination for cutting-edge technology — and it's also a ca...

For many U.S. retail startups, expanding international distribution is the ultimate goal to establish themselves as a truly global brand. In the era of digital storefronts and globalized social media presence, selling a product in foreign countries could pay off exponentially. But betting on this global growth means navigating all the friction that cross-border retail can bring. 

Bloom Nutrition, which has been growing its energy drink line over the past year, is launching in multiple foreign markets that include Australia, France and the U.K.  

Joel Contartese, the vp of global growth at Bloom Nutr...

Nutrition and supplement company AG1 famously built a $600 million business off of a single SKU. Then, in 2025, the brand made major leaps by introducing new flavors and a sleep supplement. CEO Kat Cole speaks with Modern Retail’s Melissa Daniels about how the brand grew its next generation of products from its own scientific research, and how it’s looking to scale through retail beyond its DTC roots.

In honor of July 4, this week the Modern Retail Podcast is revisiting an episode featuring P.F. Candle Company, which produces its candles in Los Angeles. Co-hosts Gabi Barkho and Melissa Daniels talked to founders Kristen Pumphrey and Thomas Neuberger about the advantages of and challenges of making products in the United States. Last year, the made-in-America debate was heavily tied to importing tariffs. But interest in American-made products is still high, as the founders highlight in the conversation on domestic production.

Few areas of digital marketing have exploded in recent years as much as affiliate marketing. What's more, it's actually proving effective: eMarketer in September said that affiliate marketing would drive more than $210 billion in US e-commerce sales that year. By 2028, that figure is expected to hit over $287 billion.
But with that growth comes a myriad of questions about implementation and how brands can actually get results.
This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels answer listener questions around affiliate best practices and how it's changing amid changes in shopper behavior and media...

Amazon Prime Day isn't as essential as it once was. But for some brands, it can still provide a meaningful sales boost.
On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels spoke with Katherine McKee, the fractional head of growth at Morphology Consulting, to break down the pros and cons of participating in the four-day sales event that is scheduled for June 23 through June 26.
The two discuss:

On this week's Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabriela Barkho is joined by executive editor Anna Hensel to talk all things World Cup marketing. This week, Modern Retail ran an editorial series on how retailers and brands of all sizes are taking advantage of the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup this summer. Malls are turning into hubs for fans, while retail media networks are looking at this as a critical moment to win over more advertiser dollars. As Hensel explains, this highly anticipated World Cup comes at a precarious moment for the industry, as retailers continue to worry that rising...

Pride Month is underway, marking a season of celebration that's become a mainstay for some brands. But earning the trust of LGBTQ+ audiences goes far beyond rainbow merch or a few social media posts.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels interviewed LGBTQ+ marketing specialists Matt Tumminello and Matt Wagner of Target10. Their conversation centers on earning trust with LGBTQ customers long before it's time for a Pride collection, starting with the ways companies used to show up and how that's changed over the years.

The conversation gets...

Young consumers have always been a sought-after demographic for retailers — but what they value is always changing.

Over the past several decades, Pacsun has sought to maintain a strong pulse on the evolving tastes of teenagers. 

From viral jeans to strategic partnerships with creators, the mall-based retailer is once again winning over young people. For the first time in 18 years, the company is opening more new stores than it is closing.

Pacsun's digital strategy is heavily weighted toward customers’ personal interests and influences. The brand says it remains relevant through four key pillars: fashi...

Late May saw a slew of first-quarter earnings reports that reflected meaningful growth for companies like Target and Walmart, but also revealed some bigger shifts in consumer behavior and operational costs.

While shoppers dealing with higher fuel costs are pulling back in some areas, like DIY home projects, they're also showing up to treat themselves for limited-edition collabs or deals at off-price retailers.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels is joined by reporter Mitchell Parton to unpack some of the biggest hits and misses of earnings season...

In the era of the viral vertical video, there is a seemingly endless appetite for new content. And brands are getting in on original content trying by creating their own series for social media.

In January, Gap Inc announced it was creating a new role, a chief entertainment officer, where Pam Kaufman will lead their “fashion-tainment” strategy. This year, David’s Bridal launched “Breaking Bridal,” a series documenting nontraditional weddings.

And since September, New York-based Prince Street Pizza has been putting out episodes of “Delivering Happiness,” a YouTube series starring actor Nick Turturro. Lawrence Longo...

For this week's Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels were joined by Katie Thomas from the Kearney Consumer Institute to discuss how shoppers' financial stress is showing up in their shopping habits.

KCI recently released its latest Consumer Stress Index, which monitors 24,000 consumers across 12 countries. It looks not only at consumers' financial picture but also at their stress related to geopolitics and government, innovation and technology, food and the environment, and health and education.

What's different this year is that it's not just one factor causing consumers to feel stressed. It's the...

On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels are joined by Modern Retail's platforms reporter Allison Smith to dig into why TikTok Shop is becoming a more legitimate sales channel in the eyes of bigger brands.

Less than three years old, TikTok Shop now makes up roughly 20% of all social commerce sales, according to data from eMarketer. The rest of the category is dominated by Meta. Last year, the company drove $500 million in sales during the four-day stretch from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
In response, more established...

It seems like every company wants to bill itself as a “lifestyle brand” these days. If a company can truly integrate itself into a customer’s lifestyle – versus just selling them a single product – they can build a more powerful connection over time. But, what does that actually mean in practice?
In this episode of the Modern Retail Podcast – recording live at the Modern Retail Marketing Summit in Huntington Beach, California – Mandy Fry, co-owner and president of Southern California-based apparel brand Z Supply, talks about how she built Z Supply into a full-fledged lifestyle brand.
For Fry, building Z Sup...

Electronic shelf labels are nothing new.

Lately, though, the topic has been making headlines as companies like Kroger and Walmart announce they'll be rolling out more of the technology across their stores. The small screens replace the paper stickers that store employees would have to replace by hand anytime there is a price change or stock change.

But this is raising concerns among grocery store workers and consumer advocates about the potential for unfair price increases. In turn, the United Food and Commercial Workers union is making a legislative push across states and in Congress...

Last week, Allbirds sold for $39 million to American Exchange Group, a vast drop from the peak $4 billion valuation Allbirds had when it went public in 2021. But it’s not just Allbirds that’s dealing with decline in sales. The DTC brand is just one example of a shoe brand that stumbled in an ever-competitive market.

The Allbirds fire sale also comes at a time when many sneaker brands are on a comedown after years of growth, thanks to ongoing demand. With that news, this week’s episode takes a look at the larger state of sneakers. Compan...

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabi Barkho and Melissa Daniels delve into the vast world of product LTOs, also known as limited-time offers. In the CPG space, these are usually limited-edition flavors or scents that brands drop to create consistent newness. 

Spring tends to be a big season for LTOs as brands refresh their assortment. And the trend is only getting bigger. Even legacy brands like Peeps are releasing more unique flavors this year, like Rita's-Italian-Ice- and Pop-Tarts-flavored marshmallows. This episode looks at why these limited releases have become a big part of brands’ marke...

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels sits down with David's Bridal CEO Kelly Cook to go behind the scenes of the company's post-bankruptcy turnaround plan.

The roughly 76-year-old U.S. retailer is known for its wedding gowns and formalwear. But it’s had a challenging time staying solvent in recent years and filed for Chapter 11 in November 2018, and again in April 2023. The company's retail footprint has gone from more than 300 stores to around 150 today.

Cook took on the CEO role about one year ago and has shepherded changes under th...

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabi Barkho delves into the growing phenomenon of AI-generated review summaries.
It’s one of the many ways generative AI is already impacting the way people discover products and shop online. These summaries are not only changing the way chatbots talk about products, they’re also pushing brands and marketers to navigate customer reviews differently.
In this episode, Barkho is joined by Dawn Hilarczyk, chief operating officer at Borghese, and Nick Lafferty, who leads growth marketing at Profound. Hilarczyk and Lafferty break down the following:

In this episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels and senior reporter Gabriela Barkho discuss their favorite food and beverage trends of 2026. Fresh off of Expo West, the episode’s discussion revolves around what is considered “in” and what’s “out” across categories. Protein sod and functional coffee remain hot items. Meanwhile, the noise against seed oils continues to grow in the better-for-you space, with brands boasting products made with alternatives like beef tallow and avocado oil.

The emerging trends in 2026 include:

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels speaks with Kris Malkoski, the president of learning and development at Newell Brands who oversees operations for household brands including Graco and Sharpie. They go behind-the-scenes into how the 100-year-old baby gear brand Graco, known for its affordability against higher-priced start-ups, is approaching pricing strategies in an increasingly volatile retail environment thanks to AI, tariffs and cost-conscious shoppers.

Daniels interviews Malkoski about how Graco mitigated tariff-related price increases, how the brand is increasingly using AI to help dial in what prices a customer is...

On this week’s episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels are joined by executive editor Anna Hensel to unpack how AI is reshaping marketing workflows and creative output.

As customer acquisition costs rise and shoppers grow more discerning, brands are using AI to sharpen targeting and streamline production. But many remain cautious about replacing human talent or handing over mission-critical work to fast-evolving technology.

In a blow for President Donald Trump's tariff agenda, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 20 that the Trump administration exceeded its authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in a 6-3 decision. In other words, they deemed that the sweeping tariffs he issued on Liberation Day against nearly every U.S. trading partner were unlawful. Now, many people in the retail industry, whose companies have been impacted by these tariffs, are left wondering what will happen next in the days and weeks to come.

In this emergency episode of the Modern Retail Podcast...

In 2026, the term direct-to-consumer, or DTC, has become somewhat of a pejorative within the retail startups ecosystem.

Enter: “DTC 3.0,” or what’s dubbed as the most sustainable and profitable version of the model to date. The term was popularized last year after an X post by Cody Plofker, the CEO of Jones Road Beauty, though a debate has emerged on what the phrase entails.

On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabriela Barkho is joined by two veterans of the DTC landscape who started their brands in the 2010s. Nate Checketts, co-fou...

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels is joined by senior reporter Julia Waldow to dive deep into the world of brand activations happening around Super Bowl LX. Many brands don't have the $8 million to drop on a Super Bowl ad. In turn, they're tapping pop-ups, concerts and other IRL experiences to drive awareness before millions of eyeballs in the Bay Area, where the Super Bowl will be held at Levi's Stadium.

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, the staff discusses how the growing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cities like Minneapolis is impacting retail. Senior reporter Gabriela Barkho and special projects editor Melissa Daniels are joined by Modern Retail executive editor Anna Hensel to discuss topics like executives' reactions, shoppers’ protests and how brands are expressing solidarity with people on the ground.
In this episode, the three discuss:

On this week's episode, special projects editor Melissa Daniels takes a deep dive into how brands are shaking up their returns playbook. As many as 72% of brands are charging for returns these days, according to the National Retail Federation, but that's a major customer pain point. In turn, it's an area of business that brands are constantly evaluating to make sure their return policies make logistical and financial sense while still providing a good customer experience.

Daniels speaks with Samantha Gold, founder of sleepwear brand Motette, and Arin Schultz, chief growth officer at mattress brand Naturepedic, about...