Modern Retail

Under the leadership of a Best Buy veteran, one of the largest baby and children’s apparel retailers is reinventing its image to prepare for the next generation of parents. Carters Inc. has redesigned its retail stores, updated its product assortment and launched a new ad campaign, all focused on appealing to Gen Z parents. In an exclusive interview with Modern Retail, Allison Peterson, Carter’s chief retail and digital officer, shared the company’s vision for the brand moving forward. Peterson joined Carter’s in June and previously worked at Best Buy for about 19 years. Her last role there was chief customer officer.

Steep discounts still abound as Black Friday sales kick-off, but many startup founders say?they are playing the sales period more conservatively this year. In this piece by Anna Hensel, we speak to Eric Osman of Mockingbird, and Brian Berger of Mack Weldon.

Walmart’s global advertising business saw year-over-year growth of 28%?— the most this fiscal year. Advertising has grown to become?almost a third of Walmart’s overall operating income of $6.7 billion, per its CFO. In this piece by Mitchell Parton, we speak to Andrew Lipsman of Media, Ads + Commerce, and John Tomlinson, CFA/CPA of M Science.

This holiday season, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity wants consumers to “shop like a pro” with its AI-powered shopping assistant. For $20 a month, Perplexity's Pro subscribers can purchase items directly within Perplexity's app or website. In this piece by Allison Smith, we speak to Dmitry Shevelenko.

Amazon’s new service Haul is filled with economical products, low prices and even cheaper product photography. Indeed, it looks like many of the products being sold are not-so-artfully using AI to doctor the images. Modern Retail reviewed many product listings on Haul and found numerous instances of seemingly AI-induced image issues, if not outright hallucinations. In one photo, for example, a phone stand is sitting on a desk in front of a woman, but, as shown, is the size of the woman’s forearm. #amazon #retail

Thirty-five years after its founding in 1989, the luggage brand?CALPAK is getting its first permanent storefront in Los Angeles. The brand spoke with Modern Retail about its?brick-and-mortar ambitions over the next five years and the value of in-person shopping.

Stitch Fix wants its clients to get to know its stylists better, which the company is doing today with the launch of profiles.?The company spoke with Modern Retail about this new feature. In this piece by Anna Hensel, we speak to Tony Bacos, Matt Baer, and Gabriella Santaniello.

TikTok is letting some creators add product links from third-party affiliate networks, including Amazon, Walmart and Target, directly to their posts through a new integration. In this piece by Allison Smith, we speak to Georgina Whalen, Lindsey Gamble, and Lia Haberman.

Affirm’s buy now, pay later offerings include pay-in-four loans as well as monthly installment plans up to 36 months, with either 0% APR or a fixed interest rate. Typically, customers have encountered these product options at the point of sale. Now, when users log into the newly redesigned app, the first thing they’ll see on the home page is their “purchasing power,” an estimate of how much they can spend overall using Affirm based on factors like their credit, income and where they shop. Vishal Kapoor, Affirm’s svp of product, said the payment network wanted to relaunch the app with new features that made it quicker and easier for people to see how much they could spend.

This week on the?Modern Retail Rundown:?Red Lobster's new CEO announces a millennial rebrand,?Tapestry and Capri Holdings Limited?failed merger and?Amazon’s?latest telehealth expansion.