Modern Retail

For many people, the name Segway brings to mind an image of a bulky, two-wheeled, self-balancing scooter — the same one featured in the 2009 film “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and used in sightseeing tours throughout the 2010s. But Segway?retired that model?in 2020, and for the past four years, it’s worked to rebrand as a major name in electric transportation.

Tom Baker, co-founder and creative director of the coffee liqueur brand Mr Black Spirits, spoke about the company's rise. It involved years of work alongside the rising popularity of the espresso martini.

As part of his "MAHA" agenda,?Robert Kennedy Jr. says he wants to take things like artificial food dyes and seed oils out of the American food system.?Better-for-you brands say it would be a win.? In this piece by Gabriela Barkho, we speak to Elly Truesdell of New Fare, Jesse Konig ?? of Jesse & Ben's, Carmel Hagen of Supernatural Inc, and Daniel Goetz of GoodPop.

Any American brand or individual seller can now register to sell on Temu. Previously, merchants had to have an invite code. In this piece by Allison Smith, we speak to Juozas Kaziuk?nas of Marketplace Pulse, and Craig Leslie of The Bean Coffee Company.

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. In this piece by Julia Waldow, we speak to Jeannie Shin, Rebekah Kondrat of rekon retail, and Anshuman Jaiswal of Nextuple Inc.