Modern Retail

Among three former Outfox employees who spoke with Modern Retail, the sentiment was that Foxtrot was a company that was struggling to figure out what it wanted to be. It struggled to figure out the right balance between brick-and-mortar and e-commerce sales. When it first launched in 2015, one of the big selling points that the company said made Foxtrot different than say, a 7-Eleven was that it made a point to carry beloved local brands in the markets it operated in, like Ceremony Coffee and Little Sesame hummus in D.C. #retail #foxtrot

Some startups like Bonobos and MeUndies are undergoing brand refreshes as they enter their teenage years. Here's why. In this piece by Anna Hensel, we speak to Ariel Stoddard, and Krissie Millan.

Walmart is renaming its data analytics platform, formerly known as Walmart Luminate, and adding new features. It's meant to reflect Walmart's overall goal of not only providing data but also, increasingly, recommendations. In this piece by Mitchell Parton, we speak to Mark Hardy, Andrew Lipsman of Media, Ads + Commerce, and Kris McDermott of Kimberly-Clark.

Foot Locker is hoping to score a win with shoppers by teaming up with the Chicago Bulls. The retailer's chief customer officer Kim Waldmann spoke with Modern Retail about the new partnership and Foot Locker's efforts to court young basketball fans. Story by Julia Waldow

In a statement to Modern Retail, a Poshmark spokesperson said that the platform worked on the new fee structure for more than a year. “We implemented this change in direct response to ongoing seller feedback, the evolving e-commerce landscape and our commitment to accelerating growth for our community. The predominant feedback we received was a strong desire for lower selling and shipping fees,” they said. The spokesperson added, “A buyer fee, common practice among many leading online marketplaces, was introduced to provide Poshmark customers peace of mind, ensure buyer safety and support continued improvements across the shopping experience.” #poshmark

Breaking down revenue-per-email-recipient across industries allows brands and retailers to gauge what email flows drive the most engagement. Sponsored by Klaviyo.

All the major carriers, from UPS to United States Postal Service to FedEx, add on extra fees that often run from the fall into the new year. Here's how brands plan for these extra fees. In this piece by Gabriela Barkho, we speak to Scott Tannen of Boll & Branch, Dennis Moon of Roadie, and Judah Abraham of Slate Brands.

Despite being the first demographic to grow up entirely in a digital world, mall owners have found Generation Z values shopping in person as much as their parents do and are tailoring the mall shopping experience around their preferences and interests. #genz #retail In this piece by Mitchell Parton, we speak to Lee Sterling of Simon Property Group, and Stephen Yalof of Tanger.

On Tuesday, OpenStore, an aggregator of Shopify brands, announced the launch of OpenDesk, an AI-driven customer support tool that it will start selling to other Shopify brands. #shopify #ai In this piece by Anna Hensel, we speak to Keith Rabois, and Rick Watson of RMW Commerce.

On this week's Modern Retail Rundown: Congressional leaders send a letter to #CPG giants, the #NRF changes its annual shrink report practices and rising cocoa prices may mean big #Halloween changes.