Amazon’s Temu competitor is an AI image wasteland

It’s Cale Guthrie Weissman, Modern Retail’s editor-in-chief, once again signing on.

In this week’s Modern Retail Download we have some fun and unexpected stories. First up, we investigated Amazon’s new cheap product platform, Haul, and found that it was teeming with weird AI images. Then, we speak with Kraft Heinz about all the ways it’s trying to reach younger customers. And we end with a look at how brands are trying to capitalize on mobile sales this holiday season.

You can find all of these stories below. Thanks for subscribing.?

Amazon’s Temu competitor Haul is an AI image wasteland

Earlier this week, Amazon finally unveiled its highly-anticipated Temu competitor, Haul. The platform is in beta and only available on Amazon’s mobile app.

Haul looks an awful lot like Temu. It’s an endless scroll of cheap products from third-party sellers, nearly all of whom seem to be from China. A $2 spatula here, a $5 phone holder there.?

But it seems some of the product imagery in these listings aren’t real photos. Modern Retail scoured Haul and found many instances of bad AI manipulation. In one photo, a smartphone was the size of a person’s forearm. In another, a person was fishing, but his catch was a human-sized glove.

It points to a bigger problem Amazon faces – both in the roll out of a program like Haul as well as its embrace of AI tools.

You can read more about it here.

Kraft Heinz is courting Gen Z with Taco Bell meal kits, ASMR content and more

All the brands are trying to find new ways to reach Gen Z. And, Kraft Heinz is focusing on popular trends like ASMR.

The parent company of Kraft Singles, Philadelphia and Velveeta has been testing out new types of marketing focused on resonating with younger folks. One campaign utilized ASMR-like sounds as a way to showcase the product. Another partnered with Taco Bell because every teen loves Taco Bell.

We spoke with Kraft Heinz about this new focus and how it’s going about making these new campaigns.

Here’s how Kraft Heinz is reaching Gen Z.

Brands are updating their sites to prepare for a mobile-heavy holiday season

The holidays are just around the corner, and more people are expected to buy presents with their mobile devices. Adobe Analytics expects mobile shopping to drive 53% of online holiday spending, an all-time record. That’s up from 51% last year and 40% in 2020.

As a result, many brands are rethinking their websites – as well as their social campaigns – to capitalize on mobile transactions. We spoke with these brands about how they’re approaching these tech upgrades.

You can learn more here.

Those are all the stories we have today. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

?— Cale