September 29, 2026

Presented By

It’s Tuesday, and the Trump administration’s ban on certain Canadian imports takes effect today. Experts say the effects will be limited, unless, of course, your shopping list includes a surprising combination of molasses, malt beer, and mopeds.

In today’s edition:

—Andrew Adam Newman, Alex Vuocolo

E-COMMERCE

WISMO whiz

A man in a shower sniffs a lathered-up bar of soap.

Dr. Squatch

A new offering, AfterShip Intelligence, is a suite of AI tools that AfterShip claims can better predict which orders are likely to have problems, recommend resolutions, and even—subject to its clients’ approval—draft messages to customers that keep them apprised.

Such proactive communications can soothe consumers before they amp up into WISMO mode.

“If we know something’s going to be late, we should tell you ahead of time versus you monitoring and chasing down the information,” Loh said.

Ship shape: Mecklenborg brought in AfterShip in 2024, shortly after he took over Dr. Squatch’s customer-experience team. The platform helped Dr. Squatch consolidate tracking information from its expanding list of carriers on one branded page, update delivery estimates, and send customers updates at each stage of an order’s journey.

When it comes to WISMO, the results were dramatic for Dr. Squatch: From early 2024 to early 2025, the brand’s WISMO rate fell 25%, from roughly 4% of orders to 3%.

“I’m not saying we’re perfect today, but we have taken very large strides,” Mecklenborg said.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Sponsored By Paradox, a Workday Company

Peak behind the hiring curtain

PepsiCo is a $90 billion organization with 230,000 front-line workers. On a recent episode of the podcast Try Harder Is Not A Strategy, PepsiCo SVP of TA Blair Bennett shared how her team transformed hiring at scale.

The first step Bennett took? Interviewing over 100 stakeholders to identify bottlenecks in the existing process. From there, front-line roles were segmented based on priorities and job requirements (e.g., entry-level talent vs. specialized positions).

Then came the automation. Repetitive tasks such as interview scheduling were automated so recruiters could regain time for high-value work like sourcing for scarce skills and persuading candidates.

Bennett said her overall approach on TA transformation was to treat it like a continuous, connected ecosystem. Tune in to the episode for more details.

STORES

Checkout wane

Francis Scialabba

Berkeley, California, began enforcing a law in 2022 that keeps high-sugar foods out of checkout lanes at large stores. Sales of small-package candy, including candy bars, subsequently fell.

A study estimated 43% lower small-package candy sales at Berkeley supermarkets after the restrictions began. Researchers arrived at that figure by comparing sales before and after the enforcement of the law in Berkeley with sales over the same period in three other California cities.

The study, by researchers at Boston University and the University of California, Davis, was published in The Lancet Public Health.

The law does not restrict candy sales elsewhere in stores. The study found lower sales of small-package candy, such as bars and packets often sold at checkout, but no significant decline in candy sales overall.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Sponsored By ACI Worldwide

Get those carts across the finish line. 4 in 10 fashion shoppers abandon their online carts at checkout, according to new ACI Worldwide research. Merchants, want to save your customers from this fate? Get ACI Worldwide’s report on the full payments journey for fashion and sportswear retailers, backed by a survey of 3k+ shoppers.

swapping skus

Today’s top retail reads.

Holiday holding pattern: Adobe Analytics predicts holiday sales will likely grow 6.7%, which is nearly the same rate as last year. (Reuters)

Pricing promises: Walmart CEO John Furner sent a letter to customers promising not to engage in personal or dynamic pricing amid electronic shelf label rollout. (Progressive Grocer)

Funflation: The price of hobbies and recreational activities is on the rise, but consumers are upping their spending anyway. (CNBC)

TA transformation: In a recent episode of the Try Harder Is Not A Strategy podcast, PepsiCo’s SVP of TA shared how she revamped front-line hiring for a team that manages 75,000 annual requisitions. Hear the details.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

Jobs

Tired of one-size-fits-all job boards? CollabWORK highlights roles that reflect your interests and goals—delivered through communities like Retail Brew. Click here to explore the full job board.

Share the Brew

Share the Brew, watch your referral count climb, and unlock brag-worthy swag.

Your friends get smarter. You get rewarded. Win-win.

Your referral count: 0

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
retailbrew.com/r/?kid=6b35f7e7

Written by Andrew Adam Newman and Alex Vuocolo

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Get smarter in just 5 minutes

Business News: Morning Brew
Tech & AI News: Tech Brew
Markets News: Brew Markets
Real Estate News: The Playbook
Money & Career: Bossy

Take The Brew to work

Interested in podcasts?

Check out ours here.

ADVERTISE//CAREERS//SHOP//FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.

Copyright © 2026 Morning Brew Inc. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011

☕ New world orders