Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

January 14, 2026

Hey there. The team is back behind our desks today after a few days attending NRF. And if anyone was wondering, I (Erin here, hi!) walked nearly four miles just inside the show on Monday. Who needs a gym membership when you have the Javits Center?

In today’s edition:

—Andrew Adam Newman, Layla Ilchi, Erin Cabrey

MARKETING

Property tacks

Tulu

You might expect brands to be ambivalent at best about Tulu, the self-described “tech-enabled amenity” app that lets apartment building and dorm residents rent products including vacuums and gaming consoles stored inside their buildings. After all, residents taking the elevator down to the lobby to rent vacuums are not buying vacuums.

Yet brands including Phillips, Ikea, and Bosch are joining the 5-year-old startup as partners, and are providing their products gratis. If that seems like a head-scratcher, this will really get you lathering up the Selsun Blue: Those brands weren’t pitched the idea, but approached Tulu themselves. All of Tulu’s brand partnerships, and a few in the works, have been “100% inbound,” according to Yael Shemer, who cofounded the company and serves as its CCO.

“They give us the items, and in return, they get consumer insights,” Shemer told Retail Brew.

Those insights, it turns out, are about as good as the brands could get short of piggybacking on apartment dwellers while they steam clean their couches or don their VR headsets.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Presented By Hue

Get shoppable, not flop-able

Shoppable video is emerging as a powerful conversion driver: When placed directly on e-commerce, it can increase revenue and conversion rates by helping shoppers see products in real-life use.

And leading retail brands aren’t just taking notice. They’re embedding user- and employee-generated content directly into the buying journey on DTC sites. This Foot Locker x Hue case study explores how using employee-generated content on product pages drove measurable lift, like:

+6% conversion rate*
+21% engagement rate*
+5% demand per visitor*

“Bringing [Stripers] expertise online through Hue’s Shoppable Video lets us extend our in-store strength into digital in a really natural way,” said Andrew Rauch, global vice president of digital, Foot Locker.

Hue’s AI video technology and UGC community supports shoppable video across DTC sites, social, paid media, and retail syndication, ensuring content works everywhere shoppers convert.

Assess your ROI potential with their free site audit.

OPERATIONS

Something pierced

Rowan

In just over five years, ear piercing studio Rowan has grown its footprint (earprint?) tremendously. Last month, the company opened its 100th location in Memphis, Tennessee, and is projecting $150 million in revenue run rate for 2025. It was founded in 2017 as a concierge ear piercing service and launched on New York City’s Upper East Side in 2020.

The idea behind Rowan came from CEO and founder Louisa Schneider’s search for a safe and sterile place to take her daughter to get her ears pierced. That led her to her family of doctors to see if any of their offices were equipped to perform the service.

“They all said, ‘we have been asked to pierce ears in the past at different occasions working in pediatricians’ offices, and it’s not a particularly difficult procedure,’” Schneider recalled.

While other chains like Claire’s and Studs were already established players in the ear piercing space, Rowan offered what it believed was a key point of differentiation: licensed nurses to perform the piercings.

Keep reading here on Revenue Brew.—LI

COMMUNITY

Coworking with Christina Ritter

Christina Ritter

On Wednesdays, we ~~wear pink~~ spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Christina Ritter is head of brand marketing at fruit bar brand That’s It.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help more people eat real fruit. Only 1 in 12 Americans get their daily servings, so my job is to make fruit easy and exciting—through snacks you can grab anywhere, from the grocery store to your kid’s lunchbox.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Mom of two toddlers! Avid roadtripper/RVer.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? My favorite project has been building our registered dietitian program. It connects us with thousands of health professionals who genuinely care about helping people eat better—and they love our brand because it’s simple, real, and actually delivers on what it promises. Seeing their passion and how they bring our products to families, hospitals, and schools makes the work feel really meaningful.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m excited about how retailers are leaning into real ingredient transparency and functional wellness. Shoppers are paying closer attention to what’s actually in their food, and retailers are responding by giving space to brands that deliver on that promise.

Keep reading here.—EC

Built for discovery, not disruption

Morning Brew Inc.

Urban Outfitters has long understood that the best marketing feels like culture, not an ad. From social-first storytelling to community-driven campaigns that live online and in-store, the brand creates moments consumers want to be part of. Cyntia Leo, head of brand marketing, will share how Urban Outfitters balances trend-led creativity with data to drive relevance, engagement, and long-term loyalty. Grab a ticket and join the conversation.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Sacked: Saks Fifth Avenue parent Saks Global has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with former Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck taking over as CEO from Saks Global executive chair Richard Baker, who assumed the role earlier this month. (CNN)

Bitter taste: Grocery prices saw their biggest price increase in over three years in December. (the New York Times)

Controlled chaos: Beauty brands from Glossier to Merit Beauty are leaning into the latest trending beauty aesthetic centered around clutter and messiness—and response to the rise of AI-generated imagery. (Business of Fashion)

SHARE THE BREW

Share Retail Brew with your coworkers, acquire free Brew swag, and then make new friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag.

We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link.

Your referral count: 0

Click to Share

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

✢ A Note From Hue

*Results measured via A/B test on desktop in November 2025, 50/50 traffic split, on 40 product pages.

Written by Andrew Adam Newman, Layla Ilchi, and Erin Cabrey

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

Marketers: Marketing Brew
Corporate: CFO Brew HR Brew Revenue Brew
Tech: IT Brew
Healthcare: Healthcare Brew

Interested in podcasts?

Check out ours here

ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ

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

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

☕ Lease common denominator