September 17, 2026

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Hello. Cold storage down. HVAC out. Inventory going missing and nobody’s sure when it started. Every retailer’s got a version of this story—usually one they hear too late. Join us virtually to break down real-time store monitoring that catches it early.

In today’s edition:

—Jeena Sharma, Erin Cabrey, Brianna Monsanto

STORES

Dress to impress

Lulus

For a brand that made its name selling dresses directly to customers online, Lulus has discovered that there’s value in meeting shoppers somewhere decidedly more old school: the department store.

The 30-year-old brand recently expanded into Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, adding to its already burgeoning wholesale footprint that includes Nordstrom, Dillard’s, and Amazon. Lulus will initially operate in 30 Macy’s stores, as well as online, with a collection spanning everyday and special occasion dresses. At Bloomingdale’s, the brand will launch in 16 stores and online, beginning with homecoming, before expanding into resort and other occasion categories.

For CEO Crystal Landsem, the push into wholesale isn’t as much a departure from Lulus’s DTC foundation as it is a response to how its customers now shop.

Keep reading here.—JS

Sponsored By WooCommerce

Playing the long game

Customer retention is a game of patience—and it isn’t created through quick wins or one-off incentives. Brands with high retention know what their customers want and reflect it in every promotion, recommendation, and follow-up message.

Join WooCommerce, Klaviyo, Sephora, and Fanatics for a free webinar exploring how brands can turn more first-time buyers into lifelong advocates. The on-demand session includes a downloadable guide and real-world examples to help you get started.

Tune in to learn how to:

lay a strong data foundation
activate insights at the right moments
automate with empathy
create loyalty

Watch here.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR & TRENDS

Bouncing back

Close-up of women walking with shopping bags

Morning Brew Inc, Photo: Adobe Stock

US retail sales jumped 1.2% to $773.9 billion in August, the Commerce Department reported this week, a higher-than-expected rebound from a 0.5% decline in July.

Most retail segments saw sales upticks, with gas stations helping to pull up the overall gain, climbing 3.1% month-over-month amid continually elevated gas prices.

Nonstore retailers, made up largely by e-commerce sales, secured a 2.6% sales increase.

Other sales gains included miscellaneous store retailers (1.9%), electronics and appliance stores (1.6%), restaurants and bars (1.2%), sporting goods, hobby, and book stores (1.2%), furniture and home stores (0.9%), and health and personal care stores (0.9%). Clothing and accessories stores sales rose 0.7%, while sales at food and beverage stores rose 0.4%, with grocery stores up 0.5%.

Keep reading here.—EC

Sponsored By Roku Ads Manager

Are you on CTV? Most folks know streaming is booming. But what about the brands advertising on these platforms? In our recent article with Roku Ads Manager, we uncover survey data about how brands are leveraging this channel. Take a look at what we learned.

swapping skus

Today’s top retail reads.

Pay day: Amazon is increasing the starting hourly wage for its full-time operations workers by $1 increase to $20. (Associated Press)

Join the club: Costco is expanding its partnership with Uber Eats from 17 to 47 states, with Costco members across nearly 600 locations able to use the delivery service. (CNBC)

Money moves: Former Saks Global CEO Marc Metrick, who stepped down from this role in January, has joined BRG Corporate Finance as a managing director. (WWD)

Building long-term loyalty: Turning first-time buyers into lifelong advocates starts with understanding what your customers want. Tune in on demand to WooCommerce’s webinar with Klaviyo, Sephora, and Fanatics to learn how they’re scaling customer relationships.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

Jobs

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Written by Jeena Sharma, Erin Cabrey, and Brianna Monsanto

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