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MARKETING

School assembly

Razor

In 2023, when Razor was introducing the Crazy Cart Shuffle, a non-motorized go-kart that can spin in circles, it made the counterintuitive decision to introduce the product not on kids’ media but rather somewhere more popular with boomers: QVC.

The reason, as Razor’s CMO Ali Kermani told Retail Brew at the time, was twofold: It was targeting boomers to purchase the product for their grandchildren, and also hoping that the grandparents would buy a larger, motorized version, the Crazy Cart XL, and join their grandkids for a spin in the driveway.

It was what Kermani calls “intergenerational play,” the notion that, compared to generations past, some parents (and grandparents) don’t want to just stay on the periphery of the playground but rather join the juice-box drinkers on the jungle gym.

Now Razor is embarking on another intergenerational initiative, but this time it’s to interest kids in something that has traditionally been the domain of adults: product assembly.

Keep reading here.—AAN

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STORES

Selling short

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Retail sales rose 0.2% in February, the Commerce Department reported on Monday, coming in half a point below what economists had predicted. The slight bump comes after a revised 1.2% sales decline in January.

The Consumer Price Index increased at the same rate, 0.2%, in February as inflation cooled slightly.

National Retail Federation chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a statement that the data reflects consumers who are “apprehensive and carefully navigating lingering inflation and turmoil related to changing economic policies.”

“Regardless of the softer spending, consumer fundamentals remain healthy and intact so far, supported by low unemployment, steady income growth, and other household finances,” he said. “American shoppers will likely continue to spend as long as unemployment remains low and job growth continues.”

Keep reading here.—EC

COMMUNITY

Coworking with Fatima Yusuf

Fatima Yusuf

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

Fatima Yusuf is founder and CEO at ImagineCreate AI, which creates AI product and fashion imagery for e-commerce.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? Anyone who shops online knows how important it is to have good photos to assess the product they want to buy. In fact, 75% of shoppers make purchasing decisions based on product images alone, but the process of creating those images is both expensive and time consuming for retailers. I’m making it easier for brands to create high-quality, personalized images for their website and channels using AI, for a fraction of the cost. What that means for buyers is that we can now see more personalized images of items we are interested in buying on people that look more like us, or in settings that are more contextually relevant for us, before we make purchases online.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? There is something new to learn every day; it’s like having 10 jobs in one!

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Definitely our fashion photography feature. Being able to turn a flat-lay photo of an apparel item into a lifestyle image on any model, anywhere in the world was a very cool feature to build.

Keep reading here.—EC

Together With Bazaarvoice

Scale your personalization with contextualization. The future is AI-powered, and Bazaarvoice has the deets in their new e-book, The State of E-Commerce Contextualization. Learn how to use AI to add personalization and contextualization to create seamless shopping experiences for your customers. Make them feel seen.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

The goods fight: Longtime rivals Unilever and Procter & Gamble have been fighting for CPG dominance for nearly a century. After falling behind in recent years, P&G has finally pulled ahead. (the Wall Street Journal)

Best friend forever: Following its bankruptcy and uncertain fate of its retail stores, a look back at the memories, and iconic purchases at a fast fashion mall staple. (Slate)

Screen time: Macy’s has secured the rights to adapt the best-selling book When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion by Julie Satow, chronicling the women behind department stores like Lord & Taylor, into a TV series. (Chain Store Age)

Elevating e-comm: IM Digital’s free e-book shares technical + commerce expertise as well as insight into building and scaling complex systems with AI. Because AI should propel your efforts, not just sit pretty.*

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Tariffs & changing consumer behavior

Two shipping containers, one red and one blue, held up by crane hooks

Marco Bertorello/Getty Images

Rising costs and “doom spending” are reshaping the retail landscape. Learn how tariffs are driving pricing shifts, impacting supply chains, and making it harder to predict future trends.

Check it out

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