Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

March 18, 2026

Hey hey. Kraft Heinz announced yesterday its launching new versions of its popular products, like protein-packed Kraft mac-and-cheese, snack-sized Lunchables, and a lower-sugar Capri Sun sports drink. CEO Steve Cahillane told Bloomberg the efforts were in part to help market the products to older age groups, because yeah, totally, we’re adults and we definitely stopped buying all of those products a long time ago...

In today’s edition:

—Vidhi Choudhary, Alex Vuocolo, Erin Cabrey

E-COMMERCE

More inventory

Amazon

Amazon has expanded its Shop Direct program, which takes people directly to a brand’s website to make a purchase, with the addition of three new partner platforms that merchants can use to sync their inventory.

Merchants without an Amazon presence can connect their product catalogs through third-party feeds on aggregator platforms like Feedonomics, Salsify, and CEDCommerce, to join Amazon’s Shop Direct.

“Merchants will be able to go contact their feed aggregator and say, ’Turn it on for Amazon,’” Amanda Doerr, VP of core shopping at Amazon, told Retail Brew. “They can leverage existing feeds that they have and send those over to us, and we’ll make that part of our Shop Direct selection.”

The thinking behind scaling Shop Direct, Doerr said, was to make Amazon the place where every shopping journey begins, even if it ends somewhere else. “We think that earns trust,” Doerr said.

The other reason for adding more weight to Shop Direct was to help Amazon’s AI assistant Rufus gain access to robust, real-time inventory data across the internet, not just from Amazon’s everything store.

Keep reading here.—VC

From The Crew

How retailers are pivoting their way through chaos

Retail in 2026 is anything but predictable. Faced with global trade disruptions, shifting consumer behavior, and economic uncertainty, brands are being forced to adapt fast—or fall behind.

From Oura’s rapid expansion into dozens of international retail partnerships to Build-A-Bear’s evolution into a global IP brand, retailers are rethinking where they compete and how they grow. Others, like Dibs Beauty, are taking unconventional approaches to gathering customer insights beyond digital channels.

This deep dive explores how leading brands are tackling inventory challenges, refining omnichannel strategies, and using creativity, data, and agility to stay competitive. If you want to understand how modern retailers are pivoting through uncertainty, this is a must-read.

SUPPLY CHAIN

In a jam

-/Getty Images

When it comes to supply chain disruptions, it’s no longer if but when, Jonathan Gold, VP of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, wrote in a new blog post last week.

“Retail supply chains have been caught in a constant state of disruption for the past decade,” he said. “What was once a stable, predictable environment has become a constant state of uncertainty.”

The comments come as retailers experience more chaos in their global supply chains due to war spreading across the Middle East.

The ripple effects of the conflict are developing in real time, but there are already numerous signs global trade is feeling the pressure, as both freight carriers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers report delays and capacity issues.

Keep reading here.—AV

COMMUNITY

Coworking with Chanelle Urquico

Channele Urquico

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

Chanelle Urquico is international DSP engagement lead at digital advertising company TripleLift.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I’m TripleLift’s international DSP engagement lead, which means I work really closely with our demand-side platform (DSP) partners like Amazon to ensure we have a shared go-to-market strategy, strong technical integrations, and connecting their sales teams with our sales teams to help enable collaboration and co-pitching. I like to think of myself as a professional friend-maker within the programmatic space to help everyone find opportunities to work together and win.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’m a deep hobbyist; I usually have a lofty fitness or creative goal that keeps me busy and very occupied at all times. At the moment it’s climbing and skiing as much as I can, and finishing my EP with my indie-pop band Summer Camp.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? It’s easily TripleLift’s integration with Amazon—as a former Amazonian, it’s been such a pleasure to get to partner with old colleagues and friends as now partners, and drive shared objectives through rewarding collaborations. To get to help progress retail media within our industry as a supply-side platform (SSP) has also resulted in exciting innovations like our Native Responsive E-commerce (REC) on Amazon DSP and getting to launch that in-market specifically was so fun from both a technical and go-to-market perspective.

Keep reading here.—EC

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Need for speed: Amazon is debuting one-hour and three-hour delivery options across 90,000 products in select locations. (Reuters)

Back in style: Famed designer John Galliano is returning to fashion after a two-year absence, striking a two-year creative partnership with Zara. (Vogue)

As one door closes: New Glossier CEO Colin Walsh plans to cut its store count from 12 to three over the next two and a half years to jumpstart the struggling beauty brand’s growth. (Business of Fashion)

Protein’s beauty boom

Korres

Protein has moved from the grocery aisle to the skin care shelf. Here’s why brands are leaning into the wellness craze, and why experts say the science doesn’t always support the claims.

Check it out

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