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ReCon founders Aleksija Vujicic (left) and Anna Z Gray onstage at at ReCon.

ReCon founders Aleksija Vujicic (left) and Anna Z Gray. Emma Devereaux/Trevor Brenden

The main topic at the recent inaugural ReCon, which described itself as the only conference focused “exclusively” on the resale industry, may have been used clothing, but much of the discussion was about new technology.

Many of the executives—from resale marketplaces, brands that have launched resale e-commerce sites, and so-called resale-as-a-service vendors who build and administer those sites—weighed in on how AI is transforming the market for secondhand products.

Here are a few things they saw when they peered into their gently used crystal balls.

“Digital closets” will spur both supply and demand

One sign of the health of the resale industry is that sellers, from huge marketplaces to your Aunt Martha on eBay, are scrambling to keep up with demand.

A perennial challenge for the industry is that countless consumers have clothes hidden in the back of their closets that may not suit (or fit) them anymore, but that some would-be purchasers would crawl over broken glass to buy.

“The biggest piece that we’re watching is AI enablement, particularly of seller services,” Colleen Baum, senior partner at McKinsey & Company, said during her presentation.

Baum was referring specifically to the notion of “digital closets,” which a growing number of startup apps are tackling with AI.

Keep reading here.—AAN

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Instacart’s all-in-one tech stack covers e-commerce, in-store tech, ads, and AI. Basically, all the stuff retailers were struggling to build and maintain on their own.

Skip the DIY headache and start using tech that’s already been built for you.

STORES

If the bra fits…

Glamorise

Wacoal, the intimate apparel brand known for its custom fits with presence across US department stores, is in its era of change.

After acquiring New York-based innerwear brand Glamorise in early April, Wacoal, which was founded in Japan in 1949, has also announced an executive shift. CEO Mitchell Kauffman is set to retire after six years.

Days before the change was made official, however, Kauffman, who remains onboard in an advisory capacity, told Retail Brew why the retailer is choosing to expand with the Glamorise acquisition in particular.

For starters, he had been in talks with Glamorise for a couple of years about a potential deal, Kauffman said, adding that for Wacoal, with its significant presence in the “full-figure market,” bringing on a brand with strong e-commerce capabilities built on that strength.

Keep reading here.—JS

OPERATIONS

Swede dreams

Olrat/Getty Images

Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad had a hard time remembering numbers—giving way to the brand’s famously difficult-to-pronounce products—but one doesn’t become the world’s biggest furniture business without them. In 2025, Ikea, which now has over 500 stores across 63 countries and territories, reported global retail sales of over €44.6 billion (around $52.6 billion).

The brand has created an in-store experience centered around vast showrooms, competitive prices, and, yes, Swedish meatballs. Now, it’s reassembling its strategy around three main elements: new store rollouts, investment in e-commerce, and dynamic partnerships.

Keep reading here on Revenue Brew.—BS

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SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Can’t eat just one: PepsiCo reported a rise in sales for snacks like Lay’s and Doritos in Q1 after price cuts of up to 15%. (Bloomberg)

Sweet escape: Higher cocoa prices have made chocolate more expensive to produce, pushing makers to hunt for alternatives. (the Wall Street Journal)

Going east: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Kitchen will open its first delivery-only location in New York City’s Midtown West neighborhood. (Modern Retail)

Last bite

Morning Brew Inc.

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