All about AI

Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images

CES, one of the biggest technology trade shows, starts today. The conference, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, takes place from Jan. 5 to Jan. 9 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

We will keep you posted on all the retail action on the ground, but here is a preview of what the CES retail programing will cover.

A panel on agentic AI focused on AI agents in the real world is just one of the event’s many Monday offerings. Chandhu Nair, SVP of data, artificial intelligence, and innovation at Lowe’s, will give the audience a home improvement retailer’s perspective on the topic.

On Tuesday, technology’s big show will have a session with Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, who will talk about getting people, software, and services to actually work together instead of fighting against each other.

Last year, Best Buy underwent a rebrand with a holographic mascot and a new tagline—“Imagine that”—as the retailer positions itself to become consumers’ go-to source for technology items. In August 2025, Best Buy also introduced its third-party marketplace to build additional income streams through wider product assortment and advertising.

That same day, beauty and fashion industry experts, including Oscar de la Renta CMO Chloe Popescu and Kimberly Villatoro, CEO of Patrick Ta Beauty, will be on a panel to discuss how social platforms are merging content and community to create immersive, shoppable experiences.

Keep reading here.—VC

From The Crew

Tune in

Your retail media network is a great idea on paper, but if the only thing it’s generating is more internal meetings, it’s time for a professional tune-up.

Brian Stempeck, CEO of Evertune, will show you how to finally scale your network from a hopeful experiment to an essential, high-converting revenue stream. Grab your ticket now.

FOOD & BEV

Chewing over 2025

In an illustration a shopper pushes a shopping cart up the incline of a rising-prices graph.

Yellow Man/Getty Images

Echoing its data throughout the year, Toast found that menu prices continued to climb in November, often exceeding the current inflation rate of 2.7%.

If you like your brew steeped, the increase is steep, too, with the median price of cold brew in November up 4.5% YoY, to $5.54, while regular coffee was up 3.5%, to $3.59, per Toast. Burrito prices were up 3% YoY, to $13.43, while burgers also rose 3% YoY to $14.57.

As for the key ingredient in those burgers, despite its consistently high prices at supermarkets, beef sizzled among home cooks this year, according to new data from Tastewise, which tracks factors including social media conversations and online recipe engagement.

Tastewise credited the country’s high-protein craze for beefing up interest. For the first 11 months of 2025, there was an 11.8% YoY increase in mentions of beef on social media and in recipes, and an 11% increase in the beef recipes used by home cooks.

But thanks to high prices and economic challenges, it’s the cheaper cuts that really got cooking, with mentions up for chuck roast (+12.4%), ground beef (+9.6%), and sirloin (+3.1%), and decreases for filet mignon (-6.8%) and ribeye (-4.1%).

Based on its receipts data, rewards app Fetch also had some takes on Americans’ spending in 2025, noting sales of products that promoted protein content on their labels were up over 2024, including protein-hyping cereal (69.8%), granola (45.9%), and dry pasta (35.4%).

Keep reading here.—AAN

MARKETING

Strangely enough

Doritos, Pringles, Coca-Cola, and Reebok products in a Stranger Things-esque environment

Grant Thomas

As Stranger Things fans theorize about what will happen to their favorite characters and prepare to memorialize the long-running show, brand marketers are saying goodbye to a nearly decade-long marketing opportunity that has few rivals.

Since Netflix’s nostalgic sci-fi mystery series premiered in 2016, the miniseries-turned-juggernaut has become an increasingly powerful vehicle for brand spotlights and partnerships. From early onscreen mentions of Eggo waffles and KFC to broader, real-world activations with brands like Coca-Cola, Doritos, and Tide, the Stranger Things universe’s brand partnerships have been defined by a type of careful brand inclusion and nostalgia that could be hard to replicate.

Keep reading here on Marketing Brew.—JN

Level up your career with these resources from our sponsors!

How smartphone users engage with brands: 7 key takeaways

Transform retail data into revenue: Learn to predict customer trends, create personalized shopping experiences, and drive results

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Sad Saks: Saks Global CEO Marc Metrick stepped down as the retailer’s financial challenges grew. (the New York Times)

For Joe’s about to rock: How Trader Joe’s $2.99 tote bag became an unlikely global cult favorite. (the Wall Street Journal)

Penne from heaven: The Trump administration reportedly has rolled back its proposal of steep tariffs on Italian pasta. (CBS News)

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

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

☕ CE-yes!