Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

December 18, 2025

Hey there. Tired of your typical burrito bowl lunch order but still want to meet your protein goals? Worry not; Chipotle is rolling out a “high-protein menu” featuring grab-and-go options like a cup filled with four ounces of just adobo chicken or steak. Because nothing says lunch quite like a cup of…meat.

In today’s edition:

—Vidhi Choudhary, Jeena Sharma, Courtney Vien

E-COMMERCE

Disruption angle

The_burtons/Getty Images

E-commerce in 2025 was defined by retailers building the infrastructure for AI-powered shopping experiences with flashy product launches.

The red carpet rollout of agentic commerce and AI shopping assistants started bright and early in 2025. Sophisticated AI chatbots, trained to reason and act on behalf of shoppers, went from being a mere NRF buzzword to being part of the new AI tools retailers launched over the past 12 months.

From Shopify and Walmart to Google and Target, companies created the core tool kit for shopping via AI agents. And from Google’s checkout powered by agentic AI to Target and Walmart’s ChatGPT integrations, retailers raced to embed AI assistants directly into the shopping journey.

As more people started using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to find and research items, traffic from AI sources to retailer websites surged. By the 2025 holiday season, major retailers including Target had gone live on ChatGPT, Google had jumped in, and digital shopping assistants—including Amazon’s Rufus and Walmart’s Sparky—had evolved rapidly with new features.

Experts agreed 2025 was the year agentic AI laid its foundation in online shopping.

Keep reading here.—VC

From The Crew

Can we trust AI?

As AI increasingly powers critical decisions in finance, infrastructure, and beyond, understanding how these systems arrive at their conclusions becomes crucial. While AI’s “black box” decision-making may be acceptable for simple tasks like email generation, it raises serious concerns for high-stakes applications such as loan approvals or power grid management.

Want to understand the explainability challenge and why transparency is essential for responsible AI adoption? Download our in-depth guide to understand AI accountability and learn how to build transparency into your AI systems.

MARKETING

Seasoned sales

People looking at the holiday decorations on 5th ave.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Consumers may be tightening their purse strings and increasingly leaning on buy now, pay later but the holiday spirit is still alive and well—at least in stores.

New research from Lightspeed Commerce found that Gen Z is heading back to stores and malls largely for the holiday atmosphere.

About 8 in 10 consumers ages 18 to 24 said that the “holiday experience” was important to them.

That festive feel appears to be doing real work for retailers. The survey, which included responses from more than 3,000 adults across the US and Canada, found that 67% of Gen Z shoppers stay longer when music, decor, displays, or scents create a holiday vibe—nearly double the rate of shoppers over 65.

For younger consumers, the draw isn’t just shopping; it’s the social rituals that come with it. Many cited taking photos, filming videos, and sharing those moments with friends as key reasons they’re drawn to stores during the holidays.

Keep reading here.—JS

OPERATIONS

Dog eat dog food

Graeme Fleckney

As anyone who’s wandered down the pet aisle lately can attest, dog food is a crowded market. Jinx, one of the relatively newer entrants to the space, seems to be barking up the right tree. According to Graeme Fleckney, the company’s CFO, Jinx is the fastest-growing of those many brands. Founded in 2020 by former executives from Casper, one of the early DTC darlings, the company is now available in more than 10,000 retail locations as well as online. Earlier this year, Modern Retail reported that the company was expected to bring in $100 million. That’s a lot of dog food.

Jinx wants to continue to grow, with a goal of reaching $500 million in retail sales. This summer, the company hired Fleckney, its first-ever CFO, to help. Fleckney, who stepped into the role after working as CFO and VP of finance at Hershey International, spoke with CFO Brew about how focusing on innovation and trends has led to success.

Keep reading here on CFO Brew.—CV

Together With Vooglam

A little PSA on your leftover FSA/HSA funds. Don’t let them go to waste at the end of the year. Treat yourself to a new pair of eligible prescription glasses or sunglasses from Vooglam. Here’s how it works: Vooglam doesn’t bill insurance directly, but customers can request an itemized receipt for reimbursement. Find your new frames.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Second coming: Inside Matches Fashion’s surprising comeback. (Vogue Business)

Eat the rich: As income inequality continues to grow, some new Manhattan restaurants are introducing lavish menu items like a $600 suckling pig. (the New York Times)

Wealth is health: While luxury recovers from a two-year slump, some retailers have plans to hold on to the top 2% of spenders. (Business of Fashion)

JOBS

Tired of one-size-fits-all job boards? CollabWORK highlights roles that reflect your interests and goals—delivered through communities like Retail Brew. Click here to explore the full job board.

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