Adult women are driving toy industry growth

Meanwhile, social media is influencing the segment, fueled by ASMR content and unboxing videos. 

By Kaarin Moore • June 30, 2026

Rhode Island becomes first state to mandate staffing ratio for self-checkout

Legislation signed by Gov. Dan McKee and due to take effect in 2027 comes as other states also consider self-checkout restrictions.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • June 30, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Retail's quest to improve the customer experience

From new store concepts to AI-enabled offerings, retailers are constantly shifting their approach to better cater to shopper needs.

By Retail Dive staff

Claire’s opens Illinois distribution center to boost inventory flow

The nearly 250,000-square-foot Elgin facility is equipped to reduce handling touchpoints while increasing product visibility, a spokesperson said.

By Kelly Stroh • June 29, 2026

The loyalty metric no one wants to explain

Repeat purchases aren't proof of loyalty. Incrementality is.

By Eli Chamberlin, Director of Product at Rokt • June 29, 2026

Stocky is shutting down, but that’s not the real story

The end of Stocky is good news for your business. It was never meant to keep up with 95% of brands.

June 29, 2026

Modernizing the retail edge—a competitive imperative

Modernize retail edge infrastructure or fall behind—AI, real-time inventory and seamless checkout await.

June 29, 2026

Allbirds officially changes name, appoints new CEO

Smartbird is now an artificial intelligence infrastructure provider and Nadia Carlsten will replace Joe Vernachio as its chief executive. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • June 25, 2026

How retailers are thinking about omnichannel in the age of AI

The tech has offered new ways to drive traffic and manage loyalty programs, but retail is still about emotional connection, executives at Ulta, Stitch Fix and Tapestry said.

By Lara Ewen • June 25, 2026

Mickey Drexler: ‘If I make a mistake, I make a mistake’

The Alex Mill chairman told CommerceNext attendees that being fired from Gap was a “nightmare” but said he now has the best job he’s ever had.

By Lara Ewen • June 25, 2026

Burlington opens high-tech distribution center in Georgia

The 2 million-square-foot facility features sortation and automated systems along with custom software to increase supply chain speed and throughput.

By Kelly Stroh • June 24, 2026

DoorDash launches conversational shopping assistant

The tool allows grocery shoppers to input a recipe link, photo from a cookbook or image of a list and receive a shoppable cart of items.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • June 23, 2026

Gap Inc. plots AI-led marketing modernization effort

The retailer is leveraging partnerships with Google Cloud, Zeta Global and Publicis Sapient as part of a newly announced transformation effort.

By Chris Kelly • June 23, 2026

From invisible to recommended: How brands become visible to AI shopping agents

Drive visibility, sales and loyalty across human and AI shopping journeys.

June 22, 2026

What a 1937 candy store figured out about omnichannel that most retailers haven’t

A 90-year-old NYC candy store runs smarter omnichannel operations than many large retailers.

By Lindsey Peacock • June 22, 2026

Pinterest introduces experimental AI app

Ask Pinterest works with conversational language and can process complex queries, which could help the platform improve its future AI features.

By Lara Ewen • June 18, 2026

StockX to debut live shopping

The real-time shopping platform will include live auction formats such as standard timed bidding and sudden death.

By Kaarin Moore • June 18, 2026

Stitch Fix taps Walmart vet as chief product and technology officer

Sree Sreedhararaj, who also held the CTO role at Sephora, will oversee Stitch Fix’s technology, product, data science, security and IT teams.

By Nicole Laskowski • June 18, 2026

Dollar General shuffles executive ranks

Among the nine officer appointments was Travis Nixon, who joined the company last fall and was named chief data and AI officer.

By Sam Silverstein • June 16, 2026

Tractor Supply taps AI to help scale last-mile delivery network

The retailer has used the technology to help managers build delivery routes, and more AI-driven improvements are in the works.

By Max Garland • June 15, 2026

90% of retailers are using AI. Far fewer are ready to run it at scale

Most retailers invest in AI, but few see results. This piece shows why success depends on store-level execution—and what’s needed at the edge to drive impact.

June 15, 2026

Pinterest signs $4B AI deal with AWS

The largest in Pinterest’s history, the deal will make discovery more personal, visual and actionable, according to CTO Matt Madrigal.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • June 11, 2026

Why marketers must rethink loyalty as AI reshapes consumer connections

Over half of consumers are comfortable filtering their brand communications entirely through AI, according to research from Gale.

By Peter Adams • June 10, 2026

Walmart, Wing add 7 markets to drone delivery expansion plan

The companies aim to start operations in Philadelphia, Phoenix and other metros by 2027 as the retailer advances its fast delivery push.

By Max Garland • June 10, 2026

Connecticut becomes second state to regulate dynamic pricing

The state follows Maryland in enacting legislation that bars retailers from using personally identifiable data to customize prices. A similar bill is awaiting action by New York’s governor.

By Sam Silverstein • June 9, 2026

Optimus Prime will take your call: Hasbro leans into AI-driven licensing

The toy company’s AI studio, Sixth Wall, will debut behavioral licensing, which is focused on how characters think, speak and interact in new experiences.

By Kaarin Moore • June 9, 2026