America’s Most Trusted Source of Untrustworthy Commerce News · Overnight: scattered delivery delays, clearing in 7–21 business days
E-Commerce · Enforcement
Regulators call the settlement a win for consumers and say they will be notified by text when it ships
A package ordered in early spring completes the final leg of its journey to a porch in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Illustration: The Daily SKU
Retail · Strategy
The three-year strategy includes $4 billion in savings, 110 new stores, 1,000 new value items and an AI that will absorb ‘duplicative work,’ starting with the meeting about the plan
E-Commerce · Memberships
The package combines free delivery, a warehouse club, a streaming service and the quiet dread of an annual renewal email
Retail · Digital
Websites and apps are back for Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant after a cyberattack; one man reports he ‘saw an aisle’
| Period | Clipping digital coupons | Talking to a cashier | Inner peace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11 | 38 | 0 | 10 |
| Oct 13 | 0 | 6 | 40 |
| Oct 15 | 0 | 9 | 55 |
| Oct 17 | 0 | 12 | 62 |
| Oct 19 | 0 | 14 | 70 |
| Oct 21 | 41 | 1 | 12 |
Source: The Daily SKU Consumer Desk (sample size: one)
E-Commerce · AI Shopping
‘Ask Target’ can suggest gifts, compare options and build a wishlist, but some questions remain beyond the reach of technology
CPG · Beverages
Depletions fell 5% at Boston Beer, though margins rose, because the beer that is still being sold is being sold very efficiently
Retail · Grocery
Partner storefronts for regional chains are being retired ‘in response to customer feedback,’ which several customers are now trying to remember giving
Percival Markdown
Only 22% of shoppers now fully trust advertised discounts. As a discount, I find this hurtful and, frankly, fair
MENLO PARK, Calif.—Meta said Friday it would push back new commercial and ad terms by three weeks, giving advertisers additional time to understand that whatever its AI tools do to their ads is, under the terms, going to be their responsibility.
SAN FRANCISCO—Salesforce agreed this week to acquire customer-engagement platform Braze for about $5.66 billion, a deal analysts said would allow brands to remind shoppers about the item they left in their cart faster, more personally and across more devices than ever before.
ATLANTA—TikTok Shop sellers can now offer box-free, label-free returns through UPS’s Happy Returns, letting shoppers drop off items they bought after watching a 14-second video at locations including The UPS Store, Ulta Beauty and Staples.
