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Costco's digital sales just passed $33 billion, Toys R Us is opening 120 stores, and Best Buy is taking 10,000 products to TikTok Shop. Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak of NRF cover the five retail stories US leaders need this week. This week: (00:44) Costco digital sales top $33 billion, up more than 20% (02:43) Toys R Us opens 120 holiday stores with creator studios and cafés (04:50) Best Buy joins TikTok Shop with nearly 10,000 products (06:57) 53% of shoppers won't let an AI assistant buy for them (ACI Worldwide) (08:58) Record $13.5B Halloween and August core retail sales up 3.47% (NRF) Five useful signals, every Friday. Get them in your inbox: https://theretailpodcast.com/newsletter

Retail brands still hire creators for one post. Jade Beason says that era is over. Recorded at YouTube Festival 2026 at the London Palladium, this short conversation covers what retailers are missing in how they work with creators, how trust is actually earned, and what a shoppable YouTube does to the customer journey. In this episode: - Why a single sponsored post is the least valuable way to use a creator - Campaigns across paid, owned and earned media, and creators at in-person events - Know, like, trust: why the story behind the product matters more than awareness - "I don't think the funnel's dead. I think it's collapsing": discovery, education and purchase in one viewing - Why long-form content sells, and what YouTube Shopping changes - Why B2B is becoming as relevant as B2C for creators Context: Oxford Economics, in research for YouTube, found that YouTube creators contributed £2.8bn in GDP to the UK in 2025. Guest: Jade Beason, YouTube creator. jadebeason.com Host: Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast Weekly retail intelligence: theretailpodcast.com/newsletter

Boots’ creator-commerce push raises a practical question: whose advice helps customers buy? Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman examine that question alongside virtual try-on, circular textiles, service-led retail, and Vogue World’s runway robots. Five Things Friday, UK edition. Recorded 25 September 2026. Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman discuss five connected retail stories: • Tesco’s reported F&F virtual try-on pilot at Sandhurst, alongside Simone’s Swap demonstration experience featuring Albaray. • M&S, New Look, Sainsbury’s, Oxfam, and Circle-8’s plans for The Circuit. • Boots, No7, and creator-led shopping, including Alex’s observations from YouTube Festival and his interview with Jade Beason. • Halfords’ “For all wheelkind” platform, the do-it-for-me economy, and Currys as a service-led retail reference. • Vogue World: Milano’s robots and the hosts’ debate about human craftsmanship. The commercial thread: make the customer’s decision easier, and be clear about where technology actually helps. Conversion benefits and future consumer behaviour discussed here are the hosts’ assessments, not measured results from this episode. Clarifications: Boots’ TikTok Shop pilot was scheduled for 28 September 2026, after this recording. The Circuit’s first phase is planned for January 2027. The 1.4 million tonnes textile figure refers to the UK in 2024. Halfords’ £17bn estimate covers motoring services alone; motoring products are a separate £4bn estimate. Boots’ campaign is “Give it Some Boots”; the song is “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”. Jade Beason’s spoken follower count was not independently verified. Follow The Retail Podcast for retail intelligence: https://www.theretailpodcast.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome: UK retail intelligence 00:51 Tesco F&F and virtual try-on 03:09 The Circuit: circular textiles 04:30 Boots, No7 and creator commerce 06:48 Halfords and do-it-for-me services 08:44 YouTube Festival and Jade Beason 10:31 Vogue World: robots on the runway 14:16 Closing thoughts SOURCES Retail Gazette, 24 September 2026 https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2026/09/tesco-trials-virtual-try-on/ Marks & Spencer, 23 September 2026 https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/newsroom/press-releases/new-look-ms-sainsburys-and-oxfam-join-forces-boost-uks-circular-textile Boots UK, 23 September 2026 https://www.boots-uk.com/newsroom/news-item/boots-launches-on-tiktok-shop-bringing-trusted-beauty-expertise-to-a-new-generation-of-social-shoppers/ Boots UK, 9 September 2026 https://www.boots-uk.com/newsroom/news-item/boots-launches-new-brand-platform-give-it-some-boots-with-high-impact-campaign/ Halfords, Our marketplace; checked 25 September 2026 https://www.halfordscompany.com/what-we-do/our-marketplace/ Jade Beason official biography https://jadebeason.com/about Vogue, 23 September 2026 https://www.vogue.com/article/the-story-behind-the-runway-robots-at-vogue-world-2026-milano

Nine retail companies pitch their solutions at NRF Europe 2026. Host Alex Rezvan then asks what makes each worth choosing over a competitor, before an audience challenge on patents and lasting differentiation. Recorded at the Innovation Stage in Paris, the session moves from short product propositions to a practical buying question: what makes this company different from the next supplier? The pitches cover crowdshipping, charitable cookie consent, AI-supported retail decisions, unified payments, bottle protection, assortment planning, agentic commerce, market intelligence, and marketing activation. The Q&A tests the case for choosing a supplier, then explores how physical loss prevention can preserve self-service shopping. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and Shopopop: crowdshipping 01:21 Gimii: cookies and charitable giving 02:43 MARQL: AI for retail decisions 04:06 Aurus: unified payments 05:29 Saekor: physical loss prevention 06:49 Clair: buying and merchandising 08:03 Veliu: agentic commerce 09:32 InTribe: DigitalMatch intelligence 10:49 Sift Lab: customer activation 12:29 Q&A: why should a retailer choose you? 16:18 Audience question: beyond patents 17:35 Saekor: protecting self-service SPEAKERS IN THIS RECORDING Host: Alex Rezvan, Founder & Host, The Retail Podcast Shopopop — Antoine Truong, Global Head of Retail Gimii — Thomas Gicquel, CEO MARQL — Evan Kazakov, CEO & Founder Aurus — Rishi Soni, Vice President, Client Relations Saekor — Raphael Tirone, CEO Clair — Eerika Savolainen, Co-founder & CEO Veliu — Gianmaria Monteleone, CEO InTribe — Mirna Pacchetti, CEO & Co-founder Sift Lab — Linda Hellström, CEO Originally aired: Thursday, 17 September 2026, according to the supplied event programme. The event’s one-minute pitch format includes contributions of varying length; stage handovers and Q&A are retained. The recording contains nine pitches. Additional companies on the published programme are not presented here as recorded participants. Product capabilities and results discussed on stage are vendor claims, not independent tests or endorsements. Event resources: https://www.nrfbigshoweurope.com/en Follow The Retail Podcast for retail intelligence: https://www.theretailpodcast.com

What happens to e-commerce when the internet is no longer built primarily for humans? John Williams, Co-CEO and CTO of Amplience, explains AEO and GEO, why the AI agent is now your audience before the customer, and why content creation is only a third of what the content supply chain really costs. In partnership with Amplience. What you will learn • AEO is the AI answer above Google's results; GEO is ChatGPT, Claude and other generative engines. One content strategy serves both, if your SEO is sound first.• SEO ranked you on a long list. AEO and GEO decide whether you are on a very short one.• Attributes prove what a product is; semantics give the context an AI needs to recommend it.• Creation is about a third of content supply chain cost; a mid-market retailer spends about $14M a year, a large-catalog enterprise $33M to $70M, and nobody owns the whole budget.• Point solutions optimise the visible third and add seams, so humans remain the bottleneck.• Your audience is now the agent before it gets to the customer.• Rules vs judgment: where people belong in an AI workflow. Chapters 00:00:00 Why content is retail's next AI problem00:01:37 What "content" actually means in retail00:03:30 AEO vs GEO explained: answer engines and generative engines00:05:15 Why SEO is still the entry ticket00:06:33 Attributes vs semantics: the trail-shoe test00:08:11 The report: the true cost of the content supply chain00:09:59 Nobody owns the content budget00:11:28 Why point solutions only fix a third of the cost00:14:09 Speed to shelf, full-price sell-through and returns00:16:15 A content operations platform, not more apps00:17:36 Aligned signals: how you get into the AI's answer00:19:32 Amplify at Abbey Road Studios, 22 September00:22:12 How e-commerce directors talk to CMOs about this00:23:39 Your audience is now the agent00:25:35 Future ready, not future proof00:27:22 The washing-machine story: how behaviour changes00:29:12 What customers find in the first 3 to 6 months00:31:15 Rules vs judgment: where humans belong00:32:23 Wrap Guest: John Williams, Co-CEO and CTO, Amplience. Amplience works with John Lewis, Primark, Boots, Asda and Ulta Beauty, and presents its content supply chain report at Amplify, Abbey Road Studios, London, 22 September 2026. Register: https://amplience.com/events/amplify-agentic-commerce-live/Read the report: https://amplience.com/core/ This episode is a paid partnership with Amplience. The Retail Podcast: conversations with the people running retail.https://theretailpodcast.com Five useful signals every Friday:https://theretailpodcast.com/newsletter

14 startups. 60 seconds each. One question: why should a retailer care? Day 1 of NRF Retail's Big Show Europe 2026 in Paris, from the Innovation Stage. Buynomics, Keyban, Ace Waves, Akoustic Arts, Wearfits, M11, Ekoo, Pinpoint, N3xgen, Deepneuronic, Najar, Meteoria, Cloz AI and Veeton each get one minute to say who they are, what problem they solve and what it means for the people running retail. Hosted by Alex Rezvan. What you'll hear: pricing simulation with virtual shoppers, agent-ready product data and agent wallets, customer-service AI that saves the sale, directional in-store audio, phone-camera shoe sizing, product-claim verification, audio product content, in-store search, self-healing integrations, camera-based store analytics, SaaS contract negotiation, GEO for AI answers, AI styling and AI fashion visuals. CHAPTERS 00:00 Why this week matters: AI is disappearing into the operating model 02:37 The format: 15 companies, one minute each 03:05 Buynomics: test pricing before it hits the market 04:04 Keyban: can an AI agent trust your product data? 05:17 Ace Waves: customer-service agents that save the order 06:22 Akoustic Arts: directional sound in store 07:19 Wearfits: the $22bn footwear returns problem 08:40 M11: verifying what brands claim 09:41 Ekoo: audio that explains the product 10:42 Pinpoint: a search bar for the physical store 12:09 N3xgen: AI agents for retail integrations 13:30 Deepneuronic: the invisible funnel in store cameras 14:50 Najar: saving 25% on SaaS contracts 15:48 Meteoria: when Google's AI recommends your brand 16:58 Cloz AI: shoppable looks from your catalogue 17:56 Veeton: AI fashion visuals at production scale 19:24 Wrap and what's next on Day 1 THE RETAIL PODCAST Conversations with the people running retail. Website: https://theretailpodcast.com Five Things Friday newsletter: https://theretailpodcast.com/newsletter Alex Rezvan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrezvan Recorded live at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 15 September 2026. #NRFEurope #RetailTech #RetailAI

JD’s robotics plan raises a practical question: can automation handle the exceptions that make fulfilment difficult? Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak examine the costs, the people, and the operational test behind the ambition. This Five Things Friday International Edition also covers Inditex’s first-half results, H&M’s Barcelona production office, Google’s changing European search results, and the value pressures shaping Australian loyalty. The discussion follows the commercial consequences: keeping the offer relevant, organising product teams, funding automation, protecting customer acquisition margins, and giving people a reason to return. Chapters 00:00 Five Things Friday International 00:44 Inditex: first-half growth 02:46 H&M’s Barcelona production office 04:01 JD’s robotics procurement plan 06:35 Google’s European search changes 08:31 Australia: value and loyalty 10:21 Value as a business strategy Editorial clarifications JD: the reported five-year ambition is procurement, not a claim that JD will manufacture all the units. Targets are plans, not completed deployment. Inditex: first-half 2026 sales were €19.755bn, up 7.6% year on year; “€20bn” in the discussion is rounded. These are half-year results, rather than Q2 alone. Australia: Retail Doctor Group’s 2026 survey of 1,000 Australian consumers found 48% would switch to a similar brand for better loyalty-programme value or benefits. It does not say 48% switched that week. Sources Inditex · 1H2026 results · 9 September 2026 https://www.cnmv.es/webservices/verdocumento/ver?t=%7Bfd6314ae-a7a5-44fe-9edb-5cafcb617c95%7D H&M statement, reported by RetailDetail · 8 September 2026 https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/fashion/hm-is-focusing-on-spain-inditexs-home-market-with-a-new-production-office-in-barcelona/ JD Logistics, reported by SCMP · 9 September 2026 https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3366884/jdcom-deploy-3-million-robots-fully-automate-logistics Google · DMA compliance update https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/dma-compliance-update/ Retail Doctor Group · 2026 research · n=1,000 Australian consumers https://www.retaildoctor.com.au/rdg-white-paper/paradox-of-consumer-loyalty/ Follow The Retail Podcast for retail intelligence every Friday. https://www.theretailpodcast.com

FULL SHOW NOTES Primark plans home delivery in Great Britain. Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman discuss the implications for value fashion and how retailers can earn the next purchase. Plus John Lewis, Boots, Lucy & Yak, Damson Madder, and Tu at Sainsbury’s. In this UK edition of Five Things Friday, the discussion connects digital convenience with the reasons customers still choose a store or a brand. From shop-floor expertise on screen to pre-loved clothing with its own destination, the question is where retailers can give customers something worth coming back for. What you will learn • What Primark’s home-delivery plans could mean for its competitive position. • How John Lewis’s content studio brings product expertise into video. • Why the hosts see customer needs at the centre of Boots’ new campaign. • How Lucy & Yak’s approach to pre-loved retail can support a continuing customer relationship. • What Damson Madder’s entertainment-led marketing and Tu’s premium womenswear offer reveal about winning attention and purchase consideration. Chapters 00:00 This week in UK retail 01:01 Damson Madder: Press Play 02:59 John Lewis: The Box Studio 04:52 Boots: Give it Some Boots 07:19 Lucy & Yak: pre-loved retail 09:17 Primark: home delivery plans 11:21 Tu: premium supermarket fashion Hosts Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman. The Retail Podcast | Five Things Friday, UK edition. Recording date: 11 September 2026. Resources mentioned Associated British Foods: Primark trading update and home-delivery plans https://www.abf.co.uk/media/news/2026/trading-update-september-2026 John Lewis: The Box Studio https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/media-centre/latest-news/2026/23937 Boots: Give it Some Boots https://www.boots-uk.com/newsroom/news-item/boots-launches-new-brand-platform-give-it-some-boots-with-high-impact-campaign/ Lucy & Yak: Manchester https://lucyandyak.com/pages/manchester-store Damson Madder https://damsonmadder.com/en-eu Tu: Autumn–Winter 2026 womenswear https://corporate.sainsburys.co.uk/news/press-releases/tu-launches-its-most-elevated-autumnwinter-2026-womenswear-collection-yet/ Editorial clarifications Primark’s announcement is a future plan for Great Britain, with no launch date specified. Boots’ campaign is called Give it Some Boots. Tu’s four-times comparison refers to premium knitwear options, rather than its entire knitwear range. Lucy & Yak’s Manchester reopening event was advertised for 12 September; the discussion’s approximate opening reference should not be used as an event date. Get the retail intelligence newsletter: https://www.theretailpodcast.com/newsletter

Target is bringing 90 prestige, emerging and global beauty brands to more than 600 stores. Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak examine what Target Beauty Studio means for Target, Sephora and Ulta Beauty—and where the customer’s beauty spend could move next. This week’s US retail briefing also covers Nordstrom Rack’s expansion, Williams-Sonoma’s 6.2% comparable brand revenue growth, Lowe’s attempt to address America’s skilled-trades shortage and the beauty industry’s early interest in Generation Beta. What you will learn: - Why Target is moving further into prestige beauty - What Williams-Sonoma’s Q2 growth says about market share and the housing consumer - Why retailers should treat the skilled-trades gap as a capacity risk - How beauty companies are approaching Generation Beta through their parents Chapters: 00:00 This week in US retail 00:44 Nordstrom Rack’s expansion 01:54 Target enters prestige beauty 03:23 Williams-Sonoma grows 6.2% 05:23 Lowe’s tackles the trades gap 09:16 Beauty starts watching Gen Beta 11:39 Closing thoughts Sources: Nordstrom: https://press.nordstrom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nordstrom-rack-open-new-location-cypress-texas Target: https://corporate.target.com/press/release/2026/08/target-launches-target-beauty-studio,-its-destination-for-what-s-new,-now-and-next-in-beauty Williams-Sonoma: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/719955/000071995526000203/exhibit991fy2026q2earnings.htm Lowe’s Foundation: https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom/press-releases/lowes-foundation-launches-nations-largest-skilled-trades-coalition-nvidia-att-bank-america-carrier-general-motors-dewalt-and-duke-energy-help-train WWD: https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/generation-beta-beautys-next-big-demographic-opportunity-1239083468/ Follow The Retail Podcast: https://www.theretailpodcast.com Supported by Sygnls.AI human intelligence for retail. AI-assisted, human-led. https://sygnls.ai #Retail #RetailNews #Target

Pinduoduo's expansion in Malaysia is testing how local retailers compete with ultra-low-price cross-border commerce, while the Singapore–Johor Bahru RTS Link could redraw the retail catchment between the two markets. Ngai Yuen Low, Ryf Quail and Alex Rezvan examine the projected S$1.05 billion increase in annual Singapore-resident spending in Johor Bahru, the overlooked plant and wellness category, and how AI search is changing e-commerce discovery. The question running through the episode: if price, geography and search traffic are all being rewritten at once, where does defensible retail advantage move next? 00:00:00 Intro00:00:52 Pinduoduo Malaysia00:03:30 Plants and wellness retail00:06:05 Singapore–Johor RTS00:08:52 AI search and e-commerce traffic

Scott Price, Group Chief Executive of DFI Retail Group, argues that retail cybersecurity is now a sector-wide risk—not a problem any company can solve alone. Recorded at NRF APAC 2026 in Singapore, the conversation examines why retailers need to share threat intelligence, how digital commerce has redefined customer trust and why hierarchical cultures can create new exposure in the age of deepfakes. What you will learn - Why silence after an attack can leave the whole retail sector more exposed.- How customer trust has shifted from price accuracy to responsible data stewardship.- What shared intelligence through RH-ISAC can add to a retailer's cyber defences.- The question every chief executive should ask their CISO.- Why employees must be empowered to challenge unusual instructions from senior leaders. Chapters 00:00 Cybersecurity becomes a sector risk  01:37 Customer trust is redefined  02:04 How RH-ISAC works  03:01 DFI's retail attack surface  04:18 Cyber moves up the risk register  05:01 Third-generation retail  06:32 Why customer trust can collapse  07:31 Cybercrime becomes an industry  08:53 The CISO test for CEOs  09:51 The insider threat  10:28 Hierarchy, deepfakes and compliance About the guest Scott Price is Group Chief Executive of DFI Retail Group. He joined DFI in August 2023 after senior international roles at UPS, Walmart, DHL Express and The Coca-Cola Company. DFI operates more than 7,500 outlets across 12 Asian markets. Resources mentioned - DFI Retail Group leadership: https://www.dfiretailgroup.com/en/about-us/our-leadership/- NRF APAC 2026 agenda: https://nrfbigshowapac.nrf.com/agenda- RH-ISAC: https://rhisac.org/  PeVFpR85KPPaIisKRhVh Follow The Retail Podcast for executive conversations and retail intelligence from global markets.

Marks & Spencer is using Zalando's ZEOS platform for European ecommerce fulfilment across 22 continental European markets. Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman, Co-founder and CEO of NIFT, cover six UK retail stories: M&S and Zalando's European fulfilment partnership; John Lewis Sports & Wellness; ASOS and Barbour's Re-loved collaboration with Jimmy Turrell; George at Asda's If You Know, You Know campaign with Lucky Generals; Vans x BAPE Knu Skool; and Aaron Levine x Zara. This Five Things Friday UK episode covers UK retail news, ecommerce fulfilment, retail strategy, store concepts, fashion collaborations and international retail expansion. Sponsored by Sygnls.AI. Newsletter: https://www.theretailpodcast.com/newsletter

Walmart has started rolling out Apple Pay at select US Walmart and Sam's Club locations, with rollout to all US stores and clubs planned by the end of 2026. Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice President, Content at NRF, break down five US retail stories: Home Depot's nationwide three-hour Express Delivery, Lamine Yamal in American Eagle's back-to-school push, Best Buy certifying all 29 supply chain facilities as zero waste, and Ross posting 10% comparable sales versus 4% at TJX overall. The Apple Pay share figure stated in the episode was not independently verified. Sponsored by Sygnls.AI. Newsletter: https://www.theretailpodcast.com/newsletter 00:00 Intro00:54 Walmart adds Apple Pay02:03 Home Depot Express Delivery03:36 American Eagle + Lamine Yamal05:23 Best Buy zero waste06:57 Ross outpaces TJX

Why is Coach growing while Kate Spade declines under the same parent company? And what does Target appointing a Chief AI Officer tell us about the next phase of retail technology? In this USA edition of Five Things Friday, Alex and Jill unpack five developments shaping US retail. Target brings Chandu Nair across from Lowe’s as Chief AI Officer, prompting a bigger discussion about whether AI should sit under one executive or be embedded throughout the organisation. Foot Locker and Nike experiment with community-led retail through the Crenshaw Rec concept in Los Angeles. Tapestry delivers a striking brand comparison: Coach grows 15% while Kate Spade declines 7%, while the group recruits more than 2.5 million new customers during the quarter — around 35% of them Gen Z. Michaels looks for growth opportunities created by changes at Joann and Party City. And research based on almost 19 million North American in-store interactions reports customer satisfaction of 93.4%, with Tuesday and Wednesday producing the strongest results. A 14-minute briefing on AI, brand execution, physical retail, customer acquisition and the changing US retail market. The Retail Podcast — retail intelligence without the noise.

What should global retail leaders be paying attention to right now? In this edition of The International Briefing, Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice President, Content at NRF, joins Alex Rezvan to unpack five developments from across the international retail industry. Europe: What could the €3 charge on low-value imported parcels mean for SHEIN, Temu and cross-border ecommerce? China: JD.com’s latest results raise questions about how we measure the strength of major marketplaces—and the growing importance of the ecosystem around the transaction. India: Retail demand is strong, but quick-commerce platforms are putting pressure on established grocery models. Global shipping: Higher costs, changing routes and supply-chain uncertainty remain major issues for retailers moving goods around the world. Fabletics: With more than $1 billion in net revenue, the digital-first brand is continuing to invest in physical stores and international expansion. Five stories with one purpose: understanding what the headlines actually mean for retail. Featuring Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice President, Content at NRF, and Alex Rezvan of The Retail Podcast.