Retail TouchPoints

Lightspeed Commerce’s first time at Collective Shows in Huntington Beach offered a firsthand look at how wholesale is evolving. Here's how brands and retailers are using in-person connections, real-time data and connected tools to move faster from product discovery to ordering and replenishment. https://lnkd.in/gctSFQ-q

When JCPenney reviewed its Holiday 2025 marketing, one conclusion stood out: the offer alone wasn’t doing the heavy lifting. “One of our biggest learnings was that creative format can be just as important as the offer itself,” said Lisa Schoder, JCPenney’s VP of Integrated Marketing, in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. Schoder shared what the retailer learned from Holiday, reaching customers on Reddit, Inc. and how she tweaked plans for back-to-school: https://lnkd.in/g7AGAmmi

Ulta Beauty raised its full-year outlook after a strong second quarter, with CEO Kecia Steelman pointing to TikTok Shop, fragrance launches and loyalty growth as the retailer leans into a packed holiday events and activations calendar. https://lnkd.in/g59ZRr5j

Dollar Tree Stores' Q2 sales hit $4.9 billion, up 7%, and the retailer's traffic turned positive earlier than expected, up 0.4% in the quarter. “Traffic was the headline in Q2,” said CEO Michael C. Creedon Jr. on the company's Thursday earnings call. “The most encouraging aspect of the performance was it wasn’t driven by one category or one event, but broad-based improvement.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gWACDRZm

Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and Kohl's all lifted guidance as they reported their Q2 results. Underneath, the numbers ranged from record growth to continued declines. Get the full breakdown here: https://lnkd.in/gJBTRQF3

We hosted a fantastic discussion yesterday with Sumit Anand, EVP, CIO at Academy Sports + Outdoors, Neelima Sharma, SVP, Omnichannel and Ecommerce Technology at Lowe's Companies, Inc., Kelly Pedersen, Partner, Global Retail Leader at PwC and Aaron Cheris, Global Retail Practice Head at Bain & Company about what AI-powered retail tools are working. Get the highlights and watch the replay here: https://lnkd.in/ghyKy3sw

Kohl's announced Tuesday that it is combining marketing and digital under one leader, promoting Arianne Parisi to a newly created Chief Customer Officer role. The move comes as Chief Marketing Officer Christie Raymond prepares to exit. Details here: https://lnkd.in/gARuStWR

DICK'S Sporting Goods now expects Foot Locker to post a full-year operating loss of $40 million to $80 million, reversing a forecast of $110 million to $150 million in profit issued just one quarter ago. “A number of brands got very promotional on their sites, and those promotions spilled into the broader marketplace, and we expect that to unfortunately continue through the balance of the year,” said Executive Chairman Ed Stack on today's earnings call. https://lnkd.in/gKZzm4uR

Instacart's Storefront Pro software is now powering digital storefronts for more than 380 grocery chains. Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Hamburger discusses that growth, plus what's driving customer loyalty, the company's AI strategy and its first billion-dollar quarter this year. https://lnkd.in/gRDPW5jj

Sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer Academy Sports + Outdoors is launching 200 Ariat International in-store shops this fall. “For 20 years, Academy has been an incredible partner, helping Ariat reach more customers and grow our brand,” said Sharon Carpenter, VP of Sales at Ariat International. in a statement. “We’re excited to expand our partnership by bringing Academy shoppers even more of the products they love." https://lnkd.in/gEcUGctJ