Express Checkout #89 - the latest in CPG, Retail, and eComm

Hello hello!

Last week I had the opportunity to attend my first brand trip with Recharge, an incredible subscription and retention tool for eCommerce brands. We spent 3 days at a beautiful resort out in Utah to relax, connect with leaders and influencers in the eComm space, and learn about the latest with Recharge! I’m wildly impressed with their commitment and investment in community.

They just launched a massive competition called the "Tomorrow Brand Challenge" for brands with physical products to grow their subscription business. The grand prizes include $100,000 in cash, $50,000 in marketing funding, a team retreat, and 2 tickets to F1 in Italy.

Now onto the news of the week!

(If you’re reading this email in Gmail, it might get clipped! You can always view full issues here.)

🗞️ News from the week (8/26/24 - 9/1/24)

🔥 Big News 🔥

• Is Capri Sun replacing its iconic pouches with bottles? No…but it certainly fooled the internet. I broke down the entire timeline on TikTok.

  • On August 29, IG user @snackolator posted a photo of Capri Sun bottles—kickstarting the rumor that the company was replacing its pouches.

  • The next day, Capri Sun reassured fans that pouches were "here to stay" and announced a release of over 3,800 pouches available by the pallet, exclusively at Walmart. They clarified that the 12 oz. bottles will be released in 2025.

• $68,200. That was the winning bid for the Liquid Death x YETI casket cooler.

  

  Very very real

   

🛒 CPG & Consumer Goods

• Brands simplify their portfolio. Reckitt—owner of brands like Durex, K-Y, and Lysol—discontinued its intimate care brand Queen V as part of a portfolio reassessment by new CEO Kris Licht.

• More beauty hardware hits the market. Therabody launched the TheraFace Depuffing Wand, a skincare device that uses heat and cold therapy meant to depuff and firm up the skin.

• What’s old is new. eBay is running its first-ever Pre-Loved Fashion Week in New York and London, featuring a live, shoppable runway show called "Endless Runway" to promote sustainable fashion.

• Whiskey mentorship? Sign me up! Uncle Nearest launched the Raise the Bar Mentorship Alliance, a six-month program pairing bar industry vets with emerging talent. At the end, two mentees will receive $10,000 each.

  • Uncle Nearest is an amazing whiskey brand with a rich history. I heard the founder Fawn Weaver speak a few years ago at a BevNet Live event!

• US gov't stamps down on meat greenwashing. The USDA updated its labeling guidelines to require that claims such as 'climate-friendly' and 'humanely-raised' on meat products are substantiated with evidence.

  • Consumers aren’t buying it. Whether it’s real meat or fake meat, paper straws or bamboo straws, there is real consumer demand for sustainable products—and strong criticism of misleading marketing practices.

• A new candy bar has entered the villa. Harken Sweets, founded by Katie Lefkowitz, produces superfood candy bars with ingredients like dates, oats, and prebiotics. The brand expanded its retail presence to 4,500 stores, including Walmart.

• Aluminum is the new black. De Nada Tequila launched the first aluminum bottle for its blanco and reposado.

💻 eCommerce

• Walmart’s keeping us on our toes. Last week, the company hosted its Let’s Grow! 2024 Walmart Marketplace Seller Summit and made some fun announcements:

  • Category Expansion

    • Premium Beauty: Walmart is introducing a new online experience for Premium Beauty, featuring over 20 new brands like COSRX, T3, and Beachwaver.

    • Pre-Owned Items: The launch of "Resold at Walmart" offers a digital destination for pre-owned products.

    • Collectibles: Walmart is now allowing sellers to enable collectibles preorders, including exclusive releases.

  • Multichannel Fulfillment Solutions

    • Multichannel Logistics: The company is allowing sellers to use Walmart Fulfillment Services from any eCommerce site via Walmart's supply chain.

    • Cross Border Fulfillment: WFS can manage the transportation of inbound goods from Asia to WFS facilities in the U.S.

🛍 Retail

• Is this the coolest new payments system? Adyen announced a global partnership with IKEA to integrate its financial technology platform.

• 👻 Spooky. Spirit Halloween is set to open a record 1,525 stores across North America for the 2024 season.

• Watch out, Spanx: Kim is coming. Kim Kardashian's Skims shapewear brand has transformed its temporary pop-up in Austin into a permanent store.

• The expansion continues. Amazon Fresh opened four new stores, including its first location in Northern California, bringing its total store count to nearly 50 locations across eight states.

  • My opinion? The concept is a fresh take on the shopping experience (pun intended)—but I’m also eager to see how many consumers really care about this new tech. Will they actually use it?

• The circular economy expands. IKEA launched a peer-to-peer resale platform in Madrid and Oslo called IKEA Preowned, allowing users to buy and sell secondhand IKEA products. The marketplace seeks to compete with existing platforms like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

🏭 Supply Chain

• Target ups its ops. Target is opening its 11th sortation center in Detroit, aiming to process up to 60,000 packages daily by 2028.

  • This expansion is part of a $100 million investment to grow its sortation network, all to boost next-day delivery capabilities. Amazon and Walmart are coming for their lunch!

• Prime-quick delivery. UPS is expanding a program that reduces delivery days in rural areas to boost driver efficiency, impacting communities in states like Wyoming, California, and Massachusetts.

💸 Funding news

• Sodastream on-the-go. Aerflo recently raised over $10 million, led by Lerer Hippeau and Torch Capital. The product, the Aerflo Aer1 System, offers a portable solution for sparkling water by using reusable carbon capsules.

• I do love me a good concierge, I don’t know about an AI one. RepAI, an AI sales concierge based in Tel Aviv, raised $8.2 million in funding led by Osage Venture Partners with participation from Flashpoint Venture Capital

• Allbirds branding agency launches venture arm. Red Antler quietly launched its venture arm, Habitat Partners, with a $31 million fund. They already invested in 38 startups including PopUp Bagels, Black Crow AI, Original Sunshine, and Happy Wolf.

• No more stale croutons! Springdale Ventures announced its investment in Kooshy, a premium crouton brand, founded by brothers Jonathan and Matt Wachsman. And they are delicious!

• Two snacky acquisitions

  • Mount Franklin Foods acquired the assets of Stuffed Puffs marshmallows, a brand that’s significantly impacted its category since launching in 2019.

  • Campbell Soup Company sold its Pop Secret popcorn business to Our Home, an independent snack company that owns brands like PopChips, Real food from the ground up, and Food Should Taste Good.

• Pre-alcohol drinks FTW. ZBiotics, the creator of a pre-alcohol probiotic drink, has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round, led by Spring Tide Capital.

🧐 Interesting reads + data

• Is Uniqlo’s quality actually good? It’s a question I think about a lot. Luckily, there are nerdy YouTubers like The Iron Snail to answer that question for me! Check out his video.

• Retailers are in for a challenging season…and it’s got to do with consumers’ reduced purchasing power. Salesforce’s 2024 Holiday Forecast breaks it all down.

• In surprise to no one, a recent report indicated that Gen Z is significantly more inclined to use social commerce for holiday shopping, with 42% planning to purchase gifts directly through social media—compared to 20% of the average consumer.

😋 Brands and things I’ve tried this week

I’m a sucker for smoothies, and especially anything to make the process easier and healthier. Shout out to my friend Lisa on creating such an amazing brand! Bumpin Blends makes delicious science-led superfood smoothie cubes designed by registered dietitians! And congrats on the Barbie collab!!

Best,

Nate :)

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