The Modern Retail Podcast

Last week, Allbirds sold for $39 million to American Exchange Group, a vast drop from the peak $4 billion valuation Allbirds had when it went public in 2021. But it’s not just Allbirds that’s dealing with decline in sales. The DTC brand is just one example of a shoe brand that stumbled in an ever-competitive market.

The Allbirds fire sale also comes at a time when many sneaker brands are on a comedown after years of growth, thanks to ongoing demand. With that news, this week’s episode takes a look at the larger state of sneakers. Companies like On and Hoka, deemed darlings just a couple of years ago, are experiencing a slowdown in sales. Meanwhile, specialty running brands like Brooks and Asics are having a moment thanks to their positioning, offering technical designs. All the while, legacy player Nike is slowly but surely regaining its top spot as revenue recovers.

To discuss these challenges many sneaker brands face, host Gabi Barkho is joined by senior reporter Julia Waldow. The duo speak about:

How footwear brands lose their way as trends come and go.

 Fierce competition from the challenger brands means incumbents like New Balance and Nike are clawing their way back to regaining market share.

 The increase in unforeseen challenges in the category, like tariffs and the rising cost of synthetic rubber.

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabi Barkho and Melissa Daniels delve into the vast world of product LTOs, also known as limited-time offers. In the CPG space, these are usually limited-edition flavors or scents that brands drop to create consistent newness. 

Spring tends to be a big season for LTOs as brands refresh their assortment. And the trend is only getting bigger. Even legacy brands like Peeps are releasing more unique flavors this year, like Rita's-Italian-Ice- and Pop-Tarts-flavored marshmallows. This episode looks at why these limited releases have become a big part of brands’ marketing strategy, as they are now a major sales driver. 

Joining the show this week is Ryan Meegan, co-founder of Dude Wipes, to talk about the ways the brand has grown its customer base through limited-edition and seasonal scents. And the proof is in the numbers. The 2025 seasonal assortment included the fall-themed take on pumpkin spice, Dumpkin Spice, and the winter holiday scent Dingle. About 69% of households that bought these Dude Wipes products were new to the brand, totaling about 150,000 new households.

In this week's episode, Meegan discusses:

The importance of developing seasonal SKUs that stand out in the stale wipes aisle.

How Dude Wipes is now planning annual inventory around these products.

How scents that began as seasonal test runs became important revenue drivers for Dude Wipes.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels sits down with David's Bridal CEO Kelly Cook to go behind the scenes of the company's post-bankruptcy turnaround plan.

The roughly 76-year-old U.S. retailer is known for its wedding gowns and formalwear. But it’s had a challenging time staying solvent in recent years and filed for Chapter 11 in November 2018, and again in April 2023. The company's retail footprint has gone from more than 300 stores to around 150 today.

Cook took on the CEO role about one year ago and has shepherded changes under the "Aisle to Algorithm" transformation plan to help reposition the company as a digitally driven brand that offers more than just gown sales, including wedding planning assistance through its Pearl Planner service.

Their conversation gets into:

How AI is helping David's reposition itself, establish internal efficiencies to acquire customers

The in-store upgrades it's making to provide a more omnichannel experience

The morale and culture challenges a business faces after filing for bankruptcy

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabi Barkho delves into the growing phenomenon of AI-generated review summaries.It’s one of the many ways generative AI is already impacting the way people discover products and shop online. These summaries are not only changing the way chatbots talk about products, they’re also pushing brands and marketers to navigate customer reviews differently.In this episode, Barkho is joined by Dawn Hilarczyk, chief operating officer at Borghese, and Nick Lafferty, who leads growth marketing at Profound. Hilarczyk and Lafferty break down the following:

How AI-generated customer reviews are condensed and spread by AI search engines like Gemini, ChatGPT and Rufus.

 Why bot-written summaries decontextualize product descriptions and features.

 What brands can do to better control the way their customer reviews show up in summaries.

In this episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels and senior reporter Gabriela Barkho discuss their favorite food and beverage trends of 2026. Fresh off of Expo West, the episode’s discussion revolves around what is considered “in” and what’s “out” across categories. Protein sod and functional coffee remain hot items. Meanwhile, the noise against seed oils continues to grow in the better-for-you space, with brands boasting products made with alternatives like beef tallow and avocado oil.

The emerging trends in 2026 include:

High-protein and “fibermaxxing” across nearly all food and drink categories.

 An all-in-one approach to routines, such as combining daily creatine dose with the morning coffee, often in portable packaging.

 The MAHA movement’s growing influence on trends in food, beverage and wellness is only growing in 2026.