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Suzy Davidkhanian (00:00):

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(00:24):

Hi, everyone. Today is Wednesday, July 30th. Welcome to Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail, an EMARKETER podcast made possible by Quad. This is the show where we talk about how retail collides with every part of our lives. I'm your guest host, Suzy Davidkhanian. And on today's episode, we're going to look at our unofficial retailer rankings for July 2025.

(00:53):

This is where we rank some of the most interesting moves in retail this month and why you should be keeping an eye out on these. But before we do, let's meet today's guests. Joining me for today's episode, we have a full house. In the studio with me are Arielle Feger, senior analyst, media content. Hey.

Arielle Feger (01:10):

Hey, excited to be here and have you in the hot seat this time.

Suzy Davidkhanian (01:14):

I'm so excited to be here too, and thanks for joining us. Of course, you're part of the committee, so you'll have to be here. But thank you for joining us.

Arielle Feger (01:20):

I'm obligated to be here contractually.

Suzy Davidkhanian (01:23):

We also have Blake Droesch, senior analyst on the retail desk, who's fresh from a two-week holiday.

Blake Droesch (01:29):

Glad to be back, Suzy.

Suzy Davidkhanian (01:30):

Thanks for joining us. And live from Texas, we have Sky Canaves, principal analyst on the retail desk. Hey, Sky.

Sky Canaves (01:38):

Hey, Suzy.

Suzy Davidkhanian (01:39):

Thanks so much for joining us. Okay. So let's get started with our most interesting unofficial list. As you all know, the committee, Arielle, Becky, and I as an honorary guest, put together our unofficial list of interesting retailer moves in July. So in the first half of the episode, we're going to count down our list. We'll discuss some of the cool things we're seeing, from unexpected brand partnerships to innovation in the private label world, and obviously the newest, must-have AI tool.

(02:15):

And then in the second half of the episode, our analysts, Blake and Sky, will get to either introduce a new player, and so knock one of our excellent choices off the list, or they'll just move a retailer around, or maybe for the first time ever, given how amazing our list is, they'll just agree with us.

Arielle Feger (02:36):

Wow. It's a pretty loaded-

Blake Droesch (02:38):

That'd be a short episode.

Arielle Feger (02:38):

Yeah. It would be.

Suzy Davidkhanian (02:40):

I'm just saying.

Arielle Feger (02:41):

It could happen. It could happen.

Suzy Davidkhanian (02:43):

Today is that day. Let's find out. So let's get started. Number eight, we have Behr for introducing an AI agent to help customers select paint colors. So I'm going to start with this one. I think this is one of the best ideas ever. Everybody knows that AI tools are most helpful when they solve a problem. Anybody who's done a renovation knows that picking the right color and committing to it is a big deal. It is so hard and so stressful.

(03:11):

So Behr Paint has this new thing called ChatHUE, which you can get off of their website, and it's integrated a bunch of different platforms, including Google's Gemini, to help customers select paint colors. What do you guys think about that?

Arielle Feger (03:24):

I think it's really fun. I think it's kind of a great way to get consumers using AI in a very low-stakes kind of way where you can just say, if you don't like the color, you don't have to use it. Yeah. I think it's just really fun, and I kind of want to go on, and even though I am not painting anything, I kind of want to create my own color.

Blake Droesch (03:44):

Yeah. I echo that. I feel like it's a gimmick, but not in a bad way.

Arielle Feger (03:49):

Yup.

Blake Droesch (03:49):

You know what I'm saying? And not meant to have a negative connotation around it, but it is a way to get people to engage with your brand and engage with AI in a way that is a very low effort and can produce something that's actually meaningful for the customer in a very short amount of time.

Suzy Davidkhanian (04:11):

Right. Totally takes away all of the anxiety that comes with making such a permanent choice.

Sky Canaves (04:17):

If it works though, because it has to be really seamless, easy to use, and actually do what it says it's going to do, which I think with a lot of the new cutting-edge AI tools often, there's a gap between what's promised and what you end up with.

Suzy Davidkhanian (04:33):

That's fair.

Arielle Feger (04:34):

Yeah. Good point.

Suzy Davidkhanian (04:35):

And that kind of leads us into number seven between what you promise and what you deliver on, which is Costco, for many reasons, is our number seven, but most especially because their private-label brand, which everybody knows is a very big deal, Kirkland, has launched a marshmallow crispy cookie that went viral. So you can't always predict what's going to go viral. We didn't get the chance to taste it yet.

(05:00):

If anybody has, we'd like to hear more about it. But it is kind of a big deal in that with one fell swoop and one random marshmallow cookie, they're able to get so much more foot traffic. Everybody is talking about them. It really went viral, and maybe people stop talking about how Costco leggings are very similar to some of the other athletic wear companies. So it feels like a really big win for them in some ways.

Arielle Feger (05:25):

Yeah. I think it's just another kind of win for Kirkland in general. I think their products really just are a hit with consumers, and I think anytime you can get a product to go viral is good publicity.

Suzy Davidkhanian (05:40):

So, listeners, if you did try the Marshmallow Crispy Cookie, we would like to see pictures and a full review. Let us know what you think.

Arielle Feger (05:47):

You can also send us some if you want.

Suzy Davidkhanian (05:49):

That's true. Number six. Arielle, this one's you. Misfits Market, which is known for its ugly fruit/vegetable products that they're trying to resell, has launched a new product category.

Arielle Feger (06:01):

Yeah. So Misfits Market has launched a household goods category on its website, and I think it's kind of an interesting thing. The line will have about 30 products, laundry detergent, kitchen goods, cleaning supplies, paper products, and the idea is that these products have been carefully vetted to exclude harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, and single-use plastics when possible.

(06:26):

So while I think it would be very difficult to deliver on the ugly produce kind of thing that Misfits Market is known for, it's still really following through on this ethos of sustainability and good for the planet. So I think it's a great way to expand without losing sight of the mission.

Sky Canaves (06:45):

And it falls really into that sweet spot. We talk about private label, and Costco is really benefiting from consumers looking to save money by buying retailer brands. Another way consumers are looking to save money is through different discount options for products like grocery and household essentials, and we see in-person retailers like ALDI doing well there, and this is an opportunity for an online retailer to expand its share of consumers who are looking for a good deal on the products that they have no choice but to spend on.

Suzy Davidkhanian (07:20):

I also love this one. I am a little bit worried that they went in too big on their first assortment with 100 SKUs, but I guess we'll see how willing the customer is to go here instead of to a Walmart or a Target.

Arielle Feger (07:31):

Yeah. I think it's probably just widening or increasing the basket size of current customers rather than maybe getting some new customers in there. But I think it's a smart play.

Suzy Davidkhanian (07:44):

Can't hurt.

Arielle Feger (07:45):

Can't hurt.

Suzy Davidkhanian (07:45):

So speaking of can't hurt, number five, Vineyard Vines for partnering with Zac Brown Band on a capsule collection. And so, I have to admit that I had to google who that is, because I wasn't quite aware of how much he does. He is like a chameleon when it comes to music in that he is doing country. He has pop songs. He has electric dance music. He is very well known in the South and has a very strong, cult-like following, unlike me. Don't follow me and my knowledge on this one, which is the exact opposite, I would say, of Vineyard Vines. Right? East Coast, preppy, nautical brand. And so, the tie-up is great way for Vineyard Vines to get more exposure to a brand-new market that they didn't already have a foothold in. Brilliant.

Arielle Feger (08:33):

Yeah. I agree. It's a fun kind of mismatch, New England with kind of a Southern twist. And also, I believe on our last retail rankings or a recent pod, we talked about Bon Iver and his tinned fish collaboration. And so, I'm always kind of just interested to see how musicians are kind of branching out into the retail world to promote themselves.

Sky Canaves (08:58):

This one still seems a little jarring to me. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. When you said Bon Iver and tinned fish, that immediately put a certain customer in mind for me. I can see that customer. I can't see the Zac Brown Band and Vineyard Vines collaboration customer very easily. I can't picture it. Maybe it exists, or maybe it will exist if this is promoted well enough.

Suzy Davidkhanian (09:24):

So I'm going to take us back to number eight. We had Behr Paint. Number seven, Costco. Number six, Misfits Market. Another potential misfit, Vineyard Vine, partnering with Zac Brown. Number four, we have Away Luggage that was working with Uber in New York City and giving away free luggage. Arielle.

Arielle Feger (09:44):

Yeah. So I don't know how many of you have visited JFK in the last, I don't know, few months. They recently, well, it's not that recently, about a year ago, moved their carpool section, where you have to take a shuttle now, and that's not always a super pleasant experience.

(10:01):

So I like that Away is kind of making that experience maybe a little bit better or more exciting by them giving away free luggage to riders of the Uber shuttle that takes them from JFK to the shuttle lot. So yeah, I just thought it was a really fun way, and it's summer, and it's hot, and I just think it's fun.

Suzy Davidkhanian (10:21):

I totally agree with you, and we did talk about this a while in the committee discussion in that there are quite a few lift companies, no pun intended with Lyft, doing different partnerships in July. But this one, Becky really, really pushed on, because there was also that scavenger hunt element, and we know that gamification wins. And so, it's not only gifting, but also free shuttle service, removing friction, but then adding some sort of scavenger hunt, sort of gamification angle. So it kind of works so well together.

Arielle Feger (10:53):

Yeah.

Suzy Davidkhanian (10:53):

Blake, I see you nodding your head. Thoughts?

Blake Droesch (10:56):

No, I agree. I don't think this is going to be an unchangeable list, but I'm nodding along in agreement-

Suzy Davidkhanian (11:01):

Oh, see? I knew it. I called it.

Blake Droesch (11:02):

... on this particular point.

Suzy Davidkhanian (11:06):

I knew we had the best list ever since the creation of the unofficial rankings. So then in number three then, Urban Outfitters. I know that, Sky, you're going to have a lot to say about this. It's all about back to school. They're doing some dorm makeover contest. Kind of feels similar to what they did before in previous years, but this one's a little bit bigger. They're working with a cable channel, which is HGTV. They're using Pinterest.

(11:29):

It's part of their 360-degree campaign for back to school with lots of different moments of delighting and surprising their clients or their consumers. The cool thing about this, I thought, was that there is a winner who gets the makeover and $5,000. But in return, Urban Outfitters gets a lot of data. Right? They're going to see a lot of pinned rooms. They're going to see a lot what their sweet spot customer is looking for. So it kind of feels like a huge win for them.

Arielle Feger (11:58):

Yeah. I think this is a really good example of that value exchange that we talk about a lot. I mean, granted, not everyone's going to win the makeover, but I think that it's definitely showing... Consumers, when you give them the incentive to give you their data, they'll do it, and I think it's a really good way to see that in real life.

Sky Canaves (12:19):

And you also get a lot of user-generated content about Urban Outfitters to show their visions for their dorm rooms and what they want to see and that get people talking about the company, and then that is very valuable, essentially free marketing out of the campaign. One thing I've noticed is that they've started their back-to-school campaigns, it seems, earlier this year. They had a previous one that was UO Haul, which was partnering with U-Haul-

Suzy Davidkhanian (12:48):

Oh, that's cute.

Sky Canaves (12:49):

... on a campaign around moving into dorms and that angle. So it seems like it's pretty extended. They're all interconnected with that back-to-school dorm room theme and how Urban Outfitters is not just clothing, but a lot of the decor that people are looking to purchase as well during this time.

Suzy Davidkhanian (13:07):

Love that. Good win for both, and probably driving a lot of traffic to HGTV of a not usual viewer.

Arielle Feger (13:13):

Yeah. Younger viewers. Yup.

Suzy Davidkhanian (13:15):

Yeah. I don't even know that I can say it properly. We have number two, Pop Mart, for capitalizing on the Labubu craze with live streaming, gamification, and a bunch of other things.

Arielle Feger (13:26):

It's Labubu.

Suzy Davidkhanian (13:27):

Arielle. Oh.

Blake Droesch (13:27):

Labubu.

Suzy Davidkhanian (13:28):

Already, I started off wrong.

Blake Droesch (13:30):

It's fun to say, Labubu.

Suzy Davidkhanian (13:30):

Labubu.

Arielle Feger (13:30):

It's good. It's educational.

Suzy Davidkhanian (13:34):

Yes. 100%. I am definitely not the right market for this though. I did hear coincidentally this morning that there are adult influencers who are also wearing these, I guess.

Arielle Feger (13:44):

Oh, yeah. This is certainly not just for kids. It is adults. It is everyone. I mean, honestly, I wasn't really paying attention to this as much until the other day when I saw an article that was kind of outlining how hard it is to get a Labubu. And obviously, it makes sense. So Labubus are tiny little stuffed animal dolls that you can clip to your purse, or they also sell bigger versions, and they're just kind of the next craze.

(14:11):

I think for me, what makes it interesting is kind of how Pop Mart is working to continue and generate that kind of craze. So basically, they all come in blind boxes, so you don't know what you're going to get. So there's kind of a surprise element, and then Pop Mart will host live streams. Sometimes they'll sell dolls or drop dolls. Sometimes they won't. So you kind of have to tune in and see.

(14:37):

And then they also introduced this game called Pop Now, and you have to click through a bunch of virtual boxes, and I just think it's fascinating. There's creators online giving tips, and people trying to get them in the frenzy, and I just think it's smart of Pop Mart to kind of play into this and just really notch it that much further to that gamification of, "Will I get one or not?"

Suzy Davidkhanian (15:03):

It certainly sounds cooler. And now that I think about it, is that the thing you have on your key chain, Blake?

Blake Droesch (15:06):

Yeah. Yeah. It's a Labubu.

Arielle Feger (15:07):

Blake has a Labubu?

Suzy Davidkhanian (15:07):

Yeah.

Blake Droesch (15:07):

I have some.

Suzy Davidkhanian (15:07):

I just didn't know what it was called.

Blake Droesch (15:10):

My key chain, it's mostly Labubus at this point. There are very few keys on it. The ratio is, yeah, it's wildly off, some would say. It's unseemly. But I do think that it is kind of like a master class. And so, there's always sort of like the it toy, and this is sort of a master class in how to market them in the digital age.

Arielle Feger (15:33):

Yup. Yup. Exactly.

Sky Canaves (15:34):

And Pop Mart has been really big in China for a long time. They've been doing these blind-box toys for many years since before the pandemic, and that's become a huge phenomenon there. And so, it's really interesting to see how this trend is now taking off globally. It's been spurred a lot by international celebrities.

(15:54):

Members of the K-pop band BLACKPINK, I think, really set it off among young Gen Z, and now it's gotten to kids, and there's just this mania around it, which I think eventually will die down. But for now, they're really playing it well. And if they can come out with new, innovative products, not just Labubu, but other toys for adults and kids alike, there's a lot of potential there.

Suzy Davidkhanian (16:18):

That's very cool. And you kind of teed us up so well for our number one position, which is Ulta, because they're also pushing into K-beauty in an even bigger way. They've purchased a UK beauty retailer. They're doing a lot of different things to spur more international growth. Tell us more, Arielle.

Arielle Feger (16:37):

Yeah. So, I mean, they're doing a whole lot of stuff. You mentioned they acquired a UK beauty retailer, Space NK. They're going to open stores in Mexico, in Dubai, in Abu Dhabi, and they're partnering with K Beauty World to bring some Korean beauty brands into the stores, and they're really just kind of doing a lot, which I think is pretty smart at the moment, because Ulta is definitely kind of at the risk of maybe being a little stagnant and really needs to kind of reinvent itself, especially with the Korean beauty, which is a pretty big trend amongst younger consumers especially. I think it's just a really smart way to keep things fresh.

Sky Canaves (17:19):

Right. They're a little more mass traditionally than Sephora, which has really taken off, especially with younger consumers. But I think they're looking to expand their sales into different categories, and they have the opportunity to go, I think, a bit beyond what Sephora offers. They're launching a marketplace this fall, which I see this bringing new categories and brands as part of a teaser. If these categories have a presence on Ulta, then more of those brands might want to join their marketplace, and then that will create more opportunities for their retail media network to grow.

(17:56):

So they also have announced that they're bringing on Ritual, which is a supplement brand, and that's tying into the whole wellness category, which is a whole other space beyond K-beauty where there's a lot of opportunity for expansion.

Arielle Feger (18:09):

Yeah. I appreciate retailers that are kind of willing to try new things and kind of see, "All right. We'll just keep freshness, newness, and things coming out and seeing what sticks."

Suzy Davidkhanian (18:21):

An amazing way to drive traffic.

Arielle Feger (18:23):

Yeah.

Suzy Davidkhanian (18:23):

Well, I think that's cemented our number one spot at Ulta, and we have the most incredible list ever. That said, we do have two honorable mentions, which are, in number nine, Mattel for launching a Barbie doll that was positioned as a type 1 diabetes doll that sold out immediately. And number 10, we couldn't have a list without at least one gigantic player that we talk about a lot that some of us have a very strong affinity towards, which is Walmart, and this time for understanding that Vizio carries a lot of weight as a brand and turning it into a private label.

(18:59):

Okay. Well, then let's keep moving. So to recap our amazing list that will be untouched, number eight, Behr Paint for doing the AI agent to help customers select paint colors. Number seven, Costco for their Kirkland Marshmallow Crispy Cookie that went viral and it's hard to find. Number six, Misfits Market for launching into a whole new category. Number five, Vineyard Vines for a very interesting partnership with Zac Brown Band.

(19:30):

Number four, Away for working on gamification, giving away free luggages and free Uber shuttles to those in New York City. Number three, Urban Outfitters for its dorm makeover contest. Number two, Pop Mart for launching and capitalizing on this craze that shall remain nameless, because I'm going to say it wrong again. And number one, Ulta for really looking at all the different types of pockets of growth. So now, it's your turn. Blake, what's your move, if you have one?

Blake Droesch (20:04):

I do have them. Sorry.

Arielle Feger (20:06):

Sorry, Suzy. You continually repeating how amazing our list was hasn't really sunk in to Blake, apparently.

Blake Droesch (20:12):

And I'm limited to just two?

Suzy Davidkhanian (20:14):

No. Just one. You can either move something or add something, take something away.

Blake Droesch (20:20):

Well, I want the record to show that I have more than one. But in the one that I'm allotted-

Suzy Davidkhanian (20:26):

Correct.

Blake Droesch (20:26):

... I think Walmart should be on the list.

Suzy Davidkhanian (20:31):

But who would you remove?

Blake Droesch (20:33):

I'm getting to that. I'm going to take them off the honorable mentions list and put them in the number five slot and take Vineyard Vines out of the list.

Arielle Feger (20:43):

Wow.

Blake Droesch (20:43):

My reason for taking Vineyard Vines out of the list is that I think that we still have a conception of Vineyard Vines as sort of this niche Northeast brand, but they're a national brand at this point. They're everywhere. They're already in mainstream American shopping malls. They're in department stores. I don't think that the partnership with the Zac Brown Band is going to really move the needle in a super significant way, and I think Walmart deserves to be on the list because of what they're doing with dark stores.

(21:21):

They just announced that they're going to open up a whole slew of them. And it's not so much just that they're opening up dark stores, because that is obviously not something that's new or innovative, but when you think about Walmart doing it, it really is quite a flex for the retailer, because of the fact that they've been able to really grow their e-commerce business, primarily in grocery, at such a fast rate due to the fact that they have this massive brick-and-mortar presence, and that they've been able to leverage the store to fulfill those orders.

(21:55):

The fact that their e-commerce business has now grown to the point where they need to open up more space through dark stores, I think, really symbolizes a new chapter for Walmart's e-commerce business, and it's really coming into its own, and I think that's something that is definitely worth a mention for this list.

Suzy Davidkhanian (22:17):

So I don't think that dark stores is a July thing, Blake, and that seems like a technicality, but it is one that I will stand by given that we have an amazing list.

Arielle Feger (22:30):

Well, Suzy, I'm going to-

Suzy Davidkhanian (22:32):

I'm just saying.

Arielle Feger (22:33):

... break your heart.

Suzy Davidkhanian (22:34):

I am just saying. However, I-

Blake Droesch (22:37):

Are we going to get a ruling on this?

Suzy Davidkhanian (22:39):

Yeah. I ruled it. I'm in charge.

Blake Droesch (22:42):

When did the new dark stores news break latest?

Suzy Davidkhanian (22:46):

Well, it broke a while ago, because we talked about it on the Walmart episode.

Sky Canaves (22:50):

I think it might have been like end of June. It might have still been H1.

Blake Droesch (22:50):

Oh, end of June?

Arielle Feger (22:50):

I think it was end of June.

Blake Droesch (22:50):

End of June?

Suzy Davidkhanian (22:58):

I mean, I'm sorry, but-

Blake Droesch (22:58):

This is what happens when you take a vacation.

Suzy Davidkhanian (23:02):

That's it. Yeah.

Blake Droesch (23:02):

I'm totally out of the loop.

Arielle Feger (23:02):

It's true.

Suzy Davidkhanian (23:06):

I think we did have a lot of discussion around, should Walmart not be an honorable mention and be on our list? So I think for many reasons, not the dark stores though, we could put Walmart on our list, but I think this is going to be a group effort, and it's maybe not how we always do it. But I do think Vineyard Vines should still stay, because all of us were baffled by that. And so, potentially, we could move Costco off, because sometimes your thing goes viral and sometimes your cookie doesn't, and you just don't know.

Arielle Feger (23:36):

I think I would be okay with that. So maybe we put Walmart in number five, but then we move Vineyard Vines and Misfits down. So Vineyard would be six. Misfits would be seven, and then Behr would still be eight, and Costco would go in honorable. Does that make sense? Blake, how you feel about that? You all right with that? It's like half, either half.

Blake Droesch (23:57):

I'm still grappling with this Walmart, this dark store miss. I don't know whether I need to keep digging myself into the hole or if I should just apologize to the podcast for getting it wrong.

Arielle Feger (24:11):

Mistakes happen. Listen, time is difficult.

Blake Droesch (24:17):

Things are moving fast these days.

Arielle Feger (24:18):

It's too fast.

Blake Droesch (24:19):

No, I'm okay with that.

Suzy Davidkhanian (24:21):

Okay.

Blake Droesch (24:21):

I'm okay with that.

Suzy Davidkhanian (24:22):

So now, Sky, what do you think? What is your move?

Sky Canaves (24:26):

So I also have struggled a bit, because I also had two, but I think I have to pick one and which one is more impactful for retail overall. I'm also with Blake on taking Vineyard Vines off, because it's a little head-scratching. I don't know that it will move the needle much in terms of the power of this collaboration. But I don't think we can talk about July 2025 retail without talking about Amazon and its big shift of Amazon Prime Day to a four-day format, and bringing it up earlier right after the 4th of July weekend, and everybody else in retail seemed to scramble to have sales right around the same time, bookending a little later, a little earlier to try and capture some of the demand around the big event.

(25:16):

And I think the final results that came in showed that this was pretty successful for Amazon in terms of retail sales, in terms of driving more ad spending for Amazon ads, and I think we'll continue to see a four-day Prime Day and essentially a big July summer sales week going on into the future. Whether we'll see the similar thing happen in October with the Prime Day sale is still TBD. There's possibility for it, maybe not this year, maybe in a couple of years, but I think that's my move, and I would take Vineyard Vines off and put Amazon up in there.

Blake Droesch (25:16):

Thanks, Sky.

Suzy Davidkhanian (25:52):

Arielle. Cahoots over here. Arielle, what are your thoughts?

Arielle Feger (25:59):

So I'm of two minds, as I usually am. We also, similar to Walmart, had discussions around this in our pre-pod committee meeting. And certainly, Amazon's Prime Day was a huge moment in July for retail, but we also kind of said, "Well, doesn't it make sense them lengthening Prime Day? Isn't this kind of par for the course?" So I am inclined to put them on the list.

Suzy Davidkhanian (26:29):

But at number eight?

Arielle Feger (26:30):

Yeah. I think so. I think it's expected, not interesting. It's something to note. Yeah. I don't know.

Suzy Davidkhanian (26:38):

They are a market mover though, and the fact that they went to four days is definitely interesting, that they were able to sustain it, and there were a lot of conversations around, would they see a lot of growth or tempered growth? And it seems like it worked for them, and the halo effect was probably pretty strong. I'm still very sad about the Vineyard Vines situation though, because I thought that was really clever, and that beat over Ralph Lauren and Usher and Wimbledon partnership. But I guess we have to just let it slide. What do you think?

Arielle Feger (27:06):

I mean, I think the committee has... Well-

Suzy Davidkhanian (27:08):

The extended committee.

Blake Droesch (27:08):

The people have spoken.

Arielle Feger (27:10):

... the extended committee has spoken.

Blake Droesch (27:11):

Vineyard Vines, you've got to get off the list.

Suzy Davidkhanian (27:13):

Got it.

Blake Droesch (27:14):

I will say that I think you're being very fair to Amazon and the fact that it is par for the course for them to keep pushing the needle and expanding Prime Day. But I also see where Sky is saying, is that we'd be really be remiss if we let the whole month go by without at least mentioning them. So I think eight is, it's on the list, but almost in an honorable mention type of way, and I think that's fair.

Arielle Feger (27:39):

Yeah. Everybody wins then, except for Vineyard Vines.

Suzy Davidkhanian (27:42):

Goodness. But they already won, because they have a very famous Southern person cooperating with them.

Arielle Feger (27:47):

Yup. They're probably doing all right.

Suzy Davidkhanian (27:49):

Yeah. So that takes us to our new finalist for July. Number eight, Amazon for moving Prime Day from two days to four days. Number seven, Behr Paint for introducing an AI agent to help customers select paint colors. Number six, Misfits Market for launching a new product category.

Blake Droesch (28:11):

Labubu.

Suzy Davidkhanian (28:12):

Almost. Number five, Walmart for many reasons, but not the dark store. Number four, Away Luggage for gifting free luggage, doing gamification, and offering free Uber shuttles to the airport. Number three, Urban Outfitters for partnering with HGTV and Pinterest on a dorm makeover contest. Number two, Pop Mart for capitalizing on the Labubu craze. Did I get it?

Blake Droesch (28:41):

There we go.

Arielle Feger (28:41):

Yay.

Blake Droesch (28:41):

We got it.

Suzy Davidkhanian (28:43):

Number one, Ulta for looking at every avenue of growth possible. That's all the time we have for today. Thanks so much for joining us, Sky.

Sky Canaves (28:52):

Thanks for having me.

Suzy Davidkhanian (28:53):

And Blake, thanks for joining us after your holidays.

Blake Droesch (28:56):

Great to be here. Great to be back.

Suzy Davidkhanian (28:58):

Arielle, thanks so much for joining me. It was really fun.

Arielle Feger (29:00):

Yeah. This is really fun.

Suzy Davidkhanian (29:02):

And thank you, listeners, and our team that edits the podcast. Please leave a comment or review and remember to subscribe to the Behind the Numbers podcast. We'll be back next Wednesday with another episode of Reimagining Retail. And on Friday, join Marcus for another episode of Behind the Numbers, an EMARKETER podcast made possible by Quad.