In a blow for President Donald Trump's tariff agenda, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 20 that the Trump administration exceeded its authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in a 6-3 decision. In other words, they deemed that the sweeping tariffs he issued on Liberation Day against nearly every U.S. trading partner were unlawful. Now, many people in the retail industry, whose companies have been impacted by these tariffs, are left wondering what will happen next in the days and weeks to come.

In this emergency episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, executive editor Anna Hensel, special projects editor Melissa Daniels and senior reporter Gabriela Barkho break down what the Supreme Court ruling means for brands and retailers. They get into:

• Their initial reactions to the news that the Supreme Court struck down President Trump's tariffs.
•  Whether or not brands and retailers will be able to get refunds for the tariffs they paid over the past year.
•  What this could mean in the push for more domestic manufacturing.
•  What they'll be watching next as President Trump vows to impose his tariffs agenda through other means.

In 2026, the term direct-to-consumer, or DTC, has become somewhat of a pejorative within the retail startups ecosystem.

Enter: “DTC 3.0,” or what’s dubbed as the most sustainable and profitable version of the model to date. The term was popularized last year after an X post by Cody Plofker, the CEO of Jones Road Beauty, though a debate has emerged on what the phrase entails.

On this week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporter Gabriela Barkho is joined by two veterans of the DTC landscape who started their brands in the 2010s. Nate Checketts, co-founder and CEO of Rhone, and Melissa Mash, co-founder and CEO of Dagne Dover, argue that the term DTC, in and of itself, is antiquated. The two also weigh the pros and cons of being an early player in the "DTC boom," and their approaches to raising venture capital and building more sustainable brands.

This week's episode discusses:

• How do founders characterize the different phases of DTC?
• A look back at being part of the DTC 1.0 wave, then navigating the next two phases amid increased challenges. 
• How events like the Covid-19 pandemic and tariffs helped shape the DTC channel.
• Building an enduring brand through a slower, more sustainable growth model. 

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels is joined by senior reporter Julia Waldow to dive deep into the world of brand activations happening around Super Bowl LX. Many brands don't have the $8 million to drop on a Super Bowl ad. In turn, they're tapping pop-ups, concerts and other IRL experiences to drive awareness before millions of eyeballs in the Bay Area, where the Super Bowl will be held at Levi's Stadium.

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, the staff discusses how the growing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cities like Minneapolis is impacting retail. Senior reporter Gabriela Barkho and special projects editor Melissa Daniels are joined by Modern Retail executive editor Anna Hensel to discuss topics like executives' reactions, shoppers’ protests and how brands are expressing solidarity with people on the ground.
In this episode, the three discuss:

• How local and national retail brands with a Minneapolis presence are addressing their employees and customers.
•  Recent ICE killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti pushed corporate CEOs from Target and Best Buy to finally respond.
•  What some brands are doing to express solidarity with immigrants and locals, including participating in strikes and donating sales proceeds to organizations.

On this week's episode, special projects editor Melissa Daniels takes a deep dive into how brands are shaking up their returns playbook. As many as 72% of brands are charging for returns these days, according to the National Retail Federation, but that's a major customer pain point. In turn, it's an area of business that brands are constantly evaluating to make sure their return policies make logistical and financial sense while still providing a good customer experience.

Daniels speaks with Samantha Gold, founder of sleepwear brand Motette, and Arin Schultz, chief growth officer at mattress brand Naturepedic, about the changes they're making to their return policies to make them more customer-friendly without taking a hit on the costs associated with processing returns. They get into:

• The invisible costs of free returns, like shipping rates and warehouse restocking fees
• Why Motette is planning to roll out free returns following a customer poll
• The ways Naturepedic got its return rate to less than half of the industry average

This week, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels are joined by senior reporter Julia Waldow to dive into takeaways from the National Retail Federation's 2026 conference; it's the retail industry's biggest conference, and typically sets the tone for the year.

The mood at NRF was cautiously optimistic, with brands and retailers showing off their best use cases of agentic commerce and AI tools to help with checkout and discovery. Waldow explains how the week also saw announcements from the likes of Google, and Microsoft about the tools they're deploying for retailers to try. But at the same time, executives said there is still some friction, with many attendees themselves saying they don't trust AI to do their shopping for them. Barkho discuss how beyond technology, brands talked about how to court today's shoppers by focusing on value, and the ways they're looking to stay relevant.

Other key themes discussed on the show include:

• How AI in retail has shifted from hypothetical use cases to case studies of practical applications
•  The far-fetched robotics and technologies seen on the Expo Floor
•  Brands becoming less vocal about tariffs and immigration-related challenges as they focus on growth in a complex landscape

Kicking off the new year, the Modern Retail Podcast is delving into all things wellness.

This week, senior reporter Gabi Barkho is joined by Rachel Hirsch, founder and managing partner of Wellness Growth Ventures, which has backed brands like BelliWelli and Cure Hydration. Together, they predict what’s on trend and what’s on its way out, when it comes to health and wellness. The categories discussed include food and beverage, beauty, and fitness. 

The emerging themes in 2026 include:

• The definition of wellness resolution is constantly evolving, especially as consumers try more trends and focus on personalized routines. 
• Simplified routines and hero products have taken the throne from multi-step routines.
• Strength training, GLP-1s and high-protein intake continue to dominate diet and fitness trends.

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, the editorial team dives into what’s to come in 2026. Senior reporters Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels are joined by executive editor Anna Hensel for a roundtable discussion on the biggest retail predictions in the coming year.

Hensel, for example, is contemplating how AI will continue to shape e-commerce and the way people shop in 2026. Meanwhile, Daniels predicts that the creator economy will only get bigger as brands continue to invest in this marketing channel. With that, the team debates whether social media and other e-commerce channels will continue to bombard users with influencer content. Lastly, the team moves onto M&A prospects in 2026, including the biggest brands primed for potential acquisition as consolidation heats up.

On this week's Modern Retail Podcast, hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels are joined by reporter Mitchell Parton to discuss the themes and trends that dominated retail in 2025. The year certainly didn't play out the way that many in the retail industry were initially expecting, as tariffs upended many companies' carefully laid plans for the year.

Still, there were pockets of hope. Even though there weren't as many IPOs this year as some in the industry hoped there would be, there were still some promising acquisitions, like Church & Dwight buying hand sanitizer brand Touchland, and Harry's parent company Mammoth Brands snapping up diaper brand Coterie. Plus, consumers were still willing to turn out and spend -- even for hot trends and products that seemingly came out of nowhere, like Labubus. The episode gets into:

• A look back at how the Modern Retail Podcast team did with its 2025 predictions at the start of the year, involving M&A, TikTok Shop and tariffs.
•  Why private labels dominated this year.
•  Why 2025 was an eventful year for big-box retail, as companies like Costco, Walmart and Target had to navigate big changes.
•  How the biggest buzzword of the year, AI, shaped retail in 2025.

This week's episode of the Modern Retail Podcast kicks off with a discussion between co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels about PepsiCo's announcement that it will be trimming its portfolio and cutting back prices as part of a new agreement with activist investor Elliott Investment Management. They also unpack the opportunities the conglomerate faces as it plans more innovation in the better-for-space, whether that's removing artificial colors and flavors, or including more protein, fiber and whole grains.

Then on the featured segment (15:40), Daniels is joined by Modern Retail's Allison Smith and Julia Waldow to unpack the secondhand sales boom of 2025. Their conversation dives into the technological improvements, economic shifts and brick and mortar touch points that have helped drive more interest and sales in this growing category. They discuss how:

• Shoppers are increasingly considering used items due to cost savings.
•  Companies like Poshmark and ThredUp are using AI to help populate their marketplaces.
•  The rise of in-person estate sales and thrift store hauls as people look for the "thrill of the hunt."

On this week’s Modern Retail Podcast, senior reporters Melissa Daniels and Gabriela Barkho kick things off with a look at the record-setting use of buy now, pay later payments over Black Friday weekend. The duo also gets into the holiday spirit by talking about the widespread impact of seasonal flavors. This year’s big trend? All things cranberry.

Later on in the episode (23:41), Barkho sits down with Kelly Landrieu, principal planner of local & emerging brands at Whole Foods Market, who heads up its Local & Emerging Accelerator Program. In the conversation, Landrieu outlines the program’s role in bringing the buzziest young brands to Whole Foods’ shelves, which in the past has included brands like Poppi and Little Sesame.

They also discuss:

• The dos and don’ts of startups successfully getting into Whole Foods Market.
•  Common mistakes smaller brands make when trying to grow in a national chain.
•  When to consider hot trends, like better-for-you soda and high-protein snacks versus a product’s potential longevity.