SkinnyTok, Russian Propaganda, and PepsiCo’s Poppi Proposal

The brilliant Orchid Bertelsen is back with a huge announcement… PLUS: From Aritzia x Sperry's viral fashion to the surprising new role of Amazon in eCommerce, we explore how brands are winning (and losing) in today’s retail landscape.“I Would Sugarcoat This, But You Would Eat That Too”Key takeaways:[00:04:30] The Sperry x Aritzia collaboration is a calculated and strategic flexing of the Aritzia brand to drive traffic by leveraging the resurgence of the boat shoe trend.[00:19:30] The new metric of business health and the future of retail and private equity. [00:44:00] Has SkinnyTok gone too far? [01:02:00] Our heroes of the week: White Lotus and their brand collaborations—authorized and unauthorized—and whoever designed this shirt.[01:05:00] Our villains of the week: Pepsi, for buying Poppi (for $1.7 billion), and the new economic policies and tariff policies that drove Forever 21 and Dollar General out of business. “The average shelf life of a digital skill is roughly 18 months…but I would say it’s 3-6 months.” – Orchid “We know the algorithm is shaping how we think. The crazy part? We’re okay with it.” – Phillip“My TLDR for the next three years? It goes back to business fundamentals. You have to be so diligent about every dollar in and every dollar out and run your business to maximize EBITDA.” – Orchid“Large companies are not in the business of turnaround.” – Orchid “So, Temporarily 21?” – Orchid“Luxury brands think they can raise prices forever. The secondhand market is proving them wrong.” – PhillipIn-Show Mentions:@orchidbert on TikTokSperry x Aritzia collaborationMiu Miu boat shoeI got Severed at Claire’sAssociated Links:Preorder your copy of the LORE Journal by Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.