Meta has introduced a series of new generative AI tools to help advertisers automate and scale the “diversification of their creative,” which company executives said is key to seeing success from advertising campaigns on its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. The company also announced that it will be expanding its Meta Verified subscription plan for businesses in a number of countries with a new tiered pricing model. Meta: ‘We’re in the Middle’ of Our AI Journey Despite the fact that today’s announcements are primarily about new AI tools for advertisers, Meta executives were adaman ..read more

Instacart has entered a strategic partnership with Uber Technologies to bring restaurant deliveries to its shoppers. During the coming weeks, Instacart app users will be able to order from hundreds of thousands of restaurants via Uber Eats. The experience will be featured in a new “Restaurants” tab within the Instacart app, and members of the Instacart+ loyalty program will get free delivery on grocery orders and restaurant orders over $35. “Through this partnership, Instacart customers now have access to both the best online grocery selection in the U.S. and restaurant delivery, making it ev ..read more

When DoorDash launched in 2013, it was all about restaurant delivery. Now, in addition to dinner from the local taco joint, you can order garden mulch from Lowe’s, mascara from Sephora and tequila for some margaritas to spice up Taco Tuesday, all in the same app. In fact, DoorDash’s reach has expanded so much in the past decade that the company has shifted its overall mission from food delivery to becoming the “local commerce app.” Fuad Hannon, VP of New Verticals, DoorDash Retail TouchPoints sat down with Fuad Hannon, DoorDash’s VP of New Verticals, to find out how the company plans to deliv ..read more

69% of consumers go straight to the search bar when they visit an ecommerce site, and their search interactions provide merchants with crucial information about their intent, preferences and needs. Alongside tracking search performance data, analyzing how shoppers use search can deliver deep customer insight for merchants. Everything the shopper does within search is very intentional, with insights delivered much more quickly than behavioral signals, (such as where a shopper browses or hovers on the site). All of this can be used to improve conversion rates, increase revenues and improve the ..read more

Walmart has simplified the process for shoppers who want to support their local schools with the new Connected Accounts feature on the Box Tops for Education app. Shoppers can now give back by connecting their Walmart account with the Box Tops app, without needing to scan or submit receipts. Families can earn when they download the app, connect their account and buy Box Tops’ participating General Mills products at Walmart, both in-store and online. “Since 1996, schools have earned nearly $1 billion through Box Tops for Education, and data shows a large amount of our program supporters are Wa ..read more

NBCUniversal and Instacart are expanding their existing partnership to include a new retail media workstream that will enable Instacart’s CPG advertisers to connect with consumers via NBCU’s streaming and linear television content. In late 2023, the companies teamed up to include access to NBCU’s streaming platform Peacock as part of the Instacart+ membership package. Now, with this new first-party data collaboration, advertisers will be able to reach consumers through NBCUniversal’s content and measure the impact of their campaigns by leveraging ad exposure and purchase data from Instacart ..read more

Seven years into its most recent comeback, teen fashion retailer Rue21 has filed for its third bankruptcy, citing “the continued growth of online shopping, industry competition, inflation and macroeconomic headwinds.” Over the past two decades the mall-based retailer has struggled to regain the popularity it enjoyed during its heyday in the late ’90s. The company first filed for bankruptcy in 2002, then again in 2017. All of Rue21’s 540 remaining stores will now be shuttered in the next four to six weeks as part of this third bankruptcy, as along with its ecommerce operations. The retailer’s ..read more

Kohl’s has become the latest retailer to enable same-day delivery via Instacart, allowing customers to have accessories, home goods, skincare and beauty items delivered in as fast as one hour from all 1,172 Kohl’s stores. Shoppers using the Kohl’s Instacart storefront can earn Kohl’s Rewards on these orders, which are priced the same for delivery and in-store purchase. “With Kohl’s as one of the first department stores on our platform, we’re proud to continue expanding our selection beyond grocery, making everyday shopping for our customers easier for their busy lives,” said Blake Wallace, Se ..read more

Rebecca Minkoff doesn’t just like taking risks — she’s addicted to it. “It’s all about pushing myself out of my comfort zone continuously,” she said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “That’s where I get my adrenaline. I have team members helping me every day, but I’m spearheading the ideation and planning every day. That’s what takes me out of my comfort zone.” As Co-founder and face of her namesake brand, she has plenty of opportunities to do it. In many ways, Minkoff has become known in the industry as a changemaker and boundary-breaker. Her brother and co-founder Uri Minkoff helped ..read more

In a pharmacy in Seattle, when the temperature in its drug storage refrigerator falls below protocols, an automated alert warns the store manager before temperature-critical medicines spoil. In a clothing store in Phoenix, the AC automatically adjusts to keep customers comfortable and lingering longer, happily trying on sweaters in the store’s new fall collection despite the blistering 100-degree late-summer day. In Austin, a hardware store is getting paid to help the city reduce its energy consumption during an extremely hot period by participating in its utility’s demand response program. B ..read more