A 12-foot skeleton has completely changed Halloween culture. The oversized lawn item, affectionately known as Skelly, has also been a slam dunk for The Home Depot. On the latest episode of the pod, we sit down with the merchant who not only made Skelly a thing but is also building the retailer's strategy to engage Haunters everywhere. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or simply click here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

U.S. consumers are expected to spend $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, driven partly by nostalgia and partly by escapism. @WaltDisneyCo is turning these behavioral triggers into revenue opportunities. Sure, the parks matter, but the Consumer Products division turns those Halloween parties and physical experiences into retail activation and personal connection. We sat down with Liz Shortreed, SVP of the Americas for Disney Consumer Products, to dig deeper into the model that is breathing new life into the company's IP: futurecommerce.com/posts/con…

We used @Merciv_ai to find out what separates the leaders from the laggards. We dug into business models, funding news, wholesale expansion timelines, social following transfer, and even reviews and sentiment analysis. The end result is an in-depth report on how the space is evolving and how other brands can keep pace: futurecommerce.com/fc-insigh…

Hermès has been running on "proof of work" since 1837. At VISIONS, Juliette Arnaud of Hermès will join Karen Young of OUI the People to discuss how brands of all sizes are balancing human craft, intention, and automation. Writer and graphic designer Elizabeth Goodspeed will moderate, touching on how AI is shaping how we create and connect. Join us November 3 at the MoMA NYC: visions.futurecommerce.com

If you thought the collectibles market was relegated to trading cards or sneakers, let Walmart be your barometer for how widespread and expansive the Collector Economy has become. With its new "drawing" experience, it has turned $5.97 NeeDoh fidget toys into commerce events. When does this level of work and friction make sense? We unpack the trend here, courtesy of @EQLofficial: futurecommerce.com/posts/ins…

We’ll be unpacking the narrative further at VISIONS 2026 in NYC. Catch up on the story so far with “The Reality Engine”: futurecommerce.com/posts/ins…

@Etsy’s marketplace lists 100M+ items, and most of them are one-of-a-kind or made to order. How does a business rooted in human work use AI intentionally to support its customers and makers? We’ll unpack this idea on the VISIONS stage with Rafe Colburn, Etsy's Chief Product and Technology Officer. Early Bird tickets are still available: visions.futurecommerce.com/

@Petco ran a guinea pig soccer tournament during the World Cup and a spider-themed event to celebrate the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This month, it’s Catember and soon, Petcoween. This is the new pop-culture x retail calendar, and Alison Hiatt, Petco’s SVP of Brand + Creative, gave us the inside scoop: futurecommerce.com/posts/you…

This was the first year @Pinterest Presents was IRL, and Future Commerce got to be in the room. We break down all the announcements and how Pinterest is using new ad formats to embrace its sweet spot: the “messy middle” where inspiration, research, and comparison live. Read our analysis here: futurecommerce.com/posts/pin…

We told you we were working on something big. 👀 VISIONS Summit is back at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art, and we have 25+ speakers ready to tackle one bold statement: "AI is rewriting commerce. Culture is next." Be in the room where we’ll ponder, debate, and envision what comes next. Your ticket gives you a full day of programming, museum access, and more: visions.futurecommerce.com/