Podcast Summary: "The Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List (August)"

Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast – Reimagining Retail
Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Ariel Fager
Panelists: Emmy Lederman, Blake Drosch, Sky Canavas

Overview

This episode of "Behind the Numbers" focuses on the committee’s Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List for August 2025. The hosts and analysts engage in an upbeat, often humorous roundtable, nominating and debating which retailers made the biggest strategic waves—both positive and negative—this month. The show blends fresh retail news, thoughtful market analysis, and witty banter, delivering insights into innovative retail moves, evolving brand strategies, and the shifting behaviors of younger consumers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Format & Process (02:00)

• The episode is structured in two halves:
  • First Half: Ariel and Emmy present their list of the most interesting retailers.
  • Second Half: Blake and Sky offer their critiques, making changes to the ranking or swapping in new contenders.

The Official Top 8 (Before Changes)

8. Warby Parker (01:15)

• Expansion: Opened shop-in-shops at Target, despite Target’s current struggles with foot traffic.
• Strategic Pivot: Ended its at-home try-on service—formerly the brand’s most distinctive offering.
• Concerns: Hosts question whether increased physical presence makes up for lost convenience and whether the Target partnership can truly boost growth, especially after Ulta’s similar move underwhelmed.
  • Quote (Sky, 03:18):
    “Target is really struggling...Ulta shop-in-shops just weren’t bringing in enough business...only about 4% of Ulta’s sales.”

7. Best Buy (04:21)

• Retail Partnership: Launching Ikea shop-in-shops—first time Ikea is available through another U.S. retailer.
• Marketplace Expansion: Debut of Best Buy’s third-party marketplace, dramatically increasing selection.
• Risks: Concern about losing brand focus when expanding partnerships outside core categories.
  • Quote (Blake, 05:08):
    “You always want to be careful about how broad your reach becomes because you...run the risk of sort of losing your core identity as well.”

6. Anthropologie (Maeve Store Launch) (06:03)

• Strategic Move: Standalone stores for in-house brand Maeve, leveraging its popularity—partly thanks to Nuuly (clothing rental service).
• Trend Watch: Building private labels into independent, socially-engaged brands.
  • Quote (Sky, 07:22):
    “It really highlights the power of private label brands...even if not launching as standalone brands, giving them more of an identity on social and digital.”

5. Crocs (08:43)

• Flagship Experience: Opened a uniquely large, NYC-themed store in SoHo, tailored for customization and immersive branding.
• Objective: Reinvent Crocs as a ‘brand for everyone’—from high-end, designer Gibbits to everyday products.
  • Insight: SoHo’s transformation into a “mall for New York City,” attracting more mass-market and youth brands.
  • Quote (Emmy, 10:55):
    “We always hear that it’s dangerous to try to be a brand for everybody because you lose your identity, but...Crocs is an example of a brand that has sort of figured that out.”

4. Bath & Body Works (11:46)

• Distribution Push: Expanding to 600+ college bookstores to reach Gen Z consumers, adjusting to the drop in mall foot traffic.
• Marketing Insight: College bookstores double as lifestyle hubs; connects with the “college students love sweatshirts” phenomenon.
  • Quote (Emmy, 12:41):
    “So many people are getting like PR packages...brands are figuring out how to become relevant among college consumers...I just think the bookstore is a good place to target.”

3. Rare Beauty (15:31)

• Product Launch: Debut of first perfume—marketed via scented billboards (out-of-home experiential ad campaign).
• Accessibility Design: Bottle designed for people with limited mobility—twist-to-lock, easy to grip.
  • Brand Strength: Consistency with Rare Beauty’s values-driven, inclusivity-first identity.
  • Quote (Emmy, 15:19):
    “Doing something in-house that actually proves they care about [inclusion], opposed to just...donating...they’re actually changing how they run their business.”

2. Walmart (16:05)

• Brand Activation: “FYP on Wheels” experiential tour—Walmart trucks visit concerts/events, offering themed photo ops, merch, and curated shopping.
• Gen Z Focus: Uses TikTok lingo (“For You Page”) to seem cooler, especially as Target’s youth appeal wanes.
  • Quote (Sky, 17:18):
    “There is a trend...where Gen Zers and maybe even Gen Alpha are seeing Walmart as cooler. Especially now that Target has lost some of its magic.”

1. Dick’s Sporting Goods (17:45)

• Media Strategy: Launch of in-house content studio—building on past Emmy-winning documentary work, now integrating creator/influencer partnerships.
• Retail Trend: Aligns with 2025 retail trend (per EMARKETER report) toward brands as content creators.
  • Quote (Blake, 18:21):
    “As brands...have these owned and operated digital channels...creating your own content...seems like a no-brainer to...build your brand.”

Honorable Mentions (19:19)

• Trader Joe’s: First store in New Orleans.
• Amazon: Same-day delivery of Fresh foods in 1,000+ cities.

Panelist Revisions & Debate

Swapping Brands (20:13)

• Blake’s Move:

  • Removes Warby Parker (“bad move...not that interesting”)
  • Adds Amazon to the #8 slot (“A really big deal for Amazon...It feels like they’ve really gone all in with this offering” – 20:13)

• Interesting = Good or Bad?

  • The group clarifies that “interesting” can be negative, but sometimes things are just bad and not interesting (21:22).

• Sky’s Move:

  • Removes Best Buy (“unproven and limited”)
  • Adds Quince at #7—a digitally native, accessible “quasi-luxury” brand known for direct-from-factory cashmere, recently valued at $4.5 billion.
    • Market Fit: At the intersection of “luxury struggling but value still desired.”
    • Quote (Sky, 21:58):
      “If Temu and Prada had a baby, it could be Quince...very pretty and very affordable.”

Final List for August 2025 (24:47)

Honorable Mentions:

• #10 Trader Joe’s
• #9 Warby Parker

Main List:

• #8 Amazon
• #7 Quince
• #6 Anthropologie
• #5 Crocs
• #4 Bath & Body Works
• #3 Rare Beauty
• #2 Walmart
• #1 Dick’s Sporting Goods

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the shop-in-shop trend:
  “Ikea’s products...going to be available through another US retailer...makes sense, but [Best Buy] runs the risk of...losing your core identity.” — Blake Drosch (05:08)

• On branding for all:
  “We always hear it’s dangerous to try to be a brand for everybody because you lose your identity. But...Crocs has sort of figured that out.” — Emmy Lederman (10:55)

• On collegiate retail targeting:
  “College girls love sweatshirts, which is so true. College girls love going to their college store and getting a sweatshirt, a hat, sweatpants...” — Emmy Lederman (12:41)

• On Rare Beauty’s accessibility:
  “They launched a perfume...adaptable for people with limited mobility...They’re actually changing how they run their business.” — Emmy Lederman (15:19)

• On Walmart & Gen Z:
  “There is a trend...Gen Zers and maybe even Gen Alpha are seeing Walmart as cooler. Especially now that Target has lost some of its magic.” — Sky Canavas (17:18)

• On Quince’s market position:
  “If Temu and Prada had a baby, it could be Quince...very pretty and very affordable.” — Sky Canavas (21:58)

Engaging Moments

• Brand Parenting Analogy:
  Emmy and Ariel riff on what it would be like if Temu and Prada were “parents”—a playful analogy for Quince’s hybrid value proposition (24:07).

• Scented Billboards:
  Segment on Rare Beauty’s “smellable” billboard led to funny speculation about giant perfume clouds on highways and brands like McDonald’s releasing French fry scents (15:31–16:01).

Key Takeaways

• Retailers are aggressively experimenting with new touchpoints—shop-in-shops, campus partnerships, experiential stores, and owned content studios—to counter shifting traffic patterns and changing consumer behaviors.
• Gen Z and college students are top-of-mind for established and challenger brands alike, leading to creative distribution and marketing pivots.
• The definition of “interesting” in retail is evolving: it’s not always about success, but about bold moves, risk-taking, and the willingness to fail or disrupt conventions.
• Value-driven, DTC hybrid brands (Quince) and brands with strong content/creator strategies (Dick’s Sporting Goods) are gaining outsized attention in 2025.

For anyone who missed the episode, the panel’s list and lively debate provide a snapshot of which retailers are shaking up the industry—and why every move is worth watching.