All Insights - The Robin Report

Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty: The Comeback Kid

The new Marc Jacobs Beauty line sold DTC through the Marc Jacobs website, and Sephora feels like the odd man out in the beauty industry. Its playful maximalism and bright colors go against the grain of the market nowadays, and at a time when both Coty and prestige cosmetics are under significant pressure, the venture isn’t just the reinvention of a makeup line, but a big gamble for everyone involved.

Jaisel Cherry June 16, 2026

Finance

Dynamic Pricing: Retail’s Poison Pill

The current retailer enthusiasm surrounding dynamic pricing (think Amazon, airfares, and supermarkets) assumes the consumer behaves as a rational negotiator who will calmly accept a price based on a real-time willingness to pay. In reality, consumers do not experience retail that way; they behave more like hunters than negotiators.

Matt Hasan June 15, 2026

Experience

Whole Foods: The Robin Report Retail Hit of the Week, 6.13.26

The grocery channel is in a fierce battle for market share with Walmart and Kroger duking it out at the top and upscale chains trying to find a way to compete.

Warren Shoulberg June 13, 2026

Technology

Gaming AI Search

Join Shelley and Heather Holmes, Founder of Publicity for Good, as they unpack how brands need to think like their customers and understand how they use agentic search engines including ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Key signals: Consumers are bypassing a brand website, asking AI for recommendations and going directly to purchase.

Retail Unwrapped June 12, 2026

Opinion

PFAS: A Clear and Present Danger

The EPA just handed the food industry its next crisis. Forever chemicals are forgotten promises; the CDC has detected PFAS in the blood of 99 percent of Americans. Including newborns. Here’s what retailers and brands must do before the states do it for them

Phil Lempert June 11, 2026

Experience

Fenty Beauty Goes to the Classics

In an era of dwindling attention spans, modern brands and retailers face the challenge of creating meaningful statements from digital fluff. Classical knowledge is a differentiator in an oversaturated, uninspired market. Savvy, modern consumers distinguish themselves not just by donning specific styles, but by their knowledge of the culture their style reflects. Knowledge is the new currency.

Jasmine Glasheen June 10, 2026

Operations

Signal or Noise? The Grey Swan Problem No One Wants to Solve

A business built around a single geography, a single distribution channel and a single supply chain scenario is not lean. It’s exposed. That is the lesson Iran teaches retail.

David J. Katz June 9, 2026

Operations

Pros Give Home Depot and Lowe’s a Lifeline

Two giants continue to serve the average homeowner’s projects, but with the housing market stuck in neutral, Lowe’s and Home Depot are increasingly turning their attention to pro builders.

Warren Shoulberg June 8, 2026

Management

Saks Global: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 6.6.26

Honestly, after four misses and counting, we’re really not trying to pick on them. But the decision by the new management to close the Neiman Marcus flagship store in downtown Dallas is just plain dumb. We have no doubt the store doesn’t make much money but is that really the only way to measure the assets for a revered brand?

Warren Shoulberg June 6, 2026

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