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Katishi Maake

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Desktop computer with shipping boxes and money

Retailers grapple with returns

Total returns accounted for more than $761 billion in merchandise for US retailers in 2021—nearly 20% of which occurred after the holiday shopping season, per NRF.

Retailers grapple with the financial impact of the returns process 

Maeve Allsup

Map of the US showing warehouse locations

Here’s where experts say the next warehouse hotspots will be

Long Beach and Newark aren’t likely to relinquish their status as warehouse royalty, but companies are being forced to expand their footprint further inland.

Forget last-mile, it’s supply chains’ first mile that poses the biggest challenge for companies

Despite improving technology, investments, and consumer pressure, farm level visibility is rare.

A manufacturing plant icon depicting the retail supply chain

Supply Chain

Erin Cabrey

Isaac Hetzroni—or as he’s known to his more than 500,000 social media followers, The Sourcing Guy—may only be in his 20s, but he’s got decades of supply chain experience.

As a kid in Canada, his family owned a dancewear apparel company and he essentially grew up in a factory, learning the intricacies of fabrics and apparel production, he told Retail Brew. Then, when his father moved into electronics manufacturing in China, he, too, traveled to the factory there, developing an “unbelievable fascination” with manufacturing. In college, he started his own gig making merch sourced abroad and brought in more than $1 million in revenue.

Aiming to diversify this supply chain amid the onset of Covid-19, he toured, and began posting content about overseas factories from Turkey to Thailand. But he’s gained the most traction in the last year, as tariffs have “made sourcing and supply chain sexy,” Hetzroni said.

As tariffs have sent brands scrambling to save their margins, global supply chain expertise has not only become a coveted skill in the retail industry, but also, more surprisingly, a viral topic on social media, as 

 piqued consumers’ interest this spring by sharing the behind-the-scenes of where consumer products are made—even if many of those claims were 

With The Sourcing Guy and his own sourcing agency, Imprint Genius, Hetzroni said he’s capitalizing on both, en route to helping build a “unified global economy through manufacturing.”

Across Instagram and TikTok, Hetzroni has shared stories of 

 from Vietnam; spoken with manufacturers of leading brands of 

; pulled back the curtain on events like giant Chinese import and export event the 

At first, getting manufacturers to open up their doors to the internet wasn’t easy. He started with those he already worked with closely, but as the videos have taken off, most of the factories are now coming to him. Before a recent trip to India, he posted to social media looking to fill some filming slots and he said his inbox was filled with more than 100 DMs, and recently filmed in eight factories across two days in Portugal.

It’s a win-win for the factories, who now get customer inquiries from the videos, giving Imprint Genius a small commission for the business it sends their way. Plus, Hetzroni can use those factory tours when pitching clients to “paint a better picture” of who they’d be working with.

“We’re able to build a lot more relationships with really cool factories through the content,” he said. “Now that we have the relationships, our agency side of business is able to then more confidently go and manufacture products with those specific factories, because it’s a deeper relationship.”

 Through Imprint Genius, Hetzroni said he currently mentors ~400 brands across categories like apparel, accessories, and supplements, doing more than $1 million in sales, “troubleshooting” their supply chain issues, and working on diversifying supply chains, lowering costs, and launching new products. It also offers resources for new brands to learn the basics of manufacturing and sourcing.

Tariffs, of course—how hard they’ll be hit, and how to figure out where to move manufacturing next—have become a top issue for brands he consults. Still, issues like on-the-ground quality control—which prevents a brand from, say, receiving a $100,000 order of shoes from China in the wrong color—remain evergreen.

“Because I’ve been studying this for so long, I can very quickly hop on a 20-minute call and help these companies make really large decisions during all the craziness and really work with them on solving their supply-chain headaches,” he said.

Videos on freight forwarding and quality control aren’t 

 the most riveting, so the more entertaining behind-the-scenes manufacturing content has acted almost as a Trojan horse to get the right people to the right education content as they engage with and share it, he said. While his videos (and follower count) benefited from their similarity to 

, he believes he’s built up the trust with his follower base, largely by having his own boots on the ground, to be a reliable source.

“My larger purpose here is trying to be that guiding light for the aspiring entrepreneurs on how to manufacture in all these other countries that have fantastic infrastructure and have fantastic factories,” he said. “There just isn’t enough education or visibility on how to do it.”

The Sourcing Guy supply chain influencer on TikTok

Meet the sourcing influencer helping brands navigate the trade war

Isaac Hetzroni, aka The Sourcing Guy, has amassed half a million followers posting overseas factory tours and supply chain advice on Instagram and TikTok. 

Jeena Sharma

Tariffs are making a huge dent in US consumers’ budgets—$12.2 billion worth, to be exact, a new survey found.

Per Omnisend’s latest research that included responses from 1,200 US adults, Americans are now spending about $47 extra per person on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, 1 in 7 shoppers is spending $100 or more per month.

“You won’t see a ‘tariff’ line at checkout—you feel it in the grocery total, the back-to-school cart, and the small online orders that now cost a bit more to bring to your door,” Marty Bauer, e-commerce expert at Omnisend, said in a statement. “For most families, it just means less breathing room at the end of the month.”

Of course, there are some areas where consumers are feeling the pinch more than others.

66% of those surveyed noted they’ve seen prices shoot up since the tariffs, particularly when it comes to retailers such as Amazon (34%), Temu (30%), and Walmart (27%).

Meanwhile, Temu and Shein have felt the impact of the 

 of the de minimis loophole more than most.

68% of shoppers said they had cut down or completely stopped shopping from Temu and Shein when the Chinese marketplaces lost their price advantage.

Instead, 23% said they had already bought or were looking to buy from countries like Canada or Mexico in order to circumvent “price shocks.”

Man carrying a big piece of money that's disintegrating behind him 

Tariffs are costing American shoppers $12.2 billion monthly

Per Omnisend’s latest research, Americans are now spending about $47 extra per person.

Tariffs are costing American shoppers $12.2 billion monthly: survey

Vidhi Choudhary

Founded in September 2021, the brand famous for its two-in-one blush and bronzer sticks, has grown through influencer marketing and social shopping strategies. It has also received funding from consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton. Ask Dibs’s co-founder and CEO, Jeff Lee, why everyone wants to sell beauty online and he has a deep answer: “People have an emotional attachment to it.”

We caught up with Lee recently on the sidelines of Retail Brew’s Rewiring Retail: Mastering Data, Inventory, and the Online Customer Experience in New York City about tariffs, AI, and the holiday season.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What can you tell us about changes that you’ve made at Dibs Beauty because of tariffs?


You control the panic. That’s the first thing. It’s emotional more than anything. When the tariffs are changing constantly, all you can do is the best, which is—first of all, plan. Get as much inventory as you can and just scenario-plan. That’s all you can do.

There’s never enough inventory, but we had a lot of it come in. And actually it’s raw materials that matter a lot as well. So there’s a lot of hidden nuance to what the tariffs are carrying with them, creating a lot of supply-chain shocks beyond just price, you have to anticipate that for your supply chain.

What can you tell us about Dibs Beauty and its prep for the holiday season?

We definitely believe in this customer, but the customer is pressured, so we want to make sure we’re offering value for them. They’re really careful, they are still spending the dollars, but they’re watching for every single dollar.

Any other hot takes for this holiday season?


Well, No. 1, it’s going to start earlier than ever. And No. 2, it’s going to go longer than ever. I think everyone saw Amazon Prime extend that period, and they’re going to do the same for the holiday. And No. 3, the messaging is going to be different. It’s going to be a lot more about putting the customer first, rather than just simply an appeal to the discounting.

Why does everyone want to sell beauty online?


Beauty is an emotional thing, and it’s been part of civilization. I always say, if you go back to ancient Egypt, the thing that they found in the tombs 4,000 years old was makeup. People have an emotional attachment to it, and it’s something that’s so easy, that you pick up and transform your own self in a personal way. So that’s part of the reason why beauty has become so popular online. But for us, we really believe that beauty is truly about an emotional connection with the customer as well.

A healthy CPG business should be optimizing their user reviews, but I really caution against doing a full 180 and completely ripping apart the things that have worked for you, because early on, the AltaVista CEO said that they were going to win in search. Now it’s Google. We haven’t found a true winner yet, and I think it’ll be some time before we find that one great solution that replaces all search for customers discovering brands.

We’re very careful with generative AI, I have to say. And so it’s got a beautiful advantage in that it helps us lay out the groundwork for creative and all the marketing that we do. But do you use it to deliver a finished product? That’s something we’re still kind of holding our hands at. Because you have to have a human touch in that final sign-off as a brand.

Dibs Beauty CEO speaking on a panel at Retail Brew's Retail Rewired event in NYC

Dibs Beauty CEO on tariffs: ‘You control the panic’

Speaking about the state of the shopper, Lee said the customer is pressured. He added they are still spending the dollars, but they’re watching for every single dollar.

Andrew Adam Newman

American Eagle’s campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney has faced 

 for what some critics have said are eugenics undertones and being hypersexualized, but 

 of the campaign have been vocal on social media, including the current US president and vice president.

Will the new American Eagle campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney help or hurt American Eagle’s revenues in the coming months? 

 version of Coke the company will introduce soon will increase the company’s cola sales overall, or will it be a wash because fans who drink the corn-syrup version will just switch? The majority of you (58.6%) thought it would be a wash, and that Coca-Cola will sell the same amount of cola, while 41.4% predicted the introduction of the cane-sugar version will increase unit sales overall.

Most think new cane-sugar version won’t boost Coke’s sales

Plus: Will the Sydney Sweeney campaign help American Eagle’s bottom line?

Coca-Cola announced that in the fall it will introduce a version of Coke that’s sweetened with 

 as an alternative to its version sweetened with corn syrup.

Do you think the new cane-sugar version of Coke will increase the company’s cola sales overall, or will it be a wash because some fans who drink the corn-syrup version will just switch? 

, we told you about Lululemon’s lawsuit alleging that some of Costco’s Kirkland private-label products are dupes of popular Lululemon designs, and that as a result, Costco has “unlawfully traded” on Lululemon’s IP. We asked if you thought, as Lululemon argued, that Costco should stop making the products alleged to be dupes.

Most of you seemed to think that Lululemon’s claim was like what many wear its clothing for: a stretch. More than 8 out of 10 (81.6%) of respondents said Costco should keep making what Lululemon claims are dupes, while 18.4% said Costco should knock it off when it comes to knock-offs.

A model of Costco pants that Lululemon claims are dupes. 

Costco should keep making alleged Lululemon dupes, say 81.9%. 

Plus, will cane-sugar Coke boost sales for the company?

Hot Topic: Costco should keep making alleged Lululemon dupes, say 81.9%

Alex Vuocolo

Freight rail companies Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have agreed to a $85 billion merger deal that could remake US supply chains.

The combined company would operate nearly 50,000 miles of track across 43 states, effectively creating a “transcontinental railroad” that, in the words of Union Pacific, “will transform the US supply chain, unleash the industrial strength of American manufacturing, and create new sources of economic growth and workforce opportunity that preserves union jobs.”

Regardless of whether these lofty ambitions come to fruition, the deal could have major consequences for the retail industry. While 52% of freight rail cargo consists of bulk commodities such as energy and agricultural products, 48% consists of consumer goods and other miscellaneous products, according to the US Department of Transportation. 

Many of these consumer goods are categorized as intermodal traffic, meaning they are made up of shipping containers that move between other transportation modes such as trucks or planes, and so are plugged into other parts of the US supply chain.

National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay stated in 2022, amid negotiations between freight railroads and rail labor unions that were resolved in December 2022 after 

, “freight rail is critical to the retail supply chain, and retailers of every size rely on it to move cargo every day.”

In announcing the merger, Union Pacific touted the potential benefits to the US economy, including winning back freight volume from Canada and providing additional rail options for shippers in underserved regions such as the Ohio Valley and Mississippi River watershed.

 against the deal, expressing their opinion that consolidation will only drive increased fees and more unreliable service.

a freight train at a red railroad crossing signal

Freight rail companies merge in shake-up for US logistics network 

Merger could remake US retail supply chains, with nearly 50% of freight cargo consisting of consumer goods.

In June, Sen. Maggie Hassan sent public letters to grocery giants Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Dollar General, and Albertsons asking them to quantify the impact of President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

In a statement, Hassan wrote that while experts have pointed to the possibility of tariffs in general driving up prices, “grocery retailers themselves have provided little public information about the potential harms of steel and aluminum tariffs.”

Now the Democratic senator is looking for specifics, such as how exactly the tariffs could disrupt supply chains, raise costs, and impact jobs.

Coming up with clear answers to these questions could prove a challenge, however, as many retailers simply don’t have a firm grasp on how steel and aluminum imports—or other material inputs for that matter—fit into their cost structures.

“The challenge, especially on the derivative side, is trying to figure out what the value of the steel or aluminum in that finished product is,” Jonathan Gold, VP of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, told Retail Brew.

Figuring this out requires working with vendors to dig into supply chains and figure out where inputs are coming from and what their value is, Gold explained.

However, those intermediaries are facing their own challenges from Trump’s trade policy, and what shakes out price-wise for the consumer could depend on what kinds of deals retailers and consumer brands work out behind the scenes.

And in the spirit of the inquiry, it’s all about the details.

For example, how these tariffs impact pricing depends in large part on a single derivative product called tin mill steel, which is used to make the cans that package everything from soup and beans to aerosol hair spray.

Extrapolating from research it released in 2023—when the Biden administration’s commerce department was considering imposing antidumping tariffs in the range of 98% on tin mill steel—the Consumer Brands Association estimates the current 50% tariffs could raise prices 9%–15% and endanger nearly 20,000 jobs.

It’s also unlikely domestic producers will be able to pick up the slack. US-based manufacturers meet just 20%–30% of tin mill steel demand, according to Tom Madrecki, VP of supply chain and logistics for the Consumer Brands Association.

“The US steel industry doesn’t really make that steel,” Madrecki told Retail Brew, adding that “they don’t prioritize it,”—largely because they don’t find it profitable.

Conagra Brands, maker of Hunt’s, Slim Jim, and Duncan Hines, revealed in a recent earnings call that it’s been forced to buy tin mill steel overseas due to the number of domestic manufacturing lines that have been eliminated since 2018.

In other words, someone is going to have to eat the cost of the tariffs.

The question of which link in the chain bears the weight is still being worked out, and some retailers have taken a hard line on the matter.

, Albertsons Head of Merchandising Omer Gajial stated the grocer’s position bluntly: “We are not accepting cost increases.”

As a number of retailers have stressed, keeping 

 for much of the industry, and CPGs appear equally sensitive to price. “There’s going to be this inherent tension between retailers and CPGs about…who eats that cost,” Madrecki said.

Gold also acknowledged that it was getting difficult for retailers and vendors, even those with long-standing relationships, to work collaboratively, as it appears neither party can afford to stick it to the US consumer.

“Nobody wants to be seen on the wrong side of the consumer,” Madrecki added. “CPGs also don’t want to lose market share.”

The answer to this conundrum, Madrecki argued, is to look beyond just tariffs and explore other ways to drive the domestic manufacturing of products like tin mill steel.

“My hope would be that on both sides of the aisle, some of those inquiries…raising questions about the impact of tariffs leads to a more productive dialogue about how do we ensure adequate domestic capacity,” he said.