The Indicator | February 13th, 2026

High-end brands are launching personalized, elaborate Valentine’s Day promotions to attract big spenders in a saturated market. Venus et Fleur launched large floral pop-ups with a chance to win an influencer package. Brilliant Earth is offering intimate “date night” shopping experiences at its new showroom and ran a novelty claw machine promotion, capitalizing on post-holiday engagements. Despite some focus shifting to value or self-care, companies are aggressively pursuing customer spending for the holiday. (Modern Retail) 

Legacy brands Borghese and RoC Skincare are using “generative engine optimization” (GEO) to stay visible in AI-driven search. RoC prioritizes earned media and Q&A content, using AI for optimization, and noted that digitized print and retailer product pages influence AI rankings. Borghese’s “Project PDP” rebuilds product data with scientific facts and long-form content for accuracy. Both brands actively seed verified information across platforms to inform generative models and prevent misrepresentation. (Glossy) 

Google is introducing the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an agentic AI tool, to third-party platforms like Etsy and Wayfair. This protocol, developed with partners including Walmart and Target, allows US shoppers to make direct purchases from these marketplaces via Google’s AI Mode Search or Gemini, standardizing AI-business connections. The move aims to capitalize on increasing agentic AI usage and referral traffic, with Google also testing sponsored ads in AI Mode and enhancing the AI shopping experience with visual results and combined AR/virtual try-on features to boost ad revenue. (Retail Brew)

Target is one of the first advertisers to pilot contextual ads within OpenAI’s ChatGPT, starting this month. The retailer will use its Roundel media network to promote its business and brand partners. Ads will be tailored to specific ChatGPT keywords for relevance and personalization. Target assures that all ads will be clearly labeled, distinct, and will not affect ChatGPT’s answers. This test will gauge consumer acceptance of ads in the program. (Retail Dive)

American Eagle is launching the AE Creator Community, a new nationwide ambassador program designed to build long-term relationships with content creators. The program incentivizes U.S. consumers aged 18+ with over 1,000 social followers to regularly promote the brand through weekly and monthly challenges (like styling videos) in exchange for points redeemable for products and gift cards. (Retail Dive) 

Nordstrom is celebrating its 125th anniversary with events, brand activations, and campaigns, kicking off during fashion week in NYC and Paris. The department store will partner with brands like Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and Tory Burch on exclusive products and events, and launch a limited-edition capsule collection of memorabilia inspired by previous logos. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale will also be part of the celebration, featuring new brands, the largest catalog yet, and $1.25 coffee at Nordstrom restaurants and cafes during the sale. (Retail Dive)

80 million monthly users are now searching directly on Reddit, bypassing traditional search engines like Google. This shift, driven by a growing trust deficit in algorithm-curated results, highlights users’ preference for community-driven, authentic answers over SEO-optimized and ad-cluttered content. This deliberate choice to prioritize human experience makes Reddit a significant search destination and presents major opportunities for marketers. (WebProNews)