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The Indicator | October 23, 2026

By Sonal Gandhi
The Lead

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THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Brands and retailers prepare for the holiday season through shopper AI agents, TikTok Shop live streams, and new creator initiatives.
  • Challenger CPG brands are thriving as legacy conglomerates pursue high-value acquisitions to appeal to younger consumers.
  • Annmarie’s natural skincare leverages AI to streamline perishable inventory management. Read the deep dive.

Image via: BoF

KEY INDICATORS​

  • Cardi B’s haircare line Grow-Good will debut in four independently owned beauty supply stores in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles; two New York locations began selling on Tuesday. It’s an unconventional route for a celebrity-backed brand rollout. Cardi believes she will find her core shoppers at beauty supply stores which are often locally and independently owned, fixtures of their communities, selling products that cater to the needs of textured hair and darker skin tones. (BoF)
  • Lego has expanded its reach, attracting more adults, teenagers and girls. At the center of this expansion has been a strategy to tap into people’s interests and hobbies including bonsai trees and golden retrievers, celebrities such as pop star Olivia Rodrigo and mega events like Formula One and the World Cup. (WSJ)
  • SharkNinja announced First Fans, a creator program for its more than 4,100 global employees, and SharkNinja Storytellers, an affiliate program for consumers. The Storytellers program gives interested customers a defined route to earning money. Its everyday creator tier offers 8–10% commissions for content including unboxings and reviews. Professional creators, such as stylists and estheticians, can earn 8–12% and access paid briefs and masterclasses. VIPs earn 12–15% commission. (Glossy)
  • TikTok Shop’s dedicated Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign kicks off Nov. 11 and runs until Nov. 30. During that time TikTok users can buy products and watch livestreams from all types of sellers, including Beachwaver and Old Navy. 2026 will be the first holiday season that big names like Best Buy, Ulta Beauty and Sephora will be selling products on TikTok Shop. Brands are betting on special-edition products found exclusively on TikTok Shop and partnerships with creators to stand out from the crowd. (Modern Retail)
  • Walmart is debuting “Agent Profiles” next month, allowing customers to have dedicated profiles within their account for an AI agent. Shoppers could give the agent permission to make purchases within a spending limit they choose. Walmart is also building out an “Agent Gateway” allowing AI systems to connect with external services and data — and aims to let agents shop for a user without needing to share their personal information or purchase history with the agent. (Retail Dive)

  • UPS’ Happy Returns is now integrated into TikTok Shop, enabling retailers on the social media platform to offer the reverse logistics provider’s box- and label-free returns service to shoppers. Everlane, Windsor and Pacsun are among the retailers tapping into the service on TikTok Shop. Consumers can bring the item to one of 10,000 nationwide drop-off locations at The UPS Store, Ulta Beauty and Staples. (Retail Dive)

  • Legacy CPG brands are pursuing challenger brands to appeal to younger and health and wellness conscious consumers. Despite declining deal volume, total Q1 2026 deal value doubled year-over-year. Key 2026 transactions include Barilla acquiring Goodles, Ferrero buying Purely Elizabeth, Unilever purchasing Grüns, Procter & Gamble acquiring Thorne, and Constellation Brands buying Hopwtr. Squeeze-bottle olive oil brand Graza is also exploring a sale, per September reports. (Marketing Dive)

DIVING DEEP

HOW ANNMARIE MANAGED PERISHABLE INVENTORY AND SAVED ON BULK ORDERS

Annmarie’s all-natural skincare means their inventory has an expiration date. This added complexity made forecasting more difficult and infrequent, with longer reorder cycles, and a real risk of steep markdowns on overstock. Conative AI’s Component Planning gave the team ingredient-level visibility with alerts for both stockouts and upcoming expirations, feeding directly into POs. The shift cut inventory planning time from hours to minutes, nearly eliminated overstocks, and the increased accuracy allowed the brand to save over $20K through bulk-orders. Read the full case study here.

LEADING SPOTLIGHT

More From The Lead, Beyond Your Inbox.

We’re expanding our digital presence to bring you more of the insights, ideas, and conversations shaping the brand and retail industry. From original research and executive interviews to fresh perspectives on the trends transforming retail, we’re publishing more content across our website, Substack, and social channels. Stay connected with The Lead and discover what’s new. Explore our content.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

  • On October 22nd in Brooklyn, The Lead gathered to honor this year’s Impact 50 recipients. The event featured memorable acceptance speeches, valuable networking, and engaging discussions.

    Here’s a peek into the celebrations.

PRESENTED BY —

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