Retail & Consumer Goods

New York – September 23, 2026 -- SureDone has introduced Taska AI, an artificial intelligence listing agent now live with select pilot customers on its multichannel e-commerce platform, designed to automate listing creation and error resolution across connected sales channels.

Taska AI merges product data, channel integrations and listing workflows into a single conversational tool

Sellers can direct Taska to examine products, refine titles and descriptions, prepare channel-specific fields and generate scoped listing plans for review before submission.

The system tracks marketplace outcomes and flags rejections after listings go live

Once a seller authorizes a plan, Taska executes the listed actions and distinguishes a mere submission from a verified marketplace result. Eligible fixes proceed automatically within the authorized workflow, while issues requiring seller judgment are returned to the team.

Beijing – September 23, 2026 -- Roborock ranked No.1 globally in both unit shipments and sales value among robotic vacuum brands in H1 2026, according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Smart Vacuum Robotics Tracker for 2026Q2. The company also held the top spot in cumulative sales value among robotic vacuum brands for the period spanning Q1 2023 through Q2 2026.

Global robotic vacuum shipments reached 7.885 million units in Q2 2026

IDC data shows the market growing increasingly concentrated, with leading brands strengthening their positions as competition shifts toward technology innovation, premium products and deeper cleaning capabilities.

Las Vegas – September 23, 2026 -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) outlined its artificial intelligence strategy at GroceryShop 2026, disclosing a phased approach that moves from assisted to fully autonomous AI use across customer and operational functions.

Kroger structures AI deployment into three governed stages

Yael Cosset, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, said the company's AI roadmap progresses through assisted, augmented and autonomous stages, with the level of automation determined by risk, repeatability and the need for human judgment. "The goal is not autonomy everywhere," Cosset said, adding that governance remains central regardless of which stage a given use case occupies.

New York – September 22, 2026 -- Métaphores, the French textile Maison within Hermès' textile division, will launch its first U.S. designer-led showroom partnership on October 7, 2026, debuting a furniture textile capsule called Fragments at Lemieux et Cie in SoHo.

Métaphores enters U.S. furniture market through New York showroom deal

The collaboration marks Métaphores' first partnership with a U.S. designer-led showroom and the American debut of Fragments applied to furniture. The Maison, which draws on the century-old expertise of Verel de Belval in furnishing silks and Le Crin in handwoven horsehair, will place fabrics on sofas, accent chairs, benches, Pierre Jeanneret dining chairs, pillows and full-height drapery throughout the SoHo space.

East Rutherford, N.J. – September 22, 2026 -- MetLife Stadium has signed a multi-year partnership with ready-to-drink spirits brand Sun Cruiser, naming it an official Proud Partner of the venue, the New York Jets and the New York Giants.

Sun Cruiser gains stadium-wide branding across signage and digital boards

The deal grants Sun Cruiser exposure on gate pylons, video board integrations and daily highway marquees at the 82,500-seat stadium, the largest capacity venue in the NFL. MetLife Stadium ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for both tickets sold and ticket revenue in 2024, according to Pollstar.

Malibu, Calif. – September 22, 2026 -- BIRKENSTOCK Americas has opened its 24th company-owned US retail location in Malibu, California, marking a continued expansion of its direct-to-consumer footprint on the West Coast.

New store anchors Malibu's Cross Creek Ranch mixed-use development

The store is situated at Cross Creek Ranch, 23465 Civic Center Way, Suite #850, a recently opened retail and dining destination in Malibu's Civic Center. The location carries the full BIRKENSTOCK range for women, men and kids, including sandals, clogs, sneakers, shoes and boots, alongside the brand's Care Essentials line and a new plant-based nail polish collection.

Campbell, Calif. – September 22, 2026 -- Centric Software confirmed that Los Angeles-based fashion brand STAUD has gone live with its Centric PLM platform, centralizing product development data across internal teams and manufacturing partners.

STAUD centralizes product workflows in single digital environment

STAUD, founded in 2015 by Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto, produces handbags, ready-to-wear and accessories. The brand implemented Centric PLM to organize product-related information and streamline development workflows, replacing fragmented processes with a unified digital system accessible to both internal staff and external manufacturing partners.

Noida – September 22, 2026 -- Scanova, the QR Code platform operated by Trycon Technologies India, has released the largest update in its history, shifting its product from measuring scan counts to tracking the business outcomes that follow a scan.

Conversion tracking now follows visitors past the scan

The update extends conversion tracking onto a brand's own website, reporting pages opened, links clicked and actions completed after the code is scanned. This lets businesses distinguish codes that generate traffic from codes that generate action, placing QR performance on comparable terms with other marketing channels. Scanova integrates with 14 marketing and sales tools, feeding this data directly into systems companies already run.

London – September 22, 2026 -- The Natural Diamond Council has rebranded as The Diamond Collective, launching a new global strategy to rebuild consumer demand for natural diamonds amid rising competition from synthetic alternatives.

New CEO shapes strategy after six months of industry consultation

Amber Pepper, who took over as CEO, developed the strategy following talks with producers, retailers, brands, creatives and consumers. The plan responds to shifts in how people discover and buy luxury goods, aiming to convert consumer desire into sustained purchasing demand.

San Francisco/Philadelphia – September 22, 2026 -- Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) will add Gopuff to its Marketplace and deploy its Carrot Ads technology across Gopuff's digital storefront, giving more than 9,000 brand advertisers direct access to Gopuff's on-demand customer base in the U.S.

Gopuff will join over 2,200 national and local retail banners already on the Instacart Marketplace, offering Instacart customers delivery in as fast as 15 minutes from a catalog of thousands of groceries, snacks, beverages and household staples. Orders placed through Instacart will be fulfilled directly by Gopuff via its own network of micro-fulfillment centers.