Express Checkout #92 - the latest in CPG, Retail, and eComm

What a week! I had the pleasure of recording a session on the power of packaging with packaging pros Tracy Luckow , president and co-founder of Whipnotic , and Russell Gong , president and co-founder of Cabinet Health, for Highlight ’s virtual summit.

The Summit starts on Wednesday, Oct 2 @ 1pm ET—watch our session @ 2:25pm! RSVP here

🗞️ News from the week (9/16/24 - 9/22/24)

🔥 Big News 🔥

• The Great PB&J War of 2024. Looks like Smucker's is feeling a little... jelly. 😏 The jam giant just slapped Chubby Snacks with a lawsuit, accusing them of trademark dilution and false advertising. Apparently, Chubby's been playing fast and loose with Smucker's trademarks and throwing shade at their beloved Uncrustables.

My take? This feels a bit like David vs. Goliath. Uncrustables are crushing it, nearing $1 billion in sales. But weirdly, Smucker's hasn't gone after other similar products like SunButter Jammies. 🤔 Is this just big business bullying, or does Smucker's have a point

• Lunchables, but make it influencer. YouTube's holy trinity of Logan Paul, MrBeast, and KSI are coming for your kid's lunch money. 💰 They just dropped Lunchly, a supposedly healthier take on Lunchables that's packed with their own branded goodies, including Prime Hydration, a Feastables chocolate bar, and options like pizza or nachos.

The real question: Will parents see through the influencer hype, or will they cave for the cafeteria clout?

🛒 CPG & Consumer Goods

• From TikTok trend to Target shelves. Freeze-dried candy is having a moment—and Kanpai Foods is riding that wave straight into 1,700 Target stores nationwide. If you've missed it, freeze-dried candy is the crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth trend taking over TikTok.

Sow Good, a company that initially focused on freeze-dried fruit, has fully pivoted to selling freeze-dried candy, with offerings like “Spheres” (think: Skittles), Sour Worms, and Lemon Puffs. Even major brands like Skittles have launched freeze-dried versions, such as their new Pop’d product.

The numbers back up this growing craze (provided by SPATE ):

• Google searches for freeze-dried candy average 93.8K monthly, with a +19.6% year-over-year growth.
• On TikTok, the trend sees 14.4M weekly views, although YoY growth has dipped by -9.6%.
• A notable top search is "freeze dried candy near me," signaling that consumers are on the hunt for local options. And when they can’t find it, they’re turning to DIY, with spikes in queries like "how to make freeze-dried candy" and "how to freeze-dry candy."
• The 12-month growth forecast for Google searches sits at +60.3%, showing massive potential ahead.

• Better late then never? Gatorade is launching Hydration Booster, a new electrolyte drink powder. Excited to see how it stacks up against legacies like Liquid I.V., LMNT, and Nuun.
• Someone’s going to get in trouble for this one. Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme is launching GLP-1 Daily, a weight management supplement that offers an alternative to synthetic drugs in response to the Ozempic boom.
• JuneShine invents... regular kombucha. JuneShine , a hard kombucha brand, introduced non-alcoholic kombucha, AKA…kombucha. And that’s on innovation?
• Tupperware's freshness seal has expired. The OG of leftovers just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after years of decline. The company plans to continue operations during the proceedings while seeking a sale process. It also aims to transform into a “digital-first” company, whatever that means for plasticware.
• Posty’s soda hit shelves. poppi partnered with musician Post Malone to launch a custom Wild Berry can called "Posty's Soda" exclusively at Kroger. He also came on as an investor.

💻 eCommerce

• Shopify's taking over your TV now. 📺 Roku just launched their new Ads Manager, and it's basically turning your remote into a credit card.
• A better way to manage TikTok Shop affiliates. Social Snowball ☃️ has integrated with TikTok Shop to streamline affiliate management for DTC brands, allowing them to manage all affiliates from a single platform.

🛍 Retail

• A store within a store. IKEA is testing mini showrooms and order pickup at college bookstores in the Chicago area to better reach students.

It's clear that IKEA is trying to capitalize on the opportunity left by Bed Bath & Beyond's closure, particularly in the college market. By setting up mini showrooms in campus bookstores, Ikea is directly targeting college students who need affordable, functional furniture and home goods for their dorm rooms or apartments. Ikea has also been experimenting with various smaller store formats to increase accessibility and convenience. This includes small-format Planning Studios in urban areas, focusing on kitchens, baths, and bedrooms, as well as a planned Midtown Manhattan store. These initiatives bring Ikea closer to city-dwelling customers who might not have easy access to traditional suburban locations, while also serving as pickup points for online orders.

• Speaking of Bed Bath & Beyond. The brand is set to reappear in various markets under new management, licensing its logo for third-party retail and co-branded partnerships.

🏭 Supply Chain

• Amazon launched Supply Chain by Amazon, a fully-managed service designed to simplify seller operations and optimize inventory placement. This allows sellers to leverage Amazon's logistics and warehousing capabilities to reduce costs and delivery times.

💸 Funding news

• Another recommerce win. Rebelstork (amazing name), a NYC-based baby gear returns recommerce marketplace, has raised $18M in Series A funding led by Maveron Ventures.
• A tasty raise. Daily Crunch has closed a $4 million Series A funding round led by Launch Tennessee. Daily Crunch aims to expand its retail presence and innovate further in the snack industry.
• Two Boxes has raised $5.3 million, led by Peterson Ventures. The company specializes in optimizing the returns process for brands and 3PL providers.

🧐 Interesting reads + data

• How do you feel about a drone delivering your groceries? Well apparently 58% of consumers are eager to embrace this new fast mile delivery. And the rest of the data points to it as well, so called “boomerang” trips are common and most consumers want to receive orders within 30 minutes or less.

😋 Brands and things I’ve tried this week

I don’t know about you but I am lactose intolerant, granted that doesn’t stop me from indulging in dairy delights. But when my friend Isabel W. told me about her new brand I was pumped. Say hello to Laurel's Coffee , A2 dairy RTD coffee beverages! They were super tasty and my tummy was A-OK after!

See ya next week,

Nate :)

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