This week, Mal and Alex return to unpack a massive week in Australian retail. From job cuts at Peloton and controversy at Nike to Cosette’s dramatic closure and JB Hi-Fi launching a retail media network, Episode 125 breaks down the headlines that matter.

🔹 In this episode:

• Peloton Cuts 11% of Staff

  The pandemic darling continues its post-boom correction with major layoffs. Is AI taking over engineering jobs, or is this just poor pandemic planning coming full circle? 

• Nike Investigated for “Reverse Discrimination”

  The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is probing Nike for alleged discrimination against white employees. A bizarre case that may have ripple effects for diversity hiring everywhere. 

• Topshop Returns to Myer, Rhode Launches at Mecca

  Two brand launches with very different energy. While Topshop leans into nostalgia, Rhode rides a wave of influencer-fueled anticipation. What’s the play for each retailer? 

• Cosette Collapses After 11 Years in Australia

  The luxury reseller shuts down its Australian operations amid mounting legal complaints and trust issues. Mal and Alex break down what went wrong—and what it means for secondhand retail. 

• JB Hi-Fi Joins the Retail Media Boom

  JB Hi-Fi has launched its own omnichannel retail media network in partnership with Retail Media Works. Why this is a smart move—and a worrying sign for indie retail. 

• Facial Recognition at Bunnings Gets the Green Light

  In a landmark decision, a tribunal has ruled that Bunnings can use facial recognition tech in stores—if customers are notified. A slippery slope for retail privacy, or necessary for security? 

It’s chaos out there – but in the best possible way. This week, Mal Chia is recording live from Sydney and joined by Alex Ross for a fast-paced round-up of stories shaking up ecommerce, tech, and retail. From viral toys in China to the TikTok/Meta power struggle, this episode covers the cultural trends, algorithm shifts, and economic forces every ecommerce brand should be watching.

They unpack a factory error turned viral sensation (the crying horse plushie), why Facebook Marketplace is teaming up with Netflix, and what TikTok’s ownership shake-up could mean for creators and ecommerce sellers alike. They also break down inflation woes, the quiet rise of Threads, and whether Harris Farm is making a risky move by partnering with Amazon.

In this episode:

• The crying horse toy going viral in China – a happy accident with big brand lessons

• Bridgerton x Facebook Marketplace – clever collab or cultural cash-in?

• TikTok’s US split: censorship accusations, user decline, and Meta’s moment to shine

• Inflation bites: what rising rates mean for discretionary spend and discounting

• Why ecommerce brands need to stop relying on breakneck Black Friday sales

• Reporting season reveals some surprising wins for big-name Aussie brands

• Harris Farm partners with Amazon – genius move or future regret?

This ep is packed with cheeky banter, hard truths, and actionable insights for any retailer looking to navigate 2026 with smarts (and sanity) intact.

Trust is taking a beating in Ecommerce — and this week, Mal and Alex unpack exactly why. From AI-powered shopping ads and supermarket pricing games, to brands relaunching without soul and others doubling down on transparency, this episode explores how easily trust is lost… and how hard it is to win back. There’s plenty for retailers to think about as 2026 trends start creeping into today’s decisions.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🛒 AI shopping ads are coming

  Why OpenAI-style shopping ads feel inevitable — and whether “best result” will soon mean “highest bidder”.

• 🇦🇺 The Buy Australian Made push

  A big government budget, but can it really change behaviour without fixing price and quality fundamentals?

• 👖 Jeans West’s AI-led comeback

  When heritage brands relaunch with soulless, uncanny creative — and why it instantly damages trust.

• 🦺 Trademutt’s high-vis swap campaign

  A masterclass in human, sustainable, trust-building retail done right.

• 🫑 The Capsicum Paradox

  How supermarkets pricing produce per item online (instead of per kilo) creates opacity — and why the ACCC may start paying attention.

• 💰 Smarter ways to show value

  From cost-per-serve to cost-per-wear, and why helping customers do the mental maths matters.

• 🧵 Levi’s teaching Gen Z to repair clothes

  Selling less as a confidence play — and why longevity is becoming a status symbol.

• 🧠 The complexity tax

  Why many brands don’t need more channels, tools or hires — they need better fundamentals.

If you’re building, scaling, or fixing an Ecommerce brand in 2026, this episode is a timely reminder: trust isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the business model.

This week, Mal and Alex are back with a scorching episode of This Week in Ecommerce, breaking down the biggest stories shaping retail in Australia and abroad. From Woolworths jumping headfirst into AI to the fading glow of The Oodie, the duo tackle retail shakeups, brand resurrections, and what happens when luxury loses its sparkle.

Here’s what’s in store:

• 🏆 Inside Retail Awards 2026: A refreshing mix of finalists with nods to Ergo Pouch, Nobby, and the ever-dominant Appliances Online. We celebrate the standouts (and hint at the PR machines behind them).

• 👖 Sass and Bide: Fashion Fade or Phoenix Rising? Maya hits pause on the heritage label, but will it rise again—or is it time to retire the skinny jeans?

• 🎮 EB Games Exits NZ: 38 stores shut down in a flash. We unpack the decline of physical media and why collectibles couldn’t save the day.

• 🩲 Bonds & Co. Up for Sale: Hanes might be offloading Aussie staples like Sheridan and Burley. Is it smart restructuring or the start of a fire sale?

• 💸 Saks Files Chapter 11: The US luxury retailer’s fall from grace—and what it means for premium department stores down under.

• 🛋️ The Oodie Gets Too Comfy? Adelaide’s fluffy export is reportedly slipping into the red. But is the press blowing hot air or is the novelty finally wearing off?

• 🧠 Woolworths x Google AI: From interpreting handwritten recipes to filling your cart—Mal and Alex debate if it’s a smart move or a sneaky upsell trap.

The Trust Reckoning: Platforms, Partnerships & the Cost of Playing It Safe

2026 has barely started and ecommerce is already flashing warning signs.

In the first episode of the year, Mal Chia and Alex Ross unpack a week of stories that perfectly capture the state of modern retail: trust under strain, platforms asserting power, partners disappearing overnight, and brands being forced to confront the true cost of growth-at-all-costs thinking.

What’s becoming clear is that many of the “easy wins” that fuelled the last decade of ecommerce are being rolled back. Free returns are being restricted. Advertising costs keep climbing. Scam stores are multiplying. And the risk of relying too heavily on any single platform, partner, or tactic is now painfully real.

This episode connects the dots between short-term decisions and long-term consequences — and why focus, authenticity, and discipline are emerging as the real competitive advantages in 2026.

⚡ Topics Covered

• Mecca selling expired makeup

  A rare operational slip from Mecca shows how quickly trust can be tested in a social-first outrage cycle.

• Bondi tragedy profiteering & fake ecommerce stores

  Scam retailers exploiting a national tragedy highlight the growing erosion of consumer trust online.

• ASOS introduces return visibility and caps free returns

  ASOS signals the end of free returns as a growth hack and a return to margin discipline.

• Wrangler, Lee & Riders pause Australian operations

  The quiet exit of mid-market denim brands reinforces how dangerous “middle-of-the-road” positioning has become.

• Meta locks 330,000 under-16 accounts

  Meta begins enforcing youth restrictions, adding volatility for advertisers reliant on scale.

• Sendle shuts down after PE fund freeze

  The sudden collapse of Sendle exposes the hidden platform and partner risk retailers often ignore.

• Rhode launches in Australia via Mecca

  Rhode shows how authenticity and pent-up demand can outperform rushed expansion.

• Focus vs discount dependency

  Brands like Costco and Levi Strauss & Co. prove that clarity beats constant discounting.

This wasn’t a normal year in retail. It was a stress test.

In this solo episode, Mal breaks down the five forces that quietly reshaped retail and ecommerce this year — and why so many brands struggled at the same time.

This isn’t a recap of headlines. It’s a post-mortem of business models that only worked when conditions were perfect.

Starting with the most visible consumer shifts and counting down to the most structural force underneath it all, Mal unpacks why weak retail models stopped being subsidised — and what actually separated the brands that survived from the ones that didn’t.

🔢 What’s covered in this episode:

#5 — Cheap China Reset Consumer Value

How platforms like Shein and Temu didn’t just steal share — they rewired how consumers think about price, value, and waiting.

#4 — AI Broke Trust Before It Created Advantage

The rise of scam stores, fake creatives, and chargebacks — and why AI punished brands without taste, judgment, or governance.

#3 — Retail Darwinism: Mosaic vs Labubu

Two very different failures, same lesson.

• Mosaic Brands: legacy retail collapsing under debt, malls, and irrelevance

• Labubu via Pop Mart: hype, virality, and scarcity with no durability

#2 — The Death of the DTC Fairytale

Why brands rushed into stores, marketplaces, and wholesale — not for growth, but for survival.

#1 — US Tariffs: The Real Story Beneath Everything

The invisible structural force that exposed fragile economics, crushed mid-market margins, and made everything feel harder at once.

Black Friday has officially become Australia’s retail Super Bowl — but is that actually a good thing? In Episode 118, Mal and Alex unpack Australia Post’s biggest day ever ($1.5 billion in a single hit), why activewear keeps winning the sales race, and what it means when demand gets squeezed into just a few frantic days a year. From supermarkets racing for last-mile convenience to Lululemon’s very public identity wobble, this episode is a sharp end-of-year reality check for Ecommerce brands heading into 2026. 

In this episode, we cover:

• Australia Post’s busiest day ever and what $1.5B in Black Friday spend signals for the market

• Why demand is concentrating into fewer days — and why that’s risky for cash flow

• Activewear’s continued rise (and why promotions are doing the heavy lifting)

• Woolworths, Coles and the battle for instant delivery via DoorDash and Uber Eats

• How convenience shopping is quietly reshaping consumer behaviour (and budgets)

• Lululemon’s CEO exit, founder criticism and the fight to stay culturally relevant

• Why “playing it safe” can slowly kill a once-iconic brand

• Australian fashion retailers slashing inventory by up to 60% — smart reset or overcorrection?

• Practical advice on stock forecasting, supplier negotiation and protecting cash flow

• Why 2026 could be a healthier year — if brands don’t forget how to take risks

Key takeaway:

Growth isn’t just about selling more during peak — it’s about staying relevant, managing cash wisely, and giving customers a reason to come back the other 360 days of the year.

This week, Mal and Alex break down the biggest stories shaping Australian ecommerce and retail. From AI slip-ups to collapsing kids’ brands, booming APAC Black Friday numbers, and a world-first social media ban, this episode covers the signals founders need to be watching as we head into 2026.

• Bunnings AI Illegal Advice — Their chatbot gave unsafe electrical guidance, highlighting the risks of AI deployments without proper guardrails.

• Step One Sales Slump — The underwear brand forecasts a 31–37% drop as overexpansion and category fatigue collide with cost-of-living pressure.

• Go-To Winds Down Gro-To — Zoë Foster Blake quietly closes the kids’ line to refocus resources and protect the core brand.

• Smiggle Struggles — Premier Retail flags weak sales as parents trade down on non-essential kids’ stationery.

• Loyalty Shift to Recognition — Points are losing power; emotional recognition, identity and belonging now drive true loyalty.

• BFCM 2025 Data — APAC sales surge, POS grows 54%, and Australia ranks #3 globally as Black Friday becomes an omnichannel event.

• Under-16 Social Media Ban — Age verification wipes out teen audiences on major platforms, reshaping youth marketing and influencer ecosystems.

Black Friday may be done and dusted, but the retail news machine definitely isn’t. This week, Mal and Alex unpack everything from the world’s first streetwear IPO to the grim reality of Aussies spending nearly half their income just keeping a roof over their heads. Add in fashion inflation, a Shein copying scandal, and the FDA doing something very questionable with cosmetic safety… and you’ve got yourself a spicy episode of This Week in Ecommerce.

• Human Made becomes the first streetwear brand to IPO — and investors go wild with a 12% opening-day surge. Can streetwear stay cool when shareholder value enters the chat?

• Surfstitch is relaunching with a focus on Aussie brands, but can they rebuild trust after years of brand damage and discount-driven decline?

• Fashion inflation hits 5.4% YoY, higher than total inflation. With costs rising across labour, materials and operations, retailers are facing the double-edged sword of higher prices and lower demand.

• Housing affordability crisis: Aussies are now spending a staggering 45% of household income on accommodation — and a terrifying 68% in Sydney. Mal and Alex break down what this means for discretionary spend, the rise of thrift and circular fashion, and how brands can adapt their assortment and value proposition.

• Shein accused of copying Last June within weeks: A new designer launches, and Shein allegedly pounces almost immediately. The duo unpack what this means for creativity, cultural value, IP protection, and why consumers need to care about originality.

• FDA withdraws mandatory asbestos testing for talc-based cosmetics: Yes, really. Mal and Alex explore the implications for global supply chains, safety standards, consumer trust, and why brands should expect increased scrutiny — even in markets like Australia.

This week, Mal and Alex wade into a very marketplace-heavy news cycle — from Princess Polly jumping into physical retail, to the quiet death of flash-sale platforms, to the Iconic proving you don’t need to spend more to grow more. Then we get into the big stuff: Kogan’s New Zealand headaches, Myer’s surprisingly strong marketplace success, and why Australia’s supermarket shelves are suffering from a chronic case of “innovation avoidance”. It’s packed, it’s punchy, and it’s peak 2025 retail chaos. 

Quickies

• Princess Polly goes IRL at Westfield Bondi Junction with flashy mirrors, LED screens, and 50 new weekly styles — continuing the shift from pure-play to omnichannel. 

• OzSale to shut down in 2026, signalling the slow death of flash-sale marketplaces and the brutal economics of discount-led models. 

• The Iconic rejigs its marketing budget, growing NMV 5.8% through smarter spend, AI, and better channel discipline — not bigger budgets. 

Deep Dives

• Kogan’s NZ marketplace (Mighty Ape) drags profitability, highlighting the risks of cross-border marketplace ownership, low margins, and crowded competition. 

• Myer Marketplace surges +41%, with strong online sales, high brand trust, and a major Mirakl partnership to onboard thousands more sellers by 2026. Retail media revenue incoming. 

• Why Australia’s CPG innovation sucks — supermarket duopoly, high costs, low risk tolerance, shrinking investment, and a culture of “incrementalism over invention”. Plus the consumer role in pushing innovation forward. 

Other Bits You’ll Hear About

• Black Friday chaos (or lack thereof) and early read-outs on trading performance.

• Whether Aussie shoppers are more loyal to price than brand.

• The slow decline of in-store sampling — and how that affects new product discovery.

• Why D2C CPG brands struggle with shipping, AOV, and margins.