Beyond the Basket - 21/08/25

Thursday 21st August | Join Free

Hello, this is your Beyond the Basket daily brief.

In today’s beyond the basket:
🎯 Target Names Michael Fiddelke as Next CEO
🎄 Retailers Split on Holiday Outlook as Shoppers Pull Back
👗 Temu Cracks France’s Top 15 Fashion Sellers
🛠️ eBay Expands AI Tools to Support Sellers

+plus four long reads with deeper analysis, and two tools to help you manage customer feedback and tap into a sales channel you may not have considered.

TL;DR: Target COO Michael Fiddelke will succeed Brian Cornell as CEO on Feb. 1, 2026, as the retailer faces declining sales and works to accelerate a turnaround.

Why It Matters: Target has seen year-over-year sales declines for three consecutive quarters and net sales have been down since 2022. Fiddelke, who began as a Target intern in 2003 and rose through finance, operations, and supply chain leadership, has been tasked with reestablishing merchandising authority, elevating the customer experience, and using technology for speed and efficiency. His leadership of the Enterprise Acceleration Office highlights a focus on breaking down silos, upgrading legacy systems, and deploying AI to sharpen operations. For U.S. mass merchants, the move signals how succession planning and operational focus are becoming central to navigating margin pressure, tariffs, and shifting consumer demand.

Your Move: Watch how Target deploys AI and process automation to regain speed, these are transferable playbooks for mid-sized retailers. Consider mapping your own “enterprise acceleration” plan: where outdated tech, silos, or slow decisions are costing you growth.

TL;DR: Major U.S. retailers are split on holiday forecasts as tariffs, inflation, and weak consumer sentiment slow spending, raising concerns the slump could stretch through peak season.

Why It Matters: Consumer discretionary stocks are up just 1% in 2025 vs. the S&P 500’s 8%, showing how uneven the sector has become. Retail executives are taking cautious stances: Target is planning conservatively, Home Depot maintained forecasts despite weak results, and Lowe’s expects ongoing challenges from high mortgage rates. Even restaurants like Wendy’s and Sweetgreen report declining sales as shoppers cut back, with McDonald’s noting double-digit declines in low-income visits. For ecommerce, this signals a holiday season where consumers will be price-sensitive, selective, and willing to trade down, but still responsive to value, convenience, and promotions.

Your Move: Tighten your holiday demand planning, assume fewer splurge purchases and more budget-conscious behavior. Double down on value messaging, flexible promotions, and omnichannel convenience (pickup, returns, delivery, endless aisle) to win cautious shoppers.

TL;DR: Temu jumped from 24th to 15th place in France’s online fashion market by unit sales, putting it in direct competition with Amazon, Shein, and leading French retailers.

Why It Matters: Temu, Shein, and Amazon now control 23% of France’s online fashion market by value, reshaping consumer behavior toward price-driven, trend-focused shopping. Temu’s surge is fueled by ultra-low pricing, localized logistics, and aggressive influencer marketing, a mix proving effective against both traditional French retailers and pan-European players like Zalando. Meanwhile, France’s regulators are tightening oversight of low-value imports and marketplace compliance, meaning Temu’s growth comes with rising scrutiny. The bigger signal: shoppers are increasingly trading brand loyalty for value and speed, a trend that could accelerate as inflation keeps wallets tight.

Your Move: Audit your pricing, promotions, and logistics strategies against ultra-discount rivals. If you can’t compete on price, lean into brand storytelling, sustainability, or recommerce, areas where consumer demand in France (and Europe at large) is growing fastest.

TL;DR: eBay launched a new suite of AI-powered tools, including automated buyer messaging, cost tracking, inventory mapping, and auto-feedback, to help sellers streamline operations and pricing decisions.

Why It Matters: The updates mark another step in eBay’s push to modernize its marketplace with AI. Sellers in the U.S. and U.K. can now use AI to respond to buyer messages, track merchandise costs, and aggregate negotiations in one spot through Offers in Messaging. U.S. sellers will also gain automated positive feedback (rolling out September) and delivery protection against refund disputes (October). These tools come as eBay reported 6% revenue and GMV growth in Q2, signaling that improved seller experiences are central to its turnaround. Competitors are also doubling down, Poshmark, Walmart, and Etsy have recently integrated AI into listings and search, showing how quickly AI-powered marketplaces are evolving.

Your Move: If you sell on eBay, test these tools early to reduce admin time and sharpen pricing, but also recognize the bar is rising. As AI-powered features like instant messaging and automated feedback roll out, shoppers will grow to expect faster responses and smoother service across all platforms. Audit your own customer communication and fulfillment speed now, before lagging behind becomes a liability.

Syncly (Free Trial) - an AI-native customer intelligence suite that unifies feedback from reviews, social, and support into one view. It uses AI tagging and natural language queries to surface actionable insights, plus tools for video social listening, influencer discovery, and competitor benchmarking.

Zealock (Free Trial) - Helps sellers unlock new customers directly on WhatsApp, no ads or contact lists required. Its smart bot lets shoppers discover, chat, and buy seamlessly within the app, with flexible plans for businesses at any stage.

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