New York Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is usually the one making the interceptions, but now he’s co-founding a startup that provides relief for consumers whose packages have been intercepted—by porch pirates.

While per-package insurance is common from USPS and other carriers, and paid for either automatically by retailers or electively by shoppers at checkout, PorchPals takes a novel approach.

• Consumers pay $15 monthly (or $120 annually) to cover packages shipped by any retailer using any major shipper.
• PorchPals covers up to three claims annually and/or a collective value of up to $2,000 annually.
• Policies became available in California on November 28, with plans to expand nationally in early 2023.

James Moore, who co-founded PorchPals, is the president and managing partner of KME Ventures, a digital strategy, experiential marketing and venture capital firm where Jackson also serves as a managing partner. Moore told us that when he and Jackson hatched the idea for PorchPals about three years ago, it started not with insurance, but with another solution to package theft. The pals would have been a network of what Moore called “neighborhood ambassadors” who’d be “responsible for picking up your packages off of your porch or receiving deliveries on your behalf.”

But Moore said that approach hit snags, among them some state and local requirements that require home businesses to be licensed, and the potential security and safety issues if thieves noticed that kindly retirees or stay-at-home parents tended to have dozens of valuable packages in their vestibules.

“So it was quickly pivoted to, ‘This needs to be an insurance product,’” Moore said.

Keep reading here.—AAN

As we approach the end of the final quarter of the year, we decided to check in on the stories you’ve been reading most (okay, we hope you’re reading them and not just looking at the pictures). Here’s a quick look at the most popular (i.e. the most clicked-upon) Retail Brew stories of the past three months:

Behind the curtain of NYC department stores’ holiday window displays

“If you’re in the window-display business in New York, you’re in the holiday business,” Bergdorf Goodman’s David Hoey told us.

Adore Me’s push to become eco-friendly isn’t landing with shoppers, but they’re doing it anyway

Lingerie shoppers might not be demanding sustainability, but Adore Me says it’s planning for the future.

Why Van Leeuwen was slapped with more fines for not accepting cash than all other NYC violators combined

The ice cream maker finally agrees to accept cash, but won’t say why it didn’t support unbanked customers for years.

We went for a ride-along with a DHL driver to see what he thinks of their electric-vehicle fleet

Tightly packed cities are ideal for last-mile EV vehicles. In New York, DHL is all-in.

Here’s where experts say the next warehouse hotspots will be

Long Beach, California and Newark, New Jersey aren’t likely to relinquish their status as warehouse royalty, but companies are being forced to expand their footprint further inland.

Returning the favor: Be sure to catch up on this three-part series on how retailers craft their return policies, how returns are executed, and their effects beyond the bottom line.

“Disney+’s much-anticipated ad-supported tier officially rolled out Thursday, bringing more premium video inventory to the marketplace in the crucial fourth quarter. The tier, which starts at $7.99 a month, already has more than 100 brands across all major categories advertising on the service,” writes Marketing Brew’s Kelsey Sutton.

Brands that Marketing Brew spotted on the ad-supported tier, called Disney+ Basic, included…food brands Panera, Starbucks, and Eggland’s Best, and others like Macy’s, SleepNumber, DoorDash, The General, and an asthma medication.

Read the whole story here on Marketing Brew.

Today’s top retail reads.

All together now: Fast fashion giant Shein is reportedly exploring the world of marketplaces. The strategy shift would allow other brands to sell directly to consumers, which Shein says should increase customer engagement and satisfaction. This comes as the brand faces questions about its reliance on Chinese suppliers. (the Wall Street Journal)

The art of the deal: Retailers, feeling the sting of flattening online sales and tougher privacy controls around advertising, may need to revamp their online experience. (Financial Times)

Home is where the shoppers are: Los Angeles’s status as the next hotspot for DTC brands is well-placed. From Melrose to Abbot Kinney, the retail opportunities are endless, and the consumers are set on discovery. (Retail Dive)

Convenience in hand: Gift yourself the power to seamlessly and securely accept in-person payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone. No additional hardware is required. Get started with Adyen here.*

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TikTok has become the platform for new shopping trends. Nearly three-quarters of TikTok shoppers make a purchase when they stumble across something in the feed. Get our download now to learn more.

What happened in the world of retail this week in…1827 and beyond? Retail Brew takes you way, way, way back.

• On December 13, 1827, John and Peter Delmonico opened a café and pastry shop in New York City called Delmonico & Brother. They went on to open what is often called the city’s first restaurant.
• On December 14, 1931, Rolls-Royce reportedly acquired rival automaker Bentley, which had taken a financial beating from the Great Depression and was set to be liquidated.
• On December 15, 1903, New York street vendor Italo Marchiony was awarded a patent for a “molding apparatus” for ice cream cones.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• Returns not only pose financial costs but also environmental ones
• Adidas’s latest fashion foray is purely digital
• Package Deal: How the Absolut bottle became an icon