The founding of new shoppable TV platform Shopsense AI was inspired by a desire many can relate to: wanting to dress like Carrie Bradshaw.

Co-founder Glenn Fishback was at a NYC deli with a friend when she mentioned she was watching the Sex and the City spin-off, And Just Like That, and had admired a jacket worn by Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bradshaw. But she couldn’t figure out where to buy it.

And, uh, just like that, Shopsense AI—a retail media platform functioning as a “Shazam” for merchandise on TV, as Fishback told Retail Brew—was founded. The platform partners with broadcasters to offer a “leanback experience” letting consumers shop everything from fashion to home decor featured on TV programs using their mobile devices, Fishback said. In April, the company debuted its partnership with Paramount, with the company powering shopping experiences used during the CMT Music Awards and daytime talk show The Talk.

Fishback is co-founder of Toplooks AI, a platform creating shoppable content for brands and retailers acquired by buy now pay later platform Klarna in 2021, while co-founder Bryan Quinn spent over a decade at Amazon Publisher Services. Together, they’re combining their knowledge of retail media and broadcast advertising to help broadcasters monetize their content by making it shoppable.

Keep reading here.—EC

Is it okay to ask your co-worker how much they make? Is Gen Z set up for failure in the workplace? Should you really bring your whole self to work?

Each week on Per My Last Email, Morning Brew’s resident career experts, Kaila and Kyle—whose careers have collectively spanned the corporate, government, nonprofit, and startup sectors—debate the trickiest challenges in work life and share insightful (and sometimes hilarious) tactics on how to overcome them. Listen now.

There are at least 100 toy shopping carts on Amazon, including from popular brands like Little Tykes and Melissa & Doug, reflecting a long-held belief among many parents that pretend shopping is a valuable form of play. It's all fun and games until an 8-year-old on Dad's iPhone puts a toy shopping cart in Amazon's virtual shopping cart.

A new “Kid Commerce” report shared exclusively with Retail Brew from WebPurify, a content moderation service, asked parents how much time their kids spend on e-commerce sites—either just browsing or actually purchasing—and the results might surprise (and baffle) you:

• Children 8 years old and younger spend an average of 2.48 hours a week shopping online, more than children aged 9 to 12 (2.16 hours) or 13–18 (2.27 hours).
• 16% of parents think their children are addicted to online shopping.

Keep reading here.—AAN

This Saturday is a special day for nerds and retailers alike. If the phrase “May the Fourth be with you” has any meaning, you already know. But for the rest of us, May 4 is Star Wars Day, which means a number of brands such as Lego and Disney are running sales events. Last year, major retailers like Target and Walmart offered discounts of up to 20% on Star Wars-themed merchandise.

Here’s what else is going on in retail:

In earnings: So far, just a trickle of retailers have reported their quarterly results this earnings season, but on Tuesday that trickle will become a downpour, with giants such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Molson Coors reporting; and the companies following them up on Wednesday are no lightweights either, including CVS, eBay, DoorDash, and Kraft Heinz.

Keep reading here.—AV

Prepare to debunk. Tune in to Myth Busters: The Reality of Personalization webinar to bust common misconceptions about personalization in marketing. Hear from pros like GNC’s Jenna O’Connor, Gigantic Design Co.’s Sean Murphy, and Buxton’s Lisa Albert about how personalization can scale with your strategy, no matter your industry. Watch on demand.