September 2025 – 2PM
1 post published by Web Smith during September 2025| 2PM
A useful ranking doesn’t just declare winners; it explains why momentum shifted. This week’s SignalStack shows a summer market that’s still moving, but moving more cautiously. With rare exception, …| 2PM
I did something slightly different this year: I opted out of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It was an experiment to see if I could withstand the many advertising and consumer forces that I always l…| 2PM
Temu ran six Super Bowl ads – the most expensive real estate in American marketing history –within a one four-hour broadcast. The ads, totaling approximately three minutes of air time, cost an esti…| 2PM
As covered in the first in this series by Newsweek, the size and scope of China’s largest eCommerce exports are astounding. Shein is currently valued at $66 billion. Temu, whose parent compan…| 2PM
Silicon Valley has its place and so does the Ohio Valley. Defense manufacturing has quietly become one of the most compelling investments in venture capital. Once dominated by legacy contractors, t…| 2PM
American retail has always sold more than sweaters and sport coats. It sells membership, sometimes subtle, sometimes brazen. It sells a promise that the world outside the store window can be frozen in a golden hour, if you just swipe your card and dress the part. This member brief is designed exclusively for Executive Members,… Continue reading →| 2PM
There was a time when a migration felt like a well-paid indulgence — a big check to a development partner, six to nine months of JIRA tickets, and a board slide that read “future-proofed.” For most brands, that future turned out shorter than promised. Today, re-platforming is no longer just about fresh code or a… Continue reading →| 2PM
Editor’s Note: I’d previously and organically spoken positively about his logistics operation, going so far as to say: “Larimar Logistics offers a feasible alternative to companie…| 2PM
The “Arsenal Effect” refers to the cascading influence that remote warfare, defense-tech investment, and militarized infrastructure are having on America’s commercial ecosystem. It’s how technologies developed for the battlefield are infiltrating civilian sectors—from retail and logistics to talent acquisition and regional economics. What was once siloed under national defense is now bleeding into the civilian… Continue reading →| 2PM
When Donald Trump returned to the presidency, the early months brought immediate volatility, rapid policy swings, and significant disruption—particularly within retail and eCommerce. To understand …| 2PM
It’s been a while since I have had the ability to publish on 2PM and there’s no better way to return by examining how presidential influence may reshape retail and eCommerce. After near…| 2PM
What’s the big deal with TikTok anyway? More than I can say here. But this memo is a start to understanding the different forces at play, only few that have been covered here. The curr…| 2PM
The Section 321 loophole is done for. Or is it? Section 321 is a provision under U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations that allows certain goods to enter the United States without in…| 2PM
Think symbiosis. Lending and brand equity go hand in hand. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers and the retailers that they serve are key to each other’s operations; they are mutually beneficial, th…| 2PM
Once an emblem of athletic triumph and elite performance, the Nike Swoosh faces an identity crisis in today’s market. One that it’s working hard to address. Its ubiquity, from casual st…| 2PM
Bundle and unbundle, bundle and unbundle, bundle and unbundle – but then generate profits on both. These weren’t his exact words but that was the message. In one sentence, my fat…| 2PM
