Paper Clips

Halloween falling on a Saturday this year is expected to provide a major boost in consumer spending. That’s according to new data from GhostCom Analytics’ SurgeCast, which revealed that the 100-plus largest Halloween festivals, big parades and attractions will drive at least $1.2 billion in incremental spending for restaurants, bars, hotels and travel.  The National Retail Federation's Halloween report found that Americans are expected to spend $13.5 billion on the holiday this year, including $4.4 billion on costumes, $4.3 billion on decorations and $4.1 billion on candy. GhostCom Analytics’ forecast covers the additional spend (local restaurants, bars, hotels and travel) not covered in that survey.

The seasonal hiring rush is in full swing as retail companies shore up for their busy period. According to the National Retail Federation’s latest forecast, holiday retail sales this year are expected to surpass $1 trillion for the first time ever.  UPS says it’s hiring 100,000 workers over the next few months to meet peak shipping demand. And Amazon plans to hire 300,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time workers in the U.S. over the holiday season. That figure is up 20% from the same period last year, indicating a jump in demand for logistics and fulfillment across its network.  Savannah Wei Shi, professor of marketing at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, said the main takeaway this season isn’t the top-line seasonal headcount totals. Instead, it’s about how selectively retailers are allocating labor across their channels.  According to Indeed Hiring Lab, seasonal warehouse roles account for 9% of seasonal retail postings, a jump from 3.5% in 2019. That means e-commerce players like Amazon are ramping up recruitment specifically for back-end fulfillment, warehousing and logistics, said Shi.

In an increasingly unpredictable market, paper availability and fluctuating raw material and transportation costs present major hurdles for commercial printers, publishers, and corporate print operations. Join us for an insightful session where a panel of print service providers and a paper merchant will discuss their challenges, how to navigate them, and expectations for 2027, from both the customer and supplier perspectives. Midland's Michael Ratcliff, President, Midland Specialty Paper and Films joins the webinar for this discussion on November 12. Sign up here: Dealing With Paper Sourcing and Price Volatility Challenges

Matt Jensen, Midland-Postal Affairs Manager reports: It’s official. There will not be a market-dominant rate increase in January 2027. Market-dominant rates include first-class, periodicals, marketing mail, and package services. Our direct mail and catalog customers typically fall under the marketing mail letters or flats categories. Our magazine customers mostly fall under periodicals, with some under marketing mail. The next rate increase will be in July 2027. We’ll know more specifics three months prior in April 2027. The USPS is required to file with the Postal Regulatory Commission at least 90 days before implementation. Right now, the July 2027 increase is forecasted at around 6% to 7%. 2027 Promotions The 2027 promotions calendar and guidebooks can be found at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions. Participating in base and add-on promotions next year gives mailers the opportunity to save up to 7% in postage.

Neiman Marcus is kicking off the holiday season with the launch of the 100th edition of its iconic Holiday Book, which includes the luxury retailer’s legendary — and extravagant — Fantasy Gifts collection. The Fantasy Gifts first appeared in 1959 and went to became a yearly tradition. This year’s collection is headlined by a “once-in-a-lifetime Star Wars Legacy“ experience that includes a journey behind the scenes at Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic (the visual effects company founded by George Lucas) in San Francisco, and an “Ahsoka” Season 2 lightsaber hilt prop. The experience, which costs $182,500, also includes a private consultation to design custom-assembled lightsabers, and tickets to an upcoming Star Wars world premiere and afterparty alongside its cast and creators.

The e-commerce giant is increasing U.S. holiday staffing by 20% compared to the past three seasons. Amazon’s increase in hiring is a standout in a season where retailers are bringing on fewer workers or staying quiet about their plans. The company hires seasonal employees all year long. But, starting on New Year’s Day, a benefit that has typically been given to regular, full-time employees will soon be available to those seasonal workers: healthcare coverage starting on their first day. “That means anyone who joins us in these qualifying seasonal roles now or in the future will have access to healthcare — whether they join us for the holidays or at another point in the year,” J. Ofori Agboka, vice president of people experience and technology, wrote in the announcement.

The U.S. Postal Service is showcasing how cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing direct mail and omnichannel strategy at the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Annual Conference in Orlando. Taking place from October 20-23, the premier ANA Masters of Marketing Conference brings together chief marketing officers and senior brand leaders. A primary focus of the USPS presentation is helping new and expanding mailers with strategies on how to integrate direct mail into their marketing mix and maximize their marketing investments. Through strategic offerings such as a 40% postage discount for qualified mailers, USPS is making direct mail more efficiently accessible, and higher-yielding than ever. “Artificial intelligence is removing historic bandwidth barriers, giving marketers the creative freedom and targeting accuracy to evaluate and scale tactics they previously lacked the capacity to pursue,” said Sheila Holman, Vice President of Marketing.

Retail construction activity slowed down in the third quarter as increased costs continued to put pressure on new development. New construction starts fell to their lowest quarterly total since at least 2016 in the third quarter. Developers broke ground on about 7.7 million square feet of retail space during the period. This was a notable decrease from 10.7 million square feet in the second quarter. Based on current conditions, with construction starts at their lowest level in at least a decade and financing costs moving higher, expect the pipeline is likely to shrink further before any meaningful recovery takes hold.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the September 2026 Printing-Writing Monthly report. According to the report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 9% in September compared to September 2025. U.S. purchases of total printing-writing papers increased 6% in August compared to the same month last year. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels decreased 6% when compared to August 2026. Across the 3 major printing-writing categories–uncoated free sheet (UFS), coated free sheet (CFS), and mechanical (MECH)–net exports decreased 14% in August compared to the same month last year. Individually, UFS decreased 17%, CFS increased 11% while MECH net exports decreased 20%.

Most consumers suspect retailers of using gimmicks and tricks with their Black Friday prices and deploy a mix of methods to keep them honest. More than eight-in-10 (85%) U.S. adult consumers surveyed by Omni Calculator suspect retailers of playing games with Black Friday prices. This includes 59% who believe retailers raise prices in the weeks before the sale, then cut them back to normal, 54% who think stores advertise a "was" price that the item never really sold at and 53% who suspect fake low-stock claims.

Presenting is one of the oldest skills we lean on at work. So when we set out to study how AI is changing how people present, I expected productivity gains. What I didn’t expect was this: AI has made it so much easier to create slides, but 74% of professionals still get nervous presenting. Our new study, The Presentation Paradox, surveyed 4,000 professionals across four continents on how AI presentation tools are changing the way we work. It found that even AI-made slides can only take you so far. Whether they land still comes down to you and how well you connect with the room. Nine in 10 of us (91%) use AI monthly to build slides, mainly for design (57%), brainstorming (56%) and drafting content (49%), and it’s giving us real time back, with 48% saving more than an hour on each one. We’re seeing the same momentum at Canva, with more than 100 million people creating presentations every month, and it’s one of the top uses for our ChatGPT and Claude integrations. As AI use grows, we’re still figuring out where it helps and where we need to bring our whole selves into our work. We found half (51%) are happy to start every presentation with an AI draft, but when it comes to delivering it, things get more nuanced: 71% trust AI to build slides, but not to present or tell the story, and 86% say great presentations still come down to human connection. AI’s next act: from slide builder to presentation coach

Brands are replacing plastic packaging to keep pace with new sustainability laws. As material changes to packaging become mandatory, producers must figure out how to do so while remaining on-brand. Luckily, newly published research from Quad reveals that sustainable packaging changes can not only increase successful recycling outcomes, but also positively shape consumers’ brand perception. “The study shows sustainable alternatives can be both compliant and a positive brand experience,” said Dr. Zhao, Associate Research Director at Quad’s AMI. “The research is particularly important as the rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws put packaging producers another step closer to a future where they bear greater responsibility for what happens to packaging at the end of its useful life. For brands navigating these laws, especially e-commerce brands whose packaging doubles as a first physical brand experience, being able to test new packaging before it goes into market is a huge competitive advantage.”

Direct mail is resurging, not as a nostalgic channel, but as a precision performance system. As digital competition intensifies, inbox engagement softens, and consumer fatigue rises, performance marketers need more than incremental optimization. They need better timing. Modern direct mail has evolved to operate as an always-on, behavior-triggered engine that's guided by identity and propensity data. Produced through high- speed variable digital printing, it's become a timely, measurable, and cost-efficient channel. For high-consideration purchase decisions—especially in regulated categories—this model delivers measurable ROI and strengthens omnichannel performance. The future of direct mail marketing isn't batch-and-blast. Its mailing the moment

A new global report from global media association FIPP and UPM Communication Papers shows that printed magazine advertising outperforms social media and influencer advertising in trust, relevance and happiness. The underlying study is the most extensive research into print advertising conducted in over five years. “This report is absolute gold dust for anyone who needs to make the case for print advertising. It brings together fresh evidence of the trust, attention and commercial impact that magazines deliver, giving publishers a stronger foundation for conversations with advertisers. Our goal is to help publishers move beyond defending print and start making a confident case for the value it brings to the media mix. Print has a powerful story to tell, and this report gives our industry the evidence to tell it,” said FIPP CEO Alastair Lewis. Print is the happiest medium The key findings show that magazine advertising is more trusted, feels more relevant and makes people happier than social media and influencer advertising.

Whole Foods Market unveiled their top food trends for 2027 in the retailer’s annual Trends predictions report. Whole Foods Market predicts 2027 will be the year of terroir (seeking a “taste of place” and product origin), Japanese comfort food, food as skincare, and a rise in bitter flavors. These and more are set to influence the food landscape showing up in restaurants, grocery aisles and home kitchens. Terroir refers to the soil, climate and geography that shape a product’s taste and character, and that idea is gaining ground far beyond the wine aisle. Growing interest in provenance and Protected Designations of Origin are drawing customers to the distinct flavors of regional honey, single-estate chocolate and named-source grains. The concept has even expanded into categories like seafood through the rise of “merroir,” which highlights how the ocean environment influences flavor. Whole Foods Market is increasingly emphasizing regional identity through offerings like single-estate extra-virgin olive oils.

Quad/Graphics, Inc. and The Harris Poll released “Return of Touch: The Human Advantage,” a new study examining how digital fatigue is prompting Americans to rebalance their digital lives—and how that shift is reshaping the way marketers can reach consumers. Building on the initial 2025 “Return of Touch” report, which found that 81% of Gen Z wish it was easier to disconnect from digital devices, the latest survey of more than 2,000 Americans details how Gen Z and other generations want more tactile, real-life experiences and human craft from the brands they encounter. This study was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Quad from July 23 to August 12, 2026, among 2,004 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The second of a multi-year study, this year’s wave includes 134 Gen Z (ages 18-29), 509 Millennials (ages 30-45), 562 Gen X (ages 46-61), and 738 Boomers (ages 62 and older).

Consumer expectations for inflation rose for the second straight month to the highest level since May, the University of Michigan said Friday. Trump administration tariffs pushed up consumer goods prices by 2.9 percentage points from early 2025 through February this year, Federal Reserve Bank of New York researchers said, noting that prices would have fallen without the import taxes.  After a year, consumer goods prices rise by about 0.25% for every percentage point increase in average tariffs, the researchers said, citing price gains among 67 groups of consumer goods included in calculations of the Consumer Price Index. A year elapsed before consumers felt the full impact from import taxes imposed early last year, the researchers said. “Tariffs pass through to import prices nearly completely in the first month,” they said.

The next wave of AI is moving beyond the screen and into the physical world, onto factory floors, into warehouses, and on roads. Physical AI is one of the fastest-growing frontiers in technology, and the companies building it need infrastructure that can keep up. Unlike traditional AI, which processes data and generates text on screens, physical AI enables machines to perceive, understand, and act in the real world. Where conventional machines follow fixed instructions and repeat the same task regardless of what's happening around them, physically intelligent machines sense their environment, reason using cloud-trained AI models, and adapt in real time. “Physical AI is going to touch every industry that moves, builds, or makes things, and our customers are moving fast to capture that opportunity,” said Uwem Ukpong, vice president, AWS Industries.

The extended peak season at the nation’s major container ports is finally wrapping up. Import volume at the ports is starting to slow down compared with persistent high numbers over the summer, according to the Global Port Tracker Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett added that core economic indicators are broadly flat or weakening slightly month over month recently. "Despite this, consumers appear to remain confident and cautious at the same time, with consumer confidence indexes sliding to multi-year lows while consumer spending continues to be robust in the face of increasing inflation," he said.

Retail sales edged up in September as consumers continued to spend following a solid back-to-school season. Core retail sales (excluding restaurants, auto dealers and gas stations) totaled $453.1 billion in September, up 0.27% month over month and up 3.73% year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation.

Success does strange things to a brand. People start paying attention, then they start lining up. The press calls. Collaborations appear. Your founder gets invited onto podcasts. Someone in business development discovers a total addressable market the size of Brazil. Then comes the question: What else can we sell them? It is one of the most seductive questions in business because, for a while, the answer appears to be, well, almost anything. For most of modern consumer history, companies built products and then spent enormous amounts of money trying to assemble an audience around them. Then, creators reversed that order. They built the audience first. From a business perspective, that’s catnip. Ten million followers. A built-in distribution channel. Intimate knowledge of the customer. Organic reach that would make a CMO weep. It’s the kind of cultural relevance most legacy brands spend millions trying to engineer.

Canadian outdoor apparel and equipment brand Arc’teryx Equipment has opened its newest outpost in the United States. The brand opened its newest store on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, Calif., on Oct. 3. The location marks Arc’teryx’s first-ever retail concept dedicated exclusively to climbing, and is the “next evolution” of its presence in Southern California, according to the company. Arc’teryx Abbot Kinney pairs a “curated, climb-focused” assortment with a climbing wall, a lounge, an outdoor patio, and a beta board, giving local climbers a place to gather, train, learn and connect, the company said. It is Arc'teryx's fourth location in Los Angeles and fifth in Southern California.

Amazon and Target are both providing interactive resources for holiday toy shoppers. The two retail giants are releasing kids’ catalogs focused on toys to receive as holiday presents – with print, digital and audio features. Now in its ninth year, the 2026 edition of the Amazon Holiday Kids Gift Book will be mailed in printed format to tens of millions of households, with more than 600 toys and gifts listed as well as an original illustrated story, family-friendly activities, and curated selections for different age groups, interests and budgets. Available on Target.com and in the Target app on mobile phones and tablets, the discount giant’s digital Holiday Kids Catalog features nearly 500 toys, games and gifts; as well as interactive content, toy demonstrations and video reviews from participants in its Club Target creator network.

Just when merchandising and inventory management seemed complicated enough, thanks to shifting tariffs and rising costs, along comes the strongest El Niño weather disruption on record. El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, a climate pattern where sea surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean rise near the equator, setting in motion weather anomalies across the globe. Its impact will be strongest in North America and during the fall and winter months. As a result, this year’s event, already dubbed Super El Niño in some quarters, is destined to upset seasonal merchandising plans — unless retailers prepare for it. “This is going to be a year that we’ve never experienced before, and anytime you’re in business, the goal is to reduce the amount of uncertainty to reduce the risk in your sales plans, and so we’re absolutely seeing that more than ever this year.”

MIDLAND has expanded its presence in the Nashville market with the addition of a new distribution center and the strengthening of its local sales force with several highly talented and experienced industry professionals. The Nashville distribution center significantly enhances MIDLAND’s ability to serve customers throughout the region, providing faster access to paper and packaging products and enabling the company to deliver an even higher level of service and support. The expanded sales team brings deep industry expertise and established customer relationships, further strengthening MIDLAND’s capabilities in the Nashville market and across the Southeast. “While MIDLAND has been serving customers in the Nashville market for years, these investments significantly enhance our presence and our ability to serve customers,” said Mike Graves, President and CEO of MIDLAND.

At the end of last year, David’s Bridal noticed something curious in the company’s data. Rush orders for alterations had doubled.  “This is somebody who’s waited because they are on GLP-1s or on a fitness journey, and now they’re scrambling trying to get their dress very, very quickly,” Kelly Cook, CEO of David’s Bridal, said in an interview.  After digging further, David’s Bridal realized the average dress size was coming down. It previously was between 12 to 14, but the average was quickly turning into 6 to 8 or 8 to 10.  Use of GLP-1s is forecast to rapidly expand in the coming years, increasing from $42.6 billion in 2024 to $137 billion by 2030, according to Coresight Research data. Furthermore, the percentage of U.S. adults who are currently taking a GLP-1 for weight loss is 11%, up from 3% only two years ago, according to September research by Gallup. “I don’t think in our lifetime we’re going to see many behavioral shifts like we are with GLP-1s,” Dean Neiger, co-founder and CEO of Maeva, a DTC metabolic wellness company, said in an interview. “When you look at the changes that GLP-1s are pushing through, it’s really unbelievable.”

The fast-growing, digital-first fashion retailer Revolve Group is looking to extend its fashion and cultural influence by launching an annual print and digital magazine. The inaugural issue of Revolve Magazine has three covers starring Kendall Jenner, Teyana Taylor and Alex Consani. It features original fashion and beauty stories, profiles of notable cultural voices and trend-focused editorial from Revolve’s buying and merchandising teams. Revolve Magazine, which dropped Sept. 29, is available in the company’s stores. It will also be distributed via eight pop-up vending machines around North America.

The measure to provide merchants a cash rounding framework and to formally phase out the penny now heads to the White House.The Common Cents Act, which gives merchants a legal framework for rounding to the nearest nickel amid a dearth of pennies, passed the Senate on Monday night and heads to President Donald Trump. The bipartisan bill — which also formally ends U.S. Mint production of the penny — represents a victory for merchants that had sought federal guidance on how to more efficiently handle cash transactions as pennies gradually fade from circulation. The measure doesn’t apply to electronic transactions.

Costco Wholesale Corp. and In-N-Out Burger are the retail and restaurant brands whose physical experiences resonate most strongly with customers. The membership warehouse club giant and burger chain took the top spots in brand strategy and retail design agency ChangeUp's second annual Experience Report, which ranks the top 100 retail and restaurant brands (separately) across eight “dimensions of experience.” These include memorability, return intent, substitutability, novelty, advocacy, unprompted visit desire, relevance and staleness.

Hoka’s newest campaign marks its latest attempt to corner the loyalty of running enthusiasts across New York City in the run-up to the city’s marathon in just over a month (Nov. 2). It’s a sign of how important the running community has become to major sports apparel brands, including Hoka and rivals such as Nike, New Balance, Brooks, Adidas and On as they compete to carve out and keep their share of the long-term running revival. While rivals like Nike have struggled in recent years, Hoka has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the running renaissance. Hoka’s global revenues hit $704 million in the first quarter of this year, an 8% rise. According to Stefano Caroti, CEO, president and director of Hoka’s parent firm Deckers Outdoor Group, the brand is expected to post growth in the “low double digits” across the remainder of the year.

U.S. paper and mailing industry groups are stepping up their opposition to a Securities and Exchange Commission proposal that would allow electronic delivery to become the default for many investor communications. The Protect Paper Choice Coalition (PPCC), which includes the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and the Envelope Manufacturers Association (EMA), says more than 100,000 comments opposing Regulation E-Delivery were filed before the September 21 deadline.

As Walmart rolls out out digital shelf labels chainwide, the retailer is making it clear it does not use customers’ personal information to help set prices. In a statement on the company’s website, Walmart Inc. president and CEO John Furner stated that using someone’s income, shopping history or “moment of need” to charge prices more would violate the “every day low prices” business model the company has built its business on. “We don't set different prices based on who you are or the time of day, and we won't,” he stated. “Your income, shopping history, urgency or what we think you could pay won't change the price.

Duer, a performance jeans brand based in Canada, is leaning into print amid an analog resurgence. The company is publishing a quarterly magazine called Interval that will tell its brand story through photo spreads, features, interviews and personal essays. The first issue drops in October and will be available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. The magazine will be stocked at Duer’s stores, mailed to loyalty members and distributed to select wholesale partners. To start, it will have a circulation of about 5,000. Duer, founded in 2013, aims to use the magazine to reach new and existing audiences and better explain its value proposition, said co-founder and CEO Gary Lenett. Lenett — who previously made jeans for Levi’s, Lee, Wrangler and Guess — launched Duer after biking to work meetings and finding a gap in the market for denim that performed like athletic wear while looking sophisticated enough for the office.

‘Tis already the season for holiday spending forecasts, a steady drip of predictions that help retailers stock shelves and marketers tweak seasonal messaging. Many tell the same story: Consumers will spend more, but that doesn’t mean their holiday budget is increasing. They plan to cut back in other areas. PwC, for example, reports that consumers plan to actually cut their gifting budget to $708, from $721 last year. And they will manage gifting budgets more carefully to protect holiday travel plans. Bain & Co. expects holiday spending to rise 4.5% year-over-year, with more than half of that coming from inflation. Mastercard expects a 5.5% year-over-year increase for the Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 period -- the strongest holiday growth since 2022, a peak inflation year. But about half of that growth will come from higher prices.

McDonald’s Corp. is launching a major initiative to make its restaurants more efficient and to be the “first choice” for more customers. As part of its “McDonald’s > NEXT” strategy, the restaurant giant said it plans to invest $8.5 billion in support to franchisees over the next decade on restaurant modernization, technology deployment and operational improvements through a combination of rent relief and capital support. The investment includes approximately $5 billion through 2030.

From gold cans in India and Spain to a new, global visual strategy, Coke ends its 2026 World Cup festivities another year, and millions of cans, wiser. Coca-Cola Company has had a busy year, from its global FIFA World Cup 2026 support to promotions during and since the event. These include its FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola, which includes 75 stops in 30 countries and a dizzying number of product and packaging promotions. Coke's latest packaging promo news its “Own a Piece of History” campaign, which began this month and features limited-edition gold-colored cans to celebrate the end of its Trophy Tour and Spain’s trophy win. The cans bear images of the tournament trophy and the date of Spain’s 2026 World Cup victory.

After months of sustained pressure from the Iran War, gasoline prices are starting to spike even higher ahead of the most critical sales period for many retailers.  The price of gas overall is up about 50% in the U.S. since the start of the conflict between the U.S., Iran and Israel on Feb. 28. But last week, some states started to see alarming price increases on top of that. In Wisconsin, for example, the average price for a gallon of gas jumped 61 cents in just eight days. In Nashville, gas prices surpassed $4 per gallon for the first time in three months.  Today, all the major carriers and even many of the regional carriers have some kind of fuel surcharge. In the past, it was fairly nominal. “When I started my career, [a fuel surcharge] was a few percentage [points],” Hertz said. “It was something that you didn’t even look at. So it’s historically been absorbed.” But fuel surcharges have now hit, if not record highs, close to near-record highs. For domestic packages, FedEx is now charging a fuel surcharge of 32.25%. Fuel surcharges are calculated weekly based on diesel and jet fuel prices.

It was 1976, and Johnny Cash was in trouble. Once the golden-voiced king of country music, the end of the ‘60s had not been kind to the former superstar. Changing tastes and sliding record sales had led to the cancellation of The Johnny Cash Show in 1971, and an ongoing struggle with drug addiction put a halt to any comeback. But from his valley of despair, the Man in Black was preparing to walk a path to salvation—and he was about to find a very surprising way to do it. The creation of Hello, I’m Johnny Cash, the autobiographical comic book that helped put Cash back on the cultural map, involved an unlikely cast of characters, including a longtime artist for Archie Comics, a personal preacher to President Gerald Ford, and an outlaw country singer preparing to take to the Gospel Road. Now, comics publisher Z2 is introducing a whole new generation to the long-forgotten book, 50 years after its initial publication

Trucking activity in the United States decreased 0.5% in August after falling 1.2% in July, according to the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. “The truck market has certainly flipped this year, but recent tonnage levels confirm this is due to reduced capacity, not robust demand,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Truck tonnage was down in four of the last five months. It is down 4.3% from the recent peak in March, and it has fallen from year-earlier levels in three of the last four months. Because of all the supply constraints, however, the market is generally better.”

Sam’s Club set out to answer a tough question: Could it offer members a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, one of the world’s most celebrated wine regions, for about $10*? It took 125 submissions and six days of blind tastings to find out.  The process was led by Elliott Schaum, a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers who leads a team of wine and spirits merchants at Sam’s Club. We talked with him about how a wine earns its spot on the shelf, how we listen to members about their preferences, and why he thinks this Napa Valley Cabernet is special.

According to the report, total printing‑writing paper shipments decreased 7% in August compared to August 2025. Total printing‑writing paper inventory levels increased 1% when compared to July 2026. Using the latest available trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau, total purchases of printing‑writing papers in July showed a small increase compared to the same month last year. Across the 3 major printing-writing categories–uncoated free sheet (UFS), coated free sheet (CFS), and mechanical (MECH)–net imports increased 26% in July compared to the same month last year. Individually, UFS increased 38%, CFS increased 51% while MECH net imports increased 13%.

Total packaging papers & specialty packaging shipments in August increased 4% compared to August 2025. They were up 5% when compared to the same 8 months of 2025 -Unbleached bag & sack shipments hit a new record at nearly 119,000 short tons in August. They were up 8.4% year-to-date. -The bleached packaging papers operating rate was 91.1%; it was above 90% for the third time this year. -Total August 2026 inventories were up 1% compared to last August and were at their highest level in the last 13 months.

The U.S. Postal Service announced the recommended mailing and shipping dates for the 2026 holiday season. For expected delivery before Dec. 25, the Postal Service advises customers to send mail and packages by the following dates: 2026 Holiday Shipping Dates for Contiguous U.S. (Lower 48 States) -USPS Ground Advantage service: Dec. 17 -First-Class Mail: Dec. 17 -Priority Mail: Dec. 18 -Priority Mail Express: Dec. 19

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) released its StatShot report covering July 2026, reflecting reported revenue for Trade (Consumer Books), Education (combines PreK-12 Instructional Materials and Higher Education Course Materials), and Professional & Scholarly Publishing. Total revenue across all categories for July 2026 was up 14.0%, coming in at $1.0 billion as compared to July 2025. Year-to-date, compared with 2025, revenues were up 5.4%, at $6.7 billion in 2026.

At the AWS Global Meeting, Matt Wood drew a parallel between AI today and cloud's early days—and brought a live demo to prove the future is already here. “What we are doing today at AWS for AI is exactly what we did for cloud computing, to make this technology broadly distributed and democratized for everybody,” Wood told the audience. Wood closed with a vision for where all of it is heading. "Our goal at AWS is to make it as easy, cheap, and fast to build these valuable economically viable AI systems as it is for anyone to build a website today," he said. "It's happening now, it's happening fast, and it's happening in all industries, but most importantly of all, it's happening here on AWS."

Just after agreeing to buy Joseph-Beth Booksellers last week, Barnes & Noble has acquired stationery and lifestyle brand Levenger, the company announced Friday. Levenger, which is known for its premium writing instruments and accessories, was founded in 1987 by Steve and Lori Leveen and has been privately held until now. The business will continue to operate from South Florida, with its existing employees remaining in place, Barnes & Noble said.

As specialty substrates continue to expand across every print technology, selecting the right material has become more challenging—and more important—than ever. At PRINTING United Expo 2026 this week (Booth N6343), Midland will showcase the tools, samples and expertise that help commercial printers make those decisions faster and with greater confidence. Highlights at Booth N6343 include: • Specialty media swatchbooks for HP Indigo, dry toner, offset and inkjet printing. • Print technology-specific application guides and product catalogs. • Hands-on samples of synthetic papers, films, pressure-sensitive materials, digital substrates and specialty papers. • Fusion Board, Midland’s paper-based alternative to traditional plastic board. • Expert guidance from Midland’s Specialty Paper & Film team to help printers match materials to specific presses, applications and performance requirements.

The superstar, who signed with Nike as a child, will help the Swiss sneaker brand do battle in a sport dominated by Nike and Adidas. On is beefing up its roster as it prepares to do battle in one of the toughest areas in athletic apparel, long dominated by Nike and Adidas. Still, entering the space makes sense for On, and “the signing of Mbappé [is] a great way to start,” according to BMO Capital Markets analysts Kelly Crago and Owen Tunstill. “Other smaller players like Skechers and New Balance have tried to break into the category with smaller, less splashy endorsements, but have yet to move the needle from a market share standpoint,”

Direct mail is one of the most powerful and trusted tools an advertiser can use to connect with the American public. But every year, thousands of marketing students graduate without ever learning how to use one of the most effective channels available to them. The irony is striking. Direct mail consistently delivers higher response rates than digital channels for many campaigns. Yet in most marketing programs, it barely appears in the curriculum. Students learn about social media analytics, email segmentation and conversion funnels — all valuable skills — but many graduate without understanding how to build an integrated campaign that combines physical mail with digital touchpoints. Direct Effect teaches students the fundamentals of direct mail, how to use it to influence consumer behaviors. Students learn about driving traffic to a retail location or a website as well as more complicated uses of mail in integrated marketing campaigns.

With additional games added to its roster, the first week of the new NFL season posted a 13% drop in overall average viewership per game to 19.5 million, according to Nielsen, versus a year ago. Still, that average was higher than the NFL’s overall regular-season average of a year ago, which came in at 18.7 million. NBC’s big “Sunday Night Football” game earned the best results for Week One, at 25.7 million. It featured two major NFL team brand names: The New York Giants winning over the Dallas Cowboys, 28-20.

Less than two weeks after Shein’s initial public offering in Hong Kong, the online marketplace that made its name in fashion opened the doors to a new warehouse in Lebanon, Indiana. Shein’s latest distribution warehouse in the U.S. measures 737,000 square feet, according to the company’s official announcement. The heavily automated facility marks an expansion of Shein’s presence in Indiana, where Shein now claims to occupy more than 2.5 million square feet in total. The warehouse will be responsible for creating “hundreds of new jobs” in the area, according to Shein. Its official count includes 1,300 employees already working in Indiana. As it begins operating, Shein expects that the location will support future growth while improving the company’s fulfillment capabilities.

The Port of Long Beach handled its busiest August on record, moving nearly 920,000 container units as shippers continued to adjust supply-chain strategies amid tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty. Long Beach processed 919,992 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, up 2% from the same month in 2025. The result also ranked as the fifth-busiest month in the port’s 115-year history. Imports increased 3.6% year over year to 456,100 TEUs, while exports rose 4% to 99,754 TEUs. Empty-container moves, an indicator of future import traffic, slipped 0.39% to 364,138 TEUs. “Our August numbers tell us that shippers continue to adapt to tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty and are confident in the Port of Long Beach’s ability to deliver,” port Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba said in a release.

The loyalty landscape is undergoing a shakeup, with Brand Keys' new annual ranking showing five trends redefining what people expect from their favorite brands. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple and ChatGPT are the five highest-performing on this year’s list, with Samsung, Coca-Cola, Netflix, TikTok and Walmart rounding out the top 10. “Consumers are showing a stronger affinity for AI-enabled platforms, digital ecosystems, subscription services, and membership models,” writes Robert Passikoff, founder and president of the brand research consultancy. “What’s notable is that the list isn’t simply dominated by ‘cool’ brands. It reflects high-frequency, high-dependency relationships and brands that play a central role in everyday life.”

Early October will see two major retailers get an early start to the holiday promotional season. Once again, Amazon is officially kicking off its holiday promotional season with a sales event called Prime Big Deal Days, and Target is competing with an overlapping edition of its “Target Circle Deal Days” early holiday blockbuster. For the fifth consecutive year, Amazon is offering a fall version of its Prime Day sales extravaganza. The online giant debuted Prime Big Deal Days, the fall version of its annual Prime Day 48-hour sales extravaganza, in October 2022. For the fourth consecutive year, Target is running a fall early holiday promotion that is competitively timed with Prime Big Deal Days. Previously a weeklong event called Target Circle Week, Target Circle Deal Days will run Oct. 6-7

On a warm afternoon in late July, a line of people snaked south down Broadway and curled west around the Prada store onto Prince Street. But shoppers weren’t there for luxury fashion. They were queued up to a small wooden stand near the corner of Mercer Street to get a free sample from cosmetics brand Milk, which was doing a pop-up activation in the neighborhood.  It’s a perfect snapshot of SoHo’s current landscape, where high-end brands such as Gucci and Chanel share a zip code with mass retailers including American Eagle and Target, and a makeshift wooden sidewalk shack can set up shop a block away from Apple and Louis Vuitton. “SoHo is a big destination,” said Marie Driscoll, CEO of retail consultancy Driscoll Advisors and professor at The New School. “It’s kind of like the mall of New York City, except it’s not enclosed.”

More than a third of consumers plan to start buying holiday gifts before the calendar turns to November. That’s according to a new survey from cryptocurrency payment app Oobit, which found that 34% of those surveyed have bought, or planned to buy, their first holiday gift before November. Nearly one-in-10 (9%) started holiday shopping this year before September.

Ecommerce sales in Q2 2026 grew more than 10% year over year for the first time since the same quarter in 2021, according to Digital Commerce 360 analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. That was also more than double the rate of total U.S. retail sales growth, which reached 5.3%. Q2 marked the fastest total retail sales growth since Q1 2023. The last time U.S. total retail sales grew at least 10% year over year was in Q4 2021.

Since its 2017 founding, 7 Brew has quickly established itself as a restaurant brand to watch, with a drive-thru model that serves up more than 20,000 possible drink combinations spanning coffee, energy drinks, smoothies and more. The chain, which is mostly franchised, has over 800 stands across 38 states, is on pace to surpass 1,000 units this year and is the fastest growing brand in the U.S., per a Yelp report. 7 Brew’s growth comes as competitor Dutch Bros notched an impressive 8.3% increase in same-store sales in Q2 2026. The drive-thru beverage chains are currently battling on several fronts.

When Callaway Golf recently faced criticism over a social media campaign created with golf brand Good Good Golf, much of the discussion centered on creative judgment and approval processes. Marketers asked a familiar question: How did this get approved? A more useful question is whether the brand had clear personality guardrails in place to identify potential issues before the campaign reached the market. The underlying strategy may have been sound, but that does not necessarily mean the execution reflected the character customers associate with the brand. In many cases, creative failures are not positioning failures. They are personality failures.

Gen Z and Millennials are starting to move away from their phones and social media in order to escape the notifications, algorithms, and endless feeds.  It’s called “digital detox,” and it’s a trend that has been growing. As reported by Axios, “Gen Z is buying old iPods again to escape the notifications, algorithms, and endless feeds that came with the smartphone era.” Why does it work? Classic iPods are single purpose. All you can do is listen to music—and escape all of the other digital clutter Indeed, searches for “digital detox” nearly tripled between 2020 and early 2026. “Analog life” and “digital detox” searches saw a 100% increase over just six months as of April 2026. The trend is mainstream enough that demand for digital detox retreats has seen a 47% yearly rise among those aged 18–26. It’s showing up in a renewed resurgence in print, too. We used to talk about the data almost in hopeful terms. Glean whatever positive data we can that supports the value of print and get it out there to remind ourselves that the industry is still a force to be reckoned with.

Johnsonville has jumped back into electoral politics, this time asking people to vote for something sensible: affordable protein for dinner. The humorous campaign targets viewer fatigue, as record spending on political ads threatens to drain the fun out of every last game, sitcom and streaming pleasure. This time, the company is throwing its hat in the ring for Dinner 2026. Backed by research it conducted with Harris Polls, Johnsonville has learned  Americans are already overwhelmed by both politics and meal planning. Sausage is running the dinner race on a core promise to simplify dinner decisions, the company says.

Dolly Parton was a lot of things: music icon, songwriter, actor, businesswoman, philanthropist and, yes, a print-and-mail superstar too. Until she passed, that last one is not what I thought of first when hearing her name. But then again, I didn’t know much at all about the marvel that is her Imagination Library. It’s a book program that since 1995, has put more than 330 million books into the hands of children. A book a month creates a rhythm. The child expects the next book. The parent gets another opportunity to read together. These small moments make reading part of everyday life. And the child is better prepared for school and eventually, choosing books for themselves. The Dollywood Foundation filing to the Postal Regulatory Commission. States that the Imagination Library mailed nearly 40 million books as USPS Marketing Mail flats in 2025 alone. That's millions of pieces of physical communication that generate revenue for an institution that connects communities in ways few other organizations can.

Inflation is expected to account for much of the increase, according to a new report from Bain & Company. U.S. retail sales during November and December are forecast to grow 4.5% year over year and top $1 trillion for the first time, according to a Thursday release from Bain & Company. Inflation will account for over half of the nominal rise in sales, per the report.  While in-store retail sales are expected to grow 2.5%, online sales are expected to rise 9% year over year, according to Bain’s findings based on a survey of over 1,100 consumers.

You could call it “doctor-centered” rather than the current health marketing trope of “patient-centric.” Marking its fourth year, Cleveland Diagnostics’ (Cleveland Dx) annual “A PSA on PSA” prostate cancer awareness campaign has moved from last year’s emphasis on consumer action to a video series featuring conversations between urologists. “A PSA on PSA” is short for "A Public Service Announcement on the Prostate-Specific Antigen,” and the campaign is again running to coincide with September’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. “Adding physicians came down to a measure of authenticity,” Chris Fox, Cleveland Dx vice president of marketing, tells Marketing Daily. “As marketers, we’re really good at creating educational content, but oftentimes it just comes off as that.”

Athletic Brewing Company, a leading nonalcoholic brewer, announced Dan Kleinman has been appointed chief marketing officer after a monthslong search, per information shared with Marketing Dive. “As Athletic Brewing continues to evolve from an industry pioneer into a transcendent global brand, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dan Kleinman to our senior leadership team,” said Bill Shufelt, co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Company in press materials. The nonalcoholic beer category has seen significant growth, and now makes up 87% of all non-alcohol sales in the U.S., per Beer Institute data. The category saw a growth of 23% in 2025. Alcohol consumption has fallen considerably in recent years, with 54% of U.S. adults saying they drink as of 2025, the lowest in nearly 90 years, as measured by Gallup. That number is even lower among young Americans at 50%.

The UPS Store on Monday introduced Blu, its first brand character. Blu, a friendly woman wearing a blue The UPS Store polo and black pants, is part of a larger national, multiyear campaign set to run on television, digital, social and print channels. The effort is aimed at small business owners and spotlights the retailer’s services, such as printing, shipping and mailboxes. The effort follows a recent pivot by United Parcel Service, the parent company of The UPS Store, to focus on premium services. In early 2025, it announced it was reducing deliveries for Amazon by over 50%. The reduction in volume led to a broad restructuring of the company’s network, including the elimination of 48,000 jobs that year, with an additional reduction of 30,000 positions planned for 2026.

T&T Design Group puts human, AI, and hybrid package design to the test, uncovering a complicated relationship between visual standout, trust, perceived value, and purchase intent. A T&T Design Group study of 3,600 consumers found that packaging graphics created through a hybrid human-AI process significantly outperform both pure AI-generated and human-only designs, earning higher scores for appeal, trust, and purchase intent, with consumers willing to pay 7% more for hybrid designs compared to 1.8% less for AI-only graphics.