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America is in an overstock and returns crisis. Every year 8.4 billion pounds of products are returned to online sellers, according to the National Retail Federation. The typical solution from retailers is to send the roughly 17% of their inventory made up of returns to a landfill, regardless of the condition of the products. It’s a problem that sellers have little incentive to solve. Since dumping product can be written off as the cost of doing business in profit and loss statements, companies don’t invest in a complex reverse supply chain or inspect items for potential resale value. But recommerce site Rebel just raised a $25 million series B round to fuel its work building a resale network for retailersand the software to power it. The funding round was led by Jay-Z’s MarcyPen Capital Partners, which, alongside Serena Williams’s Serena Ventures was part of Rebel’s $18 million Series A raise in 2024. Discount-retail veteran Emily Hosiewhose résumé includes time at Saks Off Fifth and TJ Maxxsays she launched the Toronto- and New York-based company to solve two problems while selling written-off products at a 40% to 70% discount. “The majority of returns are ending up in landfills and no retailers or brands want to talk about it because it’s not something to be proud about, she says. How does Rebel work? At Rebel’s 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the company processes more than 70,000 unique products a weekenough inventory that its website adds new deals every 15 minutes. To process that volume of returns, Hosie built a new technology and logistics stack. Using AI, Rebel can detect, log, and tag the condition of each return, and determine the most efficient way to receive it from retailers and ship it to consumers. “Every return is a snowflake,” Hosie says, noting that all products require inspection to determine their condition. “[An e-commerce company] processing a return versus processing inventory in general is asking a heart surgeon to do brain surgery. It’s a totally different infrastructure needed, and for a lot of companies that’s just mission drift.” Rebel, which is B Corp certified, aims to expand its physical presence on the West Coast in 2026. The company developed an AI-powered smart-pricing algorithm that auto-adjusts item prices based on demand, condition, and inventory more than 10 times a day. On top of that, Rebels consumer-facing tool lets buyers check the real-time resale value of an item when theyre deciding whether to purchase it. Rebels business, which started processing items in the baby category with Newell Brands, Evenflo, Dorel, and others, has grown 2,640% in just three years. The site now also sells travel products and home goods (including mattresses), and is expanding to outdoor/sporting gear and eventually consumer electronics. Getting retail’s attention As complex as Rebel’s logistics are, for Hosie the biggest obstacle was getting retailers to buy into the productin part because in meetings with retail leaders, they balked at the premise of Rebel’s service. We would get meetings with the most senior people on leadership teams at global iconic brands and mass retailers,” Hosie says. “They would look at us and say, Congratulations on what you built, but we don’t have a returns problem. The company had a breakthrough early on when a large mass retailer going bankrupt decided to use Rebel to sell off its inventory. That gave us the business case to go back to other retailers, Hosie says. Unlike other retailers struggling with their supply chain as tariffs take hold, Rebel is immune because the products it deals with are already sold in the States. Rebel is also appealing to price-sensitive shoppers ahead of the holidays, at a time of layoffs and economic uncertainty. We’re the only company with the tech to be able to process these returns at scale,” Hosie says. “Why not be that one-stop destination for those who love deal hunting and buying open-box, never-used returns?
Category:
E-Commerce
Believing that digital transformation is about changing technology is like thinking firefighting is about riding in a fire truck. Firefighting is about putting out fires to save lives and property. Digital transformation is about changing how your organization functions and creates value using data, systems, skills, and processes. That might mean building dashboards that give executives real-time visibility across thousands of staff, training hundreds in new ways of working like Agile or DevOps, or automating back-office processes to free up time for higher-value work. The common thread is that technology becomes a catalyst for organisational change in strategy, people, and operationsnot just new software bolted onto old habits. If youre replacing systems without changing how people work or what value you create, youre running an IT project, not a transformation. Thats not bad, but the distinction matters because it determines whether change is sustainable. With failure rates between 26% and 88%, the odds are that your digital transformation is already failing. You might not know it yet, but the warning signs are there. Based on my work with dozens of organizations and research into what drives success, six reasons appear most often. 1. Your Digital Vision Could Mean Anything Visions for digital transformations are overrated. You need a clear vision for digital change, but for teams doing the work, that isnt enough. A specific definition of done bridges the gap between the vision you want and the actions they need to take. As a consultant, I saw many digital visions that boiled down to cloud-first,” “mobile-first,” “data-driven, and now, AI-first. But what does AI-first actually mean? It could mean building internal AI tools before anything else, buying platforms that use AI, or designing customer journeys where an AI bot is the first point of contact. The definition of done comes from software development, where developers ask how someone will know when a feature is complete. If you think of baking a cake, the vision tells you what you want the cake to look like; the definition of done tells you that when its golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, its ready. 2. Your Documented Process Isnt the Real One Most transformation plans are based on documented processes, even though those processes rarely match reality. Real work involves quick calls, side emails, copy-pasting, and workarounds, usually born from underinvestment in systems or skills. Over time, these informal processes become essential, creating manual rework that keeps the organisation running. People cling to them because they work and fear that transformation will only add more bureaucracy. Even when you know the real process, transformation itself never runs sequentially. Its two steps forward, one to the side, two backward. Yet transformation programmes are still sold as linear, with milestones and timelines that look neat on PowerPoint. Those promises set unrealistic expectations and make failure more likely. 3. Youre Confusing Involvement with Engagement McKinsey research shows that 68% of successful transformations actively involve employees, yet only 35% seek feedback or new ideas. The difference lies in confusing participation with engagement, and compliance with commitment. Many transformation leaders prioritise participation because its easier to measure. You can track town hall attendance, survey completion, or training numbers. But engagement, real ownership and belief, is harder to quantify. Theatrics like bringing people on the journey are common, but what you actually need are employees with high buy-in who can advocate for change. Theyre the ones who make transformation stick. 4. Your Leaders Think Cascading Messages Work Employees want to hear about major changes from two people: their direct manager and a senior leader. Unless managers can personally justify and role-model change, employees will stick with the status quo. Leaders often believe they can scale these conversations by having comms teams and line managers cascade messages through the organisation. But that assumes group dynamics stay the same as conversations scale. They dont. You can have a genuine dialogue with five people, not 5,000. At scale, communication becomes about power and influence, not connection or understanding. 5. Youre Running Out of Political Capital The worlds largest leadership survey from DDI found were in a global leadership credibility crisis. Trust in immediate managers dropped from 46% to 29% in two years. For transformation leaders, thats devastating. Our job is to create conditions for people to test and learn quickly, but that requires trust. In environments with competing priorities and scarce resources, politics fills the vacuum. Projects get defunded when sponsors lose confidence. Sponsors get replaced when they burn through credibility. Teams miss targets when they stop listening to leaders. Without credibility, theres no trust. Without trust, there’s no confidence or political capital. And without political capital, you lose influence. You cant change behavior if you dont have the authority to persuade. 6. You Might Be Cost Cutting Your Way to Bankruptcy Most digital transformations include some cost cutting or downsizing, but the evidence on how that plays out is bleak. A study of 4,710 U.S. firms found that those that downsized were twice as likely to declare bankruptcy within five years as those that didnt. Ive seen it firsthand. Companies slash headcounts for quick savings, often starting with support teams labelled as cost centres. IT teams are replaced by smaller agile squads where titles change but workloads dont. Nine to eighteen months later, theyre rehiring to fill the capability gaps they created. The most responsible companies cut differently. They remove toxic leadership, outdated systems, and redundant processes while protecting institutional memory. Transformations that build on existing strengths, rather than strip them away, are far more resilient than those driven by short-term savings. Best practice transformation often becomes a one-size-fits-all comfort blanket. In reality, meaningful change requires leaders to be awkward, unpopular, and willing to call out uncomfortable truths. The six warning signs above are easy to spot but hard to confront. Doing so early and often may make you unpopular, but it also keeps your organisation out of the 70% of transformations that fail.
Category:
E-Commerce
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.AI assistants are now more than simple answer machines. ChatGPT’s new Study Mode, Claude’s Learning Mode, and Gemini’s Guided Learning represent a significant shift. Instead of just providing answers, these free tools act as adaptive, 24/7 personal tutors.Guidde | Create how-to guides with AI Tired of explaining the same thing over and over again to your colleagues? Guidde is an AI-powered tool that helps you explain the most complex tasks in seconds with AI-generated documentation. Turn boring documentation into stunning visual guides Save valuable time by creating video documentation 11x faster Share or embed your guide anywhere Just click capture on the browser extension. The app will automatically generate step-by-step video guides complete with visuals, voiceover and call to action. The best part? The extension is 100% free. Try it Free New Tools for Studying and Learning ChatGPT Study Mode Get Started: Select Study Mode from the plus menu when starting a new chat. [Screenshot]. Start with context. Tell ChatGPT what you want to learn, why, and what you already know. The model excels at adapting to your level and guiding you step by step. My take: Ive been experimenting with AI learning modes to understand the intricacies of venture capital investing. ChatGPT initially overwhelmed me with info [screenshot], then seemed to notice I was drowning and adjusted its pace. It must have seen my confused frown. Note: You can use Study and learn mode on mobile and with ChatGPT in a browser, but you cant yet access it in the desktop app or within a ChatGPT Project. Below is a quick example of a dialogue in Study Mode Gemini Guided Learning Get Started: Visit g.co/gemini/guidedlearning My take: Gemini has been an excellent tutor. It replies concisely to my questions about venture capital. For example, so far it has: Quizzed me (try a basic example) Created a helpful infographic Generated an audio overview, in the style of NotebookLM Made me a custom Web page Shared simple digital flashcards The tangible artifacts help me visualize concepts and test my own understanding. The model takes a minute or so to produce infographics and a little longer to create audio overviews. Im repeatedly returning to these materials to review what still feels fuzzy arcane details of valuation, cap tables, dilution, and convertible notes. Below is an example of a scientific infographic: Other Google Learning Tools Illuminate turns academic papers and research into audio summaries Learn About responds thoroughly and helpfully to any inquiry Learning Coach Gem is an assistant you can chat with. Little Language Lessons offers quick takeaways. LearnLM is Googles family of language models for learning, grounded in educational research. Claude Learning Mode Get Started: Select “Learning” from the style menu. This step initially confused me because the other options in that menu are writing styles. My take: Claude’s scenario-based questions like these push me to think through real-world situations to practice applying what Im learning. Tips: As you learn, ask Claude to create artifactslittle interactive apps that help you practice what you’re learning. Also request occasional challenges, case studies, or quizzes. Advantage: Unlike ChatGPT, you can use Learning Mode within Claude Projects. That allows you to benefit from personalized learning alongside your uploaded documents and context. So you can upload a slew of files, reports, and research resources and let Claude tutor you on those materials. The additional concentration required for socratic learning helps with mastering complex concepts, as reflected in this image made with ChatGPT Learn Mode vs. Answer Mode Turn on the learning features for any of these AI assistants and youll quickly notice the difference. Learning modes use Socratic questioning asking rather than telling. They adapt to your level of understanding. They nudge you to make your own observations. They help you test your understanding with informal quizzes. They guide you step-by-step through complex topics rather than rushing to throw answers at you. In learning mode, these assistants feel like tutors; in standard mode theyre more like interactive encyclopedias. The difference is significant. On previous occasions when I wanted to analyze data, I’d ask for quick insights. In study mode I’ve learned, among other things, how to use pivot tables more effectively so I can analyze data more thoroughly myself. Rather than getting fish handed to me, I’m learning to fish. Topics to try in learn mode How do tariffs impact supply chains? or How does cryptocurrency work? Guide me through the basics of [science/math concept] In what ways might Shakespeare have influenced Montaignes essays? How do private equity firms operate? Help me understand the nuances. 4 Ways to Learn with AI 1. Understand a complex concept or skill What it’s for: Work or school topics you need to grasp thoroughly, or just topics youre curious about My experience: I’m using AI study modes to review probabilities for dice, tile and card picking for tabletop games like Qwixx, Splendor, Azul, Point Salad, and backgammon. The AI helps me move forward step-by-step, checking my progress and slowing down when I get confused. I like being able to ask dumb questions without embarrassment. 2. Indulge your intellectual curiosity What it’s for: Topics you find fascinating. Learning for its own sake. My experience: After reading Hernán Díazs Trust recently, I went down a rabbit hole learning about metafiction (stories within stories) and polyphony (stories from multiple vantage points) and discovering new connections between various authors. This pure intellectual exploration feels different from work-focused learning. It’s driven by curiosity rather than necessity. I like that I can leap from tangent to tangent whenever I feel like it. I can also stop suddenly and return to a thread days later. The assistant loses no momentum and continues as if we never paused. Brain candy generated with Gemini 2.5 Pro 3. Deepen your expertise What it’s for: Expand your understanding of something youve already studied. My experience: I’m using AI learning modes to explore connections between classical composers whose music Ive spent my life listening to and playing. Im also sharpening the way I use spreadsheets for data analysis. The AI builds on what I already know, rather than starting from scratch. 4. Learn how to learn What it’s for: Discover how you learn best. Learn about learning and how to sharpen your brain. My experience: I’m experimenting with AI learning approaches to see what works best for me, and getting to know more about learning science. Most valuable so far: Gemini’s quizzes and infographics, Claude’s short answer questions, and practicing summarizing and expanding on ChatGPTs explanations. The most useful learning mode features Short quizzes with instant feedback that force me to apply what Im learning Scenarios I have to analyze that force me to make nuanced distinctions Realistic case studies that require me to summarize new concepts Asking as many dumb questions as I wantRequesting tangible learning artifacts, like infographics, audio overviews, flashcards, and tables In my own teaching (at CUNYs Newmark Graduate School of Journalism) Im planning to incorporate more formative micr-assessments brief in-class ungraded quizzes using tools like Slido and Socrative to help me check what students understand and to give them more tiny opportunities to practice what were learning.This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
Category:
E-Commerce
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