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ASOS just updated its return policy, targeting customers whose shopping style makes free returns unsustainable.The UK-based online fashion retailer has revamped its previously implemented Fair Use Policy, now deducting GBP 3.95 per returned parcel from refunds for shoppers with a return rate of 70% or higher who've placed at least three orders in the past year. For the most prolific returners those with an 80% return rate across five or more orders ASOS charges an additional GBP 3.95 handling fee on top of standard delivery costs.The policy includes a 30-day processing window and continuously monitors customer behavior over rolling 12-month periods, allowing shoppers to track their return rate through their account dashboard. ASOS is framing the policy as protecting free returns for the majority while addressing a minority of customers whose shopping patterns strain the business model. Customers can avoid the fees by keeping items worth more than GBP 40 per order, and ASOS still offers full free returns for faulty or incorrect items.TREND BITEASOS's Fair Use Policy uses economic friction to reshape customer behavior without outright bans. Rather than penalizing all returns or eliminating the service entirely, the retailer creates a tiered system that preserves benefits for most while discouraging excessive returns through modest fees. The approach balances business sustainability with customer retention, banking on the reality that most shoppers will adjust their habits rather than absorb recurring costs.It's also a tacit acknowledgment that the environmental cost of returns the carbon emissions from transport, packaging waste and products that end up in landfill has become too significant to ignore. As e-commerce matures and margins compress, expect more brands to deploy similar behavioral economics: not punishing customers, but making unsustainable habits just inconvenient enough to discourage them, for both financial and environmental reasons.
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Marketing and Advertising
Every fall, dozens of maple and oak trees in my neighborhood shed their leaves. Thus begins the constant drone of gas-powered leaf blowers every day through early December. The noise is by far the most annoying thing about these yard tools, but I can appreciate its a necessary evil unless you prefer to pick up a blister-inducing rake. Whisper Aero argues theres a better way. The company is using aerospace tech to quiet the noisy devices, introducing the T1 leaf blower at CES 2026 under its sub-brand Tone Outdoors. The company promises the T1 is 80 percent quieter and 60 percent more powerful than leading handheld gas leaf blowers. More specifically, the T1 has 880 CFM of air flow, which easily surpasses my battery-powered EGO. And at 52 decibels of average noise at peak volume, his model is drastically quieter than any leaf blower Ive used. I was able to confirm its lower roar on the CES show floor. Tone says the T1 also offers extended run time of up to 50 minutes on a charge in Eco mode. That too is greater than what I get on my mid-grade EGO. Whats more, the company plans to sell a battery backpack that will extend any clean-up sessions for several hours. The T1 also has a built-in LED nightlight so you can still use it after dark. And since its quieter than what you have now, you can do so without annoying your neighbors. Tone Outdoors T1 Billy Steele for Engadget So, how does Whisper Aero achieve this? The company originally set out to devise a quieter solution for electric aerospace motors. Its engineers discovered that they could dramatically reduce noise and increase overall efficiency by redesigning the fan and motor. They're still pursuing that, but the company discovered its technology had other uses too. The T1 is already available for preorder for $599 and its scheduled to ship in September. If you dont care for the standard green color, you can spend another $100 for limited edition Silence Is Golden version. The battery backpack wont arrive until Q1 2027 though (price TBD). Tone also says it has additional models in the works and it has a partnership with Stanley Black and Decker that will likely produce additional products with this tech on board. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/ces-2026-the-tone-outdoors-t1-solved-the-biggest-problem-with-leaf-blowers-234309500.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Apple announced today JPMorgan Chase will be the new issuer for the Apple Card. The official news arrived shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that the two businesses had reached a deal regarding Apple's credit card service. According to the tech company, the transition to the new provider should take about two years to complete, but customers can continue to use their Apple Cards as usual during the interim. Apple has already published an FAQ about the change, but the main takeaway is that the status quo is currently continuing and customers will receive information at a later date if any action is required. Mastercard will remain the Apple Card payment network under the new partnership.Goldman Sachs was Apple's collaborator when it launched the Apple Card in 2019. We've seen signs for a few years, though, that Goldman Sachs had been looking for a way out of its arrangement. Apple didn't disclose many details around either the current or future deals for its credit card, however the WSJ report claims the negotiations with JPMorgan Chase have been underway for more than a year. Sources told the publication that Goldman Sachs is offloading about $20 billion in outstanding customer balances at a discount of more than $1 billion. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/jpmorgan-chase-is-taking-over-the-apple-card-232711979.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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