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For 75 years, David’s Bridal has been the go-to dressmaker for America’s brides, selling a third of all wedding dresses in the country. But in a strange twist, the company wants to reinvent itself as something else entirely. Next week, the retailer unveils its new identity as a technology platform for the $70 billion wedding industry. It begins with the rollout of Pearl Planner, an AI agent for couples planning their wedding. It provides checklists for each step of the process and connects users with vendors who pay David’s Bridal a commission for each sale. If this tool is successful, not only will it provide a compelling model to companies looking to monetize generative AI, but it would also be one of the biggest brand transformations in recent history. Kelly Cook, who was promoted to David’s Bridal CEO in April 2025, describes this as an evolution from “aisle to algorithm. For years, the company’s business was designing and manufacturing wedding dresses across a complex supply chain. Like other apparel businesses, it’s a model that involves risk, since the company needs to acquire inventory that may not sell. But Cook says the fundamental premise of the business is changing. “One of the core tenets that underpins our strategy is that we’re asset light,” she says. “We’re focused on AI first. This is how we’re making every single decision going forward.” From Bankruptcy to Rebirth This radical change comes after a turbulent period. David’s Bridal has filed for bankruptcy twice over the past seven years, first in 2018 and again in 2023, citing persistent operational and financial challenges. Cook, who joined David’s Bridal in 2019 as CMO, identifies several reasons for the company’s struggles. It had failed to modernize its stores, which are crucial to selling dresses. And just as it was beginning to update its retail fleet, the pandemic hit. As people canceled weddings, the bridal market ground to a halt, and there were massive shipping delays that paralyzed the supply chain. Then, when the stimulus checks stopped coming, people continued to postpone their weddings,” Cook says. “We had one thing after another, and so in 2023 we had to go back to bankruptcy court.” Help arrived in July of that year, when Cion Investment Corp. bought David’s Bridal, reaching a deal to keep 195 stores open and enabling 7,000 of the company’s 10,000 employees to keep their jobs. It also injected $20 million of new funding. David’s Bridal’s executive team saw the acquisition as an opportunity to try something totally different. The board empowered Cooka seasoned retail veteranto bring the company into the 21st century. Cook hired Elina Vilk, a Silicon Valley veteran who had worked at eBay, PayPal, and Facebook, to be the company’s chief business officer. And Vilk’s approach is to integrate technologists across every aspect of the business, including retail stores and highly specific departments, like alternations. “The secret is not to create a separate tech team that is a silo,” Vilk says. “To change the culture of the organization, you want to put people in different parts of the organization.” An AI Wedding Planner While David’s Bridal sells dresses, the company also has access to vast amounts of data. Cook says that 90% of all brides in America interact with David’s Bridal in some way, from visiting a retail store to browsing the company’s website. In the end, only a fraction of them end up purchasing a dress. “We serve the middle of the market, rather than couture or budget brides,” Cook says. “But the fact that nearly all brides were coming to us at some point was an extraordinary opportunity.” Company executives determined that they could provide a useful service to the entire population of newly engaged couples by providing a free wedding planning tool thats highly tailored to their needs. “When a woman gets engaged, she’s thrilled,” Cook says. “But then she spends the next 18 months in a perpetual state of anxiety. We can help her solve some of these problems.” [Screenshot: David’s Bridal] AI agents like ChatGPT or Claude can help with some aspects of the process. For instance, you might ask: “I just got engaged. What should I do next?” But these platforms are not well-versed in the details of wedding planning, nor will they connect customers with vendors they can use. David’s Bridal trained Pearl Planner, in part, on its own data about the specific steps that couples go through during the wedding planning process. The final product is a guided conversation with the AI agent that walks the user through each stage. “To use ChatGPT, you need to know what questions to ask,” Vilk says. “The blank screen can be very anxiety-inducing. The difference with Pearl Planner is that it guides you through the process step-by-step.” [Screenshot: David’s Bridal] When you open the app, you answer questions about your wedding, including the date, size, aesthetic, and color palette. The app then creates a vision board, which you can tweak. Then you receive a checklist, personalized to your budget, style, and venue. It also explains when you need to accomplish each task. For instance, you’ll get notifications when you should send your save-the-date notices, or when you should begin researching florists. [Screenshot: David’s Bridal] Also, as anyone who has planned a wedding knows, there are many things that can go wrong. The app tries to help with these problems. For instance, if you suddenly discover you need to add five more guests to the event, the Planner will automatically update your seating and catering checklists. David’s Bridal gives the app to customers for free and offers a loyalty program that allows them to earn rewards for every dollar they spend through the app. (The highest award is a two-night, three-day honeymoon.) Th app generates revenue in several ways. First, it directs users to its own product lines, which now include engagement party dresses, bridesmaid’s dresses, and resort wear for the honeymoon. It also introduces couples to vendors in their area and generates commission from each sale. [Screenshot: Davids Bridal] Pearl Planner essentially serves as a marketplace and advertising network for wedding vendors. “Since we capture a lot of first-party data about each user on Pearl Planner, it is so much more productive to advertise to our users,” Cook says. “Their ad spend is so much more productive, because they can target users based on very specific characteristics and introduce themselves to the couple the minute they need their service.” Cook points out that the Pearl Planner completely transforms the companys business model. Now other wedding dress brands are no longer competitors: They can advertise on the Pearl Planner app, and David’s Bridal will receive a commission if they book through the app. In fact, there might come a day when David’s Bridal lets other bridal shops white-label the technology. “They could rename it for all we care,” Cook says. “When the brides go through the funnel, whether they buy the dress from us or not, all the monetization still stands. We benefit by serving the vendors that serve these brides.” Davids Bridal’s effort to reinvent itself is a bold move, particularly for a 75-year-old company. There are other legacy retailersincluding Walmart and Amazonwho are incorporating AI into their core business with agents that help merchants decide what products to bring into the assortment or help them manage store inventory. David’s Bridal stands out because it is using AI to evolve into an entirely different kind of company, with new revenue streams. It’s unclear yet exactly how well this transformation will work. But Cook models the kind of ambition required to revive a struggling business and make it relevant in the AI age. “At some point, we might not even just be a bridal company,” she says. “You can use this same technology to plan any of life’s events, from quinceaeras to bat mitzvahs to baby showers.”
Category:
E-Commerce
Change management is a multibillion-dollar industry built on the fundamental claim that most people dislike change, and that someone needs to manage that resistance. But after decades of organizational theories and billions in consulting fees, the industry does not work as promised: change management projects have a failure rate of around 70%. Theres a reason no one asked McKinsey or any other leading consulting firm to run DOGE. As enterprises large and small grapple with the wholesale transformation that will be wrought by the rise of artificial intelligence, its time to face an uncomfortable truth: Change, especially today, doesn’t happen in neat phases. It’s cyclical, unpredictable, and requires constant adaptation. The Old Model Never WorkedBut It Especially Doesnt Now Traditional change management follows a predictable model. Under investor scrutinyor to avoid itthe CEO announces a transformation is coming. Consultants conduct surveys, present slides at workshops, and create communication plans to deal with signs of revolt. Success gets measured by stakeholder-focused metrics like adoption rates, and KPIs like number of training programs deployed. It’s an industry that prioritizes rationality at the expense of inspiration and serendipity. AI will be the force that kills this episodic approach. First, the tech is already moving too quickly for rigid approaches to be relevant. Second,AI requires significant amounts of training and customization to be effective in most organizations, rendering a one-size-fits-most approach obsolete. And finally, the human side of AI-driven change is more complicated than a standard reorganizationbecause AI anxiety strikes at the heart of what is human, and what sort of careers we and our children will have. A Tale of Two Companies In our recent work inside companies that are adopting new AI tools and workflows, weve seen the potential for a new way of working. Instead of a traditional change management approach, smart leaders today are understandingand embracingthat change in the era of AI is often organically driven by shifts brought about by AI eureka moments. Competitive advantage is built not by how quickly you move humans through a change program, but how seamlessly your organizations source codethe unique combination of people, process, and technologyrewrites itself in real time. A Tale of Two Companies Consider a recent tale of two companies. First, fintech company Klarnas recent initiative to automate its customer service operations using generative AI. The company publicly claimed that its AI tools were performing the work of 700 full-time agents, leading to a dramatic reduction in hiring and headcount. The rollout was managed through a centralized, top-down approach: executive-led messaging, internal dashboards to track AI performance, and a focus on cost savings and productivity metrics. But the transition sparked internal unease and external criticism, and Klarna quietly began rehiring human agents within the year. The AI may have delivered efficiency on paper, but the rigid implementation and lack of human-centered change management eroded trust, both inside and outside the company. Contrast that with one of our clientsa multinational pharmaceutical organization that took a radically different approach. Rather than relying on static KPIs and sequential rollouts, they used using AI to surface real-time insights from employee sentiment, social media behavior, and internal feedback loops. These insights continue to inform tailored interventions across roles and geographies. AI-powered chatbots enable employees to access personalized resources on demand, while leaders use behavioral analytics to trigger timely nudges and adapt strategies instantly. The result has been a more agile, inclusive transformationwhere change has been continuously shaped by how employees are actually working. How Organizations Can Stay Ahead In this new world, best practice changes from week to week. But the most important trends we see in recent, successful transformations are: First, build a nonlinear approach. When it comes to generative and agentic AI, you often dont know your best use cases until you experiment. Embrace the 3-D problem solving that comes with transformation by moving to organized but flexible processes that account for two-way feedback. Second, create pilots. Understand that new processes, technologies, and workflows will work differently for each organization and team. Select specific organizational areas for focused experimentation and training. Give them deadlines and establish feedback loops between pilot participants and the transformation team. Then, scale successful approaches across the organization using champions as advocates for the technology and its impact. Third, work to understand and activate teams with precision. Identify specific employee categories to play a role in championing change. Every organization has a group of early adoptersthe weekend warriors who explore AI on their own time. And every organization also has laggardsthose who will require structured protocols and personalized training plans to implement new systems. Focus your communicationsand your expectationsby identifying each group and understanding the different needs it requires. Finally, empower leaders. Measure success not by who attended the meeting or did the training, but by whos actually creating new pathways in process or technology. Encourage those leaders, from the CEO down, to show how they use AI tools, and arm with appropriate nudges for staff. According to the Boston Consulting Group, the small minority of companies already operating at this level are realizing 1.5× revenue growth, 1.6× shareholder returns, and 1.4× ROI. The goal is improving organizational metabolism so your organization stays healthy, instead of contracting a disease that needs treatment. The business model for change management consulting may shift to something far more organic: Enabling leaders to role model and guide, designing teams built for experimentation and imbuing organizational culture with a growth mindset. Adaptability counts most Corporate America rewards risk-taking and stories about explosive growth, rapid innovation, and bottom-line-enhancing layofs. But it’s adaptability that will count most in the AI era, and continuous improvement is what will deliver it. Organizations that continue to rely on traditional change management consultancies are not just wasting moneythey’re actively handicapping their ability to compete in an increasingly dynamic business environment.Consultants can either changethe irony!or go down with their ship.
Category:
E-Commerce
Labubu, the bug-eyed elves from Beijing, might just be the unlikeliest face of global brand disruption. But the viral figurines, sold in blind boxes across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, are helping rewrite the rules of consumer engagement and revealing what the future of global brands might look like. Their success isnt really about toys; its about building a new kind of consumer community. Pop Mart, the brand behind Labubu, has built a business on orchestrating demand, emotion, and engagement at scale. In the first half of 2024, the company posted RMB 6.65 billion in revenue (roughly $920 million), tripled its profits year-on-year, and reached a $40 billion market capitalization, more than double that of U.S. toy giants Hasbro and Mattel combined. It recently told investors to expect a 350% year-on-year profit surge for the first half of 2025. What makes Labubu exceptional is that it represents one of Chinas first truly organic cultural exports. Its a phenomenon driven by its community of fans, rather than top-down orchestration. A TikTok moment Born from the imagination of Hong Kong-based illustrator Kasing Lung, the ugly-cute dolls were catapulted into the spotlight after Blackpinks Lisa was spotted carrying a plush version. That moment triggered a viral TikTok surge and helped drive a 726.6% increase in Labubu-related revenue, now accounting for 25% of Pop Marts total. What were seeing isnt a one-off success, its a structural shift in how cultural IP is created, scaled, and consumed globally. Chinese consumer innovation is entering a new phase, moving from platforms and hardware to emotionally resonant, creator-led IP. These fandom-driven communities bypass traditional media gatekeepers entirely. Other Chinese firms are accelerating this shift. Xiaomi, Miniso, and Heytea are part of a new generation of brands not competing on price or scale, but by building fan communities, embedding emotion, and turning cultural resonance into business strategy. The orchestration of desire Labubus rise is no accident. Sold in blind boxessealed packaging that hides the variant insideits more than clever merchandising. Its behavioral design. The randomized reward system mirrors gaming mechanics, tapping into dopamine loops and repeat engagement. Over 1.7 million TikTok videos tagged #Labubu feature unboxings. Limited editions, like the Rainbow Labubu, have fetched over $150,000 at auction. Instead of relying on loyalty programs or sales funnels, the brand creates micro-moments of surprise that make shopping feel like play. Its 66.8% gross margin reflects not just operational efficiency, but emotional value. The retail strategyvending machines, roboshops, and immersive flagshipsis designed for experience, not efficiency. In New York, teens queue outside Pop Marts SoHo flagship not to shop, but to swap figurines, livestream unboxings, or hunt for rare Labubu variantsmimicking sneaker culture. From product to platform This emotional engagement mirrors moves by other Chinese innovators. Xiaomi, once a low-cost smartphone player, has evolved into a lifestyle platform spanning wearables, TVs, EVs, and smart home devices. Its loyal Mi Fan community is central to its success by participating in product development. This two-way relationship cuts marketing costs and builds loyalty. Online forums, feedback channels, and fan events make Xiaomi feel less like a company and more like a community. Miniso, too, has leaned into aesthetic curation and scarcity. Its co-branded collections with Sanrio, Marvel, and Coca-Cola go viral on social platforms, while its treasure-hunt store layout fuels impulse discovery. Despite affordable price points, it achieves performance that rivals luxury retailersproving emotional design can scale. At the center of this shift is aesthetic fluency. Pop Marts roboshops now span 25 countries, including the U.S., France, and Australia. Flagship stores in New York and Los Angeles draw Gen Z crowds reminiscent of Supreme drops. The design of Labubuquirky, ironic, expressivetaps directly into Gen Zs appetite for memeable, imperfect symbols of self-expression. This isnt imitation. China is exporting design-native communities that speak to youth culture through visual language. Monetizing emotion at scale Chinese brands are also redefining how emotion scales. While legacy Western players rely on storytelling and identity marketing, their Chinese counterparts are building infrastructure for emotional engagement. Heytea treats each product launchwhether a limited-edition cheese tea or a regional collaborationas an event, amplified through influencers, teaser campaigns, and fan buzz. Its minimalist, Instagrammable stores are designed for social interaction, turning queues into part of the experience. Co-branded drops with luxury names like Fendi and seasonal exclusives fuel emotional attachment. This isnt just clever marketingits a system that turns a beverage into a lifestyle, and a brand into a community. That same emotional infrastructure powers Labubus rise into fandom. Rare figurines flip for 5 to 30 times their retail value on Xianyu, Alibabas resale platform, some with blockchain verification. Police raids on counterfeit Lafufu dolls signal Labubus ascent to luxury-like status, making it a new asset class: IP with emotional and economic value, validated in real time. What Western brands can learn Some Western executives may dismiss blind boxes and roboshops as quirky or culturally niche. But under the surface lies a global truth: Consumers crave emotion, novelty, and community. Labubus rise shows how brands can scale through visual culture that travels without translation. No slogan, no storyline, just design. It spreads like a physical meme, interpreted across cultures from Seoul to Paris. The core question is no longer Whats the story? Its Whats the emotion were scaling? Chinese brands are showing that strategy today is built from small, orchestrated moments that add up to immersive communities. Theyre blurring the lines between product and platform, commerce and culture. The old playbookposition, promote, pushwas built for mass marketing and one-way messaging. Todays leading brands thrive on feedback loops, cocreation, and community-driven agility. The next wave of global brands? Its tempting to view Pop Mart as a regional curiosity. That would be a mistake. Labubu may look like a viral toy, but its also a case study in how design, emotion, and communities converge into strategic advantage. What ties these brands together is not just design or digital presenceits the way they build and sustain fan communities. Labubu isnt a preview, its proof. And for global brands still running on legacy logic, its time to catch up.
Category:
E-Commerce
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