Hey! It’s Nicole from Hue.

Here’s what’s new in retail, tech, and culture.

🌐 Retail leans hard into Employee Generated Content (EGC) with Garage and Foot Locker leading the movement, brands spent 26% more on creators in 2025 but still struggle to find “the right creators,” and Pantone shocks the internet with white for its 2026 Color of the Year.

We’re Janvi, Sylvan, and Nicole - cofounders of Hue and Harvard Business School grads with 30+ years across global brands and enterprise tech. 

We’ll keep up with the news so you don’t have to. Think of this as your retail tech industry cheat sheet. 🔮

If you work at a brand or retailer, you may be able to add ‘content creator’ to your resume soon! The popular Canadian casual fashion brand Garage and footwear giant Footlocker are taking two distinctly different, but brilliant approaches. While both benefit from in-house ‘creators’ who are at the ready to produce content quickly to keep up with social and cultural trends on social media.

Garage went full-steam ahead and built a full in-house content studio. Editors, stylists, and creative directors produce daily lifestyle videos that feel polished, branded, and trend-aware. Their Teal Collection launch is a strong example of EGC fueling an entire campaign, combining studio content with BTS footage. 

Garage EGC includes: 

Examples of Garage EGC on social media and how the brand leverages their staff to participate in social and cultural trends: “Come on Superman” & “In your 20s you will…”

(Source: Chase Chappell TikTok Breakdown)

Foot Locker has taken a different approach by turning their iconic store employees (Stripers) into creators and building a scalable EGC framework across regions. Stripers act as on-floor experts - similar to Nordstrom stylists - creating videos that authentically explain product features, quality, and FAQs. 

Footlocker EGC includes:

EGC on social media: Sleeping game ready & “What the?”

EGC on Footlocker.com: Hue powers Footlocker’s EGC integration directly on PDPs, putting employee videos at the center of product discovery and conversion. 

The IAB reports that creator ad spend will reach $37 billion by the end of 2025, an increase of 26% from last year, as marketers increasingly rely on AI to scale creator programs, manage logistics, and streamline sourcing. But even with rising investment, the biggest challenge remains unchanged:

33% of advertisers say “finding the right creator” is their biggest hurdle

At Hue - an all-in-one UGC platform working with 100+ brands and retailers that has sourced over 40K+ videos - we’ve found that Hue-sourced creators are consistently outperforming brand-sourced creators once they go live on PDPs. So we dove in a bit to see why. 

The data shows that the right creator is often the one the shopper trusts.

Skincare Case Study - 3 Months Live
+19.6% higher conversion lift came from Hue-sourced creators versus brand-sourced creators.

Haircare Case Study - 4 Months Live
+459% higher conversion lift came from Hue-sourced creators versus brand-sourced

➡️ Hue creators drove the majority of total conversions

(Retail Dive)

Interested in driving conversion results like these? Let’s chat! 👉 HERE

Pantone has announced its 2026 Color of the Year: PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer, a white shade. The selection has generated, ehhhhh some spicy, discussion online. It’s a shock because the white tone deviates from the more saturated or symbolic colors commonly chosen in previous years.

Here’s what the internet has to say about Pantone’s choice:

Pantone’s official description of Cloud Dancer emphasizes qualities such as “serenity,” “quiet reflection,” “clarity,” and the idea of a “blank canvas.” Pantone positions the color as an “airy white” associated with focus, spaciousness, and new beginnings.

What do you think? Should we move forward with WGSN’s Transformative Teal or IKEA’s Rebel Pink as the 2026 Color of the Year?

(Pantone’s 2026 announcement)

🦸“Come on, Superman, Say Your Stupid Line”
This TikTok trend uses the audio where a Tame Impala song says, “Come on, Superman, say your stupid line,” and then the creator writes text over themselves stating a signature phrase, habit, or cliché they’re known for. It’s essentially a self-aware punchline format. Creators lean into the joke about what people expect them to say. It works because it’s playful and it taps into identity + repetition.

Brands participating in the trend: Garage, Tarte, Level Shoes

🧙“Madame Morable, Flip It Around, Wicked Witch”
This TikTok trend uses a remixed audio of Academy Award–winner Michelle Yeoh explaining a fun easter egg in her Wicked character’s name: if you flip the two M’s in “Madame Morrible,” you get “WW,” a nod to the Wicked Witch. Fans love it because Yeoh repeats this fact in nearly every interview, inspiring endless edits and now a full remix.

The trend taps directly into the Wicked hype cycle and gives brands a playful, comedic way to join the cultural moment.

Brands participating in the trend: M&Ms (they might have the upper hand on this one 😉) M&M Customer response, Duolingo (must watch)

🧘“Flow State”
This TikTok trend is all about showing the everyday moments that put you in a “flow state” - those oddly satisfying activities where you’re completely in the zone. Think cooking Korean BBQ while still managing to eat, finishing a perfect game of Solitaire, or working on a project for three hours without touching your phone. These little wins = pure flow state.

Brands participating in the trend: Saie, Philadelphia Flyers

🧾 Report: Glossy x Hue The State of Shoppable UGC Video report - HERE

📊 Guide: Hue’s How to use Video for AEO Guide - HERE

🏙️ Conference: NRF in New York. NRF’s “Retail’s Big Show” unites thousands of leaders pushing the industry forward through new ideas, technology, and customer experience. If you’re around, let’s meet up for coffee or a quick chat between sessions. Wed. Jan 11th - 13th | Time Varies

🎨 Art Cafe Community Event: We’re hosting an event at Happy Medium Art Cafe in Manhattan and would love for our New York locals to join us. Event page dropping soon - DM me if you want early access to the invite. Tues., Jan 13th

Want to become a Hue Client? Talk to partnerships to learn about Hue's all-in-one UGC platform for eCommerce and retailer.com.