The Marketplace Meltdown & Australia’s CPG Innovation Problem

This week, Mal and Alex wade into a very marketplace-heavy news cycle — from Princess Polly jumping into physical retail, to the quiet death of flash-sale platforms, to the Iconic proving you don’t need to spend more to grow more. Then we get into the big stuff: Kogan’s New Zealand headaches, Myer’s surprisingly strong marketplace success, and why Australia’s supermarket shelves are suffering from a chronic case of “innovation avoidance”. It’s packed, it’s punchy, and it’s peak 2025 retail chaos.

Quickies

• Princess Polly goes IRL at Westfield Bondi Junction with flashy mirrors, LED screens, and 50 new weekly styles — continuing the shift from pure-play to omnichannel.

• OzSale to shut down in 2026, signalling the slow death of flash-sale marketplaces and the brutal economics of discount-led models.

• The Iconic rejigs its marketing budget, growing NMV 5.8% through smarter spend, AI, and better channel discipline — not bigger budgets.

Deep Dives

• Kogan’s NZ marketplace (Mighty Ape) drags profitability, highlighting the risks of cross-border marketplace ownership, low margins, and crowded competition.

• Myer Marketplace surges +41%, with strong online sales, high brand trust, and a major Mirakl partnership to onboard thousands more sellers by 2026. Retail media revenue incoming.

• Why Australia’s CPG innovation sucks — supermarket duopoly, high costs, low risk tolerance, shrinking investment, and a culture of “incrementalism over invention”. Plus the consumer role in pushing innovation forward.

Other Bits You’ll Hear About

• Black Friday chaos (or lack thereof) and early read-outs on trading performance.

• Whether Aussie shoppers are more loyal to price than brand.

• The slow decline of in-store sampling — and how that affects new product discovery.

• Why D2C CPG brands struggle with shipping, AOV, and margins.