1
Move: Starbucks makes culture an operating principle.
Is coffee culture? Starbucks thinks so - and it starts from the inside. Yesterday, it declared that “Culture is not just a marketing tactic… it’s a core operating principle”. It’s about mindset, shaping strategy and how we show up in the world. For Starbucks, culture is one of five core seasons (a wonderful word choice – something more natural and enduring) that sets its emotional direction. Alongside this came the launch of “Inspired by Italy” a coffeehouse experience rooted in the brand’s origin story - founder Howard Schultz’s trip to Italy.
Signal: Culture cannot be deployed, it must be infused.
We’ve already seen in Signals & Moves #2 that Starbucks is shifting its loyalty programme. This move signals that their growth playbook has moved from efficiency to connection. It’s a brave brand that invests in meaning rather than margin. What Starbucks is building is structural.
How is culture built into an operating system?
Not through marketing spend or campaign budgets, but through the invisible layer - the experiences that run consistently across all that clients hear, see and the rituals they move through. Do you notice them?

2
Move: McKinsey releases ‘Shopping in the Age of AI’.
Three days ago, McKinsey published a report on the US retail landscape based on over 3,000 interviews. Its conclusion: AI will not kill physical retail, but it will force it to define its reason for being. Does the store exist for convenience, or to experience? Convenience is fast and frictionless. Experience is discovery and personalisation. Being both or neither will be a middle ground where nothing grows.
Signal: Know why the store exists.
Client expectations are shifting. AI is entering the shopping journey, raising the demand for speed, transparency and recognition. AI will guide clients towards the option that best matches their intent. Brands must choose: Are you optimised for speed, or designed to build desire? According to McKinsey, you cannot do both. Speed demands quick entry-to-exit, fewer products, frictionless checkout. Experience demands storytelling, curation and human connection.
How will Agentic AI change the game?
By 2030, AI will be able act for a client: searching, selecting and purchasing. In that world, stores will win either because they are faster, offering immediate access, or they provide something digital cannot: touch, trial and feeling. Discovery will happen before the store – that’s the shift.

3
Move: QVC files for bankruptcy.
Remember QVC? The television channel that defined live shopping has just filed for bankruptcy, citing declining viewership, the migration of shopping to platforms like TikTok and the impact of Trump tariffs on product margins. A pioneer of a format that once defined how millions discovered and bought formats is now facing a very different future.
Signal: Models need to adapt – or risk becoming redundant.
QVC was built on the idea that entertainment drove purchase. The idea is true – but the format has evolved since its birth 33 years ago. Live shopping has not died – in China, live shopping accounts for over 17% of all online sales– it has just been decentralised. It lives inside feeds and follows, powered by creators, made visible via algorithms. Viewers don’t watch, they scroll. The lesson is clear: if your model is tied to a single channel, you are at risk. Audiences are reached, not owned – and they move, so brands must move faster.
Place your bets.
The newest format may not be the right one – but know where behaviour is shifting to. Look beyond your campaign and media plan and understand where you are serving best your client, and where do you need to build before that shift happens. Perhaps the answer is to stay still. Remember, all eggs in one basket risks leaving you hungry if dropped.

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Noorin

Image reference: Starbucks website, careers.
Sources: Starbucks: Putting culture in the center of our brand, McKinsey : Shopping in the age of AI: Redefining stores for a new era, The Washington Post: Home pioneer QVC files for bankruptcy, Forbes: How Live Shopping Is Changing The Retail Landscape Across The Globe.