Unboxing videos are popular for tech gadgets, cosmetics, and toys, but recently they’ve caught on for the most unlikely of products: couches.

“Boneless couches,” as they’ve come to be known on social media, have no internal wooden frames. Instead, like their mattress-in-a-box predecessors, they are constructed entirely of foam, then compressed and vacuum-packed in deceptively small boxes. When opened—as millions of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube users have witnessed—they expand dramatically to assume their sofa forms.

Google searches for “boneless couches” and related terms were virtually non-existent before this year but, per Google Trends, are in full-throttle now:

• Searches for “boneless couch,” “boneless sofa,” “couch in a box,” and “boneless chaise lounge” all peaked in November.

The #bonelesscouch hashtag had been used on 13,200 TikTok videos, including one from @shellysharesdeals with more than 10.9 million views and another from @remi.and.the.beans with more than 10.1 million views.

While there are elements of luck and serendipity in viral trends, some furniture brands have been instrumental in starting and fueling this one.

Keep reading here.—AAN

The Home Depot set a bleak tone on Tuesday as it kicked off a week of big box earnings. The home improvement chain said it expects profits to decline 5% YoY in 2025, as consumer uncertainty, pressure in the housing market, and a lack of revenue-driving storm activity in Q3 take their toll.

“Affordability is a word that’s being used a lot,” CEO Ted Decker told shareholders. “Layoffs, increased job concerns, etc., that’s why we don’t see an uptick in that underlying storm-adjusted demand in the business.”

However, over the same quarter consumers showed a willingness to buy costlier items, with comparable average ticket price increasing 1.8% and big-ticket comp transactions (purchases more than $1,000) increasing 2.3% YoY on the strength of categories such as appliances, portable power, and gypsum.

Keep reading here.—AV

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Jennifer DiMotta is founder of retail consultancy Dundee Growth Partners.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? You know how a lot of great products never quite make it big? My job is to fix that. At Dundee Growth Partners, we work with founders to scale emerging consumer brands into category leaders. We focus on smart, profitable growth across e-commerce, Amazon, and wholesale. I think of it like being both coach and architect—we help design the blueprint for growth, then stand on the field with founders to execute it, so their business can move from scrappy startup to a sustainable, $20-million-plus brand.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? One thing you wouldn’t guess from my LinkedIn is how much of my work is about being in the trenches with founders. Yes, I build growth strategies—but I’m also coaching them as leaders, rolling up my sleeves on product margins and marketing, and aligning their teams and investors so everyone is pulling in the same direction. It’s equal parts strategist, coach, and operator.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? One of my favorite projects was helping a founder with a great product who felt stuck in the low millions.

Keep reading here.—EC

Holiday discounts are disappearing, but strategy is taking center stage. Explore how retailers are managing inventory constraints; testing alternative incentives like buy now, pay later; and leveraging AI tools to deliver personalized offers that keep shoppers engaged and spending smarter.