Welcome back. Firefox is hoping that optional, limited-time color themes can help users feel more engaged with the browser. Another major company has added the role of chief customer officer in a bid to improve business. And customers are placing elaborate food and drink orders that they learned on TikTok, straining the customer experience for everyone else.

An experimental Firefox feature is letting users update their browser experience with six optional color palettes, from an orange theme called Abstract to a purple look called Graffiti, reports Ann-Marie Alcántara.

Users who choose one can keep it on their browsers indefinitely, but Firefox plans to retire the current palettes in about two months. If it judges the experiment a success, Firefox plans to introduce new rounds of the so-called Colorways, also for limited times.

It’s a small touch in the context of big tech’s battle for browser users, but one that Firefox executives hope will make users feel more attached. 

The limited lifespan of the Colorways is a nod to the seasonality seen in fashion collections or in sneaker culture, according to Mikal Lewis, senior director of Firefox product management at Mozilla, whose early career includes near four years working at Nordstrom.

“We’re not really thinking about the perfect color,” Mr. Lewis said, but about changing options that may resonate for users at different times.

Bed Bath & Beyond is the latest company to name a chief customer officer, Katie Deighton writes for the Experience Report.

The company last week appointed Rafeh Masood to the role, which includes responsibilities for areas from the e-commerce user experience to customer support, the retailer said. Mr. Masood was previously Bed Bath & Beyond’s chief digital officer and interim chief brand officer.

Mr. Masood’s appointment follows a spate of similar shuffles designed to bring the needs of the customer more visibly into C-suites, often with new roles combining customer-experience responsibilities with branding or marketing jobs. Some of the largest companies in the world, including Coca-Cola, Walgreens and McDonald’s, have in the last six months added the role of chief customer officer to their leadership teams.

Judy Weader, senior analyst at Forrester Research, said more companies are hiring for such roles to help them focus on customer experience to boost the bottom line.

Starbucks is trying to increase staffing and training to handle an influx of labor-intensive drink orders dreamed up and popularized by TikTok users, Heather Haddon reports.

The drinks include a Triple Caramel Threat—cold brew with caramel syrup, vanilla sweet cold foam blended with dark caramel and caramel drizzle—and a Matcha Pink Drink featuring the chain’s Strawberry Açaí Refreshers Beverage with green tea powder and sweet cold foam added.

They are colliding against a company policy asking baristas to make customers’ drinks in a set period.

Starbucks recently released an internal training video detailing what baristas should do when a customer flashes an image of a viral drink or asks for a certain combination of ingredients. Baristas who recognize the drink should make it, while those who don’t should try to re-create it with the customer’s help.

Other chains facing similar meme orders are also trying to adapt.
After Chick-fil-A fans started ordering chicken nuggets, fries, chain’s sauces and other menu items all thrown into a bowl and shaken, some franchisees added a “bowl” button on their order-taking systems to accommodate the requests.

Retailers struggling with sparse selections are asking consumers to change their shopping lists. (WSJ) 

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is contemplating opening retail stores to introduce people to the concept of the metaverse. (NYT) 

A tour through the drive-thru restaurants of the future. (Business Insider)

The observation desks of New York’s newest skyscrapers are being built for selfies, not views. (Fast Company) 

Why the new Pixel 6 is Google's most accessibility friendly phone yet. (Gizmodo)

Amazon became the latest tech company to announce it will support Matter, a smart home standard that promotes interoperability. (Protocol)

Twitter will now show users a 60-second countdown during which they can edit their tweets before they publish—but only for members of its Twitter Blue subscription service. (The Mary Sue)

Yeezy, the fashion brand created by the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, agreed to pay a settlement of $950,000 over complaints it didn’t deliver online orders to customers in time. (WSJ) 

Uber is bringing back Uber Pool carpooling after shutting it down in March 2020. (The Verge)

Newsletter compiled with Katie Deighton and Ann-Marie Alcántara