Retail Media Breakfast Club

In this episode, we discuss Amazon's recent test of offsite product links in mobile search results, an unprecedented move aimed at expanding its advertising inventory. The episode delves into the motivations behind this strategy, including the potential for increasing ad space, improving customer experience, and gathering valuable user data. We also explore the perspectives of e-commerce analyst R...

In this episode, Kiri focuses on the evolution of retail media spending. The discussion covers various data points from IAB Australia, highlighting how retail media budgets are being reallocated from traditional and social media channels, as well as trade retail budgets. Examples include Tillamook's strategy of keeping trade funds and retail media separate and Goodman Fielder's integrated planning...

In this special Valentine's Day episode, brand side leaders from companies like Quickfire, Monster Energy, Petmate, and U Beauty reveal the moments that broke their hearts in retail media. Scott Oshman discusses the chaos caused by the shift to GA4, Ben Galvin highlights the confusion from closed loop attribution models, and Darren Silverman criticizes Walmart's transition to Luminate. Lastly, AJ...

In this episode, Kiri delves into the complexities of transparency in retail media, extending beyond basic reporting to the control brands have over their campaigns and success measurements. Insights from Jordan Witmer, Managing Director of Retail Media at Nectar First, highlight the challenges with ad placement performance transparency, while Alex Arnott from Dentsu's Newstream Media underscores...

In this episode, Kiri explores the rapid growth of retail media, which is expected to see over $10 billion in new ad spending in the US by 2025. Despite its increasing importance, brands face significant challenges in measuring the effectiveness of their investments, due largely to disparate data systems between retailers. Kiri delves into insights from a report by Skai and the Path to Purchase In...

In this episode, Kiri discusses the increasing issue of return fraud faced by Amazon sellers, a problem highlighted through discussions on Reddit and interviews with affected sellers. Addressing fraudulent activities such as customers returning damaged or different items, Kiri explains the complications of fulfillment methods—Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) versus merchant-fulfilled (FBM)—and the abse...

In this episode, we explore how Thrive Market successfully built a retail media network by focusing on vendor and customer experiences. Kiri shares insights from an interview with April Lane, Thrive Market's Chief Merchandising Officer. Key achievements include doubling revenue expectations and getting a quarter of brand partners to invest in the platform within the first month. Highlights include...

This episode delves into the evolving landscape of retail media and its relationship with traditional digital advertising channels like CTV, video, and search. Kiri explores discrepancies in how industry analysts, such as the IAB, WARC categorize retail media versus public perception, highlighted by a LinkedIn poll indicating that 73% view traditional digital channels as subsets within retail medi...

In this episode, industry experts discuss the anxieties brand leaders face in the rapidly evolving retail media landscape. Key topics include the immense pressure on budgets, the complexity of managing numerous retail networks, and the impact of inexperienced players driving up costs. Brian Dudzinski highlights the explosive growth and sustainability concerns of trade spend, Alicia Ponzani address...

This episode delves into Amazon's transformation of Alexa from a basic command-response system to a sophisticated AI agent powered by their in-house LLM, Nova. We explore the reasons behind Alexa's stagnation over the past eight years, including reliance on outdated frameworks, complexities in voice response, user expectations for reliability, and limited conversational context. Amazon's plans for...

In this episode, seasoned professionals from companies like Quickfire, Monster Energy, Petmate, Advantis Health, and U Beauty share their insights and advice for newcomers to retail media. Highlights include Scott Oshman emphasizing the importance of understanding digital advertising fundamentals, Ben Galvin focusing on the complexities of the retail ecosystem, Darren Silverman advising to broaden...

In this episode, the discussion centers on the emerging role of AI shopping agents as a new consumer interface, potentially shifting retail control from traditional retailers to AI platforms. Kiri reflects on recent experiments with OpenAI's Operator, pointing out its growing capabilities and current limitations. The conversation extends to the implications for retailers, touching on the short-ter...

In this episode, Kiri delves into Chip Wilson's autobiography 'Little Black Stretchy Pants' to explore the origins and evolution of Lululemon. Discover how Wilson's vision for vertical integration helped pioneer the direct-to-consumer model and the innovative approach behind the brand's product development. Learn about the complications that arose as the company scaled globally, including the tens...

In this episode, Kiri explores the impact of Mr. Beast's new show, Beast Games, on Amazon Prime, highlighting a significant shift in retail media advertising. It discusses how Amazon leverages entertainment for improved targeting and personalization, driven by data and advertising revenue. The episode references Jeff Bezos' 2016 statement on Amazon's strategy and outlines how the company has maste...

Join industry experts from agencies and leading companies like Quickfire, Monster Energy, Tom's of Maine, Petmate, and Advantis Health as they share insightful analogies to help explain the complexities of retail media to leadership teams. Learn how digital commerce decisions parallel profit versus growth roads, discern how retail media compares to a farmer's market, understand the importance of '...

In this episode, Kiri explores the transformative potential of AI shopping agents in revolutionizing grocery shopping and retail media. She discusses how an AI agent can handle meal planning, price comparisons, and shopping preferences, ultimately streamlining the shopping experience. Kiri delves into the anticipated shift in retail media dynamics, emphasizing how AI will change consumer interacti...

In this episode, Kiri explores key insights from the IAB's 2025 Outlook report, focusing on the projected deceleration in retail media spending growth from 25.1% in 2024 to 15.6% in 2025. Kiri outlines three major factors influencing this trend: post-pandemic normalization, increasing ecosystem complexity, and mounting resistance from brands over measurement standards and costs. The episode delves...

In this episode of Friday book review, Kiri discusses the book "Clarence Saunders & the Founding of Piggly Wiggly" and delves into the transformative vision of Clarence Saunders, the founder of Piggly Wiggly, who changed the grocery shopping experience in 1916 by allowing customers to pick their own groceries. The episode highlights Saunders' impact on the grocery industry, his focus on custom...

Stratably’s 2025 CPG Outlook, and Media Ads + Commerce’s most popular research from last year reveal a critical shift towards digital channels, which are driving all of the CPG growth in 2024 and are projected to account for two-thirds of growth in 2025. The report highlights the anaemic growth in physical stores, increasing profit margins, and the maturation of retail media networks. Brands are r...

Join industry leaders from Monster Energy, Tom's of Maine, Advantice Health and U Beauty as they reveal the crucial skills they wish they'd developed earlier in their careers. Learn the importance of storytelling with data, effective communication, simplifying complex insights, and creative analysis. This session is a great watch for anyone early in their retail media and E-commerce career. CHAPTE...

In this episode, Kiri provides actionable steps to enhance your LinkedIn feed for staying updated with industry trends and research. Key tips include following industry leaders and thought leaders, using the notification bell to get updates from high-value profiles, and employing the saved posts feature to revisit valuable content. Additionally, Kiri emphasizes on the importance of interacting wit...

Dive into groundbreaking Amazon Ads research report revealing what really works in retail media. We unpack four key findings from Amazon's own scientists: the superior performance of Sponsored Brand Video across all metrics, the impact of brand size on ad performance, the importance of targeting precision, and the surprising influence of retail actions like reviews. Get ready for data-backed insig...

Dive into Kiri Masters’ insightful review of the book Primal Branding as she unpacks the seven elements of the primal branding code that can revolutionize your retail strategy. From creation stories to sacred words, discover how these timeless principles foster deeper connections with customers. Kiri also shares practical applications of these elements in retail media and offers a behind-the-scene...

Dive into the evolving landscape of senior e-commerce leadership roles, particularly the emerging "Head of Amazon" position. Discover why finding candidates who blend operational expertise with cross-functional influence is proving challenging for the emerging "Head of Amazon" position. We also explore compelling data on where VPs of e-commerce land next—from C-suite transitions to consulting path...

Join industry leaders from Monster Energy, Tom's of Maine, Petmate and Advantice Health as they share invaluable insights on educating leadership teams on e commerce & retail media. Learn how to translate complex e-commerce concepts into relatable analogies, discover why "complaining is not a strategy," and understand the power of full-funnel tactics. Walk away with practical approaches to dri...