Retail Media Breakfast Club

Last week, I stepped onto the stage at the Digital Shelf Summit here in Atlanta for a debate that’s been heating up across the industry: is agentic commerce an existential threat to e-commerce traffic? I took the “yes” side — boldly — and in this episode, I’m unpacking my full rebuttal to the idea that this is all just hype. I walk through where I agree with the skeptics (because yes, some of the...

Most retail media networks are built to look backward. But what if the real opportunity is predicting what customers will do next? In this episode, a reprise of my recent article for The Drum, I dig into a fascinating new model that challenges the industry’s reliance on transaction data and closed-loop attribution. I’m unpacking my recent conversation with Marco Steinsieck, former head of Sephora’...

Today I unpack a contrarian take that’s been sitting with me since my conversation with James Deaker on The Yield Doctor : what if the biggest threat to retail media is already here, but no one has the incentive to talk about it? I replay snippets from my convo with James, and dig into how AI-enabled commerce is reshaping the shopper journey long before customers ever land on a retailer’s site, an...

A few weeks ago, Kroger Precision Marketing announced a major partnership with Google that allows brands to activate Kroger audiences directly inside YouTube and DV360 while tying campaign measurement back to actual Kroger sales. On the surface, this looks like another retail media expansion story. But in this episode, I share snippets of a recent LinkedIn Live, and unpack why it’s actually someth...

Today I dive into a powerful idea that completely reframed how I think about retail media in relation to communicating narrative. After listening to a conversation featuring Joe Zappa on the AdTechGod Pod, I couldn’t ignore how directly his framework applies to our world. We’re not struggling with innovation: we’re struggling with storytelling. I unpack why so many retail media announcements fall...

Today, I’m doing something a little different. After attending Possible Miami and The Drum's Global Commerce Media Leaders Forum, my brain is overflowing, in the best way possible. I’ve got pages of notes, dozens of conversations swirling around, and one big question: which buzz-y trends actually matter most to you ? So instead of pretending I’ve got all the answers, I’m opening this up. In this e...

Today I unpack the intense industry reaction to a piece of Albertsons Media Collective, Ovative Group, and Kellogg School of Management research that challenged how we measure iROAS in retail media. When a single campaign’s return can swing wildly — up to 6.5x — based purely on methodology, it raises some uncomfortable but necessary questions. I walk through the biggest critiques that surfaced fro...

Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a powerhouse panel at the The Drum's inaugural Global Commerce Leaders Forum in Miami. And let me tell you, the insights that came out of our lightning round were too good not to share. I asked each expert a simple but loaded question: What’s one thing you’d fix in the next 12 months to make retail media networks more mature? The answers cut straight to...

I’m coming to you a little under the weather today, but this recap of my recent article for The Drum was too important not to share. In this episode, I break down Kroger’s new YouTube integration and why it could be a turning point for retail media networks trying to crack into elusive national brand budgets. I dig into what Kroger Precision Marketing actually built with Google’s DV360, why it mat...

Today I’m sharing highlights from a recent LinkedIn Live I hosted with Paul Brenner from In-Store Marketplace and Michelle Dooley from Catalyst Media Consulting. We dug into one of the most pressing challenges in retail media today: how we measure in-store performance, and whether the industry is actually optimizing for the wrong outcomes. We explored their new research report that proposes a shif...

I made the trek through Atlanta traffic to attend Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media upfronts, and let me tell you, it was absolutely worth it. In a year where brands are scrutinizing every dollar spent on travel and events, this one-day gathering managed to draw hundreds of suppliers from across the country. That alone says something. But what really stood out wasn’t just the announcements: it was h...

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of a packed stretch of travel — three major industry events in just a few days — and using it as a jumping-off point to unpack a bigger question: are work trips and in-person events still worth it in today’s commerce media landscape? I dive into fresh data from my LinkedIn poll and explore the growing divide between those constantly on the road and those opti...

Today I’m focusing on my recent article for The Drum, breaking down what really stood out from Home Depot’s third annual Infronts event, and there’s more going on than just incremental progress. Sure, merchant alignment and the shift toward self-service are important, but what really caught my attention is how Orange Apron Media is doubling down on the things only Home Depot can do. From turning t...

Today I dig into a question that’s been coming up more and more from retail media leaders: Should we be measuring retail media the same way we measure national media? It sounds simple, but once you get into it, things get complicated fast. I share insights from experts across my network to unpack why there’s no clean, one-size-fits-all answer, and what brands should actually be doing instead. I ex...

I recently had the pleasure of joining one of my favorite retail media podcasts, Unlocked , with Austin and Elizabeth. Today, I’m sharing a snippet from that conversation in which we get into something much more personal: my process as a writer, how I consistently create content, and why storytelling has become such a powerful tool in my work. I also open up about how I actually use AI in my day-t...

Today I'm unpacking a blind spot that completely changed how I’m thinking about AI’s impact on retail media. Recently I’ve been talking a lot about the long-term threat of agentic commerce — fewer ad surfaces, weaker first-party data— but there’s a more immediate issue already happening right now. AI agents are actively browsing retail sites, clicking around, and triggering ad impressions… without...

In this episode, I dive into a fascinating recent conversation featuring Gildan’s Jason O’Toole on The CPG Guys podcast and unpack a powerful idea that stopped me in my tracks: brand media lowers the tax you pay on growth . If you’ve ever struggled to justify upper-funnel spend or connect brand investment to real performance outcomes, this one’s for you. I break down three key takeaways from the d...

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of something I don’t talk about enough: what it really feels like to start over, even after years of experience. From launching a brand-new Instagram account @retailmediabreakfastclub with barely any followers, to reflecting on my early days writing “into the void,” I share the uncomfortable truth about building content, credibility, and confidence in public....

Not all shopping is created equal. And honestly, not all of it is fun. Today I'm unpacking the tension between the idea of AI-powered shopping and the reality of how we actually shop today. While we love the experience of discovering products and making intentional choices, a huge portion of shopping — especially groceries — is repetitive, operational and tedious. I explore where consumers are alr...

Today I'm unpacking a fascinating shift happening right under our noses in retail media — what has been coined “dark search.” I explore how AI-driven discovery is quietly reshaping the way consumers find and buy products. The big question: is this trend actually helping retail media grow, or is it eroding the very signals it depends on? I dive into two new pieces of research that seem to tell comp...

The conventional wisdom says AI advertising is something for the future, but I’m not buying that. Today, I extrapolate on Debbie Ajo Williamson’s insights shared on a recent Retailgentic episode, and break down why AI ads are already here, moving fast, and reshaping how retail media works in real time. Debbie digs into what’s actually happening behind the scenes with ChatGPT’s ad rollout, and why...

A few months ago, it felt like everyone in retail media was bracing for impact. Agentic commerce, zero-click search, and Gen AI were being treated as existential threats. But lately, I’ve noticed a shift. In this episode, I unpack what I’m hearing behind closed doors and on the ground at Shoptalk. The panic is cooling, and smarter, more strategic conversations are taking its place. I dive into wha...

Today I’m revisiting my recent article for The Drum and digging into a piece of research that stopped me in my tracks. And honestly, it might change how you think about retail media measurement altogether. I walk through new findings showing that something as simple as methodological choices can dramatically swing incremental ROAS (iROAS), sometimes even flipping campaign results from positive to...

Recently an essay stopped me in my tracks. My friend Drew Cashmore (Chief Strategy Officer at Vantage) wrote a brilliant piece for his Retail Media Leapfrog Series newsletter that draws a surprising parallel between the famous Fermi Paradox and the current state of retail media. And with Drew's permission I'm sharing sections of his essay in today's podcast. The piece delves into a big, uncomforta...

Today I'm unpacking a fascinating conversation from a recent episode of the Unlocking Retail Media podcast with Andrew Covato and host James Avery that reframed how I think about measurement in retail media networks. If you’ve ever wondered why brands keep getting frustrated — or why retail media struggles to prove its value — this conversation gets right to the heart of it. I use snippets from th...