Retail Media Breakfast Club

The retail world is buzzing over OpenAI’s new Instant Checkout. But here’s the big question: is it truly agentic commerce, or just another slick integration?  In this episode, I break down the debate between definition purists and pragmatists, unpack what 'agentic' really means in the context of AI-assisted shopping, and explore why this conversation might be missing the real story. While the indu...

Today I’m doing something a little different! Instead of my usual trends and insights, I’m sharing a clip from my recent guest appearance on Scot Wingo’s podcast, Retailgentech . Scott flipped the script and let me ask him about his career journey, his perspective on where retail is headed, and one of the biggest questions in e-commerce right now: How will large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT...

In this episode, I start with a trip back to 1916, when Clarence Saunders launched the first self-service supermarket, Piggly Wiggly, and everyone thought it was a ridiculous idea. Customers serving themselves? Paying cash instead of running a tab? Madness. Yet, it reshaped retail forever. I use that story as a lens to explore today’s 'crazy-sounding' innovation: agentic shopping (AI agents shoppi...

When you think about retail media, you probably picture shoppers scrolling through Instacart or Walmart’s app. But what about the millions of Americans living far from big-box stores? That’s exactly where Dollar General sees its biggest opportunity. And Austin Leonard, just three months into leading the Dollar General Media Network (DGMN), is on a mission to redefine what 'the last mile' really me...

Last week, I fell into the hype of Amazon’s Big Deal Days. And as the boxes arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t shake one uncomfortable thought: "did I actually get a deal?" In this episode, I unpack why online shopping feels less like convenience and more like detective work these days. From inflated list prices and contradictory product info, to fake reviews and ad overload, I explore the five ma...

In today’s episode, I’m diving into one of the biggest challenges facing retail media today: measurement. Retailers may be racing to launch flashy new ad formats and in-store screens, but brands are asking for something far more fundamental — proof that their advertising dollars are working. Enter Cara Pratt, the new President of Global Retail and Media at Circana, who after just 90 days into her...

In this episode, I break down some of the key insights from my recent op-ed for WARC on the state of retail media measurement standards. While there’s been progress with guidelines from the IAB and MRC, real adoption is still patchy, and the reasons why might surprise you. I explore why brands and retailers alike are struggling to align on measurement, the paradox of custom reporting requests, and...

In this 'Snips' episode, I dive into one of the biggest debates shaking up the commerce world: is retail media eating trade marketing, or is it the other way around? To unpack this, I analyse commentary from two industry leaders who see the collision from very different vantage points.  James Taylor of Particular Audience makes a strong case that trade dollars are shifting into transparent, measur...

When AI enters the shopping cart, does it really change how we buy or just how we think we buy? In this episode, I dig into new research from the IAB’s Connected Commerce Summit that reveals the gap between what shoppers say they’ll do versus what they actually do when AI tools guide their purchases. You’ll hear insights from my recent panel discussion with Adam Heimlich (CEO of Chalice AI), Amie...

A year ago, many retail media teams were still questioning whether AI was just hype. Fast forward to today, and it’s become an indispensable part of day-to-day operations. In this episode, I asked brand leaders how their use of AI has evolved over the past year. Their answers reveal just how quickly experimentation has turned into real-world impact. From rewriting product listings and optimizing P...

In this episode, a reproduction of my September 16 article on The Drum, I break down Best Buy’s bold move into the retail media space with its first advertising showcase 'We Got Next'. This streaming event marked a pivotal step for the electronics retailer, not just in unveiling in-store ad packages and sports partnerships, but in signaling a much bigger vision for the future of retail media. I sh...

In this 'Snips' format, I provide commentary to highlights from a recent episode of the Retailgentech podcast, where host Scott Wingo spoke with Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategies & Insights at CI&T. Melissa shared snippets of brand new survey data revealing that a whopping 75% of consumers are now using AI tools at some point in their shopping journey, a huge milestone t...

Domino’s might have been ahead of its time when it launched 'Anywhere' ordering back in 2015, but today, social commerce is taking convenience to the next level. In this episode, I dive into the world of social commerce, the seamless integration of shopping directly within social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and why it’s reshaping how brands and retailers connect with customers. From TikTo...

We’ve all heard the buzzword 'omnichannel' tossed around, but what if it’s the wrong way to think about digital commerce? In this episode, I dive into fresh research from the Digital Shelf Institute and share my take on why focusing on channels misses the bigger picture: the consumer journey. From digitally influenced sales, to the rise of insurgent brands and even Unilever’s bold experiment in cr...

Over the past two weeks, I’ve been sitting down with Cody Tusberg, EVP of Connected Commerce and Retail Media Services at Acosta Group, to dig into some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in retail media. We started by exploring the inner workings of retailer organizations and how brands can navigate those dynamics. Then we talked about data normalization and how to make sense of multiple...

Choosing the right retail media agency can be a make or break decision, but most brands are asking the wrong questions. In this episode, I called on several seasoned brand leaders who’ve been through the agency selection process to get their insights. We spoke about the often-overlooked factors that truly matter when choosing an agency partner: finding the right people (not just credentials), spot...

Retail media federations sound like a no-brainer: retailers pooling their audiences and inventory to attract bigger ad dollars while keeping their unique value intact. But in reality, making federations work requires solving some thorny technical, governance, and cultural challenges. In this episode (part three of my retail media alliances series), I dive into what it really takes to build a succe...

Last week’s big announcement from Best Buy caught my attention. Not just because of its splashy branding moves with gaming and sports, but because it hinted at a more collaborative model for retail media. Could this be the beginning of federations and consortiums reshaping the retail media landscape? In this episode, I dive into part two of my series on retail media alliances. From Europe’s pionee...

Amazon may dominate the retail media landscape, but is your brand missing growth opportunities by focusing too narrowly? In the second installment of this 3-part series, I’m joined once again by Cody Tusberg, EVP of Digital Commerce and Retail Media Services at Acosta Group, to explore what it really takes to win in retail media beyond Amazon. We dive into why shoppers’ habits demand a broader cha...

Too often, retail media performance gets boiled down to a single number: ROAS. But is that really enough to guide smart investment decisions? In this episode, I share another highlight from the Retail Media Tech Jam livestream with Tom Limongello and Scott Messer from The Middlemen podcast. Together, we unpack why relying solely on ROAS can be misleading, and what metrics and insights media buyers...

Retail media has exploded in recent years, but is it already falling into a dangerous cycle? In this episode, I share highlights from a recent LinkedIn Live I hosted with Tom Limongello and Scott Messer  from The Middlemen podcast. We dove into why retailers are so secretive about their tech stacks, what that means for brand-side buyers, and whether this lack of transparency is slowing growth acro...

Could AI shopping agents fundamentally disrupt retail media as we know it? In this episode, I share highlights from my recent appearance on the Commerce Media Matters podcast with Nick Morgan and Paul Blackburn. We explored how the rise of AI-driven shopping experiences might shift consumer behavior away from retailer websites and apps. And what that could mean for retailers, brands, and the value...

As a brand, working with retailers can often feel like navigating two completely different worlds. Retailers operate as complex ecosystems where merchants, trade marketing, and retail media teams each have their own goals and agendas. In Episode 1 of this three part series, I’m joined by expert Cody Tusberg, EVP of Digital Commerce and Retail Media Services at Acosta Group, to unpack these dynamic...

In this episode, I dive into what loyalty really means in an era of agent-driven shopping. Recently, loyalty expert Stephanie Meltzer-Paul challenged my thesis on loyalty as the “last moat” for retailers, and today I’m unpacking her insights into what retailers and brands must do if they want to stay relevant. Spoiler: standing still won’t cut it! I explore why loyalty programs must evolve into ma...

Today I take you inside a chilling scenario that started with a simple eBay hack and led me to a much bigger question: what happens when AI agents start shopping for us with full autonomy? As commerce shifts into the age of agentic AI, entirely new fraud frontiers are emerging. And the risks are far greater than anything we’ve faced before. In this episode I break down why our traditional defenses...