Retail Media Breakfast Club

Cannes is over, and so is Season 1 of Retail Media Breakfast Club. Thank you for joining me for this experiment I started in January. After pushing near-daily content for 5 months, I’m taking break for the summer. I’ll be in Europe with my fam for a few weeks before heading back to Atlanta in mid-July. Here’s what to expect from RMBC in the second half of the year. Season 2 kicks off on Monday Jul...

Day three at the Cannes Festival of Creativity brought some of the most insightful conversations yet! I sat down once again with Lauren Livak, Director at the Digital Shelf Institute, and Colin Lewis, an experienced retail media commentator, to unpack the day's highlights. From global retail media strategies to the role of ad tech and B2B innovation, this episode captures the evolving narrative of...

Cannes Confessional 3 In today’s episode of Cannes Confessional , I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Longo, GM of AI in Ads at Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft was actually the first to embed ads within the native chat experience of an LLM, which gives them a front-row seat to the evolving future of advertising in AI.  Later, I dropped in on a compelling panel from the Women in Retail Me...

In this episode, I dive into some fresh insights straight from the Cannes Festival of Creativity, where I caught a fascinating research presentation at the Mirakl Cabana. Partnering with Forrester, Mirakl unveiled a report titled “Are You Sitting on a Retail Media Goldmine?” —and let me tell you, the findings are eye-opening. From cultural shifts in retail to tapping into the overlooked mid- and l...

I just landed in Cannes, and wow—talk about a tale of two coastlines! On one side, CMOs and creatives are tucked away in the Palais soaking up award glamour, while out on the Croisette the retail-media crowd is wheeling and dealing under beach umbrellas. That split sets the stage for a whirlwind first day where Amazon steals the creative spotlight, non-retail heavyweights crash the commerce-media...

After five months and over a hundred episodes, I take a moment to reflect on what this journey with the Retail Media Breakfast Club has taught me so far—and wow, it’s been a ride. In this episode, I share five key lessons from launching and sustaining this daily(ish) content experiment, and walk through the most popular (and surprising) episodes to date. Whether you’re a long-time listener or just...

f you’ve noticed fewer Google searches and more ChatGPT queries lately, you’re not imagining things—AI is changing how we shop. In this episode, I share my top takeaways from the new Retailgentic podcast and newsletter by Scot Wingo. From the rapid emergence of AI agents in commerce to the existential questions facing retailers, this episode is packed with game-changing insights you won’t want to...

In today's episode I dive into the real-world ways top retail brands are using AI—not just the flashy stuff you read about, but the practical tools that are truly moving the needle. From AI-driven share of search insights to tools that dissect customer reviews and even create product videos, these aren’t future ideas—they’re game-changing strategies already in play. I spoke with four seasoned pros...

In this episode, I unpack some eye-opening contradictions in consumer behavior when it comes to retail media. Sure, surveys say a lot—67% of shoppers claim to notice retail ads, and many express preferences for personalization. But are those sentiments actually guiding their spending? Spoiler: not quite. We explore why what people say often doesn’t match what they do, and why marketers need to be...

In this episode, I dive deep into why the technology stack behind these networks isn’t just a backend concern—it’s the backbone of your campaign outcomes. From ad server speeds to reporting capabilities and everything in between, we’ll look at why brands and advertisers need to get curious (and even demanding) about the RMNs they partner with. I’ll share how platforms like Amazon and Walmart domin...

EMARKETER's bold projection—AI-powered search ads surging from $1B to over $25B by 2029—isn’t just hype. From structured product feeds in LLMs to Shopify’s latest catalog API, the foundations of conversational commerce are already reshaping the retail media landscape. I unpack the key infrastructure shifts, consumer behavior trends, and strategic moves by giants like Walmart, Amazon, and Shopify....

Conference season is here, and with it comes the ever-present question from leadership: “Why should we approve this expense?” In today’s episode of the Retail Media Breakfast Club, I tackle that head-on with advice and stories straight from the front lines of retail media. Whether you’re booking your first trip to Cannes or opening your first conference app, you’ll find actionable tips to make eve...

This episode, I dive into Mary Meeker’s long-awaited return to the tech trend spotlight with her massive 340-page AI report. If you’ve followed her legendary internet trend decks over the years, you know she doesn’t pull punches. Her newest insights confirm what many of us have sensed: AI is not just another tech wave—it’s the defining shift of our era. But what does that mean for those of us in r...

In this episode, I dive deep into the future of advertising and tackle a burning question in the world of retail media: Will Amazon follow Meta’s path into fully autonomous, AI-driven “black box” advertising? With Meta and Google making bold moves toward automation that minimizes advertiser control, I unpack how Amazon is responding—and whether it’s headed down the same road. We explore what Mark...

n today’s episode of the Retail Media Breakfast Club , I’m digging into a question that gets a lot of e-commerce pros fired up: where should your eComm team sit within the org chart? Sales? Marketing? Somewhere in between? I’ve brought in three powerhouse brand-side leaders to share how their companies are structured—and why. From owning the P&L to forming tightly aligned omni teams, we explor...

In this follow-up episode, I dive back into the great retail media debate stirred up by Jason Goldberg’s recent commentary on the Jason & Scott Show. His take? That retail media, outside of Amazon, isn’t exactly thrilling. But after three weeks of reflecting, engaging with community feedback, and digging into new data, I’ve come back ready to challenge that notion and show why retail media is...

This morning, I dove into Walmart’s new AI shopping assistant, Sparky. As a late entrant into the AI assistant race, Walmart may actually be playing a smarter long game than it seems. In this episode, I share my hands-on experience with Sparky, highlight what’s working (and what’s not), and explore the broader implications for brands and retailers navigating an AI-driven future. We’ll explore Spar...

Today, I’m kicking off something a little different—our first-ever AI case study spotlight! We often get caught up in the hype of what AI could do, but this episode is all about what AI has done. I’m sharing four real-world AI use cases from retailers and brands, breaking down how each initiative led to measurable impact. From spiking conversion rates to slashing production cycles and legal costs,...

In today’s episode, I dive into one of my favorite topics—those unexpected career-defining moments that shape everything. I’m talking about the “sliding doors” decisions that, in hindsight, changed the trajectory of some of the most impressive retail media leaders I know. You’ll hear real, raw stories from brand-side professionals who took chances, followed curiosities, or simply annoyed the right...

Today I’m digging into the latest insights from Pentaleap’s biannual Sponsored Products Benchmark Report—and it’s challenging some long-held assumptions about online advertising. Shoppers say they don’t love ads, but the data tells a different story. I’m sharing what Amazon, Walmart, and Home Depot are doing right when it comes to high-volume sponsored product listings—and what mid-tier retailers...

In today’s episode, I unpack why so many shoppers are brushing off AI chatbots and recommendation engines—even as they quietly benefit from other AI-powered features during their online shopping journeys. Drawing insights from a fresh Akeneo survey of U.S. consumers, I highlight the trust gap that exists when it comes to visible AI tech like chatbots versus the more invisible enhancements like AI-...

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart is building its own shopping agents for tasks like reordering groceries and handling requests like "plan a unicorn-themed party for my daughter." I walk through the key details: how Walmart is developing agent-to-agent protocols, preparing for interoperability with third-party agents, and recognizing that agent shopping is fundamentally diffe...

The latest Sponsored Product Ads benchmark report from Pentaleap dropped today!  This benchmark  compares the performance of major retail media networks across search terms, categories, and bidding models. In this episode I share four major takeaways for brands and advertisers: the importance of testing on mature platforms like Amazon and Walmart, the resilience of long tail queries, the differenc...

In this episode, I draw a parallel between the diverse approaches to making bolognese sauce and the varied nature of retail media networks.  Just as every cook has their unique bolognese recipe, every retail media network has its own way of managing advertising, measurement, and reporting.  This variety stems from differences in business models, technology, and market positions. I discuss the chal...

In this episode, I share  Fidji Simo's remarkable journey as the CEO of Instacart and her upcoming transition to lead OpenAI's consumer products division.  Simo’s tenure at Instacart turned it into a profitable retail technology giant from a pandemic-boosted delivery service. Her key achievements include launching Carrot Ads and Carrot Insights, enhancing Instacart’s advertising business to genera...