Growing Ecommerce – The Retail Growth Podcast
Episodes
Inside Google's UCP playbook — why OpenAI CAN'T catch up
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Google just quietly won the agentic commerce war — and most ecommerce retailers haven't even noticed. In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mik...
OpenAI's "Delusional" $100B Ad Target | Plus: The Fall of Allbirds
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller unpack two massive stories highlighting the current realities—and potential ...
The “Amazon Killer”? How JD's Joybuy Invades Europe | PLUS: Meta's Zero-Click Threat
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is the “Zero-Click” shopping era finally here, and are European retailers ready for a three-way war between Amazon, Temu, and JD.com’s Joybuy?In...
OpenAI’s $25 BILLION Loss – is Agentic Shopping Dead?
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI is facing a projected $25 billion shortfall, and their attempt to monetize ecommerce is already falling apart.In this episode of Growing Ecomme...
How the Top 1% Retailers Run Google Ads in 2026
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder what the biggest e-commerce brands are discussing behind closed doors? We are opening up the vault. 🤫In this episode of Growing Ecommer...
Temu Hits 71% Market Share – Should You Worry? Plus: Google's Coming for Your Landing Pages
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is the "clash of the titans" coming for your profit margins, and is Google about to take away your website traffic? In this episode of Growi...
Sam Altman SCREWS UP ChatGPT Shopping | Plus: Google Product Feed Deep Dive
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why did OpenAI quietly kill its shopping feature, and what does it mean for the future of Google Ads? 🚨In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike ...
The State of PPC 2026: Live from SMX Munich w/ Wijnard Meijer (TrueClicks) and Frederick Vallaeys (Optmyzr)
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to know how your peers are actually handling the grind, the Google Ads updates, and the "AI takeover," this episode is a must-wa...
The end of Dynamic Search Ads is here! Insights from 200+ AI Max campaigns
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris from Smarter Ecommerce (smec) tackle the massive news that DSA's time on Earth is limi...
The Expensive Problem with Google’s Search Partner Network (SPN): Insights from 1,500+ Campaigns
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
🚨 Breaking Google Ads News: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) will be going "the way of the dinosaurs." As confirmed by Google's Ginny Marvin...
Is ROAS Overrated? – Why the “Revenue Trap” Might Kill Your Google Ads Profit
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is ROAS a flawed metric for Google Ads? According to acclaimed ecommerce experts Mike Ryan and Christian Scharmüller, using Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)...
PMax vs. Standard Shopping? – 3 Google Ads Myths Busted
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Growing eCommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris debunk three persistent myths that are still holding retailers back in 2026. While everyone ...
Google’s UCP Explained: Will "Agentic Commerce" Replace Search in 2026?
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
UCP (Universal Context Protocol) is a new infrastructure layer aiming to standardize “agentic commerce.” It breaks ecommerce into modular capabili...
Ecommerce Trends 2026: Google AI, Temu & CPC Forecast
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of 2025, Chris and Mike trade their suits for matching Christmas pajamas to deliver a raw, honest review of the year in digital m...
Are Your Google Ads Lying to You? - Marginal ROAS Explained
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mike Ryan and Chris dive into the fundamental issue plaguing advanced performance advertisers: the lack of data integrity between ad ...
Black Friday Bloodbath: ROAS Down 12%, Gross Margins Down 9% | Post-Mortem Data
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this post-mortem episode, hosts Mike Ryan and Chris dive deep into the data behind the last peak season to reveal the true cost of Black Friday. Th...
Google is bigging on the WRONG products: The ‘Clicked vs. Bought’ dilemma explained
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Mike Ryan and Christian Scharmueller dismantle a massive technical flaw in Performance Max: the "Clicked vs. Bought" discre...
Google AI Max is A TRAP?! New Data on ROAS, Demand Gen & DSA Sunset
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is Google's new AI Max for Search the future, or is it a hidden trap?In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris dive into brand-n...
Google's $155 Billion Backlog: The Real Cost of Advertising
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Q3 earnings are in, and the consolidation is real. Hosts Mike Ryan and Chris dive into the gravity-defying numbers, confirming that Google's core...
CPC Crisis: 30% Inflation is Here! What now?
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode tackles the most urgent issues retail clients are facing right now: exploding costs and profound market uncertainty.Hosts Mike Ryan and C...
Google & OpenAI are FORCING You to Pay: The AI Ad Overhaul
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's here! Ads are officially landing inside your AI search results, and Google’s not asking for permission. In this episode, Mike Ryan and Ch...
Zalando is Banning Shoppers: Are Returns Killing YOUR Profits?
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This controversial episode is tackling the messy side of shopping! Hosts Mike Ryan and Christian Scharmueller dive straight into the news that Zalando...
Google Email Leak Explained: What’s coming next to Google Ads?
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this solo episode, host Mike Ryan tackles the opaqueness of the digital advertising industry. He then reveals a previously confidential email from ...
Google AI’s Secret Plan: The BIGGEST THREAT to Your Retail Business Yet?
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will Google's new AI strategy kill ecommerce as you know it? In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dissect the b...
Google's A/I Max & The Temu Takeover: Navigating the E-commerce Future
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 10 of Growing ecommerce! Get ready to cut through the noise with your hosts Mike and Chris, as they tackle the real-world implicati...
AI's Reality Check: Financial Bubble or Foundation for the Future?
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 9 of Growing Ecommerce! In a world buzzing with AI hype, we're cutting through the noise to ask the big question: Is this the ...
Google vs. Amazon vs. TikTok vs. Meta: Welcome to the AI Ad Wars
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s show, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dive headfirst into the "PMAXification" of the advertising landscape, a term Mike co...
Is AI Shattering Google’s Fortress? Plus: Inside Amazon’s Risky Ads Test
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is AI a wolf in sheep’s clothing for Google's empire? Mike Ryan and Christian Scharmueller are back to spill the tea on the biggest players in ...
Google Marketing Live Recap: AI Overviews, PMax reporting, AI Max, and more
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Google is positioning AI at the center of its advertising ecosystem with substantial changes to search, shopping, and campaign management. The new &qu...
Big exits & bold bets: Temu stops ads in US while OpenAI enters ecommerce. Plus, debating the marketwide pivot to profit.
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We broke the news: Temu hit the brakes – hard. In this episode, Mike and Chris dig intoWhy Temu suddenly killed all ads in the US, and what happened...
Will AI Break Google Search? Plus: Tariff Shocks & the Rise of Zero-Click
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Google’s turning into an answer engine—so why does it feel like the internet’s disappearing beneath it? In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, M...
Instagram's Fake AI Influencers? Plus: A CSAM Scandal Rocks Google & Zuckerberg’s Moderation Cuts
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who’s real anymore? In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike and Chris break down the chaos unfolding across the digital advertising world:• In...
2025 State of PMax Report, plus: Zuckerberg shrugs ads, Amazon shares its ad stack
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Digital ads in 2025 are anything but boring. In this episode, Mike and Chris unpack:Mark Zuckerberg’s eyebrow-raising claim that ads aren’t import...
New co-host, same chaos: Amazon Haul, Nike's DTC regrets, Perplexity AI Shopping, and more
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Big changes on Growing Ecommerce! Chris Scharmueller joins Mike Ryan for a fresh, unscripted take on the latest in online retail. In this episode:Amaz...
2024 Year End Recap: Google’s Legal Challenges, Amazon vs. Temu, and Other Platform News
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the forces reshaping the ecommerce landscape leading into 2025 as host Mike Ryan guides us through a labyrinth of game-changing developments ...
Q2 Highlights: Wins and losses for Netflix, Amazon, Pinterest, and Google
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can a new low-price, slow-shipping strategy from Amazon truly rival Temu's direct-from-China model? On this episode of Growing ecommerce, host Mi...
Tech's Impact on Health & Beauty with Rob Davis of THG
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
(Recorded live at IRX Birmingham)Rob Davis is Acquisition Marketing Director at THG Beauty, a division which is responsible for £1.2B of THG's t...
Google Marketing Live: Ads in an AI-First Search Experience
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Mike Ryan for a discussion of his highlights from GML 2024. Was the event overshadowed by Google I/O? Do advertisers need to worry about the bigg...
The State of MarTech with Daniel Smulevich
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about the future of marketing from Daniel Smulevich of Jellyfish, as he guides us through the MarTech revolution in a landscape brimming with ch...
Behind Temu's Digital Advertising Landslide
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Temu's advertising has been at the center of countless headlines in recent months. However, journalists don't know advertising well enough a...
Google's MMM Answer to Meta's Robyn, plus a change in Temu's strategy
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mike shares updates about two trending areas to watch this year. First is the rise of marketing mix modelling. He digs into Google's new Meridian...
Marketplaces: Navigating the Digital Storefront Landscape with Vinny O'Brien
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get a heap of ecommerce & marketplace insights from Vinnie O'Brien, whose expertise from eBay to DTC brands sets the stage for a riveting dis...
Temu & SHEIN: Dissecting China's Ecomm Conquest with Stefan Wenzel
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unravel the complexities of the ecommerce universe as we sit down with Stefan Wenzel, veteran leader from eBay Germany, Otto Netherlands, and McLaren ...
The Future of Ecommerce Advertising in the Post-Cookie Era
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we navigate the choppy waters of ecommerce remarketing with Phillip Ivellio-Vellin, exploring the ramifications of the impending Digital Ma...
Google Ads' New Frontiers: Performance Max, Demand Gen, and YouTube Shorts
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you ready to uncover the future of Google Ads? Brace yourself as we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of Google's advertising platform,...
The Future of Pay-Per-Click Advertising: A Conversation with Wijnand Meijer
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Unveiling the hidden world of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and software development is none other than one of the founders of True Clicks, Wijnand ...
Product Segmentation for Ecommerce: Tackling Efficiency and Scale
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wondering about the hidden potential of product segmentation in ecommerce? Join as we peel back the layers on this fascinating topic. We'll discu...
Google's Auction Games: Beneficial or Manipulative?
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you ready to peel back the curtain on Google's shadowy world of search auctions? Prepare for a shocking journey that will explore the murky d...
Exploring Amazon's Edge, AI Influence in Ecommerce, and Ad Tech Future
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder why Amazon seems to always be ahead of the curve while Google seems to be playing catch up? Join me and James Hercher from AdExchanger as ...
The Impact of Google's Automation on Advertisers
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered how small advertisers navigate the labyrinth that is Google Ads? We dive into the thick of this challenge with Collin Slattery, founder ...
Performance Max: Navigating the Labyrinth of Mystery Placements and Estimations
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if I told you that the elusive world of Performance Max campaigns could be demystified? That's right, after an exhaustive year-long investig...
An In-depth Look at Digital Marketing with Stefan Bures from metoda
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ready to unlock the power of Amazon Ads? Join us for a fascinating deep dive into the world of Amazon advertising with our special guest, Stefan Bures...
Exploring Feed-Based Advertising and AI in Product Management with adidas's Senior Product Manager, Onur Polat
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready for a ride as senior product manager at adidas, Onur Polat, steps into the spotlight. His journey from launching a jobs portal in Albania to...
Shedding Light on Marketing Mix Modeling: Lampenwelt's Data-Driven Strategies
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered what it takes to navigate the world of performance marketing amidst a global pandemic? Join us as we chat with Stefan Huß, Head of Perf...
Unveiling the Power of Generative AI in Ad Campaigns
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if artificial intelligence could revolutionize the e-commerce industry? Join us in our captivating conversation with Ralph Mayr, director of Prod...
Google Marketing Live: Exploring the Impact on Ecommerce
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to growing e-commerce. This time, Mike is discussing Google marketing live, also known as GML. As the recording takes place between GML and IO...
Power of AI in Ecommerce: Bing Search with Fabrice Canel
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the introduction of the AI powered BING search, its an interesting time for the world as the advertisers are at an inflection point between learn...
Google Ads and PMax: The Great Brand vs. Non-Brand Debate
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 8. of Growing Ecommerce. Today Mike is joined by two guests, Kirk Williams, owner of ZATO marketing making his second appearance ...
Increase Your Reach and Profitability with Microsoft Advertising
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 7. of Growing Ecommerce. Today, Mike is joined by Lucas Gordon, a solution specialist in native advertising at Microsoft. With 2...
Forecasting for Ecommerce: Guide to profitability
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 6. of Growing Ecommerce. Today Mike is joined by Sam Tomlinson, of Warshawski, a boutique marketing agency in the US. Sam is also...
AI in marketing: BING vs. Google (The War of Search Engines), prompt engineering, and what are we doing wrong?
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 5. of Growing Ecommerce. Today, Mike is joined by Mike Taylor, who is making his second appearance on the show. He's the co-...
Ecommerce in the UK: Performance Max, Microsoft Ads and Agency vs in-house.
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 4. of Growing Ecommerce. Today Mike is joined by his colleague Mark Haupt, smec`s UK commercial director. He brings years of onli...
2022 ecommerce retro: Consumer Confidence, Inflation and Google Ads funnel metrics.
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 3. of Growing Ecommerce. Today, Mike looks back at ecommerce in 2022. He reviewed the data and prepared a market report for 2022....
Building brand on data: Amazon advertising for retailers.
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 2. of Growing ecommerce. Today, we are joined by Scott Kennedy. He's a senior director at Franklin Sports where he's ...
Advertising 60 million products: How to set and measure your paid advertising?
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 33. of Growing ecommerce. Today, we are joined by Arend de Ruiter from bol.com, a dutch retailer and retail platform generating...
Google Analytics 4: challenges, opportunities, and how to collect your data?
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 32. of Growing ecommerce, the last episode of 2022. Today, we are joined by Philip, Ivelio Vellin who is an expert in analytics a...
COO: How to integrate marketing & operations for better Facebook campaigns
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 31. of Growing ecommerce. Today, we are joined by Tim Aton, COO at Range Leather, where in a classic scale-up fashion, he wears a...
Black Friday: What is ahead for retailers?
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 30. of Growing ecommerce. Today is a special episode as we break the usual format. Long-time listeners will know we did a Q4 peak s...
Marketing growth, experimentation, and modeling with Mike Taylor
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 29. of Growing ecommerce. Today, Mike is joined by Mike Taylor, co-founder of Vex Power (vexpower.com) which offers courses for mar...
Modern marketer: How to stay ahead of changing Google Ads landscape?
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 28 of Growing Ecommerce. In this episode, Mike shares one of his monologues to reflect the changes in advertising, and tackles the ...
Search Engine Marketing: organic, paid, or all of the above?
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 27 of Growing Ecommerce. In this episode, Mike is joined by Inderpaul Rai, Head of Acquisition at ufurnish.com. Indy has had a rema...
How to measure ecommerce growth with Alex Greifeld?
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 26. of Growing Ecommerce. In this episode, Mike is joined by Alex Greifeld. Alex has a long background in ecommerce and until recen...
Customer Lifetime Value with data scientist Katherine Munro
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 25 of Growing Ecommerce. This time, Mike is joined by Katherine Munro, a data scientist at smec. If you have a stereotype in your m...
Contemplating Google Ads and growth with Kirk Williams
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 24 of Growing Ecommerce. In this episode, Mike is joined by Kirk Williams - his own professional hero. Kirk is a PPC and digital ad...
Programmatic Advertising behind the scenes with Markus Harant
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 23 of Growing Ecommerce. In this episode, Mike is joined by his colleague from smec, Markus Harant. He is an online marketing exper...
Google Advertising uncovered with Ginny Marvin
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 22 of Growing Ecommerce. In this episode, Mike was lucky enough to speak with Ginny Marvin, Google Ads product liaison. She support...
Social Commerce and sustainability: passing trends or opportunities?
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 21. of growing ecommerce. In this episode, Mike is joined by Karin Schallauer, smec’s product marketing team lead who just came ...
A CEO's guide to Pricing Strategies that make a difference
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 20. of Growing eccommerce. In this episode, Mike is lucky enough to speak with Max Hallerstede, CEO of Hallerstede gmbh, a long-r...
Performance Max for Online Retailers
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 19. You can think of it as part 2 to the previous conversation with Christopher Rogl in episode 15 - Performance Max: One campaign ...
Confessions of marketing VP - Scale now or measure forever
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to episode 18. In this episode, you get a deep dive into the story of healthy ecommerce growth and everything from attribution to efficiency m...
Ecommerce trend update: changing business models and client acquisition
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, you will get all you need to stay on top of Meta & Google earning reports, DTC Media Buying, and Retail media and marketplace net...
DTC Operator: How to keep your competitors close but clients closer?
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Competitive differentiation is key to marketing a diverse product portfolio, and it depends on the customer segment you target. It requires in-depth u...
Performance Max: One Google Ad campaign to rule them all
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Performance Max campaigns are a new way of automatically purchasing Ad inventory across Google’s entire network. PMax will replace other campaign ty...
How online retailers stay ahead of emerging economic challenges
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inflation is here, so is the rise in demand, disruption in the supply chain, and changes in the ecommerce universe. This podcast episode looks at the ...
NRF Special: Trends, challenges and future of ecommerce - Europe vs US based retailers.
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode looks at smec’s recent participation at NRF 2022, Retail’s Big Show taking place in New York. How have companies coped with the di...
ROAS Pathology and its top challenges
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
ROAS is a seemingly mundane marketing metric, calculated as the ratio of revenue to advertising costs. And yet it is so much more than that.In this ep...
Panel: Grow or Die in ecommerce
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does the future of ecommerce hold? How can retailers thrive in 2022 and beyond?Listen to Brian McBride, former chairman of ASOS & CEO of Amaz...
A roundtable discussion of price and promotional strategy for Q4 2021
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join pricing expert Ralph Mayr, data scientist Katherine Munro, and campaign strategist Stefan Stopper for a discussion of holiday promotional strateg...
A masterclass in DTC ecommerce with the Miami HEAT
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Strelitz, Director of Performance Marketing at the Miami HEAT, explains how the HEAT’S ecommerce model differs from other sports franchises....
Building teams and driving growth in different business contexts
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mihai Popescu, Head of Digital Marketing at Esprit, shares lessons learned from building teams and driving growth in four fascinating business models:...
A CMO’s guide to grabbing market share in a highly competitive vertical
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marika Baltscheffsky is CMO at MEDS, an ambitious online shop that is disrupting Sweden’s highly-concentrated pharmacy retail vertical with differen...
How to succeed in modern digital advertising: Unlock growth potential by fully embracing automation
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Gilbert, Chief Operating Officer at AdVenture Media and author of the book "Join or Die: Digital Advertising in the Age of Automation&quo...
A serial startup CMO’s guide to channel mix, scale, and audience
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Larissa Walker brings a fascinating academic background and years of practical experience scaling startups to her current role as Commercial Optimisat...
Trailblazing new paths in paid search automation
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Polle van Elsacker, independent Marketing Tech Consultant with 11+ years of PPC experience shares his view on current industry developments. Additiona...
Digital Marketing through the lense of a technical marketer
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Gutknecht, Lead Acquisition & Optimization at Bergzeit, is an expert practitioner and leader in digital maturity including topics like...
From digital transformation to exponential organization
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Birgit de Vries, Owner of Golfbreker Consulting, has led quite a lot of digital transformation projects and an expertise in digital marketing strategy...
Connecting the dots from online to offline
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Sheinkopf, CEO at Yale Appliance since 1986, on the advantages of a strong online presence as offline retailer, digital marketing processes, gro...