Retail Media Breakfast Club
Episodes
"Late By Design" - Molly Hjelm from Ace Hardware's RedVest Media Shares her Retail Media Gameplan
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I first met Molly Hjelm, Head of Retail Media at Ace Hardware, during a panel at the RMN Ascendant Event in Silicon Valley, and right away I was struc...
What CPG Brands Actually Control with Agentic Commerce Optimization (ACO)
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of brands are focused on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) right now — making sure their products surface when consumers ask ChatGPT, Perpl...
AI Search to Disrupt Discovery for Retailers — Here's 3 Companies Thinking Outside The Box
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I dive into one of the biggest questions facing retail media leaders today: how can retailers and brands adapt as AI-driven shopping ...
Apply For The Damn Award & Conquer Your FOPO (Fear Of Other People's Opinions)
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How many times have you not hit publish, not applied, or not shared your achievements because of fear of what others might think? In this episode, I’...
What is a 'CommerceGPT'? ['Snips' from Cocktails & Commerce]
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this 'Snips' episode, I’m adding commentary to clips of one of my favorite ecommerce podcasts: Cocktails & Commerce with Brian Walker and Bil...
Breakdown of How Sam's Club Cracked the Code on In-Store Retail Media
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the buzz surrounding in-store retail media, most retailers are still struggling to move beyond the pilot phase. But Sam’s Club? They’ve do...
How Retailers Can Evolve To Compete With Agentic Shopping ['Snips' from Commerce Media Matters & Mind the Model]
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m a total podcast junkie, and today I’m bringing you another episode in my 'Snips' series, where I share bite-sized highlights from fascinating ...
The Secret Hopes & Dreams of RMN Leaders [New Research Preview]
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, I got a first look at groundbreaking new research from EMARKETER and Bain that flips the retail media conversation on its head. Instead of ...
Multi-Retailer Networks [Livestream Highlight]
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In my recent LinkedIn Live with Andreas Reiffen, co-founder and CEO of adtech company Pentaleap, we dove into one of the most intriguing shifts happen...
Underrated Retail Media Metrics That Fly Under The Radar [Panel Episode]
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all know the usual suspects — ROAS, impressions, clicks — but what if the real indicators of retail media success are hiding in plain sight? In...
Brian Monahan Is Going Big With Albertsons Media Collective ['Snips' from The Snarketing Podcast]
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks ago, I sat down with Brian Monahan of Albertsons Media Collective, for a profile in The Drum. And let me tell you, Brian isn’t your typi...
Is ChatGPT's Instant Checkout 'Really' Agentic? And Does It Actually Matter?
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
Will LLMS Monetize With Ads or Marketplaces? [Retailgentic Crossover]
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Agentic Shopping Looks Crazy. So Did Self-Service Supermarkets.
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I start with a trip back to 1916, when Clarence Saunders launched the first self-service supermarket, Piggly Wiggly, and everyone tho...
Dollar General’s Austin Leonard Is Bullish On 'Last Mile' Opportunity
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you think about retail media, you probably picture shoppers scrolling through Instacart or Walmart’s app. But what about the millions of Americ...
I Got Prime Deals. Or Did I? Why Consumer Distrust Is AI Shopping's Real Opening
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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: "d...
The Fairy Godmother Of Retail Media, Cara Pratt, And Her Agenda At Circana
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Retail Media's Measurement Problem Isn't Technical — It's Political
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
Trade vs. Retail Media: Who's Really Eating Whom? ['Snips' from Particular Audience & The Middlemen]
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ot...
AI Makes Shopping Easier, But Shoppers Still Check Receipts
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
In what ways are using AI today that you weren't a year ago? [Panel]
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Best Buy's Ad Platform Play: 'We Got Next'
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
AI Shopping Hits 75% Adoption ['Snips' from Retailgentic]
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this 'Snips' format, I provide commentary to highlights from a recent episode of the Retailgentech podcast, where host Scott Wingo spoke with Melis...
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Social Commerce
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
Why 'Omnichannel' Misses the Point [New Research From The Digital Shelf Institute]
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Managing a Multi-Retailer RMN Stack (Part 3 of 3)
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Underrated Advice For Choosing A Retail Media Agency Partner [Panel]
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
Building Retail Media Federations: Foundations and Barriers (Part 3)
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Retail media federations sound like a no-brainer: retailers pooling their audiences and inventory to attract bigger ad dollars while keeping their uni...
Meet The First Retail Media Federations & Consortiums (Part 2)
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
Growth Beyond Amazon: Tapping Into Retail Media's Broader Opportunities (Part 2 of 3)
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon may dominate the retail media landscape, but is your brand missing growth opportunities by focusing too narrowly? In the second installment of ...
ROAS Isn’t Enough — The Buyer’s Checklist for Retail Media
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Retail Media Doom Loop
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 LinkedI...
AI Agent Shopping & Existential Threats To Retail Media
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Could AI shopping agents fundamentally disrupt retail media as we know it? In this episode, I share highlights from my recent appearance on the Commer...
Brands are from Mars, Retailers are from Venus: Getting Inside the Head of Retailers (Part 1 of 3)
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a brand, working with retailers can often feel like navigating two completely different worlds. Retailers operate as complex ecosystems where merch...
9 Ways Retailers & Brands Can Make Loyalty Programs Attractive... To AI Agents
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I dive into what loyalty really means in an era of agent-driven shopping. Recently, loyalty expert Stephanie Meltzer-Paul challenged ...
Your AI Agent Just Got Hacked
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sta...
Sam's Club Races To Win Retail Media Network Share Through Experiences
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I take you inside one of the most innovative retail media activations I’ve seen yet: Sam’s Club’s “Race to the Club” and th...
Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Retail Conferences [Panel Episode]
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conferences are expensive: flights, hotels, and registration fees all add up fast. But the brands who see real ROI from industry events know that the ...
Big Agencies & Retail Media: A Slightly Unhinged Relationship
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Retail media may be the hottest topic in advertising right now, but how do big agencies really feel about it? In this episode, I unpack new Infillion ...
Loyalty Programs To Give Retailers An Edge In AI Shopping Future?
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world of shopping is changing fast and loyalty programs are right at the center of it. In this episode, I share expert insights from Stephanie Mel...
AI Agents Hate Ads Today — But Will That Last?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week I shared some surprising new research: AI shopping agents are actively penalizing sponsored products, reducing the likelihood of them being ...
Are retail media specialists involved in product development? [Panel Episode]
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s a question that might sting a little: when your company launches a new product, are you finding out about it at the same time as everyone els...
What Is Your AI Agent Buying? [New Columbia & Yale Research]
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine sending three different people to buy you a pair of slippers and each person comes back with wildly different products. Now replace those peop...
Why RMNs Keep Their Tech Stacks Secret From The Very Brands They Want To Attract
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I dive into a surprising paradox in the retail media world. While nearly 9 out of 10 brands say a retailer’s tech stack influe...
Rufus Remembers Me
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I asked Amazon’s Rufus a simple question—and its answer was uncomfortably (and impressively) specific. In this episode, I unpack why that moment m...
Risky Retail Media Decisions That Paid Off [Panel]
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In retail media, the biggest wins often come from bold, high-stakes decisions. In this episode, I sit down with a panel of industry leaders who share ...
How Alliances Could Solve Retail Media's Fragmentation Problem (Part 1)
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The retail media landscape is booming. But it’s also messy, fragmented, and heavily dominated by just a few players. In this episode, I unpack the c...
Ads in AI Are Older Than You'd Think
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world of advertising is changing faster than many expected and AI is leading the charge. In this episode, I dive into the rise of advertising insi...
Retailer AI Assistants: Are Shoppers Actually Using Them?
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that while 70% of shoppers have experimented with AI tools to help them shop, fewer than 15% have actually used a retailer’s AI shoppin...
The Coming AI Marketplace Gold Rush
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remember the Amazon FBA boom? When all you needed was an Alibaba find, a seller account and a dream? Between 2012 and 2020, thousands of entrepreneurs...
Criteo’s Frenemies Pile On
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When your own tech partners start publicly celebrating your struggles, you know the game has changed. In this episode, I unpack the fascinating shake-...
A retail media metric that isn't shiny or new but one that you return to again and again
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s be real: retail media is full of shiny, headline-grabbing metrics that come and go with the latest trends. But in today, I’m digging into th...
Agentic Shopping Poses An Existential Threat To Retail Media (Part 2)
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of my conversation with Scott Wingo, we dive deeper into how AI-powered agentic shopping could reshape - and potentially upend - the curre...
Agentic Shopping Poses An Existential Threat To Retail Media (Part 1)
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When I launched my Amazon agency Bobsled back in 2015, I heard plenty of dismissals: CEOs calling Amazon ads a fad, and prestige brands scoffing at th...
The best conversation you had with your Shopper Marketing team
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Retail media may be the shiny new thing, but the true magic happens when it blends with the wisdom of traditional shopper marketing. In this episode I...
Will the retail industry welcome the “commerce media” newcomers?
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I’m tackling a big shift that’s got everyone buzzing in the world of retail media. The IAB has just redefined the landscape, moving us from ...
Amazon Q2 Earnings: Best Of The Analyst Recaps
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon just dropped its Q2 2025 earnings—and the numbers sparked plenty of hot takes across the retail world. In this episode I distill the smartest...
Walmart Reveals AI Roadmap That Points To A World Without Search Bars
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this quick breakdown of my latest Forbes piece, I walk you through Walmart’s new four-part agentic AI roadmap—Sparky for shoppers, Marty for su...
Launching In New Markets & Marketplaces: 3 Brands Share Top Tips
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
every new retailer needs its own game plan—copy‑pasting your Amazon playbook is a budget trap. In just ten minutes, three seasoned ecommerce leade...
Why Are Display Ads In Retail Media Still So Bad?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Display advertising in retail media is still in the dark ages. That’s because the tech and mechanisms it was built on were never designed for retail...
I'm back and I owe you an explanation
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome Back to Season 2!I'm kicking off Season 2 with a personal update and a few exciting announcements about what’s ahead for the Retail Media Br...
Season Finale! Returning July 28
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 nea...
Cannes Confessional #4: RMNs Should Chase That Brand Marketing Budget
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Day three at the Cannes Festival of Creativity brought some of the most insightful conversations yet! I sat down once again with Lauren Livak, Directo...
Cannes Confessional #3: The Funnel is Now a Tunnel
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cannes Confessional 3In today’s episode of Cannes Confessional, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Longo, GM of AI in Ads at Microsoft Adv...
Are You Sitting on a Retail Media Goldmine?
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I dive into some fresh insights straight from the Cannes Festival of Creativity, where I caught a fascinating research presentation a...
Cannes Confessional #1
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
What I’ve learned from 102 episodes over 5 months (and my future plans)
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
My highlights from the new 'Retailgentic' podcast
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
How These 4 Retail Media Leaders Are Using AI Right Now
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Should We Really Care What Consumers Think About Retail Media Ads?
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 shopper...
How an RMN's tech stack impacts your advertising results
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Why AI Search Advertising Could Reach $25 Billion By 2029
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
How These 4 Retail Media Leaders Make Conference Season Count
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conference season is here, and with it comes the ever-present question from leadership: “Why should we approve this expense?” In today’s episode...
Mary Meeker Is So Back: My Notes From Her 340-Page AI Futurecast
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 he...
Meta Says ‘Just Trust Us’ With AI Ads, Will Amazon Follow Suit?
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 pa...
Where Does The Ecomm Team Really Belong? 3 Brand-Side Leaders Share Their Org Charts
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 e...
Is Retail Media Actually Kinda 'Mid'? PART 2
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Walmart's Sparky AI Shopping Assistant: My Hot Take
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
AI in real life: how retailers and brands are leveraging AI (real numbers)
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Career Sliding Doors: The Pivotal Moments That Changed These 4 Ecomm Leaders' Careers
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Retailers Hit 99% Ad Coverage Without Killing User Experience, New Report Shows
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I’m digging into the latest insights from Pentaleap’s biannual Sponsored Products Benchmark Report—and it’s challenging some long-held a...
55% of consumers say they don't trust AI shopping chatbots & recommendations
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Walmart is Betting on AI Agents, While Amazon Goes Proprietary
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart is building its own shopping agents for tasks like reordering groceries and handling requests ...
How retailers 'Do' Sponsored Product ads: 4 takeaways for brands
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The latest Sponsored Product Ads benchmark report from Pentaleap dropped today! This benchmark compares the performance of major retail media netwo...
Brands demand retail media standards. Retailers say it's too hard. Do they kind of have a point?
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 e...
Instacart’s Turnaround CEO Heads To The AI Frontier
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 divi...
Prime Day 2025: Are Brands Scaling Back? (3 Reasons To Reconsider)
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Retail Media Breakfast Club: Prime Day 2025 Participation TrendsIn today's episode, I dive into the results of my recent LinkedIn poll about how brand...
Is Retail Media Actually Kinda 'Mid'?
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week I dive into an interesting perspective from Jason Goldberg on the Jason + Scot show, who mentioned this podcast (a proud moment for me as I'...
"We're Not Dabbling Here": Amazon's Official Company Line On AI
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I dive into Amazon's earnings call AI announcements and what they mean for retail and ecommerce. Andy Jassy says they're building "a thousand plus AI ...
DSPs Wanted: The Retail Media Revolution 96% of Advertisers Crave
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Could DSPs Be Retail Media's Panama Canal?In today's episode, I talk about Koddi's new "State of Programmatic Retail Media" report and why programmati...
Amazon Q1 Earnings Scorecard: Winners, Losers, and the Calm Before the Tariff Storm
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I break down Amazon's Q1 2025 earnings and examine what they reveal about the coming impact of tariffs on the e-commerce ecosystem. I...
My Notes From an Interview with Costco's RMN leader, Mark Williamson
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I share my notes from a fascinating interview with Mark Williamson, the leader of Costco's Retail Media Network, which aired on the Middlemen podcast....
The Back Channel: AI Is Replacing Devs (But Banned At Retailer X), Freudian Analysis Of Offsite Vs Onsite Retail Media
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a new format: "The Back Channel" where I share anonymized insights from my recent conversations with industry leaders in retail med...
Amazon Haul Expands As Chinese Competitors Face Tariff Upheaval
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I explore Amazon's strategic expansion of its low-cost "Haul" store during a critical moment for cross-border e-commerce. This dis...
The AI Shopping Agent War Begins
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I explore how major tech companies are positioning themselves in a high-stakes battle for control of consumer purchasing decisions...
Offsite vs onsite retail media
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this insightful episode, Kiri Masters breaks down the growing importance of offsite retail media, which extends retailers' advertising capabilities...
Don't Just Put the Intern on It: Breaking the Cycle of E-Commerce Resistance
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The host Kiri Masters shares her framework for how brands evolve when selling on Amazon, from initial ignorance to full integration, while drawing par...
WOAS: Waste of Ad Spend
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podean, an independent retail media and marketplaces agency, recently launched the "WOAS" Awards (Waste of Ad Spend Awards), a parody award highlighti...
Trump’s Tariff Shock May Drive Major Shift In Retail Media Spending
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump's sweeping tariffs are forcing consumer brands to make difficult trade-offs, with one of the most immediate impacts being on advertisi...
'Vibe Marketing' comes to retail media
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kiri Masters explores how "vibe marketing" - a concept originating in tech circles - can be applied to retail media strategies. She b...