Episodes

In this 5 Insightful Minutes episode, Richard McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer at Veloq (a division of the Rohlik Group), joins Omni Talk to reveal how they've cracked the code on profitable online grocery delivery. From achieving 30% annual growth to maintaining an 88 NPS score, Richard breaks down how Rohlik delivers full-basket grocery in 3 hours profitably, why their automation approach succeeds where others have failed, and how building technology "customer backwards" creates operational e...

Join Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga for their second annual NRF must-see tech preview, showcasing five breakthrough retail technologies solving critical operational challenges. From AI employees autonomously negotiating supplier contracts to overhead RFID achieving 99% inventory accuracy, discover the solutions delivering measurable ROI and transforming how retailers operate in 2026. Featured companies and innovations: Gain - AI employees Natalie and Bob executing end-to-end supplier negotiatio...

In this week's Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, Chris and Anne discussed: Instacart ending its controversial price testing program (Source) Kroger launching a new discount program for SNAP recipients (Source) Amazon integrating instant meal shopping into browser-based Alexa Plus (Source) Save Mart placing Amazon Returns kiosks across 140+ stores (Source) Schnucks seeing 100% success preventing gift...

This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, features Chris and Anne tackle the fun side of retail as we head into NRF 2026. Ryan Reynolds keynotes NRF this January... Chris shares the one question he'd ask about Blake Lively's best film role. Anne reveals her son's elaborate Google Slides pitch for an F1B goldendoodle and her puppy yoga compromise. The hosts preview Calvin Klein's new SoHo flagship a...

This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, examines Ashley Furniture's groundbreaking partnership with Perplexity that enables complete transactions—from product recommendations to payment—in one conversation. Chris loves this move, calling it brilliant because Ashley can bypass marketplaces and leverage its brand recognition directly in AI search. Anne agrees but criticizes retailers for announcing...

This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, analyzes Target's new permanent Soho store featuring "The Drop" rotating seasonal styles, a Broadway Beauty Bar, and influencer-curated selections. Anne sees potential if Target can solve the technology and operational challenges needed to scale this concept, especially as Ulta departs Target stores. Chris pushes back hard, calling it "pure PR sizzle" that'...

This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, unpacks November's stunning $12.3 billion in online grocery sales—the second time monthly sales topped $12 billion. Chris is gobsmacked by consumers choosing the more expensive delivery option despite budget constraints, while Anne attributes growth to improved curbside pickup experiences and loyalty incentives. Both hosts agree this signals that agentic AI...

This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, examines Consumer Reports' investigation revealing Instacart's AI-powered pricing experiments that resulted in price variations up to 23% between customers. Chris and Anne debate whether algorithmic pricing is acceptable for essential categories like grocery, especially as consumers gain access to AI tools that can instantly compare prices across platforms....

This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, explores Amazon's reported plans to launch a Rush pickup service enabling one-hour order collection at Amazon-owned stores. According to Business Insider, the service would let shoppers place unified orders from Amazon's marketplace and physical store inventory. Chris argues this is a road to nowhere given Whole Foods' operational constraints and Walmart's ...

In this 5 Insightful Minutes episode, David Dorf, Head of Retail Industry Solutions at AWS, joins Omni Talk to cut through the AI hype and reveal what's actually coming for retail in 2026. From LLM limitations to agentic commerce reality checks, David breaks down why domain-specific models are replacing frontier model fantasies, how answer engines will reshape search, and why shopping agents will start with your grocery delivery. If you've ever wondered what AI predictions are worth believing, ...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Chris and Anne discussed: Amazon’s planned “rush” pickup service for one-hour order collection (Source) Instacart’s AI-enabled pricing experiments that may be inflating grocery bills (Source) November’s record-breaking $12.3 billion in online grocery sales (Source) Target’s new SoHo store concept featuring curated beauty and apparel (Source) Ashley’s partner...

Specialty retailers keep asking us: handheld scanners or overhead readers? So we settled it the only way we know how: with a knockdown, dragout debate between two RFID experts. In this Retail Technology Spotlight, Anne Mezzenga moderates as Madalynn Lauria (Team Handheld) and Pareiya Gupta (Team Overhead) from GreyOrange make their cases for the best RFID solution. From proving ROI on a tight budget to cutting inventory counts from hours to minutes, this conversation tackles the real questions ...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group close with bold 2026 predictions sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chad predicts OpenAI will launch its own payment platform for agent commerce, Chris forecasts Starbucks will abandon seating for mobile-focused ghost cafes, while Anne expects agent-influenced shopping to triple during 2026 holiday season. Which prediction will prove most accurate? For the full episode head he...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group call out 2025's most ridiculous retail headlines in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Anne demolishes Starbucks' claim that mobile pickup stores lack "warmth and connection," Chad laughs at Liquid Death's viral pit diaper incident, while Chris questions Target's small town expansion as desperate PR. Which headline showed the worst strategic thinking? For the full...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group debate 2025's smartest retail partnerships in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chad highlights Walmart's Rebag luxury resale partnership as perfectly timed for cross-income shopping trends, Chris praises Walmart and Avery Dennison's perishables tracking as the "holy grail" for grocery margins, while Anne champions IKEA's Best Buy kitchen installations as brillian...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group recognize 2025's best retail turnarounds in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Both Anne and Chris praise Macy's focus on core stores, private brand investment, and Tony Spring's shoe department service improvements, while Chad celebrates Gap's viral marketing comeback with KATSEYE bringing cultural relevance. Can advertising alone save a struggling brand, or does ...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group pitch their retail movie ideas in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chris envisions "Shein: Sac le blue!!!" featuring Paris protests, Chad creates a Black Mirror-style thriller about Neo's terrifying robot servant with human controllers, while Anne wants true crime investigations of mysterious CEO departures at Kohl's and Kroger. Which retail headline belongs on t...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group call out 2025's most overhyped retail technologies in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Anne criticizes smart carts' misleading deployment numbers and questionable ROI, while both Chad and Chris agree agentic AI commerce is overhyped despite being transformative… pointing to Target's rushed ChatGPT integration as proof retailers are moving too fast without strateg...

Chris, Anne, and Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group crown their CEO of the Year in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chad surprises with Fidji Simo's bold move from Instacart to OpenAI Applications as a signal of commerce's future direction, while both Chris and Anne recognize Doug McMillon's decade-long transformation of Walmart from legacy retailer to omnichannel powerhouse. Was 2025 about execution or strategic ...

Chris, Anne, and Chad reveal their Technology of the Year picks in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chad champions pricing transparency tools like Grocery Dealz that could disrupt grocery economics, Anne argues electronic shelf labels finally reached mainstream adoption after Walmart's chain-wide rollout, while Chris focuses on operational agentic AI transforming warehouses and inventory management. Which technology truly m...

Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Chris, and Anne debate 2025's most significant retail headline sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chris picks Walmart's ChatGPT integration as a potential Amazon disruptor, Anne highlights Etsy and OpenAI's transactional partnership as commerce's pivotal moment, while Chad argues Doug McMillon's retirement marks the end of retail's post-Amazon era. Which headline will define retail's next deca...

Chad Lusk from A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Chris, and Anne debate Retailer of the Year in this segment sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Chad champions Aldi's unprecedented 225-store expansion and perfect timing with value-conscious consumers, while Anne argues Walmart's technology leadership and fashion momentum earned them the crown. Chris makes the case for Costco's operational discipline and traffic growth despite stock challenges...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Chris and Anne teamed up with Chad Lusk from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer and Retail Group to hand out our 2025 Omni Awards across the following categories: Retailer of the Year Headline of the Year Retail Technology of the Year Most Overhyped Retail Tech Best Strategic Move from a Struggling Retailer And so much more, including 2026 predictions There’s a...

Store digitization promises to transform retail operations, but most retailers struggle to move beyond pilots and buzzwords. In this Omni Talk Ask An Expert episode, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Troy Siwek (General Manager of gStore at GreyOrange) to reveal what actually works when digitizing physical stores. Learn how digital twins are evolving from concept to operational reality, why unified platforms matter more than individual point solutions, and how to cut through th...