Could Kevin Costner really pass as a professional cyclist? Ben Miller doesn't think so. After Chris Walton brings up the 1985 film American Flyers, Ben explains why elite cyclists are built for power-to-weight efficiency and why Hollywood didn't exactly nail the casting. It's a fun detour into cycling, movies, and…
DoorDash's new AI-powered search isn't just another product update. According to Ben Miller, it's a signal that conversational AI is fundamentally changing how customers discover brands and products online. From ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews to Amazon's Alexa, shoppers are moving toward natural language search, and retailers that don't adapt…
With 20,000 locations concentrated in rural America, Dollar General sits on a proximity advantage that neither Walmart nor Amazon can replicate. A subscription program could turn that footprint into a serious competitive weapon. Chris Walton is all in on this pilot, and explains why the downside is minimal, why same-day…
Walmart is taking its US marketplace into Mexico, and the strategic upside is enormous. Brand recognition, 130 million consumers, and AI finally making cross-border commerce easier than ever. But buried at the end of the press release is a quiet warning to every competitor: plans to expand to additional markets…
It's the put-you-on-the-spot question of the week: if entertainment and shopping keep merging, are retailers competing less with each other and more with Netflix, TikTok, and creators for attention? Chris Walton's take might surprise you. He doesn't see what's happening at the industry level as revolutionary at all, but rather…
Brian Niccols says Starbucks is rebuilding the third place, more seating, community, café culture. But he's also planning 5,000+ new small-format stores. Ben breaks down whether those two visions actually line up, and what Starbucks' four access points reveal about where the brand is really headed. ⏩ Full episode: https://youtu.be/toy5NmyXau4…
In this Retail Technology Spotlight series, Chris Walton sits down with Soroosh Seyhoon, Chief Revenue Officer at Zello, to explore how capturing and analyzing frontline voice data is transforming the way retailers understand and manage store operations. From AI-powered in-ear assistants to real-time operational intelligence, Soroosh explains why the conversations…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton sits down with Wesley Wilson, Regional Director, North America at the Consumer Goods Forum, to discuss the biggest trends shaping the future of retail and consumer goods. One year into…
• In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026, Chris Walton sits down with John Ross, President & CEO of IGA, as the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary and reflects on the evolving role of independent grocers around the world. Ross explains…
In this 5 Insightful Minutes episode, Rita Kerbaj, Chief Strategy Officer at the Rohlik Group, joins Omni Talk to discuss the evolving economics of online grocery and what retailers need to do to build a profitable e-grocery business for the long term. Drawing from Rohlik Group's success operating one of…
This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five lightning round covers a little bit of everything, from the passing of legendary Fed chairman Alan Greenspan at age 100 and the question of who deserves the title of favorite economist, to whether Chris and Jenn are Prime Day shoppers (spoiler: neither is exactly…
This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment reacts to Target's decision to name fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi as its first-ever Creative Director at Large, a brand new role in which Mizrahi will advise on product design, mentor Target designers, and help the retailer reclaim its iconic cheap chic identity. Chris…
This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment covers Bed Bath & Beyond's Legendary Coupon Hunt, a 21-day nationwide sweepstakes inviting customers to dig out their old iconic blue 20% off coupons for a chance to win a $100,000 home refresh. Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn don't hold back. With only…
This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment tackles Kroger's Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings, where the grocery giant posted $46.1 billion in total sales and announced that its e-commerce business turned a profit for the very first time, ahead of schedule. Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn give credit where it's due,…
This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment breaks down the explosive June 2025 e-grocery data from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus, which showed a 28% year-over-year surge to $9.8 billion, with delivery, pickup, and ship-to-home all posting gains of 25% or more. Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn dig into what's…
This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment examines Ahold Delhaize's decision to appoint former Amazon Fresh executive Claire Peters as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA and what the hire could mean for one of the largest grocery retailers in the U.S. Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn discuss why Ahold Delhaize…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton sits down with Rhiannon Thomas, Global Lead of Consumer, Retail, and Luxury at Kearney, to discuss how retail and consumer goods companies are redefining value creation in an AI-driven world…
In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, and Veloq, Chris Walton was joined by J Recruiting Services Founder and CEO Jenn Hahn for a Fast Five that explored what it really takes for retailers to keep pace…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton sits down with Sharon Bligh, Director of Health and Sustainability at the Consumer Goods Forum, to discuss the evolving intersection of consumer health, sustainability, food waste, climate action, and AI.…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton sits down with Özgür Tort, Migros Türkiye Group CEO, to discuss how one of the world's most advanced grocery retailers is combining e-commerce, automation, AI, and omnichannel operations to serve…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from The Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton is joined by Alex Holt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ahold Delhaize, and Christine McGrath, SVP & Chief Impact and Sustainability Officer at Mondelēz International, to discuss how collaboration is reshaping…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton is joined by Darren O'Brien, Chief Corporate and Government Affairs Officer and Chief Cocoa Officer at Mondelēz International, to discuss the global cocoa crisis and what it will take to…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton is joined by Ruth Lewis, Senior Manager at Bain & Company, to discuss the findings from Bain's new State of Food Habits report and what retailers, brands, and food manufacturers…
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2026 in Vienna, Chris Walton is joined by Béatrice de Noray, Chief Growth Officer at Bel Group, to discuss how organizations can turn ideas into impact by combining innovation, technology, and collaboration to drive meaningful…