Episodes

This segment on the Retail Fast Five podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital, dives into Walmart's dark store pilot program. Walmart is testing dark stores in Dallas for faster online fulfillment, with plans for Bentonville. Chris calls it a smart defensive and offensive move that could eliminate out-of-stocks online, while Anne questions whether this accelerates competition with Amazon and what Target's response will be. ...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart testing dark stores (Source) Wegmans piloting Instacart’s smart carts (Source) Target exploring factory-direct shipping models similar to Shein and Temu (Source) Hibbett’s launch of a kid-focused app and website (Source) Starbucks retooling its hiring process for baristas (Source) And gStore from GreyOrange’s Ge...

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, our rapid-fire lightning round covers the week's quirkiest retail stories: Ollipop's 5-cent VIP boxes, Jimmy John's steamy romance novel promotion, Unilever acquiring Dr. Squatch, and Tombstone's wild French fry crust pizza experiment. Timestamps: 32:19 - Ollipop Amazon partnership 32:53 - Jimmy John romance audiobook 34:54 - Dr Squatch acquisition 35:34 ...

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, Amazon is testing aggressive grocery bundling by showing 100+ food items during regular checkout flows. We analyze whether this interstitial approach can change deeply ingrained shopping habits and why Walmart has a massive advantage in the grocery recommendation game. Timestamps: 29:28 - Bundling strategy details 30:08 - Intent vs behavior mismatch 31:03 ...

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, conservative grocery giant H-E-B surprises everyone by piloting autonomous delivery robots in Austin with Avride. We break down why this 1-mile radius test makes sense for this location but question whether robot delivery can scale beyond urban experiments. Timestamps: 25:12 - H-E-B robot pilot details 26:21 - Why this location works 27:07 - Scaling challe...

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, we discuss how Walmart is revolutionizing store operations with AI tools that cut shift planning from 90 to 30 minutes. We analyze why overnight stocking is the perfect testing ground for retail AI and how this technology could transform workforce productivity across thousands of stores. Timestamps: 15:17 - AI tool announcement 15:53 - Why overnight logisti...

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, we deep dive into Whatnot, the live streaming shopping app that hit $3B in sales selling trading cards, sneakers, and collectibles. We explore whether this QVC-meets-Twitch model can expand beyond niche markets and why video commerce is finally taking off in America. Timestamps: 8:28 - What is Whatnot? 9:47 - US vs China video commerce 10:44 - Niche vs mas...

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, we break down the massive $1.77B merger between SpartanNash and C&S Wholesale Grocers that will service 10,000+ retail locations. We analyze why wholesale consolidation is accelerating and what it means for independent grocers fighting against Walmart and Kroger's dominance. Timestamps: 5:28 - Merger announcement details 6:09 - Why scale matters in wholesal...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, Chris and Anne discussed: SpartanNash’s merger with C&S Wholesale Grocers (Source) Whatnot, the $5 billion shopping app you probably haven’t heard of (Source) Walmart equipping its store associates with mobile AI tools (Source) H-E-B piloting autonomous deliveries in Austin, TX (Source) Amazon testing tighter grocery bundling for same-day deliver...

Ever wonder what retail experts actually buy at Costco or what cars they dream about driving? This lightning round reveals the personal side of our A&M retail gurus, from brisket smoking tips to the shocking number of Cheerios varieties on shelves. Brought to you by A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital. For the full episode, head here: https://youtu.be/vjOmUkH_Vhw?si=9f8KlsQw8yUdPqan #cheerios #corvettes #costco

Costco is finally building standalone gas stations to solve their infamous parking lot congestion while expanding member benefits beyond the warehouse. This economics 101 supply-and-demand solution could be the competitive edge Costco needs against Sam's Club and Walmart. Presented by A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital. For the full episode, head here: https://youtu.be/vjOmUkH_Vhw?si=9f8KlsQw8yUdPqan #costco #costcogas #gas

Albertsons is betting big on digital displays throughout their stores, but grocery retail has a terrible track record with digital advertising execution. Our experts clash over whether this retail media investment will drive meaningful ROI or become another expensive digital billboard failure. Powered by A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital. For the full episode, head here: https://youtu.be/vjOmUkH_Vhw?si=9f8KlsQw8yUdPqan #albertsons #retailmed...

Can AI save H&M from Shein's explosive growth? H&M invests heavily in predictive and generative AI to compete as Shein leapfrogs to 1.5% market share. Expert analysis reveals why AI alone won't solve H&M's fast fashion problem. Brought to you by A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital. For the full episode, head here: https://youtu.be/vjOmUkH_Vhw?si=9f8KlsQw8yUdPqan #shein #h&m #fastfashion

Amazon restructures grocery leadership under "One Grocery" strategy, merging Whole Foods employees into Amazon systems. Is this long-overdue efficiency or cultural destruction? Expert debate on what this means for grocery competition and Whole Foods' future. Sponsored by A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital. For the full episode, head here: https://youtu.be/vjOmUkH_Vhw?si=9f8KlsQw8yUdPqan #grocery #amazon #wholefoods

Walmart just revolutionized product launches forever! See how they delivered every Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order by 9 AM with FREE Coke and Pringles, leaving Target and Best Buy scrambling to catch up. Expert analysis on why this changes everything for electronics retail and gaming drops. Brought to you by A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital. #walmart #switch2 #nintendo For the full episode, head here: https://youtu.be/vjOmUkH_Vhw?si=9f8KlsQw8yU...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, A&M Brooks Levering and Bryson Waterman joined Chris and Anne to discuss: Walmart’s stroke of merchandising genius around the Nintendo Switch 2 launch (Source) Amazon restructuring around its “One Grocery” strategy (Source) H&M’s plans to reverse its market share declines through AI and store efficiency gains (Source) Albertsons’ decision to go al...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart’s new “Who knew?” advertising campaign (Source) Walmart’s gen AI assistant Sparky (Source) Dollar General’s home line with Kathy Ireland (Source) Amazon training humanoid robots to deliver packages (Source) And closed with a look at why they both think Peloton’s move into resale could be more difficult than Pelot...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group , Simbe , Mirakl , Ocampo Capital , Infios , and ClearDemand , Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart helping Medicare Advantage members identify items to buy with their OTC benefits ( Source ) E.l.f.’s acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand for $1 Billion ( Source ) Victoria’s Secret’s website shutdown last week ( Source ) Aldi’s new digital work experience program for teens in the UK...

In this week's episode, brought to you in partnership with the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, former Target executives Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga analyze this week's biggest retail stories, including Target's questionable "acceleration office" strategy amid declining sales, Sam's Club's game-changing $8.98 pizza delivery service, Lowe's strategic marketplace expansion with Mirakl, Google's AI-powered shopping checkout revolution, and Ni...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group , Simbe , Mirakl , Ocampo Capital , Infios , and ClearDemand , Chris and Anne discussed: The utter absurdity of Target’s Acceleration Office ( Source ) Sam’s Club’s new pizza delivery play ( Source ) Lowe’s third-party marketplace initiative with Mirakl ( Source ) Google’s advances in agentic AI checkout ( Source ) And closed with at look at why they both think Nike sel...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group , Simbe , Mirakl , Ocampo Capital , Infios , and ClearDemand , A&M’s Michael Prendergast and Christopher Disa join Chris and Anne to discuss: Walmart signaling that price hikes could begin later this month ( Source ) Target Circle 360 members receiving free same-day delivery from 100+ other retailers via Shipt ( Source ) Dick’s Sporting Goods acquiring Foot Locker ( Source ...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group , Simbe , Mirakl , Ocampo Capital , Infios , and ClearDemand , Chris and Anne discussed: Instacart’s CEO resigning to take a job with OpenAI ( Source ) Amazon’s new warehouse robot, Vulcan ( Source ) Primark’s in-store repair classes ( Source ) ASOS offering next-day delivery through InPost Lockers ( Source ) And closed with a look at how LTK is bringing The Bachelor ...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group , Simbe , Mirakl , Ocampo Capital , Infios , and ClearDemand , Shoptalk’s Ben Miller joined Chris and Anne to discuss: Saks Fifth Avenue’s new Amazon storefront ( Source ) Walmart’s new “Store of the Future” down in Texas ( Source ) Morrisons introducing Simbe’s Tally robots ( Source ) Pinterest becoming a visual search engine ( Source ) And closed with a look at Lowe’s...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, A&M’s Jeff Dwyer and Luis De Lencquesaing joined Chris and Anne to discuss: Amazon’s tariff pricing fracas with the White House (Source) Schnucks expanding its Caper Cart deployment (Source) ChatGPT potentially integrating with Shopify (Source) Pepsico accelerating its transition to natural ingredients (Source) And closed with a look...