This week on the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga break down the biggest retail headlines shaping the start of 2026.
Instacart officially ends its controversial price testing program, Kroger launches a bold new discount initiative for SNAP recipients, and Amazon integrates instant meal shopping into its browser-based Alexa+ experience. Plus, Save Mart rolls out Amazon Returns kiosks across more than 140 stores, Schnucks reports 100% success preventing gift card fraud with Digimarc, and Veloq CEO Richard McKenzie joins for Five Insightful Minutes to explain how the Rohlik Group makes e-commerce grocery profitable… and how that technology is coming to U.S. grocers.
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⏩ Topics Covered:
• 00:00 – Introduction & Sponsors
• 05:13 – Instacart Ends AI Pricing Experiments
• 13:34 – Kroger Launches New SNAP Discount Program
• 19:46 – Amazon Brings Meal Planning to Browser-Based Alexa+
• 24:28 – Five Insightful Minutes with Veloq CEO Richard McKenzie
• 32:52 – Save Mart Adds Amazon Returns Kiosks
• 39:06 – Schnucks Prevents Gift Card Fraud with Digimarc
• 44:00 – Lightning Round: LEGO Smart Bricks, Mom Groups, Popcorn Buckets & Stranger Things
Music by hooksounds.com
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