Future Commerce LIVE at Shoptalk Spring: Retail Media Confessions, Hype Cycles, and the Creator Reckoning
Apr 2, 2026
26:49
Recorded live on the Shoptalk Spring show floor, Phillip and Alicia sit down with Leah Logan, VP of Retail Media Transformation for Inmar Intelligence, and Andrew Lipsman, Founder & Chief Analyst at Media, Ads + Commerce, fresh off a spirited on-stage debate about agentic commerce. We debunk AI Traffic Apocalypse predictions and make the case for creators as a critical yet overlooked retail media channel.
The AIpocalypse, Explained
Key takeaways:
- AI referral traffic currently accounts for just 0.1–2% of retailer traffic; it has also led to eCommerce site traffic growth, not decline.
- Consumer intent data, not bottom-funnel ads, is where LLM advertising will find its footing.
- Creators are a media channel that predates the hype, and the measurement has been there for years.
- Retail media's growth depends on graduating from ROAS to incrementality — the sooner, the better.
- [00:11:08] "The next big trend already exists. People just haven't really wrapped their heads around it yet." — Andrew Lipsman
- [00:26:09] "We have to stop looking at CPMs and start looking at investments." — Leah Logan
In-Show Mentions:
Associated Links:
- Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
- See our in-depth analysis of Shoptalk’s theme: “Retail in the Age of AI”
- Read our post-event digest in The Senses
- Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print
- Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world
- Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.