Kantar Retail Sound Bites

In this episode of Retail Sound Bites, Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton welcome back Andy Murray, former Executive Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi X and CEO of BigQuest Advisory, to discuss the future of AI through the lens of original research titled Minds on the Machine. Based on insights from graduating seniors at the University of Arkansas' Walton College of Business, the conversation reveals a strong theme of pragmatic optimism. While students recognize AI's growing role across industries, they are deeply focused on preserving human judgment, creativity, and connection. Andy explains why taste and judgment remain the true human advantage as AI becomes more efficient yet increasingly homogeneous. The episode explores agentic AI, the future of marketing and commerce, and why brands and retailers must invest not only in technology, but equally in developing human capabilities to thrive in an AI‑enabled world. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Retail buying groups are reshaping the balance of power in Europe's grocery landscape. In this episode of Retail Sound Bites, Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton are joined by Paida Mugudubi to unpack how buying groups work, why they've grown so influential across Europe, and what they mean for brands navigating pricing, negotiations, private label, and retail media in a world where "nothing stays local." Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Retail Sound Bites marks a major milestone with its 100th episode, celebrating four years of conversations at the intersection of retail, CPG, and commerce transformation. Hosts Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton kick off the episode by reflecting on the journey so far and spotlighting the top 10 most‑listened‑to episodes from the past four years. The episode also features Ted Riedel, President of Kantar's North American Retail Practice, and James May, EVP of CPG & Hospitality. In a fast‑paced, candid conversation, they explore: · How modern health, GLP‑1s, and protein‑led innovation are reshaping portfolios · Why agentic commerce, AI, and algorithmic decision‑making are the next frontier · The evolving, often fractured but interdependent relationship between brands and retailers · Which KPIs matter less today and why incrementality, precision, and proprietary data matter more · What it really takes to future‑proof a CPG organization in 2026 and beyond Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn ·

What will value really mean for food and beverage in 2026? On the latest episode of Retail Sound Bites, Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton sit down with Brian Choi, CEO of The Food Institute, to unpack the forces reshaping the industry, including deeply value‑obsessed consumer to the rise of challenger brands and experience‑led innovation. 🎙️ Key takeaways from the conversation: Consumer confidence remains historically low, forcing brands to clearly justify price through either affordability or unmistakable quality Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and older shoppers are fragmenting demand, making one‑size‑fits‑all strategies obsolete Premiumization isn't disappearing, but it's migrating to value‑oriented retailers like Walmart and Costco 2026 is shaping up to be the Year of the Challenger Brand, with speed, authenticity, and flavor‑forward innovation winning Health, policy pressure, and global flavors are converging to redefine what "winning" products look like If you're leading strategy in CPG, retail, or food service, this episode is a must‑listen. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

David Marcotte, retail innovation specialist reporting expo-floor tech trends. Amar Singh, retail data and AI expert with on-the-ground NRF observations. They walk through agentic commerce and AI tying front end to backend. They highlight RFID moving to frictionless checkout, robotics from floor bots to delivery vehicles, synthetic data for visual models, and creators and community reshaping retail attention.

In this episode of Retail Sound Bites, Jeff Maloy, vice president of retail, sales, and shopper, and Rohan Mazumdar, vice president of retail consulting, at Kantar, join hosts Rachel Dalton and Barry Thomas in a discussion about this year's PoweRanking® findings. Kantar's PoweRanking® report is the industry's leading assessment of best-in-class manufacturers and retailers. In an annual survey, companies are ranked on a range of factors, from strategic metrics to business fundamentals, capturing input from several key industry leaders. This year's report found that in a year defined by market fluctuation and growth challenges, "relevance" is key to joint retailer and manufacturer growth. View the executive summary to understand how to win the relevance battle and learn strategic imperatives for 2026 and beyond. Exclusive | NYC's Meadow Lane gourmet grocery debuts amid affordability crisis | New York Post​ First Walmart-branded store opens in Africa | Chain Store Age​ The AI trifecta transforming CPG and retail​ https://www.retaildive.com/news/winners-losers-black-friday-2025/806610/​ https://news.adobe.com/news/2025/12/adobe-cyber-monday-hits-record​

In this episode of Retail Sound Bites, Rachel Dalton and Anna Estlund, VP of strategy, insights, and analytics at Pernod Ricard, discuss five critical steps to turn insights into real-time activation for commercial teams. They also discuss the blurring boundaries between alcohol and non-alcohol categories, the rise of modern health and moderation trends, premiumization despite economic headwinds, and more. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn https://kriq.kantarretailiq.com/en/p-iq/insights/blogs/top-10-lessons-from-the-create-2025-restaurant-show The 2025 Retail Intelligence Report | Progressive Grocer https://www.grocerydive.com/news/amazon-whole-foods-store-within-store-automated-micro-fulfillment/804749/ https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-shop-exec-ai-is-powerful-tool-for-ecommerce-fraud-2025-11 https://www.modernretail.co/technology/walmart-adds-ai-generated-audio-summaries-to-select-product-pages/

In this episode, Rachel Dalton and Barry Thomas sit down with Bala Gurumoorthy, VP of Category Management at Ferrero USA, to discuss the evolving landscape of convenience retail and the future of category management. Together, they uncover fantastic insights from the recent NACS event, Ferrero's approach to omnichannel strategy, and how category management is transforming from a back-office function to a true growth driver. A few of our favorite insights from Bala: "Category management is evolving from back office to growth architect." "Don't just report the news—create the news." "Be bold. Stay current. Stay externally focused." Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn https://www.retaildive.com/news/retail-ai-chatbot-consumers/803573/ Dollar Tree enhances multi-price strategy with AI Playbook: 5 Shopper Missions Every Category Manager Should Be Watching | Path to Purchase Institute https://www.retaildive.com/news/retail-ai-chatbot-consumers/803573/ https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/21/wawa-stealing-customers-from-wendys-burger-king-starbucks.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/style/nordstrom-catalog.html

In this special episode of Retail Sound Bites, we unpack the most compelling themes and takeaways from three powerhouse industry events—Shoptalk, Groceryshop, and Velocity. Hosts Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton are joined by two of Kantar's leading voices in shopper intelligence: Leigh O'Donnell, Head of Shopper and Category Insights, and Julie Craig, Vice President of Shopper Insights. Together, they explore how the retail landscape is evolving across formats, cultures, and consumer behaviors. From the lasting impact of GLP-1 medications on grocery shopping habits to the reinvention of the in-store experience, this episode dives into the forces reshaping how shoppers engage with brands. The conversation also highlights the rise of omnichannel strategies, the growing influence of Latino consumers, and the importance of cultural relevance in building brand loyalty. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

"Smaller households mean different product configurations, different product features, different ways of taking them to market… Even the fact of the aging population emphasizes certain categories and new benefits that these older consumers will desire. So, these forces point to new pockets of opportunity." In this episode of Retail Sound Bites, we welcome Oksana Sobol, consumer insights lead at Clorox, for a timely discussion on the forces shaping consumer demand. Oksana unpacks how economic volatility, shifting demographics, and evolving attitudes are redefining what and how consumers buy. From the rise of single-person households to the priority of time, she shares actionable insights for CPG, retail, and manufacturing leaders navigating today's complex landscape. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast. Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn Amazon_Grocery_Private_Brand_Pantry.jpg (3735×5600) How Aldi revamped its social media strategy — and why it's working | Grocery Dive OpenAI takes on Google, Amazon with new agentic shopping system | TechCrunch https://www.retaildive.com/news/retail-beauty-sephora-product-incentivized-reviews/761081/ https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/14/amazon-product-reviews-ai-customers-online-shopping.html https://www.modernretail.co/technology/tiktok-is-talking-to-brands-like-its-a-grocer-now/