Omni Talk Retail

Instacart dropped a big bomb recently, devaluing the company while, at the same time, announcing a new “platform” approach to their strategy going forward, and to say Anne and Chris are skeptical of the move, as many of you know, is an understatement. So we are pleased to bring you our latest in depth discussion with 1010data's Chief Product Officer Jonah Ellin about his company's just released comprehensive report surrounding Instacart. In this podcast interview, Chris, Anne, and Jonah discuss: - Instacart’s online market share and growth. - Which retailers make up the lion’s share of Instacart’s revenue. - What has been happening to Instacart's basket size and transaction counts over the past two years. - And, perhaps most importantly, which products the end consumer is using Instacart for the most. Give this podcast a listen and you are sure to come away with more questions than answers when it comes to the risks Instacart could face in the years ahead. To read the report for yourself, head here: https://10da.co/36Cqt3e Music by hooksounds.com *Sponsored Content*This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this week’s Fast Five video, sponsored by Microsoft, the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Takeoff, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discuss: - Target accepting food stamps online - Farfetch’s investment in Neiman Marcus - JOOR and something called “Automated Attribution” - Kroger giving the restaurant supply business a go down in Texas - And closed with a hot debate over Alexa giving advanced notification on deals There’s all that, plus Lizzo karaoke, how to screw up a burrito, and why we could never bring ourselves to call ourselves, the “Omnichannel Oracles.” To learn more about Microsoft, visit: www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/r…cloud-for-retail To learn more about the A&M Consumer & Retail Group, visit: www.alvarezandmarsal-crg.com/ To learn more about Takeoff, visit: www.takeoff.com/ To learn more about Sezzle, visit: www.sezzle.com/ Plus, check out our ranking in Feedspot’s 45 Top Retail Podcasts: blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/ Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this week’s Fast Five podcast, sponsored by Microsoft, the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Takeoff, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discuss: - Using BNPL at the gas station - Instacart’s downright laughable new strategic positioning - Red Wing Shoes smartly getting ahead of the fit tech curve - Adidas giving Nike a lesson in long-tail marketplace influencer commerce - And close with a “good on ya” to Kath McLay at Sam’s Club for suing BJ’s and protecting the hell out of her scan-and-go turf There’s all that, plus pre-pubescent childhood video game memories, P-Funks, and the vagaries of feed bagging Skittles. To learn more about Microsoft, visit: www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/r…cloud-for-retail To learn more about the A&M Consumer & Retail Group, visit: www.alvarezandmarsal-crg.com/ To learn more about Takeoff, visit: www.takeoff.com/ To learn more about Sezzle, visit: www.sezzle.com/ Plus, check out our ranking in Feedspot’s 45 Top Retail Podcasts: blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/ Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this special Shoptalk edition of the Omni Talk Spotlight Series brought to you through the support of Meta, Anne Mezzenga sits down with DoorDash VP of Global Partnerships to dive deep into the DoorDash headlines the retail world has been buzzing about for the past year including: - The future of DashMart - Express Grocery Delivery with Albertsons Co. - DoorDash Returns Pickup - And an exciting, first-of-its-kind partnership for the delivery provider and a popular East Coast merchant. Anne and Shanna also discuss what merchants and customers can expect from DoorDash in the coming year and how DoorDash plans to continue to grow the business. You do not want to miss this pod from one of the fastest-moving and most innovative companies in the retail industry. For more information on DoorDash head to https://get.doordash.com/en-us For more information on our sponsor Meta head to: https://about.facebook.com/ Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Lululemon dropped its new shoe line last week, and none of that would have been possible without the help and support of Volumental's proprietary fit data, gleaned from millions upon millions of scans of people's feet. So Omni Talk is pleased to announce that one of the pioneers of fit technology in the shoe industry, Volumental's Chief Marketing Officer Brent Hollowell, joins Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga for this special Shoptalk Edition of their ongoing Spotlight Series brought to you in partnership with Meta. Collectively the three of them discuss: – Why our feet are about so much more than just lengths and widths - How technology, when used correctly, can complement the in-store shoe try on process - And how better fit technology deployed across the industry can improve online conversion and solve one of retail's biggest problems, i.e. online returns It is a conversation designed to fit perfectly around Shoptalk this week (pun very much intended!) Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Food waste, and particularly waste from fresh meats and vegetables, is a continued drag on grocers' bottom lines. So Omni Talk is pleased to announce that Afresh CEO Matt Schwartz joins Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga for a special Shoptalk Edition of the their ongoing Spotlight Series brought to you in partnership with Meta to share how his company plans to help grocers solve this problem. Collectively the three of them discuss: – All the factors that can contribute to better demand forecasting at a localized level - How systematized processes can take the subjectivity out of ordering and arm store employees with even more knowledge and autonomy to their jobs better - And why solving grocery waste goes far beyond just having the best AI algorithms It is a conversation tailor made for a week when all of retail gathers in Vegas, for it checks all the boxes -- profit, tech, and most importantly, sustainability! Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

There is probably no topic more on the mind of retailers than what do with online returns. So Omni Talk is pleased to announce that Narvar CEO Amit Sharma joins Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga for a special Shoptalk Edition of their ongoing Spotlight Series brought to you in partnership with Meta. Collectively the three of them go deep on: – Why returns are now the "first-mile" of a new retail experience - What it takes to pick up returns directly from customers' homes - How a smooth returns process can greatly improve supply chain flexibility and improve overall inventory stock position - And how coordinated return hubs at places like malls make consumers' lives that much easier It is a conversation sure to generate buzz at Shoptalk because the answers Amit provides are just so damn intuitive! Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this week’s Fast Five video, sponsored by Microsoft, the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Takeoff, and Sezzle, Chris takes a break from 2022 Walton Family Spring Break to join Anne to discuss: - Kohl’s multiple acquisition offers, their potential buyers, and why two wrongs don’t make a right. - Pickup-only grocer Fresh Street doing grocery orders in 30 minutes with no fee and if it’s a model that will stick? - Amazon’s baller move opening their first net-zero carbon emission Fresh store in Seattle.  - NVIDIA and Kroger promising to reinvent the grocery experience with AI and digital twins. - And close with Anne’s first-hand review of Lululemon’s new Blissfeel running shoe. There’s all that, plus a cameo from Chris’s childhood Darth Vader toy, and a discussion on why Anne’s greatest Applebees memories can still be realized at their new drive-thrus. To learn more about Microsoft, visit: www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/r…cloud-for-retail To learn more about the A&M Consumer & Retail Group, visit: www.alvarezandmarsal-crg.com/ To learn more about Takeoff, visit: www.takeoff.com/ To learn more about Sezzle, visit: www.sezzle.com/ Plus, check out our ranking in Feedspot’s 45 Top Retail Podcasts: blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/ Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this week's Fast Five, sponsored by Microsoft, the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Takeoff, and Sezzle, A&M’s David Ritter and Michael  Prendergast joined Chris and Anne as they debated: - All the news out of Starbucks this week, but most specifically its plans to roll out its community store concept to 1,000 locations by 2030. - Who made the bigger waves this week – DoorDash with its returns pilot or Uber hinting at becoming a retailer? -Whether Macy’s website overhaul means anything and if the company has the flexibility in its business model for its associates to become personal stylists. - The latest livestreaming data and major shifts in sales volume coming out of China. - And closed with a look at what Twitter Shops means for the future of social commerce. There’s all that, plus our favorite “chin-fluencer” celebrities, OnlyFans for Chefs, and why we love the idea of Darth Vader providing in-aisle voice assistance while we shop. To learn more about Microsoft, visit: www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/r…cloud-for-retail To learn more about the A&M Consumer & Retail Group, visit: www.alvarezandmarsal-crg.com/ To learn more about Takeoff, visit: www.takeoff.com/ To learn more about Sezzle, visit: www.sezzle.com/ Plus, check out our ranking in Feedspot’s 45 Top Retail Podcasts: blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/ Music by hooksounds.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Livestreaming is quite the hot topic now that everyone from Walmart to Amazon is doing it which means many of you have likely been asked by your bosses or your boss’s boss to livestream something as part of your 2022 content strategy. So to make sure you avoid the three mistakes so many people make when designing their livestreaming strategy, Omni Talk is pleased to announce that one of the foremost experts in the world of livestreaming and digital content creation, Firework’s Co-Founder and CEO Vincent Yang, joined Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton for the latest installment of their Omni Talk Ask An Expert Series. Collectively the three of them go deep on: - The mistakes brands and retailers are making as they dive into the livestream space - The right way to approach the integration of content and commerce - The shifts retailers should be expecting in the conversion funnel as brands and customers start to adopt livestreaming and content commerce - And, the evolution of customer engagement with brands and how to adequately prepare for the future It is a conversation sure to be in-depth, fun, and, will leave you with a good starting point for that banger of a livestream strategy you’re about to design. Music by hooksounds.com *Sponsored Content*This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy