The Retail Round-Up - “Agentic” Has Entered the Chat - Episode 391

Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.

This is your April edition of the Retail Round-Up!

In today’s episode, we dive into the latest trends shaking up the retail media landscape, from AI-driven shopping innovations and Walmart’s evolving media strategy to concerns about Prime Day restock limits and the ongoing impact of tariffs. The retail media space is moving fast, and there’s no sign of slowing down.

We’re excited to welcome special first-time guest Shahrez Anjum, Senior Account Manager at Acadia, alongside our media expert and friend of the pod, Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media at Acadia.

Tune in to stay ahead of the curve!

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Shahrez discuss:

• Amazon recently introduced two major AI-driven features that signal a fundamental shift in how product discovery and shopping journeys will operate: Interests AI and Buy for Me.

• Interests AI is a product discovery tool that allows Amazon shoppers to enter detailed prompts reflecting their hobbies and passions. 

• Buy for Me, currently in beta, uses agentic AI to place orders on third-party brand websites directly from the Amazon app.

• Amazon has introduced tighter control over off-site placements, which allows advertisers to manage their spend on external platforms more effectively.

• Walmart has made two significant updates to its media offering through Walmart Connect, adding Vizio inventory for media buying and the ability to do advanced targeting for on-site display ads. 

• Amazon has made significant strides in simplifying and enhancing how advertisers can interact with its audience targeting capabilities, particularly by integrating AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud) audiences into its ad console.

• Native Bid Boosters: Amazon is making it easier for advertisers to access and use audience segments directly within the ad console.

• The ongoing discussions around tariffs and their potential impact on retail prices have become a recurring topic in the e-commerce space, especially in relation to Amazon.

• As Prime Day approaches, concerns about restock limits and potential supply chain challenges are rising. In particular, there are indications that Amazon may reintroduce restock limits, a measure previously used to manage inventory flow.