Ecommerce Braintrust

🎙️Interview With Shahrez Anjum and Laurie Tovo of Acadia DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today we're joined by two fantastic guests from Acadia: Shahrez Anjum from our Account Management team and Laurie Tovo from our Retail Media team. They're here to break down what's unique about this year's Q4: what's changing, what you should be watching, and why this holiday season won't look like the last one. Quote: The vibe has definitely changed. Brands are less aggressive than last year. There's more selectivity, more intention, less 'go all-in on everything for 12 days straight. Shahrez Anjum KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Laurie, and Shahrez discuss: How Q4 2025 compares to recent years: From aggressive, catalog-wide deals to more selective and targeted promotional strategies, especially following tariff changes and economic uncertainty. The influence of macroeconomic factors: Brands are feeling the effects of inflation, volatility, and changing consumer stamina for deals, which is shaping a more cautious approach to sales periods and media investment. AI's growing role in ecommerce: How AI, like Amazon's Rufus chatbot, is changing the way shoppers search for and discover products, shifting the focus from keywords to behavioral signals and personalized content. Amazon merchandising and promo capabilities: Updates like changes to promotional fees, expanded Subscribe & Save funding, and automated multipacks are reshaping organic and paid strategies for brands. Advanced advertising strategies: The power of AMC Audiences and behavioral targeting, enabling brands to deliver more segmented and effective messaging across the customer journey. Amazon's evolving fulfillment landscape: Insights on multi-channel fulfillment and the logistical complexities brands face as they consider programs like AWD and adapt to new fulfillment fee structures. Key changes to watch for in 2026: Anticipated shifts include the end of commingled inventory, further customization of deals and shopping experiences, and the need for brands to collect and leverage more customer data. Predictions for the future of search: We may be seeing the end of the traditional search bar in favor of more AI-driven, personalized shopping experiences.

🎙️Interview With Pat Petriello of Acadia DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, we're digging into how Amazon's DSP has expanded its streaming and connected TV media buying footprint through strategic partnerships with Netflix, Disney+, and Roku. To help unpack it all, we're joined by Pat Petriello, our Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, who's been tracking all these updates and what they mean for brands. Quote: "The era of cheap clicks and free audience access across Google Meta and Amazon is largely over." Pat Petriello KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Pat discuss: Amazon DSP Expansion: Overview of Amazon's new integrations with Netflix, Disney, and Roku, and what they signal about Amazon's push into streaming and connected TV media buying. Media Landscape Trends: Discussion of the decline of linear TV and the rise of streaming—backed by Nielsen data showing streaming TV viewership surpassing broadcast and cable in the US. What This Means for Brands: How Amazon DSP acts as a nearly one-stop shop for reaching streaming audiences, including the value of authenticated reach and new inventory across multiple premium publishers. Amazon's Unique Differentiators: Universal frequency capping, access to first-party data for closed-loop attribution with Amazon Marketing Cloud, and lower programmatic guaranteed rates compared to industry averages. Differences in Partnerships: Breakdown of the depth and reach of the Roku integration versus publisher deals with Disney and Netflix, with Roku offering the largest authenticated footprint currently. Early Learnings from Roku Beta Tests: Surprising conversion upticks in early trials, successful audience retargeting, and encouraging initial results prompting more brands to dive in. Actionable Advice for Brands: What's needed to confidently test Amazon DSP, why expertise is required, and encouragement that it's still early days for streaming media buying. Looking Ahead: What's on the horizon, like Amazon's entrance into audio and podcast ad supply (e.g., SiriusXM, Spotify), brand safety, and predictions about Amazon's future in major sports broadcasting rights.

🎙️Prime Big Deal Days Data Breakdown With the Acadia Team DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast! In this episode, Director of Retail Media at Acadia, Ross Walker, is joined by cohost and retail roundup resident expert, Armin Alispahic, stepping in for the show's regular hosts, Julie Spear and Jordan Ripley. Today's discussion dives into all the trends, data, and hot takes from this week's Prime Big Deal Days event. Recorded midday on Friday, October 10th, just 48 hours after Prime Day wrapped, the episode captures early insights and fresh perspectives on what really happened. Joining Ross and Armin are four Acadia team members: From the Account Management team, Gavin Farnan and Michael Childers cover the operations and organic performance side of the event, while Spencer Selden and Carlos Sastre bring their expertise from the media side. The data may still be settling, but that's never stopped this team from sharing their verdict on Prime Day's success. Let's jump into the conversation. Quote: "This is a year when widespread use of AMC, not just for analysis, but for audience building, would allow for a lot of unlocks during the lead-in, during the day of, and for lead-out strategies." Ross Walker KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, the team discusses: Event Overview: Amazon's October Prime Big Deal Days 2025 was shorter, sharper, and strategically focused, reflecting a more disciplined retail environment. Two-Day Format: Amazon scaled back from four days to two, addressing buyer fatigue, fulfillment constraints, and profitability for sellers. Sales Performance: Net sales rose 72% year-over-year, with balanced performance across both days and increasing importance ahead of Q4. Top Performer Strategies: Leading brands combined strong deal depth, off-Amazon traffic, and unbranded campaigns to outperform despite rising CPCs. Profitability Focus: Brands prioritized margin protection, promoting fewer SKUs and using data to guide selective discounting. Consumer Behavior: Demand remained steady across both days; shoppers responded best to targeted, value-driven offers over blanket discounts. Brand Building: Sustained awareness and off-Amazon visibility proved essential — major event success began long before the sale. Platform Challenges: Some sellers faced real-time PED eligibility changes, pricing inconsistencies, and temporary reporting delays. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): AMC emerged as a key differentiator, powering smarter targeting, lookalike modeling, and cross-sell opportunities. Inventory & Merchandising: Brands took a selective, profit-first approach — focusing on hero products and navigating new Best Deal cost structures. Pricing & Visibility: Inconsistencies in Amazon's badging rules persisted, but overall visibility improved thanks to fewer, higher-quality deals. Post-Event Strategy: The lead-out period is crucial — retargeting, brand-tailored promotions, and consistent visibility bridge into Q4 success. Core Lesson: Prime Big Deal Days wasn't just a sales event — it was a test run for Q4, revealing that focus and flexibility now define winning brands.

🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world. As always, Ross Walker is here to unpack everything happening in the world of ads, and Armin Alispahic will take us through the latest in operations and organic trends. This month's lineup is packed: from fresh product updates out of Accelerate, to the ongoing rise of AMC, plus a whole assortment of operational and merchandising developments. Let's dive in. Quote: The workflow to create AMC audiences, the workflow to see insights, and the UI for creating queries have all been massively improved. So the barriers to entry from a technical standpoint have probably never been lower. Ross Walker KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss: Amazon Accelerate Announcements: End of commingled inventory and its implications for brands and resellers. Introduction of AI-powered agentic assistance within Seller Central: potential and early impressions. Overhaul of seller and vendor reporting, including launch of native profit analytics and scenario modeling tools. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) for All: Major update enabling direct access to AMC from the ad console: what this change unlocks for brands and agencies. Limitations for connecting with third-party software and practical applications like audience targeting for Prime Day. Merchandising and Assortment Management: Increase in maximum seller-funded discounts for Subscribe & Save (from 15% to 20%) and the business strategy behind it. Introduction of virtual multi-packs, including hands-off automated creation and improved placement in product variations. Creator Connections Program Update: Shift from an affiliate-only model to allowing upfront sponsorships for creators and publishers. Implications for brand awareness strategy, influencer selection, content ownership, and budget lines. Supply Chain and Inventory Updates: Changes to FBA liquidation and donations programs: what sellers need to watch out for. New partial refunds capability and its pros and cons for brands. Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) is now expanding direct integrations with Shopify and Shein (joining Walmart), and new MCF dashboards for improved cross-channel fulfillment visibility.

🎙️Interview with Kelsey Knight of Slumberkins DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, we're excited to be joined by Kelsey Knight, Chief Commercial Officer at Slumberkins, an emotional learning brand dedicated to helping children grow into caring, confident, and resilient individuals. We first connected with Kelsey at eTail East, where she led an engaging session on the evolution of influencer marketing. Her perspective was both insightful and inspiring, and we're thrilled to bring that conversation to our listeners today. Tune in to find out more! Quote: "Our top-performing content is coming from our influencer or influencer affiliates. We really can see what's working organically and then lean into that from a paid perspective." Kelsey Knight KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Kelsey discuss: Kelsey Knight's career path and her motivation to join Slumberkins Slumberkins' mission & growth: A brand teaching kids emotional skills through plush "creatures," books, and media. Kelsey Knight's career in social and DTC led her to join for its mission-driven focus. Influencer as a growth engine: The brand began with grassroots social efforts and now uses the Siral platform to scale influencer programs. UGC from parents and teachers drives strong engagement and fuels paid ads more effectively than traditional creative. Paid media rebalancing: After reaching efficiency limits on Meta, Slumberkins cut spend to invest in organic channels (influencer, email, SEO). Once healthier, they returned to Meta profitably, keeping first-purchase profitability as a non-negotiable metric. Loyalty & community: Their Radium-powered loyalty program goes beyond points, running challenges (reading, seasonal, routines) to foster parent/teacher engagement, generate UGC, and deepen brand loyalty. Amazon as a channel: Amazon sales are steady and profitable, but treated as part of a wider ecosystem. Off-Amazon marketing efforts (ads, influencer, organic) consistently lift Amazon sales within days. Search everywhere optimization: With AI disrupting discovery, Slumberkins invests in SEO, PR, and organic content to surface in LLMs and new search tools. Early results show AI-driven traffic is small but far more engaged.

Ross Walker and Damiano Ciarrocchi from Acadia dive into the evolving landscape of retail media networks. They discuss the divergence of initial expectations from reality, emphasizing the importance of assessing retailers based on sales potential and data capabilities. The duo highlights how shopper behavior across channels influences strategies and the critical role of metrics beyond mere media performance. They also touch on the significance of aligning assortment with media to drive effective campaigns, offering actionable insights for brands navigating this complex environment.

Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, we're thrilled to be joined by Scott Lester, Senior Manager of Digital & E-commerce at eos: the brand behind the beloved Evolution of Smooth products, from body lotions and lip balms to shaving creams. We first connected with Scott at eTail East, where he spoke on marketplace optimization and strategy. His insights really stood out, and we're excited to dive deeper into those ideas with him today. Tune in to find out more! KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Scott discuss: Scott Lester's Nontraditional Career Path: Scott shares how he went from a Spanish literature degree and pharmaceutical sales to a thriving career in ecommerce, emphasizing the value of curiosity and adaptability. Translating Brand Ethos Across Channels: The eos team maintains consistency in their brand voice across digital marketplaces, retail media, and in-store experiences. Marketplace Growth Framework: Scott walks through eos's approach to marketplace growth by breaking it into four stages: market anticipation, leveraging reviews, discover & rank, and platform optimization. Nimbleness in Product Innovation: Insights on how eos uses social and market trends (such as their "Flavor Lab" launches inspired by viral secret menu hacks) to quickly develop and release new products, benefiting from the agility that comes with being a relatively small company. The Power of Customer Reviews: Discussion on how reviews are being repurposed into user-generated content and ad creative, and why customer sentiment is now essential, especially with the rise of AI such as Amazon's Rufus and Walmart's Sparky. Shifting Optimization Strategies: The evolution from keyword-stuffing to a more nuanced approach focused on consumer language, mobile relevance, and content that appeals both to customers and marketplace algorithms. Paid vs. Organic in Digital Shelf Strategy: Scott explains balancing organic and paid tactics, and why he no longer believes in strict "upper/mid/lower-funnel" strategies. Instead, eos seeks to create memorable, shareable moments across multiple touchpoints. The Rise of AMC and Measurement: How Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) has moved from "nice to have" to essential for tracking incremental impact and optimizing media spend effectively. AI: Both Exciting and Alarming: Scott offers candid thoughts on the double-edged sword of AI in ecommerce, from helping with data analysis to concerns over generative imagery and deepfakes.

🎙️Interview With Lauren Livak Gilbert of Digital Shelf Institute DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations. Today, we're excited to welcome back a returning guest: Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute and co-host of the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast. With over 10 years of experience in digital commerce and design, Lauren is a sought-after commerce strategist for hundreds of global omnichannel brands. Today, Lauren joins us to share insights from a recent DSI report, Reinventing the Organization for Omnichannel Success: Beyond 'Where Ecommerce Sits'. Tune in to find out more! 📚 RESOURCES Reinventing the Organization for Omnichannel Success: Beyond 'Where Ecommerce Sits' Quote: "A lot of the traditional brands, some of the older brands that have been around for a long time, are realizing that if they don't pivot, they're going to be beaten out by these 15, 20 new digitally native brands that started yesterday." Lauren Livak Gilbert KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Lauren discuss: Purpose of the DSI Report: The motivation behind the report, highlighting the persistent struggle brands face in truly restructuring for omnichannel, rather than simply treating symptoms of digital change. The Pace of Change in Ecommerce: How the rapid evolution of digital retail—fueled by factors like AI, frequent platform updates, and new competition—demands a more agile and adaptable organizational model than legacy in-store structures allow. Crawl-Walk-Run-Sprint Model: Lauren outlined a maturity framework for organizational evolution, ranging from the "sidecar" approach (a small, dedicated digital team) to full organizational reinvention that integrates ecommerce thinking across all functions. Training and Continuous Education: Why continuous upskilling and cross-functional training are essential. Cross-Functional Alignment: The need for breaking down silos—ensuring supply chain, R&D, sales, marketing, and other departments work seamlessly together for a unified consumer experience. Mindset Shifts for the Future: Lauren highlighted her recommended mindset shifts for building a future-ready brand, with practical steps for prioritizing the most impactful ones. Practical Outcomes of Reinvention: A successful, reinvented organization is defined by agility, frictionless decision-making, consumer-centricity, and strong cross-team collaboration. Leadership Structure Evolution: The rise of titles like Chief Growth Officer, and why unifying sales and marketing under a single leader can remove internal competition and align teams around shared targets. Start Now, but Pace Yourself: Lauren stressed both the urgency and the patience required: start making small changes now, but recognize organizational reinvention is a long-term process.

🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world. This edition covers Amazon's evolving AI shopping assistant, Rufus; key operational changes for sellers; tech stack shakeups among major retailers; and TikTok's move into streamlined commerce and tracking. Whether you're a brand operator, advertiser, or just keeping a close eye on the e-commerce landscape, this episode packs actionable insights with plenty of wit. Let's dive in. Quote: As Rufus starts remembering your browsing and purchase history, it becomes easier for it to surface exactly the type of product you're looking for. And that means the shopping journey is getting way more focused. Armin Alispahic KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss: Amazon Rufus & Personalization: The growing impact of Amazon's Rufus AI, which remembers user shopping behaviors, and the implications for brands needing to optimize content and strategies for increasingly personalized searches. Seller Feedback & Prep Service Changes: Updates to Amazon seller feedback (now ratings-only with limited appeals), the discontinuation of Amazon's FBA prep services starting January 2025, and new policies for handling damaged inventory are highlighted, including tips for brands to retain control and mitigate risk. Variation Themes Deprecation: The recent confusion around Amazon's update to variation themes, initially perceived as disruptive, but later clarified to mainly affect rarely used themes with no sales in the past year. Retail Media Partnerships: Analysis of Walmart's move away from The Trade Desk exclusivity to potentially develop its own DSP, and Macy's adoption of Amazon's Retail Ad Service, with thoughtful discussion on what these shifts signal for the future of retail media networks. TikTok E-commerce Integration: TikTok's new Buy with Prime checkout option and cross-channel measurement solutions are debated, with insights on how these changes may impact the platform's e-commerce role moving forward.

Today, we're joined by a familiar voice and a musically inclined CPG thought leader: Chris Perry of firstmovr. He's spent the last several months educating brands on how to prepare for a new age of product discovery and conversion paths with the dawn of AI-enabled search. We're thrilled to have him back to share key insights and practical takeaways from his recent trainings. Tune in to find out more! KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Chris discuss: The Changing Digital Shelf: How the digital shelf continues to evolve rapidly and the growing importance of frictionless and personalized shopping experiences driven by AI. Personal Experiences with AI Search: How tools like Rufus and ChatGPT are influencing their own shopping behaviors. Choice Paralysis and AI Solutions: Choice overload for consumers and how agentic AI tools can curate and simplify decision-making, much like a "Costco experience" for endless online assortments. Training and Transition for Brands: Chris details the challenge of bringing legacy organizations up to speed, highlighting the need to expand skillsets from basic e-commerce "math" to effectively leveraging AI "calculator" tools. Brand Case Studies and Shopper Journeys: Through real shopping scenarios (e.g., searching for whitening toothpaste for sensitive teeth), Chris explains how AI-driven search results can differ from traditional ones, urging brands to rethink content strategy and optimization. Prompting and Shopper-Centric Content: Tips for brands to analyze and adapt to AI tools' pre-filled questions and dynamic prompts, which often reveal emerging shopper concerns and influence purchase considerations. Practical Optimization Insights: Actionable steps brands can take, such as focusing on clear, shopper-centric product content and continually testing how products show up in AI-influenced search environments. Looking Ahead: The future convergence of search and AI, predicting that the lines between "search bar" and "AI assistant" will soon blur, fundamentally changing shopper expectations. Tips for Brands: Brands are encouraged to treat the digital shelf as an ongoing process, not a project, and to use practical experimentation, shopper empathy, and iterative optimization to stay ahead. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Connect with Chris Perry Learn more about firstmovr Connect with our host, Julie Spear Connect with our host, Jordan Ripley Learn more about Acadia