Ecommerce Braintrust

In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Caroline Adams, Sr. Strategic Retail Account Manager at Acadia. In this episode, Kiri and Caroline discuss product launch strategies on Amazon. They also discussed the challenges of product assortment and channel management, as well as the importance of inventory availability and the introduction of tools like the capacity manager in Seller Central and the Born to Run program in Vendor Central.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

Caroline is a Senior Strategic Account Manager at Acadia where she manages clients like Totes, Murad, Godiva, and Tommy John to grow and manage their Amazon sales channels. 

In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with frequent guest Russ Dieringer, founder of retail insights company Stratably. In this episode, Kiri and Russ discuss the mid-year trends and topics in the eCommerce industry.

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Russ Dieringer is the founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands.  Each week, Russ creates impactful, practical, and easy-to-digest research that speaks to all layers of an organization, helping them see further around the corner of what’s coming in retail.

In today’s podcast, Kiri is joined by Jason Del Rey, a veteran business journalist, who presents an engaging exploration of the intense Amazon/Walmart rivalry and Walmart's journey of reinvention over the past decade in his latest book, "Winner Sells All." 

With extensive experience covering the e-commerce industry and conducting interviews with brands and suppliers, Jason delves into topics such as the Innovator's Dilemma, the changing dynamics of Walmart+ and Amazon Prime, the challenges of building in-house brands, the impact of digital change instigated by Marc Lore at Walmart, Amazon's struggles in physical retail, and the possibility of Amazon facing antitrust actions. 

For those eager to grab the book and follow Jason's work,  his latest book, "Winner Sells All.", is now available in bookstores.

Make sure you tune in to find out more! 

In today’s solo episode, Kiri talks about Prime Day and the challenges associated with major shopping events. She shares both entertaining and cautionary tales related to Prime Day, as well as various pitfalls and bloopers that can occur during these events, emphasizing the need to prepare and have backup plans. 

Kiri shares stories from different brands' experiences, including issues with inventory management, overspending on ads, and timing of deals. She also discusses the importance of staying in close contact with partners, maintaining open communication, and being prepared to adapt during the event. The episode provides insights, recommendations, and lessons learned from previous Prime Day experiences, emphasizing the need for brands to strategize and make informed decisions to maximize their success during the event.

In this episode, Kiri shares 5 reasons why she’s bullish on brands scaling their Walmart.com business in 2023. 

1. Advertising capabilities: the move to 2nd price auction in 2022 has made Walmart ROAS much more attractive than in the past. Stratably research showing more brands plan to invest more in WM ads as a % of their WM sales in 2023.

2. “Feature sets” (Walmart’s answer to A+ product content)  are back.

3. Premium brands are interested in Walmart.com - recognizing that it’s likely a different demographic shopping online than in supercenters. We are seeing more premium/luxury brands at Acadia interested in launching on WM than ever before 

4. Less competition than on Amazon (Some caveats here)

5. Brands have figured out where Amazon goes, making the Walmart.com conversation slightly easier. (Lots of caveats here - but we’re moving in the right direction)

Learn more about Acadia’s managed services to support brands on Walmart.com. 

In today’s solo episode, Kiri recaps the trends so far this year and provides a pulse check on the state of retail, media, and marketplaces in 2023. 

Kiri talks about non-endemic advertising on Amazon and metrics on the Amazon Demand-Side Platform (DSP), she previews two topics that will be explored in more detail this year, Walmart.com and more.

In today’s podcast, Kiri talks with a recurring guest, Ross Walker, Sr. Paid Media Manager at Acadia.

Kiri and Ross recapped the trends and themes observed during Prime Day 2022, noting the competitiveness of tentpole events, the strong conversion rate that helped balance ad performance, and the significance of PD and PEAS as the biggest days on Amazon.

They discussed the likelihood of another Prime Early Access Sale event in 2023, and new tools which are available for ads in 2023 such as AMC reports on complementary ASINs and custom audiences based on "add to cart" data.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

Ross manages the advertising strategies for many of Bobsled’s large and enterprise brands. Ross has been in e-commerce and digital marketing for over six years, primarily focusing on Amazon for the last 5 years. He is based in Toronto Canada and is a massive data and advertising nerd.

In today’s podcast, Kiri talks with Logan, Sr. Retail Marketplaces Sales Development Manager at Acadia.

Logan and Kiri discuss the upcoming Prime Day event and share some useful information for brands looking to maximize their success in this year’s event. 

Logan shares his insights on trends and results from last year, as well as differences in tools, trends, and Walmart's expected competitiveness this year. 

Logan also provides a countdown of things that brands should be doing leading up to the event, including paying close attention to capacity monitors, preparing for system issues with Seller and Vendor Central, sharing deals with external traffic, and having a backup FBM capability in place. 

Make sure you tune in to find out more! 

Logan has been in the ecommerce space for 12 years including on the brand side and agency side, working with Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Wayfair, and other marketplaces. 

As an Arkansas native, he is a huge WM fan and advocates for brands expanding to Walmart.com.

Logan was previously a retail account manager at Acadia and has recently joined the biz dev team as a senior manager. 

In today’s podcast, Kiri talks with Elizabeth Rivas, eCommerce Marketplace Director at AlgaeCal, a nutritional supplement company based in Canada. 

Kiri and Elizabeth discussed Elizabeth's experience in e-commerce, including her work with Pelican International and Algaecal. Elizabeth shared how she started in e-commerce, and her success on Amazon.

They also discussed the structure and incentives around retail media networks, the retail marketplace and retail media metrics that Elizabeth tracks, and her experience launching brands on the Walmart marketplace.

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Elizabeth has worked in the  Amazon ecosystem for 5 years in various categories including outdoor and supplements, scaling them to be top of the category and running 7-8 figure revenue companies in the US and Canada. 

In today’s podcast, Kasey Kiser, Sr. Consultant of Strategy & Insights at Acadia, is hosting the new episode. She is joined by Rebecca Yi, Head of Influencer Marketing at Acadia.

Make sure you tune in to find out more! 

In this episode, Kasey and Rebecca discuss various aspects of influencer marketing such as how to measure success, the impact of video editing tools on the demand for influencers, influencer payment, and the relevance of gifting influencers.

Rebecca also provides advice for small to medium-sized brands starting out with influencers, emphasizing the importance of building intentional relationships with influencers that align with the brand's mission.

The episode also covers red flags to look out for and the future of influencer marketing.