Today, we're thrilled to have two of Acadia's brightest minds in organic optimization join us.

First, we have Brittany Flanagan, Head of CRO at Acadia, with over 15 years of growth marketing experience across brands and agencies.

Joining her is Julian Galindo, Senior Account Manager on our Retail Team and a recognized expert in driving organic growth on Amazon.

Together, they delve into the intricate world of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and its implications for both Amazon and D2C marketplaces. From tackling data-driven decisions to leveraging AI for personalized experiences, this conversation highlights how CRO techniques are evolving and what the future holds for e-commerce.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Brittany, and Julian discuss:

• The concept of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) as the process of using data to understand customer behavior and optimize websites to increase conversions.

• CRO techniques for product pages on Amazon and the importance of data-driven experimentation.

• How the availability of data and technology has evolved, impacting CRO strategies for both Amazon and D2C.

• The role of AI in modern CRO, particularly in terms of personalization and recommendation algorithms.

• Amazon vs. D2C in CRO: Differences in data accessibility and testing capabilities between Amazon's ecosystem and direct-to-consumer (D2C) platforms.

• Limitations on Amazon, where multivariate testing isn't feasible compared to the more granular data tracking available in D2C.

• Addressing the complexity of coordinating across various departments like marketing, dev, and creative teams for effective CRO implementation.

• The importance of creating data-driven, iterative processes to understand the nuances of consumer behavior and preferences.

• Insights into the potential future developments in CRO, including better AI-driven personalization and enhanced data reporting on Amazon.

• Speculations on how CRO tools and practices will become more accessible for medium-sized and smaller businesses.

Today, we're thrilled to welcome two exceptional guests. Tim Wilson, the Chief Revenue Officer at ProductWind — a cutting-edge retail influencer marketing platform designed to help products launch and thrive organically online.

Joining him is Ken Beemer, Director of Client Growth at Acadia, where he drives partnerships that fuel business growth for our clients.

Together, they'll share insights on the evolution of ProductWind, why it's a game-changer for retail readiness and actionable strategies to launch products on e-commerce platforms successfully.

Don't miss this exciting conversation—tune in now!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Tim, and Ken discuss:

1. The Origin of ProductWind: Tim Wilson shares the backstory of ProductWind, which emerged from an innovative solution during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's founder, Jason Kowalski, leveraged his experience at Amazon to create a self-service platform that automates promotions and transforms influencer marketing.

2. Tim Wilson's Journey: With his vast experience at companies like Commerce IQ and Pattern, Tim joined ProductWind and embraced the challenge of solving key e-commerce problems.

3. Impact on Clients: Ken Beemer, Acadia's Director of Retail Client Growth, reveals the impact of ProductWind on clients. He discusses various successful campaigns, including launches of new products, revitalizing stalled hero products, and boosting holiday sales.

4. Self-Service Innovation: ProductWind shifted from managed services to a self-service platform, making it accessible and effective for brands of all sizes.

5. The Algorithm Advantage: The secret sauce of ProductWind — marketing to the algorithm. This innovative approach ensures relevancy and maximizes visibility for any product, regardless of brand size or category.

6. Roadmap to Success: What's next for ProductWind, including expanding into new markets like the UK and Germany, and focusing on enhancing data insights and usability.

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

Joining us today is none other than Chris Perry of firstmovr — a frequent guest and the industry's go-to "CPG whisperer."

Chris is here to introduce The ENDCAPS, his innovative new industry award that debuted just a few months ago. We'll explore key insights from the recently announced grocery category winners and get a sneak peek at what's ahead as other categories and brands compete for ENDCAP supremacy this year.

Don't miss this exciting conversation—tune in now!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Chris discuss:

• Importance of a detailed rubric for shopper-centric content.

• Consistency, storytelling, and clarity in visual content to engage shoppers.

• Digital shelves require ongoing updates and feedback-driven enhancements.

• Targeting content appropriately, maintaining relevance, and engaging storytelling.

• Emphasis on mobile-friendly content length and visibility.

• Creative mobile hero images maximizing product appeal.

• Comparison of platform restrictions, with Amazon being more restrictive than Target and Walmart.

• Avoiding overlays that obscure important content through regular audits.

• End Cap Awards

• Introduction to the End Cap awards for excellence in digital merchandising.

• Methodology and objective assessment by industry judges.

• Focus on U.S. markets initially, with potential international expansion.

• Shopper centricity, mobile optimization, and sales growth incrementality as key factors.

• Future improvements include accessibility, ADA compliance, and retailer-specific tailoring.

• Complexity of ROI, focusing on leading metrics and actions instead of just lagging metrics.

• Examples of inclusive marketing approaches like razor brands attracting new and maintaining existing customers.

• Enhancing PDPs with User-Generated Content to boost customer confidence.

• Legal considerations and innovative uses of influencer content and statistical endorsements.

• Storytelling and Incrementality: Effective PDPs answering essential consumer questions and utilizing cross-selling strategies.

• Highlighting marketing occasions such as Super Bowl or back-to-school for sales driving.

Thank you for an incredible 2024! 🎉

We are grateful for such an engaged community of listeners. To celebrate, we're re-releasing 2 of our most popular episodes of the year. This week we're bringing back "Building For A Multichannel Future" with Paul Sonneveld of MerchantSpring. We hope you enjoy it!

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Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia's Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear.

Today, we are joined by two special guests: Paul Sonneveld, CEO & Co-Founder of MerchantSpring, and Acadia's Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

We're diving into the complex decisions behind building vs buying software at an agency and SaaS company, using customer feedback to shape what you deliver to the market, and where we see the industry headed in this multichannel e-commerce world.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

In this episode, Julie, Paul, and Jordan discuss:

• Origins and evolution of MerchantSpring: from an in-house tool for managing multiple e-commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay to a shift towards SaaS for agencies.

• Multi-channel support and feature parity across different platforms.

• Specific focus on agency needs and saving customers' time by providing a unified interface.

• Balancing between roadmap developments and quality of life improvements.

• Core focus areas: feature parity, profitability, and retail media support using agile methodology.

• Importance of customer lifetime value and sourcing share analysis.

• Challenges of overinvesting in features like eBay item specifics, driven by local market demands but limited broader interest.

• The evolution of the company's approach to idea generation based on client feedback.

• Future developments include enhancing retail media, profitability analysis, and expanding into Southeast Asia and Japan.

• Homogenizing retail data across various channels.

• Advantages and strategies for early considerations of data homogenization.

• Exploration of clean room developments to unify client data.

• Future updates and developments to look forward to from MerchantSpring.

Thank you for an incredible 2024! We are grateful for such an engaged community of listeners. To celebrate, we're re-releasing 2 of our most popular episodes of the year. This week we're bringing back "Escape from Retail Island" with Jared Belsky. We hope you enjoy it!

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Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia's Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear.

Today we're joined by Acadia's CEO, Jared Belsky! This episode is all about the concept of "Retail Island"- a metaphor for the siloed nature of retail media. Jared sheds light on its implications for funding, organizational structure, and creative strategy.

Drawing parallels from the eras of search and social media, he explains why the stakes are even higher now and offers actionable insights on how brands can navigate this fragmented landscape.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

In this episode, Julie and Jared discuss:

• What is the Retail Island? Despite the explosive growth of retail media, it remains siloed in funding, organizational structure, and creative efforts. Jared unpacks why this isolation occurs and the dangers it presents to brands.

• Brand Impact: Is your Amazon budget dramatically lower than your brand and performance media budgets? Jared explains how organizational silos are holding your potential captive and why it's crucial to integrate your budgets and strategies.

• Historical Context: The cyclical nature of new advertising channels and how retail media is repeating the history of search and social media but with higher stakes.

• Organizational Shifts: Practical examples of brands integrating their teams and budgets to drive better ROI and efficiency.

• Challenges in Measurement: Why media mix modeling is not the silver bullet we hoped for? Breaking down the complexities and offering simpler, more actionable strategies for cross-channel measurement.

• Actionable Steps: Simplifying your performance comparison and being brave with testing.

• Agency Perspective: The impact of retail island transcends beyond brands, influencing how agencies should evolve.

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia's Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear and Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

This will be our very last episode of 2024 and we are closing out the year with a bang.

We reached out to all our podcast guests from 2024 and asked them two thought-provoking questions:

• What's been the most impactful change/development in our industry from this year and why?

• What's something in our industry that excites you the most for next year?

Over a dozen industry experts shared their insights, highlighting the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the landscape.

To break it all down, we've invited two sharp minds to join the discussion: Russ Dieringer from Stratably and our very own Ross Walker. Together, we'll dive into the themes that emerged from these conversations and explore what they mean for the future.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

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

• AI & Personalization:

• Over 60% of past guests identified AI as a top trend.

• AI is enabling personalization at scale with negligible costs.

• Ross Walker observes more personalized ads, suggesting deep-level data scraping.

• Russ Dieringer predicts higher e-commerce conversion rates by 2025 due to personalization.

• AI's Impact on Retail:

• Amazon and Walmart are moving towards personalized sites and deals.

• AI-generated personalized product titles and shopper journeys are evolving.

• Big brands may face challenges with extensive approval processes, benefiting smaller, agile brands.

• Retail Media & Ad Spending:

• Amazon continues to dominate in retail media and gross merchandise value.

• Discussions on shifting ad budgets, with brands preferring Amazon's scale.

• Mention of cross-channel media measurement and incrementality.

• Market Dynamics:

• Walmart's strengthening position in grocery, competing with Amazon.

• TikTok's transformation into a commerce platform.

• Retailers like Home Depot (home goods) and Chewy (pet supplies) find niche success.

• AI & Product Visibility:

• High-quality content on product pages influences AI-driven search results.

• Tools like Rufus can summarize reviews but pose visibility control challenges.

• Adoption of Omnichannel Strategies:

• Integration of online and in-store experiences, with Walmart leading.

• Amazon's gradual integration of data pipelines with Whole Foods.

• Future Trends:

• Emerging AI tools to enhance product detail page (PDP) measurement.

• Potential transformation of retail strategies by AI by 2025.

• Excitement for further discussions on retail media and marketplace trends in 2025.

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

Today, we're excited to welcome two of Acadia's top experts in organic optimization for Google and Amazon. Scott Walldren, Head of SEO with over 15 years of experience, and Julian Galindo, Senior Account Manager, and Amazon organic growth expert, join us to tackle a key industry debate: does Amazon's advertising and SEO strategy follow Google's past playbook?

We'll explore where the parallels hold up—and where Amazon is breaking new ground. Stay tuned for actionable insights from two leading voices in the field!

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Jordan, Scott, and Julian discuss:

• Conversion is the main goal of SEO on Amazon, emphasizing impactful keyword use over keyword stuffing.

• Google's Evolution: Transition from keyword focus to user-friendly, AI-refined content.

• Google's AI influences product titles and search result refinements.

• Amazon's Search and Product Promotion: Integration of richer content like editorial recommendations and badges on product listings that summarize customer feedback.

• AI streamlines customer journeys on Amazon, offering personalized recommendations but sometimes struggling with specifics.

• Importance of understanding consumer perspectives and conducting thorough keyword research.

• Aligning product descriptions with consumer search behavior.

• Evaluating search results to gauge consumer intent and market positioning.

• Balancing product features with search trends and refining naming conventions.

• The perpetual nature of SEO with continuous updates and adjustments.

• Regular content refresh cycles recommended for trend alignment and strategy effectiveness.

• AI's role in managing large-scale content updates and optimizing product discovery.

• Future implications of AI-driven search experiences.

• Utilizing questionnaires to gather client-specific information for accurate keyword targeting.

• Shifts in user search patterns requiring ongoing SEO strategy adjustments.

• Introduction of AI projects like "Rufus," providing personalized recommendations but facing challenges with detailed requests.

• User-generated reviews significantly impacting AI algorithms and customer trust in product discovery and purchase decisions.

• Future of E-commerce SEO: Optimizing for both AI-driven discovery and traditional search rankings.

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

Today, we're bringing together some of Acadia's brightest minds from our retail media, account management, and strategy teams for a roundtable discussion.

They'll share their initial insights into what set this Black Friday and Cyber Monday apart for Amazon and the brands we support.

Joining us are Ross Walker, leader of our retail paid media team; Joanna Otto, account manager for some of our largest brands; and Predrag Vetnić, account strategist and our in-house authority on merchandising, promotions, and tentpole strategies.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Jordan, Ross, Joanna, and Predrag discuss:

• Brand Sentiment and Strategy:

• Observations on brand attitudes towards Q4 events amidst economic uncertainty.

• Strategies range from aggressive discounting for growth to cautious participation to preserve margins.

• Changes in 2024:

• Introduction to new promotional structures by Amazon, including increased required days for discounts to get badging.

• Highlights on how brands adjusted their strategies to align with these new requirements.

• Economic and Logistical Factors:

• Reflection on how macroeconomic factors and Amazon's logistical considerations influence the extended shopping event period.

• Performance Results:

• General consensus that most brands saw better performance year-over-year.

• Notable swings in performance based on promotional participation and advertising strategies.

• Operational Challenges:

• Common platform and operational issues, including listing suppressions, pricing compliance issues, and feature glitches.

• Positive notes on some improved aspects of Amazon's ad console.

• Upcoming Shopping Weeks:

• Continued focus on strategies for the remaining holiday shopping weeks.

• Importance of brand tailored promotions and advanced media tactics using AMC audience data.

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

In this episode, we're joined by Instacart experts Juan Munoz and Robert Benlloch to tackle some key retail media questions:

Is my ad spend cannibalizing my organic sales?

How should I be assessing my investment for growth?

And what are the right measurement frameworks and metrics to use when having these conversations and providing guidance to our clients?

Through the lens of Instacart, we'll explore its unique nuances and advantages for measuring and understanding incrementality.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Jordan, Robert, and Juan discuss:

• Defining Cannibalization:

• Two types of cannibalization: traditional (ads taking credit for sales that would have happened anyway) and placement cannibalization (paid ads replacing organic placements).

• Understanding concerns about ad investments cannibalizing organic sales.

• Instacart-Specific Metrics:

• Overview of metrics unique to Instacart such as Halo Sales, New to Brand, and market share.

• Importance of the Customer Insights tab for tracking market share and competitive positioning.

• Sales per Instacart Weighted Distribution (SDPI):

• Explanation of how this metric isolates sales velocity by excluding changes in distribution.

• Importance of controlling for shifts in product availability across stores.

• Determining Optimal Ad Spend:

• Discussion on metrics like market share and total sales as better indicators of ad spend efficiency.

• How Instacart allows correlation of ad spend to market share growth against competitors.

• Developments in Instacart:

• Announcement of new metrics like "Share of Digital Shelf" which shows your position relative to competitors.

• Introduction of "Inspirational Ads" for targeting users looking for specific recipes.

• Speculations and Insights:

• Speculation on why Instacart is more transparent with data compared to other platforms.

• Reflection on Instacart's commitment to providing detailed analytics for better business decisions.

• Future of Instacart Innovations:

• Excitement around new ad placements and features like the recipe-based ads.

• Taking advantage of new developments on Instacart.

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia's Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear and Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

Today we're joined by Geoffrey Beliard, Senior Director of Product Solutions at Pacvue.

Geoffrey has spent decades leading data and analytics teams both on the brand side at large CPG conglomerates and, more recently, with leading software companies in our industry.

We'll dive into Geoffrey's take on where the industry is heading and how he's leading the product team and roadmap at Pacvue to meet that future.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Geoffrey discuss:

• Core Focus of Pacvue:

• Emphasis on retail media and retail operations as primary pillars.

• Strategic choice to excel in fewer areas rather than offering a broad range of services.

• Differentiation Strategy:

• Preference for doing fewer things exceptionally well, setting Pacvue apart from competitors like Commerce IQ and Stackline.

• Advocacy for an open ecosystem, allowing integration with existing data sources and tools.

• Partnerships and Company Culture:

• Importance of strategic partnerships to augment weaker areas.

• Alignment of business strategy with a growth mindset and continuous improvement.

• Pacvue's Capabilities:

• Retail media management tools and Pacvue Commerce for comprehensive retail operations.

• Integration with major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kroger, etc.

• Insights from Geoffrey Beliard:

• Experiences from the brand side and agency side contributing to product solutions.

• Discussion on balancing scalability with niche agency needs.

• Retail Media Networks and Clean Room Technology:

• Comparison between broad versus deep approaches in retail media network development.

• Investment in clean room technology and its role in unifying data and understanding shopper behavior.

• Measurement and Incrementality:

• Development of robust methodologies to measure incrementality, starting with Amazon.

• Use of "ensemble learning" to handle diverse data inputs for better incrementality measurement.

• Automation vs. Human Intervention:

• Discussion on the balance between automated AI solutions and manual control.

• Factors affecting retail operations, including inventory and buy box ownership.

• Future of Retail Media:

• Consolidation around the top 20 global retailers developing retail media networks.

• Importance of large-scale retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target in attracting media investment.