There are three things that retailers must do to create stronger connections with shoppers: when the customer walks in the store, make them smile, make them hungry, and do what the competition can’t or won’t do.

Hear from Kevin Coupe, author and prime storyteller at morningbeatnews.com, as he highlights several pressing issues in retail today, including consolidation, threats like tariffs and inflation, omnichannel expansion, and more, with Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 88 of Retail Sound Bites.

This episode also features Erica Smith, shopper insights analyst, who uncovers key findings from our recent Hispanic shopper research.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Kroger CEO Ron Sargent Highlights Shift Toward Health-Conscious and Premium Shopping Trends – International Supermarket News

Pepsico's Poppi Acquisition: Non-organic Growth in CPG

The 4 levels of agentic AI commerce and emerging shopper paths

https://www.modernretail.co/operations/sams-club-is-now-delivering-pizzas-but-its-not-trying-to-be-the-next-dominos/

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/jm-smucker-remove-artificial-food-dyes-by-end-2027-2025-06-26/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleykohan/2025/07/01/sephora-takes-on-prime-day-shopping-with-lyft-partnership/

Great creativity requires constraints. The presence of media, data, and technology partners at events like Cannes creates new opportunities and constraints that enhance creative culture.

Hear from Andy Murray, Founder & CEO of bigQuest Advisory, Inc., as he explores emerging technology, deepening consumer engagement and insights, and what’s next for Cannes with Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 87 of Retail Sound Bites.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

https://kriq.kantarretailiq.com/en/p-iq/insights/blogs/top-10-takeaways-from-the-2025-digital-food-and-beverage-summit

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-on-generative-ai​

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/amazon-extends-prime-day-to-four-days-starting-july-8-.html​

https://chainstoreage.com/walmart-target-compete-prime-day

https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/spartannash-to-be-acquired-by-c-s-wholesale-grocers-3472799f?mod=retail_news_article_pos1

TikTok - Make Your Day​

Is volatility our new normal? As tariff policies change frequently, uncertainty is likely to be the new normal for the foreseeable future, making long-term planning and decision-making more challenging. Hear from Kantar’s Doug Hermanson and David Marcotte as they join Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 86 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss global tariffs, policy changes, and impacts to shoppers and supply chain. 

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

The drug channel in the US is undergoing significant changes, with CVS and Walgreens trying to reposition themselves as health and wellness destinations but facing challenges such as store closures and shopper shifts to other channels. ​Hear from Kantar’s Amar Singh and Leigh O’Donnell as they join Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 85 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss current health and wellness trends, the state of the drug channel, and more.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Consumers and customers must remain at the heart of every decision, regardless of your industry. Hear from Julie Hamilton, former Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Global Sales at Diageo PLC, as she joins Kantar’s Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 84 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss customer value creation, world-class customer leadership, career navigation, and more.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Adaptability, collaboration, and authenticity are traits that can get you far as a professional and leader. Hear from Cathy Horgan, foodservice and on-premise lead for OLIPOP, and Stephen Horgan, co-founder of InterContinental Beverage Capital, as they join Kantar’s Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 83 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss career progression, leadership, and finding brand growth as CPG veterans.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Will the tradition SEO we’ve come to know and master soon become obsolete? As generative AI reshapes search, learn what’s next from James Cadwallader, co-founder and CEO of Profound, as he joins Kantar’s Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on episode 81 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss traditional to predictive search, new digital shelf strategies, human discovery, and more.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Disruption is inevitable for US retailers and suppliers in the months ahead. Discover provocative and transparent ways to combat challenges ahead from Marissa DeMaio, Vice President of Marketing and Retail Sales Atalanta Corporation, as she joins Kantar’s Barry Thomas, senior retail thought leader, and Rachel Dalton, head of retail insights, on episode 81 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss solution-based selling, product innovation, winning in club, and more.

This episode also features Doug Hermanson, Kantar’s principal economist, who dives into the macroeconomic state of retail.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

It’s time to break through the complexities surrounding AI and its implementation across retail. Kiri Master, retail media and expert and host of Retail Media Breakfast Club, joins Kantar’s Barry Thomas, senior retail thought leader, and Rachel Dalton, head of retail insights, on episode 80 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites the powerfully transformative AI agents that have the potential to change the game in retail media.

This episode also features Julie Craig, Kantar’s vice president of shopper insights, who dives into the issues most pressing to shoppers.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn

Kantar’s annual industry benchmarking report PoweRanking® identifies retailers and suppliers that set the standard of performance, ranked by their trading partners. Download your complimentary executive summary to discover this year's rankings. Rohan Mazumdar, vice president of retail consulting at Kantar, and Jeff Maloy, senior vice president of consulting at Kantar, join Barry Thomas, senior retail thought leader, and Rachel Dalton, head of retail insights, on episode 78 of Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites to discuss intensified retailer concerns about shoppers' reluctance to spend more on consumer goods.

Discover more findings in Kantar's PoweRanking® 2024

This episode also features Doug Hermanson, Kantar’s principal economist, who dives into the macroeconomic state of retail, post-tariff implications in the US, and more.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Contact us at Kantar’s Retail Sound Bites Podcast.

Contact Barry: Email | LinkedIn

Contact Rachel: Email | LinkedIn