🎧 Retail Fast Five | March 26, 2025 – Live from Shoptalk 2025

This week, Chris and Anne are back together live at Shoptalk 2025, bringing you exclusive insight and on-the-ground energy. This week's episode, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital and Infios, kicks off with a behind-the-scenes look at their interviews with CVS, Wayfair, and Purina (03:15), followed by their five big retail stories of the week:

• Best Buy Launches Social Plus – A new retail media/social ad hybrid (06:23)
• Amazon Haul Gets a Spring Sale Boost – But is it bold enough? (12:23)
• Klarna x DoorDash Partnership – BNPL comes to food delivery (16:46)
• Edible Arrangements Launches Edibles.com – Game-changing move into hemp products (20:54)
• Target Tests Brown Box Delivery – Efficiency play or PR puff? Or both? (24:43)

They also talk Christina Aguilera workout songs (28:47), bad airport snacks (30:14), socks and sleep debates (31:53), and whether Minneapolis should host dating shows (33:03).

💥 A must-listen for anyone following the ever-changing retail landscape.

Music by hooksounds.com

#RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #RetailNews #BestBuy #AmazonHaul #ShopTalk2025 #RetailMedia #Klarna #DoorDash #Edibles #TargetRetail #Ecommerce #RetailTrends #BNPL #RetailInnovation

🎧 Personalized Joy at Scale: KK Kandu of Kendra Scott | Shoptalk 2025 Live

Kamanasish Kundu (aka "KK"), SVP & Head of Digital and E-Commerce at Kendra Scott, joins Omni Talk live from the Avalara podcast studio at Shoptalk 2025 to explore the art and science of emotional commerce. From building a nimble, test-driven culture to prepping for an AI-first future of intelligent shopping agents, KK lays out the future of digital retail for a personal brand in an evolving world.

📍 Timestamps:

(0:09) Welcome and intro to KK Kandu – recently promoted at Kendra Scott

(1:00) KK’s background: from electrical engineer to e-commerce leader

(1:58) What KK’s Shoptalk session is about: personalization that spreads joy

(2:54) Redefining personalization: it’s about anticipating needs and building connection

(3:50) What makes jewelry unique in e-commerce—and why emotion matters

(4:55) Bringing in-store energy to digital through omnichannel alignment

(5:46) Test-and-learn culture: “launch and love” for every experiment

(6:52) Navigating price sensitivity and uncertainty with a proactive strategy

(8:20) Showing value through messaging and BNPL while staying nimble

(9:40) What’s next in e-commerce: AI agents, emotional touchpoints, and dual-layer websites

(11:13) Final thoughts: brands that balance intelligence and emotion will win

#shoptalk #kendrascott #retailtech

🎧 Turning Returns Into Revenue: Trove CEO Terry Boyle on Resale’s Rise at Shoptalk 2025

Terry Boyle, CEO of Trove, sits down with Omni Talk, live from the Avalara podcast studio at Shoptalk, to share how the resale revolution is changing retail. He walks through the tech, economics, and brand strategy behind resale programs that create loyalty, profits, and sustainability—while helping retailers attract new customers in the process.

📍 Timestamps:

(0:05) Welcome from Shoptalk 2025 at the Avalara booth

(0:33) Terry Boyle’s background: from Nordstrom to Zulily to Trove

(1:46) What Trove does: powering branded resale, trade-ins, and returns

(2:59) Why resale is both a sustainability and profitability play

(4:02) Who Trove works with—Patagonia, Arc’teryx, Brooks, and more

(4:50) Why resale isn’t a Shoptalk track…yet

(5:55) Has resale crossed the chasm?

(6:50) The economics of resale vs. off-price

(8:15) What tech is needed to scale resale (AI, WMS, ERP integration)

(9:05) Is there a “right way” to do resale?

(9:51) Full site integration = 3–5% of sales from resale

(10:43) Watchouts: how to manage gift card values and return grades

(11:27) Recap and call to action

#shoptalk #resale #retailinnovation

🎧 Tariff Tuesdays, Taxes & Cross-Border Success: Avalara’s George Trantas at Shoptalk 2025

Live from Shoptalk 2025, Avalara’s George Trantas shares deep insights on what’s next for global retail. From tackling tariffs and tax implications to building a smart cross-border strategy, George brings clarity to the chaos with advice rooted in years of ecommerce and logistics leadership.

📍 Timestamps:

(0:05) Live from Shoptalk 2025 at Avalara Booth #1554

(0:53) George’s background and shoutout to his son’s hockey championship

(1:19) What Avalara does and George’s evolving role

(2:23) What’s happening in cross-border commerce right now

(3:43) Where to start with cross-border: Canada, UK, Australia

(4:46) Common mistakes in global ecommerce and pricing

(5:58) Tariff talk: what happens if the de minimis rule is removed

(6:56) Advice for retailers to prepare for tariff shifts

(7:57) The surprising truth about taxing tariffs

(8:55) Avalara’s weekly “Tariff Tuesday” blog and knowledge resources

(9:25) Closing advice: get help, start small, and follow the leaders

#shoptalk #taxes #tariffs

Chris and Anne sit down with Uncommon Goods founder and CEO Dave Bolotsky, live from the Avalara podcast studio, to talk about the company’s origin story, why curation still matters, and how they’re adapting to the latest retail trends. From light manufacturing in Brooklyn to in-house product design and a $25 loyalty program, Dave shares what it takes to thrive in today’s ecommerce world—plus his thoughts on AI, customer experience, and the future of gifting.

📍 Timestamps:

(0:05) Intro from Shoptalk 2025 at Avalara Booth #1554

(0:26) Dave’s background from Wall Street to ecommerce

(1:33) What makes Uncommon Goods “uncommon”

(2:50) How they choose and create exclusive products

(4:56) In-house design and Brooklyn-based light manufacturing

(5:45) The evolution of the maker economy and competitive pressure

(6:56) Popular new product: QR code horoscope mugs

(8:00) Dave’s learning approach to Shoptalk

(9:03) How Uncommon Goods is exploring retail media

(9:45) Testing pop-up stores and the ROI challenge

(10:59) Loyalty: “Uncommon Perks” vs. Prime

(12:01) Using AI in customer service, copywriting, and code

(13:20) Vision for AI in product development

(14:34) Closing thoughts + what’s next for Uncommon Goods

#shoptalk #retailinnovation

🎧 Inside CVS’s Retail Reinvention | Musab Balbale Live from Shoptalk 2025

Musab Balbale, SVP and Chief Merchandising Officer of CVS Health, sits down with Omni Talk, live from the Avalara podcast studio at Shoptalk 2025, to explore CVS’s bold new retail strategy. With 75% of store traffic coming from the front store, CVS is leaning into AI, hyperlocal formats, and the power of everyday essentials to become a community-first destination for immediate needs.

📍 Timestamps:

(0:08) Welcome from Shoptalk 2025 – and puppies?!

(0:36) What Musab oversees at CVS: digital, categories, and front-store merchandising

(1:53) 75% of CVS traffic comes from front-store—surprising stat breakdown

(3:06) CVS as a local community store, not just a pharmacy

(3:35) Musab’s career journey: Walmart, Jet.com, Vitamin Shoppe

(4:00) Comparing the transformation journeys of Walmart and CVS

(4:52) CVS’s small format and standalone pharmacy strategy explained

(5:56) Designing stores for micro trade areas using AI and ML

(7:25) 900 billion value-SKU combos: how tech powers CVS’s tailored assortments

(8:42) The consumer’s evolving expectations and how CVS fits into their routine

(9:33) What categories are leading growth—food, general merchandise, and seasonal

(10:59) “Immediate gratification” as the overlooked retail trip type

(11:44) The human connection still matters in retail

(12:27) The one trend Musab is watching closely: the true power of AI

#shoptalk #cvs #retailinnovation

Shoptalk 2025 Exclusive: Shein's Strategy Head Peter Pernot-Day on the Future of Fashion

Chris and Anne sit down with Shein’s Head of Strategy & Corporate Affairs, Peter Pernot-Day, live from the Avalara podcast studio at Shoptalk 2025, to explore how Shein's radically different approach to production and customer experience sets it apart. The discussion covers everything from small-batch on-demand design to retail data engineering and personalization—plus how Shein is thinking about tariffs, technology, and customer loyalty in 2025 and beyond.

📍 Timestamps:

(0:05) Live from Shoptalk 2025 at the Avalara booth

(0:22) Peter’s background & Shein 101

(1:12) What “on-demand fashion” really means

(2:48) Technology that drives Shein’s efficiency

(3:59) Shein’s response to the affordability crisis

(5:00) Advice for other retailers: embrace data engineering

(6:15) Personalization & the "experience gap" in e-commerce

(7:42) Photo search and recommender system innovations

(8:37) The role of customer feedback in design

(9:34) Tariffs, De Minimis, and regulatory planning

(10:56) Peter’s favorite thing about Shoptalk: Serendipity

In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios and Ocampo Capital Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss the week's most intriguing entertainment stories in this latest episode of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, brought to you by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital and Infios! We explore Heineken's unique campaign to find a successor for a fourth-generation Irish pub, debate dream vacations, and rank our favorite Adam Sandler films.

KEY MOMENTS:

0:02 - Heineken's search for someone with a specific Irish surname to take over an Irish pub

0:27 - Would our hosts change their name and move to Ireland to inherit a bar?

1:03 - Discussing Mariah Carey's viral unimpressed reaction at the iHeart Radio Music Awards

1:25 - Personal story about an unexpected reaction to a surprise birthday party

2:17 - The incredible $200,000 Four Seasons vacation package to all White Lotus filming locations

2:51 - Speculation about where White Lotus Season 4 might be filmed

3:24 - Happy Gilmore 2 trailer discussion and ranking our favorite Adam Sandler movies

3:45 - Debating Sandler's best work from classics like Billy Madison to critically acclaimed Uncut Gems

Tune in for laughs, hot takes, and our candid thoughts on whether we'd spend $200K to visit White Lotus resorts!

For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/K-LainhQQyY

#whitelotus #adamsandler #HappyGilmore2 #fourseasonshotel #entertainmentnews #mariahcareyreaction #movierankings #luxurytravel

In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios and Ocampo Capital Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss how Wonder has scooped up Tastemade for $90 million as part of its grand plan to become the super app of mealtime. Chris and Anne dissect the strategy behind combining streaming food content with real-time delivery via Grubhub and Blue Apron—and whether Wonder’s vision of democratizing personal chefs can actually scale.

(0:02) – Wonder acquires Tastemade to fuel its mealtime super app ambitions

(0:33) – Wonder’s pivot from food trucks to centralized kitchens and restaurants

(1:14) – Grubhub and Blue Apron acquisitions—building blocks of a food empire

(1:40) – Marc Lore’s bold plan: Personalized chefs for everyone?

(2:03) – The appeal: choice, convenience, and reducing friction in mealtime decisions

(2:52) – Is it about delivery... or empowering consumers to cook with ease?

(3:36) – Advertising potential: Tastemade as a platform to subsidize costs

(4:46) – Scaling the logistics: Can Wonder handle the complexity at a reasonable price?

(5:29) – Bezos’ rule of choice, food as friction, and the psychology of convenience

(7:00) – Final verdict: Big risk, big vision—but is it big enough to work?

Marc Lore is betting big on food—and the way we eat might never be the same. Will Wonder change the game... or burn through billions chasing an impossible dream?

For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/K-LainhQQyY

#wonderapp #tastemade #foodtech #mealdelivery #superapps #grubhub #cloudkitchen #venturecapital #retailinnovation #foodstartup

In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Infios and Ocampo Capital Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Walmart going all-in with Klarna as its sole Buy Now, Pay Later provider—ditching Affirm and integrating BNPL into its OnePay FinTech app. Chris and Anne explore why this is more than a simple switch, and how it positions Walmart to become a dominant force in payments.

(0:03) – Walmart drops Affirm, partners exclusively with Klarna for BNPL

(0:30) – Klarna to underwrite loans, Walmart’s OnePay to handle customer experience

(1:10) – Walmart’s OnePay valued at $2B+ with $200M in annual revenue

(1:54) – Why Walmart’s customers won’t notice a difference—and why that matters

(2:26) – Klarna’s global reach gives Walmart valuable data and fraud prevention potential

(3:06) – Is BNPL becoming the next Visa or Mastercard for retail?

(3:24) – Walmart’s strategy: Growth through ownership of payment capabilities

(4:26) – Signing up is shockingly easy—Chris’s experience and $60 in credits

(4:42) – Walmart’s long game: becoming the “payment conduit for America”

(5:08) – Why simplicity and trust in one provider can be more powerful than choice

With millions of daily shoppers, Walmart’s bet on Klarna and OnePay could reshape how Americans pay. Will other retailers follow suit?

For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/K-LainhQQyY

#walmart #klarna #buynowpaylater #retailtech #retailinnovation #retailtech