The Lightning Round gets wild this week! From a soccer coach using Chat GPT to devise winning defensive strategies, to Jonathan Bailey's Sexiest Man Alive title, to John Lewis offering hand massages for loyalty members, and Carly Rae Jepsen's baby naming dilemma... Chris and Anne tackle the most entertaining retail and culture moments.

Plus, hear their personal Chat GPT success stories and debate whether hand massages at a department store would actually drive traffic. It's retail meets pop culture in the best way possible!

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

For the full episode head here

#chatgpt #AIcoaching #jonathanbailey #sexiestmanalive #johnlewis #loyaltyprograms #carlyraejepsen #retailculture #customerexperience #lightninground

In a surprising move, GrubHub (owned by Mark Lore's Wonder super app) is partnering with Instacart to enable grocery delivery directly through the GrubHub platform. But this partnership raises major strategic questions: Why would Instacart help a potential future competitor?

Chris breaks down the "Greeks bearing gifts" dynamics at play and questions whether this is Mark Lore's chess move toward building the ultimate meal-time super app. Is Instacart making a strategic mistake, or is there a bigger play happening behind the scenes?

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

For the full episode head here

#grubhub #instacart #marklore #wonder #deliverypartnership #grocerydelivery #whitelabel #thirdpartydelivery #retailstrategy #mealplanning

Kroger is making history as the first retailer to integrate restaurant delivery directly into their grocery app through an expanded partnership with Uber Eats. Now customers can order their weekly groceries AND dinner from local restaurants in one seamless experience, with special benefits for Kroger Boost members.

Chris and Anne discuss why this integration is brilliant for the subscription wars and predict when Walmart will respond with a similar Door Dash partnership. Is this the future of grocery shopping?

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

For the full episode head here

#kroger #ubereats #grocerydelivery #restaurantdelivery #krogerboost #subscriptionservices #omnichannel #retailinnovation #fooddelivery #seamlessshopping

Mondelēz (maker of Oreo and Chips Ahoy) is investing over $40 million in a custom generative AI tool to slash marketing costs by 30-50% and create TV-ready ads for the 2027 Super Bowl. But is building proprietary AI technology the right move, or should CPG brands partner with specialized providers?

Chris and Anne debate whether this massive investment will pay off or become a costly sunk cost trap as AI technology rapidly evolves. Anne shares insights from cutting-edge AI advertising demos that are already creating human-likenesses in commercials.

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

For the full episode head here

#mondelez #generativeAI #aimarketing #cpginnovation #accenture #marketingautomation #oreo #advertisingtechnology #aicommercials #retailtech

Starbucks just revealed that delivery has become a $1 billion annual business, growing 30% year-over-year—and it's changing everything about how we think about coffee shops. With 40% of delivery orders including food, this massive revenue stream raises critical questions about Brian Nichol's turnaround strategy.

Should Starbucks double down on automation and dark cafes, or invest in improving the in-store experience? Chris and Anne debate the future of Starbucks as delivery continues to explode.

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

For the full episode head here

#starbucks #coffeedelivery #brianniccol #starbucksstrategy #deliveryservices #ghostkitchens #coffeeshop #retailstrategy #automation #mobilepickup

Amazon is shaking up Whole Foods with a controversial transformation that has retail experts divided. From robot-powered "ShopBots" in the back room fetching Tide Pods and Pepsi, to a massive 3,800 square foot Amazon Grocery kiosk replacing the coffee shop in Chicago's flagship location, Amazon is testing whether Whole Foods shoppers want mainstream brands alongside their organic kale.

Chris and Anne debate whether this move will destroy Whole Foods' brand identity or unlock new value for Amazon's delivery business. Is this the future of grocery, or a mistake that will alienate Whole Foods' core customers?

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

For the full episode head here

#amazon #wholefoods #groceryrobots #retailtech #amazongrocery #grocerydelivery #retailinnovation #shopbots #organicgrocery #mainstreambrands

Computer vision is transforming retail stores, but most pilots fail to scale beyond proof of concept. In this Omni Talk Ask An Expert episode, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Joe Serrano (Global Managing Partner, Retail & CPG at HTEC) and Daniel Horton (VP of Engineering & Delivery at HTEC) to reveal the playbook for successful computer vision deployments.

Learn why 75% of retail AI pilots fail to scale, which use cases deliver the fastest ROI, and how to evaluate your existing infrastructure before investing in new technology. Joe and Dan share hard-earned lessons about everything from camera requirements and network readiness to privacy concerns and customer trust.

Key topics covered:

• Why demo accuracy rarely matches real-world performance

• How to leverage 60-80% of existing cameras with minor augmentation

• The critical difference between customer-facing vs. operational AI deployments

• Smart carts, inventory visibility, shrink control, and shelf availability use cases

• Privacy, GDPR, and building customer trust with in-store AI

• Build vs. buy decisions for computer vision infrastructure

Whether you're piloting your first computer vision project or scaling existing implementations, this conversation provides actionable insights to help you avoid costly mistakes and deliver measurable ROI.

Join HTEC for their January Webinar: Computer Vision in Action: Cutting Shrink, Boosting Efficiency, and Powering Smarter Stores with Edge AI

https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/21011/656661?utm_source=brighttalk-sharing&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=linkshare

#RetailTech #ComputerVision #ArtificialIntelligence #RetailInnovation #StoreOperations #RetailAI #OmniChannelRetail #InventoryManagement #RetailTransformation #SmartStores

In this week's Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Chris and Anne discussed:

• Amazon's push to add mainstream brands like Pepsi and Doritos to Whole Foods through ShopBots and Amazon Grocery kiosks (Source: Wall Street Journal)
• Starbucks crossing the $1 billion milestone in annual delivery sales with 30% quarterly growth (Source: CNBC)
• Mondelez investing $40 million in a generative AI tool to slash marketing costs by 30-50% (Source: Reuters)
• Kroger expanding its Uber Eats partnership to integrate restaurant delivery directly into the Kroger app across 2,600+ stores (Source: Chain Store Age)
• Grubhub partnering with Instacart to offer grocery delivery through its platform nationwide (Source: Supermarket News)

And this month, Chris and Anne handed out the OmniStar Award in partnership with Quorso to Justin Weinstein, EVP and Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Giant Eagle, for leading the 95-year-old retailer's bold $100 million "Because It Matters" brand positioning.

There's all that, plus a debate on whether AI-generated ads are the future, why ordering dinner through your grocery app makes perfect sense, and whether hand massages would get Chris into John Lewis for holiday shopping.

Music by hooksounds.com

#RetailNews #WholeFoods #StarbucksDelivery #RetailTech #GenerativeAI #KrogerUberEats #RetailPodcast #OmniTalk #Mondelez #GrubhubInstacart #RetailInnovation #CoffeeDelivery

In this Retail Technology Spotlight Series episode, Julie Haleluk, Global Head of Growth at Amazon Shopping Video, and Wayne Purboo, VP of Amazon Advertising and Amazon Shoppable Video, join Omni Talk to reveal the future of social commerce and how AI is transforming the way we shop.

From the evolution of shoppable video to agentic commerce, Julie and Wayne break down why social commerce isn't going away, how to measure video content beyond the live moment, and why brands need to clean up their data NOW before AI agents start shopping for customers.

If you've ever wondered what's next in retail video and social commerce, this episode is for you.

🔑 Topics covered:

• How AI is reshaping the customer journey without replacing human connection
• The difference between social commerce and emerging agentic commerce
• Why video content lowers return rates and drives purchase confidence
• How to measure attribution across the evolving customer touchpoint journey
• What brands must do to prepare for AI agents shopping on behalf of customers
• Why Shop the Show on Prime Video is changing second-screen shopping

Want to get tickets to SoCom? Head to SoCom.live now to register!

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Want to get tickets to SoCom? Head to SoCom.live now to register!

#socialcommerce #amazonlive #shoppablevideo #retailai #ecommerce #omnitalk #retailtech #agenticcommerce #videcommerce #retailinnovation #amazonadvertising #retailpodcast

Music by hooksounds.com

*Sponsored Content*

Chris and Anne tackle the week's quirkiest retail stories: Netflix bringing Stranger Things' finale to theaters, Target's Weirdly Hot Santa returns for year two, Lululemon's NFL licensing sparks more debate, and Red Bull drops a $50 advent calendar. Fast takes, sharp opinions, and laughs from retail's most entertaining podcast duo.

Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.

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#strangerthings #targetholiday #redbull #retailmarketing #holidaycampaigns #lightninground #omnitalk