every new retailer needs its own game plan—copy‑pasting your Amazon playbook is a budget trap. In just ten minutes, three seasoned ecommerce leaders—Justin Bomberowitz, Director of E‑Commerce at WILDE Brands; Nemanja Lazić, MBA, E‑commerce Channel Manager at Zevia; and Simon Swan, Director of Digital Marketing & Media at Karo Healthcare—share the hard‑won tactics that spared their budgets and boosted returns when they pushed beyond Amazon.

You’ll learn why instinctively bidding on your Amazon winners can torch ROAS on Instacart, how to use low‑stakes auto campaigns to build early relevancy, and why every launch should start by asking “What’s the business objective?” before a single keyword goes live. Whether you’re plotting your first non‑Amazon rollout or trying to rescue one that’s stalled, these bite‑size lessons will set you up to win.

Timeline

• [0:00] New marketplace, new rules—why copy‑pasting your Amazon strategy is a budget trap.
• [2:00] Justin Bomberowitz warns that high‑traffic Amazon keywords often flop on Instacart—adapt to audience and margin realities.
• [3:00] Nemanja Lazić’s playbook: start with sponsored search and broad auto campaigns, then tighten into branded, competitor, and category terms.
• [4:00] Simon Swan insists every launch anchor to a clear business objective and map tactics to the full path‑to‑purchase.

🔗 Links

• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn
• Follow Justin Bomberowitz on LinkedIn
• Follow Simon Swan on LinkedIn
• Follow Nem Lazic on LinkedIn

Display advertising in retail media is still in the dark ages. That’s because the tech and mechanisms it was built on were never designed for retailers in the first place.

In today’s ten-minute Retail Media Breakfast Club, I walk you through the real-world headache Macy’s faced when fragrance demand outstripped inventory while apparel inventory sat idle—and why fixed-price CPMs offered no way out. Drawing on Melanie Zimmerman’s recent Criteo essay, I unpack the disconnect between publisher-built display stacks and the unique commerce goals of retail media.

You’ll hear a lightning history of display advertising, learn how legacy tools like Google Ad Manager fall short for merchants, and explore the three pillars of a modern, retail-first display solution: dynamic auctions that reward relevance, full self-service controls for brands, and shoppable, retail-native formats that blend storytelling with performance. Grab your coffee and let’s get smarter together!

Timeline of Key Moments

• [0:56] Fragrance famine vs. apparel surplus—how Macy’s learned the limits of fixed CPMs.
• [2:10] A 30-year crash course on display advertising and why publisher tech dominates the stack.
• [3:35] “It wasn’t built for retail”: Andreas Reiffen
• [4:48] The retailer’s double bottom line—ad dollars and product sales (Costco & Macy’s lessons).
• [6:05] Principle #1: Dynamic, retail-specific auctions that factor in product relevance.
• [7:22] Principle #2: True self-service so brands can tweak pacing, placements, and bids on the fly.
• [8:47] Principle #3: Retail-native formats like Sponsored Brand Video that marry brand lift with conversions.

🔗 Links

• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn
• Read my full blog post on this topic 
• Melanie Zimmerman’s full article on the Criteo blog: Legacy display is failing retailers
• Melanie Zimmerman on LinkedIn

Welcome Back to Season 2!

I'm kicking off Season 2 with a personal update and a few exciting announcements about what’s ahead for the Retail Media Breakfast Club. After an unexpected twist involving a Green Card win, a year of digital nomad life, and a less-than-glamorous welcome back to the States, I’m finally settled and ready to dive back into the world of retail media. But before we return to regularly scheduled programming, I’m reflecting on the lessons learned, the realities of remote life, and why community has never mattered more.

In this episode, I’m sharing our wild reentry story—from rat-infested storage units to the joys (and chaos) of rebuilding home life from scratch. Plus, I’ve got some exciting updates to share: a new sponsor, local meetups in Atlanta, and a call for brand-side panelists for upcoming shows. If you’re part of the retail media world, you won’t want to miss what’s coming next.

Episode Timeline

[0:00] - Life update: winning the Green Card lottery and going nomad for a year

[1:00] - Parenting and remote work: a spreadsheet for world schooling and summer camps

[2:00] - The chaotic return home and a rat-infested storage nightmare

[3:00] - Reflecting on the grass-is-greener fallacy and longing for routine

[5:00] - The toll of loss and rebuilding life from scratch

[6:00] - The importance of community and what’s ahead for Retail Media Breakfast Club

[6:45] - Announcing the first podcast sponsor

[7:15] - Atlanta meetups are back—how to join

[7:45] - A call for brand-side panelists for upcoming themed discussions

Links & Resources

• 🗺️ Digital nomad with kids? Check out the spreadsheet of summer camps, world schools, and more
• 📍 Want to join the Atlanta meetups? Fill out this form
• 💬 Interested in being a panelist or nominating someone? Send me a message

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Cannes is over, and so is Season 1 of Retail Media Breakfast Club.

Thank you for joining me for this experiment I started in January. After pushing near-daily content for 5 months, I’m taking break for the summer. I’ll be in Europe with my fam for a few weeks before heading back to Atlanta in mid-July.

Here’s what to expect from RMBC in the second half of the year.

• Season 2 kicks off on Monday July 28. Subscribe to the podcast, the email newsletter, or the LinkedIn newsletter and you’ll be notified when I’m back!
• Connecting at Conferences & Events! Here's a database of events I’m speaking at and attending. Please reach out to me if you’ll be at these events.
• Local Atlanta meetups. I used to frequently host casual, no-pitch lunches for ecomm folks in the ATL area, and I can’t wait to get back to that! Please let me know if you’re interested by filling out this form — whether you’re an ATL resident or frequent visitor — and I’ll create a separate mailing list to coordinate and announce these meetups.

Finally, thank you so much for joining me here. I know there’s a lot of podcasts and newsletters out there that you could be reading and listening to. Putting the best commentary out there for the most passionate people in retail is something I wake up really excited to do every day.

Have a great summer and see you on the other side.

🔗 Links

• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

Day three at the Cannes Festival of Creativity brought some of the most insightful conversations yet! I sat down once again with Lauren Livak, Director at the Digital Shelf Institute, and Colin Lewis, an experienced retail media commentator, to unpack the day's highlights. From global retail media strategies to the role of ad tech and B2B innovation, this episode captures the evolving narrative of our industry in real time.

This conversation, originally recorded as part of Lauren's podcast Unpacking the Digital Shelf, dives into some of the most provocative insights we heard at the Miracle Cabana and beyond. If you're curious about what it takes to bridge the gap between media and marketing, how Amazon's leadership style is influencing retail innovation, or what "leaning into your uniqueness" means in the age of AI, this one's for you.

Episode Highlights:

[1:31] - Kicking off from the Mirakl Cabana with two standout research presentations, including BCG's perspective on scaling retail media globally

[2:07] - Why tapping into brand budgets is the real prize for retail media and the need for teams who can "speak brand"

[3:59] - The importance of cross-functional collaboration between retailers, brands, and tech providers

[5:02] - Colin's chat with Amazon Advertising's Steef de Wever and the growing necessity for marketers to understand ad tech

[5:56] - A deep dive into Nectar 360's new "Pollen" platform that could set the standard for end-to-end retail media integration

[7:00] - How Lowe's is leveraging marketplaces and retail media to grow their B2B segment

[8:00] - Reflecting on Andy Jassy's insight: "Speed is a leadership decision"

[9:43] - Celebrating the Women of Retail Media Collective and the power of leaning into what makes you different

[10:41] - Colin's memorable takeaway: discover what you "came from the factory with" and make it your superpower

Links & Resources:

• Colin Lewis
• Amazon’s Stijn Demeersseman
• The Digital Shelf Institute's Lauren Livak
• Lowes' Joe Cano
• Check out the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast. 
• BCG's Daniel Gospodinov
• BCG: six questions for scaling retail media outside the US
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

Cannes Confessional 3

In today’s episode of Cannes Confessional, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Longo, GM of AI in Ads at Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft was actually the first to embed ads within the native chat experience of an LLM, which gives them a front-row seat to the evolving future of advertising in AI. 

Later, I dropped in on a compelling panel from the Women in Retail Media Collective event hosted by Criteo. Elisabeth Rommel of eBay delivered some powerful advice on leadership, navigating male-dominated executive teams, and knowing your own value. And to cap it all off, we hear a riveting snippet from Andy Jassy's acceptance speech as Cannes Media Person of the Year. He makes a persuasive case for speed and experimentation as cornerstones of innovation at scale. It's an energizing listen from start to finish.

Timeline Summary:

[00:00] - Kicking off the conversation with Paul Longo of Microsoft Advertising.

[01:00] - How Microsoft refreshed ads in Copilot and why emotional intelligence matters.

[01:53] - Real performance metrics: 73% higher CTRs and 33% faster customer journeys.

[02:43] - The evolving consumer journey: from funnel to tunnel.

[03:00] - Elisabeth Rommel of eBay on breaking through the noise and leading with data.

[04:27] - Advice on career empowerment and staying curious when you don't have a seat at the table.

[06:00] - Mission of the Women in Retail Media Collective: gender equity in industry voices.

[06:39] - Andy Jassy on how Amazon maintains startup agility and embraces smart risk-taking.

[08:29] - Final reflections on speed, leadership, and keeping up with the pace of change.

Links & Resources:

• Elisabeth Rommel, GM, Global Seller & Brand Development, Advertising Growth at  eBay
• Paul Longo, GM, AI in Ads at Microsoft Advertising
• Women in Retail Media Collective
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

If this episode inspired or intrigued you, please don’t forget to rate, follow, and share Cannes Confessional. I’ll be back tomorrow with more insights and commentary straight from the Croisette!

In this episode, I dive into some fresh insights straight from the Cannes Festival of Creativity, where I caught a fascinating research presentation at the Mirakl Cabana. Partnering with Forrester, Mirakl unveiled a report titled “Are You Sitting on a Retail Media Goldmine?”—and let me tell you, the findings are eye-opening. From cultural shifts in retail to tapping into the overlooked mid- and long-tail advertisers, we cover the evolving retail media landscape and what it really means for brands and marketplaces.

I also touch on my participation in the inaugural “celebrity death match” debate alongside Colin Lewis and Andrew Lipman—a spicy and engaging alternative to the usual panel talk. If you’re looking to understand where retail media dollars are headed and how retailers can unlock new growth, this episode is one you won’t want to miss.

⏱️ Episode Timeline

[0:05] - Behind the scenes at Cannes: from Miracle’s Cabana to the celebrity debate showdown

[1:11] - Introducing Forrester and Miracle’s joint research on retail media opportunities

[1:32] - Nikhil Lai explains where retail media funding is currently coming from

[2:18] - The challenge for retailers: moving beyond existing trade budgets

[3:00] - Why small advertisers and marketplaces are a goldmine for growth

[3:36] - Cultural and technical barriers that prevent tapping into mid- and long-tail advertisers

[5:00] - What retailers need: better tech, easier onboarding, and proving retail media value

[6:00] - Final takeaway: marketplaces are the key to unlocking long-tail advertiser potential

I just landed in Cannes, and wow—talk about a tale of two coastlines! On one side, CMOs and creatives are tucked away in the Palais soaking up award glamour, while out on the Croisette the retail-media crowd is wheeling and dealing under beach umbrellas. That split sets the stage for a whirlwind first day where Amazon steals the creative spotlight, non-retail heavyweights crash the commerce-media party, and industry insiders debate whether trade budgets can keep up with retail media’s rocket-fuel growth. I even squeeze in a quick tease of my latest Forbes deep-dive on the DSP tug-of-war reshaping programmatic commerce.  

Stick around—by the end of this confessional you’ll have fresh intel on everything from Marriott’s flashy boardwalk activation to the “publishing apocalypse” one founder says is barreling straight for commerce media. Let’s dive in!

Timeline Highlights

• [0:00]—Touchdown at Cannes & a candid curb-side chat with Lauren Leach and Colin Lewis about the Croisette-vs-Palais “church-and-state” divide.
• [1:41]—Amazon CEO Andy Jassy crowned Cannes Lions Media Person of the Year—and why that’s a watershed moment for retail-driven creativity.
• [3:00]—Marriott, Chase, United Airlines & more non-retail giants unveil luxe beach clubs to showcase their brand-new commerce-media networks.
• [4:39]—MikMak’s Rachel Tipograph warns a “publishing-style apocalypse” could soon hit commerce media—brace yourselves!
• [6:20]—Purdue’s Jodie Hallman calls retail media “way more effective” than legacy trade spend—sparking a lively budget debate.
• [7:43]—Albertsons’ Ben Richardson explains how tighter merchant-media alignment helps smaller retailers punch above their weight.
• [9:00]—I preview my Forbes article on why 96 % of buyers would shift dollars tomorrow if retailers opened up more DSP pipes.

Links & Resources

• “Why DSP Choice Is the Next Retail Media Battleground” – my full article on programmatic readiness for Forbes
• Cannes names Andy Jassy media person of the year
• Stratacache & Albertsons: New in-store retail-media partnership
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

After five months and over a hundred episodes, I take a moment to reflect on what this journey with the Retail Media Breakfast Club has taught me so far—and wow, it’s been a ride. In this episode, I share five key lessons from launching and sustaining this daily(ish) content experiment, and walk through the most popular (and surprising) episodes to date.

Whether you’re a long-time listener or just tuning in, this one’s a behind-the-scenes look at the wins, the pivots, and even a few honest flops. Plus, I make a special announcement about what’s coming next.

Episode Highlights

[0:00] - Launching the podcast and newsletter: why I started and who it’s for

[1:32] - Real talk: battling impostor syndrome and leaning into accessibility

[2:47] - The top three most downloaded episodes (and why they hit home)

[6:31] - Five big takeaways: from LinkedIn hacks to the power of podcast intimacy to video experiemnts

[11:00] - Podcast Announcement - what’s ahead

[12:14] - A heartfelt thank you—and a call for your ideas 

The top-downloaded content from Retail Media Breakfast Club so far this year:

1. Is retail media actually kinda "mid"?
2. Retailers Are Learning to Sell—But This Time, It’s Media, Not Products (Part 1/3)
3. How retailers 'Do' Sponsored Product ads: 4 takeaways for brands

Subscribe

• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

f you’ve noticed fewer Google searches and more ChatGPT queries lately, you’re not imagining things—AI is changing how we shop. In this episode, I share my top takeaways from the new Retailgentic podcast and newsletter by Scot Wingo. From the rapid emergence of AI agents in commerce to the existential questions facing retailers, this episode is packed with game-changing insights you won’t want to miss.

We explore why it’s not too early to lean into agentic AI, how new checkout and payment rails could disrupt traditional e-commerce, and what it means for retail media networks when human traffic gets replaced by bots. Plus, I reflect on what the future might hold for retail websites—are they becoming obsolete, or evolving into something more powerful? Tune in as I break down what’s next in retail’s AI-powered evolution.

Episode Highlights

[0:35] - Why the first place we shop might soon be an AI agent, not a search engine or retailer site

[1:58] - Sctt Wingo’s perspective on riding the AI curve vs. being flattened by it

[3:10] - Are AI agents partners, channels, or parasites? Retailers must choose wisely

[5:55] - Agentic payments: will consumers really let AI shop for them?

[7:50] - The looming threat to retail media networks if bots replace human traffic

[10:00] - Will retail websites die or evolve into hyper-personalized shopping experiences?

Links & Resources

• Retail Gentech Newsletter
• Kiri's article on Walmart’s agentic AI pathway vs Amazon's walled garden
• Scot Wingo on LinkedIn
• Sucharita Kodali (Forrester Research) on LinkedIn
• Michelle Grant (Salesforce) on LinkedIn 
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn