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.