Omni Talk Retail

Avsnitt

• 
  Lightning Round: Sports Authority, AI Coffee & Airport Etiquette | Fast Five Shorts 19.09.2026 5min

  It’s lightning round time, and Chris Walton and guest host Josh Hahn tackle some of life's most pressing questions, from choosing whether Sports Authority or Meijer prepared Josh better for recruiting, to the exact AI superpower Chris wishes he had for his morning routine. Plus, they debate the best QSR to add to Walmart's restaurant tab and establish a non-negotiable rule for airport etiquette. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCEThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Kroger Trims Its Sales Outlook | Fast Five Shorts 19.09.2026 8min

  Kroger has trimmed its full-year same-store sales outlook even as digital e-commerce and retail media continue to see strong double-digit growth. Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss the state of traditional grocery and what shrinking sales forecasts mean when digital layers are the primary bright spots. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCEThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  SKIMS Taps DoorDash for On-Demand Delivery | Fast Five Shorts 19.09.2026 8min

  SKIMS has teamed up with DoorDash for its first-ever on-demand delivery partnership, making thousands of styles available from select U.S. stores in under an hour.Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss whether instant delivery helps or hurts a brand whose entire appeal has been built around exclusivity and hype.▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCEThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Amazon Turns Prime Video Into a Storefront | Fast Five Shorts 19.09.2026 5min

  Amazon has significantly expanded its Prime Video shopping features, growing its "Shop the Show" tool from 1,300 titles to more than 8,000 while adding new visual search capabilities. Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss whether shoppable TV is finally reaching scale or if it risks ruining the core entertainment experience. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCEThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Is Macy's Turnaround for Real? | Fast Five Shorts 19.09.2026 5min

  Macy’s has posted its fifth consecutive quarter of comparable-sales growth, beating Wall Street estimates and raising its full-year guidance as CEO Tony Spring's turnaround strategy takes hold. Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss whether it's finally time to plant the victory flag at Macy's, or if there is still too much heavy lifting left to do on the core brand. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCEThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Walmart Adds Papa Johns to Express Delivery | Fast Five Shorts 19.09.2026 9min

  Walmart has added Papa Johns to Walmart Express Delivery, making it the first national restaurant brand fulfilled entirely from locations outside of Walmart stores. Chris Walton and guest host Josh Hahn discuss whether Walmart’s latest move is a clever way to bring customers into the app more often, or if they are solving a need that consumers never actually asked for. ▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCEThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Making Space – Real Time: Inside Michaels’ New Format, TJX’s Rare Miss, and Target’s Beauty Play 18.09.2026 42min

  Welcome to the very first episode of Making Space Real Time, a new show from Chris Niesen, presented by the Association of Retail Consumer Professionals (ARC) in partnership with the Omni Talk Retail Podcast Network. The week Chris Niesen is joined by Omni Talk CEO Chris Walton as his guest host to break down what's actually happening on the retail floor.In this episode:🎨 Michaels' next-gen store format — What the knit-and-sew shop, rebuilt party shop, and Pinterest trend bar in the new Rogers, Arkansas store tell us about Michaels' pivot toward "creativity and celebration," and whether the format can scale past three test stores📉 TJX's rare miss — Why Marmaxx (TJ Maxx and Marshalls) comped just 1% against a 6% comp the quarter before, and whether it's a competitive pricing issue, a merchandising and space-planning issue, or both, with a direct comparison to sister brand HomeGoods💄 Target's Beauty Studio launch — A first-hand, opening-day walkthrough of Target's new owned-and-operated beauty shop rolling out to 600+ stores, replacing the Ulta Beauty partnership, including candid notes on staffing, training, in-store marketing clutter, and whether the experience lives up to a "prestige" positioning🎤 Plus: a Checkout segment covering lessons from the two Chris's shared years at Gap, can't-miss retailers to visit (Patina Stores, Dick's House of Sport, Sam's Club), and the most overlooked category in retail today📍 New episodes of Making Space -- Real Time every other week.📩 Subscribe to Chris Niesen on Substack: chrisniesen.substack.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Landmark Group's Shailesh Jain on AI, Personalization & Smarter Business Decisions | Live from Paris 18.09.2026 11min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller sits down with Shailesh Jain, Chief Customer & Analytics Officer at Landmark Group, to cut through the AI hype and explore where the technology is actually creating value in retail.Shailesh explains why AI can amplify both good and bad business decisions, why retailers should start with the problem rather than the technology, and how Landmark Group is scaling AI across thousands of stores, multiple brands and geographies. He also breaks down how AI is enabling the company to personalize content across 2,000 micro-segments, while keeping guardrails in place to make sure personalization helps customers without crossing the line into feeling like surveillance.In this episode:• Where AI is creating real value in retail, and where the hype is misplaced• Why retailers should start with business decisions, not AI projects• How Landmark Group is scaling AI across brands and geographies• Using AI to personalize content across 2,000 customer micro-segments• How AI is changing CRM, customer communication and personalization• Why the best customer decision can sometimes be not to communicate• Where retailers should draw the line between personalization and surveillance• The importance of human oversight in critical customer and business decisions• What retail CEOs should focus on when approaching AI🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Omni Talk’s Fall Conference Season “Must See” Tech Preview | Ask An Expert 17.09.2026 1h 47min

  The Fall retail conference season is officially underway, with NRF Paris having just wrapped and Groceryshop, Shoptalk Fall, NACS, and many others just weeks away. Omni Talk figured what better way to get ready for the upcoming season than to put together our primer of the must-see tech that has caught our attention this year.Whether attending a conference over the next few months or if you just have FOMO, we have assembled a review of the cutting edge solutions providers thinking about how to make retail work better.Chris Walton (OmniTalk, President & CEO) and special guest host and conference content producer extraordinaire Ben Miller (GrocerTalk, Founder & Editor-in-Chief) break down key insights alongside executives from every solutions provider highlighted.Featured expert speakers and companies include:Georgina Nelson – TruRating, Founder & CEODaniel Slowe – Quorso, Founder & Chief Product OfficerDaniel Duty – Conlego, CEO & Founder of PortagerAlex Kopplin – Conlego, Principal and Architect of PortagerOliver Leigh – Portal, CEO & Co-FounderJustin Samakow – Mirakl, Head of Platform StrategyBe sure to check out the rest of our podcasts this past week and the next few to catch exclusive content from some of the biggest retail conferences!We can’t think of a better way to get a bird's eye view into the tech shaping the retail of tomorrow, today!P.S. To explore more conversations from the Omni Talk Ask an Expert Series, head here.Music by hooksounds.comSponsored ContentThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  MediaMarktSaturn’s Bastian Sehnert on Scaling AI, Governance & Real Retail Value | Live from Paris 17.09.2026 9min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail’s Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller is joined by Bastian Sehnert, Head of Data & AI Initiative Office at MediaMarktSaturn, to explore how Europe’s largest electronics retailers are moving AI from experimentation into real operational use.Bastian breaks down how MediaMarktSaturn is using AI across customer-facing applications, product data and internal processes, while explaining what it takes to scale AI across 11 countries through strong governance, clear ownership and integration with existing workflows. He also looks ahead at agentic commerce and AI orchestration and what they could mean for retail.In this episode:• How MediaMarktSaturn is approaching AI across customer and internal operations• Where AI can create value across customer care, recommendations and advertising• Using AI to improve and scale product data quality• Why AI should take on repetitive tasks while humans retain accountability• How AI governance can help move use cases from pilot to scale• Why every AI use case needs a clear business owner• The importance of adoption when scaling AI across an organization• Integrating AI into existing workflows, backend systems and legacy technology• How MediaMarktSaturn is scaling AI across 11 countries• Balancing shared technology with local customer and cultural needs• Why every AI pilot needs a clear plan to scale• What agentic commerce and AI orchestration could mean for retail🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  How to Maximize Your Investment in Digital Shelf-Edge Technology | 5IM 17.09.2026 8min

  Grocers are investing heavily in electronic shelf labels, but what happens when the hardware is in place and the software can't keep up with the complexity of grocery pricing? In this edition of 5 Insightful Minutes, Kim Schneider, VP of Sales for Vestcom North America Retail at Avery Dennison, joins Ben Miller and Chris Walton to explain why the key to maximizing shelf-edge technology investments starts with the software behind the labels.Kim breaks down why Vestcom's expertise goes far beyond paper shelf tags, and how its storeLink software acts as a central brain for managing the complex data, pricing rules, promotions, and operational demands of the grocery shelf edge. She explains why going digital doesn't eliminate the challenges of retail execution, especially when grocers are managing a combination of paper and electronic shelf labels, and how intelligent software can help retailers protect their ROI, avoid vendor lock-in, and maintain accurate pricing across every store.Key Topics Covered:• Why electronic shelf labels are only as effective as the software behind them• How Vestcom's 40 years of shelf-edge expertise informs its technology solutions• Why grocery pricing data is so complex• How storeLink manages pricing, promotions, and shelf-edge data• The operational challenges of balancing paper and digital shelf labels• Why going digital doesn't automatically eliminate pricing and execution issues• How software can act as a single source of truth across paper and digital labels• Why hardware-agnostic software helps retailers avoid vendor lock-in• How retailers can protect the ROI of their ESL investments• The hidden operational costs of pricing errors and sync failures• How storeLink proactively identifies data issues, layout errors, and offline tags• Why software should never be an afterthought in an ESL rollout• What grocery CEOs and CIOs should consider before investing in digital shelf labelsRead Kim Schneider's article: Could an ESL Blindspot Sabotage Your ROI?Music by hooksounds.comSponsored ContentThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Retail Daily Minute | Carter's Rebrands for a New Generation, Costco Supersizes Uber Eats & JCPenney Downsizes Out of a Dying Mall 17.09.2026 5min

  Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by R&S Logistics, ZenlineAI, and Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Carter's unveils a rebrand and new logo aimed at Gen Z parents, even as tariff refunds help prop up its bottom line.Costco expands its Uber Eats delivery partnership to 47 states and nearly 600 warehouses nationwide.JCPenney trades its 180,000-square-foot Ford City Mall store for a 39,000-square-foot location nearby as the mall itself crumbles.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  A Macy's Comeback, A Kroger Reset & Better Pizza, Better Delivery At Walmart | Fast Five 16.09.2026 51min

  In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, Chris Walton is joined by J Recruiting’s Josh Hahn for another round of Fast Five fun, recorded from Chris’s very tiny Paris hotel room across the street from NRF Europe. This week’s episode can best be summed up as . . . better ingredients, better pizza, better delivery via Walmart.Chris and Josh dig into five of the biggest stories in retail this week, including:• Walmart adding Papa Johns to Walmart Express Delivery and whether Walmart is quietly building a challenger to DoorDash and Uber Eats. (Source)• Macy’s posting its fifth straight quarter of comparable-sales growth and raising guidance as CEO Tony Spring’s turnaround begins to take hold. (Source)• Amazon expanding “Shop the Show” from 1,300 titles to more than 8,000 and whether shoppable TV is finally reaching scale. (Source)• SKIMS partnering with DoorDash for on-demand delivery and whether instant delivery fits a brand built around exclusivity and hype. (Source)• Kroger cutting its full-year sales outlook even as ecommerce and retail media continue to grow, raising questions about the future of traditional grocery. (Source)The episode wraps with a lightning round covering Josh’s 20 years between Sports Authority and Meijer, the daily chore Chris wishes AI would handle for him, which QSR Josh would like to see added to Walmart’s restaurant tab, and Chris’s two non-negotiable rules for airport etiquette.Plus, this month’s OmniStar is Meredith Klausner, SVP of Retail & Services at Best Buy, recognized for the impact she continues to make across the retail industry.P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our podcast rankings on Feedspot.Music by hooksounds.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  REMA 1000's Øistein Burøy Olsen on Hyper-Personalization, Scan & Go & AI | Live from Paris 16.09.2026 16min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Chris Walton sits down with Øistein Burøy Olsen, Head of Digital Customer Experience at REMA 1000 in Norway, to explore how the soft discounter is using digital to build a more connected in-store customer experience.Øistein explains how REMA 1000 has evolved its app from personalized discounts into a broader relationship with customers, why the company is focused on hyper-personalization that genuinely helps shoppers, and how its Scan & Go experience lets customers scan, bag and pay in the app before leaving through a dedicated fast-track gate. He also looks at how REMA 1000 is using AI to prototype faster and build toward a more personalized shopping experience, including helping customers figure out what to make for dinner and remember what they need to restock.In this episode:• How REMA 1000 is approaching hyper-personalization• Evolving from a discount app into a digital relationship with customers• How REMA 1000's Scan & Go experience works• Why a controlled exit is key to the Scan & Go experience• Connecting the digital app experience to the physical store• Using AI to prototype and test new customer experiences• How AI could help shoppers plan meals and build shopping lists• The future of digital customer experience at REMA 1000🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Continente’s Guilherme Cardoso on Profitable E-Commerce, Quick Commerce & AI | Live from Paris 16.09.2026 14min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller sits down with Guilherme Cardoso, Head of E-Commerce at Continente, Portugal's largest grocery retailer and the food retail division of Sonae MC, to unpack the state of online grocery in Portugal and what it takes to build an e-commerce business that balances growth, profitability and customer experience.Guilherme explains how Continente is balancing e-commerce growth, quick commerce and profitability while adapting to changing consumer expectations around delivery. He also looks at what's next, from AI and personalization to the lessons Continente has learned from operating its autonomous grocery store.In this episode:• Inside Continente & Sonae MC, Portugal's largest grocery retailer• Balancing e-commerce growth, profitability and customer experience• Why quick commerce is moving away from 15-minute delivery expectations• What Portuguese consumers want from fast grocery delivery• How Continente uses stores, warehouses and a Lisbon dark store for fulfillment• The role of AI agents and personalization in Continente's e-commerce strategy• Lessons from Continente's autonomous grocery store• Why the autonomous store has evolved into a hybrid model🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Retail Daily Minute | DoorDash Buys Into Wonder's Grubhub Campus Business, Meta Lab Doubles Its Store Count & Target Hires a New CMO 16.09.2026 4min

  Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by R&S Logistics, ZenlineAI, and Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:DoorDash acquires Wonder's Grubhub Campus Dining business as part of a $125 million investment in Wonder's Series D funding round.Meta Lab plans six new AI glasses stores in the coming months, nearly doubling its retail footprint.Target names former Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein as its new chief marketing and guest experience officer.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Unlimitail's Alexis Marcombe on Cracking In-Store Measurement, aka Retail Media's Next Frontier | Live from Paris 15.09.2026 13min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller sits down with Alexis Marcombe, CEO of Unlimitail, the retail media joint venture between Carrefour and Publicis.Alexis explains how Unlimitail built an open, cross-border retail media alliance now spanning 40+ retailers and 21 countries, why in-store measurement remains the industry's biggest unsolved problem despite 70-98% of European sales still happening in physical stores, and why Unlimitail plugs into partners' existing tech stacks rather than forcing its own. He closes with a bold prediction for 2027: a massive RFP that could reshape in-store retail media across Europe.In this episode:Inside Unlimitail: an open retail media alliance spanning 40+ retailers and 21 countriesHow CPG brands work with Unlimitail to solve specific sales problemsWhy in-store measurement is retail media's biggest unsolved challengeBalancing advertiser demand for performance with the case for brand-buildingA 2027 prediction: the massive RFP that could reshape in-store retail media in Europe🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  NRF's Matthew Shay on Global Retail Growth, Consumer Confidence & 2026's Holiday Outlook | Live from Paris 15.09.2026 8min

  Live from the Vusion Podcast Studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Omni Talk's Chris Walton sits down with Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation, for a candid look at where retail stands heading into the holidays.Matt shares how NRF Europe is evolving alongside the flagship New York show and the fast-growing Asia-Pacific event in Singapore, why retail has become a truly global business, and what a resilient U.S. consumer means for the rest of 2026. He also previews NRF's holiday sales forecast, coming October 15.In this episode:Building NRF Europe while preserving Paris's local characterThree years of growth for NRF's Singapore showWhy retail is now a global business, trade friction and allA state-of-the-industry read on U.S. consumer confidenceNRF's outlook for the 2026 holiday season🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Al-Futtaim's Eric Meulien on Building the Data Foundation Behind Agentic Commerce | Live from Paris 15.09.2026 11min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller sits down with Eric Meulien, General Manager of Digital Retail at Al-Futtaim Group, to talk agentic commerce and what it actually takes to support it.Eric explains why AI shopping assistants demand much richer product data than color and size ever captured, walks through the internal Gen AI tool his team built to find and close those content gaps, and shares how Al-Futtaim keeps 200+ brands across 20 countries consistent with a centralized "Atomic Design" system. He also details Blue, the region's loyalty program powering personalization across every division.In this episode:Inside Al-Futtaim: 200+ brands across 20 countries, including IKEA, M&S, and Toys R UsWhy agentic commerce demands richer product dataThe internal Gen AI tool built to close product content gapsKeeping brand identity consistent with a centralized "Atomic Design" systemInside Blue, Al-Futtaim's loyalty program and single customer view🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
• 
  Bolt Food's Audrey Ceuppens on Quick Commerce, Reliability & What's Next in Grocery Delivery | Live from Paris 15.09.2026 14min

  Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller is joined by Audrey Ceuppens, Global Head of Grocery and Retail at Bolt Food, to unpack how quick commerce is evolving.Audrey walks through Bolt’s path from mobility to food delivery to grocery and retail across 50 global markets. She explains why speed has become table stakes while reliability is the new differentiator, and how Bolt balances a global playbook with local nuance, from cash payments in Africa to sustaining grocery partnerships in Ukraine. She also shares what’s next, including Bolt’s newly launched in-app replacement feature.In this episode:Bolt's evolution from mobility to food delivery to grocery and retailWhy speed is now the baseline and reliability is the new differentiatorBalancing a global operating model with local nuanceThe value delivery marketplaces bring retail partnersWhat's next: Bolt's new in-app replacement feature and widening shopping missions🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy