Retail Fast Five - podcast cover

Retail Fast Five

The Omni Talk Retail Fast Five podcast is your weekly dose of retail industry insights and trends in a quick and digestible format. Hosted by industry experts, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga, this podcast delivers the top five news stories each week that are shaping the digital and physical retail landscape. Each episode breaks down the most important developments in retail, from the latest innovations in technology to consumer behavior shifts, emerging market trends, and beyond. Whether you're a retail executive, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the world of retail, the OmniTalk Retail Fast Five has got you covered.

Episodes

Alexa+, Publix & Why There’s More Than Meets The Eye To Target And Warby’s New Deal

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: All the wrinkles surrounding Target and Warby Parker’s new partnership ( Source ) The launch of Alexa+ ( Source ) The deceptive pricing lawsuit against Publix ( Source ) Furniture.com’s unique take on omnichannel commerce ( Source ) And closed with an examination of Walmart Unlimited, Walmart...

Mar 05, 202544 minSeason 6Ep. 62

Good-Bye Joann, Hello Adidas Buy With Prime & Welcome Walmart To ‘Wally’ World

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Anne remoted in from eTail West, Chris was back home in Minneapolis, and together they discussed: Adidas offering Amazon Buy with Prime via its website and app ( Source ) Joann no longer being in the fabric of our lives ( Source ) Sprouts launching its first-ever loyalty program ( Source ) Kroger and Schnucks enhancin...

Feb 26, 202545 minSeason 6Ep. 61

Amazon’s Italian Beauty Store, Wayfair’s Muse & Dick’s Enviable Influencer Program

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , A&M’s David Brown and Lisa Collier joined Chris and Anne to discuss: Amazon’s new beauty store in Italy ( Source ) Scheels adding 460 and $11 million worth of digital screens into its stores ( Source ) Dick’s new varsity influencer program ( Source ) Wayfair’s new AI-powered shopping tool, Muse ( Source ) And clos...

Feb 19, 202555 minSeason 6Ep. 60

Aldi, GapVintage & Why The “Next Best Action” Is An Idea Everyone Will Be Talking About

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, and Scratch Event DJs, Chris and Anne discussed: The many angles to Aldi’s decision to sell back some of the stores it previously purchased from Southeastern Grocers ( Source ) How bullish they both are on Gap’s new vintage clothing play ( Source ) Why EG America’s new partnership with Quorso heralds a new age of store management technology ( Source ) If Save...

Feb 12, 202550 minSeason 6Ep. 59

Crypto BuyBuy Babies, More Walgreens Woes & Walmart Takes Same-Day Rx Nationwide

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl ,  Ocampo Capital , and  Scratch Event DJs , Shoptalk’s VP of Original Content & Strategy, Ben Miller, joined Chris and Anne to discuss: CVS Health’s new app rollout ( Source ) Beyond buying back BuyBuy Baby ( Source ) Walgreens’ plans to close down 47 of its in-store health clinics in Illinois ( Source ) IKEA’s decision to expand i...

Feb 05, 202553 minSeason 6Ep. 58

Starbucks Ceramic Mugs & Drizzles, Walmart Pay Increases & Amazon’s New Head Of Grocery

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl ,  Ocampo Capital , and  Scratch Event DJs , Chris and Anne discussed: The appointment of Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel to head up Amazon’s grocery strategy ( Source ) Whether CPGs will jump at the chance to pay Walmart to test products with Walmart’s actual customers ( Source ) If Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol could be getting ahead of hi...

Jan 29, 202549 minSeason 6Ep. 57

Walmart Opens A New HQ And Does Fendi, Chanel And Robots All In The Same Week!

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl ,  Ocampo Capital , and  Scratch Event DJs , A&M’s Kelly Carey and John Clear joined Chris and Anne to discuss: Walmart’s new Symbotic relationship, aka its new robot deal ( Source ) The veracity of Target’s claims that it has cut its production lead times down from 7 months to 8 weeks ( Source ) Whether the American consumer really...

Jan 22, 202557 minSeason 6Ep. 56

Amazon Ads, Best Buy’s Marketplace & Macy’s Ever-Changing Strategic Narrative

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl ,  Ocampo Capital , and  Scratch Event DJs , Chris and Anne discussed: Macy’s shuttering some of its small format stores ( Source ) Amazon's $11 Billion AI investment in the great state of Georgia ( Source ) Best Buy launching a new marketplace with Mirakl ( Source ) Amazon allowing online retailers to use its advertising tools ( Source...

Jan 15, 202545 minSeason 6Ep. 55

Walmart Expands ESLs To All Stores, DoorDash Teams With Ibotta & Simbe Hits The Spot

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Simbe ,  Mirakl ,  Ocampo Capital , and  Scratch Event DJs , Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart accelerating its rollout of digital shelf labels to all stores ( Source ) Cantaloupe’s innovations in smart vending for grocery stores ( Source ) Simbe augmenting its Tally Robot with fixed-positioned sensors ( Source ) DoorDash and Ibotta teaming up to offer...

Jan 08, 202547 minSeason 6Ep. 54

The 2024 Omni Talk Retail Awards Show

In this special year end edition of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , A&M’s Chad Lusk and David Ritter join Chris and Anne to look back on 2024 and to salute everything that stood out in retail this past year. Who will win retailer of the year? CEO of the year? And which retail headline would you most want turned into a feature film? You will just have to t...

Dec 18, 20241 hr 3 minSeason 6Ep. 53

Amazon Auto, Porch Pirate Insurance & Why There May Be No Stopping Tractor Supply

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: Amazon’s momentous launch of Amazon Auto ( Source ) Why Tractor Supply Company may be the retailer to watch over the next decade ( Source ) PorchPals new insurance offering for victims of package theft ( Source ) Whether Dollar General’s slowdown of its fresh expansion sign...

Dec 11, 202451 minSeason 6Ep. 52

Walmart Streams Dolly Live, Cyber Week & The Rise Of Digital Dollar Toy Stores

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: The implications of this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Week data ( Source ) Walmart’s aggressive push into livestreaming, culminating with Dolly Parton live on Cyber Monday ( Source ) OpenAI’s evaluation of chatbot advertising ( Source ) Digimarc partnering with Picadeli to...

Dec 04, 202441 minSeason 6Ep. 51

Kohl’s Has A New CEO, Perplexity Goes Shopping & The WSJ Calls Target ‘Dull’

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: Whom to blame for the WSJ calling Target “dull” ( Source ) Kohl’s recent disappointing quarter and its new CEO hire ( Source ) Qurate’s rebranding and strategic push into livestreaming and social media ( Source ) TikTok quietly testing product links in posts ( Source ) And ...

Nov 27, 202447 minSeason 6Ep. 50

Starbucks Teams Up With DoorDash, Wonder Buys Grubhub & Amazon Halts Fertility Project | Fast Five

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: Starbucks offering delivery via DoorDash through the Starbucks app ( Source ) Amazon shutting down a secret fertility tracking project ( Source ) REI’s latest attempts to thwart “serial returners” ( Source ) Retailers, like Zara, experimenting with radio emitting threads to...

Nov 20, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 49

Walmart’s New Mobile Locks, Instacart’s Big Week & E.l.f. Beauty’s Dollar General Plans!

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart testing a new technology in its stores that would let people open security locks for products with mobile devices ( Source ) The E.l.f. Beauty expansion into Dollar General ( Source ) The flurry of announcements from Instacart this past week on everything from Caper...

Nov 13, 202444 minSeason 6Ep. 48

Walmart+ Is 50% Off, Starbucks Sketches Its Turnaround Plan & ChatGPT Search Has Arrived

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discuss: Walmart discounting its Walmart+ membership by 50% for the holidays ( Source ) The jaw dropping value of DoorDash and Lyft’s new partnership ( Source ) OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT Search ( Source ) The Children’s Place’s decision to sell products via Shein ( Source ) And close...

Nov 06, 202438 minSeason 6Ep. 47

Amazon’s Temu Rivalry, 7-Eleven & Why Goldman Sachs Thinks 2025 Is The Year Of The Robot

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discuss: Amazon  setting aggressive price targets for its rival online store to Temu and Shein ( Source ) 7-Eleven’s  “New Standard” format which it plans open across 600 new stores ( Source ) Simbe’s  $50 million Series C funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives...

Oct 30, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 46

Walmart Same-Day Rx Delivery, Bed Bath’s Return & WTF Is Amazon’s Grocery Strategy

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , A&M’s Lakshman Lakshmanan and Chris Creyts, joined Chris and Anne to discuss: The wide-ranging significance of Walmart offering same-day prescription delivery and making it free for Walmart+ members ( Source ) Amazon’s new “Amazon Grocery” store in Chicago and how it fits into Amazon’s growing ever m...

Oct 23, 202458 minSeason 6Ep. 45

Google Shopping, Grabango & Why Amazon May Have Just Signed Whole Foods' Death Warrant

This week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne took to the Windy City to discuss: Grabango calling it quits and what it means for the future of Just Walk Out-like tech ( Source ) Exciting new AI updates from Google Shopping ( Source ) Amazon’s decision to unify its e-commerce efforts across Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods ( Sour...

Oct 16, 202443 minSeason 6Ep. 44

Sam’s Club’s New Store, Kroger’s Disney ‘Boost’ & Why Just Walk Out May Be A Passing Fad

This week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , was recorded live in front of an audience at Groceryshop. This week Chris and Anne discussed: Sam’s Club’s bold new store concept ( Source ) Instacart adding gamification to its Caper smart cart ( Source ) An Amazon and Whole Foods executive reportedly calling Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology “cumbersome” ...

Oct 09, 202430 minSeason 6Ep. 43

Walmart’s High Income Demo, Klarna’s Bold Move & Why Costco May Be The New Pepsi

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Shoptalk’s Joe Laszlo joined Chris and Anne to discuss: The high income demographic tailwind behind Walmart’s back ( Source ) If Costco and Sam’s Club are the shopping choice of a new generation ( Source ) DoorDash's suite of new business solutions ( Source ) Giant Eagle’s partnership with Flybuy to cut ...

Oct 02, 202452 minSeason 6Ep. 42

The First-Ever Amazon & Walmart Fast Five Takeover

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five weekly retail news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Walmart and Amazon takeover the headlines in their ongoing innovation duel, as Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart starting its holiday promotions earlier than ever, with a digital twist ( Source ) Amazon’s new Shark Tank-style TV show, “Buy It Now” ( Source ) Walmart’s latest e-com...

Sep 25, 202448 minSeason 6Ep. 41

Amazon Rufus Ads, Costco Inventory Search & Why 'De Minimis' Is No Small Thing

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five weekly retail news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: How important ads within Amazon Rufus could be ( Source ) Costco testing mobile inventory search ( Source ) The Biden administration putting an end to the de minimis exception ( Source ) Zara’s plans to sell secondhand apparel in the U.S. ( Source ) And c...

Sep 18, 202445 minSeason 6Ep. 40

Target CarPlay, High-End Sneakers At Walmart & Whether Dick’s Can Keep Up Its Growth

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , A&M’s David Schneidman and Brooks Levering, joined Chris and Anne to discuss: If Target wasted its 2024 tech budget on its new CarPlay integration ( Source ) The likelihood that Dick’s Sporting Goods keeps up its phenomenal Q2 sales growth ( Source ) Just how special Walmart’s new partnership with St...

Sep 11, 202454 minSeason 6Ep. 39

IKEA Preowned, Nordstrom’s Supply Chain Gains & What To Make Of Amazon Fresh

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Shoptalk and Groceryshop VP of Original Content and Strategy, Ben Miller, stopped by to discuss with Chris and Anne: The four new Amazon Fresh store openings  and whether Amazon Fresh still is a concept deserving of grocers’ attention ( Source ) Whether they would “buy or sell” (pun intended)&n...

Sep 04, 202450 minSeason 6Ep. 38

Walmart+ Whoppers, Chick-fil-A’s 4 Drive Thrus & Why Amazon Just Set Sustainability Back

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart opening up hosted U.S. fulfillment for Chinese goods ( Source ) Chick-fil-A opening a new “elevated” store with not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 drive thru lanes! ( Source ) Amazon allowing its FBA sellers to ditch taking physical returns ( Source ) The ongoing subscripti...

Aug 28, 202439 minSeason 6Ep. 37

DashPass Versus Prime, Walmart’s Drone Pullback & The Tall Order For Starbucks’ New CEO

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Ocampo Capital , A&M’s Chad Lusk and Adam Thompson, joined Chris and Anne to discuss: The “tall” order that awaits Starbucks’ new CEO ( Source ) Victoria’s Secret’s new CEO Hillary Super and what her first-year priorities should be ( Source ) Whether we should all buy or sell Best Buy’s new up-to-the-minute delivery ...

Aug 21, 20241 hrSeason 6Ep. 36

Cookies, Amazombies & The Target Chatbot Store Associates Reportedly Hate

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Sezzle , Chris and Anne discussed: If Target’s new in-store chatbot is really the “sh*tbot” Forbes makes it out to be (Source:  Forbes ) Best Buy’s push into video (Source:  Chain Store Age ) Simbe Robotics’ new remote planogram monitoring solution (Source:  Grocery Dive ) Google’s big Chrome cookie pivot ...

Jul 24, 202451 minSeason 6Ep. 35

Amazon Lets Rufus Out To Play, Macy’s Ends Its Talks & Walmart Exerts Media Dominance

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Sezzle , A&M’s Mohit Mohal and Chris Disa, joined Chris and Anne to discuss: Amazon rolling outs it generative AI assistant, “Rufus,” to all shoppers (Source:  Chain Store Age ) Walmart’s wide lead in retail media (Source:  Marketing Dive ) Macy’s ending its acquisition talks (Source:  Retail Dive ) Hy...

Jul 17, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 34

The Saks & Neiman Marcus Merger, Walmart Commerce Technologies & Using Venmo At Hy-Vee

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the  A&M Consumer and Retail Group ,  Ownit AI ,  Avalara ,  Mirakl , and  Sezzle , Chris and Anne discussed: The Saks and Neiman Marcus merger and what to expect from Amazon’s involvement in it (Source:  NPR ) Co-op opting to use “Store Assist” from Walmart Commerce Technologies (Source:  PYMNTS ) Circle K gamifying employee training via iPads (Source:  Chain Store Age ) Hy-Vee ...

Jul 10, 202433 minSeason 6Ep. 33