In this latest 5 Insightful Minutes episode, Caitlin Allen, SVP of Market at Simbe, breaks down the key misconceptions retail executives have about automation, why data quality is critical, and how top retailers are scaling AI-driven solutions. Learn the difference between good and bad computer vision AI, how autonomous robots are driving efficiency, and why collaboration between HQ and store teams is essential for successful tech rollouts. Plus, hear real-life "Aha" moments from retailers who h...
Feb 10, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast What’s happening with retail automation in 2025? Investment in supply chain technology appears to be flattening out as retailers shift focus from large new projects to optimizing existing infrastructure. Anne and Chris sit down with Kim Baudry from Dematic to explore what this means for AI in logistics, warehouse automation, and the future of retail distribution. ⏳ Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction & welcome to Kim Baudry 1:03 - The current state of automation investment in retail 3:00 - Why suppl...
Feb 08, 2025•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by special co-host and Shoptalk and Groceryshop’s VP of Original Content and Strategy Ben Miller. In this clip, the group discusses: What We Should Make Of IKEA's Secondhand Marketplace For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/ySon4C9S-hQ
Feb 06, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by special co-host and Shoptalk and Groceryshop’s VP of Original Content and Strategy Ben Miller. In this clip, the group discusses: The Pros Or Cons of Clinics Inside Of Retail Stores For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/ySon4C9S-hQ
Feb 06, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by special co-host and Shoptalk and Groceryshop’s VP of Original Content and Strategy Ben Miller. In this clip, the group discusses: The Impact Walmart's Same-Day RX Delivery Will Have On The Healthcare Landscape For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/ySon4C9S-hQ
Feb 06, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by special co-host and Shoptalk and Groceryshop’s VP of Original Content and Strategy Ben Miller. In this clip, the group discusses: If The Third Time's The Charm For Buybuy Baby For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/ySon4C9S-hQ
Feb 06, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by special co-host and Shoptalk and Groceryshop’s VP of Original Content and Strategy Ben Miller. In this clip, the group discusses: A Suitcase Full Of Sunshine Lightning Round For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/ySon4C9S-hQ
Feb 06, 2025•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by special co-host and Shoptalk and Groceryshop’s VP of Original Content and Strategy Ben Miller. In this clip, the group discusses: The New CVS App And What It It Means For Customers For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/ySon4C9S-hQ
Feb 06, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 - Beyond buying back BuyBuy Baby - Walgreens’ plans to close down 47 of its in-store health clinics in Illinois - IKEA’s decision to expand its secondhand furniture marketplace in Europe - And closed with a discussion o...
Feb 04, 2025•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Amazon Naming Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel Head Of Worldwide Grocery For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/PmDEXwquuSE
Jan 30, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Walmart Increasing Regional Manager Pay To Potentially Over $600k Per Year For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/PmDEXwquuSE
Jan 30, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Walmart Allowing Suppliers To Test New Products With Walmart Customers For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/PmDEXwquuSE
Jan 30, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: If They're Buying Or Selling: Levi’s Claim That Data Helped It Capitalize On The Baggy Jeans Trend For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/PmDEXwquuSE
Jan 30, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: A "2-Ply" Lightning Round For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/PmDEXwquuSE
Jan 30, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: If The Starbucks Ceramic Mug Rollout Is Hot Or Extra Hot For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/PmDEXwquuSE
Jan 30, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 - Whether CPGs will jump at the chance to pay Walmart to test products with Walmart’s actual customers - If Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol could be getting ahead of himself with his plans for ceramic mugs - The veracity of Levi’s cl...
Jan 30, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of our 5 Insightful Minutes Series, the Head of Worldwide Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods Business Development at AWS, Justin Honaman, joins us to discuss the biggest retail trends of 2025. We explore how AI, Amazon Ads' new Retail Ad Services, and data-driven personalization are shaping the future of shopping. Plus, we dive into unified commerce, composable commerce, and how retailers can better integrate in-store and e-commerce experiences for customers and employees alike...
Jan 27, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 🎙️ Omni Talk Retail Ask An Expert – Featuring Placer.ai’s Ethan Chernofsky Retailers are rethinking their store formats, customer engagement strategies, and location choices—but what does the foot traffic data actually say? Placer.ai’s SVP of Marketing, Ethan Chernofsky, joins Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga to analyze real consumer shopping trends and predict what’s next for retail in 2025. Timestamps & Discussion Topics: ⏩ (0:00) – Intro ⏩ (3:45) – The return of the “third place” in retail ☕ (...
Jan 26, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: What Walmart's Symbotic Deal Signals About Its Approach To Delivery? For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
Jan 23, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: If They're Buying Or Selling: Target Cutting Its Production Lead Time For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
Jan 23, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: A "Gentle Rollercoaster" Lightning Round For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
Jan 23, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: Sephora Redesigning Its Entire North American Store Fleet For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
Jan 23, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: If The American Consumer Needs Smaller Format Burlington Stores? For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
Jan 23, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: Walmart Selling Luxury Goods Via Rebag For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
Jan 23, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 - The veracity of Target’s claims that it has cut its production lead times down from 7 months to 8 weeks - Whether the American consumer really needs smaller Burlington stores - Sephora’s plans to redesign its en...
Jan 21, 2025•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Omni Talk's Investor Perspectives on Retail and the Consumer, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga interview Simeon Siegel, Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets, to discuss the key trends and challenges facing retail and e-commerce as we approach 2025. They dive into topics such as market share, DTC strategy, and the importance of maintaining brand equity. Key Moments: 1:00 - Simeon Siegel’s background and role in retail analysis 8:50 - 2024 market trends and what’s ahead ...
Jan 18, 2025•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Macy’s Announcing Store Closures For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/MHY9wOkZ0LI
Jan 17, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: If They're Pro Or Con: Best Buy’s New Marketplace For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/MHY9wOkZ0LI
Jan 16, 2025•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Amazon Investing $11 Billion Towards Ai In Georgia For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/MHY9wOkZ0LI
Jan 16, 2025•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga discuss: Amazon Selling Ad Tech To Other Retailers For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/MHY9wOkZ0LI
Jan 16, 2025•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
