Ecommerce Braintrust

• The Retail Round-Up - “Agentic” Has Entered the Chat - Episode 391

  Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations. This is your April edition of the Retail Round-Up! In today’s episode, we dive into the latest trends shaking up the retail media landscape, from AI-driven shopping innovations and Walmart’s evolving media strategy to concerns about Prime Day restock limits and the ongoing impact of tariffs. The retail media space is moving fast, and there’s no sign of slowing down. We’re excited to welcome special first-time guest Shahrez Anjum, Senior Account Manager at Acadia, alongside our media expert and friend of the pod, Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media at Acadia. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve!   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Shahrez discuss: Amazon recently introduced two major AI-driven features that signal a fundamental shift in how product discovery and shopping journeys will operate: Interests AI and Buy for Me. Interests AI is a product discovery tool that allows Amazon shoppers to enter detailed prompts reflecting their hobbies and passions.  Buy for Me, currently in beta, uses agentic AI to place orders on third-party brand websites directly from the Amazon app. Amazon has introduced tighter control over off-site placements, which allows advertisers to manage their spend on external platforms more effectively. Walmart has made two significant updates to its media offering through Walmart Connect, adding Vizio inventory for media buying and the ability to do advanced targeting for on-site display ads.  Amazon has made significant strides in simplifying and enhancing how advertisers can interact with its audience targeting capabilities, particularly by integrating AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud) audiences into its ad console. Native Bid Boosters: Amazon is making it easier for advertisers to access and use audience segments directly within the ad console. The ongoing discussions around tariffs and their potential impact on retail prices have become a recurring topic in the e-commerce space, especially in relation to Amazon. As Prime Day approaches, concerns about restock limits and potential supply chain challenges are rising. In particular, there are indications that Amazon may reintroduce restock limits, a measure previously used to manage inventory flow.

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• Looking Forward to Prime Day | Part 1 - with Joanna Otto & Predrag Vetnic - Episode 390

  Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations. Today kicks off a special two-part series designed to get you fully prepared for Prime Day. In this first episode, we’re diving deep into the operational, promotional, and organic strategies you should focus on as the big shopping days approach. We’re excited to be joined by Joanna Otto, an Account Manager on Acadia’s Retail team. With more than a decade of experience spanning brand-side roles, agencies, and Amazon itself, Joanna brings a seasoned perspective on how Prime Day has evolved. We’re also welcoming Predrag Vetnic, one of our lead strategists for tentpole events. He’ll be sharing key data insights and best practices for building an effective merchandising strategy, drawn from our work across a wide range of client partners. Tune in to find out more!   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Joanna, and Predrag discuss: Start Preparing Early: Begin your preparations by April, as deadlines and operational tasks need to be handled well before Prime Day. Important Dates & Deadlines: AWD inventory by May 15, Deal scheduling closes May 23, FBA inventory deadlines: June 9 (minimal shipment splits), June 18 (Amazon-optimized splits). Sales Velocity & Reviews: Focus on increasing sales and reviews using programs like Vine and Product Win to boost organic ranking. Organic Prep: Invest in keyword optimization, competitive scraping, and high-quality content, including images and infographics. Prime Day Duration: The event has expanded to four days, so expect consistent sales throughout. Merchandise Fees: PED fees have doubled to $100; the new coupon fee structure starts June 2. AI Search: Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, influences up to 35% of search traffic. Optimize your listings for this. Competitive Monitoring: Be ready to monitor competitors and pivot quickly if issues arise. Expect the Unexpected: Prepare for unexpected challenges, like account health flags and listing suspensions. Economic Pressure: Pricing strategies are more complex due to tariffs and market volatility, so be cautious with price hikes. Invest Strategically: Focus on targeted organic and paid efforts, including influencer and UGC campaigns, to drive relevance.

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• Bridging Gaps and Breaking Silos - How IT Drives Growth with Lauren Livak Gilbert & Jon Harding - Episode 389

  Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations. Today, we’re thrilled to welcome two fantastic guests: Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute, and Jon Harding, SVP and Global CIO at Conair. They’re here to share insights from a recent report they released in partnership with MikMak—a practical guide to managing technology change across the business, specifically how to leverage IT teams to accomplish transformational growth. Tune in to find out more!   📙 RESOURCES Download the Bridging Gaps and Breaking Silos report from the Digital Shelf Institute.   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Lauren, and Jon discuss: The Evolving Role of IT: How IT has become the “nervous system” of modern consumer brands, with technology playing a bigger role in driving business outcomes, particularly as sales and marketing become increasingly tech-reliant. Increasing Complexity and Collaboration: The rise in technology tools (especially in digital commerce), the necessity of integrating multiple systems, and how IT and commercial teams can work together more effectively. Successful Cross-Functional Partnerships: Strategies for engaging IT early in business initiatives, overcoming past tensions between IT and marketing, and why collaboration leads to faster and more successful project outcomes. Agile and Nimble Planning: Why annual planning is no longer enough—Quarterly or even monthly reviews help teams stay agile and responsive in a fast-changing industry. Showcasing IT Wins: Insights on the importance of IT teams communicating their successes and impact to the wider business, including tactics like internal newsletters. Prioritizing Technology Initiatives: How to make sure business cases for new technology are clear, prioritized, and tied to measurable business value—especially when competing with critical back-office projects. Organizational Models for IT-Business Alignment: A look at different structures (shared services, embedded partners, PMO) and the critical need for shared goals and metrics between IT and other teams. The Future with AI: Predictions around the next wave of AI adoption—both top-down from enterprise platforms and bottom-up from grassroots productivity tools—and the transformative potential for digital commerce and omnichannel organizations.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Connect with Lauren Livak, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute. Connect with Jon Harding, SVP and Global CIO at Conair. Download the Bridging Gaps and Breaking Silos report. Connect with our host, Julie Spear. Connect with our host, Jordan Ripley. Learn more about Acadia.

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• Moving From the 5% to the 95% - The Principles of Demand Generation With Pat Petriello - Episode 388

  Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations. Today we’re bringing back our very own Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, Pat Petriello, to discuss how the savviest brands are balancing the needs of brand vs. performance marketing, how to avoid a life sentence in ROAS Jail, and the all-important 95/5 rule.  Tune in to find out more!   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Pat discuss: Introduction to ROAS Jail: Pat Patriello explains the concept of "ROAS jail," where marketers focus solely on Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS), leading to inefficiencies and short-term growth strategies. The 95-5 Rule: Only 5% of consumers are in the market for any given product at any time. The focus should be on brand building for the 95% who are not currently shopping. 60-40 Rule: Introduced by Pat as a guideline, suggesting a budget allocation of 60% towards brand-building and 40% towards performance marketing. This ratio helps balance short-term sales goals with long-term brand equity. Brand vs. Performance Marketing: Discussion on how these strategies differ and the importance of emotional connection through branding to attract long-term customers. Amazon's Role: Insight into how Amazon is transitioning to accommodate brand building alongside its historical strength in direct sales and conversion. Practical Recommendations: Tips for business leaders on how to integrate brand marketing into existing performance-focused strategies without necessarily increasing overall spending. Examples of Effective Brand Building: Brands like Patagonia are highlighted as successfully creating emotional connections that lead consumers directly to their products, bypassing competitive marketplace auctions.

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• A Primer on Optimizing for Rufus and AI-Driven Search with Julian Galindo & Predrag Vetnic - Episode 387

  Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations. Today, we’re joined by two of the sharpest minds at Acadia—experts who live and breathe Amazon. Whether it’s diving deep into AI advancements, crafting and optimizing product listings, or navigating the ever-evolving customer journey, these two are on the front lines, ensuring our brands are set up for long-term organic success. First up, we have Julian Galindo, Senior Account Manager on our Retail Team—a recognized authority and proud self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to AI-driven content optimization. Joining him is Predrag Vetnic, Retail Strategist with a specialty in high-impact copywriting for ecommerce. If you’ve shopped on Amazon recently, chances are you’ve come across his work without even realizing it. We’re thrilled to have them both on the show! Tune in to find out more!   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Predrag, and Julian discuss: Amazon's AI Advancements Introduction to Rufus, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, which helps customers by suggesting products based on their needs and queries. Cosmo, the AI system powering Rufus, aims to understand the "why" behind shopping behaviors to offer more personalized results. Optimization Practices for AI Transition from keyword-based search optimization to a focus on natural language and user intent. Importance of tailoring product detail pages (PDPs) for Rufus, not only using keywords but targeting customer needs and relevant questions. SEO Strategy Evolution Emphasizing human-like interaction while optimizing e-commerce content for AI. Leveraging footprint data from user interactions to inform and refine search experiences. Testing and Measuring Impact Methods for testing the effectiveness of AI-focused optimization strategies. Importance of monitoring conversion rates, organic share of voice, and search rankings. Future of AI in E-commerce Speculation on the integration of AI-driven search with traditional methods. Discussions on how AI could revolutionize personalized shopping experiences on platforms like Amazon.

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