For the last decade, retailers have done everything they could to keep bots off their websites. But when I was at NRF earlier this month, I heard something very different from the biggest names in retail: bring on all the bots. In this episode, a recap of my recent article for The Drum, I break down why that shift is happening now (and what it actually looks like in practice).

At NRF I found a wide spectrum of approaches, from full-scale deployments to cautious experimentation, but also a surprising point of alignment. Listen to learn how six major retailers are thinking about AI shopping agents, what they’re building, and where they’re drawing the line when it comes to control, trust, and ownership of the customer relationship.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] Why retailers who once banned bots are now actively welcoming AI shopping agents

[01:28] Kroger’s fully deployed AI assistants for meal planning, budgeting, and one-click shopping

[02:40] How Lowe’s is using Google’s Business Agent to let customers shop directly from search

[03:59] Ulta Beauty’s marketplace strategy as the foundation for future agentic commerce

[06:01] Home Depot’s problem-first approach, and why merchant of record still matters

[07:26] Wayfair and Urban Outfitters on conversational/multimodal shopping becoming mainstream

Links & Resources

• At NRF, retailers say ‘bring on all the bots’, my full article on The Drum
• Read my related articles:
  • The Retail Media Conversations At NRF That Didn't Make the Stage
  • Amazon is playing agentic commerce chicken. Other retailers should not.
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

The retail media conversation is dominated by a handful of giants. But today, I’m analyzing a recent episode of one of my favorite podcasts (Beyond The Shelf hosted Dave Feinelib), and making the case that we’re missing a massive opportunity by ignoring the long tail. If you’re a brand focused only on Amazon, Walmart, or Target, what happens to the shoppers you’re not reaching, especially in regional and mid-market grocery?

In this episode, I dig into insights shared on a recent episode of Beyond The Shelf from Dave Glaza of DIGITS, who has a rare dual perspective: helping brands activate retail media while also operating networks for regional grocers. Dave unpacks why regional grocery is one of the biggest remaining white spaces in retail media, the real reason brands cap the number of RMNs they’ll work with, and what might actually change as budgets tighten and growth gets harder to find.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] Why retail media’s obsession with scale leaves regional shoppers behind

[01:09] Dave Glaza explains the “white space” opportunity in regional grocery

[02:23] The real infrastructure problem behind managing 10+ retail media networks

[03:08] Are brands walking away from half their buyers by ignoring regionals?

[04:19] Why being tech-agnostic matters in a fragmented retail ecosystem

[06:03] The shift from ROAS to “new-to-brand” and category growth metrics

Links & Resources

• Listen to the full Dave Glaza episode of the Beyond The Shelf podcast hosted Dave Feinelib
• Subscribe to Beyond The Shelf
• Dave Glaza runs the agency DIGITS
• Follow Dave Glaza on LinkedIn
• Follow David Feinleib on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • What It Actually Takes to Build a Retail Media Federation
  • Meet The First Retail Media Federations & Consortiums
  • The Retail Media Doom Loop
• Join me and Jordan Witmer from Salt XC at 11am Thursday Jan 22 (today!) for a LinkedIn Live on how big brands and small brands MUST approach retail media differently. We'll be answering questions LIVE -- join us!
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

In today’s episode I’m sharing a standout moment from a conversation I recorded back in December on Zalando's Inside Fashion Marketing podcast. It captures a shift I haven’t been able to stop thinking about: how AI-enabled commerce is fundamentally changing the shopping journey, and what that means for retail media as we know it.

If consumers are spending more time researching, comparing, and deciding with AI companions before they ever land on a retailer site, that has massive implications for sponsored products, display ads, and offsite retail media revenue. In this clip, I break down what’s changing, what surprised me most in 2025, and why the traditional funnel is basically over. If you care about the future of retail media, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] Why AI-enabled commerce has been top of mind for me

[01:24] The rise of AI companions in the research phase of the shopping journey

[02:03] New AI-driven mid-funnel and purchase capabilities

[02:45] What AI-led research means for onsite and offsite retail media revenue

[04:36] My advice to brands navigating agentic commerce and retailer partnerships

[06:00] The surprising rise of black-box algorithmic bidding in retail media networks

Links & Resources

• Listen to the full Inside Fashion Marketing episode - Kiri Masters on what’s next in retail media: US vs. Europe & the 2026 edge
• Read my related articles:
  • Amazon is playing agentic commerce chicken. Other retailers should not.
  • The Retail Media Doom Loop
• Join me and Jordan Witmer from Salt XC at 11am Thursday Jan 22 for a LinkedIn Live on how big brands and small brands MUST approach retail media differently. We'll be answering questions LIVE -- join us!
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn