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Retail Media Breakfast Club

Retail Media Breakfast Club

Written by: Kiri Masters
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 10 minutes of expert insights every weekday. Your morning ritual for staying ahead in retail media.© 2026 Kiri Masters Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Dollar General’s Retail Media Power Play: The Full-Stack Strategy Unlocking Brand Dollars

    Dollar General’s Retail Media Power Play: The Full-Stack Strategy Unlocking Brand Dollars
    May 18 2026

    Dollar General has been making serious waves in retail media. In this episode, I break down what’s really going on beneath the surface of their latest announcements. From AI-powered in-store audio to a fully unified on-site and off-site media buying solution, it might look like a story about better tech… but there’s a much bigger shift happening here.

    I dive into insights Kathryn Mazza shared on a recent episode of the Omni Talk Retail podcast that reveal the economic pressure forcing retail media networks to evolve. I also unpack why trade dollars are drying up, what it actually takes to win brand budgets, and why the sequencing of building a retail media network could make or break its future. If you want to understand where retail media is headed — and how Dollar General is positioning itself ahead of the curve — this one’s for you.


    This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads


    Timeline

    [00:00] – Dollar General’s back-to-back announcements and why they matter beyond the headlines

    [01:19] – The real problem: why retail media networks are running out of trade dollars

    [01:54] – The importance of full-funnel offerings to unlock brand marketing budgets

    [03:23] – Why shifting to brand dollars is no longer optional — it’s survival

    [04:30] – What agencies actually want (and why most RMNs fall short)

    [05:45] – The overlooked power of in-store media in a changing retail landscape

    [07:15] – The strategic sequencing behind building a profitable retail media network


    Links & Resources

    • Watch the full Kathryn Mazza episode on Omni Talk Retail: ChatGPT Wants Your Ad Dollars, DG Goes Full Funnel & Audible Opens A Bookless Bookstore
    • Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail hosted by Chris Walton: YouTube & Apple Podcasts
    • Follow Kathryn Mazza, Chief Growth Officer US @ Barrows Connected Store, on LinkedIn
    • Follow Chris Walton, President & CEO @ Omni Talk, on LinkedIn
    • Read my related articles:
      • How Can RMNs Tap Upper-Funnel Brand Budgets
      • The Last Mile of America: Inside Austin Leonard's Plan For Dollar General Media Network
      • Managing a Multi-Retailer RMN Stack: The Operational Reality
    • I'm keynoting at Xnurta's Signal to Scale summit on Tuesday May 19 in Chicago. This is the room to be in if you work in retail media, care about what AI actually changes, and want to leave with something you can put to work. A full day focused on agentic AI, modern measurement, and the strategies the best teams are already building toward. Reserve your spot here.
    • EMARKETER is teaming up again with Bain to survey retail media network leaders for a unique insight into the forces shaping the industry. The survey is intended for people working in-house on retail media teams, and it is global this year! The survey is also double-anonymized. The survey organizers will not know, nor are they trying to determine, which specific retail media network a respondent works for. The goal is to understand broader retail media trends, not attribute responses to individual companies. Please take the survey here.
    • In Atlanta? Join the Commerce Media Happy Hour on Wednesday May 20! RSVP here
    • I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
    • Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
    • Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn
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    8 mins
  • The Retail Media Illusion: Why Agentic Commerce Will Disrupt E-Commerce Sooner Than You Think

    The Retail Media Illusion: Why Agentic Commerce Will Disrupt E-Commerce Sooner Than You Think
    May 14 2026
    Last week, I stepped onto the stage at the Digital Shelf Summit here in Atlanta for a debate that’s been heating up across the industry: is agentic commerce an existential threat to e-commerce traffic? I took the “yes” side — boldly — and in this episode, I’m unpacking my full rebuttal to the idea that this is all just hype.I walk through where I agree with the skeptics (because yes, some of the data has been overstated), but more importantly, where I think the industry is missing the point entirely. This isn’t about transaction share: it’s about where decisions are being made. If AI shifts the moment of product discovery and comparison upstream, what happens to the retail media model as we know it? Let’s dig into the real implications before we all get too comfortable.This episode is sponsored by Mirakl AdsTimeline[00:00] – Setting the stage: My debate at Digital Shelf Summit and why this topic matters now[01:25] – Breaking down the “agentic commerce is a hallucination” argument[03:15] – The critical flaw: Measuring transactions instead of decision-making moments[04:30] – Why retail media depends on consumer behavior that may be disappearing[06:30] – New data reveals a shift toward direct-to-product-page shopping[08:00] – The hidden trade-off: Higher conversion, fewer ad impressions[10:30] – My final takeaway: The real hallucination isn’t disruption, it’s thinking nothing will changeLinks & ResourcesAndrew Lipsman's guest post on The AI Ad Economy: An Agentic Commerce Reality CheckSubscribe to Debra Aho Williamson's newsletter The AI Ad EconomySubscribe to Andrew Lipsman's newsletter Media, Ads + CommerceCriteo's 2026 COMMERCE & AI TREND REPORTAdobe's Quarterly AI Traffic Report (April 2026)Read my related articles:No Incentive To Sound The AlarmDark Search, Broken Signals, and What Comes Next for Retail MediaThe 3 Ways Agentic Commerce Could Destroy Retail MediaAgentic Shopping Poses An Existential Threat To Retail Media (Part 2)OpenAI is killing Instant Checkout. Don't dance on the grave of agentic shopping yet (The Drum)Loyalty data is becoming retail media’s strongest defense (The Drum)Retailers, here’s how your media network can still thrive in an AI-shopping era (The Drum)I'm keynoting at Xnurta's Signal to Scale summit on May 19 in Chicago. This is the room to be in if you work in retail media, care about what AI actually changes, and want to leave with something you can put to work. A full day focused on agentic AI, modern measurement, and the strategies the best teams are already building toward. Reserve your spot here.EMARKETER is teaming up again with Bain to survey retail media network leaders for a unique insight into the forces shaping the industry. The survey is intended for people working in-house on retail media teams, and it is global this year! The survey is also double-anonymized. The survey organizers will not know, nor are they trying to determine, which specific retail media network a respondent works for. The goal is to understand broader retail media trends, not attribute responses to individual companies. Please take the survey here. In Atlanta? Join the Commerce Media Happy Hour on Wednesday May 20! RSVP hereI am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclubSubscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletterFollow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Predictive Commerce: Why Life-Stage Data Could Replace Retail Media’s Obsession with Transactions

    Predictive Commerce: Why Life-Stage Data Could Replace Retail Media’s Obsession with Transactions
    May 13 2026
    Most retail media networks are built to look backward. But what if the real opportunity is predicting what customers will do next? In this episode, a reprise of my recent article for The Drum, I dig into a fascinating new model that challenges the industry’s reliance on transaction data and closed-loop attribution.I’m unpacking my recent conversation with Marco Steinsieck, former head of Sephora’s media network and now GM of Backpack Media, an education-powered commerce media network built on Sallie’s ecosystem. I also play a snippet of Marco's recent appearance on The Middlemen podcast to explore how life-stage signals — like planning for college or making first financial decisions — might be a far more powerful indicator of future purchases than anything sitting in a transaction log. This one raises big questions about where commerce media is headed and whether the current playbook is already outdated.This episode is sponsored by Mirakl AdsTimeline[00:00] – Why most commerce media networks are stuck selling the past [00:30] – Marco Steinsieck's big idea: predicting future purchases, not past behavior [01:04] – Life-stage data vs. transaction data: why one is a leading indicator [02:00] – Inside Backpack Media and how education data powers predictive modeling [03:15] – Lessons from Sephora: building a high-performing media network without massive scale [04:00] – The privacy-first challenge of building media inside a financial institution [07:30] – Is this really “commerce media”? Rethinking the definition of the category [09:00] – Why predictive commerce is still unproven, and what needs to happen nextLinks & ResourcesMarco Steinsieck profile on The Drum: Meet the former Sephora exec betting commerce media can predict the futureMarco Steinsieck's full appearance on The Middlemen podcast: Beyond Transactions — Marco Steinsieck (Backpack Media)Subscribe to The Middlemen on YouTube and Apple PodcastsFollow Marco Steinsieck on LinkedInRead my related articles:Best Buy Wants To Become An Ad Platform, Not Just Another RMNSam's Club Cracked the Code on In-Store Retail Media—Here's How They Did ItRetailers Hit 99% Ad Coverage Without Killing User Experience, New Research ShowsI'm keynoting at Xnurta's Signal to Scale summit on May 19 in Chicago. This is the room to be in if you work in retail media, care about what AI actually changes, and want to leave with something you can put to work. A full day focused on agentic AI, modern measurement, and the strategies the best teams are already building toward. Reserve your spot here.EMARKETER is teaming up again with Bain to survey retail media network leaders for a unique insight into the forces shaping the industry. The survey is intended for people working in-house on retail media teams, and it is global this year! The survey is also double-anonymized. The survey organizers will not know, nor are they trying to determine, which specific retail media network a respondent works for. The goal is to understand broader retail media trends, not attribute responses to individual companies. Please take the survey here. In Atlanta? Join the Commerce Media Happy Hour on Wednesday May 20! RSVP hereI am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclubSubscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletterFollow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn
    Show More Show Less
    10 mins
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