James Avery sits down with Ben Johnson, Senior Director of Chewy Ads, to discuss the critical role of product management in building a successful retail media network. Drawing from his experience at both Chewy and Coupang, Ben explains why retailers must move beyond "cookie-cutter" playbooks to develop bespoke ad solutions that reflect their unique customer behaviors—such as Chewy’s high-growth subscription model. The conversation explores how to build internal credibility with established teams, the importance of establishing a "good, neutral, bad" framework for experimentation, and why hiring product leaders with cognitive diversity is more effective than simply sourcing ad tech experts.

James Avery is joined by Sam Wright, Kevel’s strategic advisor, to discuss the essential steps for launching and maturing a retail media business. Drawing from his experience globalizing Klarna Media, Sam breaks down how businesses of all sizes—from small startups to billion-dollar enterprises—can diversify their revenue through targeted advertising. The conversation explores critical growth strategies, including how to align C-suite leadership with product teams, transition from trade dollars to measurable performance media, and leverage granular SKU-level data to create a competitive "transaction graph". Whether navigating the tension between user experience and monetization or evolving into a sophisticated commerce media network, this episode provides a practical roadmap for scaling a modern ad business.

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In this episode, James Avery talks with Gareth Menton of Carwow about his journey through retail media, moving from the transactional, spur-of-the-moment food delivery space at Just Eat to the high-value, long-consideration automotive marketplace. Gareth shares how Carwow uses rich first-party data for effective offsite advertising, proving sales attribution for brands. A key takeaway for all RMNs is his focus on making ads highly relevant to user intent, which has led to sponsored listings having the same click-through rate as organic listings.

Lee Dunbar, SVP and Head of Retail Media at Starcom, joins the show to provide a crucial agency and brand-side perspective on the evolving retail media landscape. Having seen retail media transform from old-school shopper marketing to a critical part of modern advertising, Lee discusses what major brands like P&G and Kraft Heinz truly seek from Retail Media Networks (RMNs), emphasizing the need for consistency, full-service capabilities, and audience-based incremental reach, especially in non-endemic and in-store environments. He argues that RMNs must mature into a media "layer" that integrates seamlessly with national media plans, rather than remaining siloed "channels". Looking ahead, Lee highlights that the biggest strategic shift for both agencies and brands is managing fragmented ad spend across numerous retailers while preparing for the impact of Agentic Commerce, which threatens to move discovery and media opportunities from retailer sites to AI agents who will act as "super shoppers".

Host James Avery welcomes serial entrepreneur Scot Wingo to dissect the rapid rise of Agentic Commerce and its imminent impact on Retail Media Networks (RMNs). Wingo, the founder of Channel Advisor, explains how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Perplexity have evolved from simple search tools to "answer engines" and full-bore marketplaces, completing the "research, find, and buy" shopper's journey. They explore how this shift bypasses traditional retailer websites, threatening RMN ad revenue, especially since companies like Walmart are embracing the direct checkout model as a customer acquisition channel. Wingo offers a "call to action" for retailers, advising them not to ignore the trend , and details how RMNs must elevate the user experience, fix their broken product catalogs, and rethink ad strategies to be additive, drawing inspiration from Instacart's successful, coupon-driven model.

In this episode, James Avery and Matt Nichols discuss the evolving landscape of retail media, investment trends, and the impact of AI on consumer behavior. They explore how retail media has grown significantly, especially post-COVID, and the importance of integrating AI into retail strategies. The conversation also touches on supply chain innovations and the future of shopping, particularly in relation to Amazon's dominance in the market.

Retail media success hinges on giving brands what they truly need: measurable, incremental sales growth. This episode of Unlocking Retail Media with expert Mark Mannino—from VidMob, Amazon Ads, and Flywheel—focuses on strategic RMN packaging and measurement. Key takeaways include moving beyond simple ROAS to prioritize incremental ROAS and new-to-brand metrics. Retailers must clarify how they handle omnichannel attribution and utilize unique first-party data for both onsite and offsite targeting. To scale, smaller RMNs should adopt programmatic practices, like Private Marketplaces (PMPs), to attract demand without becoming commoditized, and all networks must operate with the primary rule: "first do no harm" to the core customer relationship.

In this conversation, James Avery and Mark Grether discuss the innovative advertising strategies being developed at PayPal, leveraging unique transaction data to create a differentiated advertising business. They explore the challenges faced by retail media networks, the importance of measurement and incrementality, and the future of commerce media in the context of AI advancements. Mark shares insights on the growth strategies for retailers and the significance of maintaining consumer relationships in an evolving digital landscape.