Retail Media Vibes
Retail Media Vibes is your marketing lens on the world of shopping, commerce, and culture. Each episode brings fresh conversations with industry insiders who break down the stories driving how brands reach shoppers and how shoppers connect with brands. From big retail moments to the latest shifts in digital media, it’s your front-row seat to the strategies shaping the future of commerce.
We keep it smart, energetic, and actionable, mixing sharp analysis with good vibes so you walk away informed and inspired. Whether you’re a retail pro, a marketer looking for an edge, or simply curious about where the industry is headed, this podcast is made for you.
Join the vibe and stay ahead in retail media.
Retail Media Vibes
Ep. 5 – Impulse Clicks & Holiday Picks
A grocery disruptor is surging, hype is reshaping demand, and AI might quietly become your favorite holiday shopper. We sit down with Claire Reed to unpack Aldi’s value-first playbook, from lean operations and private labels to a smart Instacart partnership that skips building a retail media network from scratch. The takeaway: when quality meets price discipline, traffic follows, and Aldi’s store growth and rising visits prove it.
From there, we dive into hype marketing that actually works. Think collabs and limited editions that earn the buzz because the product hits. Supreme Oreos, fast-food celebrity meals, vinyl variants, great examples when timing, audience fit, and the goods align. We also call out the misses: weak products wrapped in loud campaigns. The principle holds across categories; brand heat can spark trial, but only product performance keeps the repeat.
Then we turn to holiday predictions with two big swings. First, agentic shopping gets real as more people use AI to shortlist gifts, compare options, and buy faster than any livestream can pace. Second, TikTok Shop becomes the season’s impulse engine, blending entertainment and checkout with deals that tip you from scroll to sold. We also track a quieter shift: subscriptions and experiences are becoming the “new gift card,” and meaningful DIY or secondhand gifts are rising as clutter-conscious choices.
Quick hits keep it spicy: Meta’s plan to use AI chats for ad targeting, the hidden cost of “work slop” when AI outputs go unchecked, and Amazon’s add to delivery as a simple but powerful nudge for basket growth. Along the way, we share practical guardrails, why human review still matters, how to build trust with private labels, and where to place your holiday bets across channels.
Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe, share with a friend who loves retail trends, and leave a review to help others find the show.
What's up, party people? BV here, and welcome to episode five of Retail Media Vibes, a doing business in Bettonville podcast. We are back once again in Rogers, Arkansas, recording at Podcast Video Studios. My guest this week is Claire Reed, and we're going to get to know Claire a little bit in just a minute. So our topics today are going to be the growth of Aldi. Aldi's definitely been on a run of late, hype marketing, and everything you want to know about hype marketing and what impact it has in the marketing space and advertising space. And then we're going to wrap it up with some holiday predictions, what Claire and I both think is going to happen this holiday season. We're going to do our quick quick hits as always, and we'll wrap things up with our game, Bold Vibes. So stick with us. All right. So we are jumping into our vibe chat and we get a chance to meet today's guest. Today's guest is Claire Reed. Welcome, Claire, to Hateel Media Vibes. Thanks for having me. Great. Well, it's good to have you. Good to have you. Um, quick question How many episodes of the podcast, Retell Media Vibes, have you listened to so far?
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so you're not gonna like my answer, but I'm going to be very blunt and very honest. Zero.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00:I am not, I'm not a podcast girly. I'm not, I can't, I can't, I can't listen to him. I don't know what it is. Every now and then I can listen to him, but I am more, much more, and maybe I need to try the video because I'm much more.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's just a video, YouTube. Yeah, we're on YouTube.
SPEAKER_00:More of a visual learner. Um, even when it comes to reading books or listening to books, I've never been an audible person. I'm trying to get more into it just with my commute driving to Bedonville. So maybe I'll listen to this one. But even the podcasts that I've been on in the past, I have not listened to. Yeah. The ones that are published.
SPEAKER_01:Well, all right. Here, do me a favor. Do me a favor. So listen, maybe listen to this one. Maybe.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:But at least share. Okay. Oh, sorry, sure. Share, share the podcast.
SPEAKER_00:I'll share them at least with my husband.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, there you go. That's one more listen to one, what, what, one more, uh, one more listen. So, but let's get to know you a little bit. So, you know, tell well, I know you, I've known you for years, obviously, but um tell the audience a little bit about Claire and your background and you know, how we get how we know each other and those types of things.
SPEAKER_00:So, personal side, um, I've lived in Fayetteville for almost 20 years, I think. Um, so been in this Northwest Arkansas bubble for quite a long time. I'm married, have two little girls, four and five years old. Um, I have been in marketing, I like to say from day one, because whenever you fill out your college application, you have to automatically select a major. Um, and I randomly selected ad PR. Um, so advertising and public relations and the journalism department. And I just randomly selected it all on a whim, um, thinking I would probably change it down the line. Nope, never did. Loved it, loved both the PR side and the marketing advertising side of it. I loved it all. I loved being able to have a creative hand in things, but then also the strategic mindset as well. Um, and I've been in marketing ever since. So started in the e-commerce space, um, which was super fun to be a part of. And then I switched, still e-commerce focused, but in the digital space. And so that's how I met you um at Saatchi. Uh, fun fact, whenever I was interviewing with BB, he actually didn't initially want to hire me. Um, so that that's a it was for a different role, but okay. That that's a super fun fact. Anyways, he hired me, um, was on his team for quite a few years, left Sachi, left agency life for a little bit, uh, came back and rejoined your team. Um, yeah, we've been partnered together for a long time. Now I'm in the B2B space, uh, still marketing, uh, B2B space with stat recovery services. Um, and I'm I'm loving it.
SPEAKER_01:Good. Yeah, awesome. Yeah, it's been great knowing you obviously all this time. And obviously, we've been great friends and um been through a lot of you know cool moments together. Um, so listen, let me ask you a few ice few icebreakers, kind of you know, to a couple of those questions. So um you like Taylor Swift? Yeah. Have you listened to her latest album?
SPEAKER_00:I have.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, I'd love to hear your your thoughts.
SPEAKER_00:Um, I feel like she is getting a lot of hate for it. Okay. I love it. Yeah. Um, I mean, there's a few songs that I like more than others. And it's funny, one of my coworkers she told me, she calls me very much a millennial, and I'll own it, I'm very much a millennial. Okay. She's like, I feel like you would really like this song. This song is so millennial. And it was actually one of my least favorites. Um, but overall, I love it. Um, and I want to save some of that for hype marketing for that section.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_01:All right. Well, we'll bring can bring that back around.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, and then what was your last impulse buy online?
SPEAKER_00:Oh gosh. Honestly, I have been all about just cozy sweatsuits. And dude, Walmart's crushing it in their private label game right now. Oh, good. So they wear suit with their with their clothing lines. So I got um, yeah, I just bought another sweatsuit from Walmart.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, okay. Um, yeah, I think, I mean, honestly, like I think the hoodie in general is I'm not a hoodie girl.
SPEAKER_00:You're not a hoodie. I'm not a hoodie girl. Oh, okay. No, no, I've tried. Um, I even thought about trying to wear my black hoodie just because I thought you might be in a black hoodie. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I don't think no, just your classic crew.
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. All right, cool. Um, all right. So we're gonna now move on to our our quick hits.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:All right, let's move on now to quick hits. So our first story in quick hits this week is you know, Meta is now going to start serving ads based upon your AI chats, right? So, you know, they're testing ad targeting based upon, you know, your interaction with their AI chat across Messenger and Instagram. So the way that and what you say to that in that chat and AI is going to be used as data for advertising on Meta's platform. So, you know, think you know, Instagram, obviously, and and Facebook, et cetera. So, which is really interesting, and there's obviously been a lot of pushback, right? Because then people say, Oh, my chats are private, and why, you know, you know, if you think your chats are private, yeah, especially through a social media channel that monetizes for advertising, using your data, you probably need to go and do some research. Yeah, yeah. Because that's not really, you know, that's obviously that's how they they they monetize. So in a way, to me, that's not surprising, but I think there's a lot of pushback, you know, because people just think, oh, why would they be targeting me based upon that chat, right?
SPEAKER_00:Right. Well, and I feel like you and I are in an interesting position because personally, I yes, this is creepy, but I don't think that this is the first thing that's creepy from a targeting perspective. What? Right. And that's where I feel like you and I are probably numb to this because we already know and are familiar with the back end of the targeting side of things. Um, so to me, I don't think that this is any more creepy than um, you know, them them listening to to our microphones or getting, you know, talking about a certain are you about to drop a a key story here?
SPEAKER_01:You're you saying the microphones on our devices are being used for advertising targeting? No way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, right. Okay. Um, I mean, definitely. I mean, I think there's even a setting right now that you can turn off on your iPhone where you can turn that off. But I'm like, you know what? It I'm not gonna turn it off because actually some of these ads that they're getting from me talking about needing a certain camera lens or a certain XYZ, whatever it is, they've actually been helpful. Um, like even one time I was like, man, I got served an ad the other day and I can't remember what it was, but it was making this up. It was a it was a really neat backpack that I needed for traveling. And and then maybe I'll if I talk about it enough today, I'll get served the ad tomorrow. And and I did, and it was actually helpful. And then I went and made the purchase. So yes, it's creepy, but and again, maybe it's because we're numb to it. I don't think it's any more creepy than what every other what what else is happening?
SPEAKER_01:My my reaction was a three-letter word to the story. Duh.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, duh.
SPEAKER_01:Right. I mean, this is not surprising. Yeah, right. And so um, yeah, I think also you throw the word AI in there, right, right, and AI chat, and of course it gets it gets a lot of buzz. Right. I yeah, I think for the most part, most people don't realize how much data they actually give up, right, and how that data is actually used, right? And we do because of the world that we are in. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Exactly. All right, let's move on to the next quick uh the next quick hit. So the next quick hit is about work, uh, work slop. So work slop is a phrase that's being thrown around the workplace now for people who are using AI, it's in AI generated content, you know, whether it's emails or or reports or documents, and then they're throwing it over to whoever they have to send that document to, and it's not accurate, right? There's there's mistakes or it's not the right, you know, right content. Um, and then the person who receives it then has to go through this this process of trying to validate that information that has been put into to that document. And so it, you know, there's been studies and that have been have said that that you know work slop is costing a lot of time and all that time is you know accumulating to lots of lots of dollars. So, you know, my question to you is like, have you seen personally, have you seen work slop? Have you like actually contributed to your workslop?
SPEAKER_00:For sure I have, especially in, you know, whenever you're jumping into a new role and you're having to hit that learning curve. And I mean, I'm transparently, I'm in a whole new industry that I've never been in before. And so I was heavily relying on um AI and chat to help me better understand it. And now that I'm past that learning curve, I feel like I'm not integrating with it as much. But even the other day, so we're redoing our website right now, and we are tapping into chat quite a bit, but we've got a tailored chat that should and does know our industry and our company through and through. And so I feel like once if come more and more companies do that for the brands that they're marketing for or themselves, I feel like that will help. But even the other day we were working through the website and we were chatting through um some copy options. And I made the comment, I was like, man, I feel I feel really bad for a lot of copywriters out there because I feel like that that is one of the roles that AI could potentially replace. But to your point, on work slop and even what chat spit out for us for a one-liner, it's like, no, this still needs a human element to review it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I think, you know, I think first of all, with AI, AI in the workplace, the AO, it's all new, right? And so there tends to be opportunity for mistakes, people misusing it in in in different ways. Yeah. Maybe AI wasn't the right, you know, tool to use for a specific request. So I think sometimes it may get overused, and so that I think leads leads to it. Some people may just be lazy and don't want to, or might maybe, or we'll we'll do it the other way. Maybe they just don't have time, they're very busy, right? And don't have the time to really check the check the work um and before it gets sent out. I do think that this will you know correct itself over time, but I think ultimately the person that is the person that is creating the content, whatever it is, uh, if they're using AI, they are responsible for the accuracy and completeness. Right. I also think about it a little bit like it's like having you know a more junior level employee that it works for you that's maybe new. Yeah. And so, you know, you try to also help them, you know, get the content correct, but they are going to make mistakes, right? You train them and they and they've got it and they're gonna make mistakes. So I I do think this is a temporary, a temporary thing. For sure. Um, and there's obviously as people get more skilled in using AI, I would expect that work slot will decrease significantly.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and I think, I mean, I I feel like I even noticed the other day chat had a disclaimer. It was like, hey, I'm gonna make mistakes. Review, review what I send you. Yeah. And it's a I don't know if that's new or if that's always been there, but maybe, maybe they know about work slot.
SPEAKER_01:Maybe. Yeah, maybe, maybe. All right, let's move on to our next quick hit. So Amazon is rolling out the what's called ad-to-delivery. So they have this new ad to delivery feature that lets prime members bundle small orders into their next schedule delivery. I think of this one like kind of like uh a double dash, right? So with DoorDash, you can have your dasher stop at another another spot and bring uh another complete order instead of creating two different, you know, two different orders. You know, with with this, it's it's interesting because you know, when I shop in, you know, when I shop occasionally on Amazon, you know, I I usually try to buy everything I'm thinking about at one time. Yeah. My wife, she'll buy one thing and then she'll buy another thing, and like and so she'll have like separate orders that will come in. Obviously, it there's some efficiencies if you're you know bringing all those orders together in one, you know, one package. Um, and I also see an opportunity for impulse, you know, impulse shopping, right? And so an or an impulse opportunity, you know, or you know, you you've done something, oh yeah, I just remember I need to get this. And so it could, it could, could, could help. You know, what are your your thoughts about like what add to you know, add to delivery could potentially do for shoppers?
SPEAKER_00:So when I first saw that add to delivery button, I mean, I forget when it was, maybe a week or so ago, um, my first thought was, wow, is this the first time that Walmart was actually ahead of the game game before Amazon? Because so we have Walmart Plus and we use in-home delivery, I mean, week at least once a week, if not twice a week. And one of my favorite features for Walmart Plus is that you can add to delivery. Yeah. Um, and I mean, I feel like we've been doing that for months. So if we forget something, yes, there's a time limit on it, but same, same thing with Amsterdam. So I was like, wow, this is great. Uh, but Walmart did this first. And I feel like in the past it hasn't always been like that. Right. Um, especially when it comes to e-commerce. Um and now, yeah, I'm really proud of Walmart.
SPEAKER_01:And yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, I usually see like, you know, I think if if I think back to you know e-commerce um shopping, it was usually like, hey, you bought this. Do you want to buy this? So it's more recommendation. This one feels like it's a little bit more of a pull, right? Yeah, you're yeah, you're like, oh yeah, you know, I I bought all these things. Oh, I just remember I needed to add this. And so then you can go ahead and move it, move that into your into your delivery and have one package. Yeah. I mean, it's it's seems like a no-brainer. For sure. Right. At this stage, you know, it's still to me, uh, you know, thinking about it from an impulse buy perspective as well. So like I, you know, you know, as more people shop online, like the impulse, like there's does seem like there's a lot of impulse opportunity there. Like nobody, I don't feel like anybody's really nailed impulse.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe with like the buy now button where you don't have to go through the full Yeah, the one-click buy, yeah. Yes, that one click buy. I mean, that's gotten me several times some impulse purchases.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. And I'm thinking about like the impulse, like when you go to the store.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and you throw it next to it.
SPEAKER_01:And you're walking down, it's I think about it at like the checkout aisle. Yeah. And so like in the in you know, certain stores will snake you through all these little tchotchkis and things that you can buy and candy and all that stuff. Oh, yeah. Um, you buy one more thing, buy one more thing, buy one more thing. Um, I don't know if that's really been nailed in the on the e-commerce side.
SPEAKER_00:No, because I mean, uh it's definitely slowed down in our house with Walmart and home because I don't, yeah, I don't walk down the candy aisle and I don't go grocery shopping when I'm hungry, which is when I make my impulse guys. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, cool. Well, it's it's it's interesting. Like you said, you know, it's good to see Amazon catch up to to Walmart and what they've been doing and Walmart Plus. So um, yeah, so we'll see. All right, now we're gonna move on to main topic. So our first main topic today, we're gonna talk about Aldi. Uh you have you shopped at Aldi?
SPEAKER_00:I have.
SPEAKER_01:And do you shop regularly?
SPEAKER_00:I don't.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. All right. Uh we'll get we'll get into that, I'm sure. But you know, Aldi has really grown quite a bit and has become one of the American one of America's fastest growing grocers. They've doubled their store count, they bought Win Dixie, and they keep winning shoppers through low price, and and they have some strong private private labels. They definitely have a very strong private label strategy. Um, you know, they're not really trying to compete with Walmart at mass. Uh, they're very simple in the way that they they do things and the way that they, you know, they merchandise, and obviously, you know, using private label brands and a lot of things there. Um and so they're I feel like they're getting some some momentum to be a very prominent grocer in in America. I think they're number three now behind Kroger. Walmart's one, Kroger is two, and they're number three. And so they plan to open another uh open 225 stores here in the US in this year, uh in 2025. That's gonna bring their store count to 2600 stores, so you know, a little bit more than half of what Walmart has comparatively. Um and so and their traffic has rose significantly. They're they're uh in the first half of this year, their customer traffic rose to 7% when previously it was 1.8% growth. So they've they've they've had like 7% growth in traffic um as well in the first half of this year. So it's very, very significant. I think, you know, um they and they also they partner with Instacart, right? So they didn't so what I appreciate is it feels like every retailer that has some sort of data goes out and starts a retail media network uh and RMN. They didn't. They're working with Instacart, right? And yeah, so and it's and Instacart obviously is a is very you know is uh very capable in the retail media space and also very capable um in in delivery, you know, similar to obviously in in competing with Walmart. So they can away they're start, you know, they have that capability. Um you know, they've their products are low cost, they private brands, you know, and I think about whatever people think about the economy, but you know, potential economic, you know, changes and you know how people are probably thinking more about value now than than before or in uh times past. You know, having having a store that kind of focuses on value overall and having those private brands where they can charge a lot less than the big brands um really feels like it's a good timing for them. So, you know, I'd love to know like what what your thoughts on your experiences with with Aldi and you know, do you feel like you know they are on a good track to to continue to grow in in our country?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for sure. I think my first just looking at this question, this this topical conversation, I initially go towards, I feel like Aldi has kind of like a social cult following um, really similar to Trader Joe's as well, which they're they're founded by brother. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Um and that's how I first maybe not first came across them, but first became more knowledgeable about Aldi, was via influencers. And I mean, they've got similar to Trader Joe's, they have their Aldi staples. And like you said, they're all private label. Um, I mean, I I won't lie, whenever I was going into an Aldi based on an influencer post that I saw, I was a little bit underwhelmed. But I do think, I mean, that was years ago. Um, but I think that if they could continue to tap into that social influencer space and continue to build that cult following, I mean, I think that's that will help them tremendously or continue to help them because I think it's already happening. Um, and I mean, you still definitely get the same vibes between Aldi and Trader Joe's from your in-store experience. I mean, like you said, they don't have like a huge e-commerce play for either of them. I mean, Trader Joe's is a lot smaller. Um, but yeah, that's where that's where my mind immediately goes.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I mean, who do you think who do you think is really the target Aldi shopper? Like, you know, like I mean, obviously value can reach all economics and demographics, but who do you think like Aldi is trying to appeal to?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, I and my gut says larger families. Um, so I mean, just the influencers that I follow, yes, yes, that are cost conscious, or they've got six kids that they're trying to feed dinner every night, and so they want you know, they want to get the value um from what they're getting as well as the quality. And I think that that's where all these winning is you've got value and quality too.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah, I mean, there is a lot of push by stores to create these store brands, right? You know, you think about Costco and Kirkland and you know, the value of that that brand specifically at Costco. And I think it's interesting to see how these brands are continue to be trip drivers or have the opportunity to be trip drivers, right? You know, a lot of people, you know, are are Costco members because of Kirkland, right? And um, you know, you know, you have members mark on the Sam's Club side, right? And in Walmart and Grocery, there's Great Value and a lot of other other store brands. And so like as you know, Aldi continues to you know try to win, you know, with those with those families and value shoppers, like can they still establish a strong, a strong brand presence, you know?
SPEAKER_00:I think so, but I I do think that that's probably where like with the private labels themselves, I think that that's probably where Trader Joe's or even Walmart with Better Goods might be doing it it a little bit better, it'll feel way more better. I mean, look at Better Goods, their branding. I mean, it's beautiful. Yeah. Um, I mean, and it's it's winning me over. I mean, in my previous role, whenever I was marketing ice cream, I mean, and just talking with the merchant, I mean, yeah, Better Goods is taking over the shelves and it's because it's performing. It's not just because it's what Walmart wants, because it's performing. Yeah. And I think that's where Aldi might be slightly different, is that yes, they're winning with their private labels or their private brands, but the marketing or the even just the branding behind those private brands isn't as I don't want to say elevated, but maybe elevated for lack of a better word, compared to Trader Joe's and um Bettercuts.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think I think that's you hit on a really important point for me, which is like not only build a brand, but you have to have a great product, right? I think so so much in our world of marketing, we're thinking about the brand.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And we're so like, how do we how do we build up build a brand? How do we you know build a brand at retail? But in the reality is if the product doesn't live up to the expectations, then that brand doesn't mean anything, right? So it's got to be a good partnership between a good product and a good brand. And I think again, going back to the Costco and Kirkland example, like that's you know, it's been good products going along with the brand, and those continue to to you get the I'll use the word synergy, right? Between those two that really allow that that brand to explode. And if it's a core of your offering, then there you go, you have the opportunity to to win, win at retail, right?
SPEAKER_00:So exactly.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, cool. You know, you're just winning the hearts and the minds of of your customers. So you're gonna continue to win, right? See, it's easy, right? No problem. All right, let's move on to our next main topic. Um today we're gonna talk about hype marketing. So it feels like high marketing is hype marketing always has its moments for sure. Like you know, building up all of this excitement, building up all this energy in a lot of different ways in order to, you know, get people excited. I almost think of hype marketing almost like FOMO marketing, right? Because you've built something up so much in people's minds that they have to have it and they just have that fear of of of missing out. Um and you know, I I will admit I fall for hype all the time.
SPEAKER_00:You'll have the surprise boxes, BB.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I don't go and so for me, hype comes from the standpoint of if I see something and more of a collaboration. Yeah, I I I like hype more, my hype is more of a collaboration. So when I see an interesting collaboration, I think a mystery box is more of like a lottery, you scratch the lottery ticket, you just don't know. So there's that level of excitement, right? Yeah. Um but I think you know it when it comes to hype marketing, you know, like I said, there's a few different angles of hype that can be built, right? So it could be a limited edition product, only available for a limited time. There is you don't know what you're gonna get in the box. I don't know, I don't know if that necessarily works well for CPG, um, unless it's like, you know, uh, but you know, there's that. And then there's the collaboration, right? And so we're there's some sort of partnership. Um, you know, um, I think Oreo had Supreme, Supreme Oreos, and those sold out instantly.
SPEAKER_00:Malone and Selena Gummet.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, yeah, and it just builds builds all that hype. But you know, to me, in some cases, hype marketing works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I roll my eyes, sometimes I get really excited. So, like in your mind, like what do you think really makes hype marketing work?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I mean, even bringing it back to that, the other topic, you've got to have a product that works and branding that works with it. So, I mean, at first, I mean, using the Oreo Postmalone as an example, at first, I was like, what? Why is Postmalone making his own Oreo? But then, I mean, the marketing behind it and then actually trying the product, which I love Oreos, but yeah, that's my kryptonite. Yes, same. And um, I mean, yeah, I loved it. I mean, and I think the campaign performed from what I hear. It it did it did really well.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_00:Um, so I think, yeah, you've got to have the right product and the right marketing behind it. Yeah. Or branding behind it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and you also see the clubs even at the in the QSR or fast food space quite a bit that actually drive a lot of hype. So a few years back, Travis Scott had the Travis Scott meal. Oh yeah. And he was offering, you know, offering that through McDonald's and uh SpongeBob and Wendy's, right? Yeah, Spongebob and Wendy's um in the sneaker and and sneaker community. And um, I would say like there was one with uh cactus plant flea market. Okay. And so all the high beasts around the in the sneaker community and and uh were all about buying up all these happy meals that had the toys in them. Have you ever have you ever bought like a happy meal or some sort of meal like just to get the toy?
SPEAKER_00:Oh yeah, for my girls for sure. I think the squishmallow ones were were a hit for the girls for sure. And yeah, they wanted all of those. Um, I think I've even had to go and ask, hey, can I just buy the squishmallow toy? And they let me.
SPEAKER_01:So So do you think hype marketing will always work? Or do you think I mean obviously you have to have the right pairing, but like do you think people just get, ah, not not another mystery box or yeah, it's been low.
SPEAKER_00:I I mean I think it's I I think it's also just trends and what people are jumping on with trends. I mean, even using like the surprise, like the that's Things that are boxed. I feel like it's more so in the toy space where you don't know what you're gonna get. Um, candy could probably play into that. And cereal does that. Yeah, actually, you know, dum dums even do like think back to the dum-dums, like the the purple question mark wrap bro. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's the original, right? Yeah. That's the original surprise. Um, but I mean, my kids love that. And now it's across almost every single toy. Like there's Barbie, there's those puppy dolls. I mean, there's there's everything. You don't know what toy you're gonna get, and it's gamification. You gotta try to get them all.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it is. I guess there is a certain level of gamification, you know, as well. Um to it, because you know, you're you're you know, I I think of it as like the Pokemon mentality, you gotta catch them all and kind of thing. Yeah. So I I I think, you know, to me, if you if you find a the right I also feel like like a the right cultural moment also is an opportunity. Um like Cranch, right? That was that was you know, catch up in Ranch and app became a thing. That was Taylor Swift, right? With Cranch?
SPEAKER_00:I don't think so. Was it?
SPEAKER_01:I think she did something with Cranch and then it took off and maybe maybe all right. We might edit that one out.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, but anyway, um, so I I I do think that you know, I I do think it has the timing has to be good.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:The partnership has to be right. You have to know your audience, right? Right. You know, because the other thing too is if you put something in a box or you collab with somebody and that user or or that customer is a big fan and they go and they buy it, are they gonna come back and buy your product when it's not a collab anymore, right? And it's not, you know, it's just a it's just the regular, regular product. So are you well by then there might be another trend that that yeah, I know so you're so that that brand switch over switch over tapiness too. I know I I do I do think like I do think as long as there is an opportunity to build excitement, right? And so and that's what marketing is, right? You're trying to build demand, right? You're trying to build a desire for a certain brand or product, right? As long as as long as that can work and it's done in the right way, the right product, right collab, I think hype marketing will continue to work. It'll continue to catch me for sure.
SPEAKER_00:For sure.
SPEAKER_01:But you know, and so I think I think I think hype marketing is really gonna stick.
SPEAKER_00:Stick around. Well, and I mean, yes, we've talked about collabs, but I feel like we only briefly touched on like the limited edition side of things. Yeah. And looping it back to do I like Taylor Swift's new album? Dude, she has crushed it when it comes to hype marketing. Oh, yeah, her limited edition albums. I was looking at an infographic the other day that shows Taylor Swift's album sales by album. And I think it was the Midnight's album where it there was an uptick and then another uptick for the 1989 Taylor Swift Taylor's Taylor's version. But the reason that the Midnights album had such a high point of sales was I think that was her first one where she had multiple vinyl editions. So you could collect all of them. And then with this, the Life of Showgirl, I don't even know how many she had, but I mean, I I think at least eight. I'm not don't quote me on that. But and they were all limited edition. You could only buy them for 24 hours. So they she released it on her website for 24 hours, and so then the graphic shot up for Life of a Showgirl because there were so many unique versions of her album. Um, I mean, and yeah, it got a little annoying with the marketing of it, but also she knows what she's doing, and people are still coming back for more.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, she's a machine for sure. Yeah, yeah, so cool. All right, we're gonna move on to our third and final main topic, and we're gonna have our holiday season predictions. So uh Claire has a couple predictions. I have a couple predictions that we are going to uh talk about today. So um, you know, some of these predictions may happen, some of them may not. That's why they're predictions. And I don't think anybody's holding me to these. All right. So I have a I will have a oh that's true. We will. Uh you will. So uh so this holiday season, this is you know my prediction. Prediction number one here is I do believe that agentic shopping will actually go mainstream, well more mainstream than I think we expect. I actually think that more people or more shoppers will buy through AI through live stream, which I know live streams have had a had a surge and then they've kind of quieted down. Now they've kind of normalized, like it is still obviously a way that uh brands and products can engage with shoppers. I I still, you know, I still think there has to be the right product fit. You know, I don't think every product is great for a live stream, um, but I do think that there, you know, there are definitely opportunities. So um, but that all being said, even though there is this normalization of the live stream shopping, there's obviously all this excitement about agentic shopping and using AI to shop. And now we have these very powerful tools that can do a lot of this research and they make us allow us to find gifts, right? We don't have to sit through a live stream and wait for the gifts to show up, you know, or to show up to buy them. We can just find them directly on on AI through AI, ChatGPT, etc. Um, so that's my prediction. My my prediction is that we're really gonna hit it hit a hit its stride. I think it's gonna drive a lot of adoption and more people will buy via agents and AI than they will through live streams, we thought.
SPEAKER_00:I totally agree. I even the other day, this was at holiday shopping, but the other day we're renovating our house or a portion of our house right now, and I needed to order some windows and doors. And I was trying to do just research on my own via Google, just shopping online. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna go, I'm just gonna go in-store to Home Depot, or I think Home Depot. I don't know which one. I went to Home Depot or Lowe's, and I was like, I'm gonna go back to the back of the back of the store, talk to a person, they can help me plan out the whole thing. I hate to say this, it was not helpful at all. He just asked me to pull up my item skew, and I was like, that's that's not what I want. So I left. Along with using chat, I also used Home Depot's AI chat feature on their website. It was amazing. Yeah, it f I finally found what I was looking for. I was looking for matching windows and doors and a single door and a double door, and I used it or I found it all via the Home Depot AI chat. So yes, I had a little bit of help from Chat GBT, but so I mean, yeah, I think it'll if I'm using it for home renovations, people are definitely gonna be using it for do you use ChatGBT to talk to the Home Depot app?
SPEAKER_01:They could work it out.
SPEAKER_00:No, and actually, I mean, truly, Home Depot's was a lot more helpful than ChatGPT.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it should be all right. It has that it has all of the data, right? So it should be able to be more uh more helpful. So cool. All right, uh, what's your bold prediction? Give me one.
SPEAKER_00:So I feel like this one has honestly been trending upwards over the last few years, but it's definitely trending in my household. Um, we are leaning more towards experiences and subscriptions over physical, I say toys just because I've got little kids in the house right now. Yeah. Um, but over physical items. I mean, even the other day I almost asked Chad for some new loafers, and I was like, no, I need to do need to get something that's more of an experience or more of a subscription. Yeah. Um, and so last year for Christmas, I asked Chad for some pottery lessons over time. So it was a subscription and an experience. Um and yeah, I think that's definitely at least my household is going.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think I think that's it, I think that's really interesting. I I do think, you know, kids like to get their, you know, the PlayStation Network, you know, subscription, you know, as a, you know, usually as a gift card and a lot of that stuff. But I think also like I subscribe to Calm.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:You know, I subscribe to Blinkist, some of these things that I personally pay for. It would be great if somebody, yes, to be gifted, you know, something like that.
SPEAKER_00:Were those storybooks? What are those uh the brand, the storybooks where you I I gifted it to my dad actually. Um, but you it's an email and the gift recipient gets an email. You can choose how often to get it, but I think I set it up for once a week or once every other week. And they get a question, the recipient fills out the question, and then um and then at the end of the subscription, it's all put into a book. So it's basically your family members' story put into a book and it's bound in everything. So there's a little bit of a physical element to it.
SPEAKER_01:So it's to to put a finer point on your prediction, uh, are you saying that uh more subscriptions and you know, let's say digital, you know, just and experiences, subscriptions and experiences are going to increase significantly this holiday season.
SPEAKER_00:For sure. And I feel like it's almost like it's the new gift card in a way.
SPEAKER_01:And we all love gift cards.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, everyone loves a gift card.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. All right. So let's move back to me with my next bold prediction. So I'm going to say that TikTok shops are going to be the new Black Friday. So there's going to be we were talking about impulse buying, right? I think TikTok shops are one of the uh best, biggest recipients of impulse buys, right? You're flop flipping through your feed and all of a sudden you caught you land on something that, all right, it's it's it's a it's an impulse buy. I think, you know, with TikTok being as popular as it is and becoming more of a shopping search and shopping destination, I still I think there's gonna be uh it's gonna be a huge season for for TikTok shops. I mean, what are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_00:For sure.
SPEAKER_01:I mean Do you die through TikTok shops?
SPEAKER_00:I have in the past. I actually removed the app recent. Yes, just getting out of the social commerce space, and then I just needed to take a break from shopping online. Yeah. Um in TikTok shop, I mean, yeah, they get you with the deals. I mean, they get you with the deals and it not even being Black Friday. So I I totally agree with you. I think they're gonna blow up on Black Friday. But then to your first prediction, I think that that's also gonna help with live streaming on TikTok too. Because I know that that's that's where a lot of the TikTok shops get in their live streaming. So absolutely. Well they'll they'll still win there.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, cool. All right. Well, let's go back to you for your second and final bold prediction for this holiday season.
SPEAKER_00:So this might be a little more on the personal side, but I do feel from my algorithm that I'm served on TikTok, even though I just deleted the app, um, Instagram reels, or even this makes me sound so old, but Facebook reels. I feel like Facebook reels that they actually know me better than Instagram or um or TikTok. But one thing that I'm seeing is re-gifting. So going to That's usually a faux pot. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, true. I'll be honest, we actually do have a tote in our attic that is re-gifting. But no, not that type of re-gifting. I should say secondhand. So I've seen quite a few influencers going to Goodwill, finding something, and and they're not just re-gifting an old t-shirt that they find on the rack. They're finding something and making it into something new. So Chad and I actually did this a few years ago, where we went to Goodwill or I went to Potter's house locally, and I bought a bunch of teacups, old bowls, whatever I could find that honestly I just thought was pretty. Um, and we made candles. So we melted down the wax, put in our essential oils, and made candles. And those were our gifts to quite a few family members. And so I feel like, yeah, I think that that's gonna come.
SPEAKER_01:Is going to definitely be a big trend this this holiday season.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, whether it's making candles or secondhand like refurbishing furniture for someone. Um, definitely.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, love that. I love that. That's I mean, I would have never thought about that. Yeah. So it's that's cool, cool. All right. All right, well, those are our holiday predictions. So we are going to wrap things here with some bold vibes. So we're gonna play our little or play our game. Um, so it's it's going to be I'm gonna throw out a a statement to Claire and Claire has to give me what she thinks immediately. Like, what is your gut reaction? What is your gut vibe on my statement? Okay, okay. All right, so pretty, pretty easy. All right, here we go. Agentic shopping will outsell live commerce by 2026. So in total.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe not outsell, but I think it'll definitely be on par.
SPEAKER_01:All right, cool. What is one item you would most definitely impulse add to your Amazon order?
SPEAKER_00:Um, I said it at the beginning of this uh show, a sweatsuit.
SPEAKER_01:Sweatsuit. Yeah, all right.
SPEAKER_00:Sweatsuit.
SPEAKER_01:Leboo Boo will make a resurgence during the holiday. They're kind of down right now. So what do you think?
SPEAKER_00:Definitely. Yeah, I think stocking stuffers?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, okay. Aldi will jump Kroger to become the number two grocer in the US by 2027.
SPEAKER_00:No.
SPEAKER_01:No. Okay. Work slop is no big deal and really not a problem.
SPEAKER_00:Yes and no. It's not a pro it is a problem, but I think it'll get better, like I said.
SPEAKER_01:And what will your kids want for Christmas?
SPEAKER_00:Um, but to your point earlier, my oldest daughter, she wants to catch them all. She wants anything and everything Pokemon. And younger sister, she's just along for the rush.
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. Well, those are great answers, Claire. Uh, thanks for thanks for playing bold, bold vibes. So uh let's move on to wrap things up. So uh that's gonna wrap us up for Retail Media Vibes episode number five. A big thanks to my guest, Claire, for bringing all of her love and energy today to the podcast. Um, Claire, would you come back?
SPEAKER_00:Definitely.
SPEAKER_01:All right, yeah, you gotta listen to the episode though before you come back.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um anything you wanna shout out, anything you want to plug before he wraps it up.
SPEAKER_00:I want to say thank you for having me. I mean, you mentioned this to everyone at the beginning of this, but yeah, it's really cool to see to see this come to life. I know that this has been a dream of yours for a while. So thank you for having me and letting me be a part of it.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, it's exciting. It was great to have you on. So um, all right. Well, to wrap it up, if you uh if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe. You know, if you're on YouTube, hit the little bell for notifications. The this podcast is a bi-weekly podcast. So just so you know, so a new episode launches every other week, and that's on Saturday afternoons. Um, so you'll you'll see it pop up in in your feed if you subscribe. So please, please like, please subscribe. Um, it definitely helps people learn about the podcast. So I really would appreciate it. And uh, if you have any questions for me, you can send that to retailmedia vibes at gmail.com. And so thanks again so much for listening and being with us today. And I definitely promise I will do better next time. All right, B V out.