Retail Media Vibes

Ep. 10 - Agentic Shopping Takes Over

• Brandon Viveiros

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The year retail media stopped living on the product page and started shaping the whole journey came with growing pains, and big wins. We dig into what really changed in 2025: retail media going full-funnel with connected TV, social integrations, and creator programs, while brand and commerce teams finally learned to plan together. CTV’s role gets a sober look, yes, it’s premium and powerful, but it sits higher in the funnel for retailers and needs smarter targeting and frequency. The conversation then shifts to agentic shopping, where AI agents help with discovery and routine reorders but haven’t fully earned the right to “press buy” for most shoppers. We unpack the signals these systems read, from product data to price and availability, and how to prepare content and assortments for a world beyond classic SEO.

Commerce media also takes center stage as industries like travel and fintech monetize their first-party data. That expansion creates more options and more complexity, so we share a practical approach: anchor to the shopper, choose fewer but better-fitting networks, and orchestrate messages across touch points. In-store media returns as a meaningful lever when paired with aligned digital creative and measured with lift, traffic, and market tests rather than one-to-one attribution. And because no strategy survives bad metrics, we tackle measurement head-on: ROAS as a useful indicator, incrementality as the proof brands want, and the need for clearer standards on item sets and attribution windows.

We wrap with our retail media word of the year, agentic, and a round of bold 2026 predictions on creative vs targeting, AI’s share of ad production, and where standardization might finally land. 

If you enjoyed this deep dive into the trends shaping retail and commerce media, subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show.

SPEAKER_00:

What's up, party people? BV here, and welcome to a new episode of Retail Media Vibes, a doing business in Bentonville podcast. And we are recording live at Podcast Video Studios in Rogers, Arkansas. Today, my guest is Lindsay Hamm, and we'll get to meet her in just a minute. But our topics today is a little bit of a special one. We're going to do a little recap on 2025, and we're going to talk about the best retail media stories for 2025. And Lindsay and I are going to identify what was the most important word or the best word in retail media from the past year. And then we'll like to wrap it up with something fun. So we're going to do our bold vibes, where I'm going to throw out a statement to Lindsay, and she's going to give me her gut reaction about predictions for 2026. So stick around for that as well. So with all of that out of the way, let's meet Lindsay.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I'm excited to be here. I've heard so much about this podcast. So I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_00:

It is the fastest growing podcast. I'm doing business in Bettonville.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what I hear.

SPEAKER_00:

So Lindsay, great to have you on. Appreciate you being here today. But let's tell everyone a little bit about you and what how you found yourself here in this podcast.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, I lived in Northwest Arkansas for about 10 years, working in different agency environments. I worked on the retailer side at Sam's Club for a little while. So I've been around. I'm up in Cincinnati now, but still living in that retail media commerce world. And so found myself here because I happen to know BV. What? How do you know? How do I know you?

SPEAKER_00:

How do you know BV?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh well, I always make the joke that BV almost failed to hire me. Um made the right best decision, maybe of his career. No, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_00:

Um by bringing But I had the opportunity to hire you twice.

SPEAKER_02:

Twice you had a chance to hire me. You made the right choice and hired me at least one of those two times. Um We're not gonna get into that. No, but uh I've known UBV for quite some time now and love the work that you do in the area. Obviously, Northwest Arkansas needs this type of podcast and this type of work to be done. So um was really excited. No, was really excited about the chance to come and just talk to you a little bit and learn from your big brain about Commerce Media.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I want to hear from your big brain. Learn from each other. My brain is getting a little old. So I want in front, fresh new, young brain. All right. So just a couple little icebreaker questions. You know, so what is the last impulse buy that you bought because of an ad or an influencer?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I have to cheat a little bit because I'm actually gonna say, I'm gonna tell you what my husband was influenced to buy by me being influenced by TikTok. TikTok influences my whole life. Um, and I uh saw the Ninja Creamy, which is a lovely ice cream making machine. Oh, nice. It can make protein shakes, it can make, you can like to put bananas in there and make shakes. And so I immediately was influenced, but I wasn't gonna buy it myself. So I went and influenced my husband to buy it for me for Christmas.

SPEAKER_00:

So that dropped a little hint, right?

SPEAKER_02:

That was it. The hint was sending him the video multiple times.

SPEAKER_00:

So have you already received the gift or are you going to receive the gift in the future?

SPEAKER_02:

You know, he's very bad at keeping a secret, but he did keep this one. He actually gave it to me right before we left to come down to Northwest, Arkansas. So I got to make one round of um lemon, lemon chill ice cream and then had to get out of there.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it sounds great though, lemon chill.

SPEAKER_02:

Delicious. Delicious. All right.

SPEAKER_00:

So if you were not doing what you're doing now, what would be your alternate universe career?

SPEAKER_02:

You, you know, anybody that knows me knows that my true passion outside of media is making pottery. So I've built my own little pottery studio during the pandemic, started selling it at local markets. And so if I if I wasn't doing this, I would be running my pottery empire for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

We'd be doing pottery, pottery pool time.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, 100%. I'd be cornering the market on local handmade pottery.

SPEAKER_00:

So truth be told, I've I've been to her stand uh here in Northwest Arkansas.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, Rogers downtown.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, Rogers downtown with the Mecca of startups. Rogers Rocks. That's true. Rogers Rocks. Are you doing that also in Cincinnati? Are you selling in Cincinnati as well? You found some.

SPEAKER_02:

I am. Yeah. I just started. So I had to set up my kiln. I had to get it fixed and do some work on my studio, but I'm all set up and Bad Pottery Company is running yet again. So we are supporting local markets and independence right now. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Great. Yeah, I know. Yeah, I know about you and your pottery. I have some Lindsay ham pottery.

SPEAKER_02:

Lindsey Mam originals right there. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

They are amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

They'll be worth almost almost something.

SPEAKER_00:

Almost what I paid for them.

SPEAKER_02:

Almost what you paid for them someday.

SPEAKER_00:

Awesome. All right. Well, welcome to the show once again. I'm so happy to have you here. And um, we're gonna go ahead and get into our main stories today. Do it. Um, how are you feeling?

SPEAKER_02:

I feel so good. I've been I've been excited about this. So it's chat.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So we're what we're gonna do today is something a little bit different. We're going to discuss the best stories that, in our opinion, anyway, she she and I have collaborated a little bit on this. The best retail media stories from this past year, right? So this has been the year of retail media, I would say. And I mean, hence why we have a podcast called Retail Media Vibes. But, you know, story number one is all about retail media going full funnel, right? And you know, one of the things that I've observed uh through retail media, and it's it started last year, so it's not like it all happened this year, is like what is now classified as as retail media has continued to explode. Yeah, right. Grow. It it's growing. And so, you know, and how those how those dollars are flowing from brand to retailer, what tactics now fall into retail media. It's like anything, you know, anything that's tied to a retailer feels like right is is is retail media. And it's just such an interesting time, right? Because everybody talked used to talk about brand dollars and brand media, and now you know, retail media, now we've got connected TV. We're even creators, you know, influencers and creators are somewhat in that in that retail media ecosystem.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh offsite media, you know, and some of the it's all coming together. So, you know, why do you think like this full funnel retail media is really happening in 2025? And we saw a lot of acceleration there.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, I think I think first and foremost, we are starting to see better integration between brand teams and commerce teams, both in-house and on the agency side. I think that's been a space that's been a little bit of an unknown for some time. Um, I think part of its technology, the capabilities being offered by retail media networks is vastly superior than it was even just a couple of years ago. We've seen just massive growth there. But I think the other piece is we're able to tell a stronger story, and that's due to measurement. So I think the improvement of measurement within the retail media networks, I know that there's still some measurement methodology and things that are being around.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we're gonna talk definitely about that.

SPEAKER_02:

We'll talk more about that later.

SPEAKER_00:

You got a couple of times, a couple of opportunities. A little time of that once.

SPEAKER_02:

But I think we're telling a stronger story from a retail media network perspective. And I think the value is there. And I think brand teams are understanding the value that a retail media network can bring to their holistic solution. And so it's measurement and its capability set kind of converging to create this really unique synergy.

SPEAKER_00:

So do you think that brands are really starting to understand retail? Because, you know, when I was in the mix, there was this contention of, you know, brand doesn't really get retail. Yeah. And there's obviously some nuances in retail specifically, and then obviously the application of retail media, and you know, brands didn't really understand that. So when you would talk to them, you know, it's almost like it you were talking a different language.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And I think a lot of those objectives were misaligned, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. And I think their education is still happening and still needs to happen. I I mean, I think there's still a gap that's being closed in terms of understanding and speaking the same language. You're right, in that the KPIs that are used by you know a brand focused sort of upper funnel team are not the same as a commerce team, as a you know, below the line team. And I think that's part of the challenge is we aren't always speaking the same language, but we are seeing that convergence with the launch of CTV, with the launch of more social capabilities in-house within the networks. I think we're starting to speak the same language a little bit better than we used to. And in doing that, we're able to build stronger strategic plans together.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Well, one tactic in the funnel that I saw a lot of growth in, a lot of conversation about was connected TV. And I think, you know, when you look at connected TV as a brand versus a connected TV as a retailer, you know, the objectives are somewhat different, especially the way that those are applied, right? So, you know, if you're a brand, you know, it's about awareness, it's about brand building, you know, you're trying to, you know, gain that awareness, you know, probably high frequency, a lot of the, you know, and then when you get to retail, it's like, okay, targeting the shop or a little more strategic, right? So, you know, how do you see you know CTV evolving? Because CTV is still a very expensive medium, no matter if you're doing it at the brand level or retail.

SPEAKER_02:

And you are gonna pay a premium at the you know, within the retail media network, you're paying a premium to reach a more specific, tailored audience within that that shopper pool. So it does need to be used strategically to your point. I mean, I think, you know, from a brand perspective, CTV has been this broader awareness tactic. It's been a way to get your brand out there. It still is. I think even within the retail media networks, you still have to consider CTV to be more of a higher funnel awareness driver.

SPEAKER_00:

But it is like the funnel within the funnel.

SPEAKER_02:

The funnel within the funnel, exactly. And I think that CTV is just gonna fill this very unique space. And I don't think most sort of shopper teams are gonna want to have day-to-day ownership of it because it's not gonna drive conversion at the scale of like on-site or search. But at the same time, it's a necessary component that just helps you nudge shoppers down funnels. So it's finding the right place for this kind of commerce-driven CTV as opposed to like that broader brand awareness.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, I'm gonna put you on the spot.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. So, like I said, there's been a lot of growth in this funnel, retail media funnel this year. What is an up what is a a tactic that may have not seen a lot of growth in this this year in that funnel that you may see in the up in in 2026? Do you think? What if you had to place a bet, yeah, you know, where where would the where would the dollars start to grow?

SPEAKER_02:

You know, I I think social still has a lot of opportunity.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

I think what we're seeing is integration of paid media from a um a retail media specific lens. Obviously, Meta is now a component of WMC's capability with their reporting. Um, I think we've had a lot of conversations about social and its space within the retail media networks. I think where it continues to evolve is how that content is generated. And I think we'll talk more about some of those topics later as well. But I do see a space in which we start to evaluate content curation and creation as well as the paid media dynamics within our retail media network. I think we have content creator platforms and creator studios that currently sit with retailers, but I think there's continued evolution that's going to happen there as we get into AI.

SPEAKER_00:

Content creation story for sure. That's right. All right, cool. All right, let's move on to the next story. All right. So the next big story from 2025 is agentic shopping.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

And that has now become part of this retail media uh conversation, right? So there's the word of the hour. Agentic, right? Agentic, everything is AI. Um, you know, I I have a saying, we'll know AI has made it when we stop talking about AI. That's it. And everything just works the way we want it to work, right? But you know, it a agentic shopping is kind of the new darling in a way. Like a lot of people are freaked out, yeah, like because they don't really understand it. Yeah. Right. And so it's but it's it's now really a big part of conversation. I just sat on a panel a couple of weeks ago where we were just talking about AI and retail and all the impacts. And you know, there were a lot of brands and suppliers that were there that were, you know, really wanting to you know understand how to win, how to win in this space. So, you know, when you now have this situation where the human isn't really making the decision, right? If you do if you do pure play agentic shopping, right? Yeah. You've now taken the human somewhat out of the loop, not fully, but out of the loop, right? And and you have, you know, this AI that is either either helping you discover, which I think is one obviously use case, and then helping you buy, which is an another use case. And then you you bring over the both of those together. Um let's let's break those two down, I think, probably in like what role in retail media do you think AI and agentic shopping has in the discovery side of the process?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, and I think that's kind of the question of the hour, is what you're tapping into, which is I think right now AI, agentic AI especially, is something that is influencing purchase decision, but there's a lot of trepidation around actually handing over the reins to allow agentic to buy on your behalf. I think actual the actual final click, which is the purchase, is some people are a little bit hesitant to provide access to. And so we do have a lot of opportunity within the discovery space. Obviously, we've seen um sort of agentic chat bots emerging from like Amazon and Walmart and Rufus and Sparky, and those are being fed by different components of the site. I think the discoverability is interesting because you have so many inputs advising and informing uh AI. I mean, you have retailers.

SPEAKER_00:

And I think not everybody understands those signals.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Right? What is, you know, what are the signals that the AI is cueing in on in order to ensure my product is recommended, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Everybody spent so much time and effort optimizing for SEO, right? Search engine optimization and to get ranked, you know, or or buy or pay to play with with listing ad product listing ads. And so now it's like I don't know what you know, most people don't know what those signals are. And there's obviously, you know, there's you're site being cited, yeah, you know, being recommended and making sure your attributes are so there, there are some tactical things that you can do. Right. We're not gonna get into all that today. Yeah. But you know, I I just I think there is this trepidation of people not really understanding what it takes. And there's no playbook. This is that's the other thing too. Like it's emerging with SEO, right? There's kind of a playbook. Absolutely. With, you know, you know, and we'll talk about GEO later and AEO, but there is no real playbook, right? We're still kind of beholden to these platforms, whether it be OpenAI or Google, to provide some sort of result. Right. And and that's the thing too with an agent with AI. You've used AI, use AI all the time, right? It always gives you an answer. I have never had an AI come back and say, I'm sorry, sorry, BB, I got nothing for you, right? It's always gonna come back with an answer. So wherever we're getting the right answer that we need to always cracks me up about this whole hallucination word, right? Yeah, it hallucinates. Like if I mess up, I get it wrong. I'm not a who I don't hallucinate, right? Right. Or they if I said I was hallucinating, they'd think I was you know on something.

SPEAKER_02:

There's a like they you have to like train and retrain your AI. Sometimes it just can't ever quite get there, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I think that kind of speaks to the fact that there's still inputs are still necessary at this stage in the game. There may come a point when AI is so advanced that we no longer need the maestro behind the scenes to conduct the orchestra. But right now we still do need that sort of input. And where is it getting those inputs to your point? I think, you know, it's getting it from outside sources, it's getting it from on-site, from PDPs, it's getting it from price, distribution, things that we don't always even consider in the marketing realm. And there's so many pieces that it is overwhelming. It does become a lot for people to understand.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I I also think there is a time and a place to use AI for your shopping needs. You know, and I think it's almost like in my head, I've got like this matrix built, building in my head of when you use AI for shopping and when you don't use AI for shopping, or how, or quite frankly, how consumers will use AI for shopping, right? Right. If you're trying to plan something and you know, you've got it's very complex, I think AI is a great place to go. If I'm looking just to, you know, refill on toilet paper, do I really need to go to AI to do that? And then if I use an agent to do that for me, well, that's just glorified subscription. Right. You know what I mean? Like so, like I think there's still this continuum that needs to be you know worked through of when what are the right moments that a shopper will use AI and then when they won't, right? Because I also saw um I read something, I wish I could cite it specifically, but I did see that there was, I think it was an ad week article, honestly, that um some people were saying that AI discovery is going to take away from TikTok discovery, right? So TikTok has been such a big place for discovery, yeah, right. Absolutely. But in my mind, I'm not so sure. And the reason why is because I think like there's two types of discovery, right? There's active discovery and then there's passive discovery. And like most people are lazy. I mean, I and I'll say I'm not trying to, you know, trying to be cruel here, but like people want to we work less, not work more. Right when I say that. That's what I mean. And so like flipping through TikTok and learning about something is a totally different part of active uh leaning into the platform than when you are, well, now okay, how do I point form this prompt? What is all the information I need to give it? You know, and all it's it's still a lot of friction. That's why I don't believe that the final modality of AI for shopping has been discovered yet. And there's a lot of work to be done there.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and I mean I think it is to your point, you know, we are being influenced where we don't know it. And I think that's what people don't always get behind.

SPEAKER_00:

That's our whole career.

SPEAKER_02:

That's our whole career. And I think, you know, TikTok is a source of that. But you mentioned you tapped into this earlier, and I think it's an extra interesting point, which is, you know, it does become if it's just, you know, repurchase of existing items and cart, that does just become, you know, uh like a almost like a recurring purchase online. But it's also the hello hanging fruit. I think it's what's going to drive adoption of AI to actually make that conversion. So what we were talking about earlier, when will they actually allow agentic to press the button, press the, you know, purchase now button? And I think the low-hanging fruit is in those spaces where they feel comfortable saying, yeah, I buy, you know, I buy, I buy eggs every week. I buy the same butter every week. Those are the spaces that they're first going to feel comfortable allowing agentic to take the lead.

SPEAKER_01:

Got it.

SPEAKER_02:

And then from there, I think then you move into a space where it becomes so natural for a gentic to take the lead, you start allowing it to take the lead to more of those discovery-based purchases as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, good news. This conversation that you and I have just had is the last conversation that will ever be.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm sure agentic topic.

SPEAKER_00:

No. So yeah, a lot more to be figured out, but it is obviously an exciting topic. And definitely see some opportunities. All right. Let's move on to our next topic. So there's a terminology, a term that um has come up on the on the map called commerce media, right? So retail media is kind of evolving into commerce media, right? And so, you know, what where I'd like to start with this is like, what is your definition of commerce media so we can kind of set the tone, set the stage for the differences between the two?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I well, I mean, I think commerce media is a more holistic. I think retail media has always been thought as like this very simple activation-based, like singular mode of um of uh providing tactical level activations, but commerce encompasses so much more. It's the data, the reporting, the multiple inputs that you that you have from a capabilities perspective. So it's a more holistic lens in my mind than retail media.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think what's what's interesting, you know, so retail media, while why retail media really got its start was because it had all of this shopper data, right? Um, whether there was a loyalty card or a credit card or a profile, you know, whether it was Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, whomever, right? They had all of this information about you as a shopper.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. And so then they were able to monetize that, right? And so they run advertising and using using that data. There are other, and so it was really focused on retailer, whether e-commerce, retailer, et cetera, right? And then you get to commerce media, and that it looks like there are other industries. Let's say, you know, fintech, for example, you know, like Cap Capital One or Travel with Delta or or United, right? So they say, well, you know what? That's a really smart idea. We have data too, we sell stuff, yeah. And you know, obviously the you know, commerce is the definition of selling stuff, selling and buying, right? We're going to take advantage of that data as well. And then kind of expanded this this network of media that is not just tied to the retailer. Now everything is, you know, I haven't everything is everything. I I say that quite a bit. Um, but everything is retail media. So I think it's the really like that expansion of what you know retail media started to all of these other in, you know, all these other industries that have this data that they can monetize it now. Now you get to this fractionalization world of like when do you want that?

SPEAKER_02:

So many levers to pull all at once.

SPEAKER_00:

So many, you know, so many levers to to to pull. So I mean, I think that is, you know, one of my key questions here. You know, does this just make it more complex when you're doing a plan for a brand at this point?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And I think this kind of speaks also to what you mentioned earlier about brand teams still trying to understand what retail media and commerce media truly is. And I think it lends itself to the complexity of the environment we're working with in. There are a lot of levers that you can pull. But the important component is to pull the right levers. And I think we get so lost in the sauce sometimes trying to understand all of the capabilities out there across all retail media networks and all of the data available. And it can become a lot. I think the key is to understand your shopper. And the shopper has always been core to this business and remains the number one tenant. What does your shopper value? Where are they at? And how can you meet them there? And I think if you're answering those questions, then you can very quickly start to hone in on the right levers for you to pull. So you don't need to be, I, you know, I've worked with teams where, you know, they're trying to work across 32, 33, 34 RMNs all in their first year of really diving into commerce media. And what you quickly learn is you have to scale back. You have to meet shoppers where they sit now predominantly. And so, you know, there's always the big players in the room that, you know, you need, you need to have a presence on, but you don't need to be pulling every lever at the same time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. I just think, you know, you know, commerce media is definitely an interesting, you know, interesting term. I I know the IAB, you know, spent some time you know, clear trying to define that for the for the industry. You know, I think, you know, there are going to continue to be expansions of what commer commerce media means and how brands will play in commerce media. And, you know, we talked about the funnel within the funnel. Like, I mean, I think I think we may be on to something there.

SPEAKER_02:

We should we should coin that term trademark it here.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, funnel. Funnel within the funnel. You know, because I know people like to say, well, the funnel has collapsed. And uh, I get it. Like everywhere you can transact, everywhere you can buy now, right? There, like, you know, thanks to you know, mobile phones and computers, you know, we can do anything at any time, right? Um, and so I think, you know, we're going to continue to to see more opportunities and things are gonna continue to be fractionalized. And I think there are gonna be some special sp uh speciality in certain areas that are gonna continue to grow. And then I think also there's gonna probably some that are gonna go away.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Eventually.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. I I think that the evolution of this space is so rapid that it's it's almost hard to keep up. But at the same time, there's a directional trend, which is we have to be able to simplify uh the complex problems and translate them into meaningful action. And I think that's something we're we're seeing now.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, I'm gonna the next story, we're gonna move on to the next story. And so this was one that I think started off pretty strong early in the earlier in the year and then it's kind of faded. And I think there may be some opportunity for it to come back, which is talking about in-store retail media, right? And I think that's when you look at the definition of in-store retail media, I think most people go to screens in-store, right? Right.

SPEAKER_02:

That is, you know, it's like that's where your brain goes.

SPEAKER_00:

It is, it is, and so I think you know, it it's tough because that environment is very difficult to measure, right? And so whenever you associate the word retail media with any tactic, the expectation around measurement increases significantly, right? And I and I and I do think that there are some opportunities to improve measurement and re in in-store retail media. But this was one that everyone, you know, I know definitely early in the year people were talking a bit about until AI came around and kind of pushed it aside a little bit. But I think I think there's a a lot of lot of opportunity from your stance, you know, where do you see in-store retail media? Is it do you think it, you know, do you think there is an opportunity for it in 2026? Do you what what where where do you see it playing in in your in your plans?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, I mean, we've come full circle, haven't we? I like when I started my shopper marketing career, you know, 10 plus years ago, I was going in-store and auditing in-store signage to understand, you know, what shoppers were seeing at shelf, uh, you know, in in in the different uh in-store environments. And so we've kind of come full circle. And then now we've got this digital media trend where in-store is suddenly kind of gonna be this re-emergence. And we have to say, how are we gonna leverage this um to reach shoppers? And what we know is for most the number one point of point of sale. You know, I mean, to this day, in-store cannot be understated. And so, you know, I think measurement is gonna continue to be key. Uh, I think there's a lot of trepidation around measurement for in-store media. It's not the same game as on-site. And I think that's a little scary, but it has its own use case, right? And I think that's where we get a little bit lost sometimes is we want everything to drive straight to conversion. We want it to be highly attributable. And while we know what we're doing in-store from a media perspective is highly attributable or highly attributed, it's not highly attributable, which means we can't always track it to the degree we would like to. We can look at, you know, store traffic and store footprint. We can look at uh sales lift, but we can't always say that specific piece of signage, that specific in-store radio, you know, spot that I put out was what drove it. It's a piece, it's a factor in the equation. Right. And so it does have a space. I mean, I think it's in an emerging space in some ways, ironically, because the measurement's gonna look different. And I think we have to get on board with that and understand how it plays alongside what we're doing from like an on-site, off-site perspective.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I mean, it's it should be complimentary and you know, is you know, all omni-channel. So in, you know, we you have an opportunity to influence a decision in store where 80% of sales still continue to happen.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

It's not at the all-time high of where store sales used to be, but it's definitely a very significant part of that. And so, you know, having these when I used to work at my foreign agency at Saatchi, we used to think about things in a zone type of scenario, right? And there are certain zones that a shopper will go through and you have that opportunity to influence that shopper in those specific zones. I think if the uh placement of that communication is at the right, right place and in the right way and served at the right time, it can influence. I think the challenge is measurement, right? And again, that's going back to the original point I made, which was as soon as we throw the word retail media in the in the in the phrase, you know, in-store retail media, right? The expectation is measurement is is going to be you know just as good as a sponsored placement on an e-commerce site. Not going to be the same, right? And so, you know, here we are talking about measurement again. Hopefully we'll get to that that that story here in a second. But it it is just really, really interesting that um there is this opportunity. I think there's been a lot of experimentation. There are very specific networks that have been you know partner with you know different stores in order to put signage, but there's also audio as well, right? So it's as an opportunity, you know. Um and so I've I've played in that space as as well as you have.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And and we see the convergence, right? I mean, I think you know Sams Club is a prime example launching the Scan and Go unit, you know, this past year, where Scan and Go is predominantly something that, you know, it's within the Sam's Club app now, but it's something that users uh shoppers use in store. And so there are different ways to reach shoppers in store that aren't just a single digital signage.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, there's not a camera watching you in every place you go in the store.

SPEAKER_02:

Not yet.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, well, there is. So so let's be clear. That does that technology does exist. Absolutely. Right. Yeah. The cameras are good enough in most stores, especially big, you know, big masses.

SPEAKER_02:

They can identify us.

SPEAKER_00:

They can identify us all. A little creepy, but probably a lot of AI in the background and identifying a lot of key, key data.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But obviously nobody's using that data for the these purposes at the at this stage in the game.

SPEAKER_02:

Not yet. But it's good. Technology exists. And I think we'll continue to see that evolution of in-store over time. I mean, I think the technology is moving in that direction. It's just, I I always I think that the the value of in-store is very different. And so I I think where we want to apply apply the same tenants and the same approach to in-store digital media as an on-site or an off-site, you know, unit, we have to understand the logic of it's just a different space in the user journey. And it's it's often often reaching it, uh, even if it's reaching the same shop or it's reaching them at a different point in their purchase cycle. And so, you know, understanding those tenants, I think we have to approach it in its own sort of sphere and separate it a little bit from what we're doing elsewhere.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It really interesting. I do think there, there's definitely a role for in-store retail media. Um, and I think there's, you know, some things that still need to get worked out before they it becomes uh it doesn't definitely definitely doesn't need to be in every plan, right? Right. But it, you know, in in the right plan, it could it could do wonders.

SPEAKER_02:

And what synergies can you gain from um, you know, applying and stacking it with other tactics? You know, if you uh uh assume they're seeing an on-site ad and then traveling in store for specific categories, that's very common. We see on-site uh ads having a lower attribution rate in specific categories because people prefer to purchase and store. Well, if you're running on-site ads, assuming they're going to go to the store, then meet them with uh in-store digital signage and and run an A-B test. See in markets where you've applied that signage versus not whether you saw an uptick and purchase that you know plays into incrementality and gives us lots of good information.

SPEAKER_00:

And the part that I think in that scenario that you just illustrated was that it is important for the messaging to be consistent. Right. You have to think through the entire shopper journey and ensure that you are consistent in your messaging throughout. Like if you do a one-off, you know, you know, let's just say you take a brand message and you put it on a screen in a store, but all your other retail media activities are very specific and tied to a certain cohort and a certain kind of, it's it's not gonna work, right? Because it's gonna be very disjointed and the shopper is gonna be confused by you know what they potentially saw online versus what they see in store.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And it's okay to pivot your message in a store, but it needs to tie into the same shopper insight and the same connectivity. There has to be a connectivity and a bridge between those two. Because you're right. If you have pivoting message left and right, then there's no cohesiveness for your brand. There's no story you're trying to tell, and you're gonna lose shoppers.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Yeah, there should be those same visual cues and semantically the same communication, but obviously applicable to that store or the in-store environment.

unknown:

Cool.

SPEAKER_00:

Awesome. All right. So moving on to story number five, which is our our last story, which is something we've already hinted on like 18 times in this conversation.

SPEAKER_02:

We're excited about this.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Well, I mean, you know, it's measurement, right? So retail media measurement finally is making progress that you know we're we're hoping to see. I think you and I have definitely touched on a lot of the challenges with measurement, but it continues to be the one of the things that is discussed the most um when it comes to you know uh acquiring budget for campaigns, you know, choosing tactics, you know, which which one, how can I measure that? How can I ensure I am getting uh the I-word? You know what the I-word is, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Incrementality.

SPEAKER_00:

Incrementality, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Everyone's saying forever.

SPEAKER_00:

Everybody loves a little good increment incrementality. Um, but and it's it's clear that that that definitely needs to happen. But I still think that there, as we just was just discussing about in-store retail media, we're not gonna be able to measure everything one-to-one. Right. And so, you know, like what are some of your thoughts on where where measurement could potentially go in in the future?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I I think that measurements, uh, it's still, I would say, I think it's fair to say disjointed in some ways. We know that there's still opportunity in that space, but there's always gonna be some complexity there and that you're dealing with you, you're trying to unify measurement across different retailers, different retailer environments, uh, different categories, different brands, uh, different priorities. And so you've got, you know, X number of factors, and you're trying to simplify it into a couple of KPIs. And it's it's never gonna be so simple as that. Um, I think there are opportunities for advancement in measurement. I think methodology is key because I don't think we have total alignment on attribution windows, on first touch, last touch, multi-touch, attribution. Yeah. We have retailers and retail media networks all over the place when it comes to those things. We're starting to see some alignment. You know, you mentioned incrementality a minute ago. Even where incrementality measurement is often an end-of-campaign measurement that doesn't give us, it's not something you can do real time. You have to still optimize on ROAS. And even so, you're not getting it in the cadence and consistency that you'd like to see across retail media networks. So I think there's a lot of work to be done just to hit sort of hit stride, essentially. We have to, we have to define as an as an industry what are those key metrics for success and how are how are we going to measure them? Not just what they are, but how we measure them. Um, and until we can do that, we're never really gonna hit our stride. I think we're gonna leave, you know, if I if I'm speaking directly to these retail media networks, until we uh unify on those measurement methodologies, we're gonna leave dollars on the table for from brands because they are trying to tell a story internally of growth and revenue. And if they can't provide that holistic story using your data, they're gonna have to lean into their own. Um, and so I I think that you know it's it's storytelling as much as anything that that is gonna um lend itself to that unification of measurement.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's interesting because I I feel like in retail media, the de facto measurement is ROAS. But I have been in a million conversations that everyone says, I hate ROAS.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Because ROAS doesn't tell me that it doesn't line up with my sales sheet.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And so how do you square those circles? Right. Like, how do you make those two things come together? Because I again I've been in conversations where I don't some people are okay with model data. Some conversations people are not okay with model data. Right. Like there's so many different facets to this this thing. And it's hard to get your arms around and tell a consistent message. So you dumb it down, call it dumb it down, to ROAS. Yeah. And then be everybody then the industry pop comes back and says, I hate ROAS. It has to be I ROAS now, right? Right. So, you know, what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02:

I think, well, and I think ROAS in and of itself, you know, it's an imperfect measurement. I think we all know that. And it's it's been a it's been the most unified measurement we've been able to achieve. And I think that's why it's always sort of like the bread and butter of every plan has to be ROAS. But even if you get into the the the weeds of that, you know, how you define an item set within ROAS, are you using a Halo set or a feature set? And is your feature set included in your Halo set? Another big question I often write into. There's there's complexities even there. And I would just say this ROAS is an indicator for success. It's not a driver, right? So if if your sales data internally as a brand doesn't align with what you're seeing in your numbers from like a ROAS perspective, understand what that misalignment is so you can make your data stronger. It's not that Roas needs to be your end-all, be-all. It should be an indicator of success. And so I think that um it's always gonna be a measurement on the table. I don't think it's the exclusive measurement and I think it's imperfect. But I think as um reporting and and data analysis and methodology get stronger, I think we're gonna see some of these metrics emerge as like our points of truth, and those are gonna be able to be utilized in a way they just aren't today.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I think you know, some of this comes down to like whoever is looking at the numbers, right? And what level of sophistication they have in the understanding of everything in in this space and really why you use ROAS. I like the idea of you know using it as an indicator, but not the end all be all. But yeah, I mean, you and I have been in briefings where the goal, the objective is three X, you know, three X ROAS every time. It's every time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, and and you know, you're doing everything obviously to try to achieve that, but you know, it's not always it's not always if you're just a number on a on a paper.

SPEAKER_02:

One the one thing that no brand ever wants to hear, but I think is the reality in many cases, it's you're gonna sacrifice on ROAS in order to achieve broader awareness. If you want to grow, if you if you have a new and emerging item or you need to uh steal share, that's expensive. And you're gonna sacrifice you're often gonna sacrifice on ROAS when you're trying to build brand equity in a commerce environment. And I just I think it's a tough pill to swallow. And it's part of why ROAS can't be our end all be all, right? Is sometimes we need to make sure a Walmart shop or a Target Shopper is even aware that this item is available at shelf, much less to buy it. And so I think we that you're just gonna make sacrifices at times on realise. And that's that's a very tough story to try to tell.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, to be fair, clients want it all.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I want a high role.

SPEAKER_02:

I want it all too.

SPEAKER_00:

And so, like, yes, I want everybody to know about my product. I want everybody to buy my product. Right. And then I want, you know, want it all. Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But like it's those that are sophisticated enough to understand like the trade-offs in within that. And so I think it's, you know, um on the strategist to try to do their best to inform clients and try to, you know, help them understand the the bigger picture so that they can in turn tell others, you know, the about the bigger picture as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And and there's complexities. I I know I keep mentioning storytelling, and it's kind of in my word of the year in many ways, because I think part of the challenge of ROAS and of trying to tell a story is it's not always the shop or marketing lead who it doesn't grasp or understand that complexity. It's often they're going in-house internally and they're trying to explain to their sales team or their brand counterparts why they've sacrificed on ROAS because they really just need to drive awareness that this is even available at shelf, or they need to still share. And that's a complex story for them to try to tell internally as well. And so where they may have this broad breadth of knowledge on how these different components of a plan work, they still have to tell the story internally. And I think it's our responsibility to help them tell that story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Awesome. Well, big year for retail media for sure. I think 2026 is going to be another big year for retail media. Um, obviously, these are you know just a handful of the big stories from from this year. Uh, appreciate you know your perspective on all of these. And um, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna move on now to our retail media word of the year. All right. All right, Lindsay. Well, we're gonna get to the point where we have to decide what is our retail media word of the year. So these are words that were used quite often, not as much as synergy.

SPEAKER_02:

Not as much as synergy, my favorite word.

SPEAKER_00:

Your favorite word, but but words that were used in this space that were very buzzworthy and notable. Yeah. Okay, in in in the world that you and I live in.

SPEAKER_02:

This is a lot of pressure. I'm nervous. Okay, this is good.

SPEAKER_00:

We have five candidates for the retail media word of the year. So we'll walk through each of the five and then you'll have to help decide what is that retail media word of the year.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, I'll do my best.

SPEAKER_00:

The audience is counting on him. All right.

SPEAKER_02:

Won't let him down. Not this time.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So the first word is actually a word that we hit on in our previous segment. Incrementality.

SPEAKER_01:

One of my favorites.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So that became the word that everybody decided to care about when it comes to measurement for retail media in 2025. Um, you know, how you how do you what do you think how are you feeling about that word, incrementality?

SPEAKER_02:

You know, it's a it's a good one. I it's one I've heard in many, many rooms this year, but I'm not sure it's my word of the year. I think it's an important component of the puzzle.

SPEAKER_00:

All right.

SPEAKER_02:

It's a part of measurement, but I don't know if it's the word of the year.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, all right. All right, word number two. Okay. It's and this is cheating because there's actually three, three actors, three actors.

SPEAKER_02:

Lies. I was lied to really listen, like the audience.

SPEAKER_00:

Sorry about that. So SEO, AEO, and GEO. So these three little friends here have been traveling around together for the last four, four or five months, right? And so, you know, traditional SEO is expanded into AEO, and now we've got our GEO. So um, so like these have had an impact on how we look at retail, how we look at shopping, how we look at discovery, as we've already talked about. So, how are you thinking about this, this, these words I cheated with?

SPEAKER_02:

I yes. I, you know, I think it's it's the future. I think maybe the word of the 2026, honestly, because I don't think we've figured out how the EOs, I'm gonna call them them, Brandon, and the EOs have uh worked together yet. I think we're trying to turn them all into SEO, but I'm not sure we've quite figured out or mastered how to differentiate just yet. So I think that's that may be the 2026 word, not to spoil the the December 2026.

SPEAKER_00:

But I'll have to have you back for the wrap up second. That's perfect 2028.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll I'll I'll pop in just for that segment. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm already I have you booked.

SPEAKER_02:

Perfect.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So all right, so that was word number two. Okay. Words number two. Word number three. Oh boy, agentic. Oh everything now is agentic.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Nobody works anymore. Everything uh it's all agents, right? We don't work anymore. Uh agents are doing all the all the shopping. I mean, yeah, I think we're we're uh we've got a good right now, right? So we how do you feel about that word, agentic?

SPEAKER_02:

You know, it's it's a strong contender. That might take the bag because agentic is uh the the word on everyone's lips right now and in everyone's minds. How do we how do we capitalize on this? So I'm gonna put that near the top of the list. Let's see what else you've got.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Next word number four, this is one you like.

SPEAKER_02:

Ooh, okay, I'm ready.

SPEAKER_00:

AI slot.

SPEAKER_02:

It's a favorite, it's a real favorite.

SPEAKER_00:

So, you know, that word slop, you know, is this generation of low quality content, we'll say assets in a lot of different ways. Yeah. It's just flooding into media in a lot of different ways. Everybody sees it on social.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, you know, there's work slop, right? Claire and I talked about work slop a little bit a few episodes ago. Um, you know, so AI Slop is, you know, it it's it's it's definitely one that's had an impact.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, what do you how are you feeling about AI Slop?

SPEAKER_02:

I think culturally, AI slot might be the it's the negative word of theater. It's harming, it's harming our ability to create great content from an AI perspective. But I do love that word. That might be that might be a contender as well. Okay, we'll keep it on the list. I'll decide at the end.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, all right. And so the last nominee for the award is omnichannel. And omnichannel is an interesting one because it's kind of a legacy word. And sometimes when you use it, it sounds dated, but then at the same time, it does include everything that happens within retail media.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

So I mean, it has a legacy, it's still relevant. People don't want to use it, but they still use it anyway. Yeah. So it has a very interesting position in in in in this last year. What are your thoughts on omnichannel?

SPEAKER_02:

I have to tell you, I have history with this word. I remember way back in the day, I put omni channel strategist on my resume. I thought I was really on to something with that.

SPEAKER_00:

That means multi-channel.

SPEAKER_02:

That's I mean, I was pretty proud of myself. No, I think it doesn't go away because we haven't found a better word for it. And there's something to that. There is something to it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So I much as we want to kick it to the curve, right? As much as we want to come back.

SPEAKER_02:

It keeps coming back around. It's too important to us. So another strong contender.

SPEAKER_00:

Like basin in a Friday to 13.

SPEAKER_02:

We can't we can't get rid of it. Yeah, it just keeps haunting us in the best possible way.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So to recap the words, incrementality. Number two is A uh SEO, AEO, and GEO, the little EO twins.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, true. You cheated on that one, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Agentic.

SPEAKER_02:

Agentic, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

AI slop.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that word. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And then the last one was omnichannel. That just that that word, that legacy word that just sticks around. So is it time to decide? No press no no pressure, but yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you have any drum roll? Can I get a little will the mic pick it up?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh yes, probably we'll pick it up and feel free to drum roll. Uh, but yeah, what do you what do you think?

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, I I think it's I think it's a non-starter. I think um there's one word that stands well and uh far above the others in terms of the year, the word of the year.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

It's the winner all around in all categories, BB, and that is agentic.

SPEAKER_00:

Agentic.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, well done.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, agentic. Yeah, I can that is definitely the word that everywhere it it you know it started the year. So I think the interesting thing about agentic. So, you know, I was at CES last year um at the beginning of 2025, and agentic and it you know was everything I heard. And you know, so many talks that I went to, they were talking about agents and agentic, and you know, and to be honest, I you know, I worked for an AI company that we are very agentic, like the the workflows and how we build creative uh is in an agentic way. And so, and just being applied using the word and using the technology, the agent, yeah, agents to do things on on your behalf is continuing to get better and better and better. And I think you know, there's gonna be a lot of advancements continuing into 2026. So I I I I agree with you on your word of the year.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, look at us.

SPEAKER_00:

Well done.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Well done.

SPEAKER_02:

It's the word of the hour, the minute, the hour, the second, the month, yeah. That is uh what everybody's thinking about.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Well, you definitely have to come back for next year's show.

SPEAKER_02:

I would love to.

SPEAKER_00:

We'll see what happens. All right, we'll see what happens. Okay. All right, here we go. This is the the wrap up of this show where we get into a little fun. Not that we haven't had fun throughout, but it's all fun. But so we're gonna we're gonna do something a little different. We're gonna do our bold vibes.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow.

SPEAKER_00:

And so this is where I throw out some bold statements about retail media, marketing, maybe a little pop culture for some things that might happen in 2026, and I'm gonna get your gut reaction. So no long answers, no.

SPEAKER_02:

That's hard for me, BB. Yeah, the short answers.

SPEAKER_00:

But I do want your your feelings.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Are you are you ready? So I have seven of these.

SPEAKER_02:

As ready as I'll ever be.

SPEAKER_00:

Seven of these.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, you ready?

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Number one creative, not targeting, will finally become the number one performance lever for retail media teams to focus on in 2026.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I hate to say this for all my creative friends, but no.

SPEAKER_00:

No.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't think so yet. I think it's it's it's coming. Their day is coming. Their day in the sun is coming, but not yet.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Here's a hot take. Amazon will attempt to acquire Instacart.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh stocks. Um I, you know, why buy what you can build, BV? I don't know. I I think they've tried, but I don't think they're gonna buy it.

SPEAKER_00:

I think they're gonna build it. All right. Oh, okay. Cracker Barrel. That's always always a good one you start with Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel will attempt another logo change in 2026.

SPEAKER_02:

It's gonna be a hard pass. Hard pass. Never do it. I don't think they're gonna start to sneak it in. I don't think they're gonna do that for the next 50 to 100 years. BB, that's that's stuck where it's where it sits for now.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Next one retail media measurement will actually become standardized 2026.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, I think I think it's gonna take a lot of steps in the right direction. I don't think it's gonna fully standardize, but it's gonna be a lot closer.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Next, agentic shopping will grow, but nowhere near as much as everyone is predicting.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I think it's gonna grow in different ways than people are predicting. I think we still have that barrier to actual purchase that agentic has to overcome. And I think that could slow things down on the purchase front, but I think it's gonna evolve in other ways that we can't yet predict.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. All right. The next one AI will generate at least 50% of all ads.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh yes. I think and maybe not next year, but I think I think we will get there eventually.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's what percentage you would you put on tonight.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I'm gonna go with a very specific number of 34%.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I I like 34% as okay. All right, last one. This is probably the most important one of all seven.

SPEAKER_02:

Ready.

SPEAKER_00:

Taylor Swift. Oh my Taylor Swift will televise her wedding and it will be bigger than the Super Bowl. So whether it's on a streaming service or whatever, but she will find a way to have her wedding out there for people to watch, and it will have more viewers than the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, if she televised her wedding, I think she absolutely would have more viewers to Super Bowl. But you know, I'm not as I'm not as big of a Swifty. I I appreciate her music, but I'm I haven't followed her the way some have. My Swifty friends, I think, would tell me that there's no way, there's no way she'd televise it. All right as much as we'd all enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, all right, awesome. Well, nice, nice job, Lindsay. You got got through the bold vibes.

SPEAKER_02:

That was the hardest part right there.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, of course it was. I mean, that's I always say the hardest part for thee.

SPEAKER_02:

That's it.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's time to wrap this episode up. All right, well, that's a wrap on this episode of Retail Media Vibes. I want to say thank you to our guest, Lindsay, who helped me recap 2025.

SPEAKER_02:

This is a good year. This is a great year, honestly.

SPEAKER_00:

It was just it was pretty good. Yeah, a lot, definitely a lot to talk about. That was definitely a blast, a lot of fun. I'm happy to have you on the show uh today. Is there anything that you or anyone that you want to shout out or anything you want to plug before we wrap this one up?

SPEAKER_02:

You know, there is one major shout out that I would like to make, and that is to retail media vibes. What? Because, and I said this to you earlier before the podcast, V V, but I'm gonna say it again. I think you're filling a very unique space in Northwest Arkansas. They need content like this. Um, there is so much movement in the Northwest Arkansas area around this exact topic. And there's a space that needs to be filled where educational content is coming out about where people are discussing the movements being made. And I think retail media vibes is achieving just that. So retail media vibes is the shout out of 2025.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I yeah, I I appreciate I appreciate that. You know, we do we do um really try to put on a good show here and have great guests like yourself on on and you know talk about the topics that are relevant to you know what everyone else is is talking about. There's so much going on in this space. But I also want to say a special thank you to you for joining this, joining me today because it was a last minute request. So we had a cancellation, unplanned cancellation, and you were happened to be available. And you live in Cincinnati, you don't live here anymore.

SPEAKER_02:

I drew 12 hours to get here just for this, no. But I would have.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, and I and I I I I appreciate that. And I think it's so nice to have people who you can count on, people who show up for each other. I think that's you know, that was one thing I learned, I think, this year. Um, is like who shows up for for you? Right. When when you you know need a hand or just some encouragement, you know, or if you're doing something like a podcast or you're doing an event, like who shows up for you? Who's there? You know, who brings their presence? And you know, it's super, super great that you were able to, you know, be here for that. But I think for me, that's one of the things that I learned in this this year is you know showing up for showing up for people. And yeah, it's it's a it's it's a simple sometimes it's just a simple thing that anybody can do for each other. So, you know, find someone that you can show, show up for. If somebody invites you to something, it doesn't have to be, you know, this podcast or talk that I'm doing or anything like that. But if there's somebody out there that's doing something, you know, support them and try to help them as much as as much as you can and just be there for them. I think they can go a long way and you know, build the community that we all want to build around, you know, whether it's you know in marketing and retail media or even even beyond that as well.

SPEAKER_02:

So there are people who are real connectors in this industry and they're the people that have the all the energy and all the movement is around the work that they do. And I think you're one of those connectors, Vivi. So keep doing the work you're doing.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a gift, just fine give. So uh all right. So if you have a question or feedback, you can hit me up at retailmedia vibes at gmail.com. And so I would just want to say, you know, thank you for tuning in. Thank you for listening. And as always, I promise to do better next time. Be the out of the day.