Serious and Sometimes Comic Musings on the Future of Retail
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What if you could instantly compare your entire grocery list across every store in your area and know exactly how much you’d save by switching? Matt Goynes, co-founder of Grocery Dealz, reveals how they’re making grocery price transparency a reality with AI-powered comparison technology that’s already disrupting Texas and expanding nationwide.
Former Walmart merchant executive Marybeth Hays reveals why the biggest shift in retail isn’t just about technology—it’s about finally ending the century-old battle between merchants and operators. Discover how shelf intelligence is turning backwards-looking data into forward-thinking insights that catch trends no human ever could.
Explore Walmart’s ChatGPT partnership, Ulta’s curated marketplace strategy, Waymo autonomous deliveries, and Wayfair’s luxury retail play. Plus, how AI is transforming merchandising with former Walmart EVP Marybeth Hays.
SPS Commerce experts Brandon Pierre and Tony DiPaolo reveal how retailers are placing smaller, more frequent orders this holiday season… with PO values down 25%… forcing an unprecedented reliance on in-season execution. The discussion covers five critical tactics retailers and suppliers can deploy before Black Friday, including supplier scorecarding, real-time data sharing, and OTIF performance monitoring to navigate demand uncertainty.
From prescription pickups in minutes to ordering groceries through ChatGPT, retail’s biggest players are racing to eliminate friction from everyday tasks. Tune in as Anne and Chris debate which innovations are well worth the investment and which are just expensive experiments.
“I thought people understood my vision—they didn’t.” Brett Striker went from working 24/7 in his popcorn business to successfully exiting, and the game-changer wasn’t working harder—it was implementing EOS. Discover how structure, accountability, and the right framework can transform your business from chaos to clarity.
Jon Cleaver of SportsShoes.com and Malte Ubl of Vercel discuss how composable commerce and API-first architecture are preparing retailers for a future where transactions happen through AI agents rather than traditional websites. Drawing from SportsShoes.com’s complete website transformation, this episode reveals why retailers must start experimenting with AI-powered shopping experiences now, beginning with their most loyal customers on their own platforms.
Chris doesn’t hold back this week, calling one retail headline “the single dumbest in the history of this show” – can you guess which one? Plus, Anne reveals a shocking stat about BNPL usage that will change how you think about the current state of the consumer. Listen now to find out what has Chris so fired up and what retail moves are actually worth your attention.
Think all warehouse AI is just hype? Dematic’s John Mabe reveals the three distinct categories of AI actually transforming warehouses today—and explains why the “lights out” future might arrive faster than you expect. Discover which AI tools deliver ROI now and which ones are still years away from scale.
Groceryshop 2025’s official key takeaways session reveals that 46% of GLP-1 users change their main grocery destination, agentic AI trust now matches influencer trust, and Ocado CEO Tim Steiner provoked the industry by asking if automated warehouses will eventually be cheaper than hypermarkets—with only two people in the audience believing it will happen.
OpenAI just dropped a bombshell that could steamroll the entire eCommerce funnel—instant checkout directly in ChatGPT. Plus, find out why Amazon is closing all its UK Fresh stores, how Costco’s extended hours are changing shopping patterns, and whether you’d trust DoorDash to book your next dinner reservation. And Chris and Anne also hand out this month’s Retail Tech Startup of the Month Award!
AWS and Omni Talk celebrate how Threedium’s interactive 3D visualization technology is improving retail media networks with 12% conversion boosts while pioneering sustainable, B Corp certified solutions.
This Omni Talk webinar showcases six cutting-edge technology companies transforming grocery operations, from AI-powered price comparison platforms to automated supplier negotiations and intelligent in-store audio advertising. Featured companies including Grocery Dealz, Buncha, Fintech, Gain, Constructor, and Jukee demonstrate how emerging technologies are helping grocers optimize pricing, delivery, inventory management, and customer experience while driving new revenue opportunities.
This week’s Retail Fast Five welcomed A&M’s Joanna Rangarajan and Mohit Mohal to unpack the week’s top news in retail – from Walmart becoming the first retailer to deliver refrigerated prescriptions alongside groceries to Google’s major AI push in Chrome browsers. Plus, get exclusive insights from AWS on how agentic AI is set to disrupt retail just like e-commerce did in the 1990s, and discover why Sephora’s new influencer platform could be the future of social commerce.
The “agentic wars” have begun and they’re moving faster than anyone predicted, with Amazon, Google, and OpenAI all launching shopping agents that could transform how customers discover and buy products. AWS retail expert David Dorf reveals the three critical strategies retailers must implement now to survive the biggest disruption since e-commerce emerged in the 1990s.
Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail. Know More →
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