Omni Talk's Fall Conference Season Must See Tech Preview with Chris Walton and Ben Miller, September 17, 2026 at 12 PM EST

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US Shoppers Feel The Pinch, BJ’s Trims The Fat And Target’s Big Beauty Bet | GrocerTalk

The US consumer may be starting to show the strain, but the story is far more complicated than the headlines suggest. Ben Miller is joined by Stewart Samuel, Director of Retail Futures at IGD, to unpack growing consumer polarization, BJ’s plans to cut 20% of its SKUs, Target’s next big beauty test, Aldi’s e-commerce economics and why sharing more technology with Walmart could actually make Sam’s Club more like Sam’s Club.

Welcome to the Age of “Supervised Automation” | Spotlight Series

Scandiweb Founder and CEO Antons Sapriko joins Chris Walton to discuss how AI is moving beyond copilots and assistants to take on real operational work across retail, from personalization and legacy system modernization to real-time decision-making, and why the path to autonomous retail starts with “supervised automation” and one workflow at a time.

A Target Turnaround(?), CPK Kiosks & JCP Picks A Fight With Off-Price | Fast Five

Target’s potential turnaround, Home Depot’s nationwide push into three-hour delivery, J.C. Penney’s fight with off-price, California Pizza Kitchen’s bet on 1,000 automated pizza kiosks, and Ann Taylor’s comeback headline this week’s OmniTalk Retail Fast Five. Chris Walton is joined by longtime friend Joe Laszlo, U.S. Head of Content & Insights at Shoptalk, to debate the biggest retail moves of the week and preview what’s ahead at Groceryshop and Shoptalk Fall in September. The two also take on pineapple pizza, retail advertising history, and a few unexpected detours in the lightning round.

The AI Employee You Should Hire on Day One | 5IM

Arbor Sejdiji, Founder & CEO of Zenline AI, explains why AI agents should be treated like new employees on day one, and why context is the key to making them productive. He shares how “context engineering” can turn years of merchandising knowledge into a company brain, helping retailers better understand shopper needs, identify assortment gaps, and make faster merchandising decisions.

Kroger Creates A New E-Commerce Power Seat, Best Buy Goes Small & TikTok Takes On Amazon | Fast Five

Kroger’s new e-commerce leadership, Best Buy’s smaller-store strategy, Ahold Delhaize’s savings kiosks, Amazon’s growing use of Alexa for shopping, and TikTok Shop’s potential Prime-like membership are all up for debate this week. Chris Walton joins J Recruiting Services’ Jenn Hahn to debate the biggest moves in retail, while Arber Sejdiji of Zenline AI joins for five insightful minutes on how merchandising teams should approach agentic AI.

Couche-Tard Circles Żabka, Kroger’s Ecom Plans & Did Someone Say Just Eat? | GrocerTalk

Couche-Tard’s bold Żabka acquisition, Kroger’s push to connect grocery and prescription delivery, AI-powered shopping assistants, Just Eat’s voice rollout, and Amazon’s surprising AutoStore partnership headline the debut of GrocerTalk as Ben Miller and Chris Walton unpack the biggest shifts shaping global grocery and what they could mean for the future of the industry.

DoorDash Goes Direct On Shopify, OpenAI Builds An AI Companion & Kroger Pours Into Wine | Fast Five

DoorDash’s growing marketplace strategy, OpenAI’s rumored AI device, the EU’s new fashion sustainability rules, Kroger’s premium wine concept, and Wonder’s IPO ambitions all take center stage this week. Chris Walton joins A&M Consumer and Retail Group Senior Directors Brandon Pezely and Alex Brakebill to debate which ideas have real staying power and which may be more hype than substance.

The Shelf & Its Data Never Lie | 5IM

Caitlin Allen, SVP of Market at Simbe, explains how real-time shelf intelligence is giving retailers an unprecedented view into shopper behavior, supply chain pressure, and store execution. From back-to-school trends to inventory visibility, she shares why the shelf has become one of retail’s most valuable sources of data and why digitizing it is the foundation for smarter retail operations.

Walmart Drones, Taco Bell Voice AI & Wayfair’s Big Bet | Fast Five

Retail AI, grocery automation, drone delivery, and the future of physical stores all take center stage this week. Chris Walton, Shelley Huff, and Chris Niesen debate whether AI can truly transform merchandising, why Walmart’s drone strategy is about much more than delivery, and what Wayfair’s latest expansion says about the future of omnichannel retail.

Kroger Buys Giant Eagle, Lowe’s Extends The Aisle & NJ Passes A Wacky Grocery Bill | Fast Five

Kroger’s latest acquisition, Amazon’s AI ambitions, Lowe’s marketplace expansion, New Jersey’s pricing legislation, and the rise of agentic commerce all took center stage this week. Chris Walton and retail analyst Ben Miller debate what Giant Eagle’s sale says about the grocery industry, why successful AI starts with adoption, whether Lowe’s has cracked the omnichannel code, and how Amazon is laying the foundation for the next generation of AI-powered shopping.

Confessions Of Supply Chain Executives | The End Of Inventory Guesswork

Chris Walton sits down with Wiliot’s Amir Khoshniyati and AT&T’s Kay Irwin to explore how Physical AI is transforming supply chain visibility. Together, they discuss why retailers still struggle to know where inventory actually is, how real-time sensing and connectivity can eliminate supply chain blind spots, and why the future of retail operations depends on turning physical products into intelligent, trackable assets.

Retail’s Mid-Year Report Card With Ethan Chernofsky of Placer.ai | Ask An Expert

Which retailers are winning 2026? Chris Walton and Placer.ai’s Ethan Chernofsky return for their annual mid-year report card, diving into the brands outperforming expectations, the trends redefining consumer behavior, and why malls, grocery stores, Starbucks, and even Dairy Queen all have important lessons for the future of retail.

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