Blog
'Not A Tax': How Sam's Club Is Fixing Retail Media's Trust Problem
Harvey Ma, who leads Sam’s Club’s Member Access Platform (MAP) is determined to change the narrative that retail media is an implicit tax on brands.
Kiri Masters
Kiri Masters is an independent commentator, speaker, advisor, and podcast host covering the retail media industry.
Episode
Sam's Club RMN: Notes from my interview with GM Harvey Ma
Watch Episode Here Listen to Episode Here Show Notes In this episode, the host Kiri Masters' discusses key themes from her interview with Harvey Ma, focusing on Sam's Club's unique retail media platform. Unlike traditional retailers, Sam's Club reinvests media revenue back into
Blog
What Unilever's New CEO Isn't Saying About Retail Media
Unilever's new CEO Fernando Fernandez recently participated in a "fireside chat" with Barclays to address investor concerns following the leadership change. While he never explicitly mentioned retail media or ecommerce marketplaces during the interview (unusual in itself), his comments reveal significant implications for Unilever's
Episode
What Unilever's New CEO Isn't Saying About Retail Media
Watch Episode Here Listen to Episode Here Show Notes In this episode, we analyze Unilever’s new CEO Fernandez's first major speech, where he surprisingly omits any mention of e-commerce or retail media. This deviation is unusual compared to industry norms, but it may indicate these elements are
Blog
AI Agents & The Evolving Path to Purchase: How Brands Must Adapt
I'm excited to continue our deep dive series with Lauren Schiavone, founder of Wonder Consulting. In this installment, we're exploring perhaps the most transformative aspect of AI in retail: how it's fundamentally changing the consumer path to purchase. Lauren brings nearly two decades of
Episode
How AI affects the consumer path to purchase (AI in retail series, Part 5)
Watch Episode Here Listen to Episode Here Show Notes In this episode of the AI in Retail Deep Dive Series, the host Kiri Masters converses with Lauren Schiavone, founder of AI-focused consultancy, Wonder Consulting, about how AI agents and assistants are transforming the path to purchase. They discuss the shift
Blog
How to Hire for the "Everything Job" of Retail Media Management
The job title says 'Retail Media Manager,' but the reality might as well be 'Digital Renaissance Person.' In an industry where no one follows a traditional career path and the landscape transforms monthly, how do you find the right talent? Here's what we'
Episode
Panel: How These Three E-commerce Leaders Think About Hiring Retail Media Talent
Watch Episode Here Listen to Episode Here Show Notes In this episode, we hear from industry experts Brian Dudzinski, Alicia Ponzani, and Brea Keating as they discuss the multifaceted nature of e-commerce roles. Brian emphasizes the need for versatile talent who can adapt to ever-changing platforms. Alicia shares insights on
Blog
Amazon's Triple Squeeze: Private Label Growth, 3P Pressure, and Tougher Vendor Negotiations
Last week, I stumbled upon three separate research reports that, when viewed together, reveal something critical about Amazon's evolving marketplace strategy. While each report was interesting independently, the real insights emerged when I overlaid the data sets. As we enter March 2025, it's clear that Amazon
Episode
Amazon's Triple Squeeze: Navigating Private Label Growth, 3P Pressure & Tougher Vendor Negotiations
Watch Episode Here Listen to Episode Here Show Notes In this episode, the host Kiri Masters delves into three key research reports that collectively outline Amazon's evolving marketplace strategy as of March 2025. The analysis centers on three main fronts: the growth of Amazon's private label
Blog
How Autonomous AI Shopping Agents Will Transform Retail
This article originally appeared in my column for Forbes.com on February 25, 2025. Retail's AI revolution is entering its third wave. After predictive AI and generative AI, autonomous agents capable of completing shopping tasks without human intervention are emerging as the next frontier. Salesforce's latest
Episode
How Autonomous AI Agents Will Transform Retail Discovery
Watch Episode Here Listen to Episode Here Show Notes In this episode, we explore the transformative wave of AI in retail, focusing on agentic AI systems capable of autonomously completing tasks without human intervention. Research shows nearly a third of consumer goods companies are already leveraging generative AI, but the