The Retail Round-Up - Seller Challenges, Nielsen, and the Path to AI Monetization - Episode 423

🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world. Today, we're joined by Pat Petriello, Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, who will be co-hosting this week. As always, we have Armin Alispahic here to dive deep into operations and organic industry trends, and Ross Walker to walk us through everything Media. This marks our final Retail Round Up episode of 2026, but we're not slowing down. There's no shortage of major industry developments to unpack, so let's dive right in. Quote: "It's a reward system in a way—if you're compliant and doing well, your score will be up, and you'll be AHA eligible." Armin Alispahic KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Jordan, Pat, Ross, and Armin discuss: Amazon's Seller Challenge: Amazon's new "Seller Challenge" allows eligible sellers to request enhanced reviews for enforcement decisions, offering a better shot at resolving account and ASIN-level issues. Account Health Assurance (AHA) Eligibility: Discussion around Amazon's scoring system for compliance, how sellers become AHA-eligible, and the limit of three seller challenges per six months. Latest Updates in Amazon Fulfillment: Changes to Seller Fulfilled Prime eligibility by size tier, the rollout of FBM Ship Plus, and improved delivery date visibility for customers. Vendor Side Enhancements: Early dispute options for vendor shortage invoices—the team shares both excitement and current issues with the new dashboard. Amazon Media Upgrades: Deep dive into Amazon's partnership with Nielsen for DSP advertisers, increasing measurement transparency and making programmatic media buys more competitive and accessible. Sponsored Prompts & AI in Retail Advertising: Discussion on the emergence of AI-powered ad placements like Amazon's sponsored Rufus prompts, the larger landscape of chatbot monetization, and how other retailers (Walmart's Sparky, Instacart's ChatGPT partnership) are responding. Looking Forward: Reflections on how advertising and ecommerce are shifting toward streaming, AI integration, and better data measurement.  

🎙️Interview with Ross Walker & Danilo Alvares of Acadia DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. We're diving into a big topic this week: programmatic media buying through Amazon DSP, and the many different ways brands can leverage it. If you've been wondering how to get started with ADSP or how to access the right inventory to drive real results, this episode has you covered. To help us unpack it all, we've invited two of our in-house experts: Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media, and Danilo Alvares, Senior Retail Media Manager. Tune in to find out more!   Quote: "The key, I would say, is balancing scale and transparency depending on what the brand is trying to learn and achieve." Danilo Alvares   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Danilo discuss: Ways to Access Amazon DSP: The difference between the traditional Amazon Managed Service, agency/tech partner "seats," and brands owning and operating their DSP seat in-house. Evolution of DSP Access: How Amazon has opened up the DSP ecosystem, making it more user-friendly and accessible for agencies and self-service buyers. Buying Models - Crawl, Walk, Run: The progression from open auction (crawl) to private auctions (walk) to preferred deals and programmatic guarantees (run), describing the level of control, complexity, and inventory at each stage. Aligning Deal Types with Brand Goals: How brands should approach DSP deals based on their growth stage, goals (reach vs. efficiency), and market maturity. Custom Deals & Working with Amazon Supply Desk: Insights on negotiating custom inventory deals that align closely with brand audiences, often requiring a strong relationship with Amazon's supply desk team. Latest Updates – Project Deal Builder: The team discusses Amazon's new (beta) Project Deal Builder, which aims to democratize custom deal-making for DSP buyers further. Transparency and Measurement: Examination of how transparency, reporting, and measurement vary across different buying models—and how tools like AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud) help unify data analysis. Favorite Types of Buys: Both Danilo Alvares and Ross Walker share their excitement around mixing precise audience targeting with creative formats and leveraging new inventory opportunities like streaming TV.

🎙️Black Friday & Cyber Monday Data Breakdown With the Acadia Team   DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. We're coming to you late in the day on December 3rd, less than 48 hours after the whirlwind of Cyber Monday has wrapped up. The dust is barely settling, and we're diving straight into what really went down. To help us make sense of it all, we've gathered a powerhouse panel. From the operations and organic side of the action, we have Gavin Farnan and Celina Arbelaez from our Account Management team, two people who've been in the trenches all weekend. And bringing the media perspective, we're joined by Hyunsoo Park and Ross Walker, ready to unpack the wins, surprises, and standout trends of the season. Let's dive in. Quote: Over the BFCM weekend, we saw a 1.5x lift in sales, and then over the 12 days, a 1.6x multiple compared to last year's BFCM. Gavin Farnan   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, the team discusses: Personal Recaps: The group shares what they bought during the sales Shift in Shopping Patterns: The panel discusses how consumers are increasingly buying earlier in these tentpole events, with a higher share of sales happening in the initial days of Turkey 12, and why waiting for bigger deals later doesn't always pay off. Data & Sales Insights: Client data showing a 50–60% year-over-year lift in sales, and the group explores trends in daily sales spikes and the spreading out of purchases across event days. Cross-Channel Promotions: The challenges and strategies around promo consistency across Amazon, D2C, and other retailers like Target and Ulta, and the importance of deal badging on Amazon for visibility. Event Differences & Glitches: Insights into new Amazon features like improved deal badging, the impact of glitches (like PPD discount badge issues), and increases in category discount depth. AI & Discovery: The growing importance of AI-driven discovery with Amazon's Rufus and how brands must optimize content to be surfaced by these tools, despite the limited data currently available from Amazon. New Ad Tech & Sponsored Content: The rollout and mixed success of product video ads, sponsored brand video priorities, and ongoing Amazon ad platform updates leading right up to the event. Q4 Holiday Advice: Practical tips for brands to close out the quarter strong, like maintaining bestseller rank, doubling down on winning products, leveraging creator campaigns and off-Amazon traffic, and keeping content fresh and responsive to new search behaviors. Team Takeaways: Encouragement to focus budget and effort on high-performing keywords and channels, and reminders not to slack off as shipping cutoffs approach.  

DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, we're excited to welcome back two familiar voices: Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media, and Pat Petriello, Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy.  They're here to help us unpack the wave of announcements that came out of unBoxed 2025 and break down what they really mean for brands. Let's dive in.   Quote: It's a trap! Every single one of our brands that has said, 'Forget about it—go upper funnel. Go conquest new territory. Go get new customers.' That's been the more effective use of dollars.   Ross Walker   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Pat discuss: Overarching themes from Unboxed: democratization and simplification of Amazon's ad products and tools Unified reporting: Merging Sponsored Ads and DSP platforms for easier campaign management and deeper, cross-platform insights Creative Agent: Amazon's advanced AI tool for quickly generating and testing high-quality video and creative assets—especially impactful for brands without in-house creative teams AMC Agent: Making Amazon Marketing Cloud more accessible with natural language queries and easier data exploration, streamlining technical work for agencies The evolving role of agencies and partners: How AI-powered solutions shift agency focus from tactical execution to strategic guidance and validation New ad formats: Sponsored Product Video and other SERP-based innovations, plus the impact on conversion and brand visibility Sponsored Brand Reserve Share of Voice: Its potential uses, strategies, and when it makes sense to invest Upcoming and lesser-discussed features: Project Complete TV for streamlined top-funnel investments and new full-funnel campaign capabilities  

🎙️Live at unBoxed With Chris Conetta of Amazon    DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. In this special episode, we're coming to you live from Amazon unBoxed in Nashville, where we're sitting down with Chris Conetta, Director of Amazon DSP Supply.  Together, we dig into Amazon's latest investments and breakthrough product updates within its Demand-Side Platform (DSP). From new integrations and measurement innovations to tools designed to make programmatic advertising more accessible and effective for brands and agencies. Let's dive in. Quote: It goes back to this theme of democratizing the ad experience, 100%. With Creative Agent, we're now democratizing the ability to create video assets at scale. Chris Conetta   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Chris discuss: Amazon's journey in expanding DSP from a closed beta to an integrated, open internet solution with recent high-profile partnerships (Roku, Disney, Netflix, Spotify, Sirius, etc.). Comparison of Amazon DSP's differentiation against other legacy programmatic platforms, focusing on authenticated reach, authenticated signals, and lower programmatic fees. The pivotal role of Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) in providing holistic, transparent measurement. The new Ads Agent, which leverages AI to make AMC data more accessible for all users. Announcement and impact of unifying Sponsored Products and DSP into a single ads console, making campaign management and measurement across channels simpler and more unified. Introduction of the "full funnel campaign" product, designed to easily map and optimize brand touchpoints along the customer journey from streaming to conversion. The debut of Creative Agent, a tool that democratizes and streamlines creative production for video assets, empowering AB testing and campaign agility for brands. Discussion of Deal Builder and Inventory Hub, new solutions aiming to make the selection and bundling of media inventory more efficient and tailored to campaign goals. Greater theme of democratizing access to advanced advertising tools, enabling brands and agencies of all sizes to maximize their Amazon and open internet advertising results.

🎙️Interview With Adam French of Acadia   DESCRIPTION   Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, we're diving into one of the most quietly powerful and still widely underutilized growth levers on Amazon: Creator Connections. To help us unpack how brands can tap into this channel effectively, we're joined by first-time guest Adam French from our Account Management team. Adam has been deep in the trenches running the Creator Connections program across dozens of consumer brands, and he's bringing a ton of hands-on insight to today's conversation. Let's dive in.   Quote: We always recommend starting with a 10% baseline commission and running that for 30 days. That gives a great indication of who's engaging and what kind of traction the content gets before adjusting upward. Adam French    KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Adam discuss: The history and evolution of Amazon's creator and affiliate programs, including the Associates Program, Influencer Program, and now Creator Connections. Limitations of earlier programs and how Creator Connections offers new opportunities for brands to proactively collaborate with creators. The difference between Affiliate Plus campaigns and the new Sponsored Content Requests, and how each fits into broader marketing strategies. Guidance on setting commission rates for campaigns, testing performance, and optimizing investment. Tips for brands on managing selection and content quality control when working with Amazon creators. Real-life success stories of brands in categories like home & kitchen and premium beauty using Creator Connections to drive sales and brand awareness. Key limitations and current challenges of the platform, particularly in terms of granular reporting of campaign results. How Amazon could improve Creator Connections to better meet brand needs in the future.

🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Pat Petriello DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world.   This week, Pat Petriello is here to unpack everything happening in the world of ads, and Armin Alispahic will take us through the latest in operations and organic trends.   First up: Amazon fees. What changed, what's next, and how to respond, followed by rapid-fire industry updates.   Let's dive in.   Quote: Search is not dead. I think in two years, 90+ percent of product discovery will still be going to happen through the search bar.  Pat Petriello   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Pat, and Armin discuss: Amazon FBA Fee Changes: The latest fee updates, how they compare to previous years, and what they really mean for brands, from operational efficiency to punitive costs for poor fulfillment practices. Survival of the Fittest: How increased complexity and tighter margins are pushing sellers to optimize their operations or risk falling behind, with commentary from Pat Patriello on treating SKUs as individual P&Ls. Big Retail Media Announcements: Amazon's new partnerships and platform updates, including shoppable ads on Twitch and audio/video ad placements on Spotify, and what these mean for near- and long-term media buying strategies. AI Tools and Storefronts: Amazon's rollout of its Storefront Page Builder powered by AI, its current limitations, and predictions for what's coming next. The Rise of ChatGPT in Commerce: Recent announcements about the Agentic Commerce Protocol and integrations with platforms like Walmart, Shopify, and Etsy, reflecting on how conversational AI could transform (but not immediately replace) traditional search-driven product discovery. Fee Updates and Pricing Transparency: New Prime Exclusive Deal structures for the holidays, plus a potentially game-changing test of displaying historical price data in the Amazon mobile app, and what that could mean for brands and consumers.  

🎙️Interview With Shahrez Anjum and Laurie Tovo of Acadia DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today we're joined by two fantastic guests from Acadia: Shahrez Anjum from our Account Management team and Laurie Tovo from our Retail Media team.  They're here to break down what's unique about this year's Q4: what's changing, what you should be watching, and why this holiday season won't look like the last one. Quote: The vibe has definitely changed. Brands are less aggressive than last year. There's more selectivity, more intention, less 'go all-in on everything for 12 days straight. Shahrez Anjum   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Laurie, and Shahrez discuss: How Q4 2025 compares to recent years: From aggressive, catalog-wide deals to more selective and targeted promotional strategies, especially following tariff changes and economic uncertainty. The influence of macroeconomic factors: Brands are feeling the effects of inflation, volatility, and changing consumer stamina for deals, which is shaping a more cautious approach to sales periods and media investment. AI's growing role in ecommerce: How AI, like Amazon's Rufus chatbot, is changing the way shoppers search for and discover products, shifting the focus from keywords to behavioral signals and personalized content. Amazon merchandising and promo capabilities: Updates like changes to promotional fees, expanded Subscribe & Save funding, and automated multipacks are reshaping organic and paid strategies for brands. Advanced advertising strategies: The power of AMC Audiences and behavioral targeting, enabling brands to deliver more segmented and effective messaging across the customer journey. Amazon's evolving fulfillment landscape: Insights on multi-channel fulfillment and the logistical complexities brands face as they consider programs like AWD and adapt to new fulfillment fee structures. Key changes to watch for in 2026: Anticipated shifts include the end of commingled inventory, further customization of deals and shopping experiences, and the need for brands to collect and leverage more customer data. Predictions for the future of search: We may be seeing the end of the traditional search bar in favor of more AI-driven, personalized shopping experiences.  

🎙️Interview With Pat Petriello of Acadia   DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, we're digging into how Amazon's DSP has expanded its streaming and connected TV media buying footprint through strategic partnerships with Netflix, Disney+, and Roku.  To help unpack it all, we're joined by Pat Petriello, our Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, who's been tracking all these updates and what they mean for brands. Quote: "The era of cheap clicks and free audience access across Google Meta and Amazon is largely over."   Pat Petriello KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Pat discuss: Amazon DSP Expansion: Overview of Amazon's new integrations with Netflix, Disney, and Roku, and what they signal about Amazon's push into streaming and connected TV media buying. Media Landscape Trends: Discussion of the decline of linear TV and the rise of streaming—backed by Nielsen data showing streaming TV viewership surpassing broadcast and cable in the US. What This Means for Brands: How Amazon DSP acts as a nearly one-stop shop for reaching streaming audiences, including the value of authenticated reach and new inventory across multiple premium publishers. Amazon's Unique Differentiators: Universal frequency capping, access to first-party data for closed-loop attribution with Amazon Marketing Cloud, and lower programmatic guaranteed rates compared to industry averages. Differences in Partnerships: Breakdown of the depth and reach of the Roku integration versus publisher deals with Disney and Netflix, with Roku offering the largest authenticated footprint currently. Early Learnings from Roku Beta Tests: Surprising conversion upticks in early trials, successful audience retargeting, and encouraging initial results prompting more brands to dive in. Actionable Advice for Brands: What's needed to confidently test Amazon DSP, why expertise is required, and encouragement that it's still early days for streaming media buying. Looking Ahead: What's on the horizon, like Amazon's entrance into audio and podcast ad supply (e.g., SiriusXM, Spotify), brand safety, and predictions about Amazon's future in major sports broadcasting rights.  

🎙️Prime Big Deal Days Data Breakdown With the Acadia Team   DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast! In this episode, Director of Retail Media at Acadia, Ross Walker, is joined by cohost and retail roundup resident expert, Armin Alispahic, stepping in for the show's regular hosts, Julie Spear and Jordan Ripley. Today's discussion dives into all the trends, data, and hot takes from this week's Prime Big Deal Days event. Recorded midday on Friday, October 10th, just 48 hours after Prime Day wrapped, the episode captures early insights and fresh perspectives on what really happened. Joining Ross and Armin are four Acadia team members:  From the Account Management team, Gavin Farnan and Michael Childers cover the operations and organic performance side of the event, while Spencer Selden and Carlos Sastre bring their expertise from the media side. The data may still be settling, but that's never stopped this team from sharing their verdict on Prime Day's success.  Let's jump into the conversation.   Quote: "This is a year when widespread use of AMC, not just for analysis, but for audience building, would allow for a lot of unlocks during the lead-in, during the day of, and for lead-out strategies." Ross Walker   KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, the team discusses: Event Overview: Amazon's October Prime Big Deal Days 2025 was shorter, sharper, and strategically focused, reflecting a more disciplined retail environment. Two-Day Format: Amazon scaled back from four days to two, addressing buyer fatigue, fulfillment constraints, and profitability for sellers. Sales Performance: Net sales rose 72% year-over-year, with balanced performance across both days and increasing importance ahead of Q4. Top Performer Strategies: Leading brands combined strong deal depth, off-Amazon traffic, and unbranded campaigns to outperform despite rising CPCs. Profitability Focus: Brands prioritized margin protection, promoting fewer SKUs and using data to guide selective discounting. Consumer Behavior: Demand remained steady across both days; shoppers responded best to targeted, value-driven offers over blanket discounts. Brand Building: Sustained awareness and off-Amazon visibility proved essential — major event success began long before the sale. Platform Challenges: Some sellers faced real-time PED eligibility changes, pricing inconsistencies, and temporary reporting delays. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): AMC emerged as a key differentiator, powering smarter targeting, lookalike modeling, and cross-sell opportunities. Inventory & Merchandising: Brands took a selective, profit-first approach — focusing on hero products and navigating new Best Deal cost structures. Pricing & Visibility: Inconsistencies in Amazon's badging rules persisted, but overall visibility improved thanks to fewer, higher-quality deals. Post-Event Strategy: The lead-out period is crucial — retargeting, brand-tailored promotions, and consistent visibility bridge into Q4 success. Core Lesson: Prime Big Deal Days wasn't just a sales event — it was a test run for Q4, revealing that focus and flexibility now define winning brands.