Ecommerce News from the Last Week
Amazon Ads and Roku Announce Partnership Creating the Largest Authenticated CTV Footprint
Amazon Ads and Roku have entered an exclusive integration that enables advertisers using Amazon DSP to reach authenticated audiences in about 80 million U.S. connected TV households, roughly 80% of the market. The deal spans major platforms including The Roku Channel, Prime Video, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Tubi, and Warner Bros. and enables more precise targeting, improved frequency capping, and full–funnel measurement using shared user identifiers. Early testing highlighted a 40% increase in unique reach and a 30% decrease in duplicate ad impressions for the same budget.
Insight: This is a significant expansion of Amazon's reach. Brands should strongly consider allocating budget toward CTV campaigns, leveraging unified targeting and frequency capping to drive both awareness and conversions in an immersive, brand-safe environment.
Walmart Marketplace Experiences Record Growth
Walmart’s third‑party marketplace has surpassed 200,000 active sellers, a historic milestone fueled by the addition of 44,000 sellers in just the first five months of 2025, marking a 30% growth in seller count year‑to‑date. The rapid expansion is largely driven by international merchants, with nearly 60% of new sellers based in China, resulting in 34% of the overall seller base now being Chinese.
Insight: Walmart’s explosive marketplace growth signals a dramatically more competitive environment, closing more of the gap with Amazon. To stay relevant, brands should be looking to marketplaces beyond Amazon, which requires robust marketplace strategies, investing in differentiated listings, and trusted fulfillment solutions.
Leaked memo reveals new leaders reorganizing Amazon's grocery business and integrating Whole Foods
A leaked memo outlines a major leadership shakeup within Amazon’s grocery business, signaling tighter integration of Whole Foods with its broader online grocery efforts. The move aims to simplify decision-making and accelerate innovation.
Insight: Retailer teams should expect streamlined digital shelf strategies across Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods, creating both opportunities and challenges for brands to unify content, pricing, and promotions.
Delivery continues to fuel grocery e-commerce growth
Online grocery sales saw a 27% year-over-year increase in May, largely driven by delivery rather than pickup. The data points to a behavioral shift in how consumers value speed and convenience in grocery shopping.
Insight: Retailers and brands must optimize for delivery-first experiences, ensuring inventory accuracy, geo-targeted promotions, and compelling mobile content are prioritized.
DoorDash Dashes Deeper Into Ads With Its $175 Million Acquisition Of Symbiosys
DoorDash’s acquisition of Symbiosys enhances its retail media capabilities, positioning it to better serve CPGs and advertisers targeting point-of-sale conversion. The move highlights the continued convergence of commerce and media.
Insight: Brands should treat DoorDash not just as a delivery partner but as a rising retail media platform, unlocking opportunities for localized, intent-driven advertising.
News Sites Are Getting Crushed by Google’s New AI Tools
Google’s new AI-generated search summaries are significantly reducing traffic to news sites, threatening publisher revenue models. The shift to AI answers at the top of search could reshape the flow of web traffic.
Insight: Who would have thought that Google's entire search dominance could come crashing down so quickly? Retailers and brands relying on SEO for traffic should immediately deep dive into all things AI and Agentic Shopping to diversify discovery strategies and direct-to-consumer funnels, as generative search reduces organic visibility.
Barbie maker Mattel and OpenAI partner to develop AI-powered toys
Mattel is teaming up with OpenAI to develop toys with conversational AI, ushering in a new era of interactive and adaptive play. The move blends physical products with evolving digital intelligence.
Insight: I find this fascinating! Who remembers IoT - Internet of Things - that was going to take over the world. We are now going to see AIoT, leading to category-defining shifts in product innovation as AI works its way into the next generation of...everything.
Farewell to the 'Mad Men' era: Advertising's biggest bash of the year will showcase the industry's seismic changes
The upcoming Cannes Lions Festival reflects the advertising industry's shifting tides, with brands and agencies recalibrating after layoffs, restructuring, and AI disruption. The focus is on real outcomes, accountability, and strategic experimentation.
Insight: We can expect AI to eclipse Retail Media as the buzziest topic of discussion and debate, in two ways. 1) AI disrupting the agency world as agencies work through how to remain relevant when AI can take over much of the hands-on-keys work and 2) Agentic Shopping upending everything we know about online shopping and advertising to online shoppers.
Critical flaw in Microsoft Copilot could have allowed zero-click attack
A major security flaw in Microsoft Copilot could have exposed users to zero-click attacks, raising serious concerns around AI tool safety. Microsoft has patched the issue, but it underscores the fragility of rapid AI deployment.
Insight: "Zero-click attack" caught my attention. With so much excitement around Agentic Shopping, it's alarming to consider the security implications of screenless agents operating in ways no one has anticipated.
Podcast Episodes from the Last Week
Jason & Scot Show: EP326 - Are Retail Media Networks Mid?
Fri, 13 Jun 2025 - In our previous episode (326) Jason made a comment about retail media networks sometimes being over-hyped. In response, Scot recruited all his friends in the the industry and enticed Kiri Masters to make a rebuttal. Which she did via two part linked-in post and a podcast . So in this episode Jason doubles down and defends his position on retail media networks.
EP327 - Agentic Commerce - was released back to back with EP326, where they dive into the latest happenings and insights in the world of strategic e-commerce, AI technologies, and retail innovations. This episode picks up where Episode 326 left off, continuing the engaging conversation sparked by their recent discussions around AI and its implications for the retail sector.
Retail Media Breakfast Club: My highlights from the new 'Retailgentic' podcast
Thu, 12 Jun 2025 - If you’ve noticed fewer Google searches and more ChatGPT queries lately, you’re not imagining things—AI is changing how we shop. In this episode, I share my top takeaways from the new Retailgentic podcast and newsletter by Scot Wingo. From the rapid emergence of AI agents in commerce to the existential questions facing retailers, this episode is packed with game-changing insights you won’t want to miss.
In the last week, Kiri also released: What I’ve learned from 102 episodes over 5 months (and my future plans) Should We Really Care What Consumers Think About Retail Media Ads?
Retailgentic: Agentic Commerce, AI Checkout, and the Future of Retail | Matt Nichols, Commerce Ventures
Thu, 12 Jun - In this episode of Retailgenic, host Scot Wingo sits down with Matt Nichols, General Partner at Commerce Ventures, to unpack the future of agentic commerce, the evolving role of AI shopping agents, and the new infrastructure needed to support them.
Beyond the Shelf: What’s Next in Retail Media Tech – with Walmart Connect's Diana Finster
Tue, 10 Jun 2025 - This week we’re joined by Diana Finster, Head of Agency, Media & Tech Partnerships at Walmart Connect. In this episode, we talk about Walmart’s approach to closed-loop measurement and omnichannel ROI, How to balance scale and precision in media strategy, The launch of Walmart Connect’s Display Advertising API—and how partners like It’sRapid are helping advertisers move faster, What great creative looks like, and why it’s core to performance, What Diana is focused on heading into Cannes 2025.
Unpacking the Digital Shelf: Boosting the Search and Content Flywheel - An AI Case Study, with Bob Bowman, Search and Digital Shelf Expert at Win the Shelf and NEEM
Mon, 16 Jun 2025 - While Global Head of Digital Commerce Search at Unilever, Bob Bowman, now Search and Digital Shelf Expert at Win the Shelf and NEEM, was at the forefront of introducing AI into his global search and content operations to scale the business impact they were able to have. He joined the podcast to share the under the cover essential components and strategies required to test and learn his way to better content reaching more product pages at a lower cost.
The CPG View: Start Now: Building AI-Literate, High-Performing Teams (Alex Brueckmann, Chief Executive Officer at Brueckmann Strategy Consultants Ltd.)
AI is transforming businesses across industries. How do you help leaders build AI literacy, and what are some practical ways businesses can integrate AI into their strategies to drive growth and efficiency?
Retail Media Therapy: EP18 - Costco and Sam’s Club’s fighting talk; Frasers Group re-invents fashion RM; Getting screens right
Tue, 10 Jun 2025 - On this episode: Costco and Sam’s Club’s fighting talk - how membership clubs are thinking about retail media differently, Frasers Group re-invents fashion Retail Media - the fashion retail group goes big, Getting screens right - our 'On The Couch' topic looks at how to monetize screens well without getting overwhelmed with complexity
In the last week, Retail Media Therapy also released EP19 - TikTokification, Retail Media takes over Cannes, and WPP’s AI magic
EMARKETER Behind the Numbers: No Store? No Problem. DTC Tricks for Selling the Unseen with Eyebuydirect's CEO | Reimagining Retail
Wed, 11 Jun 2025 - On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how to get folks to buy something they can’t go and see in a store, how D2Cs should be thinking about generative AI, and how one DTC is negotiating the tariff minefield. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves and CEO and president of Eyebuydirect Sunny Jiang.