Ecommerce News from the Last Week
Walmart Testing Dark Stores to Provide Faster Delivery to Customers
Walmart is piloting a new model that converts some stores into dark stores (fulfillment hubs with no walk-in shoppers) to boost delivery speed and meet rising consumer expectations. The test is part of a broader push to modernize last-mile operations.
Key Insight: I find this so interesting for two reasons: 1) Using dark stores is one of the oldest means of fulfilling grocery delivery going back to Peapod days and still widely used in Europe 2) Walmart has always said their store footprint created an economic advantage over Amazon, yet now they have not only ecommerce fulfillment centers, but now dark stores as well. One thing is clear: Walmart is determined to win this battle, seemingly at any cost.
Amazon bringing faster delivery to thousands of small towns and cities
Amazon is rapidly expanding one-day and same-day delivery to smaller markets, leveraging its growing network of sortation centers and partnerships with local carriers. This push is meant to capture incremental Prime value and close Walmart’s proximity advantage.
Key Insight: Not to be outdone, Amazon coincidentally (?) dropped this update the same day as the Walmart delivery update. Grab the popcorn...this is getting good!
Toys have been super cheap for a long time — which is why our homes are cluttered with them. But inflation is finally starting to hit.
Despite inflation and rising prices, toy sales remain strong as parents prioritize their children’s joy, leaning into nostalgia and collectibles like Squishmallows and LEGO. Retailers are banking on emotional value to outweigh price sensitivity.
Key Insight: Tariffs have not driven up prices as high or as fast as predicted. But there's no question Christmas is going to cost more this year than it did last year and brands are already gearing up for it.
Amazon's Whole Foods chief slams 'ridiculous' bureaucracy in internal meeting: 'We're wasting time'
Whole Foods' CEO says Amazon’s centralization efforts are suffocating the agility and local relevance needed to win in grocery. The critique highlights internal tensions between Amazon's data-driven approach and category-specific needs.
Key Insight: Gone are the days of lean teams and fast decision-making at Amazon. Centralization means bureaucracy while grocery success requires local nuance, flexibility, and autonomy, something Amazon increasingly struggles to support.
Wall St Event + Proposed Agentic Shopping Terminology
Scot Wingo proposes definitions for Agentic Shopping AI to break out the nuance. In this article he differentiates Agentic Shopping Engines and/or Buyer Agents, Personal Shopping Assistants, Seller Shopping Agents or Retailer/Brand/Merchant Shopping Agents, and Infrastructure Agents.
Key Insight: The other day I sat in on a vendor pitch I had heard a year ago. But instead of talking about bots scraping websites, they talked about sending out their AI agents to intelligently collect information. 🤔 This space is moving so fast, it's a free-for-all with a fast-growing need for definition and consistency.
2025: The State of Consumer AI | Menlo Ventures
This report provides one of the most detailed looks yet at how everyday people are adopting and using AI in 2025. Most users are engaging with AI tools for productivity (e.g., writing, summarizing, brainstorming), entertainment (e.g., image generation, voice assistants), and search. The report highlights that speed and utility are the top reasons people return to AI tools, while low trust, hallucinations, and unclear value remain the main barriers to broader adoption.
Key Insight: Crucially, the study shows that consumers favor AI that is embedded into existing workflows (like shopping assistants, search overlays, or creative tools) over standalone chatbots or apps. People want invisible AI that helps them get things done faster.
AI avatars in China just proved they are ace influencers. It only took a duo 7 hours to rake in more than $7 million
AI-generated influencers in China are now outperforming human creators in reach, engagement, and conversion. Brands cite consistency, cost savings, and control over messaging as key benefits.
Key Insight: Influencer marketing is undergoing a seismic shift. Expect AI personas to challenge human creators globally, offering scalable storytelling with zero drama and full brand alignment.
Podcast Episodes from the Last Week
Beyond the Shelf: Building Global Content Infrastructure – with Church & Dwight's Julie Clifford
Tue, 24 Jun 2025 - This week we’re joined by Julie Clifford, Global eCommerce Acceleration & Capabilities Senior Manager at Church & Dwight. Julie’s journey from art teacher to global ecommerce leader has one big throughline: helping others succeed. In this episode, she shares how that mindset fuels her work in marketing tech, content strategy, and digital transformation across markets worldwide.
FMCG Guys: 247. Nicole Pilkington, Global Head of eCommerce Acceleration at Barilla: Becoming an FMCG Leader in eCommerce
Wed, 25 Jun 2025 - Nicole Pilkington is the Global Head of E-Commerce Acceleration at Barilla, the world's pasta leader. She joins the show to share how she’s built a career at the forefront of digital commerce, how Barilla is scaling global e-commerce capabilities, and how leadership, collaboration, and curiosity are driving change in the FMCG landscape.
The CPG View: Beauty Meets the Digital Shelf: Winning Strategies in eCommerce (Chris Chesebro, Global Chief Digital Officer at Wella Company)
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 - In this episode, Chris Chesebro, Global Chief Digital Officer at Wella Company, shares strategic insights on how beauty brands can thrive in ecommerce by balancing DTC and marketplace efforts, prioritizing the right performance metrics, and adapting to evolving consumer expectations. He highlights emerging trends in personalization, the importance of underleveraged growth levers like content and retail media, and the critical need for agility as ecommerce complexity increases heading into 2025.
Unpacking the Digital Shelf: The Budget Flows Where the Performance Goes and Other OmniCommerce Lessons, with Kacie McKee, Head of Omni-Commerce and Digital Acceleration at Kenvue
Mon, 30 Jun 2025 - I don’t know whether it’s a holy grail, but certainly a worthy grail is getting your organizations to behave with an omnichannel mindset to hopefully connect with the consumer however and wherever they choose, driving better conversion and a more strategic joint approach with your customers. Kenvue has organized around that mindset to ensure that they are spending their next dollar in the most productive place possible. That takes clear signals, communication, and strong relationships - all things we talk about with the fantastic Kacie McKee, Head of Omni-Commerce and Digital Acceleration at Kenvue.
FMCG Guys: 249. Rudolf Schneider (Head of Amazon Ads Europe), Alexis Marcombe (CEO at Unlimitall) and Katrina Smart (VP at Mars United): The Future of Retail Media, Live from Shoptalk Europe
Sat, 28 Jun 2025 - In this episode, recorded live at Shoptalk Europe, we discussed the Future of Retail Media in a “Quick Fire” format with Katrina Smart (VP at Mars United Commerce), Alexis Marcombe (CEO at Unlimitail) and Rudolf Schneider (Head of Amazon Ads EU).
CPG Guys: Developments in Retail Media with NielsenIQ SVP Dan Bonert
Sat, 28 Jun 2025 - The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Dan Bonert, SVP of Retail Analytics and Retail Media at NielsenIQ. Dan has a background in media from his days at Amazon and was able to share quite a few insights on today's environment LIVE from the NielsenIQ c360 conference down in Hollywood, FL. Ajay Sharma, VP of ecommerce + omnichannel was our guest co-host for this episode, officially now his 6th appearance on the CPGGUYS.
Retailgentic: Agentic Shopping, Retail Data, & AI's Future | Ananda Chakravarty, VP Research @ IDC Retail Insights
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 - In this episode of Retailgenic, Scot Wingo welcomes Ananda Chakravarty, VP of Research at IDC’s Retail Insights Group. Ananda shares his decades of retail and technology experience covering Agentic Shopping, Retail Data, & AI's Future.
EMARKETER Behind the Numbers: What If? Google Broke Itself Up, Online Shopping Stopped Growing, and Audio Ads Exploded
Fri, 27 Jun 2025 - On today’s podcast episode, we discuss our ‘very specific, but highly unlikely’ predictions for 2025. What would happen if Google preemptively broke itself into smaller pieces, if online shopping flatlined, and if the audio ad space doubled in size in short order. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Director of Reports Editing Rahul Chadha, and Senior Analysts Blake Droesch and Max Willens.
EMARKETER Behind the Numbers: Artificial General Intelligence Explained: When Will AI Be Smarter Than Us? | Behind the Numbers
Mon, 30 Jun 2025 - On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the various definitions of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and try to come up with the best one we can. Then we look at how smart humans are compared to current AI models. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.
Ecommert Podcast: S3E04 - Part 1: Visual Intelligence at Scale: How Vizit is Redefining Content Performance in Digital Commerce
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 - In this episode, Jehan Hamedi, CEO of Vizit, shares how his entrepreneurial background led to building a visual intelligence platform that helps brands like L’Oréal and Mars optimize content in real time using AI and predictive analytics. The conversation explores the rising impact of visual content on consumer behavior, the science behind Vizit’s audience lenses, and how retail media is driving new strategies across digital commerce and the CPG space.
AM | PM Podcast: #453 - TikTok Shop Secrets: How Influencers & Algorithms Are Rewriting E-Commerce
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 - Social commerce is booming. Learn how brands use TikTok Shop, influencer campaigns, and spark ads to drive engagement and how it boosts your Amazon sales.