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🎙️Interview with Erica Groussman of TRUBAR
DESCRIPTION
This final Category Disruptors episode brings the series full circle in the best way. We hope you enjoyed it!
In this final episode of the series spotlighting powerhouse female CEOs and founders, we’re joined by Erica Groussman, co-founder and CEO of TRUBRANDS, the company behind the fan-favorite TRUBAR and its mission to bring “Indulgent Nutrition” to the masses.
It’s a high-energy, insightful conversation that captures exactly what this series is all about: bold ideas, fearless leadership, and brands rewriting the rules in their categories.
A fitting finale to an inspiring lineup. Don’t miss it!
It felt like a million challenges. From finances to ingredients, or packaging, we had issues along the way in every aspect. But we try to forget the hard parts. Because nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
Erica Groussman
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Erica, Julie, and Jordan discuss:
Erica’s entrepreneurial background and what inspired her to found TRUBAR, identifying a gap in the protein bar market.
The importance of developing bars that don’t sacrifice taste or make you feel bad after eating—her “indulgent nutrition” philosophy.
How Erica approaches product development, drawing inspiration from popular desserts and comfort foods, and turning them into healthy snacks.
Real talk on challenges during development—including flavors that didn’t work out and the persistence needed to get them right.
How TRUBAR prioritizes women in leadership, pay equity, and employs organizations that support mothers and women returning to work.
Erica’s methods for celebrating every win—big and small—while overcoming countless challenges in supply chain, packaging, and scaling distribution.
Lessons learned along the founder journey, such as the value of redundancy and preparedness, especially in the face of supply chain disruptions.
The evolution of TRUBAR e-commerce strategy—from direct-to-consumer startup struggles to explosive Amazon growth—and the ongoing importance of controlling the brand experience online.
Sneak peeks at what’s next: new flavors, the launch of a kids’ collection, and hints at future product innovations for Trubrands.
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DESCRIPTION
The Category Disruptors Series continues!
It’s time for Part 3 in our series spotlighting the female CEOs and founders behind some of the fastest-growing and most innovative brands in their categories.
In this episode, we spotlight Laurel Orley, co-founder and CEO of Daily Crunch—the sprouted nut snack brand shaking up what they call the “trusty but dusty” nut category.
It’s a thoughtful conversation and another strong addition to the series—tune in for the full story.
"There's a lot of FOMO out there. You see unicorn brands doing amazing, and it's so easy to think: how did they make $1M in 5 minutes? Why not me? But you have to stay on your path."
Laurel Orley
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Laurel, Julie, and Jordan discuss:
Laurel Orley’s transition from a career at major brands like Unilever to founding Daily Crunch Snacks, inspired by her aunt’s unique sprouted nut process.
How Daily Crunch’s sprouted, dehydrated nuts stand out for their crunch, health benefits, and clean label.
The creative process behind their flavors, including collaborations with other brand and the upcycling of pickle ends for sustainability.
Daily Crunch’s commitment to women-owned certification and giving back through mental health initiatives
Laurel shares how her corporate background provided valuable skills, but also discusses the steep learning curve and differences when moving to a founder role.
The role of accelerators like SKU, mentorship, and the Vanderbilt intern pipeline in helping Daily Crunch grow and evolve.
Hard-earned lessons in supply chain, pricing, product launches, and the realities of growing a snack brand during the pandemic.
Exciting updates for 2025, including a new flavor and refreshed packaging highlighting nutritional benefits.
The importance of staying focused on your own brand journey, leveraging available resources, and maintaining a mindset of continual learning.
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🎙️Interview with Anouck Gotlib of Belgian Boys
The Category Disruptors Series continues!
We’re excited to share Part 2 in our series spotlighting the female CEOs and founders behind some of the fastest-growing and most innovative brands in their categories.
This episode features Anouck Gotlib, co-founder and CEO of Belgian Boys—the company behind the high-quality, ready-to-eat Belgian waffles, pancakes, and crêpes we all know and love.
Belgian Boys was recently named Instacart’s #1 Fastest-Growing Emerging Brand in 2024, a reflection of its strong momentum and growing presence in the market.
Don’t miss the full story—it’s another great one in the series.
"Beyond the ingredients or the packaging that evokes emotion, we found our success in solving a real problem. I'm a mom of now three kids, I get it, those mornings are stressful.”
Anouck Gotlib
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Anouck, Julie, and Jordan discuss:
Brand Origin Story: How Anouck’s background in fashion design and her husband Greg’s experiences as Belgian expats inspired the founding of Belgian Boys and the mission to "spark a moment of joy" through food.
Values & Family Influence: The importance of joy, warmth, and food in their families and how those values shaped both their business and personal lives.
Navigating Partnership: Insights on co-founding and running a business with a life partner, including the keys to aligning on big-picture goals, embracing trust, role evolution, and supporting each other's strengths.
Product and Retail Strategy: The decision to focus on breakfast products, the innovation of introducing refrigerated breakfast to the US market, and the challenges of discontinuing products to build a more focused core lineup.
Female-Led Culture: Evolution of Belgian Boys into a female-focused brand and workplace, with women-led initiatives, a majority-female board, and organic team dynamics.
Adaptation & Growth: Pivoting quickly during the pandemic, lessons learned from ecommerce expansion, and leveraging platforms like Instacart for online growth.
Personal & Team Growth: Anouck’s journey of building CEO confidence without a traditional business background, the power of coaching, prioritizing strengths over weaknesses, and assembling a dynamic, diverse team.
Looking Ahead: Sneak peeks into innovation in breakfast products, partnerships (including with Costco), a back-to-school focus, and what’s coming next for Belgian Boys.
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🎙️Interview with Loren Castle of Sweet Loren’s
DESCRIPTION
The Category Disruptors Series is finally here! 🎉
We are releasing 4 parts spotlighting the female CEOs and founders behind some of the fastest-growing and most innovative brands in their respective categories.
We’re thrilled to kick things off with a true trailblazer—Loren Castle, founder of the wildly popular cookie brand, Sweet Loren’s.
Loren's story is as bold and inspiring as the cookies she bakes. Diagnosed with cancer at just 22, she completely transformed her lifestyle and turned to clean eating. But when she couldn’t find a dessert that met her new standards, she made her own. What started as a personal health mission became a national movement in the freezer aisle.
Don’t miss the full story—it’s one you’ll want to hear.
Quote:
“It was obvious to me I wasn't going to improve the product, sales, and the relationship with the consumer if I didn't improve the packaging. So I just kept listening, testing, and learning.”
Loren Castle
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Loren will share:
The incredible origin story behind Loren and creating Sweet Loren’s: Surviving Hodgkin’s lymphoma and how it inspired her passion for health, wellness, and clean eating.
The creation of Sweet Loren’s: Identifying a white space in the market for delicious, healthier baked goods made with simple, non-inflammatory ingredients.
Product development: The journey from home kitchen experiments to national distribution, including the challenges of perfecting recipes and scaling up.
Navigating growth: How Loren managed the operational demands as the company scaled, including key hires and delegating roles to focus on her strengths.
Standing out in a crowded CPG category: Challenges convincing retailers to shelve Sweet Loren’s alongside traditional brands and the importance of allergen-friendly, non-GMO options.
The evolving consumer: Discussion on how today’s shoppers are increasingly health-conscious and driving demand for “better for you” products.
Balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood: Loren’s reflections on guilt, role modeling for her children, and the importance of building a supportive team.
Future plans: Sweet Loren’s new R&D center, exciting upcoming product launches, and continued growth in both grocery and food service channels.
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🎙️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.
We're recording at the tail end of May and we’re already halfway through 2025. But the pace of change isn't slowing down. New product launches and platform updates are coming fast, and we've got a lot to cover.
As always, we’ve brought back our go-to experts: Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker.
Together we’re diving into a packed lineup—from product page content updates to Prime Video Ads, and yes, the continued march of AI into every corner of retail.
Let’s get into it.
The scary part is that Amazon seems to be keeping the scraped information in their backend. And even though that content is not live on your PDP, you may be called out on a specific compliance requirement and your listing may get affected.
Armin Alispahic
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss:
Amazon’s Two-Part Titles Are Coming
Titles will split into a short core and a dynamic highlights section personalized to the shopper.
Brands should prepare structured, search-aligned titles despite limited guidance.
Ads Enter Amazon’s Q&A Section
New ad placements appear within PDP Q&As, but targeting and performance remain unclear.
Monitor listings to ensure ad relevance and protect brand messaging.
Prime Video Ads Become More Interactive
Pause ads and real-time shoppable formats offer new engagement, mainly for larger brands.
Early adopters should use DSP safeguards and creative built for interaction.
AI Listing Tools Scale—But Scrutiny Increases
Amazon’s AI tool is widely used, but external content scraping can trigger compliance issues.
Keep messaging consistent across channels and maintain documentation.
Instacart Expands with Uber Eats and Fizz
Instacart adds restaurant delivery and launches Fizz for group alcohol/snack ordering.
Brands should watch these surfaces for new ad opportunities targeting social, low-consideration moments.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
In today’s episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s been heating up since Amazon unveiled it at Unboxed last October: using AMC audiences for Sponsored Products.
It’s a conversation that’s gone from a slow simmer to a full-on boil in recent months, and we’ve brought in two of Acadia’s sharpest retail media minds to break it all down: Ross Walker and Carlos Sastre.
We’ll be exploring where the real impact is showing up, what’s working, and what this shift means for the future of Sponsored Search.
Tune in to find out more!
"I don't care about winning every single eyeball for a keyword. I only care about winning the subset of eyeballs that are most likely to convert, be a high lifetime value customer, or be most likely to purchase multiple products in my assortment. That is the new game that we are moving towards in the future."
Ross Walker
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Carlos discuss:
Overview of AMC Audiences for Sponsored Ads: The distinction between using AMC audiences in DSP vs. Sponsored Ads.
In Sponsored Products/Brand Ads, AMC audiences act as bid modifiers rather than strict targeting mechanisms.
Limitations and Current Capabilities: Advertisers can only boost bids for specific audiences, not exclude or exclusively target them.
Only one AMC audience can be applied per campaign currently, which introduces campaign complexity.
The "crawl, walk, run" approach: Start simple by identifying the campaign goal (upper vs. lower funnel) before layering in AMC audiences.
Recommendations to duplicate existing campaigns and layer AMC audiences for more efficient targeting.
Strong results from using purchaser and subscriber lookalike audiences (doubling ROAS and improving conversion rates).
Cautions against hyper-granular audience building, which may limit scale and statistical significance.
Leveraging “out of the box” audiences first before building complex custom audiences.
Keep initial testing straightforward, scaling complexity only if justified by results.
Notable reductions in CPCs and significant increases in ROAS for test campaigns that adopted AMC audiences.
Dual campaign strategy allows efficiency gains without sacrificing overall volume.
The introduction of more AMC-style features directly in the Amazon Ads console (e.g., new-to-brand bid boosting).
The shift from keyword/product targeting towards audience-based bidding and what that means for campaign architecture and ROI.
Amazon’s continued pace of innovation in ad products enables proactive brands to gain an edge.
The future of advertising on Amazon involves refining audiences beyond keywords, focusing spend on high-value customers.
The importance of adapting campaign strategies to stay ahead as the platform evolves.
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🎙️Interview with Gary Hammerschlag
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we're joined by our in-house organic strategy expert, Gary Hammerschlag.
He'll walk us through the evolution of content scoring, share how top brands are approaching content audits today, and give us a sneak peek into where the industry is headed regarding organic excellence.
Tune in to find out more!
Quote:
Optimization never ends. There are always improvements in organic rank that can happen. I don't think it's ever set-it-and-forget-it.
Gary Hammerschlag
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Gary discuss:
The Evolution of Content Scoring on Amazon: A history of content audits—starting from highly manual, page-by-page checks, moving through early automations, and now to sophisticated frameworks that combine qualitative and quantitative data.
From Binary to Nuanced Scoring: The shift from basic checklists (like “Does this listing have six images?”) to systems that weigh the true quality and impact of each part of a PDP (product detail page).
Modern Content Audit Methodologies: Current best practices for scoring content, including the new variables at play (like user-generated content and the role of Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus), and why brands need to update their frameworks as the landscape evolves.
PDP & Storefront Optimization: The buckets and categories considered during optimization—from images and titles to mobile formatting and SEO—and how brands should prioritize and frequently assess their catalogs.
Importance of Continuous Improvement: Content optimization isn’t a one-off project, but an ongoing process. Gary emphasizes using leading indicators, A/B testing, and regular audits to keep PDPs and storefronts performing at their best.
Future Trends & Technology: The rapid pace of change on Amazon, the likely rise of tech-driven and AI-assisted content evaluation, and how staying ahead is key to organic success.
Real-world examples illustrating how deeper content audits can uncover hidden opportunities, even for brands that already look “optimized” on the surface.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
We’re back with Part 2 of our special Prime Day series, and today we’re diving deep into Ad Strategy.
Joining us today is Damiano Ciarrocchi, our Senior Retail Media Manager. With years of experience managing Prime Day ad strategies — both at Amazon and now for our clients — Damiano is a Prime Day pro who’s seen it all.
Today, he’s sharing his insider insights on how this year’s Prime Day is shaping up to be different from years past.
Don’t miss it — tune in now!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Damiano discuss:
The Buzz Starts Early: Brands are already fielding Prime Day questions by late April: What’s changed this year? How should we budget? What creative assets need to be ready now? Early alignment is critical.
Prime Day Is Won Before It Begins: Success isn’t defined by the deals you run during Prime Day—it’s shaped in the weeks and months leading up to it.
A New Playbook for 2025 Advertising: This year demands a shift in budget planning and campaign strategy. With evolving consumer behavior, flexibility becomes your strongest advantage.
Unlocking Amazon’s New Ad Tools: 2025 marks a new era for advertisers. Tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) audiences are no longer reserved for elite brands—they're now accessible and essential for all.
May & June: The Setup Phase: Your early lead-in tactics dictate your visibility and performance during the event. Use this time to build awareness, optimize recall, and prime conversions.
Real-Time Agility on Prime Day: Ideally, you’re so well-prepared that surprises are minimal, but when the unexpected hits, your ability to pivot fast will set you apart.
The Surge Doesn’t Stop on Prime Day: Prime Day isn’t the finish line—it’s the launchpad. Smart brands ride the demand wave into post-event momentum and longer-term growth.
Navigating Tariffs and Supply Chain Disruption: With tariffs and ongoing logistics challenges, brands need tighter forecasting and contingency plans baked into their Prime Day strategy.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Don’t forget to check out part 1 of this Prime Day Prep series!
Access this in blog format! Part 1 here!
Connect with Senior PPC Manager, Damiano Ciarrocchi
Connect with our host, Julie Spear
Connect with our host, Jordan Ripley
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
This is your April edition of the Retail Round-Up!
In today’s episode, we dive into the latest trends shaking up the retail media landscape, from AI-driven shopping innovations and Walmart’s evolving media strategy to concerns about Prime Day restock limits and the ongoing impact of tariffs. The retail media space is moving fast, and there’s no sign of slowing down.
We’re excited to welcome special first-time guest Shahrez Anjum, Senior Account Manager at Acadia, alongside our media expert and friend of the pod, Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media at Acadia.
Tune in to stay ahead of the curve!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Shahrez discuss:
Amazon recently introduced two major AI-driven features that signal a fundamental shift in how product discovery and shopping journeys will operate: Interests AI and Buy for Me.
Interests AI is a product discovery tool that allows Amazon shoppers to enter detailed prompts reflecting their hobbies and passions.
Buy for Me, currently in beta, uses agentic AI to place orders on third-party brand websites directly from the Amazon app.
Amazon has introduced tighter control over off-site placements, which allows advertisers to manage their spend on external platforms more effectively.
Walmart has made two significant updates to its media offering through Walmart Connect, adding Vizio inventory for media buying and the ability to do advanced targeting for on-site display ads.
Amazon has made significant strides in simplifying and enhancing how advertisers can interact with its audience targeting capabilities, particularly by integrating AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud) audiences into its ad console.
Native Bid Boosters: Amazon is making it easier for advertisers to access and use audience segments directly within the ad console.
The ongoing discussions around tariffs and their potential impact on retail prices have become a recurring topic in the e-commerce space, especially in relation to Amazon.
As Prime Day approaches, concerns about restock limits and potential supply chain challenges are rising. In particular, there are indications that Amazon may reintroduce restock limits, a measure previously used to manage inventory flow.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today kicks off a special two-part series designed to get you fully prepared for Prime Day. In this first episode, we’re diving deep into the operational, promotional, and organic strategies you should focus on as the big shopping days approach.
We’re excited to be joined by Joanna Otto, an Account Manager on Acadia’s Retail team. With more than a decade of experience spanning brand-side roles, agencies, and Amazon itself, Joanna brings a seasoned perspective on how Prime Day has evolved.
We’re also welcoming Predrag Vetnic, one of our lead strategists for tentpole events. He’ll be sharing key data insights and best practices for building an effective merchandising strategy, drawn from our work across a wide range of client partners.
Tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Joanna, and Predrag discuss:
Start Preparing Early: Begin your preparations by April, as deadlines and operational tasks need to be handled well before Prime Day.
Important Dates & Deadlines: AWD inventory by May 15, Deal scheduling closes May 23, FBA inventory deadlines: June 9 (minimal shipment splits), June 18 (Amazon-optimized splits).
Sales Velocity & Reviews: Focus on increasing sales and reviews using programs like Vine and Product Win to boost organic ranking.
Organic Prep: Invest in keyword optimization, competitive scraping, and high-quality content, including images and infographics.
Prime Day Duration: The event has expanded to four days, so expect consistent sales throughout.
Merchandise Fees: PED fees have doubled to $100; the new coupon fee structure starts June 2.
AI Search: Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, influences up to 35% of search traffic. Optimize your listings for this.
Competitive Monitoring: Be ready to monitor competitors and pivot quickly if issues arise.
Expect the Unexpected: Prepare for unexpected challenges, like account health flags and listing suspensions.
Economic Pressure: Pricing strategies are more complex due to tariffs and market volatility, so be cautious with price hikes.
Invest Strategically: Focus on targeted organic and paid efforts, including influencer and UGC campaigns, to drive relevance.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we’re thrilled to welcome two fantastic guests: Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute, and Jon Harding, SVP and Global CIO at Conair.
They’re here to share insights from a recent report they released in partnership with MikMak—a practical guide to managing technology change across the business, specifically how to leverage IT teams to accomplish transformational growth.
Tune in to find out more!
📙 RESOURCES
Download the Bridging Gaps and Breaking Silos report from the Digital Shelf Institute.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Lauren, and Jon discuss:
The Evolving Role of IT: How IT has become the “nervous system” of modern consumer brands, with technology playing a bigger role in driving business outcomes, particularly as sales and marketing become increasingly tech-reliant.
Increasing Complexity and Collaboration: The rise in technology tools (especially in digital commerce), the necessity of integrating multiple systems, and how IT and commercial teams can work together more effectively.
Successful Cross-Functional Partnerships: Strategies for engaging IT early in business initiatives, overcoming past tensions between IT and marketing, and why collaboration leads to faster and more successful project outcomes.
Agile and Nimble Planning: Why annual planning is no longer enough—Quarterly or even monthly reviews help teams stay agile and responsive in a fast-changing industry.
Showcasing IT Wins: Insights on the importance of IT teams communicating their successes and impact to the wider business, including tactics like internal newsletters.
Prioritizing Technology Initiatives: How to make sure business cases for new technology are clear, prioritized, and tied to measurable business value—especially when competing with critical back-office projects.
Organizational Models for IT-Business Alignment: A look at different structures (shared services, embedded partners, PMO) and the critical need for shared goals and metrics between IT and other teams.
The Future with AI: Predictions around the next wave of AI adoption—both top-down from enterprise platforms and bottom-up from grassroots productivity tools—and the transformative potential for digital commerce and omnichannel organizations.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Lauren Livak, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute.
Connect with Jon Harding, SVP and Global CIO at Conair.
Download the Bridging Gaps and Breaking Silos report.
Connect with our host, Julie Spear.
Connect with our host, Jordan Ripley.
Learn more about Acadia.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today we’re bringing back our very own Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, Pat Petriello, to discuss how the savviest brands are balancing the needs of brand vs. performance marketing, how to avoid a life sentence in ROAS Jail, and the all-important 95/5 rule.
Tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Pat discuss:
Introduction to ROAS Jail: Pat Patriello explains the concept of "ROAS jail," where marketers focus solely on Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS), leading to inefficiencies and short-term growth strategies.
The 95-5 Rule: Only 5% of consumers are in the market for any given product at any time. The focus should be on brand building for the 95% who are not currently shopping.
60-40 Rule: Introduced by Pat as a guideline, suggesting a budget allocation of 60% towards brand-building and 40% towards performance marketing. This ratio helps balance short-term sales goals with long-term brand equity.
Brand vs. Performance Marketing: Discussion on how these strategies differ and the importance of emotional connection through branding to attract long-term customers.
Amazon's Role: Insight into how Amazon is transitioning to accommodate brand building alongside its historical strength in direct sales and conversion.
Practical Recommendations: Tips for business leaders on how to integrate brand marketing into existing performance-focused strategies without necessarily increasing overall spending.
Examples of Effective Brand Building: Brands like Patagonia are highlighted as successfully creating emotional connections that lead consumers directly to their products, bypassing competitive marketplace auctions.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we’re joined by two of the sharpest minds at Acadia—experts who live and breathe Amazon. Whether it’s diving deep into AI advancements, crafting and optimizing product listings, or navigating the ever-evolving customer journey, these two are on the front lines, ensuring our brands are set up for long-term organic success.
First up, we have Julian Galindo, Senior Account Manager on our Retail Team—a recognized authority and proud self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to AI-driven content optimization.
Joining him is Predrag Vetnic, Retail Strategist with a specialty in high-impact copywriting for ecommerce. If you’ve shopped on Amazon recently, chances are you’ve come across his work without even realizing it.
We’re thrilled to have them both on the show! Tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Predrag, and Julian discuss:
Amazon's AI Advancements
Introduction to Rufus, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, which helps customers by suggesting products based on their needs and queries.
Cosmo, the AI system powering Rufus, aims to understand the "why" behind shopping behaviors to offer more personalized results.
Optimization Practices for AI
Transition from keyword-based search optimization to a focus on natural language and user intent.
Importance of tailoring product detail pages (PDPs) for Rufus, not only using keywords but targeting customer needs and relevant questions.
SEO Strategy Evolution
Emphasizing human-like interaction while optimizing e-commerce content for AI.
Leveraging footprint data from user interactions to inform and refine search experiences.
Testing and Measuring Impact
Methods for testing the effectiveness of AI-focused optimization strategies.
Importance of monitoring conversion rates, organic share of voice, and search rankings.
Future of AI in E-commerce
Speculation on the integration of AI-driven search with traditional methods.
Discussions on how AI could revolutionize personalized shopping experiences on platforms like Amazon.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
It’s time for another episode of the Retail Round-Up, March edition!
From a new fee structure on promotions to a longer Prime Day event and expanded advertising capabilities, these updates could reshape how brands approach pricing, marketing, and overall strategy.
Joining us today are resident experts Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media at Acadia, and Armin Alipahic, Operations Team Lead.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss:
Amazon’s New Fee Structure for Deals & Coupons – Amazon is introducing performance-based fees for Lightning Deals, Best Deals, Coupons, and Prime Exclusive Discounts starting June 2nd. These changes could significantly impact brands’ profitability, particularly ahead of Prime Day.
Prime Day Extended to Four Days – Amazon quietly announced that Prime Day 2025 will be a four-day event, giving brands more time to compete but also raising concerns about increased promotional spending.
Amazon’s Push Into TV Advertising – The launch of Complete TV aims to streamline TV ad buying, including both linear and streaming placements. This move aligns with Amazon’s broader strategy to dominate the traditional TV advertising space.
Search Query Performance (SQP) API Launch – Amazon is making SQP reports available via API, allowing brands and tech providers to automate and integrate search data more efficiently. This could be a game-changer for search optimization and ad performance tracking.
Steeper Discounts for Better Visibility – Amazon is incentivizing brands to offer discounts of 40% or more by promising additional deal placements, though the specifics remain unclear. However, higher promotional costs may make deep discounting unsustainable for many brands.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we’re excited to welcome back a familiar voice on the show—operations expert Armin Alispahic. Armin is here to bring us up to speed on a recent phenomenon in the Vendor space — the availability of true channel P&L analysis.
We’ll explore why this trend is only showing up now and what it means for how brands assess their business with Amazon.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Armin discuss:
Understanding Vendor Profitability on Amazon:
Two main metrics: Net PPM (Net Pure Profit Margin) and Internal Brand P&L.
The hidden third factor—Amazon’s internal costs (fulfillment, packaging, and shipping expenses).
Why Profitability Analysis Is Becoming Crucial:
Amazon is tightening vendor margins, requiring brands to have a clear view of their own and Amazon’s profitability.
Increase in CRaP (Can’t Realize a Profit) items, making it essential to assess profitability at the SKU level.
Technology Driving P&L Insights for Vendors:
Amazon's 2023 API improvements have enabled better data access for vendor P&L analysis.
New tools now provide automated, SKU-level profitability reports.
Key Factors That Influence Vendor Profitability:
Fixed Costs: Vendor terms (co-op, damage allowances, freight).
Variable Costs: Chargebacks, shortages, advertising, and promotional spend.
Operational Efficiency: Packaging, fulfillment optimization, and inventory management.
How Brands Can Leverage P&L Insights:
Smarter Assortment Decisions: Identifying SKUs that drive profitability vs. those that hurt margins.
Optimizing Advertising Spend: Allocating budget toward high-margin products rather than just high-volume ones.
Better Negotiations with Amazon: Using data to drive conversations in annual vendor negotiations (AVNs).
Cross-Team Collaboration: Breaking down silos between marketing, finance, and operations.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we're catching up with Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media, to discuss his recent workshop at the Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta.
Ross led an in-depth session on all things bottom-of-the-funnel—what's evolving, why it matters, and how brands can maximize this critical stage.
Tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Ross discuss:
Defining the Bottom of the Funnel (BOF)
BOF focuses on conversion—turning interest into purchases or fostering brand loyalty.
Includes retargeting customers who have engaged with your product or brand.
Targets high-intent audiences like past visitors, brand searchers, and prior buyers.
Shift in Budget Allocation
Brands are moving budgets away from branded search and loyalty-based retargeting.
More investment is going toward non-branded bottom-of-funnel keywords and audiences.
Capturing new customers efficiently is now a bigger priority over maximizing ROAS.
4 Tactics for BOF Success
Day Parting:
Optimizing spend by adjusting bids based on high-conversion hours and days.
Late-day bidding can be effective when competitors run out of budget.
Paid & Organic Interdependency:
Product listings must align with high-intent keywords to maximize visibility.
Strong keyword optimization remains essential for organic rankings and paid efficiency
Video Ads for BOF:
Vertical video performs better for high-intent searchers.
Feature-driven videos convert better than broad brand storytelling at BOF.
AI & Automation in Bidding:
AI is effective for optimizing bulk campaigns but still requires human oversight.
Best use: Let AI handle 80% of the catalog while manually fine-tuning the top performers.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Robert Estill, Head of Global Amazon and Marketplaces for all Beauty at The Hut Group.
With extensive experience leading E-commerce teams at powerhouse brands like Unilever, Prestige, Coty, and Versace, Robert offers invaluable insights into the ever-evolving world of online retail.
Having collaborated with him across multiple brands, we’re excited to dive into his insights on building high-performing E-commerce teams, overcoming the challenges of international expansion, the key lessons he’s learned throughout his career, and his outlook on the industry's future.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Robert discuss:
E-Commerce Success Requires Adaptability
The industry evolves rapidly, and what works today may not work tomorrow.
Being comfortable with ambiguity and continuous learning is essential.
The Importance of Cross-Functional Collaboration
E-commerce isn't just marketing and sales—it involves supply chain, finance, legal, and operations.
Effective communication with leadership and across departments is as crucial as technical expertise.
Understanding P&L is Key to Growth
E-commerce leaders must think beyond top-line revenue and focus on sustainable, profitable growth.
Inventory forecasting, fulfillment costs, and operational efficiencies all impact success.
1P vs. 3P on Amazon: A Strategic Choice
1P (Vendor Central): Easier operations but less control over pricing and inventory.
3P (Seller Central): More control but requires strong operational capabilities.
The decision depends on a brand’s financial structure, goals, and ability to handle fulfillment.
Expanding Internationally Requires a Localized Approach
Each market has unique consumer behavior, dominant platforms, and regulatory requirements.
Logistics and fulfillment strategies must be planned carefully, as shipping timelines and compliance vary.
Partnering with local third-party logistics (3PL) providers can help navigate complexities.
AI & AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud) Are Game Changers
AI tools for content creation, search optimization, and analytics will shape the future of e-commerce.
AMC provides deeper insights into customer behavior, helping brands refine their advertising strategies.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
It’s time for another episode of the Retail Round-Up, February edition!
Major shifts are happening in the world of e-commerce, and this episode explores the cutting-edge developments, innovations, and the impact they are having on brands, retailers, and customers alike.
Joining us today are resident experts Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media at Acadia, and Armin Alipahic, Operations Team Lead.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Armin discuss:
Amazon's New Direction:
Amazon will direct customers to brand sites when products are unavailable on Amazon.
Insights into potential motivations, benefits, and downsides for Amazon, brands, and consumers.
Speculations on how this will impact Amazon’s relationship with brands and their existing models.
Ulta Beauty and Omnichannel Integration:
Ulta's integration of in-store inventory with brand D2C sites using the Lucky platform.
Examination of the implications for brands, customers, and potential for other retailers to adopt similar strategies.
Sponsored Content in AI Platforms:
Discussion around Rufus AI containing sponsored ads in its search results.
Predictions on Amazon's strategy for monetizing Rufus and parallels drawn to traditional advertising platforms like Google.
AI for Catalog Management:
Amazon's use of AI for filling in missing product attributes and mapping spreadsheets to ease catalog management.
The challenges and benefits this presents to brands, particularly those with large catalogs.
Amazon's Performance Plus and Brand Plus:
Analysis of these tools for optimizing advertising on and off Amazon's platform.
Examination of their effectiveness, particularly in targeting new customers vs. retargeting existing ones.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we’re thrilled to welcome back Mike Black, former CMO and current Chief Growth Officer at Profitero.
We’ll be diving into key insights from Profitero’s latest reports, exploring the ROI of improving search placement and the vital role that ratings and reviews play in driving success.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Mike discuss:
Introduction and Welcome: Mike Black’s background
Profitero’s Report Series
Background on Profitero and its role in E-Commerce analytics.
The digital shelf concept and its components.
The need for factual ROI data to support digital investment.
Impact of Search Placement on ROI
Importance of moving from page two to page one in search results.
Stats on sales increase with better organic placement.
The difference in ROI between organic and paid search placements.
Consumer Research and Behavior
Shoppers researching product reviews online even while in-store.
Importance of reviews in omni-channel influence.
The challenge of internal silos in brand side teams handling reviews.
Review Importance and Strategy
Sales impact of moving reviews from below four stars to four stars.
Review velocity significance in achieving high organic search ranking.
The connection between review quality and sales.
Future of Profitero Reports
Upcoming updates and new benchmarks in content reports.
Profitero’s focus on deeper content analytics and recommendations.
Invitation to provide ideas or questions for future research.
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Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.
Today, we’re excited to welcome back our Director of Retail Media, Ross Walker, who will be sharing surprising insights from his work with a major beauty brand.
We’ll dive into a compelling case study on full-funnel advertising, exploring the evolving role of Streaming TV in the retail media landscape.
We’re also thrilled to welcome a new guest to the show! Pat Petriello, a veteran in the retail media landscape and the new Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy at Acadia, is making his podcast debut and sharing some amazing insights with us.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Pat discuss:
Definition and Understanding of "Full Funnel" Advertising
Discussion on what "full-funnel" means in e-commerce
Different goals of advertising campaigns at various funnel stages
Changes in Streaming TV Advertising (2023 vs. 2024)
Year-over-year changes in streaming TV campaign tactics
Supply differences: off-the-shelf vs. curated inventory
Targeting enhancements using AMC
Impact of different creative approaches
Effects and Measurement of Streaming TV Campaigns
Assessment of upper and lower funnel metrics
Use of AMC for multitouch attribution and enhanced audience targeting
Engagement and Retargeting
Strategy of retargeting viewers of streaming TV ads
Improvements in purchase and engagement rates with better-targeted campaigns
Strategic Use of Streaming TV in E-Commerce
Integration of streaming TV as part of a broader e-commerce strategy
Expansion of brand reach and enhancement of consumer engagement
The importance of a full-funnel approach and its results
Challenges and Future Considerations
Consideration of cost vs. reach in streaming TV campaigns
Encouragement to continually test and adapt strategies
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