Aldi Expands, Wayfair Rebrands & The Early Bird Literally Gets The Worm At Walmart
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, recorded live from Lululemon at the Mall of America, and sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discussed:Walmart expanding express delivery into the wee hours of the morning (Source: Chain Store Age)Aldi’s aggressive U.S. expansion plans (Source: Fox Business)Kohl’s new partnership with Babies R Us (Source: CNBC)Michaels bringing its online maker marketplace alive in store (Source: Chain Store Age)And closed with a look at Wayfair’s new marketing campaign and a discussion of what it must get right (and what it must avoid) when it opens its first large format store in Illinois (Source: Marketing Dive)There’s all that, plus the new shoe line from Lululemon, the song in which Chris would most like to own stock, and the degree to which cameras inside of an Airbnb freak Anne out.P.S. Don’t forget to use our promo code “OMNITALK” to save on your Shoptalk registration.P.P.S. If you are interested in renting out space at Lululemon in the Mall of America (aka where we recorded today’s podcast), head here: https://www.partyslate.com/venues/lululemon-mall-of-america-experiential-storeP.P.P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/P.P.P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our #1 podcast ranking in all of retail on FeedspotMusic by hooksounds.com
13 Mars 202442min
Target’s Big Circle Perk, Wendy’s Surge Pricing Backlash & Whole Foods Gets Smaller
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discussed:Wendy’s about face on surge pricing (Source: KTLA-5)Target’s new paid membership program, Circle 360 (Source: CNBC)The RealReal’s store expansion plans (Source: WSJ)Sam’s Club’s new design thinking studio (Source: Chain Store Age)And closed with an examination of whether Whole Foods’ plan to open smaller stores is, first, a good idea, and, second, if it is an idea that will actually work (Source: Grocery Dive)There’s all that, plus cereal for breakfast, our newest OmniStar, and a tip of our cap to all our loyal fans for helping to make this our 1,000 podcast episode!P.S. Don’t forget to use our promo code “OMNITALK” to save on your Shoptalk registration.P.P.S. We are also gearing up for CommerceNext out in NYC in June. Scaled retailers and brands can register for FREE with code “FAST FIVE” in the referral field. Secure your spot now — head to commercenext.com/conference/ and don’t forget to use FAST FIVE.P.P.P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/P.P.P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our #1 podcast ranking in all of retail on FeedspotMusic by hooksounds.com
6 Mars 202450min
Macy's Store Closures, Amazon Scheduled Deliveries & How Do You Say ChatGPT In French?
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discussed:Macy’s bold decision to close 150 stores (Source: CNBC)Why Amazon’s move to offer scheduled grocery delivery could be one of the most important headlines of the year (Source: Chain Store Age)Microsoft's decision to fortify its Gen AI position by investing in Mistral AI (Source: Fast Company)Schnucks breaking ground on its smart cart from Instacart pilot (Source: <a...
28 Feb 202438min
Starbucks Extends Its Loyalty Reach, Target Debuts A New Brand & Walmart Buys A TV Maker
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, A&M’s Joanna Rangarajan and Cassie Ryding joined Chris and Anne to discuss:Why in the world Walmart would acquire Vizio (Source: CNBC)Whether Target’s new brand, “dealworthy,” is actually noteworthy (Source: PR Newswire)Starbucks new loyalty partnership with Bank of America (Source: Chain Store Age)Hasbro’s drastic decision to cut 50% of its skus (Source: Retail Dive)And closed with a look at Walmart’s plans to build a “coast-to-coast” network of electric DC fast chargers (Source: Electrek)There’s all that, plus which body parts we would most want scanned at an airport, Mars simulations, and the rising cost of the Tooth Fairy.P.S. Don’t forget to use our promo code “OMNITALK” to save on your Shoptalk registration.P.P.S. We are also gearing up for CommerceNext out in NYC in June. Scaled retailers and brands can register for FREE with code “FAST FIVE” in the referral field. Secure your spot now — head to commercenext.com/conference/ and don’t forget to use FAST FIVE.P.P.P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/P.P.P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our #1 podcast ranking in all of retail on FeedspotMusic by hooksounds.com
21 Feb 202452min
Receipt Gates At Safeway, Paid Memberships At Target & Why 2025 Is The Year Of The Robot
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Avalara’s Kris Rabideau stopped by for 5 Insightful Minutes on 2024 tax changes, and Chris and Anne discussed:The rumors that Target will roll out a paid membership program (Source: Bloomberg)If IKEA’s use of generative AI indicates that generative AI-based search may be more applicable to home furnishings shopping than to other categories (Source: Chain Store Age)Safeway’s move to install more receipt-check gates at self-checkout (Source: Grocery Dive)Tanger Outlets push into full-price beauty retailing (Source: Glossy)And closed with look at SpartanNash’s robot expansion plans and what they mean for the future of robotics (Source: Progressive Grocer)There’s all that, plus Tiger Woods, Jessica Rabbit, and the saying Chris would most want embossed on a a candy Valentine’s Day heart.P.S. All you retail tax junkies out there can read Avalara’s full report on the most important retail tax changes for 2024 by clicking here: Avalara Tax Changes 2024P.P.S. Don’t forget to use our promo code “OMNITALK” to save on your Shoptalk registration.Music by hooksounds.com
14 Feb 202446min
Starbucks Overnight, Zac Posen & Amazon’s Rufus Has Us Barking Like A Dog
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne were live from Manifest as they discussed:Amazon’s new AI-assistant RufusGrabango’s large scale autonomous store installation with Aldi near ChicagoGap Inc.’s hiring of Zac PosenLowe’s and J. Crew's recent Apple Vision Pro endeavorsAnd closed with a look at Starbucks new late night delivery partnership with GopuffThere’s all that, plus delivery memories, barracudas, and what Anne would make her husband do if she could control him via an implanted chip in his brain.P.S. Don’t forget to use our promo code “OMNITALK” to save on your Shoptalk registration.P.P.S. Chris and Anne are also headed to the 25th Anniversary show of eTail West out in Palm Springs. Use our promo code OMNITALK20 to save 20% on your registration. Go to eTailPalmSprings.com to learn more.Music by hooksounds.com
7 Feb 202435min
$400K Walmart Store Salaries, Surprising Self-Checkout Stats & Instacart Gamification
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Shoptalk VP of Original Content & Strategy Ben Miller joined Chris and Anne to discuss:The rash of recent layoffs across retail and what they mean for how the average retail executive is thinking about 2024Walmart’s big announcement this week that its store managers can make over $400K per yearSome absolutely startling statistics on self-checkout from Everseen’s survey of over 1 billion transactionsInstacart’s desire to make your average grocery shopping trip feel more like Pokemon GoAnd closed with a look at whether TikTok’s attempt to make all its video content shoppable will actually workThere’s all that, plus Wizard of Oz favorites, Super Bowl vices, and the most unusual things to do while jogging.Music by hooksounds.com
31 Jan 202454min
Sephora Kids, Store No. 8 & What Wayfair's CEO Should Do To Remove The Egg On His Face
In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five retail news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Wiliot, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, A&M's Michael Prendergast and Manola Soler joined Chris and Anne to discuss:If Macy's made the right move rejecting its buyout offer this weekWhether innovation labs, like Walmart's Store No. 8, are ever a good ideaHow Wayfair's CEO can ever get the egg off his face in light of recent leaks and layoffsEstimated the viability of IKEA's new plan and order store conceptAnd closed with a look at the #SephoraKids phenomenon and what it means for how retailers and brands should be thinking about Generation AlphaThere's all that, plus grills that are way too hot to handle, how carb-laden a last meal at In-N-Out should be, and Chris somehow manages to spell "OMNITALK" correctly this week.P.S. Don't forget to use our promo code "OMNITALK" to save on your Shoptalk registration.P.P.S. Chris and Anne are also headed to eTail West in Palm Springs in February, and you can join them and save by using code "OMNITALK20" on your registration. Music by hooksounds.com
24 Jan 202454min
