In today’s episode I dig into a surprising and quietly powerful engine of growth for retail media networks: long-tail advertisers. While major CPG brands continue to cap their RMN partnerships at around six networks, retailers are pouring investment into Amazon and Walmart-level capabilities, hoping to win those national budgets. But the ceiling isn’t moving… so where’s the growth coming from?

New data from Pentaleap's 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmark Report shows exactly where the action is. Retailers who are activating their long-tail ecosystems — smaller brands and third-party sellers — are seeing significant increases in impressions, revenue, and advertiser participation. I break down the numbers, the retailers leading the charge, and why the ability to scale thousands of smaller advertisers may be the single biggest opportunity for RMNs going into 2026.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:40] – Why major CPG brands are capping their retail media network relationships

[02:00] – The operational challenges that limit RMN expansion for large advertisers

[03:00] – How long-tail advertisers are emerging as a critical growth driver for RMNs

[03:26] – Examples of retailers seeing momentum from activating smaller brands and sellers

[04:19] – The role of third-party marketplaces in expanding advertiser participation

[05:42] – Why RMNs need new infrastructure to effectively support thousands of long-tail advertisers

Links & Resources

• Read my articles:
  • Inside Mars's Retail Media Investment Matrix
  • How Can RMNs Tap Upper-Funnel Brand Budgets
• Download Mirakl's Rakutren France case study
• Read the new Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Mirakl - Combine Retail Media and Marketplaces to Unlock the Next Growth Engine
• Get Pentaleap's H2 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmarks Report
• I'll be diving into the findings of the Pentaleap H2 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmark report with Pentaleap co-founder and CEO Andreas Reiffen on Thursday next week at 11AM ET! Join us LIVE here
• Are you based in Atlanta or plan to be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

In today’s 'Snips' episode, I’m diving into one of the biggest unlocks for retail media networks right now: earning the trust (and the budgets) of media agencies. As retail media growth slows and retailers look beyond performance budgets, everyone suddenly wants a slice of those top-of-funnel brand-building dollars. But as I unpack the insights from Viv Craske and Colin Lewis from the Retail Media Therapy podcast, tapping into those budgets isn’t as simple as showing up with a pitch deck full of demographic reach stats.

I dissect what agencies actually want from RMNs, why most networks get their approach completely backwards, and what it really takes to become the obvious solution when a brief comes through. From identifying gaps in media plans, eliminating data gatekeeping, and building real, long-term agency relationships, this episode lays out a three-step strategy every RMN should be thinking about.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:42] – Why tapping into brand budgets is suddenly top priority for RMNs
[01:53] – The agency perspective: what they really need from retail media networks
[02:59] – The difference between demographic reach and true agency value
[04:12] – Why data access rather than gatekeeping is the make-or-break factor
[06:37] – The three-step, 6–9 month roadmap for building agency relationships
[07:45] – The resource reality: why this can’t be a “side-of-desk” project
[09:15] – The big miss: why most RMNs will fail to win brand budgets next year

Links & Resources

• Listen to the Retail Media Therapy episode in full - The Incrementality Myth and Winning With Media Agencies
• Subscribe to Retail Media Therapy
• Follow Viv Craske on LinkedIn
• Follow Colin Lewis on LinkedIn
• Read my articles:
  • Trade vs. Retail Media: Who's Really Eating Whom?
  • DSPs Wanted: The Retail Media Revolution 96% of Advertisers Crave
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

This week, I’m breaking down a fascinating shift I’ve been watching closely: the moment AI-enabled commerce finally tips from novelty to norm, just in time for the holiday shopping rush. After a near-disaster of traveling without my wallet (which somehow wasn’t a disaster at all), I couldn’t help but notice how quickly behavior changes when technology quietly becomes infrastructure. And based on fresh Salesforce data, AI is hitting that same inflection point in retail.

In this episode, I dig into what’s different this year, why AI shopping tools are suddenly actually useful, and how shoppers are blending personalized AI agents with retailer-owned chat experiences. Plus, I share some surprising insights about Gen Z’s in-store resurgence, and why the most AI-proof part of retail media might just be happening in the physical aisle.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – The “forgot my wallet” travel moment and how quickly new behaviors become normal
[01:06] – Why this holiday season marks AI’s first real commerce stress test
[02:24] – The most meaningful new AI shopping tools consumers didn’t have last year
[03:52] – Are shoppers using retailer chatbots, or bringing their own LLM sidekick?
[06:29] – Salesforce data: retailers with AI chatbots are seeing 7× higher growth
[07:28] – The gap between retailer chatbots and personal AI assistants
[08:22] – Gen Z’s unexpected return to in-store shopping (with AI in hand)
[10:12] – What I’m watching as $73B in projected AI-influenced sales plays out this week

Links & Resources

• Read my articles:
  • Maybe Ads in AI Don't Have To Suck?
  • Vibe Marketing in Retail Media
  • Why GEO Isn't Enough: What CPG Brands Actually Control in Agentic Commerce
  • While We Debate What's 'Really' Agentic, Retail Media's Foundation Is Already Shifting
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

In this episode I’m digging into a question I’ve been thinking about for months: If ads inevitably show up inside AI interfaces… do they actually have to suck? With billions invested into AI infrastructure and only modest subscription revenue to offset it, advertising is the most likely economic engine powering the next wave of AI platforms. But I’m not convinced it has to lead us down the same messy, cluttered path that search and marketplaces took.

Drawing from an op-ed I recently wrote for The Drum, I explore why AI ads spark so much anxiety, how agentic advertising offers a fundamentally different model from surveillance-era targeting, and what all of this means for retailers, advertisers, and the future of trust online. This is a nuanced conversation about economics, ethics, innovation, and why this moment might actually give us a chance to rebuild advertising on better foundations.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:15] – Why subscription revenue alone can’t support the massive cost of AI infrastructure
[01:23] – How AI is intercepting retail search behavior before shoppers ever reach a retailer’s site
[03:04] – The trust problem: what we fear when ads enter our most intimate digital spaces
[05:17] – The real economics of the internet and why advertising keeps it freely accessible
[07:00] – What “agentic advertising” actually is, and how it flips the traditional targeting model
[09:31] – Why conversational advertising could be more relevant (and less creepy) than legacy ad formats
[10:20] – The high-stakes implications for retail media when AI captures intent upstream

Links & Resources

• This article originally appeared in my column for The Drum on November 6, 2025 as Why the arrival of advertising in AI Search may not be the catastrophe many fear
• Brian O’Kelley, co-founder and CEO at Scope3, outlined the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP) in a Fast Company op-ed
• Read my article Real Time Bidding: Retail Media's Savior Or Saboteur?
• Read my article How an RMN's tech stack impacts your advertising results
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

In this reprise episode, I’m bringing back one of the most timely conversations we can have as we gear up for 2026 conference season: getting on the damn stage. After so many of you resonated with my encouragement to apply for the damn award despite imposter syndrome, it felt like the perfect moment to revisit this message. Because the truth is no one cares about your future as much as you do, and if you’re waiting for permission to step forward, you’ll be waiting forever.

Whether you’re on the brand side navigating approvals, or on the solution-provider side navigating sponsorships, there are concrete strategies you can use to share your point of view, elevate your career, strengthen your partnerships, and make events infinitely more rewarding. I’m also revisiting insightful community comments from LinkedIn that expand the conversation in really meaningful ways. Let’s get you on that stage in 2026!

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[01:00] Why I’m bringing back this episode and how it connects to imposter syndrome.

[02:30] How brand-side leaders benefit personally and help their organizations by speaking publicly.

[03:45] The “Speaker” effect: how having that badge transforms your experience at events.

[05:30] How to navigate internal approvals, stick to your expertise, and decide when to go off-script responsibly.

[07:30] Why solution providers often have to “pay to play”, and why it can still be totally worth it.

[09:10] The power of original research as your ticket to the stage.

[09:55] Community insights on panels, real tactical content, and balancing restrictions with value.

Links & Resources

• Read my article Its conference season. Get yourself on the stage!
• Read my article Apply For The Damn Award
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

Last week at the Path to Purchase Institute LIVE conference, I heard something that most retail media networks probably don’t want to hear out loud: Mars has built a structured, data-driven investment matrix that decides exactly who gets budget and who doesn’t. In today’s episode, I’m breaking down what Mars revealed, why scorecards are becoming standard across major CPGs, and the uncomfortable truth hiding underneath all this new structure.

I dig into why even networks that “score well” may not see increased spend, the operational ceiling that keeps most brands locked into 5–6 RMN relationships, and the growing divide between top-tier retail media networks and everyone else. If you’re a retailer, a media buyer, or working inside an emerging RMN, this conversation will give you real insight into how budgets are actually allocated, and why the bar keeps getting harder to clear.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] Mars introduces its formal retail media investment matrix and scorecard approach.
[00:30] Mars evaluates RMNs on two dimensions: capabilities and commercial growth.
[01:29] ANA guidance urges brands to adopt structured scorecards for RMN evaluation.
[02:30] A senior retail media buyer explains why meeting capability requirements doesn’t guarantee spend.
[05:22] The four main reasons brands cap their RMN relationships begin with platform fragmentation.
[08:57] What mid-tier RMNs must do to break into the top six (drive displacement or offer superior capabilities)

Links & Resources

• Read my article How Alliances Could Solve Retail Media's Fragmentation Problem (Part 1)
• Read my article Best Buy Wants To Become An Ad Platform, Not Just Another RMN
• Read my article 3 New Developments In RTB (Real Time Bidding) For Retail Media
• Read my article Retail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the Retailers
• Read my article Managing a Multi-Retailer RMN Stack: The Operational Reality
• Read the ANA's Retail Media Internal Management Guidance
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

In today’s 'Snips' episode, I’m diving into one of the conversations that has been rattling around in my head for a while now. While listening to the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast with my friends Lauren Livak Gilbert, and Peter Crosby, I found myself nodding as their guest Natalija Pavic from Kibo Commerce unpacked the rise of agentic AI and AI shopping agents. She articulated (brilliantly, I might add) something that’s been quietly needling me: we’re not just adding AI to commerce… we’re watching the entire discovery layer slip out of retailers’ hands.

With my commentary, I explore what happens when consumers stop interacting with retailer websites and instead funnel their shopping journeys through conversational LLMs. From the loss of the “pane of glass”, to the real technical foundations retailers need (hint: your keyword search may actually be a liability), I break down why this shift matters, and what retailers must reconsider if they want to remain relevant. No doom and gloom here — but definitely a call to honest introspection and bold innovation.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:30] – Why agentic AI isn’t just a feature — it’s actually replacing the interface layer
[01:15] – The “pane of glass” retailers optimized for decades may soon have a new owner
[02:24] – How agentic AI shifts the value of personalization engines
[03:09] – Why retailer control over discovery is evaporating
[04:15] – The need for retailers to rethink their unique value proposition
[06:19] – Natalia breaks down the technical reality: synonym search vs. vector search
[08:15] – Why launching shopper agents without vector search is “lipstick on a pig”
[09:15] – Natalia’s broader advice: innovate early, experiment often
[09:44] – My closing thoughts on curiosity, experimentation, and the shifting discovery layer

Links & Resources

• Listen to Natalija's full episode on Unpacking the Digital Shelf — The Path to Agentic Commerce Readiness, with Natalija Pavic, Senior Director Product Marketing at KIBO Commerce
• Subscribe to Unpacking the Digital Shelf
• Follow Natalija Pavic, Product Marketing Executive at Kibo Commerce on LinkedIn
• Read my article Commerce GPTs Explained—And Why Retail Media Professionals Need to Pay Attention
• Read my article Why GEO Isn't Enough: What CPG Brands Actually Control in Agentic Commerce
• Read my article While We Debate What's 'Really' Agentic, Retail Media's Foundation Is Already Shifting
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

What is Unboxed, really? This week, I was in Nashville for Amazon’s signature advertising event — a showcase where the tech giant reveals its latest innovations in retail media, automation, and ad tech. After taking it all in (and chatting with a few familiar faces from the industry), I’m breaking down the key announcements, the unspoken messages, and what they mean for advertisers and partners moving forward.

In this episode, I unpack my biggest takeaways from Unboxed 2025. From Amazon’s relentless reinvention of its ad business to the curious silence around Rufus, and how new “agent” tools could both empower and threaten the partner ecosystem. If you’re navigating Amazon’s retail media landscape, this recap will give you the insights and context you need to understand where the company’s heading next.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:01:36] - How Amazon keeps evolving its advertising tools, making them simpler, smarter, and more accessible to advertisers of all sizes.

[00:02:42] - Why brands like Advantice Health say Amazon’s ad console outpaces competitors by simplifying data visualization and actionability.

[00:04:10] - A look at Amazon’s “paranoid” culture of continuous innovation, and why that mindset fuels their dominance in retail media.

[00:04:15] - Amazon takes aim at The Trade Desk with lower DSP fees, while still protecting its own walled garden.

[00:06:06] - Why Amazon’s much-hyped AI assistant Rufus went unmentioned during Unboxed, and what that silence might signal about its real-world performance.

[00:08:45] - The return (and rebranding) of agencies and tech vendors as “partners”, and how Amazon’s new AI tools could reshape that dynamic.

[00:12:14] - Reflections on Amazon’s fine line between democratizing ad tools and competing with its own partners.

Links & Resources

• Read my article Amazon Unboxed 2025: Key Announcements & Takeaways for Brand Advertisers
• Read my article for The Drum, Amazon bets on 'crystal box' transparency in ads product upgrade
• Check out the ADOTAT piece Prime Predator: Amazon DSP Takes a Bite Out of The Trade Desk
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn