Podcast appearances and mentions of Chris Walton

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Super Saturday is forecast to draw a record 158.9 million shoppers as weather conditions, according to Planalytics, turn milder and drier across most U.S. markets, providing a crucial tailwind for retailers in the final weekend before Christmas.Giant Food and The Giant Company will shutter all six centralized e-commerce fulfillment centers by Q1 2026, pivoting to store-based fulfillment as Ahold Delhaize joins Kroger in abandoning the micro-fulfillment center model.Elliott Investment Management takes a $1 billion stake in Lululemon and pushes for former Ralph Lauren executive Jane Nielsen to become CEO, as the athleisure brand seeks turnaround leadership following Calvin McDonald's departure announcement.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights.Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Schnuck Markets achieves 100% fraud-free results in Digimarc gift card security pilot, with 87% of cashiers reporting faster checkout times.Costco reports 20% faster checkout with scan-and-go technology.General Mills cuts prices on two-thirds of products to boost volumes, sacrificing profitability as net income drops 48% while sales volumes respond positively.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:PayPal applies for a U.S. bank charter to strengthen small business lending and reduce reliance on third-party financial institutions amid a friendlier regulatory environment.Temu launches a new Shopify integration, giving merchants one-click access to its Local Seller Program across 30+ global markets as the platform diversifies beyond direct-from-China shipping.Kroger announces a $391 million Kentucky distribution center as it restructures its supply chain strategy away from Ocado automation toward traditional fulfillment models.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Google eliminates the need for full-body photos, launching selfie-based virtual try-on technology powered by Gemini AI across billions of Shopping Graph listings.Albertsons Media Collective extends retail media beyond owned properties with new "Add-It" technology that lets shoppers add products from offsite ads directly to their digital cart.November online grocery sales surge to $12.3 billion, reversing seasonal patterns and marking 28% year-over-year growth as order frequency hits 15-month highs.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald steps down in January amid slowing North America sales.Amazon develops a new "rush" pickup service for one-hour in-store collection at Whole Foods and other Amazon-owned stores, piloting by Q1 2026 to compete in the booming click-and-collect market.Costco reports strong Q1 results with digital sales jumping 20.5% year-over-year, net income rising to $2 billion, and plans to open 30+ new warehouse clubs annually.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

One giant integration announcement. A technology both revolutionary and catastrophically overhyped. An entire industry rushing toward a cliff like lemmings. Are we watching retailers accidentally create the monster that will devour them all? Chris Walton's 2025 superlatives definitely don't disappoint.Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Instacart faces scrutiny as Consumer Reports investigation reveals AI-powered pricing experiments charging different customers up to 23% more for identical products across major retailers.Amazon reaches its goal of 2,300 markets for same-day perishables delivery just four months after launch.The Home Depot debuts its Creator portal to connect influencers with brand partnerships and monetization opportunities.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Store digitization promises to transform retail operations, but most retailers struggle to move beyond pilots and buzzwords. In this Omni Talk Ask An Expert episode, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Troy Siwek (General Manager of gStore at GreyOrange) to reveal what actually works when digitizing physical stores. Learn how digital twins are evolving from concept to operational reality, why unified platforms matter more than individual point solutions, and how to cut through the hype around retail AI. Drawing from GreyOrange's 40,000+ technology deployments, Troy shares hard-earned lessons about RFID integration, computer vision evaluation, robotics orchestration, and organizational readiness. Key topics covered: • What store digitization actually means: bridging the physical-digital customer knowledge gap • Digital twins as operational "mirrors" that surface real-time insights for associates and executives • How to evaluate computer vision vendors based on what they actually specialize in • Why most retailers should partner for core digitization tech rather than build in-house • RFID inventory accuracy reducing store tasks from a week to 18 minutes • The organizational shift: who owns store digitization across CTO, CIO, and store ops teams • How excessive decision-making processes kill retail innovation speed • When to pilot, when to scale, and when to cut failing technology experiments Whether you're building your 2026 technology roadmap or trying to scale existing store digitization pilots, this conversation provides actionable insights to help you avoid costly mistakes, accelerate decision-making, and deliver measurable improvements for store associates. Connect with Troy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troysiwek/ Visit GreyOrange: https://www.greyorange.com #RetailTech #StoreDigitization #DigitalTwins #RetailAI #RFID #ComputerVision #OmniChannelRetail #RetailOperations #InventoryManagement #RetailInnovation #StoreTransformation #GreyOrange

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Walmart completes its listing transfer to Nasdaq after decades on the NYSE, signaling strategic alignment with the tech-heavy exchange and positioning for potential Nasdaq 100 inclusion.Kroger announces plans to break ground on 14 new stores in Q4 and increase store builds by 30% in 2026, while closing three automated fulfillment centers and shifting to a hybrid e-commerce model expected to deliver $400M in improved profitability.Abercrombie & Fitch completes chain-wide RFID deployment across all 810 stores this month, implementing Nedap's iD Cloud solution to enhance inventory accuracy, omnichannel fulfillment, and real-time visibility.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Instacart becomes the first grocery partner to launch an app on ChatGPT, offering end-to-end shopping and instant checkout within conversational AI.Walmart pilots shoppable recipe experience with Pinterest, letting users add ingredients directly to cart with real-time pricing and delivery options.Retail job cuts jump nearly 140% year-over-year, with 92,000 cuts announced through November as softening demand and tariff uncertainty take their toll.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Ashley enables customers to shop and buy furniture through Perplexity's AI search engine using PayPal.Kroger cancels its Charlotte CFC plans and closes its Nashville spoke facility, paying Ocado $350 million as it reverses course on its ambitious e-commerce automation project.Walgreens opens its 13th automated micro-fulfillment center in West Jordan, Utah, expanding a network that now supports over 5,000 stores and fulfills 18 million prescriptions monthly.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

805% AI traffic growth. Sounds impressive. Until you stop and think about. Are retailers about to hand Big Tech the keys to their kingdom all over again?Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Walmart launches drone delivery in metro Atlanta, bringing 30-minute fulfillment to six stores and expanding its aerial delivery footprint to 100 locations nationwide.Albertsons rolls out an OpenAI-powered agentic shopping assistant that can autonomously complete tasks like meal planning, recipe importing, and cart building, aiming to cut shopping time from 46 minutes to just four.Macy's reports 3.2% comps in Q3, its strongest quarterly performance in over three years, driven by improved merchandising and customer service, though net income dropped 60% due to tariff pressures.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

In this Fast Five episode, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga break down the biggest retail stories from Black Friday 2025, including record-breaking online sales, AI's growing influence on shopping, and what it all means for the future of retail. From ChatGPT's new shopping research tool to Walmart's bold move to monetize Sparky with ads, Chris and Anne debate where retailers should focus their AI investments. Plus, they tackle smart glasses' potential breakthrough year, Amazon's 30-minute delivery test, and whether the industry is moving too fast on agentic commerce.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Amazon launches Amazon Now in Seattle and Philadelphia, promising 30-minute delivery through proprietary micro-fulfillment centers using Amazon Flex drivers.Walmart reports record Black Friday and Cyber Monday results, delivering 57% more orders with 44% delivered in under three hours.Costco sues the Trump administration for tariff refunds, joining 50 companies as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on presidential trade authority.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Belk launches its new smaller-format Market stores in Wesley Chapel, Florida and Frisco, Texas, offering a curated brand assortment in a more nimble 25,000-30,000 square foot footprint.Amazon and Visa partner to provide developers with tools for creating agentic commerce experiences, joining the race to enable AI-driven autonomous shopping and payments.7-Eleven rolls out real-time mobile alcohol cashback offers via the Swiftly app across 10,500+ stores nationwide, delivering instant PayPal, Venmo, or Visa payouts to shoppers.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Black Friday 2025 shatters records with $11.8 billion in online sales, as AI-driven traffic surges 805% and mobile dominates with 55% of purchases.Walmart pilots "Sponsored Prompt" ads inside Sparky, its AI shopping agent, testing new monetization strategies for conversational commerce.OpenAI debuts shopping research in ChatGPT, offering personalized buyer's guides powered by GPT-5 mini with nearly unlimited holiday usage.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Best Buy raises its full-year sales outlook after strong third-quarter performance driven by computing, gaming, and mobile phone upgrades, with comparable sales up 2.7%.Abercrombie & Fitch tops Q3 estimates as Hollister sales surge 16%, offsetting a 7% comparable sales decline at the namesake brand.Kroger eliminates remote work for 4,800 corporate employees starting January, requiring five-day in-office attendance.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Kohl's appoints Michael Bender as permanent CEO after six months as interim chief, making him the retailer's third CEO in three years following the termination of his predecessor for policy violations.Ross Stores surpasses earnings expectations with 10% sales growth and 7% comparable store sales increase, raising Q4 outlook as value-conscious shoppers respond to expanded brand assortments despite tariff headwinds.Weather forecasts from Planalytics predict colder-than-normal temperatures and precipitation across key markets during Black Friday weekend, potentially driving demand for winter categories while creating travel challenges for holiday shoppers.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

In this inaugural episode of Confessions of a Supply Chain Executive, host Chris Walton teams up with Richard Stewart (EVP of Product & Industry Strategy) and Eugene Amigud (Chief Innovation Officer) from Infios to conduct a forensic deep dive into retail's most persistent challenge: out-of-stocks. Despite billions spent on technology, the average retailer still faces an 8-10% out-of-stock rate. But here's the truth most won't admit: the problem isn't getting better. It's just getting different. This episode walks through every breakdown point in the supply chain, from forecasting failures to the infamous backroom problem, and delivers a practical framework to diagnose what's really happening inside your operations.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Walmart raises its full-year sales and earnings forecast for the second consecutive quarter, driven by 27% e-commerce growth and customer gains across all income segments.Gap's comparable sales surge 5% in Q3 after its viral "Milkshake" denim campaign with Katseye, with the namesake brand posting 7% growth—the strongest performance since 2017—though Athleta continues to struggle with an 11% decline.Bath & Body Works announces it will launch on Amazon early next year to capture $60-80 million in gray market sales and regain control of its brand.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

A $13.7 billion acquisition. Years of stagnant growth. Robots now fetching Pepsi while shopping organic produce. Are we watching Amazon destroy a once proud brand?Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Target posts third consecutive quarter of declining sales and cuts full-year profit guidance, but announces a new ChatGPT shopping integration launching next week.Levi's partners with Microsoft to deploy an AI "super-agent" framework across IT, HR, and operations starting in 2026 as part of its journey to become a $10 billion retailer.TJX Companies raises full-year outlook after comparable sales climb 5%, continuing to win over budget-conscious shoppers at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods ahead of the holiday season.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Kroger shuts down three automated fulfillment centers to improve e-commerce profitability by $400M, pivoting to in-store fulfillment and expanded third-party partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber.Home Depot misses earnings for the third straight quarter and lowers its full-year outlook, as homeowners delay major projects amid high mortgage rates and a weaker housing market.Foot Locker reverses its planned headquarters relocation to St. Petersburg, Florida, following its acquisition by Dick's Sporting Goods and a strategic reevaluation.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Facebook Marketplace integrates eBay and Poshmark listings, transforming into a discovery engine with AI-powered features and collaborative buying tools.H&M opens its second U.S. Pre Loved shop-in-shop in Los Angeles, partnering with Wasteland to offer curated vintage finds and expanding its circular retail model.Target and Starbucks launch the Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate, the first-ever exclusive holiday beverage available only at Target's in-store Starbucks cafés, with early access for Circle 360 members.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Walmart CEO Doug McMillon steps down after over a decade, with John Furner set to become the retail giant's fifth CEO since founder Sam Walton on February 1st.Google launches comprehensive AI shopping features including conversational search, agentic checkout that can purchase items automatically, and an AI tool that calls local stores to check product availability.Ahold Delhaize USA completes rollout of its proprietary digital platform across all five grocery banners, marking a multi-year journey that now supports e-commerce for 2,000+ stores serving 26 million customers weekly.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

$1 billion in delivery. 30% growth. Has Starbucks been fixing the wrong problem?Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

Target's new "10-4" policy requires employees to smile and wave at customers within 10 feet, and personally greet them within 4 feet. Is this explicit instruction necessary for today's workforce, or a forced, performative approach that signals deeper cultural problems? Former Target store manager Chris Walton shares insider perspective on why this policy reveals how far store culture has declined, while Anne argues that explicit direction is needed for first-time workers entering the retail job market. Kelly calls it "firmly over and out," while Waqas warns it could give employees an excuse to avoid customers entirely. Sponsored A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/j0UulTYE5_8 #Target #CustomerService #RetailOperations #StoreManagement #RetailCulture

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Target launches an AI-powered gift finder, list scanner, and gamification features in its app to boost holiday shopping engagement and basket sizes.Primark introduces Buy Now, Pay Later options with Klarna and Clearpay in UK stores, joining the BNPL trend as new regulations approach.Grocery Dealz integrates with Instacart's Developer Platform, offering users same-day delivery while comparing prices across retailers.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

In this Retail Fast Five episode, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton are joined by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group's Managing Director Waqas Khan and Director Kelly Carey to unpack the biggest retail headlines of the week—from the AI commerce inflection point to Amazon's legal battle with Perplexity. With Adobe data revealing that AI-driven traffic now converts 16% better than traditional channels, the panel breaks down what this seismic shift means for retailers, why Amazon is fighting back against agentic shopping, and whether Target's new "10-4" service policy will actually work. Plus: Bath & Body Works' genius scent marketing play and the truth about Chief AI Officer roles.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Pizza Hut capitalizes on Gen Alpha's viral "67" meme with 67-cent boneless wings, proving fast food brands can quickly translate digital trends into physical sales.Wawa closes its last standalone drive-thru in Florida, ending a five-year experiment that highlights operational challenges for fuel-less convenience stores.Infios and AWS collaborate to bring agentic AI to supply chain execution, launching intelligent workflows in 2026 that will proactively detect fulfillment anomalies and optimize order management.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Adobe Analytics reveals AI-powered shopping traffic has hit an inflection point, converting 16% better than traditional channels in October 2025—a dramatic turnaround from three months prior when AI traffic underperformed by 9%.Amazon expands its ultra-low-price shopping experience with a standalone Bazaar app launching in 14 new international markets.H-E-B continues its North Texas expansion with Joe V's Smart Shop opening its third DFW location in Irving on November 21st.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Wayfair plans to test a smaller 70,000 square-foot store format in Columbus, Ohio, about half the size of its large-format locations.Dollar General names Travis Nixon as SVP of AI Optimization in a newly created role, tasking the former Dropbox, Meta and Microsoft executive with integrating AI across supply chain, store operations and merchandising.Constructor unveils its AI Product Insights Agent (PIA) for product detail pages, with early adopters seeing a 52% increase in add-to-cart rate and 56% increase in purchase rate from engaged shoppers.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Two retailers. Same-day layoffs. One very strange CEO succession plan. Are we watching Target prepare for an Amazon buyout?Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

Computer vision is transforming retail stores, but most pilots fail to scale beyond proof of concept. In this Omni Talk Ask An Expert episode, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Joe Serrano (Global Managing Partner, Retail & CPG at HTEC) and Daniel Horton (VP of Engineering & Delivery at HTEC) to reveal the playbook for successful computer vision deployments. Learn why 75% of retail AI pilots fail to scale, which use cases deliver the fastest ROI, and how to evaluate your existing infrastructure before investing in new technology. Joe and Dan share hard-earned lessons about everything from camera requirements and network readiness to privacy concerns and customer trust. Key topics covered: • Why demo accuracy rarely matches real-world performance • How to leverage 60-80% of existing cameras with minor augmentation • The critical difference between customer-facing vs. operational AI deployments • Smart carts, inventory visibility, shrink control, and shelf availability use cases • Privacy, GDPR, and building customer trust with in-store AI • Build vs. buy decisions for computer vision infrastructure Whether you're piloting your first computer vision project or scaling existing implementations, this conversation provides actionable insights to help you avoid costly mistakes and deliver measurable ROI. Join HTEC for their January Webinar: Computer Vision in Action: Cutting Shrink, Boosting Efficiency, and Powering Smarter Stores with Edge AI https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/21011/656661?utm_source=brighttalk-sharing&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=linkshare #RetailTech #ComputerVision #ArtificialIntelligence #RetailInnovation #StoreOperations #RetailAI #OmniChannelRetail #InventoryManagement #RetailTransformation #SmartStores

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Starbucks sells 60% stake in its China operations to Boyu Capital for $4 billion, retaining 40% ownership while partnering to operate nearly 8,000 stores.Amazon sues Perplexity AI to stop the startup's Comet browser agent from making purchases on its platform, setting up a precedent-setting legal battle over the reach of agentic AI in e-commerce.U.S. retailers scramble as penny production halts under Trump's directive, forcing stores to round cash transactions amid lack of federal guidance and conflicting state laws on exact change.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Kroger and Instacart announce expanded partnership with AI-powered Cart Assistant, making Kroger one of the first retailers to offer agentic shopping experiences that help customers build carts and plan meals through conversation.Pinterest pilots visual-first AI shopping assistant for U.S. users, offering personalized product recommendations through natural language prompts and visual search that "just gets" users' unique style preferences.Denny's Corp. agrees to $620 million all-cash acquisition by TriArtisan Capital, Treville Capital, and Yadav Enterprises, taking the 1,484-unit diner chain and Keke's Breakfast Cafe private amid ongoing turnaround efforts.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Amazon experiments with robot-powered shopping and new grocery formats at Whole Foods locations.Walmart publishes its first-ever home catalog to showcase furniture and decor.Chick-fil-A opens Daybright, a new restaurant concept in Georgia featuring specialty coffee, smoothies, and breakfast items, without any traditional Chick-fil-A menu items.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Walmart launches five new AI-powered shopping experiences for the holidays.Amazon CEO Andy Jassy predicts AI will accelerate the end of brick-and-mortar's dominance.Kroger expands partnership with Uber Eats to 2,600+ stores, becoming the first retailer to integrate restaurant ordering directly into its grocery app.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

This week Chris examines the long-term strategic brilliance of Walmart willingness to partner with ChatGPT.Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Amazon is hosting its fifth annual Holiday Beauty Event through November 2nd, offering up to 40% off major brands and an extra 10% discount for Amazon Live viewers as the e-commerce giant's beauty market share climbs toward 15% by 2030.Mondelez is using a new generative AI tool to cut marketing production costs by 30% to 50%, with plans to create TV-ready ads by next year's holiday season after investing over $40 million in the technology developed with Publicis and Accenture.Gelson's Market partners with Flashfood to offer $9 produce boxes containing $18 worth of seasonal fruits and vegetables in Los Angeles, marking the first Flashfood retail partnership focused exclusively on produce boxes.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Amazon teams up with USPS to offer doorstep pickup for customer returns, expanding convenience options ahead of peak holiday returns season.Whole Foods Market opens its fourth and largest Daily Shop location in Arlington, Virginia, marking the first expansion of the smaller-format concept outside of New York City.Lululemon announces its first-ever NFL partnership, launching officially-licensed apparel for all 32 teams starting October 28th.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Amazon develops AI-powered smart glasses for delivery drivers, offering hands-free package scanning, turn-by-turn navigation, and hazard detection to streamline deliveries.Albertsons completes rollout of Afresh's AI-powered inventory management across all bakery and deli departments, tackling complex ordering challenges for perishable items.Starbucks pilots assistant store manager positions in California, Illinois, and Texas, with plans to add the role to every North American location in 2026.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

This week Chris pays homage to the great Peter King and his MMQB series, as he offers up his take on everything that has transpired within retail over the past quarter.Brought to you with the help and support of Mirakl - The catalyst of commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship, and retail media. Unlock more products, more partners, and more profits without the heavy lifting. Visit Mirakl.com to learn more.Hosted by Chris Walton, former Target executive and co-host of the Omnii Talk Retail Fast Five Podcast. New episodes of Walton's Weekly Wramblings drop every Friday.Subscribe now and be careful out there - the retail landscape is changing faster than ever.

In this week's Lightning Round, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by Alvarez & Marsal's Lisa Collier and Manola Soler to tackle Apple's iPhone 17 surge (Lisa's learned to wait out the upgrades!), debate Mr. Bean's comedy versus his impeccable taste in classic Jaguars, worry about OpenAI's Sora creating AI models instead of cat videos, and reveal Manola's meteor shower stargazing plans. Plus birthday shoutouts to the fly himself, Jeff Goldblum! Quick hits, hot takes, and laughs to close out the show!

DoorDash is piloting autonomous deliveries with Waymo in Metro Phoenix—but will consumers actually embrace robot deliveries? Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso. Lisa Collier is skeptical: "If I'm paying for delivery, I want it handed to me." Manola Soler shares hilarious experiences with delivery robots in Jersey City that couldn't navigate stairs and blocked sidewalks. The panel debates whether this works better in suburban vs. urban environments, the logistics of restaurant employees running orders to vehicles, and whether lower delivery fees would make consumers accept the trade-off. Chris Walton points out this might succeed in suburban America first, where last-mile costs are higher and homes have driveways—not apartment buildings with elevators.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:Walmart partners with Avery Dennison to deploy RFID sensor technology in its meat, deli, and bakery departments, enabling item-level freshness tracking and automated markdown decisions while advancing its sustainability goals.Starbucks quietly tests "Coffee Loop," a back-to-basics rewards pilot offering select members a free coffee for every nine purchased, as the company works to reverse six consecutive quarters of declining comparable store sales.Toys R Us accelerates its comeback with over 30 new flagship and seasonal stores opening ahead of the holidays, marking a significant milestone in the brand's growth since emerging from bankruptcy.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

In this OmniTalk Retail Fast Five episode, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by Alvarez & Marsal's Lisa Collier and Manola Soler to separate retail fact from fiction across five major headlines transforming the industry. From Walmart's groundbreaking partnership with ChatGPT to Ulta's curated marketplace launch, autonomous deliveries via Waymo, and the future of luxury retail, this episode covers it all. Plus, former Walmart EVP Marybeth Hays stops by for Five Insightful Minutes on how merchandising is evolving with AI, real-time shelf intelligence, and cross-functional collaboration.

Holiday retail is heating up... but this year looks dramatically different. With order counts steady but PO values down 25%, retailers are placing smaller, more frequent bets instead of locking in big inventory buys. Total holiday spend is expected to drop 5%, and gift spending is down 11%. So how do you execute when November and December throw inevitable curve balls? In this episode of the Omni Talk Ask An Expert Series, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with SPS Commerce's Brandon Pierre (VP of Customer Success) and Tony DiPaolo (VP Head of Retail, Sales & Customer Success) to break down the execution risks facing retailers and suppliers this holiday season... and share five actionable tactics you can deploy right now to protect your sales. What You'll Learn: • Why retailers are frontloading inventory but keeping orders leaner than ever • The hidden costs of in-season reaction and supplier strain • How to use supplier scorecarding as your radar for demand spikes • Why OTIF (On-Time-In-Full) metrics matter more than ever this season • Collaboration strategies that help retailers and suppliers react faster • How to prepare for both hot demand and soft sales scenarios Whether you're a retailer, supplier, or brand navigating Q4, this conversation is packed with data insights and practical tactics to help you execute through uncertainty. #RetailTech #HolidayRetail #SupplyChain #RetailStrategy #OTIF #OmniChannel #RetailData #Q4Retail #BlackFriday #RetailExecution

Are you ready for commerce without websites? In this Omni Talk Expert Series conversation, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Jon Cleaver (CTO, Sportshoes.com) and Malte Ubl (CTO, Vercel) to explore how composable architecture and AI are reshaping retail's future. Jon shares the inside story of Sportshoes.com's aggressive 7-month website transformation... moving from a frustrating monolithic system to a flexible, composable stack. Malte reveals how modern infrastructure makes it possible to scale from zero to 100,000 compute instances instantly, and why retailers must think API-first to survive the agentic commerce revolution. Key topics covered: • Why composable commerce beats monolithic systems for AI readiness • How to transform your website in 7 months (and keep your job) • The real cost of AI in retail and how to manage it • Why your website won't disappear... but how customers will use it will • Starting your agentic AI experiments with logged-in customers • The critical role of product data enrichment for AI discovery Whether you're a CTO evaluating your tech stack or a merchant trying to understand where retail is heading, this conversation delivers practical insights you can act on today. #RetailTech #ComposableCommerce #AgenticAI #Ecommerce #RetailInnovation #APIFirst #DigitalTransformation