Podcasts about Intersport

Google's new AI-powered Shopping ads can now decide which of your products wins the click — and it's optimizing for the user, not for your margin, your brand, or your strategy. This Gemini-built format writes its own product descriptions and may re-rank which product gets shown, beyond your bid. Mike Ryan and Chris dig into what that means for retailers who suddenly have less control over what gets pushed. Plus: ChatGPT is finally bringing Product Listing Ads (PLAs) to its results — a solid first step, or a Bing-style copycat play?The real story: "more relevant to the user" is not the same as "best for the retailer." As automated channels get more aggressive at matching products to searches, advertisers risk quietly losing control of which products actually get sold.In this episode:→ What Google's AI-powered Shopping ads actually are — a new format inside AI Max for Shopping, not an umbrella term → "Intelligent product identification": how Gemini may re-rank which product is shown, beyond the bid → The retailer's blind spot — Google optimizes for click-through rate; you optimize for the business → The coffee-machine problem: when the highest-converting product isn't the one you need to sell → Why the best Google Ads outcome isn't always the best business outcome → ChatGPT's PLAs: a solid, feed-based first step — or a Bing-style copycat play? → What OpenAI's $100B ad ambition means for what comes nextThe throughline: AI executes, but only you know what your business needs to achieve. The retailers who win are the ones who keep translating business goals — margin, brand priority, profitability — into the channel, instead of letting the platform decide.

The EU is finally using its teeth on Chinese e-commerce — and the auction landscape is already shifting. Mike and Chris break down what falling CPCs in Europe mean for your accounts, why the July 1st customs change could matter more than any fine, and the playbook for grabbing market share before the window closes.Then: a major Google Marketing Live feature almost nobody is talking about. Google's new AI Performance Insights and the "Share of Voice" metric in Merchant Center finally show your product visibility inside AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini — across both organic and paid. We cover what it does, where it lives, and the one big gap Google still leaves wide open.In this episode: • Why the EU crackdown on Temu, Shein & AliExpress is a sign of what's coming • Average CPCs dropped ~2.3% in May 2026 — and up to 5% in some categories • The July 1st customs exemption change and what it does to Chinese sellers' margins • The playbook: tROAS as a signal, AI Max search, demand-led growth & smart bidding exploration • JoyBuy — the unregulated Chinese player to watch • Google's new AI Performance Insights & Share of Voice metric in Merchant Center • The black box that still remains: campaign-level dataGrowing Ecommerce is brought to you by smec (Smarter Ecommerce). Learn more at smarterecommerce.com.

Meta has overtaken Google in ad budgets - and for ecommerce advertisers, that changes everything.It means Google is on the offensive. It means the pressure to split your budget between platforms is about to intensify. And it means that if you're not set up correctly on Google's AI surfaces right now, you're already losing ground to competitors who are.In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan (smec's Head of Ecommerce Insights) and Chris share firsthand takeaways from GML 2026 — both the San Francisco and Dublin events — with unfiltered takes on what actually matters for your campaigns.What we cover:→ Google vs. Meta: The "War of the Titans" and why Google's messaging to advertisers is getting aggressive→ AI Max for Shopping: Why standard shopping campaigns may have limited eligibility in AI surfaces→ New AI-native ad formats: Conversational discovery ads, feed-based text ads, and why the line between shopping and search is collapsing→ Ask Advisor: A great idea — but oversold to an irresponsible degree (Mike's take)→ Universal Cart: Multi-retailer, cross-platform checkout — and Google's Amazon moment→ What the shift to agentic commerce means for how you monetize clicksCut through the hype. Know what to act on.

Google just dropped a PMax special — and there's a lot to unpack.In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris break down three major updates reshaping how ecommerce advertisers run Performance Max and Shopping campaigns in 2025:1. Network exclusions for PMax: You can now opt out of Search Partner Network AND Google Display Network directly inside PMax. Years in the making, and a massive lever for both performance and brand safety. We walk through why it matters, when to use it, and how to check your own data first.2. Shopping Performance View: A new level of product-level reporting coming to PMax and Demand Gen campaigns via the Google Ads API. See performance by brand, category, product type, and item ID — the same parity you get in standard Shopping. Huge for anyone who's tried and failed to understand feed performance inside Max.3. AI Max for Shopping: The biggest one. Google is rolling out an optional AI layer for standard Shopping campaigns with three features:- Text customization: Google rewrites your product titles dynamically per query- Final URL expansion (FUE): Google picks landing pages from your site — including category pages- Optimal format selection: Text ads can now appear inside your Shopping campaignsWe discuss what this means for advertisers who run standard Shopping for control, whether there's real redundancy with Search and PMax, the campaign overlap and CPC escalation risk, and why Mike thinks this is actually bigger than AI Max for Search.Standard Shopping: confirmed not dead. Google is investing in it.Growing Ecommerce is brought to you by smarter ecommerce (smec) — helping online retailers optimize paid search through AI-powered software and human PPC expertise.#PerformanceMax #PMax #GoogleShopping #AIMaxForShopping #GoogleAds #EcommerceMarketing #PPC #SearchPartnerNetwork #GoogleAdsUpdates #PaidSearchAbout Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dive into the much-anticipated updates to the OpenAI ads platform and break down Google's staggering Q1 earnings report.While OpenAI has finally transitioned their ad platform from a primitive Excel spreadsheet to a proper User Interface, their highly publicized shift to a CPC model is raising major red flags. We break down the math behind their highly constrained $3 to $5 max CPC range, revealing how it mathematically equates to the exact same astronomical $60 effective CPM they originally launched with. We discuss why advertisers should demand more transparency and control before shifting their performance budgets to ChatGPT.We also unpack Google's unstoppable Q1 momentum. With a massive $110 billion in revenue and an 80% spike in earnings per share, Google is silencing the "death of Search" narrative. We explore their impressive 19% core Search growth, the staggering 63% surge in Google Cloud that is heavily outpacing AWS and Azure, and why Google's massive $180 billion CapEx guidance for 2026 solidifies their dominance in the AI arms race.Key Takeaways:• The OpenAI Ad Trap: Don't be fooled by OpenAI's new CPC bidding model. By forcing advertisers into a strict $3 to $5 CPC range, the platform is essentially maintaining its premium $60 effective CPM under a disguise. Advertisers should hold off on shifting performance budgets until real incrementality and transparency are proven.• Search is Still Thriving: Despite the ongoing narrative that AI will kill traditional search engines, Google's core Search product grew by 19% year-over-year. The search giant's core advertising flywheel remains the most reliable engine for ecommerce growth.• Google Cloud is Winning the AI War: Google Cloud (GCS) achieved a staggering 63% year-over-year growth, heavily outpacing Amazon AWS (28%) and Microsoft Azure (39%). Powered by deep Gemini integration and proprietary TPUs, Google's vertical integration puts them in a unique position to dominate the next decade.Resources & Links:• Access all our webinars, reports, and playbooks in our Knowledge Hub: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/ • How is your industry stacking up in the market? Find out with smec's Google Ads Benchmarks: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dive into the end of an era: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) are officially dying.While Google's new AI Max for Search currently sits at a tiny 1.5-2% adoption rate, the mandatory migration of all DSA campaigns by September will trigger an instant hockey-stick growth curve. We explain exactly what you need to expect from this sunset, how the auto-migration handles broad match and URL expansion by default, and why advertisers need to start testing AI Max immediately before the Q4 holiday crunch.We also unpack the diverging automation strategies of the tech giants and the catastrophic drop in Meta Advantage+ adoption. After peaking at 40%, its cost share has nosedived to a concerning 20%. We discuss why this downward trend calls Mark Zuckerberg's "fully automated" vision into question. Plus, we explore the latest Meta Pixel updates and why Meta wants a feed-less future while Google doubles down on structured data.Key Takeaways:The AI Max Hockey Stick: Do not be fooled by the current low adoption rate of AI Max for Search. Once the legacy DSA campaigns (which currently hold about 15% cost share) are auto-migrated in September, AI Max will become a dominant and highly relevant campaign type overnight.Meta's Automation Problem: Advantage+ adoption is on a multi-quarter decline, dropping to just 20% cost share. Without substantial product improvements, Meta will struggle to achieve the fully automated, hands-off advertising ecosystem it envisioned.The Feed vs. Feed-less Divide: Meta is attempting to offload feed management by using AI to scrape landing page data directly via the Meta Pixel. Conversely, Google relies heavily on detailed data feeds to ground its AI and maintain quality control.Resources & Links:Access all our webinars, reports, and playbooks in our Knowledge Hub: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/How is your industry stacking up in the market? Find out with smec's Google Ads Benchmarks:https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/ About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller break down the latest shifts in the battle for AI dominance and the future of online shopping.We analyze the quiet death of OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). With major tech giants—including ACP co-founder Stripe, as well as Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon—joining Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) Tech Council, we explore what this consensus means for the future of e-commerce standards and why these companies chose to back Google's infrastructure over ChatGPT.We also look at where ChatGPT's outbound traffic is actually going. With 20% of its e-commerce referrals landing on Amazon—and roughly 30% of its overall referrals directing users right back to Google or YouTube—we question the long-term impact on user experience and whether OpenAI is just feeding the monopolies it is trying to disrupt.Plus, we cover Google's rollout of "AI mode" to Chrome users in the US, featuring a new side-by-side browsing experience, and discuss the looming threat of mass arbitration facing Google in the wake of its 2024 antitrust loss.Resources & Links:Access all our webinars, reports, and playbooks in our Knowledge Hub: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/How is your industry stacking up in the market? Find out with smec's Google Ads Benchmarks:https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/ About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

Google just quietly won the agentic commerce war — and most ecommerce retailers haven't even noticed. In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris break down the three UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) updates Google just shipped, why OpenAI's ACP is already falling behind, and the structural advantages that make Google's lead almost impossible to catch.If you run Performance Max campaigns, sell on Google Shopping, or want to understand where ecommerce is headed in the AI era — this is the episode that connects the dots.Inside this episode:The 3 new UCP capabilities that just went live: cart building, catalog capability, and identity linking — and why "boring" updates matter more than hypeWhy OpenAI's ACP dropped to single-item checkout while Google moved aheadThe Walmart Sparky chatbot inside ChatGPT — the workaround that proves OpenAI's pipeline is brokenHow Google Pay and Google Wallet quietly lock retailers into a walled gardenGoogle's flywheel: how the shopping graph + audience graph + structured knowledge graph data create a moat LLMs can't replicateWhy this time is different from Buy on Google's 2018 failure — and what changed in Google's leverage over retailersWhy pipeline-based agents (UCP) will win over browser-based agents — and how this is really the logical endpoint of headless commerceThe only thing that could realistically stop Google: regulatorsTopics covered: UCP, Universal Commerce Protocol, agentic commerce, Performance Max, PMax, Google Shopping, AI mode, ChatGPT shopping, OpenAI ACP, agentic checkout, Google Pay, Google Wallet, headless commerce, Merchant Center, knowledge graph, shopping graph, Walmart Sparky, AI overviews, conversational attributes.About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller unpack two massive stories highlighting the current realities—and potential delusions—of the tech and retail sectors.First, we discuss the quiet and staggering fall of Allbirds. Once a Silicon Valley staple and D2C darling valued at a massive $4 billion, the sustainable shoe company has reportedly sold for a fraction of that cost. We explore what their trajectory tells us about the overestimation of the D2C model and why the fundamentals of traditional retail still matter.Then, we dive back into the OpenAI ad platform. OpenAI recently released a bullish projection: they expect their ad business to cross $100 billion in revenue by 2030. We take a critical look at the current state of their ad interface—which currently resembles Google Ads from a decade ago—and discuss why hitting that revenue target will require an unprecedented, disruptive evolution of their product.Key Takeaways:The D2C Reality Check: Allbirds' massive devaluation highlights a broader trend: many D2C brands were valued as high-growth tech companies rather than traditional retailers. As market conditions shift, the core competencies of traditional retail—and the value of retail middlemen—are becoming apparent again.OpenAI's Steep Climb: While OpenAI projects a massive $100 billion ad business by 2030, their current platform is rudimentary. It operates on a flight-based approach with a fixed $60 CPM and relies on basic keyword matching, limiting its appeal primarily to large brand advertisers rather than the performance-focused mass market needed for that scale of growth.The Comparability Problem: OpenAI's ad platform will inevitably be compared to highly sophisticated, always-on ecosystems like Google Ads and Meta. To capture significant market share and reach their revenue goals, OpenAI must evolve beyond a basic UI and deliver a product that proves strong incrementality and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).Resources & Links:Access all our webinars, reports, and playbooks in our Knowledge Hub: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/How is your industry stacking up in the market? Find out with smec's Google Ads Benchmarks:https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/ About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

Bonjour et bienvenue dans la revue de presse hebdo et audio du secteur retail / e-commerce en France proposée par Les Digital Doers.

Is the “Zero-Click” shopping era finally here, and are European retailers ready for a three-way war between Amazon, Temu, and JD.com's Joybuy?In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller unpack a huge week in e-commerce. First: Meta's new Stripe partnership for in-app checkout. With OpenAI and Google both struggling to make native checkout work, can Meta finally crack the “zero-click” model and keep shoppers fully inside its platform?Then comes the real clash of the titans. JD.com has launched Joybuy in Europe, going straight after Amazon and Temu. We share exclusive Google Ads data showing how aggressively Joybuy is already outranking incumbents. But unlike Temu, Joybuy isn't just burning cash for growth. It's building a sustainable base and investing in local logistics, making it a serious hybrid threat.Finally, Mike shares updated market penetration numbers for Amazon and Temu across Europe. The picture is clear: Amazon dominates wealthy Western European markets, while Temu has seized the Central and Eastern European markets Amazon largely ignored.

OpenAI is facing a projected $25 billion shortfall, and their attempt to monetize ecommerce is already falling apart.In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmüller ask the billion-dollar question: Is the dream of "agentic commerce" already dead on arrival? While the media celebrates OpenAI's early $100 million in ad revenue, the math tells a much darker story. Their projected 2026 burn rate sits between $14 and $25 billion. To survive, they need a massive, highly profitable ad network—but their recent retail experiments are failing the test.We break down why ChatGPT quietly killed off its new "Shopping Research" feature (hint: consumers won't wait minutes for an AI to fetch product recommendations). We also reveal the shocking data from Walmart's early checkout test within ChatGPT, where in-app conversions were three times lower than standard website traffic.If ChatGPT wants to steal budget from Google Ads and Meta, they have to prove they can actually drive profitable sales. Right now, the data suggests users simply aren't ready to let an AI agent do their shopping.Key Takeaways & SEO Insights:The Revenue Reality: Generating $100M in two months is impressive, but with Capital Expenditures (CapEx) skyrocketing to compete with Google and Microsoft, OpenAI's projected losses are staggering. Advertising is their most obvious path to close that gap.Speed vs. Quality in E-commerce: OpenAI shut down its specialized post-trained shopping model because generating deep product analyses took too long. In retail, friction kills adoption.The Conversion Crisis: Early tests with major retailers like Walmart showed that instant checkouts within ChatGPT converted at a rate 3x lower than traditional website traffic. If they can't drive efficiency, advertisers won't shift their budgets.The Scraping Band-Aid: OpenAI's reliance on scraping Google Shopping data for product recommendations shows they are still heavily dependent on their biggest competitor to power their agentic commerce dreams.Resources & Links:Access all our webinars, reports, and playbooks in our Knowledge Hub: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/How is your industry stacking up in the market? Find out with smec's Google Ads Benchmarks:https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/ About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

Ever wonder what the biggest e-commerce brands are discussing behind closed doors? We are opening up the vault.

Is the "clash of the titans" coming for your profit margins, and is Google about to take away your website traffic? In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Sharma tackle two massive, existential shifts threatening the traditional online retail playbook.First, we dive into the aggressive European expansion of Chinese e-commerce giants. While JD.com (Joybuy) and SHEIN are making aggressive moves, Temu is completely taking over. We break down the official monthly active user data, revealing that Temu now commands a 40% overall market share in Europe – including a staggering 71.1% market share in Poland and 44% in Germany. Are European retailers simply becoming collateral damage in this war of attrition?Then, we unpack a recently granted Google patent that sounds like a sci-fi nightmare for marketers. The patent outlines a system where Google evaluates your landing page, and if it doesn't meet their qualitative standards, they will generate an AI replacement landing page within the ad ecosystem. We discuss what this means for the loss of your tracking data, zero-click purchases, and the ultimate "PMax-ification" of Google Ads.

Why did OpenAI quietly kill its shopping feature, and what does it mean for the future of Google Ads?

If you want to know how your peers are actually handling the grind, the Google Ads updates, and the "AI takeover," this episode is a must-watch. We recorded a special edition of Growing Ecommerce live from SMX Munich! Host Mike Ryan is joined by Wijnand Meijer (Co-founder & CEO at TrueClicks) and Frederick Vallaeys (CEO at Optmyzr) to dive deep into the freshly released Global State of PPC 2026 Report.This isn't just another PDF to gather dust in your downloads folder. Driven by the team at TrueClicks and supported by top industry partners, it's an unfiltered reality check for the entire paid search industry. With 1,300+ respondents spilling the tea across 60+ charts and 14,000 words, we unpack the hard insights on agency billing, Performance Max workarounds, and why AI isn't saving us as much time as the tech bros promised.The Complexity Struggle: 53% of practitioners say managing PPC is harder than it was two years ago.Agency Operations: Agencies managing over $1M/month are doing so with 20% fewer people. Yet, 1 in 5 agencies still charge by billable hours (with heavy geographical differences: only 4-12% in the US/AUS vs. 25% in Europe).The PMax Paradox: 48% complain about a lack of granular control, leading to workarounds like standard shopping hybrids (37%) and feed-only builds (17%). Despite this, 65% are satisfied with their PMax results.The AI Elephant in the Room: On average, professionals report saving only 5.2 hours a week using AI. Furthermore, 70% state that quality and accuracy (hallucinations) are their biggest AI hurdles.The Tool Stack: Surprisingly, 62% of respondents don't use paid third-party tools for analysis or optimization, relying entirely on native interfaces and spreadsheets.Resources & Links:Read the full, unfiltered report for free at: www.ppcsurvey.comA massive thank you to Wijnand Meijer and the TrueClicks team for driving this monumental effort.Shoutout to all the fellow partners for making this happen: DataFeedWatch by Cart.com, God Tier Ads, Hero Conf, Optmyzr, Producthero, SMX Advanced Europe, Swydo, TrueClicks, and Smarter E-commerce (smec).Learn more about Smarter E-commerce: smarter-ecommerce.comAbout Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

In this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris from Smarter Ecommerce (smec) tackle the massive news that DSA's time on Earth is limited. With DSA going the way of the dinosaurs, Google is pushing advertisers toward AI Max for Search. But is it actually a worthy replacement?To find out, Mike breaks down the findings from his brand-new 18-page report, The Ultimate Guide to AI Max. After analyzing 1 year of data across more than 600 Google Ads search campaigns, the numbers tell a nuanced story about incrementality versus efficiency.We cover exactly what AI Max is, how it overlaps with PMax and Broad Match, and the real cost of those "incremental" conversions. If you are a heavy DSA user, this is the exact data you need to start planning your migration strategy!

Is ROAS a flawed metric for Google Ads? According to acclaimed ecommerce experts Mike Ryan and Christian Scharmüller, using Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) as your primary "North Star" metric creates a dangerous "Revenue Trap." Because ROAS measures revenue rather than actual margin, it creates an "air gap" that ignores the law of diminishing returns, ultimately hurting the profitability of mature Google Ads campaigns.In this episode of Growing eCommerce, the hosts break down how to properly use ROAS as a bidding signal and explore the latest transparency updates to Google's Performance Max (PMax) campaigns.The Problem with ROAS as a Profit Proxy: Many advertisers use ROAS as a stand-in for profit. However, as campaigns scale, incremental returns flatten out. A 600% ROAS does not guarantee your next ad dollar will yield the same profit margin.ROAS is a Communication Vessel, Not Just a Goal: Setting a blanket ROAS target across multiple campaigns is a strategic mistake. ROAS is actually your primary bidding signal and pacing tool to steer Google's algorithms.Dynamic vs. Static Targeting: Advertisers should move away from adjusting ROAS based on "gut feeling" and adopt a scientific, data-driven approach based on specific campaign constraints.Resources & Expert LinksFREE smec Advanced Channel Report Script: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/google-ads-scripts/pmax-channel-insights/About Mike Ryan:Based in Austria and originally from Boston, Mike Ryan is the Head of Ecommerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce (smec) with over ten years of experience in retail and PPC landscape. With a robust background spanning retail operations, product management, and digital ads, Mike leverages his multidisciplinary expertise to drive data-informed strategies that help online retailers optimize their performance in an increasingly competitive market.About Christian Scharmueller:As a seasoned veteran in the PPC and Ecommerce space, Christian Scharmüller serves as the CCO & Managing Director of Smarter Ecommerce. With over 12 years of experience at the forefront of ad tech, Christian is a sought-after speaker at major industry events, including SMX and OMR, where he shares insights on high-level e-commerce strategy and the future of retail media.About Smarter Ecommerce (smec) Smarter Ecommerce (smec) helps e-commerce brands scale profitably with AI-driven PPC automation—optimizing for business outcomes while keeping strategic control in the hands of marketers. The platform activates first-party data (e.g., margins, CLV, core business metrics) to automate campaign optimization toward profitability and efficient growth, with transparent insights that reduce manual work and free teams for strategic oversight. As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages €500M+ in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients, including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport. Follow smec for performance marketing insights: Website: smarter-ecommerce.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbh Newsletter: smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/ Instagram: instagram.com/smarterecommerce

Dans ce deuxième épisode, enregistré en direct de l'ASICS House, on continue ensemble à se motiver… même quand la pluie ne cesse de tomber, que les sorties longues s'allongent et que le doute commence à s'installer.À nos côtés pour en parler : Ben Dhiman, Christine Selman, Tristan Pawlak et bien d'autres experts encore. Ensemble, on décrypte ce moment charnière de la prépa : comment renforcer son mental, gérer la fatigue, prévenir les blessures et transformer les conditions difficiles en avantage le jour J. Road to Paris, c'est une série pour comprendre, rassurer, et rappeler que, quel que soit votre niveau, vous n'êtes pas seul dans cette traversée.Un dispositif éditorial de 12 semaines, rendu possible grâce au soutien d'ASICS, HiPRO, l'AFC, Hyundai, Shokz, Campus Coach, Intersport et TĀ Energy.GOWOD, L'app qui teste et améliore votre mobilité avec des routines 100 % personnalisées pour exceller dans tous vos sports. https://www.gowod.app/fr Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this episode of Growing eCommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris debunk three persistent myths that are still holding retailers back in 2026. While everyone is distracted by the hype of UCP and Agentic Commerce, many accounts are bleeding efficiency due to outdated structures like the "Heroes & Zombies" matrix and one-dimensional margin buckets.We break down why these old-school tactics create self-fulfilling prophecies of failure and share what sophisticated retailers are doing instead to balance volume, margin, and the new reality of AI-driven search.In this episode, we cover:The "Zero Click" Wake-Up Call: Why the shift to walled gardens means you need to fix your tactical basics now before the ecosystem changes forever.Myth #1: Heroes & Zombies: Why classifying low-volume products as "zombies" is a logical flaw that starves your potential growth engines. We explain the danger of using historical data to doom new products.Myth #2: Margin Buckets: Why segmenting campaigns by gross margin % (e.g., 0-5%, 5-10%) is dangerous. Mike shares data showing how this ignores conversion volume and pricing strategies, leading to "death by optimization."Myth #3: PMax vs. Standard Shopping: It's no longer an either/or decision. We discuss the rise of hybrid setups and why Standard Shopping is actually gaining cost share again.Key Takeaways:Don't rely on single-dimensional data: Grouping products solely by ROAS or Margin % ignores critical context like seasonality, price competitiveness, and absolute profit.Standard Shopping isn't dead: Even Google is now advocating for hybrid use cases, such as using Standard Shopping for query filtering or specific inventory control.+1The "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy": If you put a new product in a "zombie" campaign with low budget because it has no data, it will never get data. You need a multi-dimensional scoring strategy.About Mike RyanBased in Austria and originally from Boston, Mike Ryan is Head of Ecommerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce (smec). With 10+ years in retail and PPC, and experience across retail operations, product management, and digital advertising, he helps online retailers turn data into strategies that improve performance in a highly competitive market.About Christian ScharmüllerChristian Scharmüller is CCO & Managing Director at Smarter Ecommerce and a long-time expert in PPC and e-commerce. With 12+ years in ad tech, he's a regular speaker at major industry events such as SMX and OMR, sharing insights on e-commerce strategy and the future of retail media.About Smarter Ecommerce (smec) Smarter Ecommerce (smec) helps e-commerce brands scale profitably with AI-driven PPC automation—optimizing for business outcomes while keeping strategic control in the hands of marketers. The platform activates first-party data (e.g., margins, CLV, core business metrics) to automate campaign optimization toward profitability and efficient growth, with transparent insights that reduce manual work and free teams for strategic oversight. As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages €500M+ in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients, including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport. Follow smec for performance marketing insights: Website: smarter-ecommerce.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbh Newsletter: smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/ Instagram: instagram.com/smarterecommerce

UCP (Universal Context Protocol) is a new infrastructure layer aiming to standardize “agentic commerce.” It breaks ecommerce into modular capabilities (“Lego bricks”) so AI agents can negotiate tasks like product discovery, checkout, and payments across platforms.This has become an infrastructure war: Google is pushing UCP as an open-source standard versus OpenAI's ACP (Agentic Commerce Protocol) and Anthropic's MCP (Model Context Protocol). Big retailers such as Walmart and Zalando are already experimenting with UCP right now.In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Christian Scharmüller unpack what “Agentic Commerce” means as AI shifts from generating text to taking actions in online shops—and what that implies for your data feed strategy.In this episode, we cover:• The Rise of UCP: how agents “negotiate” capabilities like discovery and checkout—similar to early standards wars (e.g., electricity).• Adoption Reality Check: will consumers let AI buy their sneakers? Mike forecasts ~10% of UCP-based transactions within 2 years; Chris estimates ~5%.• The Protocol War: how partnerships with giants (Walmart, Zalando) help Google try to win the standard.• New Merchant Responsibilities: to reduce hallucinations, Google plans 10–12 new feeds/attributes, pushing more structured-data work back to retailers.About the hosts:Mike Ryan (Austria; originally Boston) is Head of Ecommerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce (smec), with 10+ years in retail and PPC.Christian Scharmüller is CCO & Managing Director at smec, a long-time PPC/ecommerce leader and frequent speaker (e.g., SMX, OMR).Smarter Ecommerce (smec) helps e-commerce brands optimize PPC with AI-driven automation focused on profit and business outcomes, leveraging first-party data like margins and LTV.Follow smec for more performance marketing insights:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhSubscribe for more actionable eCommerce insights!#eCommerce #GoogleAds #UCP #AgenticCommerce #AI #DigitalMarketing #RetailTrends #GoogleMerchantCentersmec is a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, managing €500M+ in ad spend and driving €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue across 350+ global retail clients (incl. THG, Snipes, REWE, Intersport).More:Website: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/Why it matters: if agents become the new storefront, whoever sets the protocol shapes access to customers, data standards, and product visibility—so feed quality and structured attributes really matter.About smec (Smarter Ecommerce): At smec - Smarter Ecommerce, we specialize in transforming business goals into optimized ad campaigns. With over 16 years of experience in Google & Microsoft Ads, our intelligent software and expert services help retailers achieve superior results. We're committed to giving you the tools and insights needed to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of digital advertising. Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights: smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.com LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbh Newsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/

25 ans que les Bleus attendaient une médaille mondiale aux championnats du monde de cross-country… À Tallahassee, le relais mixte tricolore est allé chercher une magnifique médaille d'argent, derrière l'armada australienne et devant l'Éthiopie. Dans cet épisode, immersion avec trois acteurs de cet exploit : Agathe Guillemot, Sarah Madeleine et Alexis Miellet. Comment ils ont construit cette équipe « médaillable », la stratégie millimétrée, le choix de l'ordre du relais (jusqu'au pierre-feuille-ciseaux entre Agathe et Sarah !), la gestion des 500 derniers mètres et la pression de « ne pas se louper » avec une médaille mondiale en jeu.RMC Running met aussi en lumière un prodige du demi-fond français : Aloïs Abraham, 17 ans seulement et 13e des Mondiaux juniors. Comment vit-on une première sélection mondiale si jeune ? Que lui ont appris Jimmy Gressier, Yann Schrub et les leaders de l'équipe de France ? Cross, piste, objectifs à venir : la relève est là, et elle court très vite.Et dans le bon plan matos, nous vous offrons la toute nouvelle paire de Running Asics : la Gel-Cumulus 28 ! Une paire à retrouver en exclusivité chez Intersport jusqu'au 31 janvier, puis dans tous les magasins de Running. Rendez-vous sur notre compte Instagram RMC Running. 

Se lancer dans une préparation marathon, ce n'est pas simplement suivre un plan pendant 12 semaines.C'est une traversée. Physique, mentale, parfois émotionnelle.Avec Road to Paris, Dans la tête d'un coureur vous propose de vivre cette préparation pas à pas, en mettant des mots sur ce que des milliers de coureurs s'apprêtent à traverser avant le Marathon de Paris.Dans cet épisode de lancement, nous croisons des regards différents mais complémentaires pour comprendre ce que représente vraiment une préparation marathon, bien avant le jour J.Tristan Pawlak, Running Addict, Dorian Louvet et Marion Navarro partagent leur expérience, leur vécu et leur vision du marathon, de la découverte à l'exigence du très haut niveau.Road to Paris, c'est une série pour comprendre, rassurer, et rappeler que, quel que soit votre niveau, vous n'êtes pas seul dans cette traversée.Un dispositif éditorial de 12 semaines, rendu possible grâce au soutien d'ASICS, HiPRO, l'AFC, Hyundai, Shokz, Campus Coach, Intersport et TĀ Energy.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

«SCHUHE, DIE SICH GUT ANFÜHLEN, SIND NICHT UNBEDINGT DIE RICHTIGEN» Laufschuhe sind zur heissen Ware geworden. Einige der sogenannten Superschuhe dürfen im Rennen nicht getragen werden, weil sie mit ihrer Technologie unerlaubte Vorteile verschaffen. Das Beispiel zeigt – auf dem Laufschuhmarkt ist jede Menge los. Einen Überblick bietet das Gespräch mit dem wohl erfahrensten Laufschuhexperten der Schweiz, Tobias Schumacher von Intersport Schumacher in Langenthal BE. Mit ihm bespreche ich in einem «Laufschuh ABC» die grosse Palette einer immer noch boomenden Branche. Die Spitze eines breiten Angebots sind die Super-Schuhe der Elite, die nicht jeder tragen kann. «Mit diesen Schuhen kann man im Prinzip nicht gehen, da muss man eine gewisse Geschwindigkeit laufen. Wenn ich mit einem F1-Auto nur 30 oder 40 km/h fahre – das funktioniert ja auch nicht», so Schumacher. Wir schauen uns am anderen Ende des Angebots auch Schuhe für Hobbyläufer, an die aus gesundheitlichen Gründen nur noch einmal in der Woche laufen können. 1:1-Beratung zur Verletzungsprävention Besonders wichtig: Wer einen guten Laufschuh sucht und in den Folgejahren verletzungsfrei bleiben möchte, kommt an einer 1:1-Beratung nicht vorbei. «Es gibt Schuhe, die fühlen sich beim Kunden gut an und dennoch muss ich abraten. Die Frage ist immer, wie lange kann der Körper kompensieren bis der Schmerz da ist», so Tobias Schumacher, dessen (selbst entwickeltes) Analysetool und scharfen Augen nichts entgeht.Weitere Themen eines interessanten Gesprächs sind u.a. die Laufschuhentwicklung und verschiedene Materialien wie Schaumstoffe, Carbon und neu auch Nylon.Reinhören lohnt sich! ___________⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Intersport Schumacher:https://www.schumacher-sport.ch/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ___________⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TriStory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://tristory.news.blog/___________TriStory ist auf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠und ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠___________Kontakt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tristory@gmx.ch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠___________Die finanzielle Unterstützung von TriStory ist gerne möglich. Weitere ⁠⁠Details ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hier⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:⁠https://tristory.news.blog/unterstutzung/ ⁠___________TWINT (nur in der Schweiz): + 41 79 261 60 90 – Stichwort Podcast ___________IBAN-ZahlungsinfosEmpfänger: Sabine KlapperVerwendungszweck: PodcastKontonummer: 3500-5.224765.9

Hyrox ist nicht nur ein Trendsport. Durch die Kooperation mit Intersport öffnet sich das Fitnessformat gezielt für den stationären Handel und neue Eventkonzepte am PoS. Im Podcast erklärt Gründer Christian Tötzke, wie die Sportartikelbranche vom Hyrox-Boom profitieren kann. Ein Wettkampf, der Ausdauerlauf mit funktionellem Training kombiniert – und damit eine völlig neue Sportkategorie geschaffen hat – das ist Hyrox. Das Format, 2017 von Christian Tötzke und Hockey-Olympiasieger Moritz Fürste ins Leben gerufen, hat sich in kürzester Zeit von Hamburg aus zu einer internationalen Eventserie entwickelt. Hunderttausende Teilnehmer messen sich inzwischen auf fast allen Kontinenten in Disziplinen wie Schlittenziehen, Burpee Broad Jumps oder Wall Balls – neben dem obligatorischen Ein-Kilometer-Lauf. Im aktuellen SAZsport-Podcast spricht Hyrox-Gründer Christian Tötzke über den rasanten Aufstieg seines Formats, die besondere Community, die dahintersteht, und die Chancen, die sich daraus für den Sportfachhandel ergeben. Denn Hyrox ist längst mehr als ein Event – es ist ein wachsendes Ökosystem rund um Schuhe, funktionelle Bekleidung und Trainingsequipment. Christian Tötzke erklärt, wie viel Organisation hinter einem einzigen Event steckt und warum er das Potenzial an neuen „Hyroxern“ in Deutschland auf Sicht von vier bis fünf Jahren für enorm hält. Auch strategische Partnerschaften spielen dabei eine zentrale Rolle: Mit Intersport wurde jüngst eine Kooperation gestartet, die Händlern neue Möglichkeiten bietet, Hyrox-Erlebnisse direkt in den Point of Sale zu integrieren – etwa über lokale Events oder gemeinsame Aktionen mit Markenpartnern wie Puma. Spannend ist auch der unternehmerische Ansatz: Wer will, kann selbst aktiv werden und unter der Marke Hyrox eigene Trainingsflächen oder Studios eröffnen. „Darin steckt definitiv ein Geschäftsmodell“, betont Tötzke. Für Händler und Fitnessunternehmer eröffnet das Format so eine zusätzliche Perspektive – zwischen klassischem Studio, Laufcommunity und funktionellem Training. Viel Spaß mit unserer neuen Folge!

Er hat dieses Jahr schon früh in der Saison für Aufsehen gesorgt mit seiner fulminanten Steigerung über 800m auf 1:44,17min: Alexander Stepanov. Es ist die schnellste Zeit eines deutschen Läufers seit vielen Jahren und bringt ihn direkt in die Top10 der ewigen deutschen Bestenliste, nur eine Hundertstelsekunde hinter Olympiasieger Nils Schumann. Dabei ist er erst 20 Jahre alt und sagt selbst, dass sein bisheriger Werdegang anders als es rein auf dem Papier aussehen mag, nicht immer nur einfach war. Körperliche Unterlegenheit im Vergleich zu Altersgenossen in jungen Jahren, dann auch ein Fußbruch, der ihn erst mal weit zurück warf. Verbessert hat er sich trotzdem von Jahr zu Jahr und das meist deutlich um mehrere Sekunden. Dafür verantwortlich ist zweifellos sein familiäres Umfeld. Alex' Vater Oleg, der ihn auch trainiert, lief selbst schon 1:46,29min und seine Mutter Elvira 2:01min. Sein Talent über die 800m wurde ihm also förmlich in die Wiege gelegt. Ralf und Philipp sprechen mit dem Athleten des VfL Sindelfingen ausgiebig über seinen bisherigen Werdegang und die aktuelle Saison, die besondere Coaching-Situation durch seinen Vater und warum das für ihn der Schlüssel zum Erfolg ist und gibt Insights in sein Training. Sie sprechen über den neuen Druck nun häufiger in Favoritenrollen zu sein, seine Ziele für die Zukunft, wie er sich weiter professionalisieren möchte und natürlich das große Highlight WM in Tokio, das unmittelbar vor der Tür steht.

Tett i bunnen, mens Narvik får et løft. Og hva ble egentlig sagt utenfor Intersport i Lillehammer i 2007?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode Iain speaks with Fiona Easdale, managing director and co-founder of the Val d'Isere chalet specialist YSE Ski.  She was racing downhill in the Winter Olympics at just 16 years old, then worked in sports management with World Cup winning footballers, before her return to the ski industry with Bladon Lines.  There, she rose through the ranks to become managing director, before going off on her own to set up YSE Ski with John Yates-Smith – a company that's now been in business for over 30 years.  This episode is the latest in a series of podcasts I've been publishing focussing on women in the snowsports industry. Previous episodes have included BBC Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott, GB Snowsport CEO, Vicky Gosling and former-Erna Low MD, Joanna Yellowlees-Bound. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code If you want to help The Ski Podcast and save yourself some money this winter…just use the code ‘SKIPODCAST' when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com. That applies to any ski hire booked in their massive network across France, Austria and Switzerland. You'll get a guaranteed additional discount, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied.  SHOW NOTES Listen to Iain's interview with John Yates-Smith in Episode 231 (3:45) Read Iain's summary of the latest Mountain Trade Network research (5:45) Fiona competed in the 1976 Winter Olympics at just 16 years old (7:00) Seba Johnson is the youngest Alpine skier to compete in the Olympics at 14 (7:30) Fiona joined the Downhill Only Ski Club in Wengen (8:30) Fiona finished 34th in Downhill, 37th in GS, 18th in Slalom and 10th in the Combined (11:30) “Nobody gives us a chance. Why should they against the Alpine countries? But we're having a go!” (13:30) Konrad Bartelski was also at Innsbruck (15:00) John Curry won gold for Team GB in the ice skating (16:00) Fiona was injured in an Europa Cup race in Flaine (18:30) IMG is a sports management agency (20:15) Listen to Episode 252 about the Rise and Fall of Bladon Lines (21:45) Fiona rose from Contracts Manager to MD (23:00) How did it end at Bladon Lines? (29:00) The founding of YSE (30:00) Of 30 resorts offered by Bladon Lines, 60% of profits were in Val d'Isere (31:00) YSE is a Val d'Isere specialist (33:45) Dealing with global crises (35:00)  Feedback I enjoy all feedback about the show, I like to know what you think, especially about our features so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:   1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 2) Subscribe –it every episode will automatically be downloaded for you 3) Book your ski hire with Intersport using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link  You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast or WhatsApp

The marketplace business continues to produce remarkable success stories – such as those of Carolin Langer and LaCaTho. With an average shopping cart value of only $4, her business is profitable, scalable, and growing. In this episode, she talks about how she started out on eBay and now supplies over 40,000 customers a year with bee-friendly seeds. For her, automation is a must, not an option. Many tools make her work easier, but they are all reviewed every six months. There are clear responsibilities in her small team, with everyone having a specific area of responsibility – for eBay, Amazon, and Shopify. And because Carolin loves to shoot short videos of seeds, flowers, trees, and bees everywhere she goes, she is able to market her products without expensive ads – which are simply not feasible with such low-priced products. Instead, they generate a decent amount of sales in their own shop via TikTok. She also reveals how she manages her time – she works full-time as a mechanical engineer.Note from the sponsor exporto:Internationalization and its challenges are a big concern to brands and sellerrs. Shipping, returns processing, tax regulations and one-stop shop procedures – all of this can cause quite a headache. Service providers such as exporto can help. exporto has spezialised cross-border e-commerce logistics in Europe. With automated technology and a strong partner network, exporto ensures that online retailers can ship internationally as smoothly as they do in their home market. And the best part? Exporto has an attractive discount for you: If you register with exporto by August 31 and sign a contract, you won't pay any basic fees for the first two months. Register right now here: https://mag.exporto.de/marketplace-universe-offer Note from the sponsor base:Base is a SAAS e-commerce solution provider originally founded 2006 in Poland. The platform offers features such as automations for order management, inventory management and fulfilment, a marketplace management tool for lots and lots of B2B and B2C channels, and integration options to include other backend tools in real-time. Base is present in 11 countries, the solution is already used by companies such as OBI, Kärcher, MediaMarkt, Samsung, Decathlon, Intersport, Develey. If you would like to learn more about Base, join us at our Connect Event with Base on September 17 in Cologne. Register right now: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/1wBV5bM8AALuEq8GfFLwj7tLJ80w9AZL4cf4DN1nvG4uMLrSOfA5NxaV1X0qvNAC7 Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Marketplace Dynamics02:46 Carolin Langer's Journey: From Side Hustle to CEO06:38 The special market situation of LaCaTho12:27 Marketplace Strategies: Automation and Customer Experience17:32 Volume in the main and off-season21:06 Bestsellers and the tricks of algorithms24:31 The power of Videos and of TikTok31:46 Scaling and Future Plans for LaCaTho

ChatGPT is testing in-chat shopping – from product search to recommendations and even checkout via Stripe. No webshop, no marketplace – just conversation. Shopify reacts immediately, blocking AI shopping agents. The battle for the customer interface has officially begun. In this episode, Ingrid and Valerie discuss how AI agents are shifting the power dynamics in e-commerce – and what this means for marketplaces, sellers, and brands. They also unpack the stories behind these headlines:Galaxus pushes international expansion despite heavy lossesTesco builds a massive new distribution centerbol.com opens up to non-EU sellersZalando & About You – merger approved, but many questions remain Note from the sponsor eBay:Selling internationally sounds easy – but the reality often tells a different story. Because shipping abroad is not the same as being truly ready to scale across borders. That's why our partner eBay has put together a super helpful whitepaper that helps you check your international readiness with a detailed checklist and gives concrete advice on pricing, customer service, inventory, returns – and even how to identify the right markets and products. One highlight: With the eBay Product Research Tool, you can analyze three years of sales data by country and category. So if cross-border commerce is on your radar, download the free whitepaper “From Germany to the World” by eBay right now: https://www.ebay.de/sml/whitepaper-internationalverkaufen Note from  the sponsor base:Base is a SAAS e-commerce solution provider originally founded 2006 in Poland. The platform offers features such as automations for order management, inventory management and fulfilment, a marketplace management tool for lots and lots of B2B and B2C channels, and integration options to include other backend tools in real-time. Base is present in 11 countries, the solution is already used by companies such as OBI, Kärcher, MediaMarkt, Samsung, Decathlon, Intersport, Develey. If you would like to learn more about Base, join us at our Connect Event with Base on September 17 in Cologne. Register right now: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/1wBV5bM8AALuEq8GfFLwj7tLJ80w9AZL4cf4DN1nvG4uMLrSOfA5NxaV1X0qvNAC7 Chapters:01:00 AI's Impact on Marketplace Shopping07:40 Galaxus's Internationalization Strategy09:41 Tesco's New Distribution Strategy11:49 Zalando and About You Merger15:30 Bol's Expansion to Non-EU Sellers

Cumul emploi-retraite, Colruyt quitte la France… Rattrapez l'actualité économique du jour avec notre podcast 120 secondes. Hébergé par Audion. Visitez https://www.audion.fm/fr/privacy-policy pour plus d'informations.

What happens when a legacy brand dares to reinvent itself, without losing sight of where it came from? In this episode, Johan Uhrbom, Media Operations Manager at Intersport, shares how the iconic sports retailer is navigating a digital transformation while staying rooted in its heritage.    Tune in to learn:   How Intersport is building a leading voice in the running category The layers of influencer marketing and how they build endurance and strength  Why a data-first mindset is essential to long-term brand growth

Bonjour et bienvenue dans la revue de presse hebdo et audio du secteur retail / e-commerce en France proposée par Les Digital Doers en partenariat avec le One to One Retail E-commerce de Monaco.

Ce lundi 16 décembre, Benoît Boutron et Yohan Durand ont enregistré un podcast délocalisé exceptionnellement à Intersport, place de la République, en plein centre de Paris. À cette occasion, ils ont lancé et surtout concrétisé le projet exceptionnel mis en place avec le Tempo Run Club et Asics : les 5 super-dossards attribués dans le cadre du prochain Marathon de Paris ont été dévoilés. Entre surprises, bons conseils et émotions des gagnants et gagnantes, RMC Running vous donne toutes les clés pour réussir votre préparation : la nutrition avec Ta Energy, l'équipement complet avec la marque Asics, la montre connectée grâce à Garmin, le plan d'entraînement fourni par My Running Club et les appareils de récupération de Compex ! J-117 avant le grand jour désormais !

America loves competition and will tune in to watch competitors battle on TV. Forget about watching washed up fighters slap at each other - you can watch REAL champions compete at the U.S. Auto Tech National Championship Driven by Yokohama  for the title of 2024 U.S. Auto Tech National Champion.In this episode of Talking Shop with ShopOwner, host Doug Kaufman, editor of ShopOwner Magazine, chats with Andy Buehler, automotive technology instructor and 2024 champion of the US AutoTech National Championship, and Kim Arnold from Intersport's Elite Trades Championship Series about the program.  They discuss the competition, which highlights the importance of skilled trades, celebrates automotive technicians, and addresses workforce shortages.Andy shares his journey in automotive technology, teaching, and competing, while Kim elaborates on the competition's structure and its impact on inspiring the next generation of technicians. Listeners also learn about the camaraderie among competitors and the significant prizes and support provided to participants.The program aims to elevate the trades' prestige and encourage more professionals and students to join. Key takeaway: The championship is not just a competition—it's a movement to champion skilled trades as vital and rewarding careers.Tune in for an inspiring conversation celebrating innovation, education, and the future of automotive technology. The competition's final round will air Friday, December 27th at 8:00 pm on CBS Sports Network. Visit USATNC.com for more information.Talking Shop with ShopOwner is presented by AAPEX.

Today we look at skiing in Sweden and Hemsedal in Norway and we find out what it's like coaching your kids to be pro skiers. Plus we find out more about the European Sleeper service to Innsbruck and the Dolomites, as well as discovering what Crans Montana is like in September. Iain Martin was joined by four-time Winter Olympian and ski coach Emma Carrick-Anderson and Ben Nyberg, Managing Director at skiScandinavia. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code If you're starting to plan your skiing for this winter, then I am delighted to confirm that Intersport are sponsoring The Ski Podcast for a second winter. That means that all podcast listeners can save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout.  SHOW NOTES   Emma was on the slopes in Saas Fee for our call (1:00) Mike Goar was the Keynote Speaker at Ski Launch (3:15) Listen to Iain's interview with Mike in Episode 204 Our equipment episodes start next week…with the ‘Best New Skis of 2024/25' Look out for Iain's interview with Vicky Gosling, CEO GB Snowsport coming in October (4:00) Mia Brookes took 2nd in the Snowboard Slopestyle at Cardrona, NZ (4:15) Chris Engelsman is the co-founder of European Sleeper (4:45) Find out how to travel to Crans Montana on Ski Flight Free (12:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egi96baRhjQ Iain took part in the Wildstrubel UTMB trail race (13:00) You can watch his race report here  There was a lot of early snow on the mountains (14:00) Crans Montana's acquisition by Vail Resorts went through in May Iain spoke with Pierre Henri Mainetti (14:30) In 2027 Crans Montana will host the Alpine Ski World Championships (16:00) In September 2025 the resort hosts the Mountain Bike World Championships (16:30) Listen to Iain's interview with Zak Carrick-Smith in Episode 200 (18:15) Emma took competed for Great Britain in four Olympics at Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano and Salt Lake City (21:00) Listen to Iain's interview with Dave Ryding (22:30) Listen to Iain's interview with Lesley McKenna (24:30) Find out about Alain Baxter's non-bronze medal (25:00) The Ski Podcast is going to be supporting the Carrick-Smith boys this winter (27:30) Trysil in Norway featured in Episode 209 (32:00) There is a new direct weekly flight from LHR to Scandinavian Mountain Airport (32:45) Hundfjallet may be the shortest transfer in world at just 10 minutes (33:45) Other Swedish resorts include Salen Stöten, Sälen Lindvallen, Kläppen (36:00) Hemsedal in Norway is three hours from the airport (38:00) Feedback (40:00)   I enjoy all feedback about the show, I like to know what you think, especially about our features so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  AD: "Great pod Iain. Thanks for keeping this going over the summer, when most other ski related podcasts stop…roll on the autumn!" Camilla: “You are brilliant at drawing people out with great questions, creating really enjoyable podcasts.” Mark Wakeling: “Really enjoyed the Chemmy interview. From an early age just wouldn't take no for an answer and her infectious enthusiasm is inspiring.” Jim: “I was listening to the podcast the other day while hiking up a mountain. You were talking about where to get second-hand skis. At the beginning of the season, a lot of resorts organise Braderies where the local shops pool ex-hire or last season kit to sell in one convenient place. Another great option is shops like Trocsport which sell secondhand skis on behalf of individuals. There are loads of small shops like this.” There are now 226 episodes of The Ski Podcast to catch up with and 121 of those were listened to in the last week. You can do that too, there is so much to listen to in our previous episode, just go to theskipodcast.com and search around the tags and categories: you're bound to find something of interest.  In that last week, 60% of our listeners were in the UK, 11% were in the States and everyone else spread as far and wide as Turkey, Greenland and Mexico. If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:    1) Follow us. Just take a look for that button and press it now  2) Give us a review or just leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link You can follow me @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

Today we find out what it's like skiing in Arctic circle in Svalbard and look into some of the great work that the clothing brand Arcteryx are doing on sustainability. Plus we report on Tignes' decision to split with Compagnie des Alpes. Host Iain Martin was joined by Dominique Showers from Arcteryx Clothing and Verbier local and regular snow reporter Robin Shah.  SHOW NOTES Mt Seymour in BC is just 10 minutes from the Arcteryx offices (2:30) Robin skied on Doufourspitze (3:00) Missing the Olympics? It's only 540 days to Milano-Cortina 2026 (3:45) BikePark Wales are going to rewild 400 acres of Welsh mountainside (4:30) Tignes is splitting from Compagnie des Alpes (5:00) Verbier has denied that Vail Resorts is planning to buy them (5:15) https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GZD8jeQKjr8 Tignes previously discussed building an indoor slope (6:30) A new indoor slope has been proposed in Bosnia (6:30) Dominique is VP of ReBIRD™ and Circular Planning at Arcteryx Find out how the Acteryx logo came about? (8:00) ‘65% of the environmental impact of one of our jackets is caused by its creation' (8:45) Find out about the Arcteryx ReBird programme (‘Waste Less. By Design.') (9:00) ReCare is about educating consumer how to look after their kit (9:45) What is DWR? (11:00) Look out for the ReGear programme work coming to the UK (13:15) https://youtu.be/9UgAteHZE9I ReCut is Arcteryx's commitment to upcycling (14:30) The company has a net zero goal of 2050 (or earlier) (16:30) Chris Howie joined us to talk Svalbard in Episode 94 (18:00) Xavier de la Rue also spoke about his visit to the area in Episode 208 (18:15) Svalbard is in the Arctic circle, east of Greenland and north of Norway (20:00) Robin booked his trip with Arctic Guides Take a look at Robin's photos on his video on Instagram (26:00) Feedback (31:00) I enjoy all feedback about the show, I like to know what you think, especially about our features so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  Paul Langley: "Hope you are well, loving the podcasts, they're getting me through until next season starts!"  Paul asks if there's somewhere to buy last year's rental skis? Chris Moran from Intersport advises that this happens on a per shop basis and that Intersport's rental skis are used for a max of 45 days before they're sold on ShakeyJack: "Episode 195 was a great pod: Really interesting to hear about what Les Arcs are up to with their green credentials"  Susan Hurst: "Episode 192 was great, especially the piece on the Dolomites Ski Safari by Inspired Italy. I've been lucky enough to go on two and hoping to go again in 2025." Katie Bamber: “Listening to the La Grave section with Sam in Episode 214. Super interesting.” If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:   1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 2) Subscribe 3) Buy Me A Coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com  You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Reginald Walker: The Paris Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies are a hit; Warner Bros. Discovery suing the NBA over media rights; the WNBA media rights' reevaluation possibilities; and Intersport to launch a dedicated soccer partnership practice.

Tuomo Laine is the CEO and co-founder of Twice Commerce, which provides software to help its clients unlock a range of circular business models. Tuomo is known for being straightforward and action-oriented, and for his dedication to using entrepreneurship for societal good. He is a member of the Unreasonable Group Fellowship, and is occasionally invited to lecture at Aalto University, to share his venture building experiences. Twice Commerce's mission is to uncouple economic growth from the extraction of new materials, and it helps a broad spectrum of clients, from large retailers to individual sellers. The platform aims to enhance the value of any kind of object – by extending product lifecycles, unlocking more usage and sales from each item, conserving resources, improving value chain gross margin and reducing the need for new manufacturing. This is all about creating more value through circularity, not finding ways to reduce quality or reduce the pay for workers. Twice Commerce's clients include Decathlon, Rab Outdoors, Intersport, Motonet and many others, covering clothing, outdoor equipment, tools and much more, and by enabling improvements to the bottom line, Twice Commerce helps clients align profitability with environmental stewardship. Tuomo and his colleagues are getting to the crux of how to redesign the typical one-way commerce software to facilitate circular solutions and to address the elements that are adding cost, complexity or dysfunctionality. This is all about unlocking productivity – not just labour productivity, but thinking about how to leverage more value from the inputs you've invested in every unit that comes off the production line.

June 28, 2024 ~ Charlie Besser, Founder, President and CEO at Intersport joins Mark Hollis and Bob Krause live from the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

May 3, 2024 ~ Intersport and The John Shippen Director of Marketing Solomon Hughes chats with Kevin and Marie about the upcoming John Shippen Cognizant Classic.

After an interview with Australian Golf Digest, Talor Gooch voiced his discontent after not receiving an invitation to this year's Masters. Gooch stated, “If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his grand slam without some of the best players in the world, there's just going to be an asterisk. It's just the reality.” His statement has the golf world in a complete uproar. Kira K. Dixon catches up with Rory for his response to Gooch's statement. Camilo Villegas had one of the greatest stories of the fall after winning the Butterfield Bermuda Championship after a 9-year drought. This 5-time PGA TOUR winner joins to discuss the new role he has taken on. At the 2023 NCAA championship, he trailed by five strokes entering the final round of stroke play and shot a final-round 67 to win by a stroke. He is the third Gator and first since Nick Gilliam in 2001 to win the NCAA individual title. Eamon and George are joined by University of Florida standout, Fred Biondi to discuss his debut this week at the Cognizant Classic. As part of our continued commitment to moving the game forward, we are celebrating accomplishments made by African Americans within game of golf. Solomon Hughes, the Director of Marketing for Intersport joins to discuss the major contributions he and his team have made to keep John Shippen's legacy alive. 17:16 - Camilo Villegas 26:54 - Fred Biondi 32:30 - Solomon Hughes

We look at tips for taking a ski holiday with your kids, find out the true cost of ski carriage and get an updated on the latest equipment trends. Host Iain Martin was joined by journalist Katja Gaskell, Chris Moran and equipment expert Al Morgan. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES Katja was on the show in Episode 167 discussing Ice Swimming (0:45) Chris shared his knowledge of action cameras in Episode 171 (1:15) Listen to our equipment specials about skis, ski boots, ski jackets and ski helmets & goggles Tim Hudson from Inspired Italy reported from the Dolomites (4:00) Simon Burgess reported from Flaine (5:15) Jen Tsang from That's La Plagne is in La Plagne (6:30) Iain's ‘Ski IQ' of 144 puts him 7th on the Carv leaderboard in La Plagne and 1170th globally (9:00) Enter our competition to win swag from Les 3 Vallées(9:45) Would you buy an Electric snowboard? (10:00) Al reported from Slide in Telford (12:30) Listen to our equipment specials about skis, ski boots, ski jackets and ski helmets & goggles Find out more about the BOA binding system (15:00) Can you recycle a ski helmet? (16:30) Dave Mills: "Great podcast on ski jackets with Iain and Al, giving a resounding performance as a Geordie version of Stanley Tucci" Ski carriage with Ryanair & easyjet is £90 return if booked in advance (20:00) You can swap skis during week when you rent with Intersport (21:00) Read Katja's blog on family holidays: Globetotting (25:30) The importance of snacks (30:00) Morning v. Afternoon lesssons (30:45) How to ski at half-term on a budget (35:00) Morzine offers discounts if you travel by train (35:30) Rent clothing from Ecoski (35:45) Try skiing in the Pyrénées for good value at half term (36:30) Or consider Roccaraso in Italy (36:45) Feedback (38:00) Dave Mills: "Absolutely love the ski podcast, can't wait to put some of this into action!" GarnBet: "I feel like I come away from every episode learning something about the snowsports industry. Any keen snow lover should take a listen” LianaF1234: "Always look forward to the newest episode. It's a fantastic listen with invaluable insight into resorts, the latest kit, and guest speakers. Really valued the Ski Train episode and your feature at this year's Birmingham Snow Show. It's helped to debunk the unknowns around taking the train to the Alps and we're excited to have booked the train to Tignes in January!” You can buy Iain a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/theskipodcast Paul Bond: "As ever Iain, great content and really liking the snow reports coming in" Matt Gregory: "Thank you Iain and all of your contributors for such entertaining, educational and thrilling podcast episodes. Since I started listening in the 2020/2021 season as I watched our annual ski trip disappear in lockdown, I haven't missed an episode and have covered a lot of the back catalogue. Really looking forward to getting the boots snowy when I'm out in La Plagne" Jon Herbert: "Loving the podcast and specifically the variety!" If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:   1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 2) Subscribe 3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or by taking this link There are now 201 episodes to catch up with. 59% of our listeners are in the UK, 18% in the US and the other 24% all over the world, including places as diverse Taiwan, Tanzania, Iraq & Uruguay You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

On today's show Aaron shares takeaways from the SEC schedule drop this week, then discusses Louisville basketball's meltdown this week. He previews a mega weekend on the court before welcoming in Intersport's Mark Starsiak to discuss how the games comes together. Finally, it's a WILD edition of Aaron Right/Aaron Wrong: SEC football schedule release (2:00): Torres opens the show by discussing Wednesday's SEC schedule takeaways. Why divisions hurt Georgia and help Bama, plus why Billy Napier is screwed at Florida. Also, who has it tougher - Texas or Oklahoma?! And could Arkansas lose enough early where Bobby Petrino ends up as interim?! Louisville basketball disaster + a preview of a LOADED weekend (21:00): Next up, Torres talks about Louisville's meltdown - the worst parts, and who could one day replace Kenny Payne. Plus, he previews Gonzaga-UConn, Purdue-Arizona, Indiana-Kansas and Kentucky-UNC (35:00). Intersport's Mark Starsiak joins (48:00): Next, Torres welcomes his buddy Mark Starsiak from Intersport. Intersport is the promoter of big games like Kentucky-Carolina and UConn-Gonzaga - how do these games come together?! Mark has your answer! Finally, Torres wraps the show with "Aaron Right/Aaron Wrong" discussing Draymond Green, Patrick Mahomes and the one college football coach he was dead wrong on (1:05:00) KENTUCKY - Sports betting has come to your state! Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app - bet $5 on any game and get $150 in free bets when you use the code "TORRES" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This National Snow Week Special is packed full of interviews, including Mia Brookes, Ed Leigh, Chemmy Alcott, Charlotte Bankes, Warren Smith and more, all recorded at the consumer shows in Birmingham and London, and at trade networking event LISTEX. Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES The Ski Podcast was a finalist in the ‘Best Broadcast Programme' category at the 2023 Travel Media Awards (1:00) Sam Haddad featured in our snowboard special episode (1:30) Sam won the Travel Media award for ‘Best Sustainability Feature' (1:40) Save money when you book your ski hire with Intersport by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' (1:45) Listen to Iain's interview with Tim Warwood (2:45) Mia Brookes became world champion in snowboard slopestyle earlier this year (4:45) Charlotte Bankes won the mixed team Snowboard Cross with teammate Huw Nightingale (8:00) Iain interviewed Charlotte when she first joined Team GB Colin Martin appeared in our Ski Boot Special podcast (13:30) Al Morgan discussed the BOA Fit System for ski boots in Episode 187 Listen to Iain's interview with BBC Ski Sunday presenter Ed Leigh, recorded in Feb 2023 (18:30) Tord Nilson is on the SIGB board (22:00) Guy Fowles works at Wasteland Travel, specialists in ski trips for student and young professionals (25:15) Ian Brown from The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead (27:15) James Gambrill from The Ski Club of Great Britain, who are bringing back Ski Club reps to France (29:30) Dan Keeley is from the charity Snowcamp (33:30) Iain reported on his trip to Roccaraso in Abruzzo in Episode 170 (36:15) Graeme is the owner of Ski Abruzzo (37:45) Aaron is the founder of OOSC Clothing (39:00) Iain led panels about train travel at both shows (41:00) Krissie Roe from Inghams talked about their new train travel product in Episode 184 (44:00) Listen to Iain's ‘Behind the Scenes at Ski Sunday' interview with Chemmy Alcott (44:15) Richard Sinclair is MD at ski travel agency SNO Holidays (44:30) SNO are reporting an increase in demand for train travel (45:00) Richard appeared on our electric vehicle special podcast (49:00) SNO has a page about electric car travel to the Alps in their website Warren Smith has been taking the POW Carbon Literacy courses (49:45) In Episode 183 we discussed the POW ‘Send It for Climate' campaign (52:00) Dom Winter is Head of Programmes for Protect Our Winters UK Nathalie Davies is MD of Raccoon Media Group (54:00) The 2024 London Snow Show will take place on 19-20 October at ExCel in London (55:00) Iain was joined for The Ski Podcast Live by Mike Richards, Katie Bamber, James Wilcox, Catherine Murphy and Tristan Kennedy (speaking about Japan, Turkey, Iraq, Pays de Gex, Uzbekistan and Abruzzo respectively) Feedback (57:00)  We have some great feedback from ‘Snowheads' (57:30)   Fixx: "The Ski Podcast panel with Iain re. train travel to the slopes was very interesting" wiigman: "The Ski Podcast panel stuff excellent and thought-provoking" elzP: "I also really enjoyed the train travel session" Tim: "I recently discovered The Ski Podcast and I have been binge listening! I'm impressed by the engaging content and captivating discussions on all things skiing and snow sports" Inside Morzine: "We can't wait for the new season to kick off but first there a little matter of the National Snow Show and meet someone who has not only got us through the pandemic but the all the months in between: Iain Martin from The Ski Podcast - a total legend!" Andrea Dalton: "Just managed to catch up with this latest episode and fab to hear from Al always love listening to what he has to say." If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help: 1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  2) Buy me a coffee at BuyMeaCoffee.com/theskipodcast (thanks David) 3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' You can follow Iain on social @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

In our second episode recorded live at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona, our special guest is author and customer-centricity thought leader Martin Newman.While being customer-centric is a stated priority of most brands, many have a hard time delivering on the promise. Martin helps us understand the challenges and the essential building blocks of putting customers first, while laying out how to find your brand's North Star and assemble a truly holistic approach.First up, however, are our hot-takes on the week in retail news, including another trip to the Wobbly Unicorn Corner as "retail disruptors" like Allbirds and Wayfair continue to set alarms off with disappointing earnings results. Better news comes from Walmart with the naming of a new top merchant, while Amazon offers Prime customers an incentive to play fetch.About MartinMartin is one of the world's leading authorities on customer centricity, and a force for positive change for consumers and brands.As well as fighting for consumer rights Martin is an advocate for diversity, social responsibility and employee engagement for all consumer facing sectors. These issues top the agenda in his media appearances across national press and television.He appears regularly on BBC TV and Radio, on Sky, ITV, Channel 5 and a host of other media channels such as LBC, The Times and FT to discuss consumer issues relating to the retail, travel, casual dining, automotive and financial services sectors.Martin has worked for 40 years leading the multichannel operations for some of the world's most recognisable retail brands. These include Burberry, Intersport, Pentland Brands (Speedo, Berghaus), Harrods and Ted Baker. His bestselling book 100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience, is seen as definitive within the sector and was shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year Award 2019.Following his career in the consumer sector, Martin founded global ecommerce and digital consultancy Practicology, which was sold in 2018 after having scaled up to a global staff of 100 in offices across the UK, EU, Middle East and Asia. Martin has since set up The Customer First Group and new consumer facing website Customer Service Action.Martin delivers keynote presentations and chairs many leading industry events around the World. He has shared stages with innovators and entrepreneurs alike, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, to discuss the future of the internet and its implications for retailers.Amongst Martin's many accolades, he has featured in various industry leader lists including Retail Week's top 50 eTail Power List five years in a row. He has also been named consecutively in the Retail Insiders top 100 Retail Movers & Shakers list, as well as the British Vogue Online Fashion 100.Martin judges numerous industry awards such as the World Retail Awards, the Customer Experience Awards, the Retail Insider Awards, the PayPal eTail Awards, the Online Retail Awards of Australia and the Great British Entrepreneur awards.Martin's counsel also encompasses roles as Non-Executive Chairman of Scout Store, and Board Advisor working with the Boards of consumer-facing businesses on their key strategic questions and challenges. He is also a board advisor to Clearpay, the Mayborn Group and is a Trustee of In Kind Direct and a member of the prestigious KPMG IPSOS Retail Think Tank. About UsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel      here.Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada's top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.    You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

On today's show, Aaron discusses: Chaos at Texas A&M (2:00): Three players are indefinitely suspended - could the resume slowly starting to be built to fire Jimbo Fisher with cause? College hoops news and notes (22:00) As Arkansas opens its exhibition slate, Kentucky gets good news on Oscar Tshiebwe and Jim Nantz says goodbye to the sport CEO of Intersport, Charlie Bessler, joins (31:00): To discuss this weekend's charity exhibition between Tennesse and Gonzaga, which we be broadcast live Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices