Carolyn Pollock

I tried to get rid of ROAS this week. Just end it as a viable metric. In dramatic LinkedIn post fashion to get you to expand … I failed. At the Ascendant Network #retailmedia event this week in Palo Alto Andrew Lipsman and Jaiah Kamara, MBA. and I led a conversation on ROAS vs. iROAS. We polled the room and asked, “how do you feel about ROAS – 5 means you love it, 1 is you hate it and hope to never see it again.” The room was less divided than I thought. In a group of Brands, Retail Media Networks, and Tech partners, no one had higher than a 3, with most of the group at a 2. 💡 Turns out, we’re all in alignment that ROAS isn’t a great metric! 💡 We all know that it’s overly correlated to brand sales. We all know it’s easy to manipulate. We all are aware that if we try to present a ROAS that is more conservative and more transparent, we can loose out to our competitors who have a ROAS calculation which is more of a black box. So, what do we do? The obvious statement is we need to move towards #incrementality. But because #math we can’t always get to statistical significance for every campaign. I’m going to propose we think about Retail Media Measurement in a different way. What became obvious during our conversation is the power of closed-loop measurement comes when Retail Media Measurement is combined with measurement that is owned by the Brands. As Retail Media moves towards maturity, Retail Media Networks need to find ways to support Brands own internal measurement. This means providing the right data for measurement in the ways the brands want it, when they want it, and how they want it. We're moving towards what's next at Albertsons Media Collective - are you?

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It’s line review season in retail. I’ve been on both sides of the meeting. It's tough to know what to share. Here are six tips I’d share with brands already on the shelf who want to nail their presentations. Tip 1: Be Engaging Buyers are in back-to-back meetings. Be sure to add some sizzle, and personalize the conversation if you know them. Tip 2: Remind them of Who You Are Most buyers manage 50+ brands. They may not recall what the current assortment is. Recall your brand’s “why.” Walk them through the current state and the desired future state. Tip 3: Share *Relevant* Market Performance Buyers don’t necessarily want to hear about the competition. Talk about growth at other retailers if it ties into your desired future state for that retailer. Tip 4: Cover the Business Go through your current business performance. If it’s going well - know your ask for more. If it’s not going well, have suggestions prepared to offer solutions. Tip 5: Provide Positive Updates Share what you’re excited about: a new influencer partnership, a new product launch, new operations, new people on the team. Tip 6: Ask Questions What best practices are you seeing from your top-performing brands? Are you noticing any changes in the consumer that we should be aware of? Maximize this opportunity to talk with the buyers. Share news about your business Gather the intel you can use to help your business grow.

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#HotTake: Retail stores aren’t a shortcut to success. Retail offers bigger POs, visibility, and cash flow Yet, it doesn’t ensure brand sustainability Case in point: JLo Beauty Despite celeb status and prime placement at Sephora, She faced challenges resulting in a US exit Retail alone doesn’t secure loyalty or repeat sales Placement isn’t guaranteed forever For lasting success, think beyond the retail PO Some markers of a sustainable brand include: Authenticity, community, differentiated formulas, and true fans Building a lasting brand legacy requires more than a retail presence – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale at big retail. If you are ready to scale and invest, book a discovery call, and let’s see if we can work together.

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I've just published a new blog on the DIGITS site, where we delve into the recent Target Circle relaunch and its significant impact on the retail landscape. In this post, we explore:   - 1M New Signups since the relaunch  - A 20% increase in weekly offers  - 2.5X higher offer utilization with auto-apply  - Key insights on promotional spend and incrementality Plus, I share strategic tips on how to leverage these changes for maximum success. https://lnkd.in/g9PwNCMx

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As this The Wall Street Journal article describes, retailers today have recognized the power of integrating their online and offline channels to create a unified customer-centric shopping experience. The same is true in the B2B space where buyers today expect to seamlessly shop from a brand both in-person and online through a digital wholesale platform. JOOR data shows that 84% of fashion buyers opted for a hybrid approach this spring market season - using a combination of physical appointments and virtual buying to place orders with brands.

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Whats your secret sauce ?? Knowing your customer is essential, but truly understanding everything about them—their needs, desires, quirks, and preferences—that's the secret sauce that turns simple transactions into lasting relationships and drives your business forward. #CRMStrategy #CustomerRelationships #RetailInnovation #Personalization #DataDriven #CustomerEngagement #RetailExcellence #RetailStrategy #DubaiRetailers #RetailConsultancy

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More merchants are coming to Shopify across geographies, verticals, and sizes. This quarter alone, we had 16 enterprise launches. Brands like Hanes, On, and victoriassecret, Off-White all came to Shopify. It’s clear: we aren’t just the ecommerce company for domestic brands - we are where the biggest brands come to run their business and sell globally. Talking about Q3 Shopify earnings on Bloomberg News today 👇

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The Path to Purchase Institute hosted P2PI LIVE & Expo (Nov. 12-14), bringing together commerce marketing leaders to explore topics like omnicommerce, retail media, AI, and more. Discover key takeaways in this summary, sponsored by Blue Chip where CMO Dan Eisenberg introduces “Creative Commerce,” uniting brand building and conversion. 📖 Read now at https://lnkd.in/emf-ZVYf #RetailMedia #CommerceMarketing

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Our "Win with Target Promotions" webinar featuring Maya Mirt from Krazy Coupon Lady was packed with invaluable insights. Maya highlighted a significant trend: "Overall Target engagement is up 3% year over year, but during Target Circle Week, it's up a whopping 26%! Consumers are keenly looking for the best value amid inflationary pressures." Target Circle Week is a critical time to capture consumer attention and showcase your brand. https://lnkd.in/g8DE-CE7 #TargetPromotions

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Hello Retail Friends, I am pleased to announce the release of our latest Pricing and Promotions research report, developed with Incisiv. This report, surveying 179 retail executives across the US and EMEA, will be presented at Groceryshop in Las Vegas this week - be sure to come see us at booth #A610 to learn more.    Key findings include:   🔹 93% of shoppers demand more value: With 84% citing price as critical, 87% of retailers have adopted aggressive discounting strategies to sustain sales and loyalty.   🔹 $1 trillion in sales driven by promotions in 2023: Amid economic uncertainty, promotions are essential. 87% of retailers plan to maintain or increase promotional efforts in 2024.   🔹 Low adoption of advanced analytics: Only 12% of retailers use real-time data, advanced algorithms, and AI, impacting their agility.   🔹 Critical challenges in data quality and integration: Effective promotional strategies require accurate, unified data, yet cultural resistance also hinders progress.   🔹 Reliance on outdated systems: 37% of retailers still use spreadsheets, lacking the agility needed for dynamic market conditions.   The report highlights the need for integrated pricing and promotional capabilities. By leveraging advanced technology, retailers could achieve an additional $450 billion in incremental sales.   I encourage industry leaders to explore this report for strategic insights to drive growth and innovation.   #RetailLeadership #PricingStrategy #Promotions #MarketResearch #RetailInnovation #Groceryshop #GroceryForum #RELEXSolutions   https://lnkd.in/eSjYKxqC

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Retail is powered by data. The future of retail is digital. Retail success is dependent on positive customer engagement (digital and physical). If you believe the above statements, why - if you are a retailer - would you deliberately hand over to a third-party your customer engagement, a growing revenue stream, and a source of ever more important first-party data? Yet that’s just what retailers and wholesalers have done by signing on to Instacart’s retail media network. If I’m a retailer or wholesaler, I get it. Instacart is the ‘Easy Button’. A one-stop shop for outsourcing online shopping, digital shopper engagement, and retail media. Choosing a third-party like Instacart removes major headaches and resource commitments for retailers. So I don’t blame retailers and wholesalers for partnering with third-parties like Instacart. But at what cost? As Instacart and other third-party marketplaces grow their influence, traditional retailers will increasingly be delegated to simply putting products on the shelf. CPG marketing funds are rapidly evolving towards digital solutions. How long do you think it will be before traditional trade promotion dollars will be dependent on digital capabilities like sophisticated targeting, digital engagement in the store, and digital offer delivery managed across a growing number of channels? All things Instacart is able to provide. So I get it. Grocery retail is incredibly tactical, the need to obsessively control operating expenses to eke out a profit. Thinking strategically and longer-term is a luxury that many retailers and wholesalers do not have. And I have to give Instacart credit. They saw a market opportunity and went after it, pivoting along the way to provide a growing array of tech solutions to retailers in addition to creating and growing their retail media network. Yet as we accelerate up and out technology’s exponential growth curve, that historical tactical focus, putting out the brush fires to survive another day, becomes increasingly dangerous. And understanding that we now live in a world that has never before existed, a world of exponential change, is now imperative for survival. That’s why I wrote Bionic Retail, my latest book. To help the retail industry understand that it is now in a new world and many of the old rules no longer apply. Succeeding in the exponential world requires new thinking and deliberately letting go of many past practices, processes, and beliefs that increasingly constrain retail and innovation. Maybe the ‘Easy Button’ isn’t going to be so easy after all. The Shelby Report ROFDA Instacart #grocery #groceryretail #grocerystrategy #grocerytech #groceryinnovation #retail #retailtech #retailstrategy #retailinnovation #CPG #CPGinnovation #retailmedianetworks #RMN #supermarket Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) https://lnkd.in/gH93nm3A

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Hi 🙂 I’m Kate. I’m Riley’s mom, Founder and CEO of REB VP of Marketing at Incrementum Digital, and I live in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Menstrual pain relief is something near and dear to my heart, and while my career has been focused on e-commerce advertising for the last decade, my daily life has been consumed by endometriosis pain and infertility. I’ve had one baseball sized cyst removed from my abdomen and four ablation surgeries to try to alleviate my pain with next to no relief. Endometriosis has no known cure, and the cause is still unclear - so, women like myself have been told that this pain is something we have to live with for the rest of our lives. This statement makes me sick when I consider accepting it as a fact, so I refuse to do so. I have left countless gyno appointments feeling hopeless about my pain after reviewing all of the birth control options that are the least likely to give me a stroke or autoimmune disorder - anyone experiencing period pain deserves more than this. I’m launching REB (relief for every body) because menstrual agony deserves just as much symptomatic relief as the common cold, flu, or any other common ailment you would find relief for at your average drugstore. Yet, when I walk into the “family planning aisle” I’m met with two things: Pregnancy tests, and menstrual hygiene. An aisle that screams “HIDE YOUR PERIOD BEFORE ANYONE KNOWS IT EXISTS!” Can you imagine the number of relief solutions that would exist if men experienced an hour of endometriosis cramps? Let that sink in for a minute I’ll wait. In this picture I’m wearing REB’s first design ever - The Riley Grace. Each design we launch will be named after a woman in history who has inspired myself and others, and who better to start with than my #1 inspiration for everything, my daughter Riley? 🥰 If you’re here, thank you so much for following my journey - I feel so lucky to be responsible for bringing REB’s mission to life. If you’re like me and you want to see this aisle change for good, follow along and help me bring this company to life. This will be my greatest adventure yet and I’m so grateful you’re here with me. Here’s to relief for ALL. #Ididthiswithcramps

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of retail for Wednesday, June 26: 🎯 Target has made C-suite changes to support profitable growth. Christina Hennington will become chief strategy and growth officer. Rick Gomez will become chief commercial officer. Both roles are new and are effective July 7. 🛍️ July is shaping up to be a hot month for shopping. Target Circle Weeks joins Amazon Prime Day and Walmart Deals as events for bargains on electronics, clothing, back to school items and more. 👩🏽‍⚖️ A class action lawsuit claims Nike CEO John Donahoe misled investors about the success of its DTC strategy. The complaint was filed on behalf of investors who bought Nike stock between March 19, 2021, and March 21, 2024. 💳 A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a $30 billion settlement that would have capped the fees Visa and Mastercard charge to merchants for credit and debit card purchases. 👖 Gap Inc. stands to gain from the back-to-school season, increasing relevance at its namesake stores, a product refresh at its Old Navy stores and early signs of improvement at its fitness brand Athleta, analysts say. 👨🏻‍💻 Hackers have been attempting to sell Neiman Marcus Group shopper data stolen in a recent database attack. The data breach impacted 64,472 people and the types of personal information affected varied by individual. 🧴 Stripes Beauty, the wellness lifestyle brand founded by actress and women’s health advocate Naomi Watts, has been acquired by private equity firm L Catterton. 🪁 Toys"R"Us premiered a short promo film at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival in France that was created almost entirely by using OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool. 📉 US consumer confidence teetered slightly in June as Americans grew a little warier about the future, new data released Tuesday showed. The Conference Board’s latest consumer confidence index dipped to 100.4. 🥤Starbucks has launched a drink called Iced Energy, which has up to 205 milligrams of caffeine in it — the equivalent of six cans of Coke. It debuts less than two months after Panera dropped similar drink because of health dangers. 🚘 CDK Global, the retail software provider behind the massive auto dealer outage, says it doesn’t believe its systems will be back online before June 30, a major blow to car buyers and sellers. 🍟 Fast-food jobs have increased in California since the state implemented a $20 minimum wage across the industry despite claims by trade groups that say the hike has hurt franchisees and their employees, according to BLS data. 🚙 June new-car sales are expected to come in slightly higher than May, wrapping up a first half of the year that is also forecast to be a bit better than a year ago, even as interest rates and prices keep some buyers sidelined. 🚚 Grubhub has partnered with Albertsons to offer grocery delivery services. This partnership marks Grubhub's first national grocery partner.  #retail #retailnews #economy #DailyRetailNews

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Target’s Q3 call had it all.  From record-breaking Circle Week to the rise of Roundel, there’s so much to learn about how shoppers are navigating today’s retail world. My favorite insight? Consumers are getting savvier than ever, they’ll wait patiently for that perfect deal then pounce. I’ve shared some thoughts in DIGITS’ latest blog.  If you’re in the Target ecosystem or just a retail nerd like me, give it a read Let me know your takeaways, or where you see the biggest opportunities! 👇 https://lnkd.in/g2sG6axe #retailmedia #target

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BRILLIANT RESEARCH: Five 2024 Holiday Shopping Predictions https://lnkd.in/emwXStw7  Holiday shopping will look different for retailers this year.  After remaining largely resilient throughout four years of economic uncertainty, consumers are finally feeling the pinch.  Nearly a third of global shoppers (32%) reported using alternative credit services like buy now, pay later (BNPL) more frequently this year #retail Digital Commerce 360

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As in many things, we can benefit from a Both+And approach rather than an Either/Or one. DTC can still be highly relevant as Part of an overall strategy, not the 'panacea' it once appeared to be in a very specific environment and set of conditions (e.g. Customer Acquisition Costs, CLV, Top-line growth vs. Profitability focus). Find the right approach for the right environment and customer preferences. Steve Dennis has also spoken about this topic extensively and incisively in his 'Remarkable Retail' books. Excerpts: “Everyone believed the mantra should be DTC or die because they wanted to eliminate the middle person and make more money,” Simeon Siegel, managing director at BMO Capital Markets, said. “What they finally realized was: No one eliminates the middle person, they simply become the middle person, and that brings its own set of costs. So for a period of time, people became so obsessed with where they sell rather than what they sell that they lost track of who they were.” Even brands like Lululemon, which sells mostly DTC, have wholesale accounts, Saunders noted. “The term DTC is still used as a shorthand. I’m just not quite sure it’s all that relevant now,” he said. What went wrong As the direct-to-consumer model matured, a slew of factors that helped DTC brands flourish began waning. The general retail market slowed, customer acquisition costs on social media surged, venture funds dried up, the cost to fulfill online orders grew and brands started hitting their own growth ceilings. Still, for a time many DTC brands simply didn’t invest in wholesale as a channel because selling directly to consumers was working. And investors were enthusiastic about funding DTC brands, profitability challenges or not, because capital was cheap and consumers had disposable income to spend on new brands and discretionary products. The importance of stores and wholesale is now sending investments back in the other direction, and retailers are unlikely to lean back into DTC as hard as they did — that is, unless investors start funding it again. “When companies don’t need to be profitable, profit and loss statements are not scrutinized. When companies don’t need to be profitable, expenses are not scrutinized. That makes it much easier to chase a hope and a belief versus being held accountable for the actual results.” DTC and wholesale have different strengths, according to Siegel, with DTC theoretically offering first-party data, higher margins, greater control over the brand and greater connection to consumers, while wholesale ideally gives brands a partner with experience distributing products economically and efficiently. A case could be made that the battle is largely over now, with hybrid models being embraced across the industry and wholesale-brand relationships becoming more collaborative. But what does all this mean for future brands? #DTC #Retail #customer #RemarkableRetail

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Is the author saying that RMNs have hit their peak? Really? "This year feels like the apex of the retail media strategy -- unless RMNs can innovate to deliver new ways of creating value for brands in their environments. It can’t be just about harnessing traffic and driving consumers who likely would have found the brands or products being advertised already."   Consumers would have found the brands or products being advertised already? Hey, over 35% of supermarket purchases are impulse buys. Impulse. Brands should be asking those RMNs to find some new in-store inventory. RMNs are not done yet. #RetailMedia #MarketingStrategy #ImpulseBuys #WalmartConnect

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Dollar General is enhancing its retail media program by teaming up with solutions provider Criteo. The commerce media platform will work with the retailer's Dollar General Media Network (DGMN) arm to support onsite sponsored ad offerings. Through this arrangement, brand partners can access inventory and campaign execution and utilize Criteo’s self-service demand-side platform. Among other capabilities, brands can leverage DGMN’s inventory within their private market through Criteo’s retailer monetization platform. In addition, the technology enables brands to reach Dollar General’s digital customers who often build lists online before making their weekly in-store purchases. Omnichannel insights will be available for marketers to see if sales are taking place online or in-store. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gATgumgr #retail #retailmedia #grocery #shoppers #media #digital

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It was reported that Macy's will be delaying the reporting of their Q3 earnings report. Why you ask? Because a singular employee - who no longer works for the business - hid up to $154M in potentially fraudulent expenses. This leads to the obvious questions. What checks and balances are in place? Are all expenses reviewed, and if not, is there an "impression of control" leading all to believe that all expense reports are reviewed before approval? Even if it turns out that there was no actual financial loss, the issue was concerning enough for the decision to be made to postpone an earnings report for one of the biggest retailers in the U.S. If your company doesn't have an audit program in place or doesn't believe that employee theft and fraud can be impactful - think again. #HowcanIhelpyou

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