In this episode of the Ecommerce Braintrust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, is joined by, Gary Hammerschlag, an account management team lead at Acadia, who shares his expert insights on the framework for evaluating potential markets, the process involved, and strategic considerations for brands looking to broaden their e-commerce horizons globally. Their discussion is packed with actionable tips and an in-depth analysis of the various aspects of international...

In this episode of the Ecommerce Braintrust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, is joined by Julien Pereira, Account Manager at Acadia and a former Amazon vendor and program manager with extensive experience in direct fulfillment operations. In this episode, they discuss the nuances of direct fulfillment and its fit for brands selling as first-party vendors on Amazon. Make sure you tune in to find out more! In this episode, Julie and Julien discuss:  ...

In this episode of the Ecommerce Brain Trust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, and Damiano Ciarrocchi, the Senior Retail Media Manager at Acadia and Head of the Retail Media Network Innovation team. They discuss the ins and outs of Ulta's retail media platform and what brands need to know to succeed in this unique beauty-focused marketplace. Make sure you tune in to find out more! In this episode, Julie and Damiano discuss:  An overview of Ulta as a retail...

In this episode of the Ecommerce Brain Trust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, and Ross Walker, Retail Team Lead, discuss the latest developments in Amazon's marketing cloud (AMC), focusing on advanced integrations of new data sources, paid features, audience insights, and the Events Manager.  They highlight the importance of robust attribution and customer journey data, as well as better audience creation and targeting for brands leveraging AMC. In this episode,...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters sits down with Angela Caltagirone, the Chief Digital Marketing Officer of PB5 Star, a brand in the pickleball category. They discuss the official launch of PB5 Star at the Etail West conference in Palm Springs, the demographics of pickleball players, the brand's positioning and go-to-market strategy, and the unique challenges and opportunities in the e-commerce space for a new brand. In today’s episode, Kiri and Angela discuss: PB5...

In this episode, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Operations at Acadia, are joined by AJ Patel, VP of Global Growth at U Beauty. They delve into the world of e-commerce, discussing topics such as the transition from analytics to e-commerce, the positioning of Ubeauty in the market, channel-specific marketing strategies, the role of organic marketing efforts, key performance metrics for Amazon, and the importance of profitability in...

In this episode, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, and guest Armin Alispahic, Retail Team Lead at Acadia. Julie and Armin dive into the tidal shifts occurring within Amazon operations and fulfillment and how these changes are impacting the 3P model. They explore the complexities of Amazon's fee changes in 2024, the challenges brands currently face, and the strategies they can adopt to effectively navigate this landscape. Armin is a Retail Team Lead at Acadia. He's...

In today’s episode, hosts Kiri Masters and Julie Spear are joined by Lisa Levin, and Andreliz Bautista McGlade from the personal care brand Pharmacopia. They delve into the history of the brand, its unique journey from natural grocery stores to exclusive hotel amenities, and its recent foray into ecommerce. Key Highlights: - Lisa Levin shares the origins of Pharmacopia, how she transitioned from graphic design to herbal medicine, and the brand's early commitment to creating clean,...

In this episode, host Kiri Masters interviews Ash McMullen, the e-commerce lead at Advantice Health, the company that manufactures the brands Amlactin, Kerasal, and more.  Ash recently presented a case study about Advantice’s portfolio brand “Triple Paste” at eTail West in Palm Springs, sharing how a strategic re-launch of this brand on Amazon ultimately led the product to become a top-3 seller in its category and 5X-ing total sales on Amazon within 2 years.  In this conversation you’ll...

In this episode of the e-commerce brain trust podcast, Kiri Masters, head of Retail Media Strategy at Acadia, interviews Nicole Hatley, Global Content Strategy Manager for Skechers, at the Etail West conference in Palm Springs. Nicole discusses her role in managing Skechers' content across all e-commerce platforms and countries and the unique challenges that come with it. Nicole also shares her experiences as a professor of e-commerce marketing at the Fashion Institute of Design and...

In today’s episode, Kiri Masters is joined by Julie Spear, the Head of Retail Services at Acadia. Kiri Masters and Julie Spear explore the downsides of Amazon resellers, and dissect the reseller model's challenges, discussing control and costs, and why it may not suit your brand. Key Highlights: - Reseller Model Insights: We define resellers and differentiate between authorized and unauthorized ones, delineating the blurred lines between resellers and agencies. - Reseller Versus Other...

In this podcast episode, the hosts Kiri Masters and Julie Spear examine the pros and cons of working with a reseller to sell a brand's products on Amazon (compared with the managing processes internally or working with an agency). Resellers offer expertise navigating Amazon's complexities and provide operational support to quickly enter or expand markets. However,  the risk for brands includes losing control over branding, customer experience, and data ownership due to misaligned priorities...

In today’s episode, Kiri Masters is joined by Julie Spear, the Head of Retail Services at Acadia. Kiri Masters and Julie Spear dive deep into the world of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from the vantage point of agency partnerships. For brands, the RFP process is infrequent, but it is a decision that may have a profound impact on their business. But for agencies like Acadia, its a process we are navigating nearly every week. Kiri and Julie share their agency-side experiences from the last 9...

Kiri Masters and Julie Spear dive deep into the world of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from the vantage point of agency partnerships.    For brands, the RFP process is infrequent, but it is a decision that may have a profound impact on their business. But for agencies like Acadia, its a process we are navigating nearly every week.    Kiri and Julie share their agency-side experiences from the last 9 years, in the hopes that it can help brands to choose the best agency for them, foster...

In today’s episode, Kiri Masters is joined by Julie Spear, the Head of Retail Services at Acadia, and Ross Walker, Senior Paid Media Manager. Today, they are diving deep into the world of retail media networks. They’re tackling the big questions about brand expansion into new retail media networks, the challenges involved, and the strategies for success. Stay tuned as they unpack the complexities of navigating this dynamic landscape and provide actionable insights that can transform the way...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters is joined by Lauren Livak, lead at the Digital Shelf Institute, and Mike Black, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Profitero, a global commerce acceleration company. In this podcast, they’re discussing the new Digital Shelf Institute and Profitero report “Defining Content Effectiveness”. Here you can register to join them in the webinar in February. In today's episode, we delve into the ever-evolving world of content effectiveness...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters shares a special replay from "Unpacking the Digital Shelf" webinar,  presented by our friends over at the Digital Shelf Institute, Peter Crosby and Lauren Livak. They are discussing ‘The Walmart Marketplace: Copy and Paste is a Waste!" and are navigating the intricacies of the Walmart Marketplace and why it's not just another Amazon. Guests were Tom Spaven, VP of Marketing at Goodwipes at the time of the recording, and industry expert...

In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Jamie Roller, Associate Director of Growth Channels at Dr. Squatch. They speak about growth through the DTC channel, the channels Dr. Squatch is selling on, Amazon DSP, retail media networks, and more. Make sure you tune in to find out more! Jamie is the Associate Director of Growth Channels at Dr. Squatch, a men's natural personal care brand. In this role, she is responsible for driving strategy, growth, and management of Dr. Squatch's...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters, Head of Retail Marketplace Strategy at Acadia, dives deep into the nuances of navigating industry conferences and events with expert precision. Kiri delivers an insightful look into maximizing the value of attending conferences, based on personal experiences, fruitful strategies, and networking best practices.  Make sure you tune in to find out more! In today’s episode, Kiri talks about: - Her growth trajectory as a manager and...

In this podcast episode, Kiri speaks with Acadia's co-founder and CEO Jared Belsky. They discuss the various options available to brand-side marketers and sales leaders for retail marketplace management. They delve into the pros and cons of four options, including in-house investment, agency support, technology companies, and resellers, providing valuable insights for ecommerce professionals as they strategize for growth in 2024. Make sure you tune in to find out more! In today’s episode,...

In this episode of "The Ecommerce Braintrust" podcast, Kiri Masters and guest Armin Alispahic delve into the major changes coming to FBA fees in 2024. They discuss the intricacies of these changes and explore how they will impact sellers on Amazon's platform. Armin is a Retail Team Lead at Acadia. He's been at the company for almost 7 years. Internally he’s known as Armin.com for his encyclopedic knowledge of Amazon. Over the years, he has gained great experience in working directly with...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters, Head of Retail Marketplace Strategy at Acadia, and Damiano Ciarrocchi, Retail Media Manager at Acadia,  talk about the newly launched Kroger precision marketing retail media network (KPM). They delve into the unique features and capabilities of the self-serve ad platform, as well as the interesting aspects of Kroger's advertising platform. From the reduction in fees for brands to the potential integration of a demand-side platform...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters is joined by Tsege Gebreyohannes, Sr. Manager of Digital & Experience from Nature's Way Canada. They talk about how Nature’s Way battles random factory brands on Amazon. Tsege shares her experience of noticing the emergence of factory direct brands and the impact they had on Nature's Way's business. The episode provides insights into the strategies employed to combat these new competitors and how the organization adapted its...

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, Kiri Masters is joined by Emily Peterson, Team Lead at Acadia, and Damiano Ciarrocchi, head of Retail Strategy at Acadia. Kiri, Emily, and Damiano share insights on the trends and performance of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday event this year, including the significant increase in online spending and the observations made on Black Friday versus Cyber Monday sales. The conversation covers early promotions, advertising strategies, client outcomes, and...