Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast! Today, we dive into the evolving landscape of retail media with our special guests, Mike Balabanov, VP of Agency Development at Criteo, and Damiano Ciarrocchi, Senior Retail Media Manager at Acadia.  Our host Julie Spear leads an insightful discussion on the importance of data quality, innovative formats like video, and the growing emphasis on lifetime value in retail media strategies. We're exploring the challenges of...

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast! In this episode, our host Julie Spear is chatting with Alicia Ponzani, E-commerce Manager at Premier Nutrition.  Alicia is here to share her valuable insights on how she transferred her skills from the brand side to e-commerce, the importance of collaboration between teams, the evolution of e-commerce strategies within larger organizations, and the rising significance of social commerce.  They also discuss the impact of AI and...

🎙️Interview with CEO of Acadia, Jared Belsky Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia’s Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear. Today we’re joined by Acadia’s CEO, Jared Belsky! This episode is all about the concept of "retail island”-  a metaphor for the siloed nature of retail media. Jared sheds light on its implications for funding, organizational structure, and creative strategy.  Drawing parallels from the eras of search and social...

🎙️Interview with Acadia Project Manager, João Couceiro da Costa Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia’s Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear. Today, we're diving into the intricacies of Prime Day 2024 with our expert guest, João Couceiro da Costa, an experienced account manager from Acadia's retail team.  In this episode, we're unpacking everything from the operational strategies to the creative reporting styles João employs. He’ll...

Interview with Dusan Tepavac Amazon Advertising Expert and Retail Media Specialist at Acadia Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia’s Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear. With Prime Day just around the corner, we decided to dive into the intricacies of maximizing success during one of the biggest e-commerce events of the year. In this discussion, we are joined by guest Dusan Tepavac, a seasoned Amazon Advertising Expert and Retail Media...

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, 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...