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Retail’s Reality Check: Hot Takes from Shoptalk 2025 Day 1
Voices from Ulta Beauty, Estee Lauder, NBCUniversal, Fospha, Osmos, Voluspa, Liberis, Pimberly, Chubbies, and more.
Lee Arthur
March 25, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
“Everyone’s Talking AI. But the Smart Ones Are Deploying It.”
If the pre-event mood at Shoptalk 2025 was buzzy, Day 1 hit differently: sharper, more grounded, and full of conversations about deployment—not just direction.
In one-on-one hot takes with leaders from Ulta Beauty, Estee Lauder, NBCUniversal, Osmos, Dorel Home, Pimberly, Fospha, Voluspa, NetNut, NC Solutions, Chubbies, Aftersell, Liberis, LOQATE, and others, a new consensus is forming: the retail game has shifted from noise to nuance.
Whether it's AI, marketplaces, or media, the question on everyone's mind isn’t “what’s coming”—it's how fast can we make it work?
I. AI Moves from Concept to Commerce
AI dominated Day 1—but not as a buzzword. Leaders are focused on where it delivers now: personalization, merchandising, conversion, and decision speed.
“Everyone's in the deployment phase of AI now. It’s about making real the tech that boosts customer conversions and drives top-line growth.”
“We’re dipping our toes into AI—but I think we could do a lot more. Personalization, merchandising... it’s a big unlock.”
“I want to learn how AI can drive revenue in a challenging market.”
II. Retail Media Is the Power Play
The retail media gold rush continues—but it’s maturing. Executives are chasing margin accountability, clean data, and full-funnel impact—not just impressions.
“We help advertisers understand what people are buying—real behavior, real sales. Retail media’s next wave depends on this.”
“I’m interested in how retailers are using their data with offsite partners like NBCU to push the business forward.”
“Omnichannel experiences are expanding into connected TV. That’s the big shift I’m watching.”
“We’re an omnichannel retail media platform—onsite, in-store, offsite. We’re here to help retailers monetize their estate holistically.”
“Retailers are becoming media companies, and media companies are becoming retailers. It’s all blending together.”
“Retail media is still my favorite topic. I’m here to see how it’s evolving in real time.”
“We’re building the most comprehensive measurement solution for online retailers in the world. For many brands, their website used to be the main channel—now it's just one of many. Measuring effectiveness across Amazon and beyond is what excites me.”
III. Marketplaces Are the New Front Door
The marketplace model is back—but smarter. From closed ecosystems to long-tail brand discovery, marketplaces are becoming controlled experiments in growth.
“Sellers are stuck—they can’t afford both ads and inventory. That’s what we’re solving with low-interest financing: helping them get to market and compete.”
“We’re launching a closed, invitation-only beauty and wellness marketplace. It lets us test with emerging brands that don’t always get shelf space.”
“We’re here to scale new products and meet potential partners. Marketplaces are how we test and grow.”
IV. Experience Still Wins (Just Don’t Call It Soft)
The tools are getting sharper—but the real edge is emotional. High-touch, trust-based, frictionless retail is the differentiator everyone wants to deliver.
“We want high-touch experiences. TV shopping, personalization, purchase on demand—not flows that lead to websites.”
“It’s about trust. Our owner wants every partner—Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, our DTC site—to have a fair slice of the pie.”
“We’re looking for global solutions that are locally relevant for all our partner brands.”
“Building trust and the brand story is the strategy—it just happens through omnichannel tech now.”
“We’re here to see how brand storytelling evolves in a multi-channel, data-rich world.”
V. Fast Takes: What Everyone’s Talking About
A rapid-fire roundup of the rest of the voices shaping the show:
Chubbies: “I’m here to collaborate and take back ideas we can actually implement.” — Rich Byrne—Director of Digital Merchandising at Chubbies Shorts
Amourprints: “Excited about business growth—and the fun parties.” — Kirstie Rickert—CEO at Amourprints
LOQATE: “We power address validation at checkout. This is our favorite event every year.” — Phoebe Kwak—Address Validation & Checkout Efficiency Expert & Ryan Taratko—Mid-Market Business Development Manager at LOQATE.
Pimberly: “AI’s only useful if it improves conversions and top-line revenue.” —Martin Balaam—Founder and CEO at Pimberly
Osmos: “Omnichannel monetization is the future of retail media.” — Greg Stevens—CEO of Europe the Americas at Osmos
NBCUniversal: “Data sharing between retailers and media partners is key to growth.” —Mike Jacobson—VP, Ads Strategy & Retail Media Partnerships & Randy Posner—Senior Director, Enterprise Partnerships at NBCUniversal
What It All Means
The smartest brands at Shoptalk 2025 aren’t chasing the loudest trend. They’re chasing clarity. Whether it’s AI, retail media, or brand ecosystems, the question has shifted from what’s next to what works.
And as the week unfolds, one message is already clear:
Success won’t come from shinier tech. It’ll come from better relationships, faster execution, and tighter alignment between data, decisions, and design.
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