The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

EP327 - Agentic Commerce Happy Fathers Day! In this exciting episode of the Jason & Scot Show, recorded on Friday, June 6th, 2025, hosts Jason Goldberg and Scot Wingo dive into the latest happenings and insights in the world of strategic e-commerce, AI technologies, and retail innovations. This episode picks up where Episode 326 left off, continuing the engaging conversation sparked by their recent discussions around AI and its implications for the retail sector. Kicking off, the duo discusses the monumental news that Fiji Simo, the former CEO of Instacart, has been tasked with leading OpenAI's consumer products division. Jason emphasizes the significant shift this represents for both Fiji’s career and the trajectory of OpenAI, pointing out her unique blend of extensive e-commerce experience and her focus on the future of AI. Both hosts speculate on how her leadership role at OpenAI could steer the integration of AI into commerce, particularly in areas like agentic shopping and advanced AI-driven search capabilities. Shifting gears, Jason and Scot review an intriguing overproduced conversation between OpenAI’s Sam Altman and design visionary Jony Ive about a mysterious new device rumored to empower user access to AI. Scot and Jason share their thoughts on the potential implications of such a device, questioning whether it might be a powerful, screenless AI assistant or simply another Alexa-type solution. The conversation then transitions into a critical discussion about the evolving landscape of search and commerce. Jason unveils his recently published point of view report on AI disruption in commerce search. He argues that while AI-driven search technologies are still in their infancy, they hold the potential to drastically redefine user experiences and efficiency in online shopping, making it imperative for brands to adapt their marketing strategies accordingly. Scot highlights recent statistics from eMarketer that predict exponential growth in AI-related ad spending, setting the stage for a potential paradigm shift in online marketing and advertising dynamics. They explore whether innovative AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity may challenge traditional platforms like Google and reshape businesses' approach to SEO and content strategy. Both hosts don’t shy away from discussing broader social implications, such as the significant role of social media in commerce, especially platforms like TikTok. They reflect on how social media is transforming the way consumers discover and purchase products, paralleling it with the changes brought by AI technologies. In a particularly engaging segment, Jason and Scot examine the recent foray into humanoid robots by Amazon, comparing it to other technological innovations like drones. While amused by the prospect of robots delivering packages, they share a similar concern regarding the practicality and future significance of such technologies. McDonald experts remain skeptical about whether humanoid robots will fundamentally change e-commerce, preferring to focus on the profound changes they believe AI will bring. As they wrap up this marathon double heaer episode, Jason and Scot discuss how perceptions of shopping are evolving, particularly distinguishing between needs fulfillment and the discovery process, and how AI agents could redefine these experiences in a retail context. Listeners are encouraged to subscribe, share their thoughts and reviews, and engage with the show on social media platforms and through Scot's new substack, Retailgentic.ai. Tune in to Episode 327 of the Jason & Scot Show for an insightful exploration of the present and future of AI in retail, recorded amid their back-to-back sessions fueled by the wealth of information gathered during Jason’s global journey in e-commerce. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 327 of the Jason & Scot show was...

EP326 - Are Retail Media Networks Mid? Happy Fathers Day! In our previous episode (326) Jason made a comment about retail media networks sometimes being over-hyped. In response, Scot recruited all his friendsd in the the industry and inticed Kiri Masters to make a rebutle. Which she did via two part linked-in post and a podcast. So in this episode Jason doubles down and defends his position on retail media networks. In addition to covering the state of retail media networks, Scot introduces his new Retailgentic sub-stack which everyone should subscribe to, and give a listen to his new video podcast focused on the latest Agentic Commerce news. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 325 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Friday. June 6th. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.

In this episode, Scot Wingo is joined by Forrester retail analyst Sucharita Kodali to dive into the emerging world of agentic shopping and the growing influence of generative AI in commerce. They cover: - The explosion of retail media networks - Why marketplaces are making a comeback - OpenAI’s retail ambitions (and that Instacart CEO hire) - GenAI adoption across retail use cases - The rising threat to Google from TikTok and AI search - What’s actually agentic vs. “faugentic” ⏱ Notable Timestamps: 00:06 – What is Retailgenic and what’s at stake in AI shopping 03:00 – Why retail media networks exploded post-COVID 07:30 – Instacart’s ad business & the OpenAI CEO move 10:00 – How big retailers are actually using GenAI today 14:00 – Is Google search under threat from ChatGPT, TikTok & Perplexity? 20:00 – Agentic shopping: hype vs. reality 26:00 – Could AI replace ticket brokers and influence high-demand shopping? 31:00 – The power of TikTok shopping and influencer-led discovery 33:00 – Closing thoughts on what’s truly “agentic” vs. faugentic 👉 Subscribe for more deep dives into the AI commerce revolution: https://www.retailgentic.com 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Greetings Jason and Scot show listeners, here's another Retailgentic episode to hold you over until Jason and I can get our schedules to line up. Today on the Retailgentic pod, we’re excited to share our discussion with Michelle Grant, Director of Strategy & Insights for Retail and Consumer Goods at Salesforce, to explore how AI agents are already reshaping retail, both online and in-store. Reminder to subscribe to the retailgentic pod here-> https://retailgentic.transistor.fm/ The retailgentic substack newsletter here-> https://www.retailgentic.com Finally, you can also check it out on YouTube here. Enjoy! Scot

Greetings Jason and Scot show listeners. Today we are cross posting the first episode of a new podcast from Scot Wingo, the 'Scot' from Jason and Scot. Don't panic! The Jason and Scot show is still alive and kicking - Jason's schedule has limited our time together, but we're working on it. While you wait, Scot has a new podcast that is focused on an area he's excited about - the disruption coming from AI Shopping agents. This podcast has three elements: Retailgentic substackwww.retailgentic.comRetailgentic pod https://wwww.youtube.com/@retailgenticRetailgentic pod Where to find the Retailgentic podcast o Apple/iOS podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retailgentic/id1816979446 o Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5JfNVnENi8y1GnnW6beo7V o YouTube - https://open.spotify.com/show/5JfNVnENi8y1GnnW6beo7V o All others - https://retailgentic.transistor.fm/subscribe Thanks for checking it out! Scot

Amazon Q1 2025 results and AI Commerce Happy Starwars Day! In this episode we do a deep dive into Amazon Q1 2025 results. Amazon had an overall strong quarter with record profits from their retail business unit. Amazon GMV grew 7.9% in Q1 2025 vs the same quarter in 2024, three times as fast as the retail industy as a whole. We also cover the latest AI commerce news, including ChatGPT product titles, OpenAI partnership with Shopify, PerplexityPro, and much more. Subscribe to Scot's new substack and podcast, all about Agentic Commerce, called Retailgentic.ai in conjuction with his new startup ReFiBuy.ai. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 325 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Sunday, May 4th, 2025. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of ReFiBuy.AI and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.

EP324 - Amazon Q4 Earnings In this episode we do a deep dive into Amazon Q4 and Full Year 2024 results. Amazon had an overall strong quarter with record profits from their retail business unit. Amazon GMV grew 11% in 2024 vs. 2023, almost three times as fast as the retail industyr as a whole. Amazon's North American GMV also nearly matched Walmart's in 2024 (Walmart reports it's Q4 results next week). We also cover the impacts and implicates of the de minimus ban in the US (which was lifted after only 4 days). We wrap up by comparing Amazon's 2024 growth to the rest of the retail industry. Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Temu, Shien, and Tik Tok Shops representing 62% of all retail growth in 2024 (this is a revision from the 70% estimate we shared in the podcast). Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 324 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Monday, February 10th, 2025. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason [0:23]Welcome to the Jason and Scott Show. This is episode 324 being recorded on Monday, February 10th. I'm your host, Jason Retail Geek Goldberg, and as usual, I'm here with your co-host, Scott Wingo. Scot [0:36]Hey, Jason, and welcome back, Jason and Scott Show listeners. Jason, how was your Super Bowl? Jason [0:43]My Los Angeles Chargers did not do well in the Super Bowl this year. Or my adopted Detroit Lions. Scot [0:50]Well, as a chief digital payment retail advertising officer for a big ad firm, I'm sure you were there for the ads. What any ads catch your attention? Jason [1:02]Were there ads in the Super Bowl? Scot [1:04]Yeah. Yeah. It's supposedly one of the more expensive places to buy an ad. Jason [1:08]Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this is kind of hackneyed, but it's near $8 million for each 30 second spot now. And what people miss is that most of these ads cost more than twice that. That both the production of the ad is quite expensive. And then there's now this whole, it used to be that you just surprised everyone by running an ad. And what everyone has learned is you get a lot more mileage by hyping the bejesus out of your ad for weeks before the Super Bowl. And so now the Super Bowl is like step four in a 10-step process and it's all super expensive. So the money is higher than ever. I would not say it was a standout year for e-commerce. Like the last two years, like two years ago, we had this surprise new, not only Super Bowl advertiser, but surprise new retailer in Timu. Jason [2:02]And, you know, then last year they were surprised in that they bought so many ads. So that was remarkable. Over the years, we've had some really interesting Amazon ads. And then occasionally we have some weird venture funded, like digitally native direct to consumer companies try to make a splash in the Super Bowl. So I'm not sure I would characterize anything that this year as super standing out from an e-commerce standpoint. Instacart was like the most significant new e-commerce player to do a Super Bowl ad. I thought they did a good ad that was well received with the famous brands. And then, you know, there's some weird stuff. Most of these ads are just to increase brand awareness. And in fact, the way they measure them is things like unaided brand recall, which are, these are metrics that I personally hate. But one of the ads for Fetch, which is arguably an e-commerce company, it's a, you know what Fetch is, Scott? It's a, it's like a purchase affinity program. Jason [3:08]So... Brands buy promotions. They're from Fetch. Customers subscribe to Fetch, and when they take advantage of the discount on General Mills goods, they earn...

The expended edition of this podcast is 80 minutes long. We're sorry, if we had more time, we'd make a shorter podcast. Watch a complete recap of NRF Big Show 2025 here 2024 Predictions Recap Jason: YESYESYESNoNo Jason Score: 3.0 Scot: NoNoNoYESYes Scot Score: 2.0 In a rare upset victory, Jason takes the 2024 predictions crown! But can he keep it? 2025 Predictions Jason: Bonus: - AI Agents hottest trend in commerce (but I don’t know how to measure it) Scot: Bonus: AI automates and optimizes the supply chain in ways we humans can’t, or at least analyzes the data in such a way -OR could be quantum computing. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 323 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday, January 23rd, 2025. Transcropt Jason: [0:23] Welcome to the Json and Scott show this is episode 323 being recorded on Thursday January 23rd that's a lot of 2 threes I'm your host Jason retail gee Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scot Wingo. Scot: [0:37] Hey Jason and welcome back Jason Scott show listeners for episode 323 being recorded on 123, Jason you are in the post honeymoon phase of the NRF Big Show 1 of my and I'll have to be honest with listeners kind of not favorite shows because it's in New York during January and I'm allergic to cold weather and I always have a hard time getting there and out because of the snow and then also it's a show that's over weekend so it kind of crushes the whole work life balance thing so hope you had a fun 1 I was not I did not attend this year. Jason: [1:14] Very often it's over a holiday weekend it's like. Scot: [1:17] And yeah so in the holiday weekend as well for for fun yeah. Jason: [1:20] Yeah yeah I think for as long as I can remember we've been going to that show and complaining about it and the the the usual answer is of course due to its 114 year old show we're not changing it because you're whining um, which fair enough, I will point out good news for you Scott global warming it doesn't snow in New York anymore so it hasn't it was cold but like there there used to be an annual blizzard and they literally haven't had any snow in like the last 3 years which is a little spooky, um and I have great news for you if if you thought it was a lot to go to 1 in RF a year guess what we get this year. Scot: [1:57] 2 nrf's. Jason: [1:58] 3 NRF or depending on how you count 4 NS. Scot: [2:02] Whoa are they going to call them Big Show small show Medium show. Jason: [2:05] No so for a while they've had so they have a few other shows so they have the NRF Big Show which is what we're talking about in in New York in January 114 years old 40,000 people at 10 mostly Brazilians, they've had what I'll call the small show which is technically now called NRF Nexus it's had some other names in the past that's in Southern California in the summer and I really like that show I'll be I'll be at that show, I'll I'll be doing a number of gigs there and I encourage people to go there because it's a way better boondoggle we all hang out and eat good food on the beach and, in his way less stressful than than in our Big Show. Scot: [2:41] I can sign up for that yeah that's uh no blizzards sign me up. Jason: [2:45] Trono in Rancho Palo Verdes it's a good it's a good spot it's where Rico started. Scot: [2:48] Oohnice. Jason: [2:50] Um they have like a loss prevention show which is probably not relevant to mow most of our listeners but the big news is they are the Big Show has gone International so last year they had Big Show Asia for the first time in Singapore I was not there but it was by all accounts a big success and so, this year we'll have year 2 of Big Show Singapore, and then they're now expanding to Europe so this September will have NRF Big Show Paris. So Scott if you want to go well you know my my corporate...

EP322 - 2024 Holiday Recap Episode Summary: In today’s episode of the Jason & Scot Show, Jason and Scot recap the 2024 holiday season, and give a preview of the upcoming NRF Big Show. The week of January 20th, we'll be publishing our annual predictions show. If you enjoyed the episode, help us reach more listeners by leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in! Episode 322 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript [0:23]Welcome to the Jason and Scott show this is episode number 322. Being recorded on Wednesday January 8th I'm your host Jason retail geek Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scott Wingo. [0:38]Hey Jason and welcome back Json is Scott showed listeners happy New Year Jason. [0:45]A happy New Year and happy holidays Scott it's it's been a while it's been it's fun to catch up. [0:50]Yeah you're kind of crummy when do you start giving people a hard time for saying Happy New Year I I was kind of a little worried because I was thinking I bet Jason draws the line at third or fourth of January and here we are on the 8th so I feel like. [1:05]I accept all all well wishes I'm totally merry Christmas happy holidays as long as you want any of those variations are totally acceptable despite the fact that I'm nominally Jewish. And I'm New Year's at least through January my lights are still up out front. [1:21]Okay good I'll I'll try to for the Valentine's show I'll make sure I don't say it that though I'll stop from there forward. [1:29]If it helps people not judge me I think my Amazon smart plug is broken so I think the holiday lights might not be on. But they're still out there it's too cold to go out and get them is the problem. [1:41]Yeah yeah you and I both went warm places for the holidays so that was good because I think we're both facing a cold spell here and I think actually here in North Carolina we may get snow whereas in Chicago you're not going to isn't that weird. [1:56]That that is super weird even if we're both getting snow I'd be a lot more worried for you than me because I feel like we're we're a lot more used to it but yeah it's even weirder that like it's not not snowing here and you guys are going to get get dumped on. [2:11]Yeah yeah we're just going to shut down and hopefully we don't lose power, the so it's been a while since we laid down a pod there's a lot we could talk about any any trip reports you you've been super busy you've done some vacationing but you grocery shopped before the break and then we definitely want to talk a little bit about holiday to kind of go through some of the tea leaves that are starting to come out on how things happened let's start let's start with a trip report anything interesting there. [2:38]Yeah so at least anyone worry I have been traveling a lot I just got a note from my my favorite vendor United that they've invited me to their secret. Highest status program for for another year and this year I'm going to cross 2 million miles with United so um. Yeah I feel like that I had mixed feelings about that like it's a a cool accomplishment slash it kind of signifies that I have a sad life. [3:05]And it's like congratulations all you do is fly would you like to fly some more. [3:10]Yes and the general answer is no um so I did do a lot of traveling last year there were a bunch of trips running right up to holiday but, but a lot of them were sort of Private Client gigs more so than, industry events and I've been on 2 weeks of vacation so I frankly can't remember where I was right before those...

EP321 - Amazon Q3 2024 Earnings Recap In today’s episode of the Jason & Scot Show, Jason and Scot dive into the latest developments shaping retail, tech, and consumer trends heading into the 2024 holiday season. Here’s a breakdown of the topics covered in this jam-packed discussion: Amazon Q3 2024 Earnings Release Amazon Q3 2024 Earnings Call Transcript 🎉 Holiday Season Sentiment & Retailer Anxiety • With the holiday season shorter than usual due to a late Thanksgiving, retailers face the challenge of fewer shopping days. Consumer behavior trends indicate a shift toward essential purchases over non-essentials, creating mixed expectations for holiday spending. • The impact of the election is expected to influence consumer sentiment, media spending, and holiday promotions, with Amazon and Walmart predicted to perform above market averages. 📈 Amazon Q3 Earnings Highlights • Retail & GMV: Amazon’s retail revenue surged by 7.2%, with U.S. gross merchandise volume (GMV) rising 9.9%—nearly three times the industry average. • Efficiency Improvements: Amazon’s focus on fulfillment efficiency under CEO Andy Jassy is paying off. The company’s same-day delivery options and regionalized inventory system have led to a 25% improvement in fulfillment cost efficiency. • Growth in Essentials: With increased demand for everyday essentials, Amazon is capturing market share from traditional pharmacies, offering same-day delivery for prescriptions in select cities. 🏢 Amazon’s New Store Concepts • Whole Foods & Amazon Grocery: A new Amazon grocery concept opened in Chicago, catering to convenience items like packaged snacks and sugary drinks, which contrasts with Whole Foods’ health-conscious inventory. 💸 Amazon’s Profit Engines: AWS & Advertising • AWS: With a 19% increase in AWS revenue, Amazon is now operating at a 38% margin. Demand for AI-powered compute continues to push AWS growth, even as it faces GPU supply constraints. • Advertising: Amazon’s advertising revenue reached $14.3 billion, growing 19% year-over-year. With a nearly 70% estimated gross margin, advertising may soon outpace AWS in profitability. 🛒 Rise of AI-Powered Search & Perplexity’s Native Checkout • Perplexity’s Surge: Scot shares his switch from Google to Perplexity as his primary search engine, noting the emerging competition from OpenAI’s ChatGPT search. Perplexity now includes shopping links, allowing users to check out directly through Amazon, hinting at a new era of AI-driven shopping. • Impact on Retailers: Retailers need to rethink SEO strategies as search shifts toward AI-powered “answer engines” that may fundamentally change how products are discovered and purchased online. 📡 What’s Next for Alexa? • Amazon’s next-gen Alexa, powered by large language models (LLMs), faces delays into 2025. Scalability and usability challenges highlight Amazon’s shifting internal dynamics and potential headcount reductions in its Alexa division. 🔍 Is Google Search Under Threat? • Perplexity’s and OpenAI’s expansion into search could spell trouble for Google. With monetization still in the early stages for these answer engines, the retail industry is watching closely to see how they’ll shape online shopping behavior. ⭐️ Tune In, Subscribe, and Leave a Review! If you enjoyed the episode, help us reach more listeners by leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in! Episode 321 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Monday, November 4th, 2024. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: [0:23] Welcome to the Jason and Scott Show. This is episode 321 being recorded on Monday, November 4th, 2024. I'm your host, Jason Retail Geek...

EP320 - News, First Half Recap, Early Holiday Preview http://jasonandscot.com 0:23 Welcome Back After Hiatus 2:51 Upcoming Events in Retail 7:28 GroceryShop 16:02 Retail Growth Trends 21:28 Concerns for Holiday 2024 30:27 The De Minimis Provision 40:27 TikTok's Impact on E-commerce In this episode of The Jason and Scot Show, we discuss the current state of retail and e-commerce. We analyze macroeconomic factors impacting the retail landscape, noting a 3.4% growth in core retail and a maturation of e-commerce, dominated by giants like Amazon and Walmart. We address consumer sentiment heading into the holiday season and the potential influences of the upcoming election and interest rate changes. The episode also covers the role of AI in enhancing personalization experiences, challenges faced by dollar stores, and supply chain issues. We conclude with insights into Amazon’s recent earnings and their strategies to engage younger consumers through TikTok Shops. Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Download the complete 54 page deck of all my insights from the US Dept of Commerce Retail Data for the first half of 2024 here https://rgeek.co/retail2024 Transcript [0:23] Welcome Back After Hiatus [0:23]Welcome to the Json and Scott show this is episode 320 being recorded on Monday september 16th 2024 I'm your host Jason retail gee Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scott Wingo. [0:38]Hey Jason and welcome back after a very long time, Jason and Scott show listeners Jason our last show was an early May so it's been about a little over a 4-month hiatus and when people ask me I always blame you do you blame me. [0:57]I do blame you and I'm bitter because in my mind. Nobody's really complaining to you but like I I've gone called out on stage by like I've I've been heckled by people that are like what are you going to do a new show. [1:15]It's part of our it's it's a Nintendo like strategy where you you dribble you know if you could really constrain Supply scarcity that drives demand so yeah. [1:25]Yeah it it we are we are playing 3 dimensional chess in a world of checkered players. [1:31]Exactly the the real reason is as Chief digital Innovation retail and payments and grocery officer your title's gotten bigger and your your more famous your allies on a plane I can never record because I'm like how about now he's like Paris how about now Australia how about now India so you've been flying all over the world. [1:52]I sadly I have been it does feel like travel is back there there have been more International trips this year than any year before coid so I I can I can only partially deny that accusation. [2:08]Cool well we're glad that we have you here for for an hour give us an update what are you any uh show you know what's going on out in the world of retail as you've been expanding the globe for the Json and Scott show. [2:20]Yeah it's been another Super interesting year for retail we'll we'll certainly get into some of what we think are the key topics that have been planned out this year but I have attended a bunch of events I I can't even remember which ones where since this this last show visited a bunch of customers out in the field which is always great learning new things from them [2:51] Upcoming Events in Retail [2:40]but the upcoming show is in early October is grocery shopping in Las Vegas so I'll be moderating a panel on. AI enabling Next Generation personalization, at at that show which I always look forward to to grocery shop and then a week later they're they're shop talk is moving their show their other stuff to Chicago so they're going to have their first, fall...

EP319 - Amazon Q1 2024 Recap http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Episode Summary: In this episode, Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg and Scot Wingo dive deep into Amazon's first quarter results for 2024, analyzing the company's performance in various segments such as retail, offline and online sales, marketplace, AWS, and advertising. They also explore the impact of AI on Amazon's business and provide insights into the company's future guidance for Q2 2024. Amazon Q1 2024 Earnings Release Amazon Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript In our latest episode, Jason and Scott cover a range of topics, starting with their reflections on recent events such as May the 4th and Cinco de Mayo. Jason shares intriguing stories from his extensive travels and interactions with listeners worldwide. Scott delves into the intersection of e-commerce and the auto industry, honing in on Carvana. The duo also delves into the U.S. Department of Commerce retail indicators data, shedding light on trends in retail sales and e-commerce growth. The conversation pivots towards Amazon's recent earnings report, contextualizing it within the realm of AI investments by tech giants like Meta and Alphabet, offering valuable industry insights and analysis. The discussion continues with a focus on Amazon's earnings report, zooming in on concerns around AWS amid heightened competition from Alphabet and Azure. The rising trend of AI investments, particularly in data training applications, is explored, alongside the growing popularity of open source AI models due to cost and privacy considerations. Despite a conservative Q2 guidance, Amazon impresses with robust revenue that surpasses Wall Street expectations, particularly in operating income. The retail segment shows exceptional growth, exceeding operating income estimates for both domestic and international divisions. Notably, Amazon's performance in brick-and-mortar stores, spearheaded by Whole Foods, demonstrates resilience with a 6.3% growth rate. AWS stands out with a 17% growth, dispelling market share concerns and showcasing accelerated revenue growth, illustrating Amazon's continuous growth potential and innovation prowess. Scott delves deeper into Amazon's positive quarterly earnings report, emphasizing the remarkable revenue performance, especially in operating income. Insights are shared on Amazon's successful agnostic approach to LLM models and the potential advancements in generative AI. The conversation shifts towards the burgeoning ads business at Amazon, underlining its profitability and future growth prospects. Scot also outlines Amazon's Q2 guidance and the potential impacts of consumer spending patterns on the retail sector, including concerns about changing consumer behaviors and economic pressures shaping market dynamics. Jason complements the discussion with additional perspectives on consumer behavior and economic influences reshaping the market landscape. Furthermore, we embark on a detailed exploration of supply chain logistics, with a spotlight on Amazon's expansion into third-party logistics services, revolutionizing traditional retail strategies by sharing proprietary capabilities for wider adoption. Insights from Andy Jassy shed light on Amazon's logistics business approach. The conversation expands to include how companies like Spiffy are embracing a similar model of sharing proprietary products to drive innovation and revenue growth, showcasing an evolving landscape of retail innovation. The podcast unpacks the complex world of grocery retail, highlighting Amazon's experimental forays like Just Walk Out technology and the Amazon Dash cart, while examining the challenges in delineating Amazon's grocery sector strategy. A comparison...

EP318 - Temu Deep Dive with Earnest Analytics Episode Summary: In this episode, Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg and Scot Wingo dive deep Temu, the online marketplace operated by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, that has become the fastest growing retailer in history. Joining us on the episode is Michael Maloof is the Head of Marketing for Earnest Analytics. Earnest works with world-class data partners to acquires, anonymize, and productize insight about the entire U.S. Economy. They have posted numerous insights about Temu in the US this year: Temu’s 2024 Super Bowl ad blitz failed to accelerate growth Temu is growing fastest among high income earners Almost half of Wish, AliExpress customers shop at Temu In this episode we cover who Temu is, how big they have become, who their customers are and what retailers they are likely impacting, their go to market strategy (and especially their marketing spend), the controversy around their use of the Global Postal Treaty, and some of their potential risks. We also explore where they could go next. If you're in the commerce space, you'll want to make sure you are up to speed on Temu. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 318 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: [0:23] Welcome to the Jason and Scott show. This is episode 318 being recorded on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024. I'm your host, Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg. And as usual, I'm here with your co-host, Scott Wingo. Scot: [0:39] Hey, Jason, and welcome back, Jason and Scott show listeners. Jason, one of the topics that is coming up a lot this year, we talked a lot at a lot in our recap and our preview is Temu. By many measures, people think they're one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in history. If you watch the Super Bowl, I think they spent $8 trillion on ads there. So we want to do a deep dive into this and cover a number of topics. We want to talk about a little background around Temu. What's it mean for U.S. retailers? And, you know, it's a Chinese company. Does it even matter? If yes, why? Because Temu isn't public and they are a Chinese company, they don't really disclose any information. So we wanted to bring on a guest that is basically a Temu expert. So we looked around and we found Michael Maloof. He is the head of marketing at Ernest Analytics. Ernest works with world-class data partners to acquire, anonymize, and productize insights about the U.S. economy. They have posted lots of articles. This is how we found Michael. I think you know him as well from the trade show circuit. So he's going to help us do this deep dive into what's going on at Temu. Welcome to the show, Michael. Michael? Michael: [1:59] Yeah, thanks so much for having me on the show. Big fan of your annual predictions and the work you guys do. So I'm head of marketing at Earnest Analytics. We're the leading credit card retail pricing and healthcare claims data provider for investors and retailers. Before Earnest, I was actually a tech and telco analyst over at Goldman. The two credit card data sets we work with now, Orion and Vela, are probably the most pertinent to my conversations about the consumer economy and certainly this conversation today about TMU. They sourced respectively from a large account aggregator, like a budgeting app, and part of a POS system in the US. And Ernest essentially takes these massive and messy data sets, normalizes structures, and then puts them onto our platform so everyone from portfolio managers to marketers can see this third-party data. For...

EP317 - Amazon Q4 Results Episode Summary: In this episode, Jason Goldberg and Scot Wingo dive deep into Amazon's fourth-quarter results for 2023, analyzing the company's performance in various segments such as retail, offline and online sales, marketplace, AWS, and advertising. They also explore the impact of AI on Amazon's business and provide insights into the company's future guidance for Q1 2024. Amazon had a strong Q4 earnings report, beating analyst expectations for revenue and income. In fact, it was Amazon's most profitable quarter ever. Retail sales were up 6%, which imputes a 2023 GMV of $515B - $660B in the US for all of 2023. The bottom end of that estimate would be a 9% growth over 2023, versus all of Core Retail in the US (x Gas and Auto) which grew 3.6% in 2023. This impressive growth was achieved while Amazon improved delivery times (6B packages delivered next day, and 1B delivered same day, same day offered in 110 metros) and reduced cost to serve by $0.45/package in the US (the first reduction in cost to serve since 2018). AWS accelerated growth but slowly declined margins. Ad revenue was again the brightest spot, growing 27% to $14.7B, resulting in $47B in revenue the last 12 months, and a $58B run rate. The income generated from that ad revenue was likely more than $27B, far in excess of the $21B Amazon earned from AWS. Once again demonstrating that Ads are Amazons biggest income generator. Amazons total GMV in the US likely falls in-between Walmart's expected 2023 GMV of $442B and Walmart plus Sam's Club total US GMV of $519B. Walmart reports it's Q4 on Feb 20. Amazon probably represented 24% of ALL retail growth in the US in 2023. Amazon, Walmart, Temu, and Shein alone likely represented 49% of all 2023 Us retail growth (leaving mostly crumbs for the rest of retail). Amazon also announced Rufus, a new Gen AI based search amenity for the e-commerce site. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 317 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scott Show. This is episode 317 being recorded on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024. I'm your host, Jason Retail Geek Goldberg, and as usual, I'm here with your co-host, Scott Wingo. Scot: Hey, Jason, and welcome back, Jason and Scott Show listeners. Jason, we've been talking about ARVR since before shop.org changed its name. And did you get a vision pro and how is it i. Jason: Did not i feel like i've let you and our listeners down i desperately wanted to lie and say that we were recording this episode through our joint vision pros i did i did go do a demo and it it seems super cool i am sorting through my my highly poor vision to see what sort of corrective lenses i'll need to put into the thing, to pull the trigger. I heard yours has arrived though. Scot: Yes, mine actually just came hours ago here to Jason and Scott, North Carolina headquarters. And it is sitting in a box staring at me. And I figured I would not get the show notes done if I started playing with that. So that's gonna be my weekend fun that I'm gonna work on. So I'll report back on that. Jason: All of us that love you are slightly sad because we've seen your real eyes for probably the last time in a long while. Scot: That is true yep yep these baby blues are going behind the goggles and i'm gonna drive the first thing i do is get in my car and drive that seems to be what everyone does on twitter so that'll be fun yeah. Jason: That sounds wildly safe. Scot: Yeah well you can see right through them so it's totally...

EP316 - Annual Predictions 2024 Jason visited the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Pea Ridge, Arkansas featuring drone delivery. Here is a video for those interested. 2023 Predictions Recap Jason: YesNoYesNoYes Jason Total Score: 3 of 5 Scot: take shareYesNoYesYesYes Scot Total Score: 4 of 5 Trends revert to the mean, and Scot is back on Top! 2024 Predictions Jason: Bonus: Live-steaming, MetaVerse, Crypto still not a major thing in e-commerce; Management stops blaming performance on retail crime; and Smaller RMN’s fail. Scot: Don’t forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 316 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday, January 11th, 2024. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scott show. This is episode 316 being recorded on Thursday, January 11th. I’m your host, Jason Retail Geek Goldberg. And as usual, I’m here with your co-host, Scott Wingo. go. Scot: Hey, Jason, and welcome back. Jason and Scott show listeners. Well, folks, this is one of our most popular shows of the year. This is our Jason and Scott annual prediction show. This is where being an audio podcast really works against us. You can’t see us, but Jason, I normally wear leisure wear when we record the podcast, but tonight we’re wearing tuxedos. Jason, I really like that cummerbund. It looks really good on you. Jason: Thanks. Scot: I feel like you’ve really elevated elevated your game this year the the suede tuxedo really suits you thanks thanks and the extra glitter on the bow tie was my daughter’s influence smart the the 17 year old touch as you can never have enough glitter that is literally what she says half the time so yeah this is the show where we make we kind of self-score last year’s predictions which would have been the predictions we made this time last year early January for 2023 and then we make new ones for this year the 2024 2024 predictions but before we jump into that Jason we’re recording this on the Eve of nrf big show and I know that’s a huge show for you it’s now I think it’s expanded it’s always a fun weekend show which I’ve always appreciated that that was sarcasm and then I think they’ve extended it you know I think it was like what was it Saturday Sunday Monday and now there’s like a Tuesday and then there’s pre-days and post days so it’s like a whole it’s like a whole month of nrf big show are Are you teed up and energized and ready to go? Jason: Yeah, and I feel like if all those things weren’t exciting enough, you know, it’s like 113 years old, and it’s always over a holiday, Martin Luther King Day, and it always draws a blizzard, like either on the first day or the last day. And so this year, maybe we’ll get both. Scot: Yeah, yeah, and it’s always fun. And it used to be there was nothing down in that part of New York, and now at least they have, what’s that thing called? Hudson Yard or whatever. Jason: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I feel like Manhattan has grown up around Javits a little bit. So you are definitely right. I have clients and partners with offices that are now walking distance from the show. And Hudson Yard is pretty cool. Scot: Yeah, very cool. Now, are you speaking and also on behalf of the listeners, what are you going there to learn more about? Jason: Yeah, so in the highly unlikely event, there’s anyone that listens to this show that doesn’t already know what the show is. National Retail Federation’s big trade organization represents retail in the United States. It’s their big event. 30,000-ish people come to New York City. Tons of exhibitors in a wide variety of fields. The area that’s always fun for me...

EP315 - 2023 Turkey5 Recap with Salesforces Rob Garf Episode 315 is a recap of Turkey5 (The five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) 2023 with Rob Garf, Vice President and General Manager, Retail at Salesforce. This is Robs' Six time on the show, having previously been on episodes 110, 248, 282, 299, and 313. Jason and Scot discuss the "Turkey 5" with their guest Rob Garf, VP and GM for retail at Salesforce. They analyze data from various sources to provide insights into the holiday shopping season. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce grew 7.75% in Q3, while total retail only grew 2%. Jason emphasizes the need for e-commerce to grow at least 7.7% in Q4 to stay on track. Adobe's data shows that Black Friday sales were up 7.5% and Cyber Monday sales were up 12.4% from the previous year. The speakers also discuss data from BigCommerce, MasterCard, and Salesforce, highlighting growth in online sales on Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Rob Garf adds his observations on retail industry trends, noting an increase in demand and robust pricing. He mentions a rebound in demand in Europe, excluding the UK, and highlights retailers' focus on profitability and inventory levels. The discussion then turns to Amazon's innovative advertising approach during a Friday NFL game, where shoppable ads were displayed via QR codes. Jason believes this strategy will benefit Amazon, as it monetizes viewership and reinforces the brand. Discounting played a significant role in driving demand during Cyber Week, with retailers offering an average of 30% off. Consumers were patient, waiting for attractive deals, while retailers managed their inventory and discounting strategies well. The luxury category, however, did not perform as strongly, with only a slight increase or even a decrease in sales. The hosts touch on the resale market and the growing popularity of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options and mobile wallets. They discuss the potential impact of mobile wallets on shopping behavior and note that BNPL resonates with new consumers and has replaced layaway. Finally, the hosts mention the passing of Charlie Munger and the filing of an IPO by Xi'an, encouraging listeners to support the show and announcing more holiday shopping data and reports on Salesforce.com. 0:00:46 Introduction to the Jason and Scot Show 0:05:04 Black Friday: First Sales for Vendors 0:14:06 Softness in Consumer Electronics and Toys Market 0:14:55 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Impact on Holiday Season Shape 0:16:32 Retailers' Inventory Management and Positive Growth Forecast 0:17:47 Retailers analyzing profitability and customer profitability. 0:18:29 Increase in Demand and Robust Pricing 0:22:34 Amazon's Innovative Advertising and Potential Profitability for Holiday 0:26:27 Discount rates over Cyber Week in comparison to previous years 0:29:04 Retailers' management of inventory and transparency in discounting strategy 0:31:52 Consumer behavior and the rise of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) 0:33:32 Mobile wallets and the impact on checkout process and shopping experiences 0:35:26 Buy Now, Pay Later Growing and Replacing Layaway 0:37:22 Charlie Munger's Passing and Xi'an's IPO Announcement Throughout this episode make liberal use of real-time data from Salesforce Shopping Insights HQ, which tracks how 1.5+ billion consumers are shaping shopping trends. You can see a real-time holiday dashboard, powered by Tableau so you can interact with the data yourself on the Salesforce Holiday Insights page. Episode 313 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Tuesday November 28th, 2023. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scot Show. This is...

The Jason & Scot Show. Podcast about e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Editor note: We're trying some fun new AI features for this episode. The following show notes were written by ChatGPT. We're also let AI remove all the "stop words" in our audio, and we've switched from Google to OpenAI for our audio transcription. Let us know your feedback. In this episode of the Jason and Scot show, our special guest is Sean D. Nelson, the CEO and founder of Lovesac. He shares his inspiring journey of starting the company as a beanbag business in his basement and growing it into a successful public company. Sean highlights the key moments of his entrepreneurial journey, including winning a million dollars on Richard Branson's reality TV show and navigating the ups and downs of the business. Sean has upcoming book and podcast, both entitled "Let Me Save You 25 Years: Mistakes, Miracles, and Lessons from the Lovesac Story." Sean emphasizes the importance of being a direct-to-consumer brand and how Lovesac has found sustained success by focusing on customer acquisition costs and offering a high-quality product. He discusses the concept of direct-to-consumer and shares his thoughts on its significance. Sean believes that having a differentiated product that provides value to customers is crucial, rather than simply relying on an online sales strategy. The conversation also touches on the topic of innovation and how Lovesac has been able to push the boundaries of what a furniture company can offer. Sean discusses their Stealth Tech innovation, which incorporates surround sound into their couches, as well as their commitment to creating products that are built to last and designed to evolve. Sean acknowledges the challenges of operating in physical retail and highlights the importance of their showrooms in reducing customer acquisition costs and providing a hands-on experience for customers. He also mentions their partnerships with Best Buy and Costco to expand their reach. The discussion expands to the future of retail and e-commerce, with Sean mentioning the transformative role of AI but cautioning that it takes time for movements to fully evolve. He emphasizes the importance of being patient and keeping an eye on developments in the industry. The conversation concludes with Sean expressing his long-term commitment to Lovesac and his desire to build something meaningful rather than focusing solely on personal gain. Listeners are invited to check out Sean's podcast and website, as well as his upcoming book, which will be released in January. Overall, this episode provides insights into the journey and philosophy behind Lovesac's success and offers valuable perspectives on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the future of retail. Chapters 0:00:46 Introduction and Welcome to the Show 0:08:36 The Journey of Love Sack: From Highs to Lows 0:12:05 Love Sack's Traditional IPO and Company Performance 0:15:49 The Importance of Having a Differentiated Product 0:19:49 The Value and Overhype of Market Movements 0:23:18 Sactionals: Built to Last, Designed to Evolve 0:25:56 Driving a Movement for Sustainable Consumerism 0:31:36 Innovation and the Evolution of Lovesac's Product Line 0:37:07 The Strength of Lovesac's Physical Showrooms in the DTC Landscape 0:40:03 Testing and Learning: Mobile Concierge and Shop and Shop 0:41:52 AI's transformative role in the future of technology 0:50:08 Long-Term Vision vs Quick Profit Episode 313 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday, November 9th, 2023. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scot show. This episode is being recorded on Thursday, November 9th, 2023. I'm your host, Jason "RetailGeek" Goldberg, and as usual, I'm here with your co-host, Scot Wingo. Scot: Hey, Jason, and welcome back. Jason and Scot show listeners. Jason, we're very fortunate to have a entrepreneur on the show. I'm the entrepreneur side of our partnership. So I always really...

EP313 - Holiday 2023 Preview with Rob Garf of Salesforce Episode 313 is preview of Holiday 2023 with Rob Garf, Vice President and General Manager, Retail at Salesforce. This is Robs' fifth time on the show, having previously been on episodes 110, 248, 282, and 299. It's happened again. Your Halloween decorations have come down (or at least your pumpkin is not in good shape), you survived Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, and now you're getting ready to ditch your in-laws and enjoy one of the most exciting retail weeks of the year. Yes, it's time for Holiday 2023! This year, we've decided to do things a bit different by previewing the holiday in advance of Turkey 5. Rob Garf has kindly joined to walk us through Salesforce's e-commerce forecast for November and December, and we compare it to all the other forecasts out there (NRF, Deloitte, Bain, US Dept of Commerce). In addition to the top line forecasts, we touch on retail versus e-commerce, changing shape of the holiday, discounting climate, inventory and supply chain impacts, top performing categories, the economy, and the impact of rapidly growing Chinese brands (Temu, Shein, TikTok). Throughout this episode make liberal use of real-time data from Salesforce Shopping Insights HQ, which tracks how 1.5+ billion consumers are shaping shopping trends. You can see a real-time holiday dashboard, powered by Tableau so you can interact with the data yourself on the Salesforce Holiday Insights page. Episode 313 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday November 8th, 2023. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scot show this is episode 313 being recorded on Wednesday November 8th 2023 I'm your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scot Wingo. Scot: Hey Jason and welcome back Jason and Scot show listeners Jason is 3:13 the lucky number I had the 13 is kind of on there so I think we'll count it. Jason: It's a lot of threes. Scot: Yeah yeah I think it's a primal have to get one of our research analyst to work on the okay so we are recording this in early November as Jason said so at that critical part of the retail calendar all the plans are laid the discounts are on the table Cyber Monday. Thanksgiving Black Friday everything's teed up and everyone's waiting in anticipation of what holiday is going to bring us this year. And we know longtime listeners will know that our holiday turkey five coverage with a lot of sprinkling of data is second to none in the industry and this year we're going to take it up a notch in past years we've had our friend of the show Rob Garf VP and GM for retail at Salesforce on after the turkey 5 give us a real-time view of what they saw and for those of you that have been with us very long time this is her Jason's mom primarily those were episodes 110 249 282 and 299 man that's quite a track record this year we are going to take it up and have a delicious rub Garf before and after holiday sandwich it's kind of like that turkey sandwich but we're going to kind of sample it here before we even even have Thanksgiving. Rob before I before I go on welcome back for the fifth and I think record time on the show. Rob: Wow I love it this is I will have to call the Guinness book up and make sure we get this knocked in memory on this is fantastic it's always good to be here and even better Scott and Jason and first of all thank you for having me on doing a little bit of a preview because as you mention were normally crawling through the data talking about the holiday weekend and seeing where everything lands after the critical time period and it's fun to take a little bit of a sneak preview and look at what...

EP312 - Amazon Q3 2023 Earnings Amazon reported another strong quarter across the board for Q3, soundly exceeding analyst profit expectations and retail industry averages. In this episode we break down the AWS AI, Ads, and retail performance. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scot show this is episode 312 being recorded on Monday October 30th right before Halloween I'm Jason retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scot Wingo. Scot: Hey Jason and welcome back to Jason and Scot show listeners Jason it's a Halloween Eve hallow Eve but also we just watch the Mac live presentation from Apple or live presented recorded earlier presentation from Apple about new Macs, so I don't know I think I'm going to ask you about Max first are you going to get a new Mac are you sitting out this upgrade cycle. Jason: I am on the fence guy of course I want one I have scheduled a meeting with my family CFO to see if I can, I can justify it so so we'll see I did not order one tonight I'm actually. Still super happy with my M1 MacBook Pro so so I know M3 is at least three times better so so of course I want one but we'll see when I pull the trigger what about you is yours already on the way. Scot: I have been a while without an upgrade and running a little long on the tooth on this guy so yes I have a new machine coming they were actually pretty generous on the trade-ins you should just do an experiment before you talk to the CFO plug-in that trade in and see if it. Jason: That could be the. Scot: You a better presentation also if you have an Apple credit card which I'm sure you do they have a really compelling offer there. Jason: All right lots of lots of good good things to consider my nine-year-old has made it clear that we're not allowed to trade anything in it. Scot: It's got dibs on. Jason: He's very he's very aware of the technology trickle down. Scot: Oh man well you can somewhere down the stream there's going to be one that you could trade in but I don't think it may have as much impact as your courage. Jason: I I don't know if he's ever going to own a computer device with a keyboard will see but yeah he's actually not that interested in my laptop. Scot: Speaking of baby geek or I guess now he's I don't know kindergarten geek. Jason: Third grade geek. Scot: Third grade geek what's he thinking about Halloween I hear he's kind of outgrown Star Wars which makes me casa. Jason: He still like Star Wars but he yeah he is not doing a Star Wars character last year he did a Pokemon character he did Pikachu and this year he's stepped up to Charizard so that. Scot: Very rare. Jason: Enables well I think it depends on which Charizard butt. That steps up the whole opportunity to build pyrotechnics into the costume. Scot: All right watch out for some evil Pokemon people that try to capture. Jason: Yeah I think the big debate in our house which isn't hasn't fully happened yet is who's trick-or-treating with Stephen and who's staying behind to try to scare the bejesus out of neighborhood kids. Scot: I'm thinking you and a gorilla suit or you could be in the last year's Pokemon suit or Pikachu suit that could be a fun combo. Jason: Yeah last year I actually had knee surgery only a few days before Halloween so I won by default because I couldn't really walk but this year I feel like I have no good excuse. Scot: Right as the title shows the purpose of this as we have some Amazon news to report on. Jason: Amazon news your margin is there opportunity. Scot: Well Jason it was a kind of interesting setup coming into Earth earning season this quarter the whole...

EP311 - Video Commerce with Qurate's Brian Beitler Brian Beitler is the Founder and General Manager of Live Shop Ventures, a video commerce initiative within the Qurate Retail Group, which is the parent company of HSN and QVC. Brian has also served as the CMO of Qurate Retail Group, in addition to many other interesting marketing roles in the retail world. We met Brian at Etail Boston and arranged this interview. We cover video commerce, differences in adoption between Western and Eastern Markets. The role of livestreaming, and the benefits of being a "commerce platform with video" vs. "a video platform with commerce." We also explore the origin on Live ShopVentures, it's first video marketplace on a mobile app, Sune, and the benefits on incubating a start-up within an established company. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 311 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday, August 31th. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Transcript Jason: Welcome to the Jason and Scot show this is episode 311 being recorded on Thursday August 31st 2023 I'm your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scot Wingo. Scot: Hey Jason and welcome back Jason and Scot show listeners Jason as you know one of the most common questions we get from our huge listing audience is about live streaming with e-commerce is it a big deal why is it seem to be growing faster in the East versus the west and how important is it to live live streaming so we thought we'd get a expert on the show as a guest that could help unpack that for us all and you better than someone who's LED marketing for numerous historic Brands and served as the CMO for the mother of all video shopping sites QVC / HSN and so that's exactly who we found, we're excited to welcome to the show Brian beitler he is the founder of mobile V Commerce app called soon and the general manager of live shop venters both part of the Keurig group. And I'm not sure Jason but that's a lot of words in the title but I think it's maybe half of the words in your title but welcome to the show Brian we're excited to have you. Brian: Grateful to be here and I'll work on trying to lengthen the title so I can keep up with Jason. Jason: Set your set your goals higher Brian. Brian: Thank you for having me. Jason: Brian we are thrilled to have you and as our listeners will quickly figure out and we are eager to jump into all this video Commerce stuff but before we do we always like to give the listeners a little bit of perspective about our guests background and where they're coming from and in your case it's a super impressive retail / consumer background so can you can you give us the version that your mom would share with her friends in the elevator. Brian: Happy to do so so I'll back up a decade or two but I started well where I consider I started my career was at Mattel that huge toy conglomerate in fact they're very popular right now coming off of a I think a major hit movie. It's doing very well. Yes I think so has the rest of the world at this point but I started my career there and fell in love with the toy industry and thought that's where I would really spend. My entire career when I left Mattel. In the early 2000s I at the time was leading the core part of the Hot Wheels brand a dream job as a father and a former young boy. But I thought I would give myself a taste of retail in the toy industry so I actually left metallic thought I would spend a couple of years on the retail side working with it. A brand I knew we all knew and loved at some point in our childhood called Toys R Us and truthfully I the...