Why Q4 2025 Hits Different Shahrez Anjum and Laurie Tovo of Acadia - Episode 416
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Thank you for an incredible 2025! đ We are grateful for such an engaged community of listeners. To celebrate, weâre re-releasing 3 of our most popular episodes of the year. This week, weâre bringing back âVendor P&L Proliferation - Why Itâs Happening and Why It Mattersâ with Armin Alispahic. We hope you enjoy it!
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The Retail Round-Up - Seller Challenges, Nielsen, and the Path to AI Monetization - Episode 423
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đď¸News Review with Armin Alispahic and Ross Walker DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world. Today, weâre joined by Pat Petriello, Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, who will be co-hosting this week. As always, we have Armin Alispahic here to dive deep into operations and organic industry trends, and Ross Walker to walk us through everything Media. This marks our final Retail Round Up episode of 2026, but weâre not slowing down. Thereâs no shortage of major industry...
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Open Auction? Deals? How to Buy Media on Amazonâs DSP with Ross Walker & Danilo Alvares - Episode 422
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unBoxed 2025: What You Need to Know With Ross Walker and Pat Petriello - Episode 420
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DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, weâre excited to welcome back two familiar voices: Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media, and Pat Petriello, Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy. Theyâre here to help us unpack the wave of announcements that came out of unBoxed 2025 and break down what they really mean for brands. Letâs dive in. Quote: Itâs a trap! Every single one of our brands that has said, âForget about...
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Creator Connections Has Changed. Should You? With Adam French of Acadia - Episode 418
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đď¸Interview With Adam French of Acadia DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today, weâre diving into one of the most quietly powerful and still widely underutilized growth levers on Amazon: Creator Connections. To help us unpack how brands can tap into this channel effectively, weâre joined by first-time guest Adam French from our Account Management team. Adam has been deep in the trenches running the Creator Connections...
info_outlineđď¸Interview With Shahrez Anjum and Laurie Tovo of Acadia
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management.
Today weâre joined by two fantastic guests from Acadia: Shahrez Anjum from our Account Management team and Laurie Tovo from our Retail Media team.
Theyâre here to break down whatâs unique about this yearâs Q4: whatâs changing, what you should be watching, and why this holiday season wonât look like the last one.
Quote:
The vibe has definitely changed. Brands are less aggressive than last year. There's more selectivity, more intention, less 'go all-in on everything for 12 days straight.
Shahrez Anjum
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Laurie, and Shahrez discuss:
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How Q4 2025 compares to recent years: From aggressive, catalog-wide deals to more selective and targeted promotional strategies, especially following tariff changes and economic uncertainty.
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The influence of macroeconomic factors: Brands are feeling the effects of inflation, volatility, and changing consumer stamina for deals, which is shaping a more cautious approach to sales periods and media investment.
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AIâs growing role in ecommerce: How AI, like Amazonâs Rufus chatbot, is changing the way shoppers search for and discover products, shifting the focus from keywords to behavioral signals and personalized content.
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Amazon merchandising and promo capabilities: Updates like changes to promotional fees, expanded Subscribe & Save funding, and automated multipacks are reshaping organic and paid strategies for brands.
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Advanced advertising strategies: The power of AMC Audiences and behavioral targeting, enabling brands to deliver more segmented and effective messaging across the customer journey.
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Amazonâs evolving fulfillment landscape: Insights on multi-channel fulfillment and the logistical complexities brands face as they consider programs like AWD and adapt to new fulfillment fee structures.
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Key changes to watch for in 2026: Anticipated shifts include the end of commingled inventory, further customization of deals and shopping experiences, and the need for brands to collect and leverage more customer data.
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Predictions for the future of search: We may be seeing the end of the traditional search bar in favor of more AI-driven, personalized shopping experiences.