Rod Nazemi

Kroger has taken a step by consolidating Media, Loyalty, and Insights under RMN, positioning Kroger Precision Marketing #KPM as a comprehensive growth engine for brands. This new structure emphasizes the integration of data science and technology at its core. For more details, visit the full story at [https://lnkd.in/eFmFfd_q). #Kroger #Marketing #DataScience #Technology Path to Purchase Institute Progressive Grocer

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Our very own Cyndi Loza, Senior Editor at the Path to Purchase Institute, joined The CPG Guys podcast to break down the latest Retail Media Networks Benchmarking Report — and she crushed it. Cyndi brought the data, the insights, and the perspective that only the Path to Purchase Institute can deliver. This report has the industry buzzing, and for good reason: Which retail media networks are truly best-in-class? Who’s leading in measurement frameworks? Who’s easiest to work with (and who’s… not)? Which networks are actually integrated with merchants? Some of the findings will validate what you already know — but others might surprise you. And yes, some RMNs missed the mark entirely. Huge congrats to Cyndi on an outstanding episode — give it a listen. https://lnkd.in/eg9kRn78 #RetailMedia #ShopperMarketing #P2PI #TheCPGGuys #MediaMeasurement #RMN #LeadershipMoment Peter V.S. Bond Sri Rajagopalan

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Walmart's momentum continues to surge as Walmart Connect gains traction. In its recent earnings call, Walmart highlighted robust growth in retail media, further fueled by its acquisition of VIZIO. The company's focus on advertising, membership, and marketplace is reshaping its profit strategy, leading to a significant 46% increase in global ad revenue year over year. Check out Jacqueline Barba article at https://lnkd.in/eAG8afk5 Path to Purchase Institute

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Same-day grocery is easy to promise and very hard to do profitably. Most retailers start with the P&L. They ask: how do we make same-day work without destroying margins? They add fees, cut assortment, outsource the experience. On paper it looks fine. In reality, NPS drops, repeat rates fall and the unit economics never really improve. At Rohlik Group we took the opposite path. We started from customer obsession: would I be proud to offer this to my own family? That meant same-day delivery as a standard, 15-min time windows, ultra-fresh product and almost perfect availability. NPS became our daily report card. I still read NPS comments every morning. Every late van, every bad substitution, shows up immediately as a lower NPS, and we treat it as a defect in the system, not a problem with the customer. To deliver same-day at scale while keeping a very high NPS (80+ in all markets), you cannot rely on spreadsheets and point solutions. You need an AI-native operating system that: • Sees the whole journey end-to-end – from demand to fulfilment to last mile. • Orchestrates people, robots and vans in real time to keep every promise. • Optimises every decision for both customer happiness (NPS) and contribution margin. When you do this, customer obsession and economics stop fighting each other. You can be faster, more reliable and more personal than the local store, and still be profitable order by order. That is exactly the system we built inside Rohlik. And we are opening it up as Veloq – an AI-driven operating platform that helps grocers deliver same-day service with top-tier NPS and strong unit economics. Let me know if you are interested in learning more!

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Watching the Walmart U.S. Year Beginning Meeting yesterday morning, I found myself reflecting on the momentum — particularly how AI and digital experiences are accelerating the way we connect with customers. From tools that simplify work to platforms that unlock discovery, AI is reducing friction, speeding up decisions and creating more intuitive experiences in our stores and online. When technology works well, it creates space for better outcomes for both customers and associates. At the same time, Judy Werthauser's reminder resonated. Acceleration only works when culture keeps pace. Associate experience is still built one conversation at a time — on the sales floor, in the back room, after a tough day. And as she shared, those moments don’t stay at work. They show up at the dinner table — in what associates say about their day, their leaders and their future. As leaders, we influence more than performance metrics. We shape trust. Innovation may move us faster, but trust determines whether people choose to grow with us. That’s the balance: ensuring we remain people-led as we become increasingly tech-powered.

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It’s not just tariffs. Way back in January (aka, the #PreTariff era), Elaine Parr and I were preparing IBM's 2025 industry trends presentation for the #retail and #CPG / #FMCG industries. One of our themes was "A state of constant disruption." And while neither of us had any inkling that it would turn out to be quite this disruptive this quickly, it's worth re-visiting the external forces that led us to that conclusion in the first place. The Economy. Even before the full slate of policies were put in place by the then-incoming US administration, the International Monetary Fund was forecasting a slowdown in the global economy to +3.3% in each of 2025 and 2026 (vs. 3.7% in 2000-19), with advanced economies slowing to +1.9%. And the Economist Intelligence: EIU forecast global retail sales of +2.2%, with India emerging as the dominant market as China's growth slowed. Regulations. While not widely discussed, the tax changes in the EU and elsewhere are very impactful. Most notable is GloBE (Global Anti-Base Erosion Model) Pillar 2 (aka BEPS), which sets a minimum tax threshold of 15% on large multi-nationals. Collectively, new regulations -- along with #tariffs -- will unwind some of the complex corporate structures that have been built up over the past 30 years. Political and Social Unrest. We were initially thinking of Russia, the Middle East, Africa, China, and other "hot spots." Turns out we're starting to see it in the US as well. In general, any type of social disruption tends to drive a slowdown in spending -- 75% of execs think "political and social unrest" will impact their business this year. Health and Climate. Natural disasters cost $417 billion in 2024. And we're seeing new regulations on high sugar / fat / salt foods (HFSS) in the UK, and proposed regulations on ultra-high-processed foods (UPF / UHP) in the EU. We're also seeing continued growth in GLP-1s, especially in the US where an estimated 1 in 6 adults are using them. And while it's largely moved off the daily news cycle, climate change still represents a significant business risk. Tech and Cyber. While most of the news is focused on AI, cyber continues to be the biggest day-to-day challenge -- there was a 71% YoY increase in attacks using compromised credentials. And just as enterprises are using AI, so too are "bad actors," which ups the ante for CISOs on multiple fronts. All in all, I think we nailed the headline, and this was just one of the 5 themes in our #FiveFor2025 outlook, an update of which we'll be sharing within the next few weeks (and which we'd be happy to present). HT to the The Wall Street Journal. Yesterday's article on how The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo re-thinking their syrup production in light of tariffs prompted me to go back and re-visit our work. https://lnkd.in/eRvmJaiP

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Dynamic pricing (particularly w/o transparency) can be a major erosion of customer trust, as Instacart is discovering today. AI price trackers are going to expose this much more readily. The days of assuming the customer won’t find out (obfuscation) in retail are over. https://lnkd.in/gvuDRbRY

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Walmart’s Q2 results are drawing mixed headlines, but they show acceleration across the areas that matter most to advertisers. Signals from this quarter: - Ad revenue +31% in the U.S., +46% globally (including Vizio) Walmart’s acquisition of VIZIO is now flowing into results, linking CTV with closed-loop attribution. Brands can plan top-of-funnel video and lower-funnel search in one ecosystem, measured directly against sales. This quarter, the numbers show advertisers clearly leaning in. - Same-day delivery volumes up ~50% Store-fulfilled delivery is up nearly 50%, and one-third of digital orders arrive within three hours. That fulfillment velocity creates new high-intent ad moments (shoppers checking their app for pickup readiness, adjusting baskets, planning quick replenishment orders). Lots of opportunity to align retail media with these moments and influence purchase decisions in real-time. - Global e-commerce +25% YoY E-commerce outside the U.S. grew +22%, while international advertising rose +15% (led by Flipkart). Walmart’s retail media flywheel is scaling internationally – and it's a chance for advertisers to test, learn, and replicate strategies across regions, with Walmart as a unifying partner. - Sam's Club e-commerce +26% Between Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Flipkart, Walmart has built a multi-faceted and international network that reaches diverse shopper segments. More places to activate retail media, more audiences to engage, and more opportunities to coordinate strategies across platforms. I think Q2 underscores the breadth of Walmart’s ecosystem and the pace at which it’s evolving. For advertisers, the challenge lies in tapping into that while staying agile to shopper and market dynamics.

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The purge continues at PepsiCo. We are witnessing a generational core transformation of big CPG Wall Street seems reasonably happy with PepsiCo’s earnings this week. Sales growth in emerging markets is solid, and inflation has helped offset unit sales decline in North America. The real story though, is that Pepsi is again cutting pricing of its snacks and trimming more underperforming products. This is half of the equation. The other half is going to be acquisition of more innovation brands. They won’t be able to wait until they reach the $1BN level like Siete…new brands will be acquired earlier and for smaller valuations to offset the slow decline of their legacy products. If you’re the founder of a snack or beverage brand with aspiration of an exit this decade…this should be music to your ears. …demonstrate strong unit sales growth on a national scale while remaining profitable, and you will be in position to take advantage. #cpg #innovation #grocery

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Purchasing power is one of, if not the strongest arguments for leadership for modern retailers with large supplier base, and retail leaders spare no effort to make the relationships with their strategic suppliers more predictable - and advanced prognostic technology can help there. Walmart shows a good direction here - entering a deal with Helios AI to provide its climate risk and price forecasting software. Helios created a platform that predicts the price and availability of agricultural commodities, using AI models forecasting climate risks. The company says its software will allow Walmart to evaluate medium- and long- term climate risks facing its global agricultural supply chain to help secure sourcing. But I would suspect that beyound climate risks, these models can develop to cover also the political and transportation risks, which is at least as relevant in the current unstable world.

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