What's Next for Retail? with Anne Mezzenga

1 - > SPEAKER_00: Continue to check yourself and check in with 2 - > yourself and say, what is the impact of my influence? 3 - > And does it align with your personal values, the way that 4 - > you want to be remembered when your time is done? 5 - > And this is a fleeting industry. 6 - > So, like that stuff is going to be out there forever.

7 - > Is are you saying the things that are 100% true to who you 8 - > are, what your beliefs are at that moment in time. 9 - > SPEAKER_01: So we are excited to share with you our episode with 10 - > our great guest, Anne Mizenga. 11 - > If you don't know Anne, I am really excited to introduce her 12 - > to you. 13 - > Anne is the founder and CEO of Retail Field Report.

14 - > And you may know Anne if you are someone who's worked in the 15 - > retail industry. 16 - > You may know Anne from her time at Target, where she was head of 17 - > marketing for the Store of the Future initiative at Target. 18 - > But Anne has just a wealth of knowledge and experience, not 19 - > just in the retail space, but also in the advertising and 20 - > television news space. 21 - > So I think her perspective is so unique.

22 - > And also why her retail field report, which she recently 23 - > launched, has built such strong momentum in such a short time. 24 - > Retail Field Report is a media platform that is focused on 25 - > uncovering the stories behind the people and the brands and 26 - > the technologies that are shaping the future of retail and 27 - > has an incredible perspective on this. 28 - > She also was the co-CEO of Omnitoc, one of the retail 29 - > industry's fastest growing podcasts, where she became a 30 - > trusted voice on emerging trends and the future of the industry.

31 - > In today's episode, we talk about how the industry is 32 - > evolving, how retail is evolving, how shopping will 33 - > change over time, and what the future of shopping looks like, 34 - > how AI is reshaping retail, and how human influence is becoming 35 - > more valuable than ever. 36 - > I think that one of the reasons that Anne has such a strong 37 - > perspective on this is because she herself has built a personal 38 - > brand that is so strong, and it is definitely a testament to why 39 - > her new retail field report is growing so quickly.

40 - > I think this episode is chock full of great insights from 41 - > Anne. 42 - > I can't wait for you to hear it. 43 - > We're gonna jump right into it. 44 - > Here we go.

45 - > Welcome to the show. 46 - > Thank you so much. 47 - > I'm so happy to be here. 48 - > I am excited to have you on.

49 - > We had the opportunity to be together. 50 - > No. 51 - > It feels like it was just yesterday, but it was like six 52 - > months ago. 53 - > It's Vegas time.

54 - > It's Vegas time. 55 - > It was like familiar. 56 - > SPEAKER_00: Yes, I know. 57 - > I feel like this you have no concept of time.

58 - > Was it five years ago or was it five minutes ago? 59 - > I know that is sure. 60 - > SPEAKER_01: That is true. 61 - > But we are back in Vegas together.

62 - > And I am so excited to be able to have you on the show to talk 63 - > more about your really cool career and your expertise in 64 - > this space. 65 - > Cause I think people are gonna hear some really interesting 66 - > things from our conversation. 67 - > But why don't we first start? 68 - > If you could talk just a little bit about what you're currently 69 - > doing and just explain that to people so they understand.

70 - > SPEAKER_00: Yeah, sure. 71 - > So I am the founder and CEO of Retail Field Report. 72 - > And it's interesting, I think, to talk about influence because 73 - > I really started it because I felt like I wanted to shift. 74 - > I feel very fortunate to have built a good following over the 75 - > last almost 10 years of doing this.

76 - > We started doing a podcast when before a lot of the podcasts 77 - > were coming online. 78 - > And so it felt like the right time for me to take the 79 - > influence to a more human-centered angle of like it 80 - > we work in the retail space, but you know, why are people who 81 - > have positions of authority in retail making the decisions that 82 - > they are? 83 - > What's on their to-do list? 84 - > What's keeping them up at night, but also kind of using that as a 85 - > way to just get to know them, like beyond the white LinkedIn 86 - > background and who they are at their core.

87 - > So retail field report focuses on speaking to retailers. 88 - > There's another core component where I've actually gone to work 89 - > in stores to get that perspective of what it's like to 90 - > be an associate in stores and to work hands-on with customers. 91 - > And then we also do some work in the technology space, talking to 92 - > technology companies and then also to researchers or analysts 93 - > in the industry as well. 94 - > SPEAKER_01: So, well, maybe we should start with this.

95 - > Then, what is on retailers' minds right now? 96 - > SPEAKER_00: Obviously, how I would say maybe not so 97 - > obviously, but the number one thing is how to integrate AI to 98 - > help them run a more efficient business. 99 - > But I would say the more challenging thing that's on 100 - > their minds is how do you get a team together and a culture 101 - > that's honestly approaching it as an aid to them and to the 102 - > business and doesn't feel like it's going to replace them 103 - > someday.

104 - > I mean, there's some people that I've talked to at big 105 - > organizations who have just done layoffs who have been told by 106 - > their leadership like AI will replace the job that you're 107 - > doing. 108 - > And I feel like that's really, I don't know how these people are 109 - > still coming to work the next day, but I hear this time and 110 - > time again from retailers. 111 - > It's we know that AI is really going to impact the business, 112 - > where the business is going.

113 - > But what they really want to make sure they're doing is 114 - > retaining good talent and making sure that the talent that they 115 - > have knows that, you know, these are meant to be tools to excel 116 - > them further in their careers, further, not just the business 117 - > or impact the business bottom line. 118 - > SPEAKER_01: Yeah. 119 - > I mean, and that is such an interesting thing when you think 120 - > about someone who has built their career. 121 - > Yeah.

122 - > And you're being told, okay, these are your marching orders 123 - > from whoever the higher ups are. 124 - > Yeah. 125 - > And it effectively is your own kind of self-destruction. 126 - > Right.

127 - > In a, in a way. 128 - > Right. 129 - > And do you do you think that this is across roles? 130 - > Do you see it cutting into all types of roles, or do you feel 131 - > like it's relegated to a specific area?

132 - > SPEAKER_00: I think it's all roles. 133 - > I mean, especially like the I feel like the marketing teams 134 - > and creative teams are being hit really hard by this right now. 135 - > I just did a session on stage talking to three luxury brands 136 - > who, you know, luxury brands have kind of been the ones to 137 - > stay away from AI, or they have this concept of invisible AI. 138 - > We will use it, but we don't want our customers to know 139 - > because it's such a hands-on experience.

140 - > However, they are still using it to help with concepting, to help 141 - > with product design and development, to help with, you 142 - > know, aggregating what influencers are talking about, 143 - > what trends are out there, and then kind of using that as a 144 - > baseline before they start doing product development or campaign 145 - > development or their influencer strategies and things like that. 146 - > And so I do think that it's impacting all, without a doubt, 147 - > all sectors of a company.

148 - > But I do feel like the marketing teams were kind of the first 149 - > ones to bear the brunt of what AI meant for their jobs and the 150 - > future. 151 - > SPEAKER_01: That is so interesting. 152 - > So even these luxury brands that are all about, in some ways, 153 - > personalization. 154 - > 100%.

155 - > Right. 156 - > That was the first thing we asked them about. 157 - > Yeah. 158 - > Personalization.

159 - > Yep. 160 - > Yep. 161 - > And they said we can use AI to do a lot of that. 162 - > SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

163 - > And I would say like they certainly hedged because they 164 - > wanted to make sure that people know that they're still going to 165 - > be focused on the interaction. 166 - > But it was how are we collecting data from our interactions in 167 - > stores with clients? 168 - > And how are we collecting information about like 169 - > frequently asked questions? 170 - > Like, how do I care for this piece of jewelry?

171 - > Or how do I wash these, you know, these sheets that are a 172 - > luxury product? 173 - > So they're using AI for those types of things, but then 174 - > they're also using it for clientele. 175 - > Like maybe you have a black book as a as an associate of 10,000 176 - > people. 177 - > Well, yeah, they're using AI to figure out who is the most 178 - > likely person to take advantage of this promotion.

179 - > And how do you kind of cull that list down to maybe 400 people 180 - > that you're reaching out to from the 10,000? 181 - > So you don't see this invisible AI. 182 - > Like the customer doesn't necessarily see it, but they're 183 - > definitely using it using it. 184 - > SPEAKER_01: Interesting.

185 - > So let's take a step back quickly. 186 - > Talk about your background. 187 - > Yeah. 188 - > And then you made the leap from the operating within companies 189 - > to kind of move to build your own platforms.

190 - > Yes. 191 - > And I'm always fascinated by this. 192 - > I think our audience is fascinated by this too. 193 - > So talk a little bit about where you started and then making 194 - > that.

195 - > SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's really bizarre. 196 - > Um, I started my degrees in broadcast journalism. 197 - > So I always thought I'd want to work in news. 198 - > And so it's kind of weird that 30 years later I'm using my 199 - > degree, but just in a really unusual way.

200 - > Yeah. 201 - > Um, and so OmniTalk Retail, which is what I started 10 years 202 - > ago after leaving Target Corporation, was a platform that 203 - > was really telling the story of what was happening in the 204 - > industry, the key headlines that people should be paying 205 - > attention to in the retail industry. 206 - > And then looking at technology as it was starting to come out 207 - > and really evaluating that technology from the perspective 208 - > of someone who has been inside of a retailer and has had to 209 - > evaluate all of these things at an enterprise level.

210 - > And so I think that's really important as an influencer is 211 - > like, what do you uniquely own or what experiences have you had 212 - > that you can really provide a perspective on? 213 - > That maybe there are 25 other people talking about that 214 - > particular thing, but how do you really find your niche? 215 - > And that's how we found our niche at Omnitalk was, you know, 216 - > we could we knew what it was like to have that first 217 - > conversation with a technology company, for example.

218 - > And we tried to be the content to get that out of the way for 219 - > our listeners and we listened to them too. 220 - > Like people responded, we don't like this stuff, it's boring, or 221 - > like we're sick of hearing pitches. 222 - > And so we really worked to refine our content so that we 223 - > could ask those questions that you're gonna ask in the first 224 - > meeting sitting with a major brand. 225 - > SPEAKER_01: I love it.

226 - > And then that helps them kind of cut through so that they don't 227 - > necessarily have to have that if it's not relevant to them. 228 - > 100%. 229 - > I love that. 230 - > And okay, so I'm so happy that you started talking about 231 - > yourself in the context of influence, because I think so 232 - > many people, even with their own platforms, do not necessarily 233 - > think of themselves.

234 - > Right. 235 - > They think of themselves first as like a business person that 236 - > started to like play a little bit with their platforms. 237 - > So it's personal branding. 238 - > Yeah, a hundred percent.

239 - > If I if I tell you how many people, a business people who 240 - > maybe have their own platforms who just talk about it as 241 - > personal branding, yeah. 242 - > Tell me a little bit more about your approach and thinking about 243 - > going from a person who you were at Target, you were at you were 244 - > that you were a corporate person. 245 - > And you moved over to building your own platform. 246 - > And you know, as a former corporate person myself, you 247 - > almost are told, be small, do not like you always have to get 248 - > approval for everything you say that's beyond the four walls of 249 - > your office.

250 - > It's really a very different world. 251 - > Yes. 252 - > And I wonder if that's what is the part of the mentality for 253 - > people when they come from that environment to when they have 254 - > their own platforms. 255 - > What do you think they need to know and how should they be 256 - > thinking about it?

257 - > SPEAKER_00: I would say, especially as someone who has an 258 - > important role inside of a company, you have a lot more 259 - > influence than you realize. 260 - > I don't think that I honestly realized or would have 261 - > considered myself an influencer until I started getting feedback 262 - > about maybe some of the impacts of the influence that I had, 263 - > which which honestly was a big reason why I had to rethink what 264 - > my role was going to be and what kind of content I wanted to put 265 - > out.

266 - > Because you're totally right. 267 - > We we came from this world of like, don't say anything. 268 - > You have to run things by your comms team before you're gonna 269 - > post it or post on your personal behalf and not your role at a 270 - > company. 271 - > And so all these things were coming into play.

272 - > But I do think that one, be a human as much as you can. 273 - > I think that's the hard part about putting content out. 274 - > You have to be vulnerable and people will appreciate that 275 - > you're giving them a real story. 276 - > It's why retail field reports started.

277 - > I want to be able to humanize people in those roles. 278 - > So I think that's really important to do. 279 - > And then what would you tell yourself? 280 - > What are things that you are looking for other people to 281 - > answer for you?

282 - > And again, what's your unique experience or perspective on 283 - > that component? 284 - > You don't have to have this like grand bank of content. 285 - > I think it's just like, what are you, what do people tell you 286 - > that they like about meeting with you on a one-on-one? 287 - > Or what do they admire about you, or say thank you for 288 - > pointing that out in a conference sit setting?

289 - > Like those those are things are the are what are core to you and 290 - > I think what make your content unique. 291 - > But realize it doesn't feel like there's a lot of people 292 - > watching, but I would be like when we'd get our numbers back 293 - > from our podcast, I'd be like, Oh my god, 10,000 people. 294 - > I don't ever think about the fact that 10,000 people are 295 - > listening to an episode of a podcast. 296 - > And so I think that's the part where it's you record in such an 297 - > intimate setting that then to think that this is being you're 298 - > influencing all those people, like one way or another about 299 - > you, your personal brand, the brand you represent, and then 300 - > you know, your thought leadership too.

301 - > So, what is one piece of advice? 302 - > SPEAKER_01: Because you already gave some really useful 303 - > information about even thinking when you had to reassess what 304 - > you were doing, what did you want it to be about? 305 - > Yeah. 306 - > So thinking about what your brand is in terms of what you're 307 - > putting out.

308 - > You said you're trying to humanize the retailer, like the 309 - > person who's in that job. 310 - > Right. 311 - > That is a purpose. 312 - > That is the goal of your content.

313 - > And it really does do so much for you, I am sure, when you 314 - > think about who do you want to have on, what do you want to ask 315 - > them about, and how do you want to think about the target 316 - > audience for consuming content? 317 - > So if you could give people one really just like, okay, if I had 318 - > to take away one thing from this conversation about really strong 319 - > storytelling and how I think about what my platform's gonna 320 - > be about. 321 - > Yeah, what would that be?

322 - > SPEAKER_00: I think this feels like really generic advice, but 323 - > I feel the most confident in my conversations with people when I 324 - > do this. 325 - > And that is to talk to somebody like they are your best friend. 326 - > What do you want to know about them? 327 - > How vulnerable can I be in the questions that I'm asking?

328 - > Even as much as like you used an acronym, and what is that? 329 - > You would never hesitate to say, like, I don't know what you're 330 - > talking about to your best friend. 331 - > Yeah. 332 - > I think it it helps us to be a little bit more humble in our 333 - > approach, and you don't always have to be the expert.

334 - > Sometimes there's a lot that you can learn that the person you're 335 - > interviewing can learn when you don't have this air as though 336 - > you have expertise or you're the smartest person. 337 - > I think how would you treat your best friend if they were asking 338 - > you a question or they didn't understand something or they, 339 - > you know, wanted to learn more about something that you're 340 - > interested in? 341 - > I genuinely try to do that in my interviews, and I think people 342 - > can feel that content.

343 - > It's a reason that people talk to you all the time. 344 - > You make them feel comfortable, and you'd be surprised what 345 - > people are willing to share when you set a comfortable and 346 - > compassionate and humble environment. 347 - > SPEAKER_01: I love that. 348 - > And that's great advice too.

349 - > Just thinking about the conversation as if you're 350 - > talking to a friend. 351 - > I think that was one of the best pieces of advice I got early in 352 - > my career when I was starting marketing. 353 - > So I want to talk now a little bit about the role you're 354 - > playing in, and you came from the retail side. 355 - > You are now focused on that intersection between brands and 356 - > retailers.

357 - > What do you think the biggest challenges are that are facing 358 - > brands today as it relates to retail? 359 - > SPEAKER_00: I think that the thing that I've heard from 360 - > brands most often is because of how pervasive omnichannel has 361 - > become for brands. 362 - > We're seeing a lot more brands testing wholesale relationships 363 - > within retailers. 364 - > They'est testing marketplaces within retailers.

365 - > They have their own stores now. 366 - > They're selling in an independent brand, they might be 367 - > selling in their own store and then and all these other places. 368 - > So I think that it's really hard right now to kind of figure out 369 - > okay, what's the value proposition for my customers for 370 - > each of these channels? 371 - > And then as a brand, what's my brand voice and how do I 372 - > continue to serve them with that voice and those values, 373 - > especially when I'm kind of scattered all over?

374 - > I think it's a really difficult time right now. 375 - > And especially as a gentic commerce becomes more and more 376 - > prolific, I think when they're searching using an agent, I 377 - > think that the first things they're going to start to look 378 - > at in most cases are price and convenience or availability. 379 - > And that might not be from the brand themselves. 380 - > So how do I as a brand still maintain my authenticity, my 381 - > voice, my brand vision from start to finish for that 382 - > consumer when I don't have that relationship where my hands are 383 - > kind of off of that, or I've set product and gave Ulta my, here's 384 - > my dream of what the set looks like in the store, but I can't 385 - > go to all thousand or two thousand Ulta stores or whatever 386 - > plus and and check that.

387 - > So I think that's a hard thing as a brand, especially, you 388 - > know, as a as a still a founder-led brand too. 389 - > SPEAKER_01: And so that's a big brand challenge. 390 - > Ensure that they can really have their brand come through in all 391 - > of these places that they are showing up and want to show up 392 - > for people to buy their products. 393 - > What do you think the biggest retailer challenge is?

394 - > SPEAKER_00: I mean, I feel like there's a similar challenge for 395 - > retailers as there is for brands, in that it used to be 396 - > that if you needed makeup, you went to the department store or 397 - > you went to a Walmart. 398 - > Now you have a TikTok shop. 399 - > You have a Gentic Commerce. 400 - > And we've had all these announcements this week at Shop 401 - > Talk about all these retailers starting to sell their products 402 - > directly through these discovery agents.

403 - > I think for retailers, it's becoming harder and harder to 404 - > figure out how to stay relevant, how to think about hospitality 405 - > and how you treat your customer, that relationship with the 406 - > customer, as a core reason for why they're choosing you over 407 - > another outlet and how you make that all pencil. 408 - > Because the ways of doing that the right way, the places we 409 - > really enjoy going invest so much in the store experience and 410 - > the hospitality experience.

411 - > And that's not an easy thing to do or to scale. 412 - > And so that is, I would say, what retailers are really 413 - > struggling with right now. 414 - > SPEAKER_01: Interesting. 415 - > So you've now mentioned the agentic commerce a couple of 416 - > times.

417 - > You've got relation to the brands, relation to the 418 - > retailer. 419 - > What do you think is going in turn if you think about the 420 - > evolution? 421 - > Yeah. 422 - > You can't even look past like three months, right with AI.

423 - > I mean, things are changing so quickly. 424 - > Three months is almost like three years, right? 425 - > So, but what do you think is gonna happen over the course of 426 - > the just the next couple of months that you think is going 427 - > to be a really important thing for people to know and to look 428 - > out for as it relates just to brands and retail? 429 - > SPEAKER_00: I'm really curious.

430 - > I've heard more about TikTok shop in the last, I don't know, 431 - > two weeks than I have ever. 432 - > And so I'm really curious to start to see how brands really 433 - > play in that space and what comes of that. 434 - > I think a lot of brands are still hesitant because they 435 - > don't know the fate of TikTok or what will happen. 436 - > However, I'm starting to see more brands start to dabble.

437 - > Maybe not full product catalog, but I think that they're 438 - > starting to look at like this is something we're at the point 439 - > where we should probably test and see what comes of it. 440 - > And then I think the other thing that I would say we're kind of 441 - > on the precipice of is how customers are going to use these 442 - > agentic shopping tools, what that actually looks like. 443 - > There's a lot of announcements happening. 444 - > There's a lot of testing going on of now, I can check out in 445 - > Chat GPT at Sephora and I can still get my Sephora points.

446 - > My loyalty points and like all these components that they're 447 - > like things are moving forward slowly and slowly. 448 - > I still don't know that the experience is 100% there. 449 - > So I'm really gonna be watching like what evolves and changes, 450 - > what deals do, you know, the Googles, the OpenAI cities start 451 - > to make with retailers to get more. 452 - > I mean, you need more retailers on the platform for this to 453 - > really start to take hold.

454 - > So I think as a retailer brand, it's like, how do you figure out 455 - > all the channels that you're gonna be on as they're changing 456 - > so much to your point? 457 - > And where am I having the best connection with my customer to 458 - > maintain my brand in all those channels? 459 - > SPEAKER_01: Right. 460 - > And it in some ways it almost begs the question about brands 461 - > having that direct relationship.

462 - > And historically, a lot of CPG brands, let's say, who maybe 463 - > sell in Sephora or sell at the local Walmart, do not have the 464 - > direct relationships with their shoppers, right? 465 - > They just don't have those relationships. 466 - > And I feel like if you've just looked at the last 15 years, 467 - > we've gone through phases of like brands want to have 468 - > communities. 469 - > No, they don't.

470 - > They want to like it just kind of do you think that this is 471 - > maybe the tipping point where brands start to realize they are 472 - > well served to have that relationship with their end 473 - > buyer? 474 - > SPEAKER_00: I yes, but I don't know yet how that will 475 - > transpire. 476 - > SPEAKER_01: You know, it's really interesting to think, 477 - > though, too, okay, well, what about then the manufacturers, 478 - > these national brands, and how they're thinking about alternate 479 - > channels besides just the brick and mortar and the retail, yeah, 480 - > the digital part, the online part of that.

481 - > Do we think that they're going to do more with TikTok shop? 482 - > SPEAKER_00: What are they going to do? 483 - > No, they can tag the product in Instagram and a creator can be a 484 - > direct salesperson. 485 - > I actually think that when you think about the distribution 486 - > channels, I would say that's the biggest area where retailers and 487 - > CPGs are having to think differently.

488 - > They have their wholesale relationships with the grocers 489 - > and the mass retailers. 490 - > They have their own channels, and then a lot of them don't 491 - > have their own stores. 492 - > But we think about agentic commerce and social commerce as 493 - > this third channel. 494 - > And now, you know, Shabani can sell directly to people because 495 - > they had an influencer who got their product top of mind for 496 - > people.

497 - > And now they have another option, which is great for them. 498 - > It's great for the customer, and it's great for their wholesalers 499 - > and their grocery and retail partners too, because that it's 500 - > growing awareness overall and giving consumers as many options 501 - > as they want to obtain the product. 502 - > And I think that's even going to be even more prolific when we 503 - > continue to see these spikes in trending products. 504 - > Like when you see the peelable candies that were like flying 505 - > off the shelves or at five below, right?

506 - > They're not set up to be like hit with this influx of demand 507 - > when these spikes come from a product going viral. 508 - > And I think when you look at it from a manufacturer's 509 - > perspective, if you're not just limited to what's available for 510 - > sale to your customers through five below, but instead you 511 - > could send people, you can immediately take those creators 512 - > and have them shift the links in their content to order directly 513 - > from the brand.

514 - > There's companies out there who are able to help in real time 515 - > show which stores have which inventory so that you can get 516 - > the consumer to that product and they're not stuck in this like 517 - > total demand loss because they can't get the product in their 518 - > hands. 519 - > So I feel really strongly that because of social commerce and 520 - > agentic commerce, adding these other channels to a CPG's mind, 521 - > to a retailer's mind, it's going to force them to think about 522 - > okay, how do we support the customer across all of these 523 - > places and how and when they get the product versus just the 524 - > traditional like we sell to the stores, we sell through 525 - > e-commerce.

526 - > That's it. 527 - > That's where they're really having to double down on both AI 528 - > to help make processes more efficient, but then also to make 529 - > their human workforce be able to work faster, more nimbly and 530 - > more efficiently. 531 - > SPEAKER_01: So when you think about it from the retailer 532 - > perspective, yeah, where do you think the retail media networks 533 - > kind of fall into all of this? 534 - > Because that's an opportunity to drive revenue, right, for them 535 - > as a business, but also to create more demand that drives 536 - > back to them and to their stores.

537 - > And right now, a lot of the manufacturers are funding that, 538 - > right? 539 - > Because they're that they are investing in their the retail 540 - > media networks to drive volume for their products. 541 - > So, where do you see these retail media networks going as 542 - > we move forward? 543 - > SPEAKER_00: I think what's been really remarkable about the 544 - > retail media networks is that they've been able to put more 545 - > content in more places for retailers, more relevant 546 - > content.

547 - > They're superpowered basically to get to the right people for 548 - > that retailer at the right time and multiple touch points, not 549 - > just the one time. 550 - > It used to be just like when I'm in the Walmart store and I see a 551 - > shelf talker saying 50% off, or this was this is beauty product 552 - > was an allure, best of. 553 - > Okay. 554 - > So you have that first experience.

555 - > And I think retail media has now taken this into when I'm like 556 - > out researching about a product, I'm going to Marie Claire's top 557 - > 25 beauty products, and I'm looking at that. 558 - > And now I can get that product in that moment of intent, which 559 - > I think just has not been something that retailers have 560 - > ever been able to do on their own. 561 - > Brands haven't been able to do on their own. 562 - > It's always kind of been this slower-moving vehicle.

563 - > And now retail media is allowing this to happen much more 564 - > fluidly. 565 - > But then I think the other thing that's really important to think 566 - > about is the content creators. 567 - > You, as content creators, are so important to these retailers and 568 - > brands because they don't have the content machine. 569 - > Even with AI coming into the fourth, some retailers and 570 - > brands are going to use it.

571 - > Some have spoken out saying we absolutely will not use it. 572 - > But I think it's really important to pay attention to 573 - > that because you are their success in this world of ongoing 574 - > content. 575 - > The more that you're creating, the more that can go on their 576 - > PDP pages, the more that can go into retail media buys, like all 577 - > of this stuff that you're doing is supplementing what they're 578 - > able to do as a brand. 579 - > And so I think it's really important because that's what's 580 - > going to drive their visibility in an agentic commerce search, 581 - > in a TikTok shop search, in all these places.

582 - > You as creators are really fundamental to that whole 583 - > strategy because you're providing content that the 584 - > retailers and brands just will not be able to do on their own. 585 - > I still think we're seeing this huge move, as I'm sure you talk 586 - > about often, is these micro influencers. 587 - > I mean, I worked when I worked at Target, I worked on 588 - > influencer marketing. 589 - > And it was like we hired the biggest people with the biggest 590 - > following.

591 - > And it was all about like, can we get this person on our 592 - > platform? 593 - > And now I feel like brands are realizing it's about that. 594 - > Again, like, how are you talking to your best friend about the 595 - > product? 596 - > How do I, as a brand, capture your affinity, right?

597 - > Make that connection so that you're gonna tell your text 598 - > thread of all the moms from soccer about this, you know, 599 - > overnight cream that you just, yeah. 600 - > SPEAKER_01: Yeah. 601 - > Yeah. 602 - > And it and it's interesting because it's almost, I think of 603 - > the value of influencers as there's two distinct parts to 604 - > it.

605 - > Yeah. 606 - > There is the content, and that's assuming that the influencer who 607 - > you are working with can create a good piece of content. 608 - > There's a lot of conversation like, what's the difference 609 - > between an influencer and a creator? 610 - > Yeah.

611 - > The way I think about it, you can be an influencer who is also 612 - > a good creator, meaning you create good content. 613 - > But that's not always the case. 614 - > But it's assuming, and I think about the value as an influencer 615 - > can give you some, if you have the right person, they can 616 - > create a really good piece of content that they know will 617 - > motivate their audience because they understand their audience. 618 - > That's really smart.

619 - > The second part, though, is the media part of that influencer. 620 - > And what's happened over time is that the media part in some 621 - > cases has gotten less and less because of the platform 622 - > algorithm that changes. 623 - > But you then need to get smart about okay, how do I do paid 624 - > amplification of this great piece of content I got, knowing 625 - > what target audience I'm going after. 626 - > So you still have both components.

627 - > How do you get a really good piece of content? 628 - > Yes. 629 - > And then how do you distribute that, make sure it's distributed 630 - > and seen from a media perspective, whether that's 631 - > organic media or paid. 632 - > And I think that those two pieces are the parts that really 633 - > are valuable from an influencer perspective.

634 - > I wish more brands knew exactly what you just said. 635 - > Yeah. 636 - > SPEAKER_00: I think that's really helpful. 637 - > SPEAKER_01: It is a good way to think about it, but it's 638 - > interesting because I don't necessarily know that a lot of 639 - > brands who are investing in influencer really understand 640 - > what they can get out of that relationship.

641 - > And so what they're doing is they are leaving so much ROI on 642 - > the table from that investment. 643 - > And it's a matter of opening up their minds to understanding. 644 - > I used to work on some deals with some of the big media 645 - > companies like an NBC, or when you're doing a big integrated 646 - > piece of content and media. 647 - > But you can do that now at scale.

648 - > Right. 649 - > Yeah, that was rare before. 650 - > It was rare before and it was a huge investment. 651 - > Now it's not as big an investment, and you can do it at 652 - > scale in terms of speed to market, cost, and the efficiency 653 - > associated.

654 - > SPEAKER_00: And AI is helping us do that even more quickly now. 655 - > I think that's the other thing or two, is just even the 656 - > concepting phases of things is that timelines are being 657 - > condensed, or even like when you think about, you know, both of 658 - > us having been in these collaboration scenarios where 659 - > it's like, oh, we can just like put an idea into our agent and 660 - > it can put together a concept for us to just react to and work 661 - > off of and like tweak in the moment that was never something 662 - > that was available to us.

663 - > And it's just been so interesting to see how you know 664 - > you can take even an A and B concept and test those things in 665 - > a matter of minutes versus weeks and months and versioning too. 666 - > SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's there's just so much opportunity 667 - > there. 668 - > So I want to ask you because um you have a very good sense of 669 - > influence and what influence is all about, I'm curious if you 670 - > can talk about how that definition of influence has 671 - > really changed in retail over the last few years.

672 - > SPEAKER_00: You know, the founder of Reddit at Shop Talk 673 - > this week said something yesterday that I've been 674 - > thinking a lot about. 675 - > He said agents are great for recommending products, but 676 - > agents can't try on a t-shirt and tell you what it feels like. 677 - > Agents can't wear shoes on a hike and tell you if their feet 678 - > got sweaty in them. 679 - > And so I think there's this reality that while, again, like 680 - > agents can be very helpful tools for all of us in our businesses, 681 - > but there's still value in an influencer perspective or a 682 - > product reviewer rating where I see myself or my experience in 683 - > that influencer or in that review.

684 - > They're hitting on keywords of, you know, I'm a mom of two and I 685 - > need to, we're going on a family trip. 686 - > I need three suitcases, Max. 687 - > How what are the best ones that I should pick for my kid who, 688 - > and I have to bring my, you know, recording gear or whatever 689 - > it is. 690 - > Like you can get so specific now.

691 - > And yes, you can have that variety, but what do we all go 692 - > to on the comparison page? 693 - > It's like, what are the reviews? 694 - > And it's it's that human connection, that human lived 695 - > experience that I think retailers still really and 696 - > brands really have to prioritize still. 697 - > And that's where the gold in influencer partnerships or 698 - > review partnerships or UGC on PDP pages, I think will never go 699 - > away because it's just so valuable in giving someone the 700 - > confidence to push by or add to cart.

701 - > Oh my God, 100%. 702 - > SPEAKER_01: All right. 703 - > Well, my last question for you, Anne: what is the best piece of 704 - > career advice you've ever received? 705 - > And it could be maybe something personal that impacted your 706 - > career, but what's the best piece of advice you've received?

707 - > And what do you think that people who are working in this 708 - > ecosystem need to think about from a career standpoint with 709 - > all of these technologies and advancements that we've been 710 - > discussing? 711 - > SPEAKER_00: Yeah, wow. 712 - > I think the best piece of career advice that I still feel like is 713 - > most relevant to me today came from Karen Stuckey. 714 - > She used to be an SVP at Walmart.

715 - > And she's a mom. 716 - > She is a driven career woman. 717 - > And what she told me was, you know, you don't have to pick. 718 - > And I think it's a common misconception for women in the 719 - > industry, especially, you don't have to pick being a career 720 - > person.

721 - > It's okay for your career to be something that you really embody 722 - > and that feeds you and fills you. 723 - > And I just, it's just giving that permission to say, like, 724 - > I'm gonna focus on my career. 725 - > And this is gonna be the time where I really give this my all. 726 - > Because I think it's really hard as a woman to feel like you have 727 - > to be the mom, the daughter, the caretaker, all these things.

728 - > And so for me, it was that permission, you know, it was 729 - > like you keep going on this path. 730 - > And so that's probably still one of the best pieces of career 731 - > advice because it it gave me, gave me the permission to go 732 - > ahead with my career and then figure out how I still hold all 733 - > of these roles. 734 - > Like I can get, I can be all of these things, but it's okay to 735 - > give my career my full attention when I want it to be there. 736 - > So that I think is really important to hear.

737 - > I think in terms of this next generation of shopping, of 738 - > commerce, of social engagement, of brands infiltrating our 739 - > personal life and communication and becoming more and more 740 - > integrated into our lives. 741 - > I think it's been really important for me and for people 742 - > who are creators or influencers in the space to remember that 743 - > you have influence. 744 - > I think it's hard when we're sitting in front of our own 745 - > cameras or, you know, we're sitting in our one-on-one.

746 - > There's a lot of solo time as a creator. 747 - > And I forget sometimes the power and the influence that I have 748 - > because I'm sitting in my office with a microphone. 749 - > And so I think you have to continue to check yourself and 750 - > check in with yourself and say, what is the impact of my 751 - > influence? 752 - > What is the impact of your influence?

753 - > And does it align with your personal values, the way that 754 - > you want to be remembered when your time is done? 755 - > And this is a fleeting industry. 756 - > So, like that stuff is gonna be out there forever. 757 - > Is are you saying the things that are 100% true to who you 758 - > are, what your beliefs are at that moment in time?

759 - > And let that guide your curiosity for what you're 760 - > following or the direction you want to take your business. 761 - > Because I don't think that you will ever be wrong if you are 762 - > following your own independent North Star when it comes to who 763 - > you are and the content you're creating. 764 - > And that's how it is the most authentic kind of content 765 - > creation, is because you truly at your core, every time you 766 - > turn the microphone on, you believe in what you're saying.

767 - > So I would say that's that's my learned advice. 768 - > SPEAKER_01: I think that is such great advice. 769 - > And and you know, it's interesting because I hear so 770 - > many people about how we are not maybe sometimes aware of what 771 - > our North Star is. 772 - > You talk about the North Star.

773 - > And I think we get caught up in that. 774 - > I think what we need to do instead is just say, what feels 775 - > right for me, what feels intuitive, what feels good and 776 - > aligned, you know when something does not feel like it's serving 777 - > you. 778 - > And so even if you couldn't say, okay, this is my North Star at 779 - > the moment, even if you can't articulate, go with what your 780 - > your kind of your gut and your instinct tell you. 781 - > Um, because I do think that they tell us a lot.

782 - > Well, Ann thank you so much for spending this time with us. 783 - > If people want to follow you, what is the best way for them to 784 - > do that? 785 - > SPEAKER_00: Uh, you can find me on LinkedIn. 786 - > That's where I am spending most of my time these days at Ann 787 - > Mazenga or at Retail Field Report.

788 - > You can also follow our content on YouTube at Retail Field 789 - > Report or retailfieldreport.com. 790 - > And thank you so much. 791 - > Thank you.