Omni Talk

In this episode of Confessions of Supply Chain Executives, host Chris Walton sits down with Omar Akilah, SVP of Product at Infios, and Aadil Kazmi, Head of AI Product Development at Infios, to tackle one of the biggest questions facing retail leaders today: Are retailers actually ready for agentic AI? While AI dominated the conversation at NRF, the reality inside many retail organizations is far more complicated. Many companies are still struggling with fragmented systems, unclear strategies, and uncertainty about where AI should even be applied. Omar and Aadil break down what agentic AI really means for commerce, how it differs from traditional generative AI, and why the biggest opportunity may not be flashy customer experiences but rather the operational backbone of retail: supply chain execution. From autonomous order monitoring to real-time visibility across the entire order lifecycle, they explore how agentic AI could fundamentally reshape how retailers manage fulfillment, delivery promises, and opera

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into Target removing artificial dyes from cereals across its aisles. Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan discuss whether this move reflects growing consumer demand for cleaner ingredients or if it signals a broader power shift where retailers begin dictating product standards to brands. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/COjVCrP5sHE #Target #GroceryRetail #FoodTrends #RetailStrategy #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, explores Schlotzsky's new brand strategy and redesigned store model. Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan break down whether the beloved sandwich chain can modernize its concept, attract new customers, and compete in an increasingly crowded quick service restaurant market. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/COjVCrP5sHE #RestaurantIndustry #QSR #RetailInnovation #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into Jack Dorsey’s claim that AI could dramatically shrink corporate workforces. Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan debate what this means for the future of work, whether companies will truly replace employees with AI, and how organizations may need to rethink talent strategy in an AI-driven world. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/COjVCrP5sHE #AI #FutureOfWork #JackDorsey #RetailTechnology #OmniTalk

This Lightning Round segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, closes out the show with rapid fire takes on McDonald’s Big Arch taste test backlash, the surprising Scrubs reboot generation gap, the never-ending daylight saving time debate, and Jane Fonda’s viral breakfast burrito “sandwich” comment. Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan prove once again that retail, culture, and the internet always collide. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here: https://youtu.be/jVDymvwAUXg #LightningRound #RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #PopCulture

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into IKEA testing a store-in-store concept with sporting goods retailer Decathlon. Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan discuss what this collaboration could mean for the future of retail partnerships, experiential stores, and how retailers rethink physical space. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/COjVCrP5sHE #IKEA #Decathlon #RetailPartnerships #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, examines Walgreens’ pilot of a new hybrid pharmacist role. Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan discuss whether this approach could ease pharmacist burnout, improve store operations, and help Walgreens adapt to the evolving healthcare retail landscape. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/COjVCrP5sHE #Walgreens #PharmacyRetail #RetailOperations #OmniTalk

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, Chris and special guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan from the A&M Consumer and Retail Group discussed: Target announcing it will only carry cereals made without certified synthetic colors by the end of May (Source) Block’s Jack Dorsey cutting nearly 4,000 jobs — 40% of its workforce — and replacing that capacity with AI (Source) Schlotzky’s Deli going back to basics with a “deli” rebrand and a next-generation prototype designed to slash operating costs by 20–25% (Source) Walgreens piloting a first-of-its-kind hybrid pharmacist role across six states (Source) IKEA opening its iconic blue box stores to Decathlon in a landmark store-within-a-store pilot in the UK (Source) There’s all that, plus whether a burrito counts as a sandwich, the McDonald’s CEO’s cringeworthy Big Arch taste test video, and whether any of them are excited about the Scrubs reboot. You can g

In this episode of Confessions of Supply Chain Executives, host Chris Walton sits down with Richard McKenzie, CEO at Veloq, to tackle one of retail’s most persistent questions: When does online grocery finally become profitable? For years, grocers have chased digital growth, but profitability has remained elusive. High picking costs, last mile complexity, thin margins, and legacy infrastructure continue to weigh down performance. Richard breaks down where the real friction points are, why many retailers are still structuring e-commerce as a cost center instead of an operating model, and what has to change for online grocery to truly scale sustainably. This episode explores the operational realities behind digital grocery, from fulfillment models and automation strategies to the role of data orchestration across the enterprise. Richard explains why profitability is less about volume and more about precision, and how retailers that rethink their tech stack, store operations, and network design may finally tur

This Lightning Round segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, closes out the show with rapid fire takes on Girl Scout cookie records, Survivor reaching season 50, Team USA hockey celebrations, and a little nerd nostalgia. Chris and Anne prove once again that retail and pop culture always collide. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2_dIsTGWqJQ #LightningRound #RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #PopCulture

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, breaks down Kohl’s rollout of its new Deal Bar to all 1100 plus stores. Chris and Anne debate whether this value forward merchandising move can meaningfully impact performance or if it is simply table stakes in today’s retail environment. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2_dIsTGWqJQ #Kohls #RetailTurnaround #StoreStrategy #RetailNews #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, looks at Carrefour’s major partnership to digitize stores across France as part of its 2030 strategy. Chris and Anne discuss whether smart stores are finally becoming reality and what US retailers should be doing to keep pace. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2_dIsTGWqJQ #Carrefour #SmartStores #RetailTech #RetailInnovation #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into Burger King President Tom Curtis personally taking customer calls and texts. Chris and Anne discuss whether this represents meaningful executive engagement or a smart short term marketing play. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2_dIsTGWqJQ #BurgerKing #RetailMarketing #CustomerExperience #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, explores Gap Inc’s launch of Encore, a unified loyalty program across Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta. Chris and Anne debate whether loyalty consolidation can drive cross shopping and growth for the portfolio. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2_dIsTGWqJQ #GapInc #RetailLoyalty #OldNavy #Athleta #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, examines Walmart’s launch of Scintilla In Store, giving suppliers real time store level data. Chris and Anne explain why this move could redefine supplier collaboration and unlock faster store execution at scale. ⏩ Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2_dIsTGWqJQ #Walmart #RetailData #RetailAI #SupplyChain #OmniTalk

Omni Talk Retail is live from eTail West 2026 with coverage powered by NetElixir. In this interview, Anne Mezzenga speaks with Kelly Cook, CEO of Davids Bridal, fresh off the stage to discuss the company’s bold “Aisle to Algorithm” strategy and what she calls the bridal tech revolution. David’s Bridal is expanding beyond a $4B bridal TAM into the broader $70B wedding ecosystem, building what Kelly describes as an AI and asset light approach to retail and media within the wedding industry. Key themes from the conversation: • The “tech sandwich” model: high tech before and after the in store bridal appointment • Virtual try on, AR wedding visualization, and agentic AI guiding brides through 300 planning tasks • A vision for one click wedding planning powered by immersive augmented reality • How partnerships and retail media are unlocking value beyond the dress • Why large scale transformation requires fearless talent and cultural clarity Kelly also shares three leadership lessons for retail executives navig

Omni Talk Retail is live from eTail West 2026 with continued coverage powered by NetElixir. In this interview, recorded on site at eTail West, Anne Mezzenga speaks with Alex Seaman, Senior Vice President of Furniture.com, about the company’s recent relaunch and its vision for the future of furniture shopping. Furniture.com is building a unified, AI driven platform designed to simplify one of retail’s most complex and considered purchases. By partnering with trusted national furniture retailers, the platform enables shoppers to browse, compare, and check out across multiple merchants in one seamless experience, while retailers retain ownership of fulfillment and first party customer relationships. Alex explains how Furniture.com is leveraging standardized product data, conversational search, and its in house AI agent Dottie to reduce decision fatigue and bring joy back to home design. The conversation also explores why brand trust and strong retail partnerships will matter even more as AI powered discovery

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, Chris and Anne were live from eTail West in Palm Springs as they discussed: Carrefour signing a sweeping strategic partnership with Vusion to digitize all of its hypermarkets and supermarkets in France by 2030 (Source) Kohl’s rolling out its new Deal Bar concept to all 1,100+ stores nationwide (Source) Walmart launching Scintilla In-Store, a new real-time mobile data platform for supplier field reps (Source) Gap Inc. officially launching Encore, a unified cross-brand loyalty program spanning Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta (Source) Burger King President Tom Curtis personally fielding calls and texts from customers at his work number (Source) There’s all that, plus mysterious ghost sightings, Thin Mints in the freezer, and a nerd laugh that Anne was not quite ready to deliver on camera. Music by hooksounds.com #RetailNews #SmartStore #Carrefour #VusionGrou

Omni Talk Retail is live from eTail West 2026 with coverage powered by NetElixir. In this interview, Anne Mezzenga speaks with Denise Incandela, EVP of Fashion at Walmart, about the ongoing transformation of Walmart Fashion. Over the past several years, Walmart has evolved from a basics driven apparel business into a modern, trend relevant fashion destination. Denise shares how the company has: • Relaunched and elevated major private brands • Introduced new brands like Free Assembly to fill key market white space • Leveraged AI to accelerate trend analysis and product design • Modernized stores and e commerce to make fashion the hero • Used pop ups and influencer strategy to shift customer perception Walmart is also applying AI at the earliest stages of product development, using insights from runway shows, social media, and global trend data to accelerate design and deliver more trend right product to customers, faster. With 145 million weekly customers, Walmart’s opportunity to democratize fashion at sc

Omni Talk Retail is live from eTail West 2026 with coverage powered by NetElixir. In this interview, Anne Mezzenga speaks with Kristin Shane, Chief Merchandising Officer at REI, about the company’s three year “Peak 28: Ascending Together” strategy and what it means for the future of specialty retail. Kristin shares how REI is putting the customer at the center through a differentiated service model powered by its Green Vests, a culturally leading assortment designed to inspire progression into new outdoor activities, and renewed investment in retail fundamentals. The conversation also dives into: • How REI is approaching AI as a workforce enablement tool, led jointly by the Chief People Officer and Chief Technology Officer • Why agility matters more than ever in today’s tech environment • The challenge and opportunity of partnering with brands that are also direct-to-consumer competitors • Building a culture centered on being connected, focused, and trailblazing • What customers can expect from REI in 2026