Stay ConnectedOmni Talk Retail provides news, analysis, and commentary on the latest trends and issues in the retail industry. Created by a retailer, Chris Walton, for retailers, Omni Talk Retail covers a wide range of topics related to retail, including e-commerce, technology, marketing, and consumer behavior.
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The Fall retail conference season is officially underway, with NRF Paris having just wrapped and Groceryshop, Shoptalk Fall, NACS, and many others just weeks away. Omni Talk figured what better way to get ready for the upcoming season than to put together our primer of the must-see tech that has caught our attention this year.
This episode features Portager’s section of our Fall Conference Season “Must-See” Tech Preview, where Daniel Duty, Conlego, CEO & Founder of Portager, and Alex Kopplin, Conlego, Principal and Architect of Portager, explore how technology can streamline merchant negotiations and joint business planning.
With merchandising teams managing hundreds or even thousands of vendor relationships, spreadsheets, emails and disconnected data can make negotiations unnecessarily difficult. Daniel and Alex explain how Portager creates a centralized view of retailer and supplier data, incorporates built-in data checks and can be deployed quickly without complex internal integrations, helping merchandising teams spend less time managing information and more time on vendor negotiations.
Be sure to check out the rest of our podcasts this past week and the next few to catch exclusive content from some of the biggest retail conferences!
We can’t think of a better way to get a bird's eye view into the tech shaping the retail of tomorrow, today!
P.S. To explore more conversations from the Omni Talk Ask an Expert Series, head here.
Music by hooksounds.com
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The Fall retail conference season is officially underway, with NRF Paris having just wrapped and Groceryshop, Shoptalk Fall, NACS, and many others just weeks away. Omni Talk figured what better way to get ready for the upcoming season than to put together our primer of the must-see tech that has caught our attention this year.
This episode features Quorso’s section of our Fall Conference Season “Must-See” Tech Preview, where Daniel Slowe, Founder & Chief Product Officer of Quorso, breaks down where AI can deliver practical value in retail operations.
Rather than applying AI to broad, open-ended strategic questions, Daniel explains why its sweet spot can be in the high-frequency, labor-intensive tasks retailers deal with every day, from analyzing customer feedback and triaging store issues to recommending staffing adjustments. He also explores the “harness” retailers need around AI to provide context, guardrails and measurement, helping turn AI-driven insights into measurable action.
Be sure to check out the rest of our podcasts this past week and the next few to catch exclusive content from some of the biggest retail conferences!
We can’t think of a better way to get a bird's eye view into the tech shaping the retail of tomorrow, today!
P.S. To explore more conversations from the Omni Talk Ask an Expert Series, head here.
Music by hooksounds.com
Sponsored Content
The Fall retail conference season is officially underway, with NRF Paris having just wrapped and Groceryshop, Shoptalk Fall, NACS, and many others just weeks away. Omni Talk figured what better way to get ready for the upcoming season than to put together our primer of the must-see tech that has caught our attention this year.
This episode features TruRating’s section of our Fall Conference Season “Must-See” Tech Preview, where Georgina Nelson, Founder & CEO of TruRating, explains how retailers can capture real-time customer feedback by asking shoppers one targeted question right at checkout.
Traditional customer surveys often struggle to generate meaningful response rates. Georgina breaks down how TruRating integrates directly with POS and payment systems to connect customer sentiment with actual basket data while maintaining anonymity, and how retailers can use that feedback to identify and close operational execution gaps across stores.
Be sure to check out the rest of our podcasts this past week and the next few to catch exclusive content from some of the biggest retail conferences!
We can’t think of a better way to get a bird's eye view into the tech shaping the retail of tomorrow, today!
P.S. To explore more conversations from the Omni Talk Ask an Expert Series, head here.
Music by hooksounds.com
Sponsored Content
It’s lightning round time, and Chris Walton and guest host Josh Hahn tackle some of life's most pressing questions, from choosing whether Sports Authority or Meijer prepared Josh better for recruiting, to the exact AI superpower Chris wishes he had for his morning routine.
Plus, they debate the best QSR to add to Walmart's restaurant tab and establish a non-negotiable rule for airport etiquette.
▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCE
Kroger has trimmed its full-year same-store sales outlook even as digital e-commerce and retail media continue to see strong double-digit growth.
Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss the state of traditional grocery and what shrinking sales forecasts mean when digital layers are the primary bright spots.
▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCE
SKIMS has teamed up with DoorDash for its first-ever on-demand delivery partnership, making thousands of styles available from select U.S. stores in under an hour.
Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss whether instant delivery helps or hurts a brand whose entire appeal has been built around exclusivity and hype.
▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCE
Amazon has significantly expanded its Prime Video shopping features, growing its "Shop the Show" tool from 1,300 titles to more than 8,000 while adding new visual search capabilities.
Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss whether shoppable TV is finally reaching scale or if it risks ruining the core entertainment experience.
▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCE
Macy’s has posted its fifth consecutive quarter of comparable-sales growth, beating Wall Street estimates and raising its full-year guidance as CEO Tony Spring's turnaround strategy takes hold.
Chris Walton and Josh Hahn discuss whether it's finally time to plant the victory flag at Macy's, or if there is still too much heavy lifting left to do on the core brand.
▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCE
Walmart has added Papa Johns to Walmart Express Delivery, making it the first national restaurant brand fulfilled entirely from locations outside of Walmart stores.
Chris Walton and guest host Josh Hahn discuss whether Walmart’s latest move is a clever way to bring customers into the app more often, or if they are solving a need that consumers never actually asked for.
▶️ Watch the full Fast Five episode here: https://youtu.be/089y7s8PKCE
Welcome to the very first episode of Making Space Real Time, a new show from Chris Niesen, presented by the Association of Retail Consumer Professionals (ARC) in partnership with the Omni Talk Retail Podcast Network. The week Chris Niesen is joined by Omni Talk CEO Chris Walton as his guest host to break down what's actually happening on the retail floor.
In this episode:
🎨 Michaels' next-gen store format — What the knit-and-sew shop, rebuilt party shop, and Pinterest trend bar in the new Rogers, Arkansas store tell us about Michaels' pivot toward "creativity and celebration," and whether the format can scale past three test stores
📉 TJX's rare miss — Why Marmaxx (TJ Maxx and Marshalls) comped just 1% against a 6% comp the quarter before, and whether it's a competitive pricing issue, a merchandising and space-planning issue, or both, with a direct comparison to sister brand HomeGoods
💄 Target's Beauty Studio launch — A first-hand, opening-day walkthrough of Target's new owned-and-operated beauty shop rolling out to 600+ stores, replacing the Ulta Beauty partnership, including candid notes on staffing, training, in-store marketing clutter, and whether the experience lives up to a "prestige" positioning
🎤 Plus: a Checkout segment covering lessons from the two Chris's shared years at Gap, can't-miss retailers to visit (Patina Stores, Dick's House of Sport, Sam's Club), and the most overlooked category in retail today
📍 New episodes of Making Space -- Real Time every other week.
📩 Subscribe to Chris Niesen on Substack: chrisniesen.substack.com
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