Retail Media Networks, Part 1: What Are They?

Let’s talk about retail media.

More specifically, the rise of retail media networks launched by major retailers, looking to build new, sizeable, and highly profitable media revenue streams by taking advantage of their large audiences of loyal shoppers and the vast amounts of purchase data they collect from these shoppers.

In this 4-part series, I take a look at the origins and definition of retail media networks (or RMNs), examine the reasons for the rising interest and investment in RMNs, assess where different retailers stand in their evolutionary journey of launching and monetizing their RMN, and offer my point of view on what needs to happen in the retail media space in order for RMNs to live up to and deliver on their widely publicized potential.

Unicorn or Supernova: Can Instacart Sustain Its Meteoric Rise?

Let’s talk about Instacart.

More specifically, the soaring fortunes of the grocery delivery company, boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sustainability of Instacart’s growth and popularity – not to mention its ballooning valuation.