Hi {{first_name|there}},
In this edition, we’re sharing more standout moments from the stage - covering the foundations of agentic AI in retail, the new rules of dynamic discounting, and why 2025 demands intentional experimentation with your media mix. Let’s dive in.
💬 A Few More Things from the Stage
Foundations for Agentic AI in Retail
In a standout fireside chat, Fatih Nayebi, PhD (VP of Data & AI, Aldo Group) cut through the noise surrounding agentic AI. His message: retailers can’t treat agentic AI as a plug-and-play solution. It only delivers when the foundations are right.
The 3 Pillars of Agentic AI Success:
Data Infrastructure That Scales
You need clean, reliable, and accessible data. Without it, AI projects stall before they even begin.
Governance + Trust = Growth
Accountability is never just a checkbox. Clear guidelines and model transparency are essential to prevent misfires - and earn trust across teams.Organizational Readiness Is Everything
Tech is only half the battle. Culture, skills, and change management determine whether your AI thrives or sinks.
"We need to always maintain the right vision and mission for these systems. At the end of the day, these are optimization machines. You need to provide the right outcome and objective function for them to understand what they're trying to achieve. And for that, we need human oversight for the future."
The takeaway for retail leaders: Balance innovation with responsibility, invest in people as much as platforms, and think long-term.
Dynamic Discounting: Keeping Up with Consumer Demand for Discounts in a Price Conscious Era
In a world where price-savvy consumers expect more, Merri Fioretti (Samsonite), Carly Mansfield (Wellnesse), and moderator June Cho (Tailor) delivered a high-impact playbook for mastering dynamic discounting.
Here are the strategies that stood out:
Real-Time Relevance Wins
Retailers must act fast. Samsonite is leveraging real-time data to fuel spontaneous “now-only” offers that spark action. These time-sensitive promotions drive immediate sales and build loyalty by rewarding return customers.
Personalization Is Power
Wellnesse’s approach proves that one-size-fits-all discounts are dead. Instead, they tailor offers based on behavior, order size, and loyalty tier - so every customer interaction feels uniquely relevant (and margin-safe).
Automation Isn’t Optional
Why wait when you don’t have to? Triggered discounts - think abandoned cart nudges or browse-based incentives - help streamline the experience and nudge customers toward purchase, often without manual intervention.
Always Track and Always Tweak
Discounting isn’t a “set it and forget it” tactic. Both panelists emphasized the need for continuous performance tracking. The goal is to strike the right balance between driving sales and protecting profit.
Takeaway for Retail and Marketing Leaders:
Treat discounting as a strategic lever. Use data to guide timing, tailor relevance to profiles, automate execution, and keep your eye on the bottom line. That’s how you win in a price-conscious era without sacrificing brand value.
Optimizing Your Media Mix for 2025: Embracing Emerging Channels & Testing Evolving Strategies
Media planning isn’t what it used to be. Rising costs, shifting ROI metrics, and fragmented attention have made yesterday’s playbooks look dangerously outdated. At eTail Boston, panelists Alexa Hall (Feals) and Christopher Pond (BRUNT Workwear), guided by moderator Chris Perry (firstmovr), made the case for rethinking the media mix - not by chasing shiny objects, but by testing smartly, reallocating budgets, and staying anchored in customer data.
The conversation revealed a clear theme: the balance of media spend is moving toward connected TV, retail media networks, and AI-driven platforms. Each promises better targeting and measurement, but only if brands commit to continuous experimentation.
"For Feals, we are 100% DTC. We're not in retail, so our media mix has to work across the entire full funnel. So the way that we prioritize objectives is tying them back directly to what our business priorities are. So for us, that usually looks like ROI timelines, that can look like increasing the amount of high value new customers we're bringing in the next, and also profitability thresholds."
Key insights that stood out:
Budgets under pressure: With CPMs climbing, efficiency is about smarter allocation, not just trimming spend.
Retail media’s dual role: No longer optional, it’s both a conversion engine and a brand equity play.
Data takes center stage: Zero- and first-party data are the backbone of future-proof targeting strategies.
KPI shakeup: Traditional metrics won’t cut it - relevance, attention, and cross-channel impact are becoming the new north stars.
The panel closed with a challenge to the audience: treat 2025 as a year of intentional experimentation. The winners will be the ones who learn fastest and adapt their mix before the competition does.
The call for smarter allocation and cross-channel insight echoed exactly what Fospha’s research has uncovered. In their latest Halo Report, which analyzed $176M of ad spend, Fospha found that while web/.com now drives just 43% of sales, Amazon contributes 22% and TikTok Shop is already delivering 35% for brands investing in the channel.
But the most striking finding? 42% of Amazon sales are influenced by ads on TikTok, Meta, Google, and Snap - a halo effect traditional tools miss.
Just as the panelists stressed, the key isn’t chasing shiny objects but having the right measurement in place to understand the performance of the entire mix and spend smarter. Fospha Halo unifies .com and marketplace performance into one clear view, so brands can make budget decisions with confidence.
👀 What Others Are Saying
Missed a recap or just catching up? More takeaways are coming your way!
Unofficially eTail Boston Team
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