In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Katie Carlson, vice president of partner success at Fluent Co., a leading commerce media platform helping brands engage audiences, unlock new revenue streams, and drive measurable results at scale. Listen in as Carlson discusses her career shift from brand-side marketing to tech partner…
Joe Keenan
Target filed more trademark applications than any other company in the U.S. last year, reflecting its aggressive push to expand its private-label portfolio amid a competitive retail landscape. Target Brands Inc., the Minneapolis-based retailer’s subsidiary, submitted 525 trademark applications to the USPTO in 2024, the most among all companies, including entertainment, gaming, and pharmaceutical players.…
The Prime Day sales event is an industry-wide moment for e-commerce, with discounts happening broadly across U.S. retailers in the month of July. Adobe released its forecast on Monday, covering the period from July 8 to July 11. U.S. retailers are expected to drive a record $23.8 billion in online spend from July 8 to…
In episode 484 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Leslie Marino, president, professional products division at L'Oreal, the world leader in cosmetics with a portfolio of 37 brands and a mission to offer the best of beauty to everyone, everywhere. Listen in as Marino provides an overview of her journey to becoming the…
In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Rachel De Los Santos, senior director of client success at ESW, the global direct-to-consumer e-commerce leader. Listen in as De Los Santos provides an overview of her role (1:05), ESW's business offerings for retailers and brands (2:00), and what strategic inventory optimization looks…
As the global shift toward digital commerce accelerates, gift cards — especially digital ones — have emerged as one of retail’s most powerful tools for engagement, revenue growth, and brand affinity. The 2025 edition of Best Digital Gift Card Programs – Australia, a benchmark report produced by NAPCO Research and Blackhawk Network (BHN), offers a…
The Home Depot announced Monday that it is buying GMS, a building products distributor, for about $4.3 billion as the retailer moves to draw more sales from contractors and other home professionals. As part of the deal, The Home Depot-owned subsidiary SRS Distribution will purchase all outstanding shares of GMS for $110 per share, which…
As digital commerce continues to reshape consumer expectations, one channel is quietly driving major gains for retailers: digital gift cards. According to the 2025 Best Digital Gift Card Programs (Australian Edition) — a joint research effort by NAPCO Research and Blackhawk Network (BHN) —gift cards aren’t just a convenience item anymore. They’re a high-growth, high-impact…
Tractor Supply Company, the nation’s largest rural lifestyle chain, is opening 90 new locations by the end of 2025. That pushes its footprint to about 3,200 stores across 49 states. At least 18 of the new locations were formerly Big Lots stores, scooped up during a rescue acquisition following the chain’s bankruptcy. These openings come…
In episode 484 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kevin Keith, chief marketing officer of Edible Brands, a family of consumer brands focused on celebrating life's most meaningful moments, including its flagship brand Edible, formerly Edible Arrangements. Listen in as Keith provides an overview of the business and its family of brands (1:25),…
At Home, a popular home goods retailer with 260 stores across 40 U.S. states, has filed for bankruptcy, citing the backdrop of tariff increases and a slowdown in consumer spending. The Dallas-based company announced Monday that it had entered an agreement with its lenders that “will eliminate substantially all” of its roughly $2 billion in debt and…
Import cargo at the nation’s major container ports is expected to see a surge through this summer as retailers take advantage of a 90-day reduction in tariffs that were recently imposed on China, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. According to NRF Vice President for…
In episode 483 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Chandhu Nair, senior vice president of data, artificial intelligence and innovation at Lowe's. Listen in as Nair provides an overview of the home improvement retailer's new Mylow AI assistant (1:35), how it fits into its business model (3:20), and how shoppers as well as…
Retail stores and grocers are cutting prices and offering a bigger assortment of low-cost products to attract shoppers who are pulling back on spending in the face of an uncertain economy. Aldi, widely known as a budget-friendly grocery chain, announced last week that it's cutting prices on more than 400 products, equating to nearly 25…
In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Rony Vexelman, vice president of marketing at Optimove, the global leader in Positionless Marketing. Listen in as Vexelman provides an overview of the Optimove business (1:05) and discusses the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in retail marketing (2:42), as revealed in the…
