If only the legendary merchant John Wanamaker was alive today and using digital media. He’d have less cause to say, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Where do you see retailers spending their ad budgets in 2023?

The World Cup has been a missed opportunity for the major players in the retail industry. Only one retailer, Walmart, has created a meaningful, themed campaign to run during the month-long World Cup, which ends Dec. 18. Did Walmart gain a marketing advantage running commercials during World Cup broadcasts?

It appears there’s been a significant tide turn for consumer packaged goods brands in the direct to consumer selling versus retailer distribution debate as marked by a consensus among presenters this week at Groceryshop in Las Vegas. Is it imperative for CPG brands to have DTC sites in addition to their presence in grocery stores?

In an article for Harvard Business Review, a Wharton marketing professor argues that livestream commerce is fast becoming the medium of choice for online shopping, but technology and marketing’s learning curve is holding back adoption in the U.S. Do you see livestream shopping becoming a more significant driver of e-commerce in the U.S. over the next five years?

In the initial public offering prospectus for Authentic Brands Group, Jamie Salter, founder and CEO, describes how he came up with his company’s licensing platform that “deconstructs and reconstructs” the traditional brand building model. Does Authentic Brands Group’s licensing model better set up brands to pursue digital and global growth than traditional models?

Neighborhood Goods, which claims to be reinventing the department store model, is also exploring doing the same for consumer packaged goods, using an on-premise restaurant for sampling. Are mainstream grocers missing an opportunity by not actively using and marketing on-premise restaurants as a means to sample CPG products?

Levi Strauss has made clear that it sees a bigger opportunity to expand its business by selling its clothing directly to consumers. What do you see as the challenges and opportunities facing Levi Strauss as it seeks to expand its consumer-direct business?

Nike reportedly plans to stop selling to six additional wholesale accounts as it increasingly emphasizes direct-to-consumer commerce and exits “undifferentiated” wholesale accounts. Is Nike at risk of no longer reaching certain customer segments or geographies with its pivot to direct-to-consumer and select “strategic” wholesale partners?

In Canada, Walmart and Loblaw are stoking controversy by raising fees for suppliers during the pandemic to cover upgrades designed to help the chains handle the accelerated shift to digital retailing. Should suppliers be expected to cover some of the retailers’ costs for overhauling in-store and digital operations?

Seventy-three percent of chief marketing officers (CMOs) will rely on existing customers to fuel growth in 2021 rather than look to develop new markets, according to a survey from Gartner. Do you think the emphasis on marketing to existing customers rather than acquiring new ones is a deviation from past practices?

A new study concludes that the use of free sampling often comes up short as a marketing tool, as many campaigns aim to bring new customers to a brand’s products rather than enticing existing customers to spend more.  Do you think the benefits of free sampling extend long enough beyond trial to make the cost worthwhile?

As advertising dollars have shifted from traditional media to digital platforms run by retailers, consumer product brands have speculated that there is a “halo effect” happening. How convinced are you that a brand’s spend on a retailer’s online advertising platform packs benefits beyond that generated on the retailer e-commerce site itself?

Ahold Delhaize USA’s Giant Food chain has become the first U.S. grocer to identify products owned by minority businesses on shelf labels.  Do you see many benefits to calling out products made by minority-owned businesses on shelf labels?

National brands in recent months have been outperforming private label brands for the first time in years, but new trial and online expansion are expected to be among the factors helping store brands regain momentum. How will shopping behavior changes amid the pandemic affect the growth trajectory of store brands in the grocery space?

Across today’s competitive battlefield — especially amid the pandemic, when speed and convenience have become necessities — a litany of features alone isn’t likely to convince consumers to purchase a particular item. Has the coronavirus crisis increased or decreased the importance of what a brand stands for and how its attributes align with expectations?

Brands in the active lifestyle space have been rolling out support programs to help their independent specialty store partners weather the COVID-19 storm. What do you think of independent retailers earning a commission on sales directed to their brand partners’ websites?

PepsiCo has announced the launch of two new direct-to-consumer websites to let you order some of the company’s favorite brands online and have them shipped directly to your home. Do you expect demand for PepsiCo’s PantryShop.com and Snacks.com to be strong in the short term and after the coronavirus pandemic has passed?

By edict or by choice, Americans sheltering in place have sent e-commerce orders for CPG goods through the roof, and direct-to-consumer brands have been huge beneficiaries of the shift. Will growth for DTC start-ups in the CPG space likely accelerate due to the pandemic?

Before the coronavirus pandemic, indie brands that might have difficulty finding shelf space on their own were gaining popularity. Now, as many indie brands are faced with uncertainty and potential extinction, one retail showcase wants to help some weather the storm. What do you think of Neighborhood Goods’ approach to helping brands affected by COVID-19?

With last week’s decision to postpone the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which had been set to start July 24, the world may be without major sporting events until the fall. How do you see the loss of league games and major sporting events such as the Olympics affecting retail?

With proprietary data and software that measure “walk rates” in stores, grocers are increasingly taking greater control over what goes on the shelf and where. What role do you think CPG manufacturers should play today in how grocery retailers manage product assortments, shelf space, displays and marketing?

Pop Up Grocer, self-described as a “traveling pop-up grocery store,” opened its first West Coast location in Venice Beach. The New York-based company started last year with two pop-ups in Manhattan. What do you think of pop-up grocery stores as a way for emerging food brands to be discovered?

Kimberly-Clark noted that something was getting in the way of selling tampons and Kleenex to click-and-collect shoppers that wasn’t similarly inhibiting companies selling foods and beverages. It decided to investigate. Are CPG brands typically as engaged with retailers selling their products online as they are in-store?

IKEA recently decided to end a pilot in which the retailer tested the strategy of selling on Amazon.com’s U.S. site, although it apparently isn’t giving up on marketplaces — those operated by others or on its own. What do you take from the decision by IKEA to not sell its products on Amazon?

Walmart has rolled out a self-serve portal that enables advertisers to directly buy on-site search and sponsored product ads on walmart.com through a bid auction-based marketplace. How critical is the introduction of a self-serve ad platform for Walmart’s advertising ambitions?

Two years after eliminating the role of chief marketing officer in favor of a chief growth officer, Coca-Cola is bringing back the CMO. What likely prompted Coca-Cola to bring back the chief marketing officer role?

In 2017, Nike hoped to reduce counterfeits and increase sales when it signed a pilot deal with Amazon. The benefits evidently weren’t enough. What will the end of Nike’s deal with Amazon mean for each company in the short- and medium-term?

Sports Direct, the UK’s largest sporting goods chain, is calling for a Europe-wide investigation into the dominance of Nike and Adidas in sports retailing. Do retailers have any rights to the brands they’ve built their business around?

Why is it so hard for a CPG company to become a digitally enabled organization? “If you have a 100-year-old company with process and culture, it’s really hard to change,” said Kellogg’s exec, Julie Bowerman, recently at GroceryShop. What are the biggest lessons to take from Kellogg’s progress with its digital transformation?

Foot Locker is investing in an online platform that hopes to shake up how sneakerheads relate to the brands they buy.  What can Foot Locker hope to get back in terms of ROI from investing in the NTWRK platform?

Jockey International, the premium underwear and apparel brand, announced that it will open its first-ever pop-up shop at Simon’s edit @ Roosevelt Field space, which provides a showcase primarily for consumer-direct brands without a current physical store presence. What will be the keys to success for Jockey as it launches its first-ever pop-up shop at edit @ Roosevelt Field?

A major development in retail has been direct-to-consumer brands opening stores to leverage the advantages of brick-and-mortar. Recent research, however, reveals that in the CPG space, direct-to-consumer brands are going wholesale rather than opening their own locations. What are the ups and downs are of big CPGs acquiring digital native brands?

The Sock Spot, an online retailer of novelty socks, is looking to broaden its business prospects by moving into physical retail via “automated retail units” (AKA vending machines). Do you see hi-tech vending units as a good way for digital brands to establish physical touchpoints?

Amazon is offering a program to help upstart brands gain more support and visibility on its platform. The cost: Amazon gets the right to purchase the brand at any time for a fixed price, often $10,000. How open should start-up brands be to the Amazon Accelerator program, given the right-to-purchase tradeoff?

Walmart is evolving and reinventing itself and there’s a good reason behind the shifts toward competing in new markets and online.  Is the D2C strategy Walmart is developing on the path to success?

The Kroger Co. has launched PearlRock Partners, a platform to make early-stage investments and support the growth of emerging consumer brands. How do you see Kroger potentially benefiting from the formation of PearlRock Partners?

For manufacturers of even the biggest brands, sharing the story behind the products offers the transparency, intimacy and respect today’s consumers crave. Are consumers as open to hearing the backstories of established food brands as they are to upstarts?

A number of legacy retailers and classic consumer packaged goods brands are struggling — some exiting the marketplace — despite the pull of nostalgia that might have protected those brands in the past. Has access to online information and social media weakened the traditional bonds consumers have with legacy retailers or brands?

The list of retailers and consumer brands setting up their own storefronts on Amazon.com continues to grow. Are retailers and brands getting over their reluctance to sell on competitive marketplaces such as Amazon, Target and Walmart and, if so, why?

Nestlé partnered with Tesco to help launch the dunnhumby Media platform that promises to bring continual, consistent and contextual communications with shoppers within and outside the store. Do the digital tools exist to support personalized communications along the entire customer journey?

With 14,000 miles of shelf space across 20,000 supermarkets in the U.S., most grocers still aren’t investing enough in one of their biggest, most visible assets. Why do you think grocers spend comparatively small amounts on shelf management?

Transparency was the first shift that changed the retailing game with the rise of internet shopping and mobile followed. In 2019, trust will become omnichannel’s third inflection point. Is what it takes for a consumer to trust a brand fundamentally shifting with the rise of social media?

In December, a four-story brick and mortar communal retail concept called SHOWFIELDS opened in lower Manhattan. What do you see as the biggest benefit that turnkey marketplaces offer digital brands as they transition to physical retail?

At the University of Pacific in Stockton, CA, PepsiCo, in partnership with Bay Area-based robotics startup Robby Technologies, has rolled out an autonomous delivery robot known as the “snackbot.” Do you expect robot deliveries to become popular on college campuses?

Today, with a wide range of complexities, Amazon experts come in all shapes and sizes. What advice would you have for brands on handling advertising and other aspects of their Amazon relationship in-house versus working with outside experts?

Macy’s and Facebook are teaming up to create pop-up space for digital brands at the department store’s busiest locations throughout the holiday season. Will the addition of digital brands create excitement and bring customers to Market @ Macy’s locations over the holidays?

C9 Champion has cemented itself as Target’s go-to activewear staple since being launched in 2004. Yet by July 2020, C9 will be off Target’s selling floors. Do you see more pros or cons in Target phasing out an established activewear brand such as C9?

“It’s still a very brick world, but it’s becoming an order world,” said Craig Geiger, senior manager, Insights & Planning for the Kellogg Company, in a presentation in Chicago at the Shopper Insights & Retail Activation conference. What suggestions would you have for grocers to improve their online sites to support brick & order?

Speaking at the IRI Growth Forum, Jennifer Saenz, chief marketing officer for Frito-Lay North America, said that expectations for interaction with brands are set by the extreme individualization allowed by smartphones and other digital phenomena. What type of interactions do consumers now want and expect from brands that are different than the past?

Pop-Up Shops, a startup describing itself as Match.com for “spaces and brands,” is looking to connect entrepreneurs looking for a short-term lease with property managers seeking to fill vacant storefronts. Do you see a tool such as PopUp Shops being beneficial for both landlords and prospective popup tenants?