News Briefs

Live commerce platform TalkShopLive partnered with Best Buy in December to connect livestream and in-store shopping. The collaboration aims to eliminate costly shipping expenses while getting products to shoppers quickly, according to a news release.

The effort launched on Dec. 12 with a live online show hosted by TikTok star Noah Schnacky, who highlighted some of his favorite products. (View here.) Shoppers who purchase from the livestream platform have the option to select in-store pickup for Best Buy orders.

TalkShopLive chose to launch its in-store pickup feature with Best Buy because of its longstanding relationship with the retailer, according to the release.

"We constantly strive to innovate solutions for retailers and brands to connect their live shopping experiences with physical shopping experiences," TalkShopLive CEO and founder Bryan Moore, said in the release. "For our large retailer partners, we have proven that products featured in TalkShopLive shows often garner an omnichannel sales lift upward of 1,500%. As holiday shopping often leads to shipping delays, in-store pickup allows customers to have a personal and interactive live shopping experience without any worries on delivery times."

In November, TalkShopLive revealed its first live commerce shopping windows on the streets of New York. Consumers could watch, listen and shop livestreams featuring celebrities such as Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Kelsea Ballerini, Gloria Estefan, Drew Barrymore and Bobby Flay. 

Live commerce is emerging as a retail trend across sectors. Retailers are leveraging TalkShopLive's shoppable content by simultaneously sharing livestreams on their domains and social platforms as well as with publishers and suppliers to create multiple storefronts through content, according to the company. Walmart has also worked with TalkShopLive to host over 160 livestreams.

Marketplacer, a global technology SaaS platform, has signed a partnership agreement with CitrusAd, Publicis Groupe’s retail media tech company, to deliver advanced advertising opportunities. 

The agreement enables suppliers on Marketplacer-powered platforms to "stand out" on the digital shelf using sponsored products ads to drive incremental sales, according to a news release. This will also enable the marketplaces to grow their share of retail media revenue, which is expected to double in size to more than $60 billion from 2021 and 2024 in the U.S. alone, according to eMarketer.

CitrusAd, which is powered by Epsilon, helps retailers, distributors and wholesalers of various sizes build retail media networks in over 30 countries.

“This partnership with Marketplacer further cements CitrusAd’s vision for retail media for everyone, everywhere,” Adam Skinner, CitrusAd's chief operating officer, said in the release. “This solves the longstanding challenge of enabling marketplaces and their suppliers to benefit from the retail media revolution. Marketplaces are hugely important in e-commerce and are a high-growth sector.”

Marketplacer’s clients will have access to new revenue streams, and they can accelerate their marketplace strategy through a unified media network solution. Sellers will better understand what products to push and recommend to their customers, as well as understand cart behavior.

“By implementing CitrusAd via Marketplacer, you can maximize a marketplace’s earning potential through its seller networks and brand partners,” added Vanya Jakovljevic, Marketplacer Americas partnerships lead. “We’ve seen brick-and-mortar supermarkets get the most out of their shopper base for years, giving them the competitive edge through smarter media that reaches more shoppers across more channels. Now marketplaces can do the same.”

Great Northern in November revealed multiple leadership changes and succession plans for the new year. Effective Jan. 1, 2023:

• Jeff Michels (pictured at left) will take over as CEO, succeeding John Davis. Michels has been with Great Northern for 24 years, most recently as president of packaging/instore.
• Bill Calengor (pictured at right) will succeed Michels as president, packaging/instore. Calengor has served as vice president and general manager of Great Northern’s Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, location since 2008.
• John Davis, who has served as CEO since 2009, was elected chairman of the board of directors, succeeding Bill Raaths, who held the position since 2009. Raaths will continue to serve on the board.

These announcements coincided with the Appleton, Wisconsin-based company's 60th anniversary.

“We’re delighted to fill these positions from within the Great Northern team, and thereby maintain the continuity of leadership,” Davis said in news release. “The highest priority for these leaders, along with the help of the entire corporate staff, will be to support the success of the locations and their teams with an entrepreneurial spirit.”

Ahold Delhaize USA CEO Kevin Holt will step down from his positions at the company in 2023, the retail giant revealed during its recent shareholders meeting. Holt will step down from the management board when his term expires at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of shareholders on April 12, 2023. At that time, Ahold Delhaize will nominate JJ Fleeman (pictured) to take over as CEO and board member.

Fleeman’s appointment to the Ahold Delhaize’s management board will be subject to shareholder approval at the AGM. Holt plans to remain with Ahold Delhaize USA in an advisory capacity until he retires at the end of 2023. 

Fleeman has served as president of Peapod Digital Labs and chief commercial and digital officer of Ahold Delhaize USA since May 2018.

With Peapod Digital Labs, the retailer’s digital, e-commerce and commercial engine in the U.S., Fleeman has been responsible for enabling the local brands in the U.S. to drive omnichannel grocery experiences. 

Peter Agnefjall, chair of the supervisory board of Ahold Delhaize, stated: “[Fleeman] is an inspiring leader who will advance the U.S. businesses through omnichannel market share growth and who will continue to deliver on the Connected Customer strategy that [Holt] has so carefully developed and implemented with the team over the past few years.”

Fleeman has spent the majority of his 30-year career in grocery retail with Ahold Delhaize companies, including Food Lion, the largest U.S. brand, serving in various executive leadership roles and covering strategy, commercial, digital, retail operations, marketing and merchandising. He will continue to be based in Salisbury, North Carolina, and spend time across other U.S. offices. 

“My time at the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA have been some of the best years of my career in retail,” Holt said. “I’m very proud of how our teams have ensured that our brands remain locally relevant and serve customers through our omnichannel offerings.”

Strategus, a managed service provider for programmatic connected TV (CTV) advertising, has introduced a solution for retail media networks. The solution rolled out in conjunction with a partnership between Strategus and V12, an audience and marketing solutions provider. V12 is a subsidiary of Porch Group, a vertical software platform for the home.

According to recent data from Insider Intelligence, retail media ad spending reached $31.49 billion in 2021. As retail media networks attract more advertiser interest, their marketing impact is limited by the lack of integration with CTV content, according to a news release from Strategus, whose new solution enables advertisers to grow the impact of their first-party data across both retail media and CTV campaigns.

Through their partnership, V12 and Strategus will be able to use its proprietary first-party mover and homeowner audiences to create unique TV audiences and target the growing CTV market.

“V12 leads the industry in move and homeowner marketing solutions, providing insights into 80% of all U.S. homebuyers and pre-move indicators 35% faster than other providers,” said Michelle Taves, group general manager of Porch Marketing and CEO of V12, in the release. “These consumers are researching and spending well before the move even begins and spend thousands of dollars throughout the lifetime of their home. Connected TV is an ideal platform to get in front of these audiences who are actively spending and open to trying new brands.”

Food Lion, Ahold Delhaize’s largest U.S. chain, expanded its grocery pickup service to 27 more stores in Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia as of Oct. 31.

Food Lion To Go is now available at 630 of its roughly 1,130 stores across its 10-state footprint.

Shoppers who receive free pickup on their first order can confirm availability and place orders through the To Go website or the dedicated mobile app. Shoppers can place an order and pick up their groceries on the same day without leaving their vehicle.

“With some of the busiest months ahead for our customers, we are excited to expand this convenient service to more stores in the Food Lion footprint so our customers can spend more time on what matters most to them,” said Evan Harding, director of digital and e-commerce, Food Lion, in a news release.

Where allowed by law, shoppers 21 and older can also purchase beer and wine through To Go.