About this podcast
The Omni Talk Retail Fast Five podcast is your weekly dose of retail industry insights and trends in a quick and digestible format. Hosted by industry expert, Chris Walton, this podcast delivers the top five news stories each week that are shaping the digital and physical retail landscape.
Each episode breaks down the most important developments in retail, from the latest innovations in technology to consumer behavior shifts, emerging market trends, and beyond. Whether you're a retail executive, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the world of retail, the OmniTalk Retail Fast Five has got you covered.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 500 episodes
- Alexa Gets Texty, CVS Splits Up & DoorDash Wants to Be Your Holiday Retail Destination | Fast Five · 50 min · Season 8 Episode 117The holiday shopping season is officially kicking into high gear, and retail is getting interesting! Chris Walton welcomes two first-time Fast Five guest hosts, former Patagonia…
- Lightning Round: Retail Champions, Overhyped Tech & Halloween Candy | Fast Five Shorts · 2 min · Season 8 Episode 116Which retailer deserves its long-awaited championship moment? If you could spend one extra hour inside any store, where would you go? And with Instacart pulling the plug on Caper…
- Are We Sleeping on Amazon? Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Thinks So | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 115Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says Wall Street may be overlooking Amazon's retail progress, pointing to fresh groceries and everyday essentials growing three times faster than the rest…
- Walmart+ Heads South of the Border | Fast Five Shorts · 4 min · Season 8 Episode 114Walmart has officially launched Walmart+ in Mexico for MXN $89 per month, bundling free shipping and delivery with streaming, mobile data, and healthcare benefits. The expansion…
- Starbucks Comps Up 7.7% in the U.S. Is Back to Starbucks Working? | Fast Five Shorts · 9 min · Season 8 Episode 113Starbucks reported a 7.7% increase in U.S. comparable sales in Q4, driven by a 5.2% increase in average ticket and 2.4% transaction growth. The results signal progress under CEO…
- Instacart Checks Out of Caper Carts | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 112Instacart is winding down its Caper Cart smart shopping cart business, five years after acquiring Caper AI for $350 million. The company cited slower-than-expected retailer…
- DoorDash Bags Instacart for $17 Billion | Fast Five Shorts · 8 min · Season 8 Episode 111DoorDash has agreed to acquire Instacart for approximately $17 billion, or $65 per share, combining two of the biggest names in restaurant and grocery delivery. The deal faces…
- DoorDash Bags Instacart, Caper Carts Check Out & Starbucks Brews a Comeback | Fast Five · 44 min · Season 8 Episode 110Retail news came in by the truckload this week! Chris Walton is joined by Kelly Carey, Senior Director at the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, for a packed Fast Five covering…
- Lightning Round: Irish Sports, Retail Nightmares & Halloween Costumes | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 109It's Halloween week on the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, and Chris Walton and guest host Martin Bailie are getting into everything from Irish sports to some seriously scary retail…
- David's Bridal Says "I Do" to Wall Street With Pearl Spinoff | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 108David's Bridal is planning to spin off Pearl, its AI-powered wedding planning and vendor marketplace platform, into a publicly traded company through a SPAC transaction. The…
- Gap Hires an AI Recruiter for the Holiday Rush | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 107Gap Inc. is expanding its AI-powered recruiting assistant, Bridgette, to help manage an expected 200,000 seasonal job applications during the holiday hiring rush. Built on…
- Albertsons Cuts Its Membership to $39 | Fast Five Shorts · 7 min · Season 8 Episode 106Albertsons is revamping its paid subscription program with Albertsons for U+, lowering the annual membership fee from $99 to just $39. The updated offering includes unlimited…
- Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus: Two Memberships, One $120 Price | Fast Five Shorts · 7 min · Season 8 Episode 105Walmart is combining Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus into a single $120 annual membership, nearly $100 less than purchasing both separately. The new offering brings together…
- Amazon Blocks AI Agents While Walmart Rolls Out the Welcome Mat | Fast Five Shorts · 9 min · Season 8 Episode 104Walmart is opening its doors to AI shopping agents with its new Agent Gateway, allowing approved AI agents to search inventory and make purchases on behalf of shoppers, including…
- Walmart’s Agentic Welcome, Membership Bundles & David’s Bridal Says I Do to AI Spin-Off | Fast Five · 58 min · Season 8 Episode 103AI is EVERYWHERE in retail this week, and Chris Walton is joined by veteran retail operator Martin Bailie, formerly of Lidl, Primark, and Tesco, for a packed Fast Five covering…
- Lightning Round: Virtual Try-Ons, Shopping Regrets & Flying Teslas | Fast Five Shorts · 3 min · Season 8 Episode 102What would you NEVER buy without trying on first? What's the one purchase you wish you'd returned? And when it comes to classic fighting games, are you Team Street Fighter…
- Happy Returns Comes to TikTok Shop | Fast Five Shorts · 4 min · Season 8 Episode 101UPS' Happy Returns is now integrated directly into TikTok Shop, allowing shoppers to return purchases without boxes or labels at 10,000 drop-off locations nationwide, including…
- ChatGPT Launches Virtual Try-On | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 100OpenAI has introduced virtual try-on capabilities in ChatGPT, allowing shoppers to upload a selfie and see themselves wearing clothing and accessories before making a purchase…
- Hackers Turn French Supermarket Fridges Into Ovens | Fast Five Shorts · 8 min · Season 8 Episode 99Hackers targeted refrigeration systems at hundreds of French supermarkets, reportedly forcing fridges and freezers to temperatures as high as 122°F overnight. The large-scale…
- Online Grocery Hits a Record 64% of U.S. Households | Fast Five Shorts · 10 min · Season 8 Episode 98Online grocery shopping just reached another major milestone, with nearly 64% of U.S. households purchasing groceries online in September and sales climbing 20.7% year over year…
- Albertsons Pulls Guidance: Turnaround or Breakup? | Fast Five Shorts · 10 min · Season 8 Episode 97Albertsons beat Wall Street expectations on second-quarter profit but suspended its full-year guidance and announced a comprehensive business review, with a turnaround plan…
- Albertsons Hits Reset, Digital Grocery Hits 20% & ChatGPT Lets You Try It On | Fast Five · 58 min · Season 8 Episode 96It's a BIG week in retail, and Chris Walton is joined by A&M Consumer and Retail Group's Cory Painter and Anshu Prasad for a packed Fast Five covering everything from Albertsons'…
- Lightning Round: Halloween Candy, Darth Vader, Shabby Chic & Christmas Music | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 95Halloween is right around the corner, and Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn are tackling the questions that REALLY matter. What's the best and worst Halloween candy? What was Chris's…
- Walmart Launches 1-Hour Express Pickup | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 95Walmart is launching Express Pickup, allowing customers to place curbside orders through its app and pick them up in as little as one hour. The service is already available at…
- Tractor Supply's First Automated DC Comes With Its Own AI Team | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 94Tractor Supply has opened its 11th distribution center, an 865,000-square-foot, $200 million-plus facility in Nampa, Idaho. The location is its first to feature KNAPP automated…
- TikTok Goes Agentic | Fast Five Shorts · 8 min · Season 8 Episode 93TikTok is launching an agentic AI shopping experience that combines a conversational Shopping Assistant with Buy Direct, a one-click checkout feature that lets users purchase…
- Amazon Cuts Jobs In Its Retail Division | Fast Five Shorts · 14 min · Season 8 Episode 92Amazon is restructuring its Stores business, which oversees retail operations including Amazon.com and Whole Foods, in a move affecting hundreds of employees. The cuts come even…
- Prime Big Deal Days Nears $10B: Is October The New Black Friday? | Fast Five Shorts · 7 min · Season 8 Episode 91Amazon's October Prime Big Deal Days helped drive $9.86 billion in U.S. online sales across retailers, up from $9.09 billion last year. Shoppers took advantage of discounts on…
- Amazon’s Layoffs, TikTok's One-Click Bet & Walmart's 1-Hour Pickup | Fast Five · 58 min · Season 8 Episode 91In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and SmartScout, Chris Walton welcomes back…
- Lightning Round: Chariots Of Fire, Ted Lasso, IKEA Fails & French Retail | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 90It's lightning round time on Fast Five, and Chris Walton and guest host Richard McKenzie are taking a break from the week's retail headlines for a little UK film history…
- IKEA Closes Three Small-Format Stores: Blip Or Bust? | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 89IKEA is closing three of its small-format plan and order stores in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, including a Georgetown location that opened less than a year ago. The…
- Walmart Lights Up Its Shelves In Time For The Holidays | Fast Five Shorts · 7 min · Season 8 Episode 88Walmart is rolling out three new light-up digital shelf label features across its stores in time for the holiday season. Shop to Light helps customers locate products using the…
- DoorDash Adds Macy's, Anthropologie & $7.99 Dasher Returns | Fast Five Shorts · 7 min · Season 8 Episode 87DoorDash is expanding its retail marketplace with Macy's, Anthropologie, The North Face, Vans, and Timberland, bringing hundreds of additional stores onto its platform. The…
- Sephora At M&S: 100 UK Stores And A Very Familiar Playbook | Fast Five Shorts · 6 min · Season 8 Episode 86Marks & Spencer and Sephora are teaming up to bring Sephora at M&S to 100 UK stores and M&S.com beginning in spring 2027. The partnership will introduce a curated selection of…
- Would You Like Ads With That? McDonald's Bets On A $1B Media Network | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 85McDonald's is piloting third-party advertising on digital drive-thru menu boards at 450 company-owned U.S. restaurants as part of its new McDonald's Media Network, with ambitions…
- McDonald's Supersizes Its Ads, Walmart Lights Up & DoorDash Widens Its Mall Base | Fast Five · 44 min · Season 8 Episode 84In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and SmartScout, Chris Walton welcomes Richard…
- Lightning Round: Pizza By Drone, Smart Glasses, Retail Uniforms & Vegas | Fast Five Shorts · 4 min · Season 8 Episode 83Producer Ella puts Chris Walton on the hot seat for a solo Fast Five lightning round. What’s the greatest retail employee uniform of all time? Vegas or Nashville for one night…
- Lowe’s Takes Flight With 20-Minute Drone Delivery | Fast Five Shorts · 2 min · Season 8 Episode 82Lowe’s is taking to the skies, becoming the first home improvement retailer to launch drone delivery through partnerships with DoorDash and Wing. Customers can get more than 100…
- Amazon Puts Prime On Everyone Else’s Website | Fast Five Shorts · 2 min · Season 8 Episode 81Amazon is letting merchants using its Multichannel Fulfillment service offer Prime delivery directly on their own websites, with no added cost to retailers or shoppers. Is Prime…
- Kroger’s Dress Code Gets A Makeover | Fast Five Shorts · 2 min · Season 8 Episode 80Kroger just updated its store dress code for the first time in a decade, putting nearly 400,000 associates across 21 chains in company-issued shirts after shoppers said they were…
- Coach & Kate Spade Check Out Inside Gemini | Fast Five Shorts · 2 min · Season 8 Episode 79Tapestry is making Coach and Kate Spade products purchasable directly inside Google’s Gemini app and AI Mode, complete with Google Pay checkout and no website redirect. Chris…
- Amazon To Meta’s Muse: Not In My Store | Fast Five Shorts · 4 min · Season 8 Episode 78Amazon just cut off Meta’s new Muse AI agent from shopping on Amazon.com, citing data security concerns. But as AI shopping agents continue to gain traction, Chris Walton asks…
- Amazon vs. Meta’s Muse, Kroger’s New Dress Code & Lowe’s Takes Flight | Fast Five · 26 min · Season 8 Episode 77In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, Chris Walton is trying…
- Lightning Round: Prestige TV, The Dictionary, Retail And Pop Culture | Fast Five Shorts · 3 min · Season 8 Episode 76This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right…
- Meta Lab Nearly Doubles Its Stores | Fast Five Shorts · 7 min · Season 8 Episode 75This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right…
- Toys R Us Is Back: 120 New Stores This Holiday | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 74This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right…
- Harps’ First AI Leader Comes From Meat & Seafood | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 73This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right…
- Costco Goes On-demand: Adds DoorDash + Uber Eats Nationwide | Fast Five Shorts · 4 min · Season 8 Episode 72This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right…
- Walmart+ Fuels Up: 17,000+ Gas Stations Now Covered | Fast Five Shorts · 5 min · Season 8 Episode 71This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right…
- Walmart+ Fuels Up, Costco Goes On-Demand & Toys R Is Back (Again) | Fast Five · 44 min · Season 8 Episode 70In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, Chris Walton is joined by…
