BRAVE COMMERCE – Scotts Miracle-Gro’s Matt Taylor on Navigating AI Search, Retail Media, and Real-Time Data

Date: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Rachel Tipograph (Founder & CEO, MikMak) and Sarah Hofstetter (Chairwoman, Profitero)
Guest: Matt Taylor (Vice President of Digital, Scotts Miracle-Gro)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the evolving landscape of digital commerce through the lens of Scotts Miracle-Gro’s Matt Taylor. The focus is on how Scotts Miracle-Gro is adapting to the dramatic rise of AI-driven search, the consolidation of retail media and digital teams, and leveraging real-time data and machine learning to better serve their seasonal business and consumer needs. The conversation offers actionable insights into organizational structure, data-driven marketing, and the rapidly shifting consumer journey in 2025.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI-Driven Search is Transforming Consumer Behavior

• Changing Search Dynamics:
  • Rachel opens the discussion by emphasizing a massive shift from traditional to generative search, especially within categories like lawn and garden (05:14).
    • "We’ve seen a 250% increase in just our commerce loads within an environment like ChatGPT... there’s an absolute shift... And a category that’s feeling it faster than many is lawn and garden." – Rachel (05:14)
  • Matt confirms that more consumers are using AI search to plan projects, making it critical for Scotts Miracle-Gro to ensure their content appears in these new search experiences (06:50).
    • "AI search is really interesting. I think it's going to be an amazing tool for our consumers... But it definitely changes the ecosystem." – Matt (06:50)
• Implications for Content:
  • The company now focuses on partnerships and third-party content to ensure prominence in AI-powered search results (06:50–08:02).
  • The speed of change is unprecedented, requiring rapid adaptation and a forward-thinking content strategy.

2. Adoption and Impact of AI in Everyday Life

• Both hosts share personal anecdotes about how AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot) are integrated into daily and professional tasks—from creating recipes to aiding in work analysis (02:26–04:57).
  • "The point that we're both demonstrating is that these LLMs are starting to become super apps..." – Rachel (04:04)
  • "I've stopped using Google. I'll put it out there." – Rachel (04:43)

3. Organizational Response and Board Influence

• Scotts Miracle-Gro’s board is heavily composed of marketers and advertisers, fostering a culture of experimentation and early adoption (10:08–14:18).
  • "It’s a company that was kind of founded by advertisers and marketers... that’s the roots of the company." – Matt (13:20)
• The board actively pushes the company to explore new technologies and stay ahead of trends, especially with the tidal wave of AI adoption (13:20–14:18).

4. Consolidation of Digital and Retail Media

• Matt discusses why Scotts Miracle-Gro merged digital and retail media under one leadership, enabling full-funnel strategies and more cohesive measurement—despite increased collaboration challenges (14:40–16:53).
  • "We saw the halo effect that a lot of retail media actually has on the rest of the business... In addition, we wanted to make sure very early on that we are managing those in a very data driven way..." – Matt (14:40)
• This structure allows teams to better reconcile brand, retailer, and sales objectives for more impactful campaigns.

5. Machine Learning and Data-Driven Decision-Making

• Building the Predictive Model:
  • Matt details a proprietary machine-learning model developed over several years, which integrates granular weather data, macroeconomic trends, and live POS data to optimize in-season media spend (16:53–19:45).
    • "To be able to have a predictive model that’s going to let us know where we can maybe ride the most emphasis, where we want to drive action that weekend... has been pretty amazing." – Matt (17:29)
• Real-World Benefits:
  • The model has allowed Scotts to challenge retailer assumptions and sustain inventory and product focus by providing data-backed insights (19:50).
    • "We actually were able to pull in all the information... and they were able to actually use that to kind of sell in and kind of continue to support a category, continue to order inventory." – Matt (19:50)
• Advice for Other Organizations:
  • Start with strong internal data science resources, supplement with external partners, and most critically, set executive expectations: the process takes time and partial imperfection at first is normal (20:45).
    • "Level setting with executives... it's not going to be perfect to start off with... it's not a crystal ball." – Matt (20:45)

6. Consumer Engagement and ‘Black Thumbs’

• When asked about gardening tips for beginners, Matt champions the AeroGarden for its simplicity and inclusivity, even for self-described ‘black thumbs’ (21:46–23:08).
  • "I actually gave my mother-in-law one who claims she also has a black thumb and even she is having to be able to kind of grow lettuce inside her kitchen..." – Matt (22:28)
• The hosts joke about including ‘black thumb’ in their SEO strategy (22:58), reflecting a light-hearted but consumer-centric approach.

7. Personal Bravery and Career Advice

• Matt describes the bravest thing he’s ever done: taking a pay cut to move laterally into a non-marketing role early in his career, betting on long-term growth and alignment with his intuition (23:17–25:03).
  • "Careers are a bit like rock climbing. Sometimes you have to go sideways and down to go back up." – Matt (24:00 approx.)
• Rachel commends the analogy and highlights the value of betting on oneself (25:03).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the rise of AI search:
  "AI search... is going to be an amazing tool for our consumers... But it definitely changes the ecosystem." – Matt (06:50)

• On board influence:
  "We've been blessed with having a lot of really smart marketers on our board... As we look at different technology and things start to come out, we definitely have some great resources..." – Matt (13:20)

• On consolidation of digital and retail media:
  "I don't want to go and plan a full media plan... and then, oh, after the fact, we now have to go plan this retail media... Planning it all together and having that as part of one team has been super helpful." – Matt (15:40)_

• On machine learning and patience:
  "Level setting with internal stakeholders that this is not going to be like perfect overnight, but it is something that's going to be worth doing in the end..." – Matt (20:45)_

• On personal growth:
  "Careers... like rock climbing. Sometimes you go sideways, sometimes you have to go sideways and down to go back up to get where you want to go." – Matt (24:00 approx.)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• AI Search and Changing Consumer Behavior: 05:14–10:08
• Organizational Structure and Board Influence: 10:08–14:18
• Consolidation of Retail Media and Digital Teams: 14:18–16:53
• Machine Learning, Real-Time Data, and Media Optimization: 16:53–20:45
• Advice for Data Science Initiatives: 20:45–21:46
• Gardening Advice for ‘Black Thumbs’: 21:46–23:08
• Bravest Thing Matt Has Ever Done: 23:17–25:03

Episode Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, conversational, and practical, blending humor (“black thumb SEO”), actionable advice, and personal anecdotes. The hosts and Matt openly discuss real challenges and learnings, making insights accessible for operators at all levels.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The rise of AI-powered search is having an immediate, transformative impact on how brands need to think about consumer discovery and content strategy.
• Organizational flexibility, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a willingness to experiment are vital for keeping pace with digital change.
• Data-driven modeling, while complex, can make a decisive difference in seasonal industries—if organizations commit to the journey and set realistic expectations.
• Personal bravery, career risks, and betting on yourself can yield significant long-term dividends.

For more conversations on operationalizing AI and digital transformation in commerce, listen to previous BRAVE COMMERCE episodes featuring leaders from Meta, Nestlé, and Circana.