In this week's Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso and Veloq, Chris Walton was joined by special guest Ben Miller, former Vice President of Original Content at ShopTalk, now an independent retail analyst, to discuss:

• Starbucks' plans to potentially add 5,000 to 10,000 new U.S. stores through a smaller-format concept, and whether the strategy aligns with CEO Brian Niccol's vision to restore Starbucks as a true "third place" experience: (Source)

• Target becoming the exclusive retail sponsor of Bravo's new shoppable digital series "Shop What Happens," and whether retailers are increasingly competing with streaming platforms, creators, and entertainment companies for consumer attention: (Source)

• Walmart expanding Walmart.com access to shoppers in Mexico, and why the move could be another major step toward building a truly global marketplace ecosystem: (Source)

• Dollar General's plans to pilot a new subscription membership program, and whether value-focused consumers are ready for another paid retail loyalty offering: (Source)

• DoorDash launching "Ask DoorDash," an AI-powered search experience that allows customers to search using natural language, recipes, photos, and conversational prompts, and why conversational commerce may be becoming table stakes for retailers: (Source)

There's all that, plus Ben's next chapter after ShopTalk, Starbucks investor day insights, the future of AI-powered search, World Cup predictions, Kevin Costner's questionable cycling credentials, Callum Turner as the next James Bond, Chris' favorite meal from his European retail tour, and why retailers need to prepare now for the next generation of search and discovery.

P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/

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