The GaryVee Audio Experience

Episode: The #1 Metric Retailers Need to Master in the AI Era

Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk

Episode Overview

In this episode, Gary Vaynerchuk dives into the transformation sweeping the retail and marketing landscape, focusing on the key metric retailers must prioritize in an AI-driven era. Using contemporary case studies and his trademark style, Gary explores the impact of interest-driven algorithms, the evolving nature of brand loyalty, the rise of live social shopping, and actionable advice for leveraging content and platforms. The conversation is packed with real-world insights and challenges the way traditional marketing is measured and executed in the age of AI.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Barnes & Noble vs. Retail Bankruptcies

• [00:18] The session opens with a discussion on Barnes & Noble's surprising growth (six or seven stores opened recently) despite tough times for many physical retailers.
• Gary's Advice:
  • Negotiate favorable leases.
  • Operate with a smart P&L.
  • Drive demand through up-to-date, contemporary marketing.

The True Retail Metrics in the AI Era

• [01:33] Question: What should retailers be measuring today?
• Gary:
  • Too many focus on "data reporting for the sake of reporting."
  • For retailers, results are simple: "It shows up at the cash register."
  • Key Metrics:
    • Track if "working media dollars + creative" (in one silo) drive short-term and long-term sales.
    • Focus on Lifetime Value (LTV) of customers to measure brand impact.

"[Retail] is uncomfortably simple to measure. Corporate is bad at it."
— Gary Vaynerchuk [02:55]

Rethinking Brand Loyalty

• [03:22] Question: Does brand loyalty survive in today's world?
• Gary:
  • Brand loyalty still matters and will explode as AI agents reorder for us.
  • Reorders will depend on brand relevance.
  • The flaw: Executives measure brand with "subjective opinions and silly reports."
• Challenging Conventional Wisdom:
  • Brand lift studies and polling are "always wrong."
  • It's as hard to quantify brand love as "how much you love your mom." [04:49]
  • True brand loyalty = repeat sales and measurable actions.

"We're trying to measure something that's not measurable and then we decide to waste a gadrillion dollars on it and sit in boardrooms and debate adjectives and hues of color."
— Gary Vaynerchuk [04:49]

Measuring Creative & the Rise of "Interest Media"

• [05:27] Social algorithms now enable real-time creative testing, letting brands measure the true effect of their messaging.
• Number one measurement:
  • Views achieved by creative, across all social networks, monthly, gross, and per post.
• Shift from social to "interest media":
  • It's not your follower count, but the relevance of your post that dictates reach.
  • Repeated relevant impressions create loyalty, just as personal relationships do.

"We are in complete relevance warfare."
— Gary Vaynerchuk [10:31]

Content Creation Strategy: Followers vs. Engagement

• [10:18] Is it better to build a following or focus on relevant content?
• Gary:
  • Content relevance trumps follower count.
  • Winning creative identified organically should be reused (with minimal tweaks) in performance marketing campaigns for superior results.

"The highest performing organic reached pieces of content... when you take that content back to the lab... it outperforms your best AB meta testing by a country mile. That’s the brain fuck right now."
— Gary Vaynerchuk [10:47]

Platform Prioritization for Retailers

• [12:06] Should brands be on all platforms?
• Gary:
  • Ideally, yes—reallocate wasted spend from programmatic ads to platforms with real attention.
  • LinkedIn is an underappreciated B2B goldmine.
  • For B2C, contextually relevant content on LinkedIn and other platforms is crucial.

The New Role of Creative in Paid Media

• [14:38] "We've lived in advertising... hiding bad creative. We're now in [the era of] amplifying and scaling good creative."
• "Good" creative is what gets real views, not what executives declare "on brand".

Live Social Shopping

• [15:15] Live shopping is already massive—$7-10B in GMV for Whatnot in a single year, yet barely recognized by industry leaders.
• Contrasts slow growth in US (11% penetration) with China’s mass adoption—cars, luxury, everything is sold via live.
• Every retailer should be developing a live shopping strategy, especially around TikTok Shop, Whatnot, Twitch, eBay Live, and District.
• Not just for low-priced “tchotchkas”—high-ticket items work too.

"Live shopping is attention... it’s easier than any other ecommerce. Every retailer here... not spending an enormous amount of time debating their live social shopping strategy... they are setting themselves up for very challenging 2027, 2028 realities."
— Gary Vaynerchuk [18:23]

AI's Impact on Retail, Brand & Influencer Marketing

• [19:37] The AI Era will bring "a decade of confusion."
• Gary doesn’t fear AI replacing influencers—sees it as industry evolution.
• AI will displace "B, C, D-list influencers" but it’s part of progress and brings enormous upsides to humanity, especially in medical tech.

Embracing AI & Attention Platforms as a New Creator

• [22:28] If starting today, Gary would embrace AI—but the fundamentals haven't changed: attention and value for the audience.
• You don’t need years to build a following—the right content can go viral instantly due to algorithms focused on interest, not relationships.

"We're in a profound opportunity... the level of merit and opportunity for the individual human because of where the algos are in social right now is profound. Profound. And I want more people to take advantage of it."
— Gary Vaynerchuk [24:04]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "Polling is always wrong." [04:44]
• "Go measure love... show me your report on how much you love your mom." [04:49]
• "The algorithm changed no one. The algorithm exposed everyone." [10:02]
• "I think this is social media all over again... this is attention. Consumers see something and they act on it." [18:03]

Timestamps: Important Segments

• 00:18 — Barnes & Noble's retail resurgence
• 01:33 — The metrics retailers must measure
• 03:22 — Brand loyalty and its future with AI
• 05:27 — How social media algorithms really measure creative
• 07:09 — Shift from “social” to “interest media”
• 10:31 — Content relevance vs. follower count
• 11:03-11:55 — Organic content as a source for paid creative
• 13:02 — The value of LinkedIn as a platform
• 15:15 — The current state and future of live social shopping
• 19:37 — AI and the future of influencer marketing
• 22:28 — The opportunity for new creators, platforms, and attention

Summary Takeaways for Retailers & Marketers

• Views Achieved is the #1 Key Metric: Track the actual reach and engagement your creative gets, not follower count or “vanity metrics.”
• Focus on LTV and Real Transactions: True brand value shows at the register and in repeat sales, not in subjective brand studies.
• Relevance is King: The only way to win is to make content people actively want to engage with—algorithms now reward interest, not relationships.
• Constantly Iterate Content: Use the best-performing organic content as paid ads for outsized performance.
• Be Platform-Agnostic but Contextual: Try to be everywhere, but ensure each piece of creative matches the mindset/context of the platform.
• Invest Early in Live Shopping & AI: Physical and digital retail alike must adapt to the coming wave of live commerce and intelligent automation.
• Embrace Change: AI will disrupt the influencer landscape, but also offers opportunity and value if you prioritize the end consumer’s interests.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating retail, media, or digital marketing in the AI era, as Gary's candid insights and practical guidance cut through industry noise with clarity and real-world examples.