The CPG View

AI might be "Resetting the Cloud Market" - look at these numbers below! AWS and Microsoft entered the AI era with enormous scale. That said .... Google Cloud appears to be gaining momentum faster. The Big Question: Is AI creating a rare opportunity for Google to reshape the competitive order of the hyperscaler market? By the Numbers: 🔥 Google Cloud growth accelerated from 32% to 82% across five quarters 🔥 Amazon Web Services (AWS) increased from 17% to 37% 🔥 Microsoft Cloud remained comparatively steady, moving from 27% to 27% 🔥 Google’s reported growth rate is now more than twice AWS and three times Microsoft Why It Matters: 1️⃣ Enterprise cloud decisions are increasingly being made through an AI-first lens 2️⃣ Google can combine its cloud infrastructure with Gemini, data, search, advertising, and commerce capabilities 3️⃣ AI may give enterprises a reason to reconsider long-standing cloud relationships What I Would Do: → Reevaluate the cloud roadmap based on future AI capabilities, not previous infrastructure decisions → Test Google Cloud where Gemini and enterprise data can create a differentiated advantage → Focus AI investment on specific commercial use cases with measurable returns → Use Pattern® to translate AI capabilities into better content, marketplace execution, and commerce growth TLDR: Scale gave AWS and Microsoft the early cloud advantage. AI could create a new competitive cycle. Google Cloud’s acceleration might suggest enterprise customers are already responding. Ways to Reach Us: Pattern® (global eCommerce accelerator) The CPG View (podcast) The Retail eCommerce Club (community) The Retail Media View (newsletter) Subscribe to The Executive Briefing 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/e42P2iGD Source: Matt Renner #artificialintelligence #cloudcomputing #googlecloud #ecommerce #cpg #strategy #retailecommerceclub

Grocery Is Becoming a "Winner-Take-More" Market The largest retailers are getting bigger, but the growth is not being distributed evenly. The Big Question: Are CPG brands investing around where grocery revenue is today, or where it is moving next??? By the Numbers (📊): 🔥 Amazon grew 24.7% over the last two reported fiscal years 🔥 Walmart International increased 20.7% 🔥 H-E-B grew 14.0%, followed by Costco Wholesale at 13.5% 🔥 Kroger declined 1.6%, Target fell 2.5%, and Ahold Delhaize decreased 2.6% Why It Matters: 1️⃣ Scale is creating stronger advantages in pricing, data, fulfillment, and retail media 2️⃣ Faster-growing retailers will gain more influence over how brands allocate inventory, trade, and media spending 3️⃣ CPG growth plans built around historical customer importance may no longer reflect where the market is heading What I Would Do: → Reallocate resources using retailer growth and category performance → Build differentiated plans for Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and leading regional grocers → Connect retail media investment to availability, content, pricing, and conversion → Use Pattern® to accelerate marketplace execution and capture growth across digital channels TLDR: Grocery is still fragmented and the growth is concentrating. CPG brands should follow the consumer and the revenue, not last year’s customer hierarchy. Ways to Reach Us: Pattern® (global eCommerce accelerator) The CPG View (podcast) The Retail eCommerce Club (community) The Retail Media View (newsletter) Subscribe to The Executive Briefing 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/ebNZhdq4 Source: BetterBasket, Leon Zhang #grocery #cpg #retail #ecommerce #retailmedia #strategy #retailecommerceclub

Retail media’s "Long Tail" has a $5.84 Billion problem More than 60 retail media networks will compete for a combined $5.84 billion in 2028! Amazon alone is projected to generate roughly 13 times that amount. The Big Question: How many retail media networks can build enough scale, data, and differentiation to remain relevant? By the Numbers: 🔥 Amazon is projected to reach $75 billion in 2028 retail media revenue 🔥 Walmart is expected to reach $9 billion while growing 22% annually 🔥 More than 60 smaller networks will share $6 billion 🔥 Target, eBay, and Kroger are projected to cross $1 billion in 2026 Why It Matters: 1️⃣ Retail media growth is concentrating around platforms with the most traffic, transaction data, and closed-loop measurement 2️⃣ Smaller networks risk creating more complexity than incremental value for brands 3️⃣ The next phase will likely bring consolidation, partnerships, and shared infrastructure What I Would Do: → Prioritize networks based on incremental sales and customer reach → Build a clear investment threshold before adding another platform → Test smaller networks where the retailer has distinctive category authority or shopper data → Use Pattern® to connect retail media investment with content, conversion, and marketplace sales TLDR: The number of retail media networks will continue to grow, but the dollars will remain concentrated. Scale gets a network into the plan, but differentiation earns the next dollar. Ways to Reach Us: Pattern® (global eCommerce accelerator) The CPG View (podcast) The Retail eCommerce Club (community) The Retail Media View (newsletter) Subscribe to The Executive Briefing 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/ebNZhdq4 Source: EMARKETER, Mert Damlapinar #retailmedia #commerceMedia #ecommerce #cpg #digitaladvertising #strategy #retailecommerceclub

Winning in Beauty + Marketplaces Great time spent with the Bath & Body Works + Pattern teams. We all know the best partnerships aren’t built around transactions, they’re built around relationships, centered on trust and a shared commitment to winning … together. That’s why I love doing what I do - helping to create massive value for your friends and colleagues!!! There is nothing better in my opinion. Daniel Kuzdro Karen Deveny Jeff Oelschlager Chester Twigg Erica Hsu Manav Shroff Doug Jensen John LeBaron Jason Volk Katie Eldredge Brown Emma Hunter Relationships > transactions. Ways to Reach Us: Pattern (eCommerce Accelerator) The CPG View (Podcast) The Retail Media View (Newsletter) The Retail eCommerce Club (Community) Subscribe to The Executive Briefing, by The CPG View (podcast) 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/e42P2iGD #ecommerce #digital #omnichannel #strategy #cmo #cdo #ceo #cro #leadership #retailecommerceclub #cpg #privateequity #playtowin

Exceptional team, leaders and role! Neil Shah, Chief Commercial Officer

Digital Advertising Summary Advertising dollars continue to grow, but more of them are concentrating inside the largest platforms. The Big Question: Can independent adtech compete as Amazon, Google, and Meta capture an increasing share of the market? By the Numbers: 🔥 U.S. digital advertising is forecast to grow 12.2% in 2026 🔥 Amazon, Google, and Meta's combined share is expected to rise from 56% to 58% 🔥 Open internet advertising revenue is forecast to decline 1.4% 🔥 Independent adtech stocks fell roughly 20% to 28% following Q2 results Why It Matters: 1️⃣ Digital advertising growth is becoming increasingly concentrated 2️⃣ The largest platforms combine audience data, inventory, commerce signals, and measurement 3️⃣ Independent adtech must prove differentiated value beyond media access What I Would Do: → Evaluate partners based on incremental reach and business outcomes → Protect investment in platforms that connect media exposure to actual commerce behavior → Maintain selective open internet investment where it delivers unique audiences or stronger economics → Use Pattern® to connect marketplace media, content, conversion, and sales performance TLDR: The digital advertising market is still growing, but the more important question is who captures that growth. Right now, the advantage continues to shift toward the largest platforms. Ways to Reach Us: Pattern® (global eCommerce accelerator) The CPG View (podcast) The Retail eCommerce Club (community) The Retail Media View (newsletter) Subscribe to The Executive Briefing👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/e42P2iGD Source: Colin Lewis #retailmedia #digitaladvertising #adtech #ecommerce #cpg #strategy #retailecommerceclub

Amazon is global, but its sales are much more concentrated than most realize. Amazon operates around the world. That said, 80% of its GMV comes from just five markets. Great visual by the ECDB team below. The Big Question: Should brands prioritize Amazon’s largest markets, or pursue less crowded opportunities elsewhere? By the Numbers: 🔥 The U.S. generates 51% of Amazon’s global GMV 🔥 The UK contributes 10%, followed by Germany at 8% 🔥 Japan represents 7% and Canada contributes 4% 🔥 The rest of the world collectively accounts for only 20% Why It Matters: 1️⃣ Amazon’s strongest markets benefit from mature logistics, deeply established Prime membership, and consumer loyalty 2️⃣ These markets offer enormous demand, but also the highest competition and cost of entry 3️⃣ Markets outside the core five offer less Amazon traffic, but potentially more whitespace for brands What I Would Do: → Prioritize markets based on category demand and competitive intensity, not simply population → Build a market-specific assortment, pricing, content, and media strategy → Test expansion in one or two markets before committing to a broader global rollout → Use Pattern® to manage localized marketplace execution and accelerate international growth TLDR: Amazon may be a global marketplace, but its economic engine remains highly concentrated. For brands, international expansion should be precise, localized, and based on where the category opportunity is strongest! Ways to Reach Us: Pattern® (global eCommerce accelerator) The CPG View (podcast) The Retail eCommerce Club (community) The Retail Media View (newsletter) Subscribe to The Executive Briefing👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/e42P2iGD Source: ECDB #amazon #ecommerce #cpg #marketplaces #globalcommerce #strategy #retailecommerceclub