ecommert Podcast

In this episode of the ecommert® Podcast (Part 2), we continue the conversation with Rishika Choumal to explore how innovation, data, and AI are reshaping the future of retail media.
As the industry moves beyond experimentation, Rishika shares how leading companies like Henkel are testing new approaches across first-party data, audience strategy, and AI-driven optimization — all while navigating talent gaps, evolving tools, and increasing complexity. From predictive bidding to data clean rooms and upskilling teams, this episode dives into what it really takes to stay competitive in a fast-changing commerce landscape.
In this episode, you'll learn:
🔹 Retail Media Innovation: How brands are leveraging retailer first-party data to build smarter audiences. 
🔹 AI in Action: Using AI for bidding, budget allocation, and performance optimization — beyond just content.
🔹 Smarter Spending: Why efficiency matters more than increasing media budgets.
🔹 Data & Talent Gap: The reality of data clean rooms, SQL skills, and building the right teams.
🔹 Upskilling at Scale: How global organizations are training teams across regions and functions.
🔹 Future of AI in Commerce: What brands really want from AI (and what's still missing).
🔹 Career Advice: Why data skills are becoming essential for the next generation in digital commerce.
🔹 Collaboration as Advantage: Why "collaborative is the new competitive."
About the Guest:
Rishika Choumal is the Global Retail Media Lead at Henkel, where she drives global strategy across retail media, performance marketing, and digital commerce. With a strong background in consumer psychology and full-funnel media planning, she brings a unique perspective on how brands can connect data, media, and real business impact.
🌐 More insights: https://www.ecommert.ai
Mert Damlapinar | ecommert
About ecommert:
We partner with CPG businesses and leading technology companies of all sizes to accelerate growth through AI-driven digital commerce solutions. Our expertise spans e-channel strategy, retail media optimization, and digital shelf analytics, ensuring smarter and more efficient operations across B2C, eB2B, and DTC channels.
🎧 Thanks for tuning in to the ecommert podcast.

In this episode of the ecommert® Podcast, we sit down with Rishika Choumal to explore how retail media is evolving into a measurable, full-funnel growth driver for modern CPG brands.
As digital and in-store worlds continue to merge, Rishika shares how leading companies like Henkel are redefining success through smarter measurement, sharper investment strategies, and deeper integration across channels. From breaking down silos to connecting media spend with real business outcomes, this conversation dives into what it truly takes to win in today's commerce landscape.
In this episode, you'll learn:
🔹 Measurement in a Blended World: How brands connect online performance with in-store sales impact. 🔹 Smarter Media Investments: Why CPG companies are becoming more selective and data-driven. 🔹 Retail Media Beyond Silos: Integrating retail media into overall brand and marketing strategy. 🔹 Short-Term vs Long-Term Impact: Balancing performance marketing with brand building. 🔹 First-Party Data & Personalization: Unlocking growth through better targeting and consumer insights. 🔹 The Future of Retail Media: Why measurement, accountability, and integration will define the next phase.
About the Guest:
Rishika Choumal is the Global Retail Media Lead at Henkel, where she drives global strategy across retail media, performance marketing, and digital commerce. With a strong background in consumer psychology and full-funnel media planning, she brings a unique perspective on how brands can connect data, media, and real business impact.
🌐 More insights: https://www.ecommert.ai
Mert Damlapinar | ecommert
About ecommert:
We partner with CPG businesses and leading technology companies of all sizes to accelerate growth through AI-driven digital commerce solutions. Our expertise spans e-channel strategy, retail media optimization, and digital shelf analytics, ensuring smarter and more efficient operations across B2C, eB2B, and DTC channels.
🎧 Thanks for tuning in to the ecommert podcast.

In this episode of the Ecommert Podcast, we sit down with Alberto Kechler, Global Head of E-commerce for Arla Foods, at their Utrecht offices in the Netherlands. We explore the massive shift from e-commerce hypergrowth to a mature, omnichannel landscape—where breaking down organizational silos is the key to creating a channel-less consumer experience. Alberto shares his journey from 15 years in digital commerce across giants like Nestle and Mondelez to leading the omnichannel transformation at Arla Foods. We discuss why the future of e-commerce isn't just about standalone digital teams—it's about embedding e-commerce expertise directly into local business units. In this episode, you'll learn:
🔹 The Omnichannel Shift: Why the industry is moving away from siloed e-commerce teams toward a fully integrated, channel-less approach.
🔹 "Click and Cook" Case Study: How Arla successfully turned 35 million recipe searches into 1 million shoppable carts in Denmark using API integration.
🔹 Retail Media ROI: Why every retail media investment must have a positive impact on sales, and how to navigate fragmented retailer data.
🔹 Mastering the Digital Shelf: Why perfecting the basics of content, imagery, and availability remains vital before adopting advanced AI and conversational search.
🔹 The JBP Advantage: How clear budget allocation, data, and cross-functional collaboration empower brands during Joint Business Plan (JBP) negotiations with retailers.
About the Guest:
Alberto Kechler is the Global Head of E-commerce for Arla Foods. With over 15 years of experience in the digital commerce space, including leadership roles at Nestle and Mondelez, Alberto is now focused on driving omnichannel transformation, retail media excellence, and seamless consumer experiences for one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives.
🌐 More insights: https://www.ecommert.ai
Mert Damlapinar | ecommert
About ecommert:
We partner with CPG businesses and leading technology companies of all sizes to accelerate growth through AI-driven digital commerce solutions. Our expertise spans e-channel strategy, retail media optimization, and digital shelf analytics, ensuring smarter and more efficient operations across B2C, eB2B, and DTC channels.
Thanks for tuning in to ecommert podcast.

In this episode of the Ecommert Podcast, we sit down with Alberto Kechler, Global Head of E-commerce for Arla Foods, at their Utrecht offices in the Netherlands. We explore the massive shift from e-commerce hypergrowth to a mature, omnichannel landscape—where breaking down organizational silos is the key to creating a channel-less consumer experience. Alberto shares his journey from 15 years in digital commerce across giants like Nestle and Mondelez to leading the omnichannel transformation at Arla Foods. We discuss why the future of e-commerce isn't just about standalone digital teams—it's about embedding e-commerce expertise directly into local business units. In this episode, you'll learn:
🔹 The Omnichannel Shift: Why the industry is moving away from siloed e-commerce teams toward a fully integrated, channel-less approach.
🔹 "Click and Cook" Case Study: How Arla successfully turned 35 million recipe searches into 1 million shoppable carts in Denmark using API integration.
🔹 Retail Media ROI: Why every retail media investment must have a positive impact on sales, and how to navigate fragmented retailer data.
🔹 Mastering the Digital Shelf: Why perfecting the basics of content, imagery, and availability remains vital before adopting advanced AI and conversational search.
🔹 The JBP Advantage: How clear budget allocation, data, and cross-functional collaboration empower brands during Joint Business Plan (JBP) negotiations with retailers.
About the Guest:
Alberto Kechler is the Global Head of E-commerce for Arla Foods. With over 15 years of experience in the digital commerce space, including leadership roles at Nestle and Mondelez, Alberto is now focused on driving omnichannel transformation, retail media excellence, and seamless consumer experiences for one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives.
🌐 More insights: https://www.ecommert.ai
Mert Damlapinar | ecommert
About ecommert:
We partner with CPG businesses and leading technology companies of all sizes to accelerate growth through AI-driven digital commerce solutions. Our expertise spans e-channel strategy, retail media optimization, and digital shelf analytics, ensuring smarter and more efficient operations across B2C, eB2B, and DTC channels.
Thanks for tuning in to ecommert podcast.

In this episode of the Ecommert Podcast, we sit down with Jeong Woo, Director of Brand Partnerships at Instacart, at Instacart's headquarters in New York. We explore the transformation of Instacart from a grocery delivery platform into a full-scale retail media and ad tech ecosystem powering over 240 retail partners.
Jeong shares her journey across Microsoft, Amazon, and Pinterest, and how those experiences shaped her perspective on digital media, data, and commerce. We dive into how Instacart is helping CPG brands reach consumers both on and off the platform, and why the industry is moving toward a world where everything is shoppable and friction in the shopper journey is minimized.
We also discuss how retail media is evolving beyond lower-funnel tactics into full-funnel strategies, powered by first-party data, advanced targeting, and closed-loop measurement.
In this episode, you'll learn:
🔹 The Evolution of Instacart: From last-mile delivery to a grocery technology company powering over 240 retailers with white-label retail media solutions.
🔹 Retail Media at Scale: How brands can reach consumers across on-site and off-site channels, including social, CTV, and programmatic.
🔹 Everything Is Shoppable: Why CPG brands are pushing for frictionless experiences and how reducing clicks is reshaping the consumer journey.
🔹 First-Party Data & Targeting: How Instacart leverages its data to help brands reach high-intent, lapsed, and new-to-brand consumers.
🔹 Incrementality & Measurement: How brands can measure true impact through lift studies, closed-loop attribution, and third-party partnerships like Circana.
🔹 From Search to Discovery: The rise of inspirational formats like shoppable recipes, bundles, and occasions to drive awareness and new customer acquisition.
About the Guest: Jeong Vu is the Director of Brand Partnerships at Instacart, where she leads strategic relationships with CPG brands, primarily in the beverages category. With a career spanning Microsoft, Amazon, and Pinterest, Jeong brings deep expertise in digital advertising, retail media, and commerce strategy, helping brands drive measurable growth through data-driven solutions.
🌐 More insights: https://www.ecommert.ai
Mert Damlapinar | ecommert
About ecommert:
We partner with CPG businesses and leading technology companies of all sizes to accelerate growth through AI-driven digital commerce solutions. Our expertise spans e-channel strategy, retail media optimization, and digital shelf analytics, ensuring smarter and more efficient operations across B2C, eB2B, and DTC channels.
🎧 Thanks for tuning in to the ecommert podcast.