Every week, someone asks me: "How do you stay on top of everything happening in retail media?"

The honest answer is… I don't.

I do this full-time—reading, researching, writing about retail media and agentic commerce every single day—and I'm still woefully behind. Every Monday morning, my inbox is stuffed with newsletters I haven't opened, my podcast queue has 47 unplayed episodes, and LinkedIn is showing me posts from three weeks ago (seriously, what is happening with that algorithm?).

But here's what I've learned: you don't need to consume everything. You need to consume the right things.

Over the past year, I've refined my media diet into something that actually works—a mix of podcasts I listen to while cooking dinner, newsletters that hit my inbox at the right time, and a carefully curated LinkedIn feed that (mostly) surfaces what matters. This list represents the publications, podcasts, and people I actually pay attention to, not just the ones I feel like I should follow.

A few other tips I have for trying to stay afloat with all of this info:

On podcasts: I've started using Snipd as my work podcast player. It lets me clip interesting moments and automatically exports them to my Notion database, which saves me from frantically trying to remember "who said that thing about incrementality measurement?" three months later.

On newsletters: Don't sleep on Substack as a way to discover great new long-form content. Download the app and use it instead of doomscrolling when you have downtime.

On LinkedIn: The quality of your feed depends entirely on who you follow. Use the notification bell feature sparingly for the voices you can't miss, and engage with content you find valuable—it trains the algorithm to show you more of what matters.

This list is inspired by a longer list that Kelly Goetch posted to LinkedIn last week, but with a bit more commentary from me about why each publication is essential to me.

For this edition, I have focused only on publications that focus on retail media and/or agentic commerce. If I've missed someone essential, let me know. The best discoveries often come from recommendations from people doing the work.

Now let's get into it.

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Top 10

If you read nothing else, start here. These are the sources that consistently shape how I think about retail media and what’s coming next—high signal, low fluff, and worth building into your weekly (or daily) ritual.

  1. Media, Ads + Commerce (Substack) — Andrew Lipsman is the industry’s oracle on retail media trends – he famously declared “retail media is the future of all media”. We agree far more than we disagree, but when we do disagree, we like to do it as a public debate in an irish pub in Cannes (Duh). https://mediaadsandcommerce.substack.com/
  2. Retail Media Leapfrog Series (LinkedIn newsletter) — Helping retailers with new and emerging RMNs navigate key learnings from Vantage’s Drew Cashmore, an RMN operator with 15+ years’ experience in this space.https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/retail-media-leapfrog-series-7182050761101479936/
  3. Retail Media Therapy (Podcast) — Weekly practitioner POV on RM strategy/ops/measurement, with the “therapist” framing (retailer on the couch) from hosts Colin Lewis & Viv Craske. https://open.spotify.com/show/4q82iiDCsg5Rj6OD9gprdT
  4. Retailgentic: Agentic Commerce meets Retail and Brands (Substack / Podcast) — Agentic commerce + retail/brand implications (Scot Wingo).https://www.retailgentic.com/
  5. The AI Ad Economy (Substack) — Debra Aho Williamson is yet another ex-EMARKETER analyst who is cranking out sharp insights and takes on the future of advertising under our AI overlords.https://aiadeconomy.substack.com/
  6. The AI Commerce Brief (LinkedIn newsletter) — You might know Roger Dunn as the Friday Meme-Guy but read just one of his newsletter and you’ll realize there’s a lot more below the surface than GIFs. Extremely sharp insights on AI commerce, agentic shopping, and shifts reshaping commerce and retail media. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-ai-commerce-brief-7362761335731863552/
  7. Weekly Ecommerce Review (LinkedIn newsletter) — Danny Silverman’ s Curated roundup of the most relevant news and podcast episodes for brands selling through online retailers. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/weekly-ecommerce-review-7332937556671545346/
  8. The Jason & Scot Show (Podcast) — The OG podcast in the retail & commerce space, running for nearly 10 years. Co-hosted by 2 industry patriarchs, Jason Goldberg and Scot Wingo. https://retailgeek.com/jason-scot-show/

Weekly essential

These are the steady drumbeat resources. Not necessarily “hot takes,” but reliably useful for staying current, sharpening your instincts, and spotting the patterns before they become consensus.

Practical & punchy

For when you want actionable and tactical. The stuff you can forward to your team, turn into a test plan, or use to sound smart in a meeting within 24 hours.

New & Noteworthy

Newer additions (or newer-to-me) that are earning a spot in the rotation.

  • Commerce Media Matters (Podcast) — Commerce media + retail media + platform/brand dynamics with 2 Aussie hosts. https://vudoo.com/commerce-media-matters-podcast/
  • Curious Commerce (Substack) — Consumer + commerce analysis through an AI-shaped world lens. Creator Marina Flabiano, https://melina.substack.com/
  • Matt’s Hot Take (Substack) — Biweekly takes across digital marketing, ecommerce, and tech from The Trade Desk’s Matthew Fantazierhttps://mattshottake.substack.com/
  • The Aisle (Jason Del Rey) (Email newsletter) — Storied journalist (ex Fortune, Vox) who covered Amazon for many years, did the BEST podcast series on the company (land of giants) and wrote the dang book about the battle for ecommerce dominance between Amazon and Walmart (Winner Sells All). Now JDR has his own publication 100% dedicated to the new AI economy. Instant subscribe! https://www.readtheaisle.com/
  • Unlocked with Austin & Elizabeth (Podcast) — Elizabeth leads commerce media at Acxiom/IPG, and Austin leads Dollar General’s media network. 2 industry insiders having real-talk interviews. Sign me up.https://unlockedpod.com/
  • The Middlemen Podcast - Tech-forward interviews + commentary from self-professed advertising “middlemen.” In-depth, unflowery, and CMN-smart. Hosts: Tom Limongello, Scott Messer, and Todd Sawicki, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-middlemen-podcast/id1747213944
  • Beyond the Shelf (podcast). Host David Feinleib interviews the people behind the e-Commerce wheel at CPGs, retailers, and tech firms. https://open.spotify.com/show/2hXRQG04HNx2lLAPn0RDPP

Industry Press & News

Traditional media is still the place to go for breaking news. Here’s what I’m skimming every day.

  • ADWEEK (Publication) — Ad/marketing industry publication—especially valuable for commerce/retail media coverage from top-tier reporters (notably Katherine Lundstrom + Lauren Johnson).https://www.adweek.com/
  • EMARKETER (Publication) — Must-follow research provider; strong on commerce + media (charts, forecasts, reports). Special shout-out to analyst Sarah Marzano for commerce media coverage.https://www.emarketer.com/
  • The Drum (Publication) — Marketing & advertising industry publication with a weekly retail media column from yours truly.https://www.thedrum.com/
  • P2PI (Publication) — Essential daily skim for retailer and CPG news and updates. https://p2pi.com/

Long Listens & Reads

For when you have a little more time and you want to sink your teeth into something more cerebral.

  • Cocktails & Commerce (Substack) — Long-form Commerce + martech essays from the POV of 2 martech industry veterans, Brian Walker & Bill Friend. The accompanying podcast is interview-based, be sure to subscribe to both! https://cocktailsand.substack.com/
  • Acquired (podcast). Hosts: Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal. Deep, deeply researched long-form stories on iconic companies (strategy, business models, ecosystems). Not retail-specific, but the retailer deep dives (e.g., Trader Joe’s, Amazon, Costco) are all-time hits. https://www.acquired.fm/

Drifters

These are podcasts and newsletters that don’t overtly focus on retail media but often veer into the subject depending on their guest. I keep them on my feed and tune in when the topic grabs me.

  • The CPG Guys (Podcast) — An OG in the space that’s prolific with interviews from CPG, commerce media, retailers, and solution providers. Hosts Sri Rajagopalan & Peter VS Bond. https://www.cpgguys.com/
  • Omni Talk Retail (Podcast) — Another Bite-sized Retail industry show with frequent retail media + commerce tech coverage. Hosts Anne Mezzenga & Chris Walton, https://omnitalk.blog/podcast/
  • FMCG Guys (Podcast) — CPG-focused industry show through a UK/ EU lens. Host Daniel Torres-Dwyer, https://www.fmcgguys.com/
  • Madison and Wall (Substack) — Advertising + ad-supported media + related tech/business analysis from the ad industry research form led by Brian Weiser. Paywalled for M&W clients but they share some snippets of their research from the previous week, https://madisonandwall.substack.com/
  • Brave Commerce (podcast). Interview podcast from two industry leaders—broadly brands/retailers with strong ecommerce + commerce media coverage. Hosts Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter, https://www.adweek.com/podcasts/brave-commerce/

That’s it for now! Let me know what’s on your playlist / email subscriptions.

In other news…

I will be attending NRF in January. If you are as well, here are a couple of events to have on your radar:

1. Breakfast for Dinner with Retail Media Breakfast Club & Mirakl Ads

I am co-hosting a dinner for RMN leaders with the sponsor of this newsletter & Podcast, Mirakl Ads. Join me, Mirakl’s Chief AI officer Anne Baschet, and RMN leaders from Costco & CVS for Breakfast for Dinner on Saturday Jan . Senior leaders at RMNs may register their interest here.

2. Retail Media Therapy Celebrity Death Match

I’m doing another debate, this time going to head-to-head with my frenemies-slash-industry legends Colin Lewis, Sarah Marzano (EMARKETER), and Claire Wyatt (The Trade Desk)

Hosted by Zitcha, QSIC and Grace & Co, this is retail media’s main event 0 part strategy session, part comedy roast, 100% reality check.

📍 Gotham Comedy Club, NYC
 📅 Monday 12 Jan - arrive at 5 for a 5:30 kickoff
🎟️ Register your interest