The CPG Guys

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute, part of Salsify.
Follow Lauren on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenlivak/
Follow the Digital Shelf Institute online at: https://www.digitalshelfinstitute.org/
Listen to "Unpacking the Digital Shelf" podcast on Apple at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpacking-the-digital-shelf/id1483944522
Listen to "Unpacking the Digital Shelf" podcast on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Qme24wjJjUnqrztQyMkUE?si=b6a0a46a58774fd7
Learn about the Digital Shelf Summit here: https://www.digitalshelfsummit.com/
Lauren answers these questions:
How is generative AI changing the way shoppers actually discover and evaluate products online — and is “search” even the right word anymore?
With AI-powered shopping assistants and chat-based commerce emerging, how should brands rethink product content that's optimized for an AI intermediary rather than a human scrolling a page?
What does “digital shelf readiness” mean in an AI-driven world compared to five years ago?
Are retailers' own AI tools (like retail media search and generative product Q&A) creating new data or visibility gaps that brands need to manage?
How is AI changing the economics and workflow of content creation — copy, imagery, A+ content — at scale across thousands of SKUs?
What early use cases of AI in digital shelf analytics have actually moved the needle on sales or share, versus ones that are still more hype than results?
How should brand and eCommerce teams be restructuring roles or skill sets as AI takes over more manual digital shelf tasks?
What are the biggest risks — misinformation, hallucinated product claims, brand voice drift — as AI generates more customer-facing content, and how are brands guarding against them?
How is AI reshaping competitive intelligence and price/promotion monitoring on the digital shelf?
Where do you see agentic AI — bots that shop, compare, and even purchase on a consumer's behalf — heading, and how prepared is the CPG industry for that shift?
What's a common mistake you see brands make when they adopt AI tools for digital shelf management too quickly or without a strategy?
Looking two to three years out, what's the single biggest way AI will change how brands compete for shelf space and share of search?
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. 
This week’s topics:
Campbell's swings to a loss, cuts 13% of its salaried workforce
PepsiCo hands its global media business to Publicis
Barilla adds mac-and-cheese disruptor Goodles
Walmart adds Dunkin' to its restaurant delivery lineup
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined by Dan Hooker, Executive Director of the Food Industry Management Program at Cornell University’s S C Johnson College of Business along with eight participants from the 2026 Omnicommerce Leadership Executive Education Certificate Program.
Learn about the 2027 Cornell Omnicommerce Leadership Program here: https://ecornell.cornell.edu/certificates/financial-management/omnicommerce-leadership/
Follow Dan Hooker on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hookerdaniel/
Follow Pacvue’s Luke Batestri on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-balestri-b5085127/
Follow Kevel’s Joe McCorkle on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmccorkle/
Follow Iterate.ai’s Brian Sathianathan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansathianathan/
Follow Shipt’s Kristy LaMontagna on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-lamontagna-b5646912/
Follow DoorDash’s Katie Daleo on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiedougherty/
Follow Fetch’s Jag Wadhwani on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagdeepwadhwani/
Follow SheCommerce’s Cristina Marinucci on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinamarinucci/
Follow Instacart’s Priyash Shahane on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyashs/
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce. 
This week’s topics:
Dollar General & Dollar Tree ride the value wave
Levanta raises $22 million to build out creator commerce
Walmart extends Scintilla to Sam's Club
Ace Hardware's RedVest Media goes big at its first Upfront
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by returning guest Nik Modi, Co-Head of Global Consumer & Retail Research at RBC Capital Markets for Nik’s recent release .
Follow Nik Modi on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nik-modi-675926/
Follow RBC Capital Markets on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rbc-capital-markets/
Follow RBC Capital online at: https://www.rbccm.com/en/=
Nik discusses these themes from his recent release of Modi’s Musings:
Cultural Relevance > Brand Equity
Crisis Capitalism is Here
K-Shaped Economy is Structural
Synthetic Shoppers
Occasion vs. Category
Longevity-as-a-Service (LaaS): Revenue Whitespace
Shifting Superpowers Influencing Consumer Trends and Business Models
Global vs. Local
Real as the New Premium
New Revenue Streams / Business Models
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.