Season 11 kicks off with our first ever guest co-host: Ethan Chernofsky, CMO of Placer.ai, the fast-growing advanced location analytics company. Get ready for a wide-ranging conversation on the turbulent retail landscape. From tariffs and pricing power to Target’s leadership and performance challenges, Walmart’s surge, Amazon’s same-day grocery delivery push, and evolving mall dynamics, the trio breaks down where the industry is headed. They also spotlight branding missteps, AI trust issues, and what to watch next in a bifurcated retail economy.
The Remarkable Retail Podcast kicks off Season 11 with a powerful episode featuring a first-ever guest co-host: Ethan Chernofsky, Chief Marketing Officer of Placer.ai.
The episode opens with a lively discussion of tariffs and trade turbulence, a recurring theme reshaping global retail strategies. Ethan shares data-driven insights from Placer.ai on how consumer behavior is shifting under economic uncertainty, while Steve highlights how pricing power and category positioning determine which retailers can weather cost pressures. Together, they unpack what’s next as outsized tariffs hit key markets like India, Brazil, and Switzerland.
The conversation then pivots to retailer performance, starting with Target’s leadership shake-up. Steve critiques the choice of an insider CEO while Ethan provides Placer.ai traffic data showing continuing traffic declines. The group debates Target’s future—whether its famed “Tar-zhay” positioning can be revived by refocusing on differentiation. From there, they contrast Target’s struggles with Walmart’s momentum, exploring how digital sales, retail media, and membership growth continue to power the world's largest retailer's outsized performance..
Speaking of Amazon, the trio examines the company’s great expanded same-day grocery delivery, setting up a fresh battleground with Walmart. They also analyze the broader bifurcation of retail, where premium players and discounters gain share while middle-market brands face mounting challenges.
Moving on the episode digs into the most talked about stories making headlines. Topics include the Cracker Barrel rebrand backlash, American Eagle’s bold Sydney Sweeney campaign, and the AI battle for talent, which borders on the ridiculous..
Finally, the team peers around the corner, curious about whether iconic brands in transition such as Gap, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale’s can regain any traction in the fae of growing headwinds. They also discuss shifting enclosed mall dynamics of malls. Ethan underscores that while A-class malls thrive with innovative tenants, some moribund B-class centers are finding new life by reinventing themselves.
Steve's Forbes article: Can Target Regain It's Mojo?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2025/08/21/can-target-regain-its-mojo/
CNBC: How retail accounting could distort profitability as tariffs take effect.
Spinal Tap: This Goest To 11
https://youtu.be/4xgx4k83zzc?si=mOgH7MBTeF4nj6BZ