Lessons from the Show Floor: Day 1 at Shoptalk Delivered

Hi there,

What a start to ShopTalk 2025.

Last night, we kicked off the week with a standout private dinner hosted by Fospha, bringing together eCom leaders from TikTok, Amazon, Oh Polly, ThredUp, Allbirds, and NeonGrowth for great food and even better conversation.

Fospha’s focus this year? Full-funnel measurement, attribution that actually works, and making ad spend more efficient across every channel. We’ll be digging deeper into their Halo for Amazon product later this week — but if you’re looking to scale profitably in 2025, you’ll want to be in that conversation.

A word from our sponsor: Liberis

Want to listen in on the full interview? Check it out on our TikTok below

@clickz_official Yesterday we had an exclusive interview with Liberis’ Per Dahlqvjst, Head of Business Development. Liberis is on an mission to embed finan… See more

Ulta’s Next Big Bet: A Marketplace for Beauty + Wellness

Liza Lefkowski and team laid out Ulta’s plan to expand from 1,400 stores to the biggest beauty marketplace in the world. The retailer already sees over 80% of sales coming from customers shopping across mass, prestige, and luxury — and now they’re betting on even broader assortment through:

• A new wellness platform, backed by Gen Z demand for clean and conscious products.

• A revamped Ulta Beauty Collection as an affordable, Gen Z–friendly in-house brand.

• A curated, invitation-only marketplace launching later this year to onboard brands that don’t yet fit in physical stores or distribution centers.

Thrive Market’s Anti-Overwhelm Philosophy

Thrive’s April Lane shared how a mission-driven, highly curated model helps 1.6 million+ members shop for wellness products without the chaos of a traditional grocery store.

• Only 7,000 SKUs compared to a typical store’s 50,000+

• 95% of supplier submissions are rejected

• 100+ filterable values to help shoppers personalize to their family’s health needs

Retail Media Gets Personal

In the panel on The Future of Retail Media, execs from Nordstrom, Sam’s Club, and PayPal made one thing clear: this isn’t about banners and ROAS anymore.

• Sam’s Club is leaning into Scan & Go display ads and experiential activations — like tailgating events with NFL players — with full-funnel attribution.

• Nordstrom wants media to feel like service, using data to serve curated storytelling moments.

• PayPal is looking to democratize retail media for SMBs, letting them create campaigns and ad placements that drive real growth.

The shift: Less performance, more personalization. Less programmatic, more partnership.

Fospha Masterclasses

Last night, Fospha kicked off their official masterclass series with two packed-out sessions:

• The Secrets of Scaling on Snap (in partnership with Snap)

• Amazon Halo (featuring a deep dive into Unified ROAS)

Full wrap-ups are coming later this week – keep an eye on your inbox. But we’re just getting started.

Coming up today (Wednesday, March 26):

Masterclass: Fospha x TikTok
10:30am–12:00pm | Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Get on the list →Unlock advanced Smart+ campaign strategies and practical insights from the Ultimate TikTok Playbook.

Masterclass: Fospha x Glow
2:00pm–3:30pm | Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Get on the list →Learn how to bridge the gap between brand investment and business impact, with insights from new research.

Want to explore the full lineup? See Fospha’s Shoptalk Masterclass Series here.

Hot Takes from Day 1 @ Shoptalk

We hit the floor on Day 1 to catch exclusive soundbites from retail leaders and brand builders shaping the future. Here’s what they had to say:

The Estée Lauder Team: AI, Personalization & High-Touch Innovation

Kristin Eglentowicz, Jessica Junquet & Naomi Zaidenwber shared what’s top of mind at Shoptalk:

• AI is rising: They’re exploring how artificial intelligence can drive personalization and merchandising at scale.

• Omnichannel experiences are key: Jessica is hunting for new ways to create high-touch customer journeys—beyond the traditional website path.

• And yes, they’re navigating the vendor maze with a tried-and-true strategy: “Check the swag quality.”

Erin Armstrong: Building Global Brand Ecosystems at Voluspa

Erin’s brand team is laser-focused on scaling internationally through smart vendor partnerships:

• Looking for tech that enables SMS, global implementation, and omnichannel expansion.

• Emphasized the importance of brand consistency across multiple retailers—from Nordstrom to Bloomingdale’s.

• Her team sees their brand as part of a wider, “one big ecosystem,” where fairness to all partners matters.

️ Rona Rose-Witek, Yuvie: It’s Not Just About Price

The brains behind creative partnerships in furnishings and home goods shared reflections on:

• Kevin O’Leary’s keynote, calling it a “State of the Union” moment for retail brands.

• Agreed that experience and product storytelling trump race-to-the-bottom pricing.

• Rona echoed a broader theme: it’s time to return to first principles—product, trust, and long-term value.

Stay tuned—we’ll be bringing more hot takes and candid moments from the show floor all week long.

What’s Happening on Socials?

@clickz_official interview with Josh Friedman, SVP of Digital eCommerce at @Ulta Beauty yesterday at @Shoptalk day 1 ✨ ClickZ was lucky enough to hear a… See more

Thanks for reading today’s issue — we’ll be back tomorrow with more fresh insights, key takeaways, and behind-the-scenes moments from the Shoptalk floor.

Independently Created. Not affiliated with Shoptalk.

ClickZ is a Contentive publication in the Events division