Over the course of Groceryshop, we conducted a series of interviews with experts from the Publicis Commerce family to get their perspectives on the key themes heard from the stage and show floor. Here’s what they told us.
Robert Rivenburgh
CEO
Publicis Commerce
During a period where uncertainty has become the “new normal,” the commerce industry is taking a more earnest approach to the organizational redesign, functional integration, and agile ways of working that are needed to drive sustainable growth. Public Commerce CEO Rob Rivenburgh offers his perspective on the state of the industry in our latest “Almost Live” interview from Groceryshop 2025.
Amy Andrews
President
Mars United
The retail media marketplace is evolving so profoundly that even its definition still varies from one organization to the next. Amy Andrews, President of Mars United Commerce, discusses the ongoing evolution of retail media, the growing need for collaboration between brands and retailers in the AI era, and the increasing impact of TikTok on the commerce landscape.
Jason Goldberg
Chief Commerce Strategy Officer
Publicis Groupe
Whether discussing the emerging concept of generative AI as “the new shelf” (Diageo’s Prasanna Kumar) or emphasizing the timeless need for brands to build personal relationships with retailers (Eric Skae of Carbone Foods), speakers on the first day of Groceryshop 2025 seemed to have one underlying message: driving growth by acutely understanding shopper needs.
Gen AI search engines have made that a literal requirement in the digital realm by forcing marketers to pivot from SEO to “search answer optimization” and directly respond to the questions shoppers are asking. But it remains just as critical everywhere else: Haleon’s Joe Sta-Romana outlined a sales-building program conducted with Walgreens that helped GLP-1 users — now 1 in 8 U.S. consumers, by the way — manage the necessary dietary changes and potential side effects related to use of the medication.
Here, Jason Goldberg offers his perspective on key takeaways from the event.
Elena MacGurn
SVP of Organic Search
Digitas
With ChatGPT announcing its “first steps” toward “agentic commerce” yesterday, talk around the impact of generative AI on the retail industry is taking on greater urgency here at Groceryshop in Las Vegas.
While nearly every session over the event’s first two days has acknowledged the impending effect that AI tools will have on shopper engagement and operational efficiency — and in countless ways in both areas — some speakers have been discussing the effects in less urgent terms.
Elena MacGurn discusses generative AI’s potential to alter every aspect of digital marketing because of the way these search engines are packaging brand content from all digital platforms to create “one answer” to guide the shopper’s purchase decision.
Kris McDermott and Katie McBrien
SVPs of Commerce
Spark Foundry
The world of sports is providing new opportunities (along with captive audiences) to the retail media marketplace, where the “big game” this year has been a decisive swing back to the physical store. Spark Foundry SVPs of Commerce Kris McDermott and Katie McBrien offer a few “Almost Live” takeaways from their Groceryshop 2025 experience.
Mike Black
Chief Growth Officer
Profitero+
AI has been the central topic in many of the conversations on and off the stage at Groceryshop — and at least a side note in most of the others. Mike Black, Chief Growth Officer at Profitero+, discusses how brands are evaluating the AI investments needed to move the needle.
