The Digital Deep Dive With Aaron Conant

Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Ecomtent, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast.

As content creation becomes increasingly sophisticated, brands rely on AI to produce visual and written product content. Additionally, Amazon’s new AI-powered search engine, Rufus, has created more personalized and in-depth searches, making optimized content essential. How can you adapt to the future of AI-powered search and content?

Amazon’s Rufus AI assistant allows consumers to ask specific questions to receive highly personalized search results. This tool analyzes product copy and images to produce relevant results, so Amazon veteran Max Sinclair recommends refining AI models using data to optimize content for search. Rufus has altered SEO, so rather than ranking for specific keywords, you must adjust your content to accommodate the AI search algorithm, ensuring your products appear in the list of relevant results.

In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Max Sinclair, the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, about optimizing product content for Amazon’s AI-powered search engine. Max talks about Rufus’ role in the future of search and SEO, the barriers to widespread AI adoption, and the use cases for AI-generated content and search.

Justin Ruiss is the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Strategy, a knowledge-sharing network hosting in-person and virtual industry events. In his role, he hosts Q&A forums with executives from various sectors, including social media, advertising, connected TV, streaming, and gaming. Before joining BWG Strategy, Justin was the Investor Relations Activations Developer at Cision and an Equity Analyst at The Benchmark Company.

As consumers search for curated answers to specific questions, community-focused platforms like Reddit and TikTok have gained prominence over Google. With content creation shifting, how can brands engage with consumers to meet their expectations?

Social engagement expert Justin Ruiss notes that consumers seek answers to complex questions from other community members on their chosen platforms, initiating what he terms community-based marketing and commerce. By leveraging these platforms, brands can tap into high-intent communities and gain access to conversations that blend social and search attributes. This approach fosters brand loyalty by collecting and adapting to consumer feedback and community insights. The shift toward community-driven engagement allows brands to identify their target demographics and create content that resonates.

In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Justin Ruiss, the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Strategy, about community-focused marketing and commerce. Justin also shares insights into the evolution of search, the rise of connected TV streaming, and the future of retail media.

Nii Ahene is the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, a publication offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Previously, he co-founded CPC Strategy, which was acquired by Tinuiti, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer. Nii is also an angel investor in 5G, CPG, and B2B SaaS companies.

Retail media has exploded in recent years, with hundreds of networks vying for ad dollars. While some brands see significant returns, others struggle to justify their investments. With so many options and increasing pressure from retailers, how can brands determine which retail media networks truly drive incremental growth?

Nii Ahene, an expert in eCommerce and digital marketing, emphasizes the importance of first-party data and strategic investments. Nii advises brands to evaluate whether a retail media network drives new customer acquisition or simply shifts existing demand. He suggests focusing on platforms where consumers actively research products and ensuring ad spend aligns with offline and online sales impact. Additionally, brands should integrate retail media with broader shopper marketing efforts, leveraging digital advertising to drive in-store purchases.

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Nii Ahene, the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, about the evolving landscape of retail media. Nii shares insights on data-driven ad spending, the consolidation of retail media networks, and TikTok’s growing role in product discovery.

Matt Dornfeld is the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, a subsidiary of BigCommerce and an enterprise that provides leading product feed management solutions for brands, retailers, and agencies. Feedonomics offers brands a robust platform to aggregate their product data and syndicate it to marketplaces, ads, and affiliate channels worldwide. Matt's role is pivotal in facilitating global business partnerships and helping brands scale their operations, resulting in win-win-win outcomes for clients, partners, and Feedonomics.

Instant commerce allows customers to receive their orders within hours of purchase. Platforms like Amazon, DoorDash, and UberEats have pioneered this commerce method, and with more customers expecting same-day delivery for every order, brands are capitalizing on this trend. How can you break into the instant commerce space while driving long-term profitability?

According to feed management expert and strategist Matt Dornfeld, consumers shop mainly on Google and Amazon, making these channels their primary starting points. Google’s local inventory ads feature targets consumers with ads for locally available products and directs them to the merchants’ websites where they can select from same-day pick-up or delivery. This tool allows brands to foster transparency and build trust with customers online and in-store, which are crucial for elevating experiences and driving conversions. Facebook and Bing have similar local inventory features, so you can expand into additional marketplaces to reach more shoppers. This requires understanding where your customers shop and investing in channels that align with your overall brand strategy.

In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Matt Dornfeld, the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, who shares insights about instant commerce for brands. Matt talks about the importance of providing customers with multiple shopping options, North Star strategies for executing instant commerce, and how to boost profitability on your DTC site.

Aaron Conant is the Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, a leading platform for executive strategy and networking sessions. In conjunction with BWG Strategy, BWG Connect has built an exclusive network of over 125,000 senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events annually. With over a decade of experience in digital commerce, Aaron provides advisory services to brands on Amazon sales strategies, retail media, DTC platform selection, and SEO. Before starting BWG Connect, Aaron was the Head of eCommerce Sales and Business Development at Perrigo and a Research Scientist at Pfizer. He is also the host of The Digital Deep Dive.

Many brands invest in digital advertising and retail media to drive growth, but understanding when and how to allocate budgets effectively is crucial. Developing a strategic approach to Amazon Ads, logistics, and AI automation can help businesses scale while maintaining profitability. What key insights are industry leaders leveraging to stay ahead in the evolving eCommerce landscape?

Five eCommerce and media experts share strategies for maximizing your company’s digital footprint. Adam Epstein explains that Amazon Streaming TV ads are most effective for brands that have optimized their sponsored ads and DSP strategies, making them a powerful tool for expanding awareness. Todd Hassenfelt highlights the importance of subscribe and save programs in securing customer loyalty during economic uncertainty, advising that brands allocate their budgets across multiple digital channels. Avi Moskowitz emphasizes that brands don’t need hyper-fast shipping — just the ability to set and meet clear delivery expectations. Nate Pinkston and Lauren Livak reveal how misalignment in joint business planning (JBP) between retail media and business teams can create inefficiencies, leading to missed opportunities and budget mismanagement. Kashif Zafar has leveraged AI in DSP, retail media, and programmatic ads.

In this special compilation episode of The Digital Deep Dive, host Aaron Conant revisits his most insightful conversations with industry experts. The episode covers key strategies for brands looking to refine their advertising, fulfillment, and automation efforts. With eCommerce continuing to evolve, these experts provide actionable takeaways to help businesses navigate digital growth, optimize ad spend, and enhance the customer experience.