Agentic AI, AEO, and Retail Media: What Brands Need to Know in 2026 | Digital Shelf Insider

Aaron Conant talks to 20 to 30 brand leaders every single week. As Co-Founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, he has a unique vantage point on what digital commerce and digital shelf teams are actually worried about right now.Shreshta Joy and Aaron unpack the biggest macro anxieties facing brand leaders in 2026: the looming shift to agentic AI, the scramble to optimize product description content for LLMs, why SKU-level profitability analysis is no longer optional, and the retail media measurement problem that even the largest CPG data science teams cannot solve on their own.Aaron also shares his take on why copy-pasting Amazon PDPs to Walmart is still shockingly common, why brands need a dedicated AI R&D budget, and how networking with other brand leaders remains the single most underrated move in digital commerce.In this episode:(00:00) Trailer(01:01) Intro(02:11) Meet Aaron Conant, Co-Founder, BWG Connect(03:06) What Is the Biggest Challenge for Brand Leaders Right Now?(04:39) How Should Brand Content Evolve for LLMs and AI Agents?(09:11) Are Amazon and Walmart Changing Listing Rules for Agentic AI?(12:00) MetricsCart Spotlight(13:09) Omnichannel Visibility vs SKU-Level Profitability(16:48 Do Brands Still Copy-Paste Amazon PDPs to Walmart?(19:09) How Should Brands Measure Retail Media Incrementality?(24:30) Common Mistakes in Digital Shelf Tech Stack Selection(29:00) How to Separate Real AI Tools from Marketing Fluff(32:48) Outro Digital Shelf Insider is the podcast by MetricsCart that explores how brands win on the digital shelf. Hosted by Shreshta Joy, each episode features candid conversations with brand leaders, e-commerce experts, digital shelf strategists, and industry specialists about the trends, tools, and tactics shaping online retail. Subscribe for new episodes every week.