The State of Retail Media: ROAS Trap, Omnichannel Ads, and AI Shoppers | Tom Limongello

Digital Shelf Insider Podcast by MetricsCart Season 2 Episode 12Tom Limongello (Co-Founder of Nextipedia and host of The Middlemen Podcast) joins Shreshta Joy to unpack retail media from the retailer's side of the table. He moves past sponsored-search ROAS into full-funnel commerce measurement, in-store activation, and the messy new reality of AI-assisted shopping journeys.MetricsCart is a digital shelf analytics platform tracking 150+ global retailers to help consumer brands, agencies, and research firms defend price, availability, share of shelf, and buy box wherever they sell. Learn more at https://metricscart.comCheck out MetricsCart's MAP Compliance & Buy Box Report and request a free MAP compliance audit for your brand here: https://metricscart.com/map-compliance-reports/In this episode:(00:00) Trailer (01:01) Intro(01:55) Meet Tom Limongello, Co-Founder, Nextipedia(02:48) Tom's background and how retailer–brand power dynamics shifted(03:55) From ROAS obsession to full-funnel: how retailers unlock higher brand budgets(07:13) The Kroger blueprint: integrating on-site, off-site, CTV, and in-store measurement(09:00) Fixing the internal friction between trade, media, and merchant teams(13:06) In-store retail media: digital endcaps, sampling, and the jobs creative has to do(17:01) Grocery vs apparel, legacy vs challenger: who's really collaborating with retailers(19:19) AI-assisted shopping, shopper missions, and the metrics we don't have yet(24:21) Wrap UpABOUT DIGITAL SHELF INSIDERDigital Shelf Insider is a podcast by MetricsCart for consumer brands, retailers, and e-commerce agencies exploring how enterprise brands win on the digital shelf. Hosted by Shreshta Joy, each episode features candid conversations with brand leaders, e-commerce experts, and digital shelf strategists tackling the trends, tools, and data-backed tactics shaping modern online retail. Subscribe for a masterclass in digital commerce every week!