Christian von Alten

The 3 biggest trends in FitTech: 1. Hardware + Software ➡️ solutions that elegantly integrate hardware and software can both elevate customer experiences and fundamentally shift economics. https://lnkd.in/eHXa4Fqa 2. Full stack over Point Solutions ➡️ as AI decreases the cost of producing features, the makers of the core operating system will incorporate more functionality in a single full stack solution, rather than a Frankenstein of disparate point solutions. https://lnkd.in/eWkPtdf4 3. Tech eating into the Labor Budget ➡️ the best tech will take over manual or repetitive tasks currently done by staff and allow operators to redirect those resources to higher value add jobs like community building. https://lnkd.in/e55Jmdeb I discussed these trends and more on the Kisi Fitness Unlocked webinar with Wendy White, Daniela M., and Carl Pfeiffer https://lnkd.in/dZYMacev

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🛍️ ChatGPT now does Instant Checkout 🚀 OpenAI just launched in-chat shopping — letting U.S. users buy directly inside ChatGPT. Key points: 💡 Starting with Etsy sellers in the U.S. 🛒 Shopify integration coming soon (1M+ merchants) 💰 Merchants pay commission; no fees for users 🔧 Powered by Stripe + open-sourced “Agentic Commerce Protocol” 📈 Stocks popped: Etsy +7–10%, Shopify +4–5% Why it matters: ChatGPT moves from recommending to transacting New revenue streams for OpenAI Big implications for brands optimizing for “chat-native commerce”

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The CEP Reckoning Series # 1 The Flaw in Category Entry Points (CEPs): Time to Rethink Everything for the AI Era ❓Is there a single category where all leading brands grew simply by chasing more occasions, regardless of how they stand out? ❓When you analyse your best campaigns, did they win because you ticked every “entry point,” or because you did something distinctive and memorable? ❓If every competitor in your space is flooding the same AI-driven occasions, who wins? And who vanishes in a sea of sameness? The Uncomfortable Truth: CEPs Don’t Always Drive Growth   The Flaw, Explained With a Real Example 🟡 Suppose you’re a large FMCG brand selling energy bars. The traditional “CEP” advice: ➡️ Map out every occasion: pre-workout, breakfast-on-the-run, afternoon pick-me-up. ➡️ Build reach for each entry point. ➡️ Invest in mental availability across the board. What happens? ➡️ You and every competitor all race to own the same occasions. ➡️ The consumer’s mind is overloaded with “me-too” messaging; nobody stands out. ➡️ AI systems see a flood of identical context-targeted content, and start to surface whichever brand got there first, or has better engagement stats, not necessarily the best or most differentiated offer. 🚫 Result: The more you chase every generic CEP, the more you blend in. What the New Research Shows “When everyone targets the same CEPs, no one wins. 1% of CEP-driven campaigns yield a real business lift. Growth is coming from brands that create new entry points or radically differentiate by maximising for every occasion.” Prof. Felipe Thomaz, Oxford University 🟢 Egg-and-Chicken Problem: CEP strategies assume mental availability causes growth, but the evidence indicates it may just measure behaviour that differentiation has already created. 🟢 Homogenisation: Models guarantee defensibility only in undifferentiated, static markets-yet real markets are dynamic, disrupted, and reward uniqueness. 🟢 Algorithmic Blindness: AI search favours the most authoritative or distinctive signals. If AI platforms can’t tell what truly sets you apart, you’re just another tile in the content mosaic. Ask Yourself: ❓Are you seeing declining campaign ROI as the market rushes to “own” identical occasions? ❓Do your most memorable launches stem from a differentiated edge - or from saturating every possible entry point? ❓Have you noticed your AI mentions are flat or falling, even as you hit every possible “category context”? Why This Matters Now ✅ AI search floods consumers with brand answers for every occasion. If you aren’t meaningfully and distinctively present, you’ll be surfaced only by luck or budget, not by choice. ✅Authenticity and uniqueness surface in AI signals. Community-driven platforms and unprompted mentions drive authority, not endless entry-point repetition. ✅ Competitive advantage is about contrast, not coverage.

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This week's updates in eCommerce and retail 🛍️ ▪️On Running has lifted its 2025 sales and earnings outlook after a stronger-than-expected Q2, with premium sneaker demand surging in Europe and Asia. ▪️Zalando posted another strong quarter, growing revenue, profit, and adding 3.1m customers YoY to reach 52.9m total. The German platform has launched a new personalised feed to drive engagement and retention, signalling a push to become more of a daily destination than a pure transaction site. ▪️ Douglas, the German beauty chain, returned to growth in Q3 with +3.2% sales to €1bn after a weak start to the year, with online performing strongly. ▪️ adidas continues to lean on sneakers, which made up 58% of Q2 sales, but is betting heavily on global football for both brand heat and commercial growth. ▪️ Ralph Lauren smashed expectations with +30.7% net profit to $220m and revenue up 14% to $1.7bn, driven by price increases. The brand warns H2 will be tougher due to import tariffs, a reminder of the ongoing geopolitical risk to margins. ▪️ Amazon is bringing fresh groceries into its core Prime same-day delivery service for 1,000+ US cities, aiming to double that by year-end. The move integrates grocery seamlessly with general merchandise, stepping up competitive pressure on Walmart, Target, and Instacart. ▪️ Walmart has entered the hype collectibles market via StockX, listing 50+ Labubu dolls (some priced at $200+). It’s an unusual but telling move - tapping into limited-edition culture to attract younger, trend-led shoppers. ▪️ Iceland Foods has partnered with Olio • Share More, Waste Less and Gander to roll out real-time yellow-sticker discount alerts to UK shoppers. The scheme, spanning 900+ stores, aims to cut food waste while driving in-store traffic from cost-conscious consumers. ▪️ ZARA has debuted its new high-tech flagship concept in the UK, opening a 32,291 sq ft store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre. Customers will be able to access real-time inventory, locate products, and arrange online order collection via the Zara app or website. The flagship is also the first in the UK to feature Zara’s in-store automated clothes sorter, which sorts items into sections and restocks the rails automatically. ▪️ Waterstones has secured £125m in financing to support future growth, a sign that well-run book retail can still attract investment in the digital era. ▪️ FatFace will close all US physical stores to go online-only, refocusing investment where it sees the most scalable returns. ▪️ Frasers Group has acquired tech retailer ebuyer out of administration, adding another vertical to its fast-expanding empire. ▪️ Oasis’ reunion tour has driven an unexpected £1bn boost to UK high streets, proving live cultural events can be powerful retail catalysts. 🫶 Follow Sue Azari for weekly insights on eCom and retail innovation. 📩 Sign up to my newsletter The Commerce Brief for weekly industry news: www.thecommercebrief.com

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🚨 Big news from OpenAI yesterday: Buy it in ChatGPT – customers can now research, find, and purchase products without leaving the ChatGPT environment. It feels inevitable, but it’s still a huge, exciting shift. And for affiliate marketing? This raises big opportunities and big challenges. 💡 Opportunities: ·      LLMs like ChatGPT still need content. Affiliate publishers are already being cited because their content is unique, trusted, and third-party validated. ·      OpenAI confirmed: “Product results are organic and unsponsored, ranked purely on relevance.” That plays directly into affiliates’ strength in creating unbiased, value-adding content. ·      When multiple merchants sell the same product, ranking will consider price, availability, quality, and checkout experience. Affiliates can amplify those attributes. ⚠️ Challenges: ·      On today’s last-click model, who gets credit for the sale if it happens inside ChatGPT? ·      We may need new ways of measuring and rewarding affiliates — beyond clicks, towards influence and contribution. ·      Margins could get squeezed if merchants are paying both affiliates and ChatGPT. ·      And yes, there’s a risk affiliates get cut out — but without high-quality, diverse, non-biased content, the whole system falls apart. 🌍 For now this is U.S. only, and limited to single-item purchases. Rolling out globally (and to multi-item carts) will be a big next test — think payments, taxes, data privacy. 👉 My take: This is just the first step in AI-driven commerce. Affiliates that double down on unique, trustworthy, relevant content will win — but the industry must continue to rethink attribution and reward models, and fast. https://lnkd.in/e26pvg9Q

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There’s no single “best” way to structure for #ecommerce. But the Agile Pod model is a structure I’m seeing more brands adopt. 👇 (CREDIT: The Digital Shelf Institute's new report “Reinventing for Omnichannel Success”) In the Agile Pod model: ⚫ Cross-functional, decentralized teams are led by an #omnichannel leader with full budget and decision-making authority. ⚫ Each pod operates like its own business, supported by data and AI agents, and connected to other teams for expertise. ⚫ This setup unifies online and in-store activation, breaks down silos, and accelerates innovation and responsiveness. Why I think it works: 1️⃣ It pulls ecommerce off its “island” and positions it as a true driver of category growth for both brand and retailer. 2️⃣ It aligns #brand marketing, #retailmedia, #digitalshelf, and #shopper plans into one integrated process, all working against brand growth objectives. 3️⃣ It forces KPIs to be viewed through an #omnichannel lens. A GM in this structure can ask: “Where should I spend my next best dollar—across ANY channel, physical or online?” and have the integrated data to answer it. 4️⃣ It embeds ecommerce expertise directly into the business without dismantling the #digital COE. Instead, the COE shifts into the role of pit crew—upskilling talent, integrating data, and scaling new channel approaches so the “drivers” can go faster. If you love debating how brands should organize for omnichannel, you’ll want to read this excellent new report from Lauren Livak Gilbert and The Digital Shelf Institute. 👉 Based on 33 interviews with omnichannel leaders and a survey of 90+ brand executives, it will leave you with plenty to think about (and challenge). Link to download below 👇

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