Buffalo Bills 2026 Schedule [Plus Week by Week Pros and Cons]

The 2026 Buffalo Bills schedule is out and is filled with a lot of interesting nuances. The Bills are projected to travel 19,734 miles during the 2026 NFL regular season, the 13th most in the NFL. That’s not bad at all. However, with a murderers’ row of opponents in 2026, what are the pros and cons of the Bills’ schedule week by week? Let’s dig in.

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Buffalo Bills 2026-2027 Schedule

Week 1: Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, September 13, 1pm ET

The Buffalo Bills’ 2026 NFL season opener will take place on the road against the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 13, at 1pm ET. 

Pros: 

• Not a very tough opponent. This may be good for a team with a new HC and DC.

• If Stroud continues his mediocre play, the defense should have time to settle in. 

• Fewer distractions on the road. 

Cons: 

• Facing a tough Houston defensive line. The O-line will be tested.

• Will the new-look offense and defense look good? There could be plenty of rust and learning curves.

Week 2: Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions (home opener), Thursday, September 17, 8:15pm (TNF)

The Buffalo Bills will open Highmark Stadium against the Detroit Lions on TNF on Thursday, September 17, at 8:15pm ET.

Pros:

• It’s a new stadium! What else could you want?

• A nighttime game gives the fans plenty of time to “get ready.” It’s going to be loud.

• This should be an offensive game. The fans should have plenty to cheer about, and Josh Allen will be the broadcast centerpiece.

• Getting a Thursday night game out of the way early in the season is a good thing. Extra rest and game planning heading into week 3 is great.

Cons:

• Coming off a short week with a new head coach and defensive coordinator could make it difficult to make adjustments.

• The rookie CBs will be tested early.

• It’s a tough game. A possible loss for a stadium opener is less than appealing.

Week 3: Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Chargers, September 27, 4:25pm

The Los Angeles Chargers come to Highmark Stadium on Sunday, September 27, at 4:25pm. Justin Herbert, now equipped with a new, forward-thinking OC, may be a litmus test to reveal how Jim Leonhard plans for high-caliber quarterbacks.

Pros:

• Back-to-back home games in the new stadium while the weather is nice is a beautiful thing to see. 

• Josh Allen vs. Justin Herbert is a great QB matchup.

• The Chargers’ defense, while talented, has cracked against good offenses. Allen and the Bills can exploit them.

Cons:

• Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense can score from anywhere at any time. If Leonhard’s defense has not found its footing early, this could get ugly.

• The Chargers were streaky last year. If the new OC finds a rhythm, we could see another shootout.

• A loss here raises real questions about the Bills’ prospects in year one under Brady/Leonhard.

Week 4: Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots, October 4, 1pm ET

The Bills return home for a divisional matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 4, at 1:00 pm. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance and division championship, the Patriots will be looking to prove that last year was no fluke.

Pros:

• I think the Patriots were frauds last year. While they have improved, how will Drake Maye deal with an aggressive defense?

• The Bills will be fired up to reclaim their spot atop the AFC East.

• Still early in the season, so again, the weather should be nice.

Cons:

• Divisional games are always tough.

• If the Bills lose this game, it’ll be a long flight to LA.

• If Buffalo stumbles early, the pressure on Joe Brady may be high.

Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams, Monday, October 12, 8pm ET (MNF)

The Bills hit the road to face the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium for their first Monday night appearance of the year. 

Pros:

• Josh Allen loves the primetime spotlight. 

• The Bills could be rolling and wanting to prove they are the team to beat in the NFL.

• A healthy Bills team with the talent advantage should be able to get this done, even on a challenging road trip.

Cons:

• The Rams are one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL. This may be the Bills’ first true test of the year. 

• The DBs will be tested … again. 

• The Bills may be struggling, and trying to climb out of a hole against a great team will be a challenge.

Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders, October 18, 4:05pm ET

The Bills travel to Allegiant Stadium to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, October 18, at 4:05 pm.  I wish I could say more, but what happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. Let’s just hope this doesn’t become the theme song for the trip.

Pros:

• Mendoza may still be adapting to the NFL. The defense could have its first signature game of the year. 

• The Bills, flat out, have a better roster.

• It’s the Raiders.

Cons:

• Back-to-back cross-country trips are tough on the body, especially on a short week. Fatigue could slow Buffalo.

• Mendoza could look like a true top-tier quarterback.

Week 7: BYE 

Week 8: Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens, November 1, 1pm ET

The Baltimore Ravens come to Highmark Stadium on Sunday, November 1, at 1 pm. This is one of the signature home games on this schedule. Lamar Jackson versus Josh Allen, at the new stadium, in November? Sign me up!

Pros:

• A home game against one of the AFC’s best teams is a chance to make a genuine playoff statement. 

• Coming off a bye week, the Bills will be rested, and the staff will have had plenty of time to prepare for the game.

• A victory over Baltimore would carry serious weight in the AFC seeding race and validate everything Brady’s staff has been building.

Cons:

• Lamar Jackson is still capable of making defenses, especially aggressive ones, pay. Containing him is an entirely different challenge than what the Bills have faced so far.

• I think the Ravens are one of the best teams in the AFC. 

• After last year’s loss to Buffalo and playoff miss, Baltimore will be highly motivated. This game could swing on one play.

Week 9: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings, Monday, November 9, 8pm ET (MNF)

The Bills hit the Twin Cities for their second Monday Night Football matchup of the year. This could be a massive game in the standings.

Pros:

• U.S. Bank Stadium is indoors. The Bills' offense has no excuses.

• Fewer distractions on the road.

• Minnesota has an average to less-than-average QB. Buffalo does not.

Cons:

• The Vikings’ indoor crowd is legitimately difficult to deal with. If they get into it, it may cause challenges.

• Hopefully not, but the Bills could still be struggling on defense (either due to players or scheme) 

• The Vikings have a capable head coach who will surely have his team prepared.

Week 10: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, November 15, 1pm ET

The Bills travel to MetLife Stadium for a divisional road game against the New York Jets on Sunday, November 15. The Jets are always looking to pull an upset here, and this one will be loud.

Pros:

• The Jets are still the Jets and have no real QB to speak of.

• The Bills have a better roster.

• The D-line should be able to do some work.

Cons:

• The turf. 

• Division games are never easy. 

• The weather could be terrible.

Week 11: Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins, November 22, 1pm ET

The Bills host the new-look Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium for the first time on Sunday, November 22, at 1:00. The fans will no doubt make their voice heard against this divisional rival. 

Pros:

• Josh Allen has historically performed well against Miami, and the Bills have largely controlled this series in recent years.

• Home in Buffalo against Miami is an enormous advantage. The weather, the crowd, and the environment all favor the Bills.

• Jim Leonhard may look to let Bradley Chubb loose on his former team.

• The Dolphins may be mentally checked out by now. 

Cons:

• While Malik Willis isn’t all that good, he’s probably better than Tua.

• Divisional games are usually closer than records suggest. 

• Achane may be an X-factor that can give the Dolphins life. 

• On an impending short week, the Bills may be looking ahead to the Chiefs.

Week 12: Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 8:20pm ET (TNF)

The Buffalo Bills will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving night on Thursday, November 26, 2026. This heated rivalry between the two teams will again feature Josh Allen versus Patrick Mahomes in Primetime. Get your pumpkin pie ready!

Pros:

• Allen vs. Mahomes. What else is there to say?

• Don’t need to travel on a short week. 

• A nighttime game gives the crowd plenty of time to get ready.

• Jim Leonhard is familiar with KC. Maybe they can crack the Reid/Spagnuolo code 

Cons:

• Playing on short rest. Another short week to prepare for a tough opponent.

• Lots of sleepy and full bellies.

• It’s Mahomes and Kelce. These games are never easy!

Week 13: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, December 6, 4:25pm ET

The Bills travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, December 6. This game promises to have significant playoff and divisional implications. The winner of this game may just be the division winner.

Pros:

• The Bills should be well settled into both sides of the ball. No excuses.  

• Josh Allen > Drake Maye

• The Bills have more offensive weapons than the Pats have defensive counterpunches. 

Cons:

• Never comfortable going into Gillette Stadium, especially in December.

• The Patriots will know what’s at stake and may give this game their all.

• The Patriots like to cheat. 

Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers, December 13 at 8:20pm ET (SNF)

The Bills make another Sunday Night Football appearance when they travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. Lambeau in December is as classic as it gets in the NFL. How many times will they compare Green Bay's cold to Buffalo's snow? The over/under is 58.5.

Pros:

• Josh Allen shows up in Primetime! Not to mention, he will love playing in Lambeau at night.

• The Packers will likely be fighting for playoff positioning. This game will be meaningful for them.

• Bucket list trip for Bills fans.

Cons:

• It’s going to be cold.

• Green Bay’s offense can find rhythm quickly at home, and its defensive front will test the Bills in the cold.

• Third straight game versus a tough opponent. The Bills could be mentally tired by this game. 

Week 15: Buffalo Bills vs. Chicago Bears, Saturday, December 19, 8:20pm ET

The Bills return home to Highmark Stadium to host the Chicago Bears on Saturday night (8:20 pm ET). A late-season home game, the Bills need to win to stay on track for a top playoff seed.

Pros:

• December at Highmark Stadium is legitimately one of the toughest environments in the NFL. Nobody wants to play in Buffalo in winter.

• DJ Moore revenge game. Let him loose!

• We may see the overhang tested for the first time. Plus, wind probably won’t be a factor.  

Cons:

• Fourth tough game in a row. If the team wasn’t drained before the last one, this one could do it.

• Injuries could be a real concern by this point. The Bills’ newly drafted depth may be genuinely tested.

• The Bills could try to force the ball to Moore, throwing off their offense. 

Week 16:  Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos, Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 4:30pm ET

The Bills head west to take on the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day at 4:30 pm. A cross-conference AFC West road trip and legitimate altitude challenge await.

Pros:

• Joe Brady will have a sour taste in his mouth from the playoff loss. He’ll want to prove a few things.

• Jim Leonhard knows Denver, and he should know how to attack them. 

• The Bills may be in playoff mode by this time, making their entire focus on winning.

Cons:

• Playing a meaningful road game on Christmas Day requires exceptional focus, especially for first-time fathers (looking at you #17). Josh’s mind could be elsewhere. 

• The Broncos know Jim Leonhard and may know how to take advantage of his aggressiveness.

• Denver’s defensive front is built to be disruptive, and the crowd at Empower Field creates real noise issues for the offensive line.

• The second short week in a row, and a long cross-country flight, can be physically draining.

Week 17: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins, Saturday, January 3, 2027, at 1pm ET

The Bills head south to take on the Miami Dolphins for a Saturday slate on January 3. Miami in January is better than Buffalo in January. Bring on the sun.

Pros:

• Being a late January game, the intense afternoon sun shouldn’t be too much of an issue. 

• The sunshine may be seen more as a wanted escape than a road game.

• Dolphins’ players, who know they are in full rebuild mode, may still be slow from the New Year’s celebration in South Beach.

• Likely a road home game.

Cons:

• Divisional games are still usually close. 

• Achane may be an X-factor that can give the Dolphins life. 

• Both teams could be banged up heading into this game after 16 weeks. The injury report will matter more than usual.

• A loss here could flip the AFC East and significantly complicate the Bills’ path to not only a top seed but maybe even a playoff spot.

Week 18:  Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets, either Saturday, January 9 or Sunday, January 10, 2027

The Bills close out the 2-026-2027 regular season by hosting the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium. Win this, build momentum, and let the crowd get fully fired up for, hopefully, a long playoff run.

Pros:

• The Jets will certainly be checked out by this game.

• This game will likely be meaningful for the Bills’ playoff path. Going against an already-defeated team will be the breather they need.

• If the Bills don’t need the game, it’s a perfect time to rest some players, since a Jets win likely won’t impact other AFC playoff seeding. 

Cons:

• Potential to look past the Jets could lead to a devastating trap game.

• Needing to win exposes the team to injuries. With the Bills’ bye week coming early (week 7), they will need some rest by this point. 

• Get off to a slow start in a big game, and the boo birds could be out.  

FAQs:

Who do the Buffalo Bills open with to start the 2026 season?

The Buffalo Bills will open the 2026 NFL regular season at the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 13 at 1pm ET. 

When is the home opener for the Buffalo Bills?

The Buffalo Bills will play their home opener and first-ever game at Highmark Stadium on Thursday, September 17, at 8pm, against the Detroit Lions. 

Do the Buffalo Bills play on Thanksgiving Day?

Yes. The Buffalo Bills will play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Night on Thursday Night Football, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15pm ET.

How many primetime games do the Buffalo Bills have in 2026?

The Bills have six primetime games in the 2026-2027 NFL season, in addition to three 4:25pm games. 

Rufus Product Optimization, Target Goes All-In on Stores, LinkedIn Leads the Field, and Does Agentic Commerce Has a Dispute Problem?

In today’s brief: Keyword-stuffing on Amazon is going the way of the Buffalo (p.s. go Bills), physical retail is having a moment, B2B marketers are finally getting the LinkedIn ROI data they've been asking for, and agentic commerce is running into its first real infrastructure headache.

Today's Stories:

1. Amazon Rufus may recommend your competitors

2. Target commits $5B to 130+ store remodels and 30 new locations

3. LinkedIn posts 121% ROAS, the only positive return among major B2B ad platforms

4. Agentic commerce has payment rails in progress, but no dispute layer to match

Amazon’s Rufus May Recommend Your Competitor If You’re Not Careful

Amazon optimization is evolving from keyword stuffing to conversational relevance. Sellers are being warned that Amazon’s Rufus AI shopping assistant may actively steer shoppers toward competing products if a listing doesn’t clearly answer customer questions. If a shopper asks something like “Will this work with an iPhone 16 Plus?” and the listing provides vague or incomplete information, Rufus may immediately suggest better-matching competitor products instead. Bad dog, Rufus!

This shifts Amazon SEO and product optimization for sellers. Rather than focusing mostly on keywords, brands now need “answer-complete” listings that directly address real shopper questions. Rufus prioritizes highly structured and trustworthy content, especially product descriptions, A+ content, and structured attributes such as dimensions, compatibility, materials, and fit. Reviews and customer Q&A act as secondary validation sources, while hidden metadata and image-only information have much less influence on AI-generated recommendations.

To adapt, sellers are encouraged to think like shoppers and audit their listings around likely customer questions and use cases, such as by replacing vague marketing language with specific claims, reinforcing key product details across multiple sections of a listing, and using AI tools to identify gaps in question coverage. 

Read more:https://www.interodigital.com/blog/rufus-will-recommend-your-competitor-if-your-amazon-listing-doesnt-answer-the-question/

Target Is Betting $5 Billion on Its Stores

Target just made its position on physical retail very clear. The company is putting $5 billion into its store network, with more than 130 remodels planned this year and 30 new stores on the way. This is a full commitment to the idea that physical stores are worth the investment, not a test-and-learn pilot.

Part of what makes the math work is scale. About 76% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Target. That kind of reach turns the store network into something closer to a distribution system than a traditional retail footprint, and it's why the company treats remodels as infrastructure spending rather than interior design.

The early returns support the bet. Stores that have gone through a remodel are seeing low-to-mid single-digit sales lifts. That's not a headline number on its own, but apply it across hundreds of locations and the economics get interesting fast.

Read more: https://corporate.target.com/news-features/article/2026/05/target-store-remodels-new-stores-strategy

Is LinkedIn the Only B2B Ad Platform Actually Making Money

If you've been defending LinkedIn ad spend to skeptical executives, Dreamdata just handed you some useful ammunition. The company's 2026 B2B benchmarks report found LinkedIn is the only major paid social platform delivering a positive return on ad spend: 121% ROAS compared to 67% for Google and 51% for Meta.

LinkedIn now accounts for 41% of B2B paid social budgets, and that allocation looks well-supported by the numbers. The buying cycle data helps explain the dynamic: the average B2B buyer journey now runs 272 days, up from 211 a year ago, with sales pipeline visibility showing up around day 220. Staying visible to professional audiences across a nine-month cycle requires a platform that can target based on professional identity, and that's where LinkedIn has a genuine edge.

The 121% figure won't hold for every account, but the broader finding is consistent: LinkedIn works for B2B in ways that general-purpose platforms don't.

Read more: https://www.demandgenreport.com/industry-news/news-brief/linkedin-outperforms-all-b2b-ad-platforms-dreamdata/52164/

Agentic Commerce Is Getting Payment Rails, But No Dispute Layer

The vision for agentic commerce is simple: AI agents buy things on your behalf and the whole experience is seamless. Visa, Mastercard, and others are already building the payment infrastructure to make that work. What nobody has built yet is what happens when something goes wrong.

Donald Kossmann, CTO of Chargebacks911, laid out the problem in a recent piece: in a traditional purchase, there's a checkout event that creates a consent signal, and that signal is what makes chargebacks possible when a dispute arises. In agentic transactions, consent is granted before the purchase, often at the authorization stage rather than at checkout. Without that checkout moment, there's no clean mechanism to dispute a transaction.

McKinsey projects agentic commerce could represent $3 to $5 trillion in transaction value. That's a significant amount of volume to route through a system that can't yet handle a return. The payment rails are coming while the dispute layer may be very far behind.

Read more: https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2026/05/infrastructure-agentic-pay/

That's it for today.

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FAQs

How much is Target investing in physical retail stores?

Target Corporation is investing $5 billion into its physical retail footprint, including more than 130 store remodels and 30 new stores planned for 2026. The retailer says the strategy is designed to strengthen both in-store shopping and fulfillment capabilities as stores increasingly function like local distribution hubs.

What percentage of Americans live near a Target store?

About 76% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Target Corporation store. That proximity gives the retailer a major logistics advantage for same-day pickup, delivery, and inventory distribution.

Which B2B advertising platform has the highest ROAS in 2026?

According to Dreamdata’s 2026 B2B benchmarks report, LinkedIn is the only major paid social platform delivering a positive return on ad spend (ROAS), averaging 121% compared to 67% for Google and 51% for Meta.

How long is the average B2B buyer journey in 2026?

The average B2B buyer journey now lasts 272 days, up from 211 days a year earlier. Research cited by Dreamdata shows most companies do not gain meaningful sales pipeline visibility until around day 220, reinforcing the importance of long-term brand visibility and nurturing campaigns on platforms like LinkedIn.

Amazon Rufus Hits 250M Users with Auto-Buy, Agentic Commerce Reshapes Brand Competition, and B2B Marketers Can’t Measure What They’re Spending

In today’s brief: Amazon turns Rufus into an autonomous shopping agent with 250 million users, agentic commerce threatens to upend decades of brand dominance in CPG, Loblaw proves AI grocery shopping works, and B2B marketers are getting budget increases without knowing what’s working.

Today’s stories:

1. Amazon expands Rufus AI with 12-month price tracking and auto-buy as usage surges to 250 million

2. Agentic commerce threatens legacy brands while opening doors for challengers

3. Loblaw’s ChatGPT grocery integration exceeds adoption expectations

4. B2B marketing budgets are growing, but ROI measurement remains the top challenge

Amazon Expands Rufus AI with 12-Month Price Tracking and Auto-Buy

Amazon’s Rufus AI assistant now shows 12 months of price history and can automatically buy products when they hit your target price. The expansion comes as Rufus reaches 250 million monthly active users, up 115% year over year, with engagement jumping 400%.

The auto-buy feature lets customers set a target price for any product, and Rufus handles the purchase when the price drops. It’s a shift from chatbot to autonomous shopping agent that could fundamentally change how people buy online. Amazon says customers using Rufus are 60% more likely to complete a purchase.

The price history transparency matters too. Showing 30, 90, and 365 days of pricing data makes it harder for retailers to play games with fake discounts or temporary price bumps before sales. Since its launch in 2024, over 50 million customers have checked price history, averaging three checks per month.

For sellers, pricing consistency now matters more than ever. Rufus surfaces price history directly to shoppers, so strategic discounting needs to be actually strategic. Timed price drops can trigger automatic purchases from customers who’ve set alerts. The shift toward agentic commerce is happening fast, and Amazon is betting on being the platform where it scales.

Read more

How Agentic Commerce Threatens Legacy Brands While Opening Doors for Challengers

If enough consumers let AI agents make buying decisions, legacy CPG brands are in trouble. That’s the takeaway from a new joint report by Kearney and NIQ analyzing $7.2 trillion in consumer spending across 90 countries.

The report finds that innovation, not volume, is becoming the main growth driver for food and beverage brands. Agentic commerce levels the playing field because AI agents don’t care about brand legacy or shelf dominance. They match product attributes to consumer preferences. A niche brand focused on innovation can compete directly with established players if its products better match what the AI is looking for.

For retailers, this could mean that in-store interactions need to become more experiential. Agentic shopping handles transactions. People come to stores to see, touch, taste, and get advice. The routine replenishment gets delegated to AI.

The data shows 74% of consumers already use AI to research products. Among AI shoppers, 31% will shop directly with a retailer if they have an emotional connection, while only 6% will direct their AI to recommend a specific brand even if it costs more. That gap shows how brand loyalty works in an AI-mediated world.

I’ve written more about the agentic AI opportunity in ecommerce and the future of agentic AI in retail if you want to dig deeper.

Read more

Loblaw’s ChatGPT Grocery Integration Exceeds Adoption Expectations

Loblaw says customer adoption of its ChatGPT grocery integration is running ahead of expectations. The Canadian grocer integrated OpenAI’s chatbot to help shoppers build shopping lists, find recipes, and plan meals, and it turns out people actually want to use AI for grocery shopping.

The success makes sense when you think about the friction in grocery shopping. Building a meal plan, checking what’s in season, figuring out substitutions, and finding recipes that use what you already have. These are real problems that AI can solve without requiring people to learn new interfaces or change their behavior much.

What Loblaw is doing right is meeting customers where they already are. ChatGPT integration means people can use familiar conversational AI to handle grocery tasks without downloading new apps and creating new accounts.

This is part of a broader trend where grocers are racing to figure out AI-powered shopping before Amazon and Walmart lock it down. The winners will be the ones who make AI shopping feel like a natural extension of how people already shop.

Read more

B2B Marketing Budgets Growing, But ROI Measurement Remains Top Barrier

Here’s a strange disconnect: 56% of B2B marketers expect budgets to grow in 2026, yet 25% say measuring ROI remains their biggest barrier. You’d think if budgets are growing, someone would be measuring what’s working.

The data comes from the EndeavorB2B Marketing Benchmark Report, which also found that 49% of organizations are increasing in-person event budgets while 37% plan to expand virtual events. Trade shows, roundtables, and small-group meetings are where deals move from interesting to serious.

B2B buyers are moving through discovery, comparison, and decision-making in non-linear ways, disrupting the traditional funnel. Marketers don’t control the path, so funnel-based attribution becomes less reliable. The fix is to create content buyers want, show up in peer networks and reviews, and make it easy for them to get information.

That's it for today.

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FAQs

How many users does Amazon Rufus have?

Amazon Rufus reached 250 million monthly active users as of May 2026, with usage growing 115% year over year. Engagement jumped 400%, and Amazon says customers using Rufus are 60% more likely to complete a purchase compared to those who don't use it.

What percentage of consumers use AI to research products?

74% of consumers already use AI to research products, according to a Kearney and NIQ report analyzing $7.2 trillion in consumer spending. Among AI shoppers, 31% will shop directly with a retailer if they have an emotional connection, while only 6% will direct their AI to recommend a specific brand even if it costs more.

Are B2B marketing budgets growing in 2026?

Yes. 56% of B2B marketers expect budgets to grow in 2026, according to the EndeavorB2B Marketing Benchmark Report. 49% of organizations are increasing in-person event budgets, and 37% plan to expand virtual events. However, 25% say measuring ROI remains their biggest barrier, creating a disconnect between spending and accountability.

Why is Loblaw's ChatGPT integration succeeding?

Loblaw's ChatGPT grocery integration is exceeding expectations because it meets customers where they already are. People can use familiar conversational AI to build shopping lists, find recipes, and plan meals without downloading new apps or creating new accounts. It solves real grocery friction points without requiring behavior change.

The Brief: Amazon's Logistics, Private Labels Get a Makeover, and AI Giants Want to Own Your Shopping Cart

In today's Azimuth brief: Amazon officially turned its logistics empire into a product any business can buy. Walmart and ALDI are rethinking what their store shelves look like from the inside out. And Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google are all trying to solve the agentic commerce puzzle with completely different pieces.

Today's stories:

1. Amazon opens its entire logistics network to any U.S. business

2. Why major retailers are redesigning their private-label packaging

3. Where Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google each stand in the agentic commerce race

Amazon Opens Its Logistics to Everyone

Amazon launched Supply Chain Services this week, opening its logistics infrastructure to any U.S. business, not just sellers on its marketplace. The offering bundles freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, transportation, and last-mile delivery into a single package. P&G, 3M, American Eagle, and Lands' End are among the early adopters.

The network Amazon is putting to work: 200-plus fulfillment centers, 80,000 trailers, 24,000 intermodal containers, and 100 cargo aircraft. All of it was originally built to run Amazon's own retail operation. Now they're monetizing it.

FedEx dropped 9%, and UPS fell 10% on the news, and the concern is straightforward. Amazon can price aggressively because the fixed costs of this infrastructure are already covered by the core business. Competing with that as a traditional shipper is a tough spot.

For retailers and brands, the real question is a trust one. Handing your logistics over to a company that competes with you on the shelf is a trade-off every supply chain team is now going to have to think through. The cost savings might make sense. The strategic exposure is the part that takes a little longer to work out.

Read more

Private Label Gets a Packaging Refresh

Walmart, ALDI, and Target have all done significant redesigns of their private-label packaging recently, and the rationale is the same across all of them: the products are good, but the packaging does not reflect that.

Walmart's overhaul of Great Value is the most ambitious of the group. The brand spans nearly 10,000 grocery and consumer products, and this is its first full design refresh in over 30 years. Walmart's own customer research found that shoppers liked the quality and the price, but "didn't particularly feel proud to display it in their home or with their families." That is a useful thing to know about your flagship store brand.

ALDI went through a similar refresh to unify the look of all its private-label products under a consistent visual identity. Target updated its Up&up line in 2024 with cleaner, bolder packaging. The pattern is not a coincidence. These retailers are treating their store brands less like budget fallbacks and more like actual brands they want shoppers to pick on purpose.

Private label has been gaining share for years, mostly driven by price. The interesting shift now is that the competition is moving up the value chain. When a store brand looks good sitting out on the counter, the old calculus of "name brand vs. store brand" starts to blur. National brands have been dealing with the price challenge for a while. The design challenge is a newer front.

Read more

Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google Are Running Very Different Plays in Agentic Commerce

Digital Commerce 360 put out a solid breakdown of where the three major AI labs stand in agentic commerce, and the most notable thing about it is how different their approaches are from each other.

Anthropic ran an internal experiment called "Project Deal," where 69 employees used AI agents to negotiate with each other in a test marketplace. The bots closed 186 deals totaling more than $4,000. Small dollar amounts, but it is the clearest proof of concept yet for agent-to-agent commerce working in practice. Anthropic also donated MCP, its Model Context Protocol, to the Linux Foundation, which is a significant move on the infrastructure layer. (If you want more background on where this is all heading, I've written about the agentic AI opportunity in retail here.

OpenAI moved away from its original in-ChatGPT checkout experience and pivoted to a ChatGPT app model, where retailers integrate directly into the platform. The Agentic Commerce Protocol it built with Stripe, is still active, and Target, Sephora, Nordstrom, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Home Depot are already plugged in. It is a different architecture than where they started, but the retailer list is serious.

Google is going deeper into enterprise retailer partnerships. Ulta Beauty and Macy's both have live AI shopping agents built on Google's technology. It has multiple active protocols in the market: UCP for product discovery (built with Shopify), AP2 for payments, and A2A for agent-to-agent coordination. Google bets that its existing retailer relationships and ad infrastructure give it an edge that the others cannot easily replicate.

None of these approaches has won yet. The fact that each company is building its own protocols means the underlying infrastructure of agentic commerce is going to be fragmented for a while. For anyone in ecommerce, understanding which protocols your tech stack supports is going to matter sooner than most people expect.

Read more

That's it for today.

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First-Time Coaching Flag Football: How It’s Going & What I’ve Learned

Well, I’ve taken my inaugural turn at coaching 5th/6th-grade flag football. Though I’ve never coached flag football, I watched my older son play a few seasons and got a sense of what I thought was important to succeed at the sport and things I thought were always game killers. 

So, when the opportunity arose, I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth is. 

If you are a first-time coach looking for some pointers, you can see what I’ve done,  improve upon it, and adapt it for your own situation. Let’s run through a quick breakdown of the team, the league, my philosophy, and the fun stuff: the plays.

Team and league background

The team

Our team this season is a random collection of friends. While this makes it fun for the kids, it also presents challenges I needed to plan around (more on this below). After all, there is no random superstar athlete assigned to my team.

League format

This league is different in that it is either 6v6 or 5v5, based on roster size and available subs. This season, the league has decided we will play 5v5. This format fits my overall philosophy well, but also challenges me on defense.

Unique rules

1. Only one run (screen pass counts as a run) per drive on each side of the field. No runs inside the 10 or within 5 yards of the first down.

2. No rushing the passer unless there is a play behind the line of scrimmage (run, fake handoff, screen pass).

3. Must have at least one offensive player on each side of the center (can’t overload one side).

My flag football philosophy

After watching a couple of seasons with my other son, I believe youth flag football is won with speed, space, and purpose. If you give players space, they can use their speed to their advantage, regardless of how fast they are. And, of course, everything we do needs to be done with purpose. We run routes, throw, pull flags, and attack the ball carrier with purpose. 

Let’s spend a second talking about game-killers. I’ve seen it in just about every game: consistent deep throws lose more games than they win. It may be fun for players to throw and catch deep, but they get picked and returned for TDs way too often.  

Finally, it is youth sports, and sportsmanship matters. We conduct ourselves like we should. When we pull flags, we don’t drop them or spike them. We hand them back to the player. We celebrate wins and each other, pick each other up when things are tough, acknowledge mistakes will happen, and learn from them without hanging our heads. We shake hands, congratulate the other team when they make a good play, and show respect.  

So, here’s how it all looks. 

Team challenges and limitations

1. No true QB

   Our two QBs are reluctant QBs and prefer other positions. Neither is a natural thrower. Neither wanted (or wants) to play QB, but they are our best option. We try to rotate them so they get turns playing other positions, but they are our two best at the position (I think they are beginning to enjoy it though). While this can be good for limiting deep passes, the ones we scheme open need to be done almost to perfection. I also recognize I need to make it easy for them to snap, read, and throw comfortably.

2. Lack of experience

   Just about every player has zero experience playing organized flag football. Teaching both sides of the ball gets complicated because of this. 

3. No superstar athletes

   Most players are good athletes, but they’re not the fastest or most natural football players. This isn’t to say we don’t have quick players or players who can catch, but we don’t have elite speed or a superstar who can carry the team. I’d say half of our team is of average speed. We need to be a collective.  

4. Players are independent

   Coaches are not allowed on the field during play, meaning players need to call their own plays. It’s critical they know what they're doing and take ownership of the play-by-play. While this can make it fun for the players, when things don’t go as planned, it can go sideways real quick. 

My plan and playbook

1. Create plays that match my philosophy and enable players to maximize their skills.

2. Make plays “simple” with terminology the players can understand.

3. Build upon concepts as the season progresses. 

4. Understand that our best defense will be a good offense.

Flag football playbook for 5th and 6th-graders

For games 1 and 2, we installed four plays. We initially called the “Triple-stack” formation for 6v6, but since we are now 5v5, it is simply STACK (if you want to see 6v6 formation, just contact me). It should be obvious why it is called “stack,” but this is easy for the kids to remember. Let’s walk through them.

Note: For us, the X WR is a less important designation due to the roster makeup. It serves more of an identifier when teaching the plays than assigning a player as a typical X.

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Here is Stack LEFT (we “stack” players, routes go left: easy for kids to understand). The play design provides the QB two short throws where, if we move with quickness, the WRs should be open. The streak route gives us a look deep if we want/have a mismatch, knowing the safety will cheat to the Y WR at 10 yards. I included the gray ovals to show that the goal here is to create space for WRs to catch and run. 

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Our next play, Stack “LEFT RIGHT” takes this same concept, but the Z receiver jukes left and cuts right. This player is open 95% of the time, and, because defenders are all drawn to the opposite side of the field, it’s often a huge chunk play. The kids LOVE this play!

Our final two plays, Stack “MOTION” and Stack “BREAK,” incorporate motion, one being a run and the other a pass. Why “Break?” It’s like a jail break: we run as fast as possible. The route for the motion play is the same as “Left.”

The cadence is for the Z to move on the first “hut.” The only nuance to MOTION is that the player in motion has the option to run a wheel route to the sideline or cut inside the X receiver, based on either what he sees or if he gets a late start to his motion. Most times, it’s a wide-open wheel route, but it does require an accurate throw. 

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One formation, easy routes, obvious terminology. 

We focused on these concepts exclusively for the first two games. This helped them settle into calling plays in the huddle without a delay of game, run the right routes (mostly), and go through the motions of play. 

Game results:

Game 1: Tie, 44-44 (had a two TD lead late, giving way to a pick-six, punt, and quick drive). Not bad considering we haven’t really talked about defense yet. 

Game 2: Win, 44-24

Adding in new plays

Our next evolution was to incorporate a different formation called FLAT. This should be obvious, but it lines players up “flat” along the line of scrimmage, although this time we make the left side our strong side. These plays have the WRs run different routes to keep the defense honest and, hopefully, confused. 

Note: after some in-game trial and error, we wound up scaling back new plays. We kept three: Flat BREAK, Flat MOTION, and Flat MOTION 2.

MOTION and BREAK are identical and mimic the operation from the stack. However, for MOTION, we introduce a subtle crossing concept over center. MOTION 2 sends the Y instead of the Z in motion and opens us up for deep routes (when we need) while giving the QB an outlet to the center or Y player — all with space. The kids love MOTION 2 the most of the three.

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For MOTION 2, the center is often the most dangerous WR option, although we’ve successfully hit on a few deep passes to the X lately. The trick with the deep pass is to see the mismatch quickly and throw it in a roughly 1.5-count. This keeps the safety far enough away and the CB from making up ground on a floating ball.    

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Because we had to cut some plays from our Flat package, we added a screen pass to our Stack concept, simply called “Stack SCREEN.” Remember, screen passes count as a run play. Here’s how it looks. 

Adding the new plays and formation, our next three games went as such:

Game 3: Win, 58-12

Game 4: Win, 44-32

Game 5: 52-40

These concepts and plays have done exactly what I hoped they would. Our slowest player has multiple TDs, a ton of receptions, and can use space to his advantage. Every player touches the ball multiple times each game. Every player has scored a TD. 

What we need to work on 

Players, especially young ones, tend to become lax when thighs go well. The attention to detail dropped. It’s not the way we are going to finish the season like we want.  

Route running:

Last week, we spent the first half of practice talking about route running. During the previous game, the team was not consistently moving with purpose. They rounded their breaks, ran the wrong routes far too often, and drifted backward when they were inevitably covered. There were times when four receivers were deep. (and yes, we threw INTs because of it). This is not a good recipe, especially without having a pinpoint QB.  

We rehearsed jukes, crisp cuts, and staying at the proper depth. Five yards does not mean 10. We talked about being covered and how to react (work back to where you came from, or, if deeper, run toward the QB). Because of our situation, it is critically important that the QB knows where he will throw the ball, how to recognize whether someone is open, and release it within the allotted time (a 4-one-thousand count). 

We combined this with rehearsing our core plays with a mix of walk-throughs and then at full speed. We demonstrated how easy it was to cover someone when they round routes and drift backward. We ran routes until everyone nailed it. The extra step you take and the extra space it creates make all the difference. 

And boy, did it pay dividends during our game. The first play the kids chose was Stack LEFT RIGHT. They ran crisp routes. The Z (“right-cutting”) WR juked and ran the route like he was supposed to. Defenders were pulled away, the juke created extra space, and the WR was wide open, quickly turning it up the field for a TD. 

That’s how you execute with speed, space, and purpose! 

Defense:

Knowing we don’t have the most athletic, fastest, and tallest players, I knew our defense would suffer. However, we’ve been making defensive coaching a focus of each practice and in-game learning, hoping to improve a little with each snap. We play man-to-man with a free safety monitoring the field, helping cheat to height and speed mismatches. This is important because teams like to throw deep (not always a bad option when their WR is a foot taller).

But hey, I’ll invite deep passes because we’ll get our picks 🙂 

The safety is really the glue that holds it together. They need to alert the team to runs, help in pass defense, and attack flags when shorter passes are completed. For someone who hasn’t played organized football before, the improvement in recognizing where the QB is looking and sacrificing possible plays to one side in favor of helping out the mismatch has been remarkable. My tip: find a strong safety! 

Individually, at this age, footwork and smooth movement with purpose are key to defensive proficiency. We struggle with CBs waiting for WRs to get to them before they react, and they get burned, putting the safety in a tough position. We work on backpeddling, how to turn to follow WRs, and how to position themselves to allow a catch but immediately pull flags. This keeps plays small, limits TDs, and forces the opposing offense to continue executing. 

We’ve reinforced to keep the WR in front of them and not go for the interception unless it’s an easy one. Knock it down if you are in front of the WR, otherwise, allow the catch and immediately pull their flags. Giving up a positive pay is part of the game, but by immediately tackling them, we remove their speed and space, and force them to continue executing. This has been challenging, but we are making small improvements each week.

Our biggest challenge is chasing down defenders after a play is made or a flag pull is missed. It’s common for players to feel they are too far away to make a difference, but in flag football, you’re never out of a play. Players tend to turn backward or sideways to avoid pulls, giving defenders time to make up their lost ground. Moving with purpose until the whistle takes effort and we’re improving.

Finishing the season strong

I’ve really enjoyed my time so far, and it’s been rewarding watching the kids improve each week. Is there anything better than watching a group of young kids with no experience walk into a huddle and call out, “Stack Left Right … Stack Left Right?” The parents consistently tell me how much fun they’re having (winning helps, I’m sure), and that’s great to hear. Sports should be fun.  

I’m looking forward to seeing how the players commit to improving during the rest of the season. I hope I have provided enough tools and coaching to put them in a position to earn their league title. As the other teams improve each week, it’ll be tough, but I’ll take my group of kids any day.

Stack LEFT RIGHT. Now let’s finish this thing!

The Brief: 40K Store Closures, Livestream Commerce, and the AI ROI Problem

Today's Azimuth brief covers the looming wave of retail closures driven by tariffs and labor costs, livestream shopping platform Whatnot's integration with Shopify, the declining share of marketers who can prove AI ROI, and Walmart's aggressive AI push highlighted in its annual report.

Today's stories:

• Retailers could close more than 40,000 stores in the next 5 years

• Whatnot integrates with Shopify, opening the platform to millions of merchants

• Share of marketers proving AI ROI drops from 49% to 41%

• Walmart's 2026 annual report highlights AI as a pivotal moment

1. Retailers Could Close More Than 40,000 Stores in Next 5 Years

UBS analysts are forecasting that U.S. retailers could close more than 40,000 stores over the next five years. The culprit isn't e-commerce eating physical retail. It's tariffs and immigration policy creating cost pressures that make marginal locations unsustainable.

Tariffs raise the cost of goods. Tighter immigration enforcement shrinks the labor pool and drives up wages. Retailers operating on thin margins with aging footprints can't absorb both at once. The stores that survive will be the ones generating enough revenue to justify their real estate. High-traffic locations in strong markets stay open. Everything else is on the table.

Expect closures to concentrate in secondary markets and older formats that no longer pull their weight. This isn't a slow decline. It's a structural reset driven by operating costs rising faster than sales can keep up.

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2. Whatnot Integrates with Shopify, Opening Platform to Millions of Merchants

Livestream shopping platform Whatnot now integrates directly with Shopify, which means millions of merchants can sync inventory and run live shows without leaving their existing setup. Whatnot started with collectibles like trading cards and Funko Pops but has been expanding into fashion, beauty, and home goods, and this integration is a bet that livestream commerce works beyond niche categories.

For Shopify merchants, the integration lowers the barrier to testing livestream selling. They can keep their existing backend, add Whatnot as a sales channel, and see if live shows drive incremental revenue. For Whatnot, more sellers mean more content, which keeps buyers engaged and coming back. The platform's entire model depends on having enough live shows running at any given time to keep people browsing.

Livestream shopping still hasn't cracked the U.S. market the way it has in China, but platforms like Whatnot and TikTok Shop are showing that there's an audience for it. Whether that audience is big enough to turn livestream commerce into a mainstream sales channel instead of a novelty is still an open question. Shopify integration is Whatnot's way of finding out.

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3. Share of Marketers Proving AI ROI Drops from 49% to 41%

The share of marketers who say they can prove AI ROI dropped from 49% to 41% in a single year, and in retail, the fall was even steeper: from 54% to 38%. This is happening as AI adoption continues to climb, meaning more teams are using the technology, but fewer can show that it's actually working.

Early AI wins were straightforward to measure: faster content production, automated segmentation, and basic efficiency gains. Those were real, but didn't move the needle much. Now leadership wants to see pipeline contribution and revenue growth, and most marketing teams can't connect those dots because they layered AI on top of broken attribution models and manual reporting processes that were already failing.

While declaring AI a priority is easy, proving it moves the bottom line requires defining what success looks like and building the measurement infrastructure to track it. Then you have to report it in a language that the language finance actually understands. No AI tool does that for you, which is why the gap between adoption and accountability keeps widening. Marketers who can't close it are losing budget.

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4. Walmart's 2026 Annual Report Highlights AI as a Pivotal Moment

Walmart's 2026 annual report frames AI as central to the company's strategy, with CEO John Furner saying the retailer is at a pivotal moment. The report highlights e-commerce growth, new Supercenter openings, and what Walmart is calling major AI initiatives across operations and customer experience, though it doesn't break out specific investments or revenue attribution.

The language matters here. Walmart isn't calling AI experimental or a pilot program anymore. Framing it as a foundational strategy means the company expects AI to change how it operates, not just optimize around the edges. When the largest retailer in the U.S. makes that kind of declaration, suppliers, competitors, and investors all pay attention because it usually means the rest of the industry follows.

The challenge for Walmart and everyone else is the same one marketing teams are facing: turning AI ambition into measurable business outcomes. Walmart has the scale and resources to fund the experiment longer than most, but the same accountability questions apply. If AI is truly pivotal, the company will eventually need to show how it moved sales, lowered costs, or improved margins in ways that matter.

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That's it for today.

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The Brief: Sam’s Club’s One-Hour Delivery, MarTech Replacement Rates Slow, Affiliate Content Performance, and Ulta Beauty and Agentic Commerce

Today's Azimuth brief covers Sam's Club's aggressive move into ultra-fast delivery, the slowdown in MarTech platform churn, growing attribution challenges for affiliate marketers in the AI age, and Ulta Beauty's deployment of agentic commerce through Google Gemini.

Today's stories:

• Sam's Club launches one-hour express delivery nationwide

• MarTech replacement rates drop as companies shift focus to efficiency

• Brands struggle to measure affiliate content performance in the AI age

• Ulta Beauty deploys agentic commerce with Google Gemini

1. Sam's Club Launches One-Hour Express Delivery Nationwide

Sam's Club has rolled out one-hour Express delivery across all 600-plus stores, taking aim at Amazon's delivery dominance with a $10 service for Plus members. Since launching on April 2, the retailer has fulfilled nearly 65,000 orders with an average delivery time of 55 minutes. The 10 fastest deliveries clocked in under 12 minutes.

Members now choose between two tiers: the new one-hour service ($10 for Plus, $22 for Club members) or the existing three-hour option ($5 for Plus, $17 for Club). There's no purchase minimum, and items are priced the same as in-club with no markups.

What people are ordering reveals the shift from novelty to necessity. A significant share includes everyday essentials like bottled water, produce, rotisserie chicken, and paper goods. New parents in Amarillo got baby supplies in 11 minutes. Pet owners in Louisville received cat food at the same time.

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2. MarTech Replacement Rates Slow as Companies Shift Focus to Efficiency

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Source: MarTech.org

Marketing technology replacement rates are declining as companies shift from constant platform churn to extracting more value from existing stacks. Rather than ripping and replacing every few years, marketing leaders are doubling down on optimization, integration, and getting teams to actually use the tools they already have.

The change reflects broader economic pressure and MarTech maturation. Budgets are tighter, implementations are expensive, and switching costs are real. Teams are realizing that the problem often isn't the technology itself, but how it's deployed, integrated, and adopted across the organization.

This shift from churn to efficiency has implications for both vendors and practitioners. Vendors need to focus on retention, expansion, and proving ROI rather than purely acquisition. For marketers, it means getting serious about change management, training, and making sure the stack they have is fully leveraged before adding more to it.

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3. Brands Struggle to Measure Affiliate Content Performance in the AI Age

Brands like Adobe and Away are finding it increasingly difficult to measure how well their affiliate content performs as AI search engines and chatbots reshape discovery. Traditional tracking mechanisms break down when content gets summarized, rewritten, or pulled into AI-generated responses rather than driving direct clicks to publisher sites.

The challenge is attribution. When someone asks an AI assistant for product recommendations, and the AI synthesizes information from affiliate content without sending users to the original review or comparison article, how do you measure that influence? How do you credit the affiliate partner when the transaction happens three steps removed from their content?

This is a problem. Affiliate marketing has traditionally relied on clear click-and-conversion paths. AI intermediaries muddy those waters. Brands and affiliates will need new frameworks for tracking influence and crediting referrals in an environment where content gets consumed indirectly through AI summaries rather than direct site visits.

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4. Ulta Beauty Deploys Agentic Commerce with Google Gemini

Ulta Beauty is making its products shoppable directly within Google Search and the Gemini app, adopting the Universal Commerce Protocol to enable agentic commerce. The retailer is also launching Ulta AI, a shopping assistant built with Gemini Enterprise that leverages insights from Ulta's 46 million member base.

The UCP integration allows AI agents to interact with Ulta's ecommerce platform, meaning shoppers can discover, compare, and complete purchases without leaving the AI interface. This puts Ulta into the emerging agentic commerce flow where discovery, intent, and purchase are stitched together in a single interaction.

Beauty is a high-friction vertical where visual signals, brand trust, and personalization matter. Ulta's loyalty dataset and curated assortments give it a defensible advantage versus general marketplaces that win on logistics. The partnership positions Ulta to capture demand as shopping behavior shifts from browsing sites to asking assistants for recommendations.

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That's it for today.

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The Brief: Staples-Party City Partnership, Amazon's GLP-1 Program, Record Mother's Day Spending, and Parents' Digital Shopping Surge

Welcome to The Azimuth Brief for April 22, 2026. Here are the top retail and ecommerce stories that caught my attention.

Today's most interesting stories:

• Staples partners with Party City in 700+ stores nationwide

• Amazon launches GLP-1 weight loss program through One Medical

• Mother's Day spending expected to hit record $38 billion

• Parents drive 50% more digital shopping activity than average consumers

1. Staples and Party City Partner to Bring Party Supplies to 700+ Stores Nationwide

Staples and Party City announced a strategic partnership bringing Party City inside more than 700 Staples locations nationwide, just in time for graduation season. The collaboration makes Party City's selection of balloons, décor and party supplies available alongside Staples same-day print and marketing services, creating a single destination for personal and professional occasions.

The in-store experience features latex and foil balloons inflated with helium and ready to take home. Customers can choose from a range of colors, sizes, and designs. In the coming weeks, customers will also be able to schedule balloon pickups in advance through Staples.com and the Staples app.

Staples is celebrating the partnership with a buy 2, get 1 free offer on select foil balloons, valid through mid-June in store and online for in-store pickup. The deal applies to regularly priced foil balloons up to $6.99, with the discount applying to the lowest-priced item.

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2. Amazon Launches GLP-1 Weight Loss Program Through One Medical

Amazon One Medical launched a comprehensive GLP-1 management program integrating weight loss treatment with primary care. The program combines virtual and in-person appointments, medication management, and pharmacy fulfillment through Amazon Pharmacy, positioning weight management as a long-term chronic condition rather than a one-off prescription.

The program offers oral GLP-1 medications starting at $149 per month for cash-pay customers, while those with insurance can access medications starting at $25 per month. Injectable treatments like Wegovy and Zepbound start at $299 per month without insurance. Customers already using GLP-1 treatments can renew prescriptions on demand, with messaging consultations starting at $29 and video visits at $49.

Amazon Pharmacy makes the medications available with same-day delivery in nearly 3,000 cities today, expanding to 4,500 by year-end. The program integrates GLP-1 management into patients' broader primary care relationships, with clinicians monitoring how weight loss intersects with cardiovascular health, metabolic conditions, and overall health.

Read the full press release

3. Mother's Day Spending Expected to Hit Record $38 Billion

Consumer spending on Mother's Day is expected to reach a record $38 billion, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount surpasses last year's total spending of $34.1 billion and exceeds the previous record of $35.7 billion set in 2023.

Consistent with recent years, 84% of US adults plan to celebrate Mother's Day. On a per-person basis, consumers plan to spend a record average of $284.25 on gifts, up from $259.04 last year and the previous record of $274.02 in 2023. Of those celebrating, 54% plan to purchase for their mother or stepmother, followed by a wife (22%) or daughter (13%).

The leading shopping destinations for gifts include online (33%) and department stores (33%), followed by specialty stores (29%) and discount stores (26%). Flowers remain the most popular gift category, with 75% of shoppers planning to purchase. Other top categories include greeting cards (74%), special outings such as dinner or brunch (63%), gift cards (55%), and clothing or accessories (51%). Jewelry leads Mother's Day spending at $7.5 billion, followed by special outings ($6.4 billion) and electronics ($4.4 billion).

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4. Parents Engage in 50% More Digital Shopping Days Than Average Consumers

Parents engage in 50% more digital shopping activity days than the average consumer, according to "The 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index" study commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions and released by PYMNTS Intelligence. The report documents mobile shopping as a mainstream retail behavior worldwide, with 48% of consumers using a phone for their most recent purchase and 60% browsing merchant sites multiple times a week.

Shoppers with children under their care used a phone in 58.6% of their most recent purchases, compared with 40.7% for non-parents. Parents logged 63.5 digital shopping days per month versus a 50.9 average across the full sample. The pattern holds across markets, even in countries where digital adoption is less intense overall, parents remain highly engaged mobile shoppers.

On 59% of the days parents shop digitally, they make a purchase, showing that this group is not just browsing more often but converting at a higher rate. The research shows these consumers gravitate toward clear payment choices, rewards, coupons, product details, and easy-to-navigate stores. Notably, 92% of shoppers used or wanted to use their preferred payment method at the merchant where they made their last purchase, making payment choice the top digital feature globally.

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That's it for today.

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The Brief: Tariff Refunds, Amazon Price-Fixing, Consumer Spending, and Walmart's Fulfillment Test

Welcome to The Azimuth Brief for April 22, 2026. Here are the top retail and ecommerce stories that caught my attention.

Today's stories:

• US government launches $166B tariff refund portal

• California alleges Amazon coordinated price-fixing with major retailers

• March retail sales show resilience amid inflation and gas price spikes

• Walmart pilots store-based fulfillment for marketplace sellers

1. US Government Launches Tariff Refund Portal for $166 Billion in Illegal Duties

US Customs and Border Protection launched the CAPE portal (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries), allowing businesses to begin requesting refunds for tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court. The government could owe businesses up to $166 billion after the Supreme Court ruled in February that President Trump had illegally issued tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The system limits refund applications to unliquidated tariffs plus tariffs finalized by CBP within the past 80 days. As of April 9, more than 56,000 US importers had registered to receive refunds. Up to 82% of IEEPA duty payments, amounting to $127 billion, are eligible for refunds in CAPE's initial deployment.

Refund checks are not expected until this summer. The government estimates the claims review process could take 45 days, with checks processed 60 to 90 days after approval. Refunds will only go to the importer of record or the licensed customs broker who originally paid the duties, leaving uncertainty around whether consumers will see any of that money. Some companies, like FedEx and Costco, have said they plan to pass refunds to customers.

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2. California Alleges Amazon Coordinated Price-Fixing with Major Retailers

California Attorney General Rob Bonta released newly unsealed documents showing how Amazon allegedly pressured major brands like Levi Strauss and Hanes to inflate prices on rival online marketplaces as part of a wide-ranging price-fixing scheme. The documents are part of a 2022 antitrust lawsuit alleging Amazon stifled competition and increased consumer prices across the internet.

The documents include communications between Amazon and Hanes, where Amazon sent the vendor links to listings on Target and Walmart showing lower prices than on Amazon. Hanes confirmed it reached out to Target and Walmart to have the prices increased. In another case, Amazon alerted Allergan that it temporarily suppressed listings for its eye drops once it found they were being sold for less elsewhere. Allergan replied, saying Walmart raised its price back to $16.99.

Amazon also allegedly pressed Levi's to ask Walmart to hike the price of its khaki pants. Walmart raised its prices, the filing states. Bonta's office has asked a San Francisco Superior Court judge to prevent Amazon from engaging in the alleged price-fixing practices while the lawsuit proceeds.

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3. March Retail Sales Show Resilience Amid Inflation and Gas Price Spikes

US retail sales rose for the sixth consecutive month in March 2026, as higher-than-average tax refunds helped offset increased gasoline prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation.

Core retail sales (excluding restaurants, auto dealers, and gas stations) were up 0.41% month over month in March and up 7.05% year over year. That compares with increases of 0.27% month over month and 5.87% year over year in February. Total retail sales rose 0.4% month over month and 6.59% year over year in March.

The results came as the IRS said 2026 tax refunds averaged $3,521 as of late March, up 11.1% from 2025 following changes in tax law passed last year. Almost all retail sectors recorded year-on-year increases, with clothing stores, sporting goods stores, and health and personal care stores seeing the highest growth. NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay noted that despite record-low consumer sentiment and the highest inflation rate in two years, consumers continued to spend on household priorities.

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4. Walmart Pilots Store-Based Fulfillment for Marketplace Sellers in Dallas

Walmart is testing the use of backroom storage space in its stores as fulfillment centers for third-party marketplace sellers, according to multiple outlets. The pilot program is currently being tested in several Dallas-area locations and aims to facilitate same-day delivery for select products from the company's online marketplace. By storing inventory from marketplace sellers alongside its own products in store back rooms, Walmart can reportedly reduce delivery times from one to two days down to as little as three hours.

The initiative leverages Walmart's network of more than 4,700 US stores to compete directly with Amazon's fulfillment capabilities. Walmart's marketplace currently lists approximately 500 million items and has been growing rapidly, with marketplace sales up approximately 20% in recent quarters. The retailer has been using AI to help determine which stores marketplace items should be shipped to based on local demand forecasting.

Walmart's store-fulfilled delivery has been one of its fastest-growing channels, with expedited deliveries under three hours representing approximately 35% of store-fulfilled orders.

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That's it for today.

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QBs in the NFL Draft and Should Your Team Draft Them (Updated 2026)

Which QBs should teams take in this year’s NFL Draft? The experts will tell you who is good and not, but they’re kind of bad at it. Same with NFL GMs. Heck, even Tom Brady was a late-round pick, meaning not even the Patriots knew he’d be good.

So, am I better at predicting the success of NFL QBs?

All I know is I wanted Josh Allen (good call) and Baker Mayfield (OK call, I guess), and wanted nothing to do with Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold. I would’ve taken Jayden Daniels over Caleb Williams, and I would have drafted Jaxson Dart over Cam Ward. I also would’ve drafted Richardson (though not #1 overall) if I needed a QB, and completely passed on Bryce Young and CJ Stroud.

So, maybe I am. Then again, maybe I’m not. Either way, here’s what I think of the QBs in this year’s NFL Draft, along with results from previous years, as I casually posted them. No deep-dives, video breakdowns, or gobbledygook: Just a simple prediction based on how I see them play the game.

QBs in the 2026 NFL Draft: Pick or Pass?

Not a star-studded draft class, with Fernando Mendoza (#1) my only tier-1 QB. Tier-2+ (all non-starters out of the gate) includes, in order, Luke Altmyer, Ty Simpson, Cole Payton, and Joe Fagnano.

• Fernando Mendoza: Good touch on the ball, and his legs are a great asset. I don’t see him throwing people open that often, which is concerning, but he puts contested balls in the right place, and he seems to understand what he wants to do with each play. He’s not a slam dunk, but if I am picking #1, I’m taking him.

• Ty Simpson: Backup. Lacks the arm strength to make some NFL throws.

• Garrett Nussmeier: No thanks. Low-end backup.

• Carson Beck: Doesn’t throw WRs open. Makes too many throws that get picked in the NFL. Maybe an OK backup.

• Drew Allar: Nope. Stares down his WRs too often. Doesn’t put contested balls in a great spot.

• Cole Payton: Late-round flyer. Has legs, decent touch on the ball, and puts it in a good position. Needs to develop a quicker release to realize NFL potential.

• Taylen Green: Mid- to late-round flyer. His legs are definitely an asset, and he has decent touch on the ball (not great), but he doesn’t drive the ball downfield very well. This won’t be favorable in the NFL. Likely a backup.

• Luke Altmyer: If I am searching for a QB, I’m taking him (round 3+, depending on team need). He can run, has quick decision-making, can drive the ball fairly well, and has good touch.

• Cade Klubnik: Backup. He can run and has decent touch on the ball, but tends to hold it a bit long. Not great at throwing into tight windows. Nothing that screams NFL QB.

• Sawyer Robertson: Backup at best. Inconsistent ball placement, not great speed, and can hold the ball too long at times.

• Joe Fagnano: Later-round QB with upside. Throws a decent ball, but more of a short-to-intermediate range thrower. Can move decently and sees the field relatively well. Tends to stare down his receiver at times. Likely higher-end backup with fringe, starter potential.

• Diego Pavia: Sorry, but no. Decent thrower with a clean pocket, but he tends to hold the ball too long to process the field (likely a result of his height). Not scared to rip it in windows, but delays will cause too many INTs in the NFL.

QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft: Pick or Pass?

TL:DR: Jaxson Dart is my number 1. Ward and Shough are equal. I might like the risk of Shough more.

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Cam Ward. Mid-to-low tier starter. Can find a guy, but tends to hold the ball long and rarely throws guys open. Has upside, worth drafting if you need a QB. Don’t see superstar status, but could be “good enough” status.

Shedeur Sanders. Nope. Total bust.

Jaxson Dart. Draft. Has legs. Puts it in tight window and drops them in. Doesn’t hold it long. Draft if you need a QB. Might struggle at first with progressions. I like him more than Cam Ward.

Jalen Milroe. Good backup. Legs will keep him in the league. Decent passer, but looks at his receivers too much.

Will Howard. This guy could be a decent QB. Reminds me of a mix of Herbert and Maye. Might be a good spot for a QB-pergatory team. Likely a low-end starter with some upside, nothing better than a mid-level starter.

Quinn Ewers. Second/third stringer.

Kyle McCord. Can make a living as a backup. As a starter, he’d be best under a west coast/timing system, like Shannahan or … hello Dolphins.

Riley Leonard. Hello UFL.

Tyler Shough. Might be a decent starter. If you need a backup to develop or to challenge a low-tier starter, he’s your man. He’s probably as good as Cam Ward with more upside.

Dillion Gabriel. Can throw and run it but I think he’s a backup.

QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft: Pick or Pass?

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Jayden Daniels: Yes, he's my first overall.

Caleb Williams: Yes. He needs quicker decision-making. Otherwise, he'll take too many sacks. I think he can make that switch.

Drake Maye: Decent backup QB, maybe a bottom-tier starter.

JJ McCarthy: Hated watching him live, but looking at the tape, he makes NFL throws and turned me slightly. Stares his WRs down too much. 3rd rounder. Will be boom or bust. If I had to bet, I'd say bust.

Bo Nix: Eh. No thanks. Backup at best.

Michael Penix Jr. The MOST intriguing QB in the draft. Most accurate college QB I’ve seen, and had an incredibly awful championship game. Multiple injuries in his career. I think he's a starter in the league. Massive upside, and massive downside. I'd take him in the 2nd round if I needed a QB within two years.

Austin Reed: Draft the dude. "Short" for the typical NFL QB (6'1", same as Lamar), but this guy can make throws.

Spencer Rattler: Backup QB

Michael Pratt: Nope. Hello UFL.

Jordan Travis: No thanks. Backup at best.

QBs in the 2023 NFL Draft: Pick or Pass?

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Draft: The only QB I am taking in this draft is Richardson. I like his throws, and he has some serious upside.

Notable NOs:

• Levis

• Hooker

• Stroud

• Young

QBs in the 2022 & Earlier NFL Drafts

Definitely Draft:

• Mayfield

• Allen

• Burrow

• Lawrence

• Mahommes

Worth Drafting ("think" he'll be good, not great, but also not entirely confident):

• Watson
  

• Jackson (more upside than Watson)

• Herbert (Chad Pennington-esque)

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Notable NOs:

Rosen, Darnold, Murray, Pickett, Willis, Jones, Wilson, Lance, Fields, Tua, Love, Haskins, Love, Jones, Trubisky, Kizer, Newton.

Need someone to evaluate QBs for your team? I’m available for hire.

Google’s AI Landing Page Patent: What It Means for Ecommerce and Brand Control

Google Doesn’t Just Want to Rank Your Website Anymore — It May Replace It

Google’s latest patent suggests a seismic shift may be afoot. Instead of sending users to your website, it may evaluate your page and build its own version if yours isn’t good enough.

On January 27, 2026, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Google Patent US12536233B1, titled “AI-generated content page tailored to a specific user.” At a glance, it reads like a technical improvement. In practice, it points to a future where Google doesn’t just decide which website you see, but whether you see one at all.

From Ranking Pages to Rebuilding Them

At the center of the patent is something called a “Landing Page Score.” Before sending a user to a website, Google evaluates whether that page meets a certain threshold for quality and usability, using signals that marketers already recognize but may now carry higher stakes.

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These signals include performance metrics such as conversion rate, bounce rate, and click-through rate, along with qualitative factors like page design and content clarity. More importantly, the patent explicitly references functional gaps, including the absence of features like product filters, as indicators of poor usability. That detail suggests this isn’t just about relevance or keyword alignment, but about whether a page delivers a complete and usable experience.

If a page performs well, the experience remains largely unchanged. If it doesn’t, Google may take a different approach by generating an alternative version in real time using large language models, effectively creating its own optimized experience tailored to the individual user.

This is where the shift becomes clear. Google is no longer just organizing access to content; it is positioning itself to reconstruct the experience of that content.

The Rise of the “Google-Built” Storefront

The AI-generated pages described in the patent are not simple summaries or enhanced snippets. They are designed to function like complete landing pages, assembled dynamically based on available data and user context.

These experiences can include personalized headlines, structured product feeds, suggested filters, clear calls to action, and even conversational interfaces that guide users through decisions. In many cases, they may represent a more streamlined and efficient version of what the brand itself provides, particularly if the original site lacks certain usability features.

From a user perspective, this reduces friction and simplifies the path to purchase. From a brand perspective, however, it introduces a new layer between you and your customer, where the experience is no longer fully yours to control.

The Erosion of the Direct Relationship?

The most significant implication is not traditional traffic loss (that’s already happening with AI platforms) but the gradual erosion of the direct customer relationship that brands have spent years building.

A website has historically been the one place where a brand fully controls its narrative, design, and experience. It is where trust is built through storytelling, testimonials, UX decisions, and subtle signals that differentiate one company from another. When that interaction is mediated through a Google-generated interface, much of that differentiation risks being flattened into standardized components.

The transaction may still occur, but the experience belongs to Google. Over time, that shift can weaken brand equity in ways that are difficult to measure in the short term but meaningful in the long run.

Zero-Click Search Becomes Zero-Click Commerce

We are already seeing the rise of zero-click search, where users find answers without leaving the search results page. This patent extends that concept into commerce by allowing the entire journey—discovery, evaluation, and potentially conversion—to happen within Google’s ecosystem.

That shift has direct implications for data ownership and learning. When users interact with your website, you gain insight into behavior, preferences, and friction points, which in turn fuel optimization and personalization efforts. When those interactions happen on a platform instead, that feedback loop becomes less visible and less actionable.

Over time, that loss of insight can limit a brand’s ability to improve its own experience, creating a dependency on platforms that increasingly control both visibility and interaction.

A New Layer in the Economics of Search

Another important element in the patent is where these AI-generated experiences can appear. The system allows for their inclusion within sponsored results, which introduces the possibility that paid traffic may lead to a Google-generated page rather than the brand’s own website.

While the patent does not define how broadly this would be implemented, it signals a direction where Google captures more value across both the experience layer and the monetization layer. Brands may find themselves not only competing for visibility, but also participating in an environment where the destination itself is no longer owned.

For smaller and mid-sized businesses, this raises the stakes significantly. Competing in search may no longer be about who ranks best, but who meets the threshold to remain part of the experience at all.

A Broader Shift Toward Platform-Owned Experiences

Taken in isolation, this patent is a technical concept. Viewed in the context of broader industry trends, it aligns with a clear movement toward platform-owned experiences, where discovery and interaction are increasingly consolidated into a single environment.

Search is evolving from a gateway into a destination, compressing what was once a multi-step journey into a single interface. At the same time, the importance of structured data is growing as platforms rely more on what they can access and interpret than on how a page is designed in isolation.

This is where the idea of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) begins to emerge. Visibility is no longer just about ranking pages, but about ensuring your brand is accurately represented within AI-generated environments that assemble and present information on your behalf.

What This Means for Brands Now

This patent does not represent an immediate shift, but it does point to a direction that is already taking shape and worth preparing for.

First, data quality becomes foundational, as structured product information, accurate attributes, and strong visual assets may increasingly define how your brand is represented when the interface is no longer your own. Second, user experience becomes a gatekeeper rather than a differentiator, with basic functionality like navigation and filtering determining whether your page is included or bypassed.

At the same time, owned channels become more valuable, as email marketing, SMS marketing, and community-driven engagement offer a way to maintain direct relationships in an environment where discovery is increasingly intermediated. Finally, brands must invest in differentiation that cannot be easily replicated, including trust, storytelling, and identity, which do not translate cleanly into structured data or templated interfaces.

The Future of Search Is the Interface Itself

Google’s patent signals a shift that goes beyond rankings or algorithm updates and moves toward a model where the interface itself becomes the primary battleground for attention.

For users, this will likely result in faster, more personalized experiences that reduce friction and simplify decision-making. For brands, it introduces a more complex reality where visibility depends not only on being found, but on being selected, interpreted, and reconstructed by systems outside their control.

The companies that adapt will not simply focus on ranking higher. They will focus on how they are understood, how they are represented, and how they remain differentiated in a world where the final interaction may no longer happen on their own site.

Still need help digesting this? Check out this explainer video.

Google AI Landing Page Patent FAQs

What is Google’s AI landing page patent?

Google’s patent (US12536233B1) describes a system where it evaluates a webpage before sending users to it. If the page does not meet certain quality or usability standards, Google may generate its own AI-powered version instead of directing users to the original site.

What is a “Landing Page Score”?

A Landing Page Score is Google’s way of assessing page quality based on performance metrics like conversion rate and bounce rate, along with usability factors such as design, content clarity, and functionality. The patent specifically mentions missing features like product filters as a negative signal.

Will Google replace websites with AI-generated pages?

Not entirely, and not immediately. This is a patent, not a fully rolled-out product. However, it signals a direction where Google may intervene more directly in the user experience when a page is considered low quality.

How does this impact ecommerce brands and SEO?

Ecommerce brands may see fewer users reaching their websites directly, which affects branding, conversion control, and data collection. SEO will also evolve beyond rankings toward how content and product data are understood and used within AI-generated experiences.

What should businesses do to prepare?

Businesses should focus on improving user experience, maintaining clean and structured product data, and building direct relationships through owned channels like email and SMS. Strong brand differentiation will also become more important as platforms take a larger role in shaping the customer experience.

AI Shopping During the Holidays and What It Means

The holiday shopping season is often the clearest indicator of how consumers are actually using new technology. In 2025, AI moved from novelty to a practical shopping assistant for many consumers. Shoppers increasingly use AI tools to research gift ideas, compare products, and narrow their purchasing decisions. At the same time, consumer trust in AI for shopping rose dramatically throughout the year, signaling that AI-assisted commerce may soon become part of everyday buying behavior rather than a niche experiment. This can also have a ripple effect on the brand-consumer relationship.

In my latest article for AIThority, I examine what holiday shopping behavior revealed about the growing role of AI in e-commerce and what it may signal for the year ahead. The trends raise several questions brands should begin thinking about now:

• If shoppers increasingly rely on AI to research and recommend products, how will brands influence those recommendations?

• Will AI shopping behavior shift more commerce back toward desktop environments rather than mobile?

• What does the rise of AI-generated traffic mean for traditional discovery channels like search and social media?

• How should marketers adapt if AI becomes a primary entry point into the shopping journey?

You might also like:

• What's The Future of Agentic AI Ecosystems in Retail?

Buffalo Bills Hire Joe Brady. Really?

Today, the Bills hired Joe Brady as their new head coach, and I can’t believe it. I really can’t.

The owner fired Sean McDermott because he felt they could not get past the “proverbial playoff wall.” I agree, and while not specifically calling for McD’s head, I am OK with the decision. However, my biggest concern was less on the head coach and more on the OC. I don’t believe Brady has what it takes to be an elite playcaller. Man, I hope I’m wrong, but I fear the Bills are going to run it back with mostly the same staff in place — and that IS the issue.

When I think about it, was this the interview process?

I wanted to turn the page from Brady before the season even started. Over the past two-plus years, I have taken issue with his play-calling from several areas. Watching it unfold made me double down. Here are my gripes.

My issues with Joe Brady’s offense

1. Bubble screens, and more specifically, throws to the line of scrimmage. The Bills have a cheat-code QB, and yet Brady decides the best way to use him is to have him throw the ball to the line of scrimmage the moment he touches it. You might as well put me back there throwing the ball!

With a chance to close out the game, he did this on 3rd down in the fourth quarter inside the red zone during the Bills-Broncos playoff game. In fact, he did it on second down as well — although he held the ball for a full 1.5 seconds while waiting for Samuel to come out of the backfield. Both plays went nowhere — much like nearly every bubble screen for the past two seasons. Oh, and let’s not forget the bubble screen on third down on the final drive in the KC playoff game the year before.

Repeatedly, he ran these bubble screens with very limited success. Unless McDermott specifically called for those plays, he was repeatedly willing to take the ball out of the best player’s hands. This is an OC issue, and a serious one.

2. Running up the middle on first and goal from outside the five. What a waste. These plays routinely go nowhere and are practically a waste of down. Heck, look at the same series of red zone plays in the Bills-Broncos game. First down, run to the outside for 1 yard (I know, not up the middle, but you got the same predictable run and result).

Add running it up the middle on second down to my list of grievances. Oh, and running it on 2&1 instead of taking a shot, and you have yourself a conservative run party. This is an OC issue. But what if you don’t make it? Well, not knowing you have two plays for a near-guaranteed Allen sneak/tush push on third and fourth down is an OC issue.

3. This part I don’t know, but what involvement did Brady have in the Bills’ deciding to build an incredibly weak WR room? We’re about to find out. I am led to believe Brady wasn’t opposed to the WRs they had. If so, I imagine, since Beane apparently trusts him so much, they would’ve made a move to improve it at the trade deadline. Instead, I have GMBB defending the assets he assembled while grasping at straws throughout the season.

4. My 13-year-old calls out the Bills plays before they happen, and he’s right most of the time — and he’s not even a Bills fan! If he and I can do it so easily, what makes me think he’s fooling a defensive coordinator?

What I need from Joe Brady as the Bills’ coach

1. Bring in an established defensive coordinator — or someone who is considered to “know their stuff.” We can’t run it back with the same crew. Getting past the proverbial playoff wall means getting better at what you do. The defense was a consistent letdown. Be better, and that starts with the top of the pyramid. If not an established playcaller, the hire needs to have some pedigree behind them, having studied under some of the brightest minds. While some is OK, I can’t have significant learning on the job. A veteran D assistant to serve as a sounding board would be helpful with a younger guy.

2. Be a serious playcaller. The same-old same-old is not going to get it done. I do not want Josh Allen to have to make up for your game plan and playcalling. I’ve watched it too often. What I want is for Josh Allen to make his great playcalling unstoppable. He shouldn’t have to be Superman to win games. He should be Superman to demoralize and bury the opponent. I want to win when he’s average.

3. Advocate for solid WRs. Make it clear that the lack of WRs was the previous regime’s decision. Your job as OC is to make your QB’s job as easy as possible. Do it.

4. Do NOT make the season come down to giving Josh Allen the ball, trailing, and a chance to win the game. This is not getting past the wall. Build a team that gets him a two-score lead and the luxury of sitting on the sideline while the defense goes to work with a scheme that doesn’t give 9-yard cushions on a third-and-seven.

Will Joe Brady succeed?

I have not seen evidence that Joe Brady can accomplish these things. In fact, I’ve seen a stubbornness to continually run plays with little to no success while simultaneously taking the ball out of the NFL’s best QBs’ hands. To me, this is not a good indication of someone able to evolve.

I hope he makes the right staffing decisions that improve this team. I hope he advocates for better players on offense. I hope he learns how to be a better placaller.

I’m not holding my breath.

Would one of the other hot-shot young OCs in the league have been a better fit? I don’t know. It would have all been a gamble. I just don’t think Joe Brady is the guy to smash through the wall, and I’ve never wanted to be so wrong in my life. Good luck Joe!

Holiday 2025 Shopper Mindset: What Marketers Need to Know

Holiday Shopping 2025: What Marketers Need to Know

The holiday season always brings surprises, but this year feels different. Shoppers are still buying, but they’re doing it with more intention. Prices remain high, budgets are tighter, and people are weighing decisions a bit longer than they used to.

I recently wrote a guest post for MarTech Cube, digging into this shift in shopper mindset. Here’s a quick look at what stood out.

Shoppers Are More Careful With Their Money

People haven’t stopped spending, but they’re more cautious. They’re sticking to budgets, comparing more, and thinking harder before committing.

For brands, that means your value story has to be clear. Customers want to know why your product is worth it, not just that it’s on sale.

Promotions Still Matter but Not in the Same Way

Holiday discounts will always grab attention, but blanket markdowns aren’t the only way to win.

Smarter incentives like early access, bundles, or tiered offers tend to resonate more with today’s value-focused shopper. It’s less about racing to the bottom and more about showing that your promotion actually makes sense.

Convenience Goes a Long Way

The easier you make the purchase experience, the better. Clear delivery timelines, smooth returns, and straightforward policies all influence buying decisions. These aren’t “extras” anymore — they’re part of what shoppers expect.

Email and SMS Still Deliver

Despite all the noise in the market, lifecycle messaging remains reliable. Email and SMS continue to drive strong results during peak shopping periods.

Well-timed sends and solid automation, such as cart abandonment messages, back-in-stock alerts, and post-purchase series, matter. a lot.

Read the Full Article

You can read the complete post on MarTech Cube here:
»» Holiday 2025: What Marketers Need to Know About Shoppers’ New Mindset

ChatGPT Atlas — Initial Impressions and Takeaways for Ecommerce

ChatGPT Atlas Key Takeaways

I am playing around with ChatGPT Atlas and have done a few trial searches from an ecommerce perspective. Here are a few initial takeaways.

1. Results may vary across ChatGPT Atlas and ChatGPT

2. Big stores dominate the results

3. Price tracking for the consumer, but only sometimes.

4. How Google and ChatGPT Atlas compared

Let's dig in.

Takeaway #1: Atlas results are fairly different than what I get by going directly to ChatGPT. Is this by design?

Not sure why there is a discrepancy between the two, but they were different enough. Here is a quick side-by-side.

In this instance, I preferred the Atlas results better. They were more aligned with my expected results.

Takeaway #2: Almost all of the products recommended were either Shopify stores or major retailers.

With the online coffee recommendations, Shopify was the big winner. I also did a search for other products, like mesh workout pants. Here, I got a variety of options.

At this stage, it asked me if I wanted a list of 20 options, with the five best identified. I asked to give me a list of 20. Here is what I got:

This list had no links or associated stores. I had to ask for the links to be provided. The results included product cards, but most were available via major retailers (video below). As you can see, clicking on the product image brings up the right rail that will link out to different stores. This is nice, but I don't like how clicking a link opens it in the same window. I'd prefer a new tab.

»» I know it's early, but where does/will this leave the mom-and-pops of the world? Sure, they may be included, but will they be playing a constant game of catch-up to retailers with bigger budgets and tech teams?

Takeaway #3: Price tracking ... maybe?!?

With one product search, I asked to be reminded when the price dropped below a certain threshold. It said it would. In another search (those mesh pants), it said it could not do that. Is there something bigger going on here?

Why can they do it for one and not the other?

I don't know if it will actually work, but we shall see. Interestingly, it says in the Monitoring Setup (pictured below) that it will check "major US retailers," again giving nod to the larger stores.

»» I this examples below, it says it can not monitor price for me?

Takeaway #4: What about Goog .... errr, never mind.

When someone wants coffee, they want coffee. So I took that same coffee bean search to Google and was treated to a, well, horrend... less optimized experience. I mean, take a look at this.

This SERP has everything from local roasters and sponsored products to videos and listicles. Where would one even begin? While I don't think the GPT experience was insanely better, it was able to understand my intent and continue to guide me along that journey.

This is really what matters: Intent --> desired result.

p.s. I buy espresso beans from Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC. :)

Final Thoughts

It's only day 1 for me, so we'll see how it goes. I am hopeful this does not transform into another platform that separates the haves and have-nots. Now is probably a good time for both ecommerce and local stores to focus on schema for their sites and make every effort to be as discoverable as possible for AI platforms.

As Omar said, “You come at the king, you best not miss.” Well, their aim seems to be pretty good at the moment.