In this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast, titled, Mobile Commerce 2.0: Boosting Retailer Revenue with Better Shopper Experience, host Kerry Curran dives into the evolving world of mobile commerce and its impact on retailer revenue. Joined by mobile monetization expert Michael Jaconi, the discussion centers on how retailers can optimize mobile experiences to create seamless shopper journeys that drive meaningful revenue growth.

Discover how innovations in link optimization, attribution, and mobile-first strategies are transforming the way retailers connect with consumers. From empowering creators and influencers to improving app functionality, this episode reveals how a better shopper experience leads to bigger profits. Whether you're a retailer, marketer, or strategist, tune in for actionable insights to elevate your mobile commerce game and maximize revenue opportunities!

Podcast transcript

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.152):
So welcome, Harsh. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background and expertise.

Harsh Jiandani (00:07.017):
Hi everyone. My name is Harsh Jiandani. I'm the Chief Commercial Officer of Koddi, a retail media platform. I oversee sales, marketing, partnerships, and strategy for the company. I've been here for about a year and a half. Before this, I was at Microsoft as Chief Revenue Officer of Promote IQ. Prior to that, I spent eight and a half years at AppNexus/Xandr in various roles, ultimately launching Xandr Curate.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:34.75):
Excellent. So you've been in the industry for a while. You're quite an expert. Obviously, the e-commerce space in retail media has evolved very rapidly over the last few years. Can you talk about how you've seen the space evolve and what it’s been like having a front-row seat to these changes?

Harsh Jiandani (00:56.253):
It's been an exciting ride. Over the last five to seven years, retail media has felt like a rocket ship. It started with helping retailers launch and scale their programs, primarily focused on on-site advertising, such as sponsored listing ads, sponsored brand ads, and display ads. Now, it's expanded to include in-store advertising and leveraging data to target audiences offsite.

Another major evolution is retailers wanting more control over their programs. Early on, they were new to this space and transitioned overnight from being retailers to becoming some of the largest media businesses in the world. They relied heavily on external help. Now, as the space matures, retailers are seeking more control.

One notable trend is the growing fragmentation of retail media networks. There are now 200 to 400 networks, depending on who you ask, which has created new challenges for the industry. There's a big push to connect all this supply into a single access point for buyers.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (02:36.298):
Definitely. How are you seeing brands and technology platforms approach data integration? How are we getting smarter in a world of walled gardens and protected data?

Harsh Jiandani (02:54.259):
Let’s start by looking at the retailer side and then move to the brand side. Initially, retail media programs were based purely on keywords—advertisers bid on keywords that shoppers searched for. The next phase was SKU-based targeting, where ads were displayed based on specific products users searched for or browsed.

Now, we're in a third phase where retailers use customer data to enrich and inform the experience. Depending on the shopper, they might see different ads, and even the number of ads displayed can vary. This audience data overlays with SKU targeting, allowing retailers to adjust bids when reaching specific audiences.

On the brand side, things have also become more sophisticated. While brands still rely on keywords, they're increasingly trying to overcome fragmentation while targeting at the SKU level. Brands are working to integrate audience data and improve measurement through tools like Media Mix Modeling (MMM), but this area still presents challenges.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:17.928):
How have you seen the ability to capture and optimize data evolve? Where do you think it stands today?

Harsh Jiandani (05:28.125):
From the brand perspective, it’s been challenging. Retail media networks started as walled gardens, and brands have relied heavily on the measurement and audiences provided to them. Now, the biggest brands are pushing for more transparency, asking retailers to share the data they need to conduct their own media mix modeling instead of relying solely on retailers' return-on-ad-spend or incrementality metrics.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (06:32.756):
That’s a great point. From your perspective, where are the biggest opportunities for brands to get smarter in how they target and promote their products?

Harsh Jiandani (07:41.095):
Retailers are using data in two key ways: targeting and optimization. In terms of targeting, the real magic happens when on-site inventory is combined with audience data. Retailers can also use this data for off-site targeting, enabling campaigns that connect with shoppers across the web and social platforms.

For optimization, customer data is being worked directly into the auction process. Instead of relying just on keywords or SKUs, audience data now informs decisions about how many ads to show, what kinds of ads to display, and which products to promote—all tailored to the shopper’s profile.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (10:42.675):
What’s next? How are retailers getting smarter with their data to tie in offsite and offline strategies?

Harsh Jiandani (10:42.675):
The next frontier is using off-site data for broader advertising, including the open web and social platforms. Retailers are also exploring connected TV (CTV) partnerships, like those between Roku and Walmart, to create shoppable CTV ads. This helps move up the funnel and focus on awareness while balancing data privacy and avoiding commoditizing their data.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (11:32.286):
What do you see as the next big thing in retail media, whether in targeting, optimization, or offsite strategies?

Harsh Jiandani (11:47.731):
One of the biggest upcoming opportunities is in-store innovation. Around 80% of shopping still takes place in-store, and for grocery, it’s over 90%. Digital screens represent a significant growth area, but challenges like capital investment and vendor fragmentation remain. Retailers are working on unifying in-store solutions to make it easier for buyers to access this inventory.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (13:05.78):
Koddi has been at the forefront of innovation in retail media. Can you talk about how you’re evolving the marketplace and supporting smaller retailers?

Harsh Jiandani (13:38.835):
There’s a big opportunity for smaller retailers. They often struggle to attract advertisers due to limited scale, but aggregating their inventory can make it more accessible to advertisers in major demand-side platforms (DSPs). At Koddi, we’re investing in launching the industry’s first programmatic supply-side platform (SSP) that bridges sponsored listing inventory with major DSP buyers.

For larger retailers, programmatic advertising offers solutions for remnant inventory, and as tools improve, programmatic guaranteed deals could expand access to premium inventory as well.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (15:39.71):
Where do you see retail media heading in the next three to five years?

Harsh Jiandani (15:50.431):
I expect significant change across onsite, offsite, in-store, and video channels. Onsite, retailers will revisit how to use existing inventory more intelligently, similar to how Amazon and Facebook optimize their platforms.

For offsite, I see a unification of onsite, offsite, and in-store advertising into seamless solutions. Connected TV will continue gaining traction as a powerful tool for brand awareness. Meanwhile, in-store advertising will improve steadily as retailers overcome challenges like capital investment and vendor fragmentation.

Finally, connected TV and shoppable ads represent a massive opportunity. Unlike in-store innovation, which requires heavy capital investment, CTV can scale much faster and will likely play a key role in the coming years.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (18:03.026):
Excellent. Well, thank you, Harsh. Do you have any recommendations for either brands or retailers looking to take their programs to the next level?

Harsh Jiandani (18:14.931):
Sure, let’s start with retailers. I think they can elevate their programs by gaining more control. It’s about moving away from the "black box" approach—actually, let me rephrase that. I don’t want to call out what competitors are doing specifically.

I see a lot of opportunities for retailers to advance. The first step is gaining a deeper understanding of what they’re selling, how they’re selling it, who they’re selling to, and then working to maximize the pool of demand. This includes not only endemic advertisers but potentially non-endemic ones as well.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (19:07.73):
Excellent. Thank you, Harsh. So, how can people find you or learn more about the great innovations you and your team at Koddi are working on?

Harsh Jiandani (19:19.517):
Feel free to reach out to us. Our website is Koddi.com, and you can contact me directly at [email protected]. We’d be happy to connect and see how we can help.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (19:33.49):
This has been a really fascinating conversation, and I’ve loved hearing your predictions for the future. You’ll have to come back in three to five years so we can see which ones came true! Thank you so much for your time today—it was great having you on.

Harsh Jiandani (19:44.135):
I’d love to come back! You can hold my feet to the fire, for sure.

Harsh Jiandani (19:51.059):
Thank you for having me!