Nii Ahene is the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, a publication offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Previously, he co-founded CPC Strategy, which was acquired by Tinuiti, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer. Nii is also an angel investor in 5G, CPG, and B2B SaaS companies.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [3:44] Nii Ahene recounts the early days of eBay and how he recognized the shift toward online shopping
• [6:19] The evolution of retail media and how Amazon changed product search behavior
• [10:04] How brands should consider retail media investments
• [16:44] Boosting product rankings and driving discovery on retail media networks
• [25:36] Nii addresses the shift in product searches from Google to Amazon and TikTok
• [32:57] The overreliance on AI for eCommerce
• [43:09] Nii’s interest in the creator economy and its impact on the eCommerce space

In this episode…

Retail media has exploded in recent years, with hundreds of networks vying for ad dollars. While some brands see significant returns, others struggle to justify their investments. With so many options and increasing pressure from retailers, how can brands determine which retail media networks truly drive incremental growth?

Nii Ahene, an expert in eCommerce and digital marketing, emphasizes the importance of first-party data and strategic investments. Nii advises brands to evaluate whether a retail media network drives new customer acquisition or simply shifts existing demand. He suggests focusing on platforms where consumers actively research products and ensuring ad spend aligns with offline and online sales impact. Additionally, brands should integrate retail media with broader shopper marketing efforts, leveraging digital advertising to drive in-store purchases.

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Nii Ahene, the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, about the evolving landscape of retail media. Nii shares insights on data-driven ad spending, the consolidation of retail media networks, and TikTok’s growing role in product discovery.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn   
• BWG Connect  
• Nii Ahene on LinkedIn 
• Net Influencer 
• “Incremental Retail Media Measurement With Meghan Corroon” on The Digital Deep Dive
• Max Sinclair on LinkedIn
• Ecomtent

Quotable Moments:

• "Retail media thrived because consumers shifted product searches from Google to Amazon, making ads essential for visibility."
• "Brands must evaluate retail media spend critically; incrementality, not fear, should drive investment decisions."
• "Retailers need to offer more than ads; leveraging first-party data for off-platform targeting is the real opportunity."
• "Amazon’s retail media began as a solution for product discoverability, but it’s evolved into a defensive tax."
• "The creator economy reminds me of early eCommerce. New opportunities for brand discovery are emerging fast."

Action Steps:

1. Critically assess retail media investments: Instead of blindly following industry trends, brands should evaluate whether retail media spending actually drives incremental growth. This allocates marketing budgets to strategies that create real value rather than just maintaining visibility.
2. Leverage first-party data for targeted advertising: Retailers should develop partnerships to use customer data for off-platform marketing, such as social media and video ads. This enhances brand reach and engagement beyond traditional retail media networks, leading to better conversion rates.
3. Prioritize digital discoverability over paid ads only: Brands should invest in content strategies, influencer partnerships, and organic search optimization to drive discovery. A balanced approach ensures long-term brand visibility rather than reliance on ever-increasing ad spend.
4. Align retail media spend with offline sales impact: Many brands generate most of their revenue from brick-and-mortar stores yet allocate digital budgets without considering offline effects. Integrating digital and physical retail strategies ensures marketing efforts drive total brand growth.
5. Stay agile with new eCommerce and AI tools: Emerging technologies can significantly enhance efficiency in retail media, email marketing, and product page optimization. Regularly evaluating and adopting the right tools keeps brands competitive in an increasingly data-driven landscape.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.