Growing Ecommerce

The online retail growth podcast with Mike Ryan & Chris Scharmüller

Feed your growth mindset

digital-momentum-the-retail-growth-podcast-with-mike-ryan - illustration In 2025, we welcomed PPC whizz Chris Scharmueller to the Growing Ecommerce family – doubling our firepower and freshening our take. Now, Mike Ryan and Chris dig into the real pain points and opportunities facing online retailers today.

They’re joined by industry leaders in ecommerce, digital marketing, and data science to share fresh trends, practical tactics, and cautionary tales. Ready to see what’s really working (and what’s overhyped)? Tune in to solve tomorrow’s challenges with insights you can put into action today.

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New episodes

29 min

Don't Buy ChatGPT Ads Until You Watch This (Plus:
The Google Cloud vs AWS Cage-Match)

Don't Buy ChatGPT Ads Until You Watch This (Plus: The Google Cloud vs AWS Cage-Match)In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dive into the much-anticipated updates to the OpenAI ads platform and break down Google's staggering Q1 earnings report. While OpenAI has finally transitioned their ad platform from a primitive Excel spreadsheet to a proper User Interface, their…

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31 min

RIP DSA:
What to expect from September's Sunset

RIP DSA: What to expect from September's SunsetIn this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dive into the end of an era: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) are officially dying. While Google's new AI Max for Search currently sits at a tiny 1.5-2% adoption rate, the mandatory migration of all DSA campaigns by September will trigger an instant hockey-stick growth curve. We explain exactly…

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28 min

How OpenAI Just Lost the Ecommerce War

How OpenAI Just Lost the Ecommerce WarIn this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller break down the latest shifts in the battle for AI dominance and the future of online shopping. We analyze the quiet death of OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). With major tech giants—including ACP co-founder Stripe, as well as Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon—joining Google's Universal Commerce…

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24 min

Inside Google's UCP playbook — why OpenAI CAN'T catch up

Inside Google's UCP playbook — why OpenAI CAN'T catch upGoogle just quietly won the agentic commerce war — and most ecommerce retailers haven't even noticed. In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris break down the three UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) updates Google just shipped, why OpenAI's ACP is already falling behind, and the structural advantages that make Google's lead almost…

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29 min

OpenAI's "Delusional" $100B Ad Target | Plus:
The Fall of Allbirds

OpenAI's "Delusional" $100B Ad Target | Plus: The Fall of AllbirdsIn this episode of Growing E-commerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller unpack two massive stories highlighting the current realities—and potential delusions—of the tech and retail sectors. First, we discuss the quiet and staggering fall of Allbirds. Once a Silicon Valley staple and D2C darling valued at a massive $4 billion, the sustainable…

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34 min

The “Amazon Killer”? How JD's Joybuy Invades Europe | PLUS:
Meta's Zero-Click Threat

The “Amazon Killer”? How JD's Joybuy Invades Europe | PLUS: Meta's Zero-Click ThreatIs the “Zero-Click” shopping era finally here, and are European retailers ready for a three-way war between Amazon, Temu, and JD.com’s Joybuy? In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller unpack a huge week in e-commerce. First: Meta’s new Stripe partnership for in-app checkout. With OpenAI…

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31 min

OpenAI’s $25 BILLION Loss – is Agentic Shopping Dead?

OpenAI’s $25 BILLION Loss – is Agentic Shopping Dead?OpenAI is facing a projected $25 billion shortfall, and their attempt to monetize ecommerce is already falling apart. In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmüller ask the billion-dollar question: Is the dream of "agentic commerce" already dead on arrival?  While the media celebrates OpenAI's early $100 million in ad revenue,…

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33 min

How the Top 1% Retailers Run Google Ads in 2026

How the Top 1% Retailers Run Google Ads in 2026Ever wonder what the biggest e-commerce brands are discussing behind closed doors? We are opening up the vault. 🤫 In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller give you a backstage pass to their recent strategy meetings with some of Europe's largest retailers. We are unpacking the exact playbooks, fears, and tactics dominating…

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