Gary Vaynerchuk, Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia, serial entrepreneur and brand builder, joined Christopher Zara, News Director at Fast Company to challenge, inspire and energise the retail industry.
In this no-holds-barred fireside chat, Vaynerchuk shared his unfiltered take on what it takes to win in today’s attention economy, where consumer expectations shift overnight and brand loyalty is earned in seconds. He unpacked how retailers can harness emerging platforms, AI, influencer culture and content at scale to stay relevant and drive growth.
The insights were sharp, and very focused on leadership, marketing and customer obsession. This session intentionally pushed attendees to think bigger, move faster and connect more authentically with the people who matter most: their customers.
Zara began by asking about the social phenomenon called, ‘six, seven’. While the audience laughed, he reminded them that the bookstore Barnes & Noble opened 67 stores in 2025, when everyone else was thinking ‘online’.
Barnes & Noble tapped into TikTok’s #BookTok community to engage younger readers by creating authentic content and partnering with influencers. They introduced in-store ‘BookTok’ displays and themed events, linking viral trends to physical shopping experiences.
This strategy has driven significant growth, including a surge in store openings and increased foot traffic, while reinforcing their brand as a vibrant hub for Gen Z readers. By blending digital engagement with curated in-store experiences, Barnes & Noble has successfully revitalised its presence in the modern book market.
The case in point was that a failed business has ‘rebirthed’ by being different and using new channels to connect with a new audience.
Vaynerchuk was asked about what metrics should retailers be focused on, that they are currently not tracking.
“Brand loyalty still exists, but AI agents will change that. In a time when agents will be ordering your mundane staples, like groceries, they will ignore this ‘soft’ measure of loyalty and seek out rationally not emotionally, the best deals, the best value and the fastest deliveries.”
Shopping AI agents will disrupt traditional brand loyalty by prioritising objective factors like price, convenience, and personalisation over emotional attachment to brands. Consumers will increasingly rely on these agents to make optimised decisions, reducing the influence of branding alone.
Retailers must ensure accurate, accessible product data, offer strong value propositions, and integrate personalisation options to remain competitive. Trust, transparency, and ethical AI practices will also be critical for maintaining consumer confidence in this new shopping paradigm.
Critically, Vaynerchuk argued that we are still trying to measure something that is not measurable, like customer loyalty.
“It’s like measuring how much you love your mum. How do you measure that?”
“The mistake retailers are making is that they still confuse behavioural loyalty, i.e. repeat purchasing out of habit or convenience, or they measure situational loyalty, i.e., attractiveness of discounts or availability, or price-based loyalty, with attitudinal loyalty.”
“Attitudinal loyalty is where consumers have developed a deep emotional connection and positive attitude toward a brand, often advocating for it. That’s very hard to measure.”
Vaynerchuk suggested he was seeing a shift from social media to ‘interest media’. The shift means platforms are moving from focusing on personal connections to prioritising shared interests and algorithm-driven content discovery.
Instead of engaging mainly with friends and followers, users now consume content tailored to their passions and hobbies. For brands, this requires creating authentic, interest-based content that resonates with niche communities rather than relying solely on social networks or influencer reach.
Examples include TikTok, where its algorithm presents content based on user interests (e.g., BookTok, fitness or cooking) rather than who you follow, making discovery highly personalised. Another example is Pinterest, where users search and save ideas around hobbies, design and lifestyle, creating interest-driven boards rather than engaging in social conversations.
“Brands can leverage TikTok by creating authentic, trend-driven short videos that align with niche communities, while Pinterest works best for visually rich, inspirational content optimised for search and shoppable pins.”
Both platforms require interest-based strategies that focus on relevance and discovery rather than traditional follower-driven engagement.
Content relevance drives consumer loyalty by making interactions feel personalised and valuable. When brands consistently deliver content that aligns with a consumer’s interests, needs and lifestyle, it builds trust and emotional connection. This sense of ‘being understood’ encourages repeat engagement and purchases, strengthening long-term loyalty.
Vaynerchuk spoke of the growth of ‘organic social’. Organic social refers to the unpaid, natural interactions and content distribution that occur on social media platforms. It includes posts, stories, comments, shares, and engagement that happen without paid promotion.
“Sephora excels at organic social by sharing authentic tutorials, user-generated content and influencer collaborations like #SephoraSquad, which foster community and trust. Nike uses inspirational storytelling and localised accounts to create emotional connections, amplifying user content and niche communities without heavy reliance on ads.”
Both brands focus on authenticity and engagement rather than overt selling, making their content feel valuable and relatable. This approach strengthens brand loyalty and drives consistent organic reach.”
Vaynerchuk suggested that LinkedIn was underestimated as a channel for building business.
“All B2B should be on LinkedIn, but even B2C should be there as well. For example, if you sell travel, luggage, hotel accommodation or hiking boots… ask questions like, do you travel often, or do you enjoy a weekend hike?”
Vaynerchuk indicated LinkedIn was a great place to start a conversation with potential new customers.
Vaynerchuk asked the audience, “What is WhatNot?” Almost nobody raised their hand.
“We have over 2,000 retail experts in a room at NRF, and only about 3% of the room knew of this app.”
“WhatNot generated somewhere between $7 and 10 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) last year.”
WhatNot is a livestream shopping app where sellers host live video auctions and buyers bid in real time, creating an interactive marketplace. It focuses mostly on collectibles like trading cards, sneakers, and fashion but has expanded to over 250 categories. The platform combines entertainment with commerce, offering secure payments, seller vetting and community engagement.
“Livestream shopping is unstoppable.”
“Globally, the live commerce sector is expanding rapidly, with forecasts suggesting a US$6 trillion market by 2035. In China, the market is highly mature: livestream e-commerce generated ¥5 trillion (around US$683 billion) in 2023.”
In the U.S., about 60% of adults have watched live shopping shows, with about 33% having bought via livestreams. Around 86 million Americans purchased through live streaming. Conversion and engagement metrics are significantly higher in livestream shopping, with conversion rates of up to 30%, add-to-cart rates up to 34%, with chat engagement more than ten times that of traditional e-commerce.
Taobao Live (Alibaba) remains one of the earliest and most dominant livestream commerce platforms, but others are following quickly. TikTok Shop, Instagram and Facebook Live and YouTube Shopping are widely used globally, particularly in the U.S., offering integrated live shopping features on social media.
Finally, Vaynerchuk was asked about the rise in AI influencers – AI-created influencers like Mia Zelu, AI- Lil Miquela, Leya Love, or Kyra.
“No one felt bad when influencers took money out of the pockets of celebrities. I don’t think people will feel bad about AI created Influencers, taking money from human influencers. It’s evolution.”
Vaynerchuk suggested that retailer start considering these vehicles as a part of their marketing strategies.
