Advertise on podcast: Inside Fashion Marketing by Zalando Marketing Services

In this episode of Inside Fashion Marketing, host Heike Lari sits down with Veronika Moles, Commercial Director Kids at Zalando, to discuss how the Kids category has evolved into a strategic e-commerce growth engine. They unpack how brands can elevate high-intent calendar moments like "Back to School" into storytelling opportunities, and explore how physical community activations - such as the "Kids Playground" in Berlin and Paris - translate directly into platform momentum and sustained customer lifetime value. As retail media continues to evolve, the brands that succeed will be those that unite physical presence, platform storytelling, and closed-loop insights to connect with consumers at every stage of the customer journey. Find out more about Zalando Partner Marketing Services: https://partner.zalando.com/services/marketing/

Culture isn’t just a brand builder - it’s a commercial growth engine. In this episode, Heike Lari sits down with Thomas Sailer, VP Brand Marketing Central Europe at adidas, to unpack how the global icon turns cultural relevance into measurable business impact. From DFB World Cup fandom to Japanese wrestling subcultures and the Berlin Marathon, discover adidas' 5-step framework connecting culture, community, and closed-loop retail media. Check out our website for more insights and resources.

In this episode of *Inside Fashion Marketing*, you will discover exactly how artificial intelligence, advanced self-service platforms, and robust first-party data are transforming modern retail media from basic sponsored product listings into a powerful, full-funnel e-commerce growth engine. Host Heike Lari (Director Partner Marketing and Consultancy at Zalando Partner Marketing Services) sits down for a fascinating chat with Diaa Abdallah, VP Tech at ZMS, live from the e-commerce and retail tech hub of Berlin, Germany. Together, they pull back the curtain on how Zalando builds its innovative marketing technology entirely in-house to serve brands across Europe. Diaa brings over a decade of performance optimization and audience targeting experience from his time at Amazon to explain how ZMS slices and dices data from 53 million active customers to deliver highly personalized ad experiences. The duo dives deep into the tangible tools empowering brands today, ranging from flexible MaxCPC steering controls for premium products to cutting-edge AI features that generate creative assets in seconds. They also tackle the massive macro shifts impacting the global marketing landscape, exploring the rise of agentic commerce, off-site AI integrations (like ChatGPT ads), and how retailers are securely guarding their data while building conversational tools like the Zalando Assistant. Whether you are looking to maximize your short-term Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) or understand the downstream impact of long-term brand awareness campaigns, this episode provides a comprehensive playbook for the future of digital commerce. Key Takeaways From This Episode: **In-House Tech & Self-Service Innovation:** Learn why ZMS relies on entirely proprietary, in-house engineering to build highly intuitive self-service tools that give brands ultimate campaign flexibility. **Granular Control via MaxCPC:** Discover how automated algorithms work hand-in-hand with manual controls, allowing brands to adjust what they pay per click based on whether a product is a premium item or a discounted asset. **Unlocking First-Party Data safely:** Understand how millions of daily customer transactions and page views are utilized to build highly tailored audience segments, resulting in significantly higher click-through rates (CTR) and campaign performance. **The Rise of Agentic Commerce:** Diaa shares his expert view on the dual trend of AI commerce, integrating off-site with popular AI platforms while enhancing internal, conversational shopping experiences. **Bridging Digital Tech with Real-World Experiences:** Discover how ZMS transcends traditional retail media by connecting online campaign tech with physical event spaces to build comprehensive, end-to-end consumer memories. **The ZMS "Steerco" Culture:** An inside look at Zalando's collaborative internal environment in Germany, which focuses on inclusion, team consensus, and empowering individual engineers to rapidly prototype natural-language data solutions. **Explore Zalando Partner Marketing Services:** https://partner.zalando.com/services/marketing

Pinterest turns wedding inspiration into real-world impact - blending cultural insight, creativity, and commerce.

What happens when a heritage brand meets a cultural phenomenon?

Retail Media is everywhere. But the basics? Often blurred. In this season opener, Heike Lari breaks retail media down to its core. What it is, who it’s for, and why it’s a full-funnel growth engine, not just a lower-funnel sales tool. From ROI vs. ROAS to awareness, consideration, and conversion - this episode gives you the shared language and KPI clarity every brand needs. Check out our website for more insights.

Tune in to our last episode of the 2025 season to hear Kiri Masters - retail media industry expert, columnist, and podcast host of "The Retail Media Breakfast Club" - discuss all things retail media with us. Heike and Kiri talk about what has changed in the past year in the retail media sphere, what we might see coming in 2026, and differences between the US and Europe.

Crocs and ZMS turn inspiration into impact - fusing cultural pulse, bold storytelling, and live moments at our Brand Experience Hub. Dive in with Yann Le Bozec, Group VP & Head of Marketing at Crocs, as he reveals how entertainment-led campaigns spark true connections and scale brand love. The most recent example he brings: Their collaboration with The Elevator Boys.

Join us for a landmark episode as ZMS welcomes its first ever media partner on the show, Dr. Jannika Bock, Managing Director Retail at Google Germany! She joins our host Heike Lari to unpack how the ZMS-Google collaboration is supercharging growth for fashion and beauty brands. This conversation decodes the new era of AI-powered full-funnel activation, covering how they master the complex path from YouTube awareness to on-site conversion. Tune in to see how combining ZMS's customer insights with Google's powerful AI creates smarter, more effective off-site campaigns.

Step into a decade of transformation with Joanna Rogers, Managing Director of Zalando Marketing Services, and Andreas Antrup, former ZMS MD and host of this podcast, and now MD Zalando China, as they join Heike Lari to celebrate 10 groundbreaking years of ZMS. From sketching Sponsored Products on a whiteboard to leading full-funnel, insight-driven campaigns for over 50 million customers - this episode unpacks how ZMS grew into a powerhouse of retail media innovation, cultural creativity, and customer-centric storytelling.

Recorded live at our OMR Masterclass 2025 "Retail media reloaded: Shaping the love brands of tomorrow", this episode unveils the powerhouse panel with brand leaders Alma Lipa, CDMO at L’Oréal, Dunja Ehlert, Senior Director Sales eCommerce West at PVH, and Iwona Skolicka, Head of Marketing Strategic Accounts EMEA at Salomon. Step into the new era of retail media, decoding the shift from clicks to connection, exploring how trailblazing fashion, beauty, and sports brands are leveraging AI, personalisation, and immersive storytelling to create deeper customer connections. It’s a future-focused look at how trust is built and love brands are shaped. Watch the full Masterclass here and join Heike Lari, Director Partner Marketing & Consultancy, as she presents how every touchpoint becomes shoppable, inspiring, and unforgettable.

Step into the piazza of possibilities with Chiara Grimoldi, Senior Marketing Manager at VF, with a focus on the iconic brand, Vans, as she joins Heike Lari to unpack Vans’ bold collaboration with Zalando’s “What do I wear?” campaign. From Sarah Jessica Parker swapping shoes to the Gen-Z style feed that took over a reimagined piazza — discover how authenticity, culture, and creativity shaped this standout moment in fashion marketing.

Watch our first ever video podcast episode which was recorded live. We had the pleasure of hosting Emma Helsloot, Co-founder of the Women in Retail Media Collective, and some of their members on the 22nd floor of our Zalando office, with Berlin stretching out beneath us and the sun as the ultimate paid actor of the day. Join us for an inspiring talk where Emma and Heike tackled industry challenges, the need for stronger female representation, and personal career milestones that shaped their journeys.

Kicking off a new podcast season with a lot of exciting firsts! Meet our new podcast host, Heike Lari, Director Partner Marketing & Consultancy at Zalando Partner Marketing Services, as she takes over from Andreas Antrup and unveils an expanded vision for the podcast. We’ll continue bringing you insights from partners and experts but will now also explore the full spectrum of retail media—including collaborations beyond Zalando. Tune in for fresh perspectives, new voices, and the future of retail media!

We dive into Tommy Hilfiger’s recent “My Team” campaign, with Jasmin Bolouri, Director of Marketing for Europe West at PVH, joining Andreas for the last show of this season. Jasmin shares insider perspectives on the creative vision, execution, and strategy behind the campaign, offering a unique lens into how iconic brands stay relevant in today’s fast-paced world of fashion.