Express Checkout

Express Checkout
  • 4.9 (15)
  • Business
  • Weekly

The Express Checkout podcast digs deeper than headlines to uncover the context, connections, and cultural shifts driving the world of consumer products. Join hosts (and CPG nerds) Nate and Jenna for analysis and conversations with the people and businesses shaping tomorrow's shopping cart. www.expresscheckout.co

  1. 9h ago

    When did “acquisition” become a dirty word in CPG?

    This week on the pod, we’re digging into one of the biggest controversies in CPG right now: what it means for a brand to be acquired. But first, we’re sharing the three headlines that piqued our interest this week: Atkins’ new rebrand as a “weight maintenance” brand (NOT a diet brand, apparently), the Lakers’ interesting new hydration partner, and Mondelez’s acquisition of Undercover Snacks (plus, why being the “plane snack” may or may not be a winning strategy). Then, we’re getting into the big question: is it actually a bad thing when your favorite emerging brand gets acquired by a bigger company? We’ll investigate some recent acquisitions, when consumer rhetoric may not match what’s actually happening, and when an acquisition may, or may not, be something to worry about. Let’s get into it! 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

  2. 6d ago

    The “dessert-ification” of everything.

    Happy almost-Halloween! ‘Tis the season for sweets, and we’re celebrating the best way we know how: by overanalyzing how brands are playing into indulgence. First, we’re sharing news about a fascinating innovation in sweetener science from Oobli and the latest from a forgotten friend in the modern soda aisle, Zevia (and why building a brand around a specific sweetener is risky behavior). Then, we’re getting into two theories shaping the sweetest brands—“dessertification” and permissible indulgence—both backed by news stories from this week and recent launches. What’s the spookiest sweet trend to you? Over-exaggerated dessert-themed marketing, portion-controlled indulgences, or function-packed treats? 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

  3. Oct 21

    The hits & misses of Whole Foods' 2027 Trend Report

    Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we're back after a little hiatus (news alert: we got acquired by Morning Brew!), and we've got an extra fun episode for you in our fancy new studio. We're kicking things off with Coke and Pepsi's latest functional soda wars and the booming "hard sports drink" category. Then, we're diving into the Whole Foods 2027 Trends Report (check out the full report here)—what we loved (Beautrition, Dish Reinvention, Yoshoku Effect, The Bean Boom), what missed the mark (Ingredient Minimalism, Zero Waste 2.0, Terroir's New Territory), and the two massive trends Whole Foods left out entirely. 👀 Let's get into it → The Breakdown: 0:00 - Intro and why things look/sound different... 1:46 - Our fave finds of the week 4:53 - The new Coke vs. Pepsi battle 12:44 - The "hard sports drink" boom 16:12 - Whole Foods 2027 Trends Report: The four trends that we liked (Beautrition, Dish Reinvention, Yosoku Effect, and The Bean Boom) 33:28 - Trends that missed the mark for us... (Ingredient Minimalism, Zero Waste 2.0, Terroir's New Territory, Bitter Done Better) 40:42 - The trends we'd add to the list 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

    The hits & misses of Whole Foods' 2027 Trend Report

  4. Oct 7

    Durable brands, bad capital, and the death of the VC/PE playbook

    Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re sitting down with wildly impressive Tristan Walker, who built and sold Walker & Company (the parent company behind Bevel) to Procter & Gamble. He also sits on the board of Shake Shack and recently joined Collaborative Fund to help launch Collab Holdings—a private equity arm built for consumer brands that don’t fit the traditional VC/PE playbook. He also runs Heirloom Leathercraft, a trade school and atelier bringing fine handcraft back to America. He walks us through building Bevel from a personal shaving problem to a national brand, the difficult decision to sell to P&G, and why he now believes most founders shouldn’t take VC money in the first place. We also dig into what makes a CPG brand “durable,” why Gen Z is increasingly skeptical of private equity, and whether AI can ever replicate intuition. 👀 Let’s go! The breakdown: 0:00 - Intro + Tristan’s background and new role3:42 - Building Bevel: from personal problem to national brand6:35 - The P&G acquisition and life after11:45 - Launching Collab Holdings20:27 - What makes a durable CPG brand27:48 - Good brands, bad capital, and the true cost of VC money35:16 - Heirloom Leathercraft and bringing fine handcraft back to America42:30 - Outro 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

  5. Sep 24

    How ice cream actually gets made

    Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast!This week, we're sitting down with Aaron Butterworth, Senior Specialist in Product Development at Häagen-Dazs, who's been developing flavors for the brand for over 20 years!She walks us through the entire journey of making ice cream for a massive brand, from brief to shelf—including the "ice cream charcuterie" brainstorming process (as dreamy as it sounds), why some great flavor ideas can never survive a factory, and how Häagen-Dazs's commitment to a clean label shapes everything about the product.Plus, we're tasting two new flavors on air (!!!!), getting the inside story on Häagen-Dazs's discontinued non-dairy line, and learning how the brand thinks about trends. The breakdown:0:00 - Intro + Aaron’s role at Häagen-Dazs3:01 - The flavor development process7:44 - How to make ice cream factory-friendly12:00 - “Overrun” and what’s not in the ice cream16:00 - Where flavor ideas come from23:34 - The science of texture25:14 - Behind the (discontinued) non-dairy experiment35:31 - Tasting our fave new flavor + what’s next PS. If you’re in NYC and interested in attending our seasonal trends event on 10/6, you can request to join us here!!! :) 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

  6. Sep 17

    Have we reached peak function?

    Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re catching up on a bunch of launches from the past few weeks, from David Protein’s new ready-to-drink milkshake, to the Liquid Death’s founder’s new brand and Beyond Meat’s latest (bizarre) attempt to regain relevancy. Plus, we’re getting into what “peak function” looks like, why “supplements for your supplements” might be the next big thing, and more. Let’s get into it → The Breakdown 0:00 - What we’ve been loving lately 4:55 - David Protein milkshakes and $250M raise 10:43 - Liquid Death’s founder’s new business 17:36 - Bero’s NA beer goes premium in glass 22:05 - Girl Scout Cookies x BARK and Partake 25:53 - Alec’s Ice Cream x Purely Elizabeth 29:19 - Beyond Meat’s bizarre new direction 38:46 - Folgers goes functional 43:38 - Optimum Nutrition’s NA protein beer 46:17 - Supplements for your supplements PS. If you’re in NYC and interested in attending our seasonal trends event on 10/6, you can request to join us here :) 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

    Have we reached peak function?

  7. Sep 9

    The next wave of “functional” drinks

    This week on the pod, we’re thrilled to be joined by Adam Terry, CEO and co-founder of Cantrip and On the Brightside—and absolute WEALTH of knowledge on all things THC regulation and functional beverages. Adam walks us through his journey in the cannabis beverage industry and pivot into a new kind of functional drink. He explains why the low-dose THC hypothesis didn’t pan out, the science behind the new functional ingredient he’s betting on, and the tricky retail landscape of functional beverages. This is a great follow-up episode to our interview with Jake Bullock, CEO and co-founder of Cann—offering some updates and rare insights into the ever-changing THC regulatory environment! The breakdown 0:00 - Intro and Adam Terry’s background 1:56 - The low-dose THC hypothesis 6:13 - The hemp ban and birth of On the Brightside 7:14 - What is kanna? 9:09 - Educating consumers on an unknown ingredient 13:20 - Retail strategy: soda, function & shelf placement 19:55 - Kanna vs. other functional ingredients 24:01 - The science: why kanna is more pro-social than THC 27:50 - Rethinking the functional beverage category 37:22 - The future of Cantrip & hemp ban outlook 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to the Express Checkout podcast wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

  8. Aug 26

    The creator marketing playbook for brands

    Welcome back to another episode of The Express Checkout Podcast! This week, we’re sitting down with Arthur Leopold, CEO and co-founder of Agentio, the buying platform for creator media. We dive into how creator marketing has evolved beyond the old influencer model and why most digital attention now lives with creator content (yet there’s still a spend gap). We also get into the non-obvious creator matches that drive real results—like how a lobster fisherman became a top performer for Grüns—and why the best brands treat creators as a channel, not a one-off campaign. If you want to learn more about Agentio click below! Book a demo today!! Let’s get into it! The Breakdown 0:00 - What is Agentio? 2:54 - What is creator marketing? 4:53 - Influencer vs creator 6:59 - Making content that resonates 8:13 - CPG brand success stories 11:06 - The creator spend gap 16:19 - Activating creators the right way 18:52 - Creator partnership formats 23:18 - The future of creator marketing 27:10 - Creators building their own brands 28:27 - Outro 🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to Express Checkout wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly. 📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co. 🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout 💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :) ⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us! Get full access to Express Checkout at www.expresscheckout.co/subscribe

    The creator marketing playbook for brands
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4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The Express Checkout podcast digs deeper than headlines to uncover the context, connections, and cultural shifts driving the world of consumer products. Join hosts (and CPG nerds) Nate and Jenna for analysis and conversations with the people and businesses shaping tomorrow's shopping cart. www.expresscheckout.co

Information

  • Creator
    Express Checkout
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Express Checkout
  • Show Website
    Express Checkout

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