From Data to Impact: 4 Takeaways on Insight-Driven Commerce from Candid Commerce NYC

At the Candid Commerce Summit in NYC, some of the industry’s sharpest minds came together to talk about what it really means to be insights-driven — especially in a world where AI agents, nonlinear shopping, and omnichannel complexity have changed everything.

I had the chance to join Cristina Marinucci from Mondelēz International, Lakshmi Pappu E.L.F. BEAUTY, and Chris Perry from firstmovr to explore how brands are turning data into action.

"Insight is a verb — it only exists when someone owns the next move." - Chris Perry 

We explored how to define real insights, assign ownership, and take action in a world of AI-assisted, omnichannel shopping. Data is a fact. Information is organized data. Insight is the why — and what to do next. 

Here are some of our take-away's from the panel:

👉You can’t manage what you can’t measure. 

◾ Brand media still has blind spots. The real question is: Are you showing up everywhere your human or AI-assisted shopper is shopping? 

◾ It takes tech enablement to tailor the path to purchase, and data enablement to measure it — all the way through to conversion. 

◾ The metrics that matter most are the ones tied directly to your objectives — and connected with context across brand media, shopper behavior, and retail outcomes. 

👉 Measurement drives focus. 

◾ One of the fastest ways to drive alignment, action, and even cultural change is to change what you measure — and make it visible. 

◾ When teams see the same signals, they start asking better questions, making faster decisions, and working toward shared outcomes. 

◾ Brands can break down cross-functional silos simply by aligning KPIs across marketing, insights, and retail teams. If everyone’s looking at the same success signals — not just impressions or ROAS in a silo, but conversion efficiency, basket behavior, and retailer performance — you unlock real collaboration. 

👉 Clicks matter — but they’re not the whole story. 

“The most expensive mistake in media is winning the click and losing the cart.” - Brett Banner

◾ Clickthrough rate is often treated as a win — and clicks do matter. They show interest and intent. But without context, they can be misleading. 

◾ The focus shouldn't be only on driving traffic — it’s on understanding what happens next. Brands need to build the connective tissue — from media to cart, from shopper to SKU — so they’re not just measuring attention, but understanding how it translates to revenue. Don't just look at what that shoppers clicked — but why they converted, what was in their basket, and how to repeat that success across campaigns and channels. 

👉 Agentic commerce demands data readiness. 

◾ An agent is only as good as the data it can consume. Brands need structured content, real-time price and inventory accuracy, and clean signals to even show up. 

◾ Most organizations aren’t set up for this — success requires tight alignment across product content, retail data, and media. 

◾ The opportunity: Don’t just be agent-ready. Lead agentic shopping with brand-owned strategy, structure, and signals. 

The brands who will win in this new era aren’t just those with the most data — they’re the ones who know what to do with it. And brand media is still one of the most untapped levers.

A special thanks to Daniel Torres Dwyer from The FMCG Guys and the Medium Marketing team for hosting the event and to Chris Perry, Sri Rajagopalan and Lauren Livak Gilbert for moderating the insightful and inspiring panels. And to our team of Justen Meyer, Kimberly Markle and Hunter McKissock who attended to connect with our valued clients.