ReFiBuy (retailplaybook.ai), the company that coined Agentic Commerce Optimization, has launched RetailPlaybook, a new podcast and newsletter channel built to help brands compete in AI-driven retail environments.
The channel is hosted by Andrew Bell, who joins ReFiBuy as VP of Research, and will deliver original research, agent teardowns, and actionable playbooks for ecommerce and retail media teams.
RetailPlaybook is specifically designed to help brands navigate retailer shopping agents, which are rapidly reshaping how products are discovered, compared, and recommended across major platforms.
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) reported that its Alexa for Shopping, formerly known as Rufus, reached more than 300 million customers in 2025, with monthly active users increasing more than 115% and engagement rising nearly 400% year over year.
Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has also reported that customers using its Sparky shopping agent generate average order values approximately 35% higher than those who do not use the tool.
The channel launches with its first episode, “Alexa for Shopping: The New Playbook for Agentic Commerce Optimization on Amazon,” opening a series focused on brand strategy and agent behavior.
Bell is widely recognized as one of the leading independent researchers studying Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping, with original frameworks and analysis that have been featured in Forbes and referenced broadly across the retail technology ecosystem.
He published the original Alexa for Shopping Blueprint, authors the LinkedIn newsletter Amazon Science Made Simple, and brings direct Amazon operator experience, including leading Amazon strategy for NFPA.
“Retailer shopping agents are already powering new search and discovery experiences in unprecedented ways across behemoths such as Amazon and Walmart,” said Bell. “RetailPlaybook’s mission is to become the central hub for Agentic Commerce Optimization knowledge and strategy across Alexa for Shopping, Walmart Sparky, Target Shopping Assistant, and beyond.”
Scot Wingo, Co-founder and CEO of ReFiBuy, said the company conducted deep research to identify the top minds in the retailer shopping agent space before selecting Bell to lead the channel.
“The top request we get at ReFiBuy is for more information and practical guidance on retailer-hosted shopping agents like Alexa for Shopping and Walmart Sparky,” said Wingo. “With Andrew at the helm, RetailPlaybook will deliver meticulously researched playbooks to help merchants optimize across retailer agentic commerce surfaces.”
RetailPlaybook complements ReFiBuy’s existing newsletter and podcast, Retailgentic, which tracks the broader agentic commerce market, while RetailPlaybook focuses specifically on brand strategy and execution.
The research developed through the channel will also feed directly into ReFiBuy’s product roadmap, with additional capabilities for retailer shopping agent optimization planned for release later in 2026.
ReFiBuy’s Commerce Intelligence Engine is described as the world’s first agentic-native, closed-loop platform built to help brands continuously evaluate, enrich, distribute, and monitor product data across agentic commerce surfaces.
The company was founded by veterans from ChannelAdvisor, now known as Rithum, as well as Walmart and MikMak, and serves leading brands across beauty, fashion, electronics, CPG, and home goods.
