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Breaking the Digital Ad Barrier: A Q&A with Matt Wasserlauf, CEO of Blockboard

The future of digital advertising is Web3, where blockchain and AI bring the transparency the industry desperately needs. As black-box giants like Google, Amazon, and The Trade Desk dominate ad spend, Web3 offers a clearer, fairer path forward.

April 04, 2025

📢 Hey, Retailist Roundup readers! Is Web3 the key to unlocking transparency in digital advertising, or will black-box giants like Google and Amazon continue to dominate?

News from Retailist

Web3 is next for digital advertising. Web3 includes blockchain and AI as a means for transparency, which is desperately lacking across the black boxes that dominate the industry, namely Google, Amazon, and The Trade Desk.

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In the news: Top headlines this week

Trump says China could get tariff relief if it approves TikTok deal. Trump suggested he might approve a TikTok deal if China agrees to tariff relief, using the app as an example of how tariffs can be leveraged in trade negotiations. [Reuters]

Shoppers will pay more for bananas, coffee and toilet paper because of tariffs, trade group says. Trump’s latest tariffs are set to hit household staples like coffee, toilet paper, and bananas, forcing consumers to pay more as companies grapple with higher import costs. With limited domestic production of these essentials, experts warn that price hikes are inevitable. [CNBC]

‘Oh, sh—’: RH CEO reacts live to stock tanking on tariffs, poor earnings. CEO Gary Friedman witnessed the luxury furniture retailer's stock drop during its earnings call on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump's tariff policy was revealed. [CNBC]

Retail leaders sound off on AI’s use-cases. At Shoptalk’s spring conference in Las Vegas, artificial intelligence (AI) was a hot topic, sparking discussions on its potential, implementation challenges, and how it can coexist with the human aspect of retail. One of the most impactful remarks came from Mandeep Bhatia, senior vice president of global digital product and omnichannel innovation at Tapestry, who shared a quote highlighting the evolving role of AI in retail. [Retail Dive]

NRF expects ‘slower trajectory for consumer spending’ in 2025 as tariffs fuel uncertainty, inflation fears. In 2025, retail sales are projected to grow between 2.7% and 3.7%, reaching $5.4 trillion to $5.5 trillion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). This growth is supported by a strong labor market, aligning the upper end of the forecast with last year’s 3.6% sales growth. Despite the positive retail outlook, the NRF anticipates a nearly 2% decline in GDP growth for 2025, down from last year’s 2.8% growth and the broader trend of recent years. [Retail Dive]

Job Board: This week’s Top Openings in DTC, RetailTech, and more

Want to submit a role to our talent board? Email [email protected].

  • Market Business Manager (Oakland, NJ) Optimum - more here

  • YouTube & Demand Gen Channel Manager (Hiring Remotely in USA) Resident - more here

  • Regional Marketing Manager (Oakbrook Terrace, IL) Mirakl - more here

  • Strategic Partnership Manager (Denver, CO) Auror- more here

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Retailist Magazine is an outlet focused on modern commerce as it relates to digital innovation. The publication examines our culture’s ever-evolving relationship with marketing, commerce and traditional retail. Our goal is to connect our audience to quality content and award programs for retail brands to tell their story of innovation.

These experts stand at the helm of their niche in retail and provide readers with real-time, trending insights to ensure you remain on the bleeding edge of commerce innovation. Contributing thought leaders include C-suite executives from Vistaprint, Hubspot, Wix, Printful, Global-e, Zapaygo, TradeGala, Birdie, Inurface Media, and more.