RETHINK RETAIL

Epizode

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  Grocery, Surveillance Pricing & Should Brands Go Public? 07.08.2026 27min

  Welcome to another edition of Retail Roundup—your weekly brief helping retail leaders decode the biggest shifts in retail, AI, and commerce. In this week’s episode, Jeremy Goldman sits down with industry experts David Polinchock (Co-Founder & President at Unified Brand Experience Lab) and Aidan Mittra (Co-Founder at OrderGrid) to examine the operational and regulatory forces redefining the industry. From the growing divide in grocery retail, the intense regulatory scrutiny surrounding dynamic pricing and electronic shelf labels, to the strategic debate over whether consumer brands should go public or stay private. INSIDE THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: - THE GROCERY DIVIDE: VALUE vs EXPERIENCE: As cost-conscious shoppers trade down and higher-income consumers seek experiences, middle-ground grocers are caught in the squeeze. While tech giants win on speed, experiential grocers thrive through in-person engagement and community. - DEMYSTIFYING SURVEILLANCE PRICING AND ELECTRONIC SHELF LABELS: Growing regulatory scrutiny and consumer mistrust over dynamic pricing and electronic shelf labels are pushing retailers toward transparency. Winning back trust requires bridging the online-offline pricing gap with a clear value exchange. - PUBLIC MARKET PRESSURES vs THE POWER OF STAYING PRIVATE: Faced with a cool IPO market, consumer brands are choosing to stay private longer. Prioritizing long-term brand equity over quarterly earnings pressure proves that rapid expansion doesn't always yield lasting value. As consumer expectations shift and regulatory pressure mounts, retail leaders must balance operational efficiency with clear customer value. 🎧 Listen above for the full conversation on the trends making us rethink retail this week.
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  Beyond Translation: Standardize Globally, Adapt Locally 05.08.2026 26min

  The platforms change, but retail’s core rules stay the same. Whether you're entering new international markets or integrating AI into fulfillment, lasting growth comes down to standardizing global foundations while unlearning local habits. On this episode of Global Lens, Senior Retail Analyst Lavina Suthenthiran joins Jim Fielding (former CEO of Claire’s and former President at Disney Stores Worldwide) to unpack practical expansion strategies, experiential store design, and where AI fits into modern retail execution. INSIDE THE EPISODE: - Localization goes far beyond translation. Global consistency can’t ignore local reality. True localization hits trademark laws, product naming, and visual merchandising before inventory ever ships. - The 70/30 Assortment Rule. Over-centralizing creates a "Western bias" that misses regional demand. The strongest global brands maintain a common core while allowing local teams to adapt to regional preferences. - Retail + Storytelling Outpaces Passive Browsing. Physical retail spaces can no longer act as simple transaction hubs. They must provide emotional resonance or risk irrelevance against screens. - Surfing AI Disruption Requires Human Judgment. While AI dramatically accelerates operational speed, automated commerce still faces a massive trust deficit with consumers. Listen to the full episode above for practical lessons on global expansion, localized execution, and experiential retail.
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  Beyond the Search Bar: AI Agents in Retail 03.08.2026 18min

  AI is changing what search means in e-commerce. Shoppers are no longer just typing keywords and scanning static results. Conversational agents are shaping discovery, addressing objections, and guiding purchases like digital salespeople. Brands must look beyond traditional SEO and design for both human shoppers and AI-driven journeys. Jeremy Goldman sits down with Sean Whitehead, VP of Digital Product & Tech at Fracture, and Aniket Deosthali, CEO and Founder of Envive AI, to discuss how brands can bring in-store service online, adapt to the rise of AI search, earn consumer trust, and preserve brand distinctiveness as AI tools become commoditized. INSIDE THE EPISODE: From Keyword Matching to Digital Salesmanship Traditional search assumes shoppers already know what they want. AI can address hesitation and objections directly on the product page before they turn into abandoned carts. The Financial Imperative of AI Search With half of consumers using AI search, and a projected $750B revenue impact by 2028, optimizing for AI engine visibility (AEO/GEO) is non-negotiable. Brands need to focus on durable fundamentals: structured data, strong content, authority, and answering real customer questions. Trust and Security Are the Ultimate Bottlenecks for AI Adoption With nearly 40% of consumers fearing AI scams or data misuse, brands must "treat AI like a new hire"—using strict guardrails and brand-approved data to prevent costly glitches. Brand Differentiation Will Shift to Proprietary Data and Brand Voice As AI tools commoditize, standing out requires training models on your distinct brand voice and unique customer data. 🎧 Listen above for a practical look at how retail leaders are rethinking AI search, customer trust, and brand differentiation.
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  Retail Roundup: Luxury Split, TikTok Shop & Heritage 31.07.2026 25min

  Welcome to another edition of Retail Roundup—your weekly brief helping retail leaders decode the biggest shifts in retail, AI, and commerce. In this week’s episode, Jeremy Goldman sits down with industry experts Charisma Glassman (Genpact) and RETHINK Retail's very own Tanya Thorson to examine the shifts redefining commerce. Together, they analyze shifting consumer spending, the evolution of social commerce platforms, and the operational tightrope legacy brands must walk to survive. INSIDE THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: 1. HIGH-INCOME RESILLENCE VS ASPIRATIONAL FRICTION Luxury retail’s recovery is divided. High-net-worth consumers continue spending on hard luxury like Tiffany & Co., while aspirational shoppers pull back on fashion due to economic pressure. This gap is forcing retailers to sharpen demographic targeting by doubling down on high-end jewelry or recalibrating price points for cautious buyers. 2. SOCIAL COMMERCE IS MOVING FROM DISCOVERY TO ECOSYSTEM OWNERSHIP TikTok's testing of a paid membership program demonstrates that social commerce platforms are moving beyond viral product discovery. By layering in subscriptions, logistics, and perks, platforms aim to own the entire customer lifecycle and drive repeat purchases. 3. BRAND HERITAGE IN AN EMOTIONAL ASSET, NOT JUST MARKETING Evolving a legacy brand is high-stakes operations, not just marketing. As Cracker Barrel learned, abrupt changes to logos, menus, or store design can feel like a betrayal to core customers, triggering swift backlash and financial friction. As consumer behavior splits and platforms evolve, retail leaders must adapt operations to protect brand value and secure customer loyalty. 🎧 Listen above for the full conversation on the trends making us rethink retail this week.
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  Why Global Demand Is Outpacing Operations 29.07.2026 12min

  “The hard part isn’t going global. It’s staying operational once you’re there.” Senior Retail Analyst Lavina Suthenthiran unpacks the newest Global Lens report in a new podcast series exploring the forces reshaping global retail. Over the coming weeks, she dives deeper into the data, case studies, and market dynamics behind one central conclusion: cross-border growth has shifted from a demand problem to an execution problem. In this episode, Jeremy Goldman joins Lavina to explore the major themes behind that conclusion, and how leading brands are learning from costly mistakes as they build for global growth. DEMAND IS ARRIVING FASTER THAN BRANDS CAN OPERATIONALIZE FOR IT: Discovery has never been easier. Between social platforms and AI, brands can suddenly see demand in markets they never planned to enter. The challenge now is whether brands will be ready on the backend when that demand appears. - Supporting data: ESW research found that 71% of Gen Z discovers products on social media, but only 6% want to complete the purchase there, indicating that discovery and conversion now happen in different places. CAPABILITY GAPS ARE DRIVING CROSS-BORDER FAILURE: When demand comes, brands need to be prepared to deliver. The problem is, most aren’t. Failure tends to stem from fulfillment, checkout, planning, and execution weaknesses rather than a lack of appetite. - Supporting data: 7 in 10 cross-border expansions fail, and 7 in 10 failures trace back to a capability gap, not market readiness. LOCALIZATION IS STRUCTURAL, NOT COSMETIC: Local knowledge has to be present before decisions are approved, not after problems emerge. Localization is not just translation or surface-level cultural adaptation. It must shape decision-making, assortment, channels, and service design. Without that local knowledge, brands risk appearing out of touch or missing their audience entirely. DESIGN A GLOBAL OPERATING MODEL, NOT A MARKET-BY-MARKET IMPROVISATION: Fragmented, market-by-market operations eventually collapse. Sustainable international growth requires clear rules on what remains standardized versus what flexes locally. - Supporting data: Skull Footwear used organic demand data across 90+ countries to focus DTC expansion in India, Brazil, and Indonesia, instead of spreading everywhere at once. Listen above to the full discussion, including real-world cautionary tales and success strategies from leaders who have mastered global execution.
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  Retail Roundup: Retail’s End to Safe Plays 24.07.2026 27min

  Welcome to another edition of Retail Roundup—your weekly brief helping retail leaders decode the biggest shifts in retail, AI, and commerce. In this week’s episode, Jeremy sits down with Martin Bailie (MWB Advisory) and Kimberly Morgan (The Fashion Tech Exec) to break down how three major retail moves signal a definitive shift away from safe, superficial trends toward bold execution. INSIDE THE EPISODE: - Marketplaces As Infrastructure: GameStop’s CEO Ryan Cohen put $500M of his own capital toward acquiring eBay (a company 5x GameStop's size). Regardless of the outcome, it shows massive conviction in combining physical store networks with marketplace scale to power modern commerce. - Practical AI Execution: Instacart acquired computer-vision startup Arpalus to track shelf inventory in real time. Shoppers will experience fewer substitutions and out-of-stock items. (For more on Instacart’s infrastructure moves, check out our interview with the Chief Commercial Officer, Ryan Hamburger, here) - Profits Over Growth: Reformation’s $1B IPO filing will test public market appetite for direct-to-consumer brands. The standards have changed: investors now prioritize healthy margins, sane customer acquisition costs, and durable unit economics over raw expansion. Different headlines, same story. Safe, incremental moves aren't cutting it anymore. Moving ahead right now takes clear strategy, strong execution, and real financial discipline. 🎧 Listen above for the full conversation on the trends making us rethink retail this week
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  The Omnichannel Execution Gap 20.07.2026 21min

  Most retailers have the tools, platforms, and channels. The problem? They don’t talk to each other. Simply offering apps, delivery, and pickup options is no longer enough—the real challenge is connecting those systems seamlessly underneath the surface. In an upcoming report, Jeremy Goldman (VP of Editorial and Insights) outlines this exact issue: the omnichannel execution gap. Ahead of the release, he sat down with Xavier Vaissiere (Global Insights & Analytics Director at CP Skin Health Group) and Erica Meagher (Head of E-commerce at Beiersdorf) to discuss why this operational gap is widening and how retailers can fix it. INSIDE THE EPISODE: - Why a massive percentage of retail dollars still sit within the physical store, and how leaders are connecting it to digital. - How constantly adding new sales platforms without retiring old ones is creating a data nightmare—and what to do about it. - The specific trap brands fall into when deploying AI without a clear roadmap, and how to use it effectively. - Why closing the execution gap requires mastering four specific, unglamorous backend operations (from real-time inventory to returns). Listen to the full discussion above to learn how to make your underlying systems work together. The full report lands later this month.
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  Retail Roundup: From Reaction to Retail Restructure 17.07.2026 25min

  Welcome to another addition of Retail Roundup. Your weekly brief to help retail leaders decode the biggest news in retail, AI, and commerce—and understand what those developments mean in practice. In this week's episode, VP of Editorial & Insights Jeremy Goldman joins Zak Stambor (EMARKETER) and Richard Kestenbaum (Triangle Capital LLC) to highlight how retail giants are shifting from reaction to restructuring when facing market disruptions like tariffs and inflation. These titans are completely changing how they manage inventory, set prices, and run seasonal campaigns to build a permanent competitive advantage. INSIDE THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: The Tariffs Front-Loading Surge: Instead of waiting to see how trade policies play out, retailers are treating tariffs as a permanent, predictable business expense. They are aggressively front-loading their inventory, accepting high storage costs today to guarantee their shelves aren't empty tomorrow. - U.S. ports are expected to handle a record 2.47 million import containers in July as retailers rush to get goods in before expected August tariff updates. WALMART'S OFFENSIVE PRICE WAR: The retail giant isn't just lowering prices to help shoppers fight inflation, it is using price cuts defensively and offensively. By slashing margins on highly visible everyday staples (like meat, produce, and soda), they are squeezing out smaller competitors who simply cannot afford to match those discounts. THE JULY BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHIFT: The traditional late-August rush is officially a thing of the past. Amazon Prime Day has permanently pushed the shopping calendar up into July, while shoppers are increasingly using AI discovery tools to map out what to buy weeks before they ever visit a physical store or checkout screen. - 17% of shoppers had already finished most of their back-to-school buying by early July, per CivicScience. Listen above for the full conversation on the trends making us rethink retail this week.
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  Instacart’s Connected Store Strategy 15.07.2026 14min

  Instacart is shifting from a basic delivery app to a complete digital operating system that runs grocery stores from top to bottom. Ryan Hamburger, Chief Commercial Officer at Instacart sat down with Yael Kochman, Chair of AiR, to break down how the platform is bundling hardware, software, and AI tools that help grocers manage everything from smart shopping carts to automated inventory tracking. “Consumers know the shopping cart. You cannot make it a complicated experience. Otherwise they will abandon it.” By solving real-world frustrations on the store floor and removing the inventory guesswork for retailers, Instacart is scaling AI to create a unified experience for everyone in the aisle. INSIDE THE EPISODE: - How smart carts bring your digital account, real-time store inventory, and loyalty rewards directly to the grocery aisle. - Why tools only succeed if they fit a shopper's routine, making it effortless to budget in real time, find items on the shelf, and manage lists. - How Instacart handles the technical headache for grocers trapped by ancient computer systems by wrapping software around existing infrastructure. - How Instacart’s AI acts as a proactive meal planner for shoppers while tracking shelves and predicting inventory for retailers. Listen above for the full discussion on how grocery AI delivers the most value when it connects the entire retail ecosystem while remaining simple for shoppers and practical for grocers.
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  Retail Roundup: AI, Leadership & Retail Media 13.07.2026 20min

  Welcome to the Retail Roundup. Your weekly brief to help retail leaders decode the biggest news in retail, AI, and commerce—and understand what those developments mean in practice. To kick us off, VP of Editorial & Insights Jeremy Goldman, CEO Marie Chevrier Schwartz, and Senior Retail Analyst Lavina Suthenthiran break down a massive structural shift: the transition from tech experimentation to real-world deployment, the growing value of digitally native leadership, and why smaller brands must abandon corporate copycat strategies to survive. Inside This Week’s Episode: AI: From Experimentation to Practical Deployment - Retail AI has moved past superficial pilots into live, shopper-facing tools focused on solving real customer friction: buying certainty, listing friction, and automated cart building. - While brands are rushing to adopt AI, few have restructured their operations around it. Adoption is currently outpacing true business transformation. "More than 75% of companies are now using AI in their business functions, but only 21% actually redesigned their workflows around it, and only 16% have scaled it enterprise-wide." - Lavina Suthenthiran Rise of the Digitally Native Leadership - The traditional pipeline to top executive leadership is being disrupted. - Boards are now selecting leaders based on digital ecosystem thinking, media literacy, and community building. - Modern fields like retail media are so new that universities don't yet teach them. Retailers have to train their own future leaders internally. “While merchandising and store operations experience still matters, you know, I would say that we have to be really focused on where commerce is headed.” - Marie Chevrier Schwartz How Smaller Retailers Fight Back - Walmart’s multi-billion-dollar acquisitions of Vizio and Vibe.co show how retail giants are linking TV viewing data directly to what customers buy. - Smaller retailers must focus on hyper-specialized product categories, authentic storytelling from real experts, and building passion-driven communities. "Whatever you see Amazon and Walmart doing, you don't try to do the same thing because you're not going to be successful. You have to find other ways to kind of compete in a David and Goliath-like manner." — Jeremy Goldman Click play above for the full conversation on the trends shaping retail.
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  Moving Retail Tech Beyond the Pilot Phase 09.07.2026 40min

  Retailers rarely manage to scale new storefront technology beyond a basic pilot phase. Demo modes simulate perfect conditions, but they completely ignore the chaotic reality of a live store. This operational gap kills widespread rollouts. Mark Propes, Chief Business Development Officer at Vusion, and Hitha Herzog, Chief Retail Analyst at H Squared Research, join Jeremy Goldman to pinpoint exactly why these retail trials hit a wall, and how brands can actually make in-store tech work. “Are you really building something that's durable enough and rugged enough for what happens in the aisle?" From fragile lab environments to a cracked data foundation, they break down the roadblocks stalling retail innovation. INSIDE THE EPISODE: - Why teams must build store tools for physical durability rather than treating them as fragile science experiments - How central strategic alignment solves the 95% failure rate of AI pilots - Why you must clean up baseline inventory metrics before touching advanced AI - How to shift evaluation metrics away from abstract vendor marketing and toward real operational numbers Stop blindly throwing disconnected tools at your tech stack. Listen to the full conversation above to see how teams turn experimental pilots into operational realities.
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  Next Phase of Retail AI: Agents & Infrastructure 06.07.2026 18min

  AI is becoming embedded in retail operations, shifting the conversation from experimentation to scalable, sustainable execution. At Shoptalk Europe, Azita Martin (VP & GM of Retail, CPG & QSR AI at NVIDIA) joined Yael Kochman, Chair, AiR (AI in Retail) to explore what leadership looks like in this next phase. The discussion focuses on how leading organizations are approaching ownership, cost, and operational scale as AI moves into production. Inside the episode: - How retailers are adopting hybrid architectures that combine frontier models with smaller, task-specific systems - How AI is being applied across physical store operations, fulfillment, and real-time inventory management - Why cost discipline and infrastructure decisions will define the long-term viability of AI deployment Listen to the full conversation to learn the practical steps for navigating the next phase of retail AI
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  Media in Retail: Why Community Matters 30.06.2026 19min

  Welcome to Media in Retail Today, RETHINK Retail officially launched Media in Retail (MiR), a new community built for the people shaping the future of retail media. To mark the launch, Community Chair Drew Cashmore joins Jeremy Goldman to discuss why the industry needs a dedicated space for connection, collaboration, and candid conversation. WHY MIR EXISTS: - Retail media has grown quickly, but there are still too few opportunities for authentic, honest conversations between the people building the industry. - MiR brings together brands, retailers, agencies, and technology partners in a year-round community built around shared learning, fresh perspectives, and real-world experience. - A Community, Not an Event - MiR doesn’t begin and end with an event. It’s a year-round community designed to connect, learn, and grow alongside peers across the industry. - The community is also meant to create pathways for emerging and aspiring retail media leaders, while opening the door to mentorship and shared learning across experience levels. WHY IT MATTERS NOW: - Retail media is becoming a core part of how retailers operate, engage customers, and drive growth. - “Retail media started in its infancy as a profit center for retailers to offset some of their operating costs. And it is quickly moved into the total flywheel that generates value for retailers.” - As the industry evolves, the decisions shaping its future shouldn’t happen in isolation. Progress depends on greater collaboration, stronger relationships, and a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing every part of the market. What Success Looks Like MIR IS BUILT TO: - Helping buyers and sellers better understand each other’s priorities - Creating opportunities for more productive conversations across the industry - Supporting the next generation of retail media leaders - Building stronger connections between the people shaping the future of the space Listen to the launch episode to hear why MiR was created, what it hopes to achieve, and how you can be part of the conversation.
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  Cracking the E-Grocery Code of Same-Day Delivery 29.06.2026 21min

  Most grocers can launch same-day delivery. The real challenge is building a model that keeps customers happy while still protecting margins at scale. In this RETHINK Retail Podcast episode recorded at Shoptalk Europe, Top Retail Expert Sharon Yourell sat down with Rohlik Group leaders to break down how they built a profitable in-house same-day delivery operation across five markets. The conversation goes deep into the strategic side of eGrocery, including: - Achieving fulfillment orchestration across 25k+ SKUs with near-perfect inventory accuracy and minimal substitutions - The tradeoffs grocers face when customer relationships, transaction data, and margin ownership shift to third-party platforms - Why owning the customer journey  and creating operational consistency are critical drivers of long-term eGrocery profitability A must-listen for grocers focused on building more resilient in-house operations. Listen above!
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  How Retail Innovation Is Shaping Grocery Operations in 2026 26.06.2026 22min

  On this special crossover episode between RETHINK Retail and Retail Razor, guest host Ricardo Belmar — founder of the Retail Razor podcast network — sits down with Aidan Mittra, Co-founder of OrderGrid, to explore how retail innovation is reshaping grocery operations, tackling margin constraints, and leveraging data to unlock the massive opportunities presented by AI and retail media networks. Key Takeaways - Acute operational and resource pressures remain: Margin constraints, high staff turnover, and shifting customer expectations create an incredibly complex environment where grocers must operate leaner than ever. - Clean data is required for emerging tech: Advanced solutions like AI-based pre-trip meal planning rely entirely on real-time, accurate inventory and product data foundations. - Isolated point systems must be connected: Novel solutions like robots, sensors, and electronic shelf labels generate useful data, but they lack the operational connectivity needed to orchestrate real-time daily tasks for overwhelmed store associates. - Stores are evolving into omnichannel hubs: Physical stores remain essential but are shifting to blend digital channels with experiential upgrades, such as utilizing smart carts, apps, and backroom fulfillment. - In-store retail media opens incremental high-value revenue: Grocers possess an invaluable goldmine of first-party customer data that can be activated inside the store to build a meaningful new income stream with real bottom-line impact. - Three factors separate future market leaders: Success hinges on structuring organizations around the customer rather than separate physical/e-commerce P&Ls, establishing strong data foundations today, and fiercely owning the customer relationship through loyalty. This episode digs deep into how a clean data foundation and operational connectivity position grocery operators to lead an increasingly complex and fast-moving retail landscape.
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  How to Win with RFID: Master the Intelligent Store 24.06.2026 19min

  The Intelligent Store: Revolutionizing Fashion with RFID Real-time item visibility is the ultimate cornerstone of modern customer service. Drew Ehlers from Zebra and Matt Redwood of Diebold Nixdorf sit down with Top Retail Expert Marshall Kay to unpack the massive scale of RFID adoption. Inside the Episode: - Eliminating Audits: Moving to 99 percent stock accuracy to end painful annual manual counts. - Empowering Staff: Changing associates from task drivers into active customer experience providers. - Securing Returns: Using unique serial numbers to stop cross-store return fraud on high-rate items. - Fixed Infrastructure: The industry shift from handheld section scanning to always-on overhead systems. Stop counting inventory manually. Start running an intelligent network. Listen the Full Episode.
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  The Retail Shift: From AI to Lived Experience 18.06.2026 13min

  In an era of AI-driven information overload, consumers are moving away from pure search queries and toward trusted, human-centered proof. “People want answers that are grounded in human experience.” David Trencher, Managing Director of Reddit (UK & EMEA), sat down with Lavina Suthenthiran to break down how consumer trust is actively shifting away from polished brand messaging and moving toward peer-to-peer validation. According to Trencher, AI and search may be the start of the journey, but they do not guarantee action. In fact, 60% of US users search for products with AI, and half of them go directly to Reddit to verify results. Inside the episode: - Why traditional retail funnels are failing: Learn how purchase intent now forms in community spaces long before a consumer hits a brand site - How brands must redefine marketing success: Discover why you need to look beyond last-click attribution to find where decisions are actually made - Why community participation must replace community control: Find out how to navigate digital spaces that actively reject polished corporate messaging Metrics, creative, and insights still matter, but the real question is: Are you part of the journey before the last click? Listen to the full episode above to find out.
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  Preserving Human Ownership: The Key to Measurable AI Success in Retail 15.06.2026 20min

  As retailers scale AI across their operations, a clear picture is emerging of exactly where automation elevates the business and consumer experience, and where it creates friction. For Eyebuydirect, success came by optimizing technology to enhance human ownership and streamline pain points throughout the buyer's journey. In this episode, Eyebuydirect CEO and President Sunny Jiang sits down with Jeremy Goldman to break down how her team approaches AI as an employee-enablement engine. They discuss everything from deploying the technology across customer service and engineering to developing an AI-powered prescription scanner that solves a massive user friction point, driving higher conversion and deeper customer engagement. Inside the Episode: - Why AI should support people rather than replace accountability, ensuring teams continue to steer the business - Why curiosity, experimentation, and adaptability matter far more than surface-level enthusiasm when driving tech adoption - How Eyebuydirect's prescription scanner successfully solved a clear customer problem while tangibly improving engagement and conversion Listen above to discover practical strategies on how to successfully embed AI into your workflows.
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  AI in Retail: Operational Enabler, Not a Strategy 12.06.2026 31min

  While agentic AI is reshaping operations, retail still runs on its core fundamentals: great products, strong brand identity, exceptional service, and operational excellence. In this week's episode of Retail Therapy, Top Retail Experts Ricardo Belmar, Brandon Rael, and Marie Driscoll break down why AI matters most as an operational enabler, not a creator of customer demand. “Keep the focus on the customer, keep the focus on the fundamentals, keep the focus on the product, the sourcing, the merchandising experience.” Ultimately, most retailers do not sell technology. They sell products and experiences. True brand heat and customer loyalty stem from sharp merchandising and powerful storytelling, not automated tools alone. Inside the Episode: - Why any technology implementation must start with strict business discipline rather than a tech-first rush - Why the most profitable automation happens in backend operations rather than through flashy, customer-facing tools - How to realistically evaluate what automated tools can and cannot do for the physical store and associate experience - Why the true financial impact of AI is incredibly difficult to isolate and measure using narrow, short-term attribution metrics The bottom line: AI can improve retail, but it can’t replace the fundamentals. Listen above to learn why the winning brands use AI to support what already matters, rather than pretending the technology itself is the strategy.
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  AI Is Changing How We Shop. Are Retailers Ready? 10.06.2026 26min

  “Ultimately, it's the people that determine the success or the failure of technology, not the technology itself.” The latest report by Arktic Fox and Six Degrees dives deep into why brands and retailers will only win in retail media, personalization, and AI if they pair rising investment with stronger data foundations and better product content. Teresa Sperti, Director at Arktic Fox, sits down with Jeremy Goldman to discuss how achieving these results ultimately requires credible measurement alongside teams capable of turning technology into execution. Inside the episode: - Why brands are shifting away from marketing to humans and moving towards optimizing for AI-driven discovery and decision-making - How brands can shift their tech approach toward loyalty and personalization - Why retailers need to invest in eCommerce and stronger digital shelf capability to defend share and improve performance - Why brands must better prepare their talent, as companies are currently buying technology faster than they are building the organizational skills to run it Don't let your technology investments outpace your team's capabilities. Listen to the full podcast episode above to bridge the execution gap.