Talk Commerce

Damien Retzinger is the founder and software engineer at Graycore, and the BDFL of Daffodil, an open source ecommerce front end framework with about 60 libraries, one per unit of ecommerce, and a driver layer that connects the same storefront to Magento or Shopify, with a Medusa driver in progress.Daffodil came out of the Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration, when merchants wanted the upgrade and did not want their customers to learn a new website. Damien ripped the front end off, wrote an API for each version, and swapped them underneath, then decided to solve that problem once and never again.He now writes 75 to 90 percent of his code with a machine and reviews the output himself, and he thinks the individual contributor becomes a code reviewer inside two years. We also get into the Grill Me planning skill he recommends before letting anything rip, why lines of code is a poor metric and features per hour is a better one, headful against headless, and his read on the Magento lull in the US.What is next for him is the Graycore ecommerce AI starter, a free and open source one click Magento store on GitHub Codespaces, with Hyva, MageOS, or Daffodil on the front and Claude built in.Links Graycore https://graycore.io/ Daffodil https://github.com/graycoreio/daffodil Ecommerce AI starter https://ecommerce-ai-starter.graycore.io/ Damien on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/damien-retzinger-7615ba91/Every guest on Talk Commerce gets a free joke whether they want one or not. Damien rated his an eight. The Free Joke Project

A special episode, recorded live at The Lead Summit, May 20 and 21, 2026, in New York City.Michael Klein is the Director of Industry Marketing at Talkdesk, where he owns the messaging and the marketing for the retail, travel, and consumer goods industries. Talkdesk started in contact center software, began building its AI close to ten years ago, and now runs as a customer experience platform covering the work before, during, and after a sale, from product discovery through returns and recalls.In this conversation: the phrase Michael uses for what natural language processing did to the phone tree, the European hospitality customer whose callers reach the right person without pressing a button, why he says a deployment cannot run at a hundred percent bot, the guardrails Talkdesk puts around customer data and where it travels, and Brent's own story of asking four times for a human and canceling the service instead.What is next: governance, privacy, and transparency, which Michael says he is not hearing enough about on conference stages while a healthy percentage of consumers stay skeptical of AI.Learn more about our at-event interviews at talk-commerce.com/events.

Rotimi Kehinde is the founder of Kingdom Branding, a full service marketing agency in Chicago doing web development and social media, which they call growth marketing. This is a special content edition, so Isaac Morey, chief editor and co-founder of Content Cucumber, co-hosts. Rotimi came to the US from Nigeria, spent one year in corporate work he hated, and started out as a graphic designer before taking an unpaid creative director role on a Chicago mayoral campaign. The agency grew out of his living room to a team of seven, doing brand design for the Democratic Party of Illinois, the Secretary of State's campaign site and branding, entertainment, and nonprofits. The agency does no marketing of its own and runs on word of mouth and partnerships. He draws a line between AI-powered content and AI-supported content and puts his agency on the supported side, because you cannot prompt engineer your way to something worth reading. He watched content agencies fold when clients decided they would do the writing themselves, and he says the output stopped getting picked up. We also get into website accessibility as a legal question and a moral one, what brands are changing to stay discoverable by LLMs, and the three pillars of his theme for the year, supersonic. Links Kingdom Branding https://kingdombranding.com/ Website as a service https://kingdomwp.com/ Content Cucumber https://contentcucumber.com/ Every guest on Talk Commerce gets a free joke whether they want one or not. Rotimi rated his a ten. The Free Joke Project

Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026.Benjamin Spiegel is the Chief Digital Officer at Polywood, the outdoor furniture maker that turns recycled plastic into lumber and lumber into furniture on its own floor. The model is just-in-time: a checkout on the website triggers the lumber run in the right color, the build, the box, and the shipment, with no finished inventory in between.In this conversation: why vertical integration cuts freight as much as it cuts waste, why Spiegel thinks this is the best time to be a creative, the difference between big-C creative ideas and small-c asset production, how his AI bill tripled while the creative headcount stayed flat, and the five consumer-persona agents his team shows work to before a human ever does.What is next: helping people design outdoor spaces, a problem Spiegel says no AI tool handles yet because outside has no walls.Learn more about our at-event interviews at talk-commerce.com/events.

Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026.Aman Advani is the co-founder and CEO of Ministry of Supply, the performance-fabric clothing brand he started with two engineers he met in school. Fourteen years in, the company runs direct to consumer on a hub of Shopify, Klaviyo, and a homegrown forecasting and purchasing engine called the Ministry Production System.In this conversation: why every product starts from a problem statement (sweat stains, stiff fabric, dry cleaning), the email that told him it was 97 degrees in Atlanta and his jacket would arrive Tuesday, why he answers five customer emails a day himself, and his rule for AI in content: amplify the message, never manipulate it. First in class is the secret sauce and stays human. Best in class is everything else, and that is where the AI goes.What is next: after fourteen years of clothing, Ministry of Supply is moving into bags.Learn more about our at-event interviews at talk-commerce.com/events.

Recorded live at Shopware Partner Day in Austin, Texas on April 22, 2026.Mark Stanley is Shopware's chief product and technology officer, where he looks after all product development. He walks through what is landing this year. Shopware's own native PaaS has just gone GA, highly opinionated and driven from the command line. An intelligence suite is in progress, bringing AI into bulk editing, CMS content generation and store data insights. And Nexus, an orchestration system for connecting Shopware instances to each other and to third party systems, goes GA at Shopware Community Day in Cologne.His hot take is data sovereignty, and business model sovereignty with it. More SaaS providers want to hoover up as much data as they can get, which suits a merchant who wants one button to push. Merchants thinking further out want to keep control of where the business model lives and where the proprietary data sits. His advice is to work out what you would not want an LLM to be able to copy in two or three years, and protect that. The moats are changing.On partners, he sees the job shifting away from shipping features and toward delivering outcomes, with tokens becoming the unit of outcome usage. On AI, he is most interested in developer tooling, where the first 80 percent of a build can happen in 20 percent of the time while the last 20 percent stays human work. And he thinks a portion of shopping stays tactile, digitally or physically, the way asking Siri to play something is a different experience from browsing Spotify.On North America he calls it an underdog story. Shopware is the Linux to the Windows and the Android to the iOS, and the work is the ground game, the same way it was done in Europe fifteen years ago. Bring a case of beer, go on the road, get people to join the ride.Shopware Community Day runs June 10 in Cologne. Shoptoberfest runs September 14 and 15 in Nashville.Learn more about our at-event interviews at talk-commerce.com/events.

Sweetwater has a reputation that arrives before the box does. Ask any working musician and you get the same two details without prompting, the candy and the phone call.Laura Smith is Vice President of Marketplaces at Sweetwater Sound, the nation's largest online musical instrument retailer, and hers is the job where that reputation is easiest to lose, because she is the one selling Sweetwater's products on somebody else's storefront.She starts somewhere unglamorous. Consistency begins in the product data, and on a catalog as large as Amazon's the real risk is listing a product against the wrong page, one a retailer usually did not write. When the page is wrong, her team routes the fix back to the brand and will execute it on their behalf.What she is most direct about is fulfillment. Sweetwater keeps its Amazon business through the third-party site specifically so it can control that, which means the guitars still go through a 55-point inspection, still sit in a humidity-controlled warehouse, and still get packed the same way. The warehouse never learns which channel the order came from, and customers who arrive through Amazon get routed back to Sweetwater's own service team.On AI in content she answers yes, and then fills in the second half that usually goes missing. Humans first, because Sweetwater sells to musicians who research deeply before they buy. AI shows up as throughput rather than authorship. She also makes the case that Amazon is an opportunity rather than a competitor, and extends the same logic to LLMs and TikTok Shop without overselling how far along any of it is.Guest: Laura Smith, Vice President of Marketplaces, Sweetwater Sound Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026. To learn more about our at-event interviews, go to talk-commerce.com/events

John Riewerts leads product engineering at Acoustic, a marketing engagement company. He joins us on day three of eTail Boston to take apart a phrase every marketer uses and few define, bringing the audience closer to the brand, and to explain why the listening half of marketing is the half that gets underbuilt.Riewerts frames the discipline as two tools. Marketers send messages, which becomes campaigning. And marketers listen, which means reading behavior, because as he puts it, no consumer ever sends a brand a message saying whether they like it. They answer through their actions instead.He also walks through Acoustic AI, the company's new layer on top of the platform, and the argument behind it. Generative tools are only as good as the context they are given, so the value is in what the model gets to read. Beyond writing messages and building segments, Acoustic AI pushes unprompted recommendations when it spots repeat buyers slowing down, interest building in an out-of-stock product, unsubscribes spiking on one campaign, or consumer fatigue climbing.He closes on four pillars, product, campaign, audience and behavioral intelligence, and a critique of the current tooling. Marketing automation is campaign-centric, and nobody lives in a single-campaign world.Guest: John Riewerts, Lead Product Engineering, Acoustic Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026. To learn more about our at-event interviews, go to talk-commerce.com/events

Mike Heilig is the general manager at Binary Anvil, a web development agency and systems integrator that has been running for 18 years, built mostly on Adobe Commerce, and has since branched into other platforms and a product of its own.He takes on the SaaS promise directly. Moving to SaaS genuinely removes the hosting and patching burden, and then relocates the difficulty rather than deleting it, because business complexity does not go away. His fit test is simple. A very simple business may belong on SaaS. B2B requirements, complex catalogs and complex price lists probably do not. The mistake he sees merchants make is shopping for technology before writing down the business outcome they want.The conversation turns to Flux, Binary Anvil's React and Next.js headless front end that attaches to an Adobe Commerce backend and supports B2C and B2B out of the box. For D&B Supply, a large farm and ranch retailer, rebuilding on Flux while keeping the Adobe Commerce backend moved site speed, conversions, organic traffic and search rankings, and cut roughly 57,000 dollars a year off upgrade cost. Heilig explains why decoupling the front end is what makes upgrades cheap, and credits Adobe for maintaining old APIs instead of deprecating them.On AI mediated commerce he is patient rather than breathless. Structured data, machine readable documentation and clean APIs are the groundwork, the requirement is on the horizon rather than here, and the open question is whether shoppers are ready to hand a credit card to an agent at all.Guest: Mike Heilig, General Manager, Binary Anvil

Leif Welch named his company after a music startup that failed inside a year, and he kept the name through the rebuild anyway, because the idea sitting underneath it, connecting buyers and sellers with more transparency than either of them was used to, had always been the part worth keeping. The first Jamloop was a marketplace for musicians to find new and used gear, with a social network for local players attached to it.Jamloop is now a platform for brands and their agencies to advertise on streaming television. Welch describes it as a Facebook or Google Ads style platform for the connected TV world, with an analytics layer that tracks store visits, website visits, purchases, and whether the campaign earned a real return on ad spend.Recorded on the eTail Boston floor ahead of his keynote, Welch previews the argument he is taking to the stage. Search and social are demand-capture channels running into saturation, and television has always been the thing that creates demand in the first place. He splits AI into two jobs, creative versioning and platform-level campaign operations, and closes with the 70-30 blueprint Jamloop is putting in front of advertisers now.Guest: Leif Welch, Founder and CEO, Jamloop Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026. To learn more about our at-event interviews, go to talk-commerce.com/events

Jeff Wender is Chief Revenue Officer at Minty. He opened with a term worth stealing: money maxing, which he describes as what shoppers have always done when costs are high and every dollar has to stretch further. The number underneath his pitch is the one merchants already know and mostly ignore. Roughly 5% of people who land on an ecommerce site buy something. The other 95% are in discovery, moving between sites and comparing, and the brand has no idea who they are. Minty works that 95%, using a permissioned database of over 450 million connected devices to identify those shoppers and put an incentive in front of them. On AI, Jeff refused to give an opinion and gave data instead. Minty's national holiday shopper survey found 78% of people expect to use AI in some form this holiday season, mostly for discovery rather than purchase. Their answer is Minty Promote, which syndicates a brand's products and incentives across the major LLMs so the brand is in the conversation when the recommendation gets made. Also covered: the Shopify app and where the instrumentation sits, the Minty Ads retail media layer, and why full funnel matters more than any single tactic. Chapters (00:05) Introductions at eTail Boston (00:14) Money maxing, and what it actually means (01:12) The 5% who buy and the 95% who do not (02:55) What Minty is hearing on the exhibit floor (04:19) The 78% AI holiday number, and Minty Promote (06:05) Minty App, Minty Ads, and what is next Recorded live at eTail Boston 2026.

Sidd Motwani, co-founder and CEO of Malachyte, on real-time personalization that starts before the first click. Malachyte builds a user vector, a numerical representation of each shopper's intent and preference, with no third-party cookies, no purchase history, and no sign-in required. Sidd and his co-founder built the user vector platform at Spotify, where it powers most of the application across music, podcasts, and audiobooks. In this conversation: What a user vector is and why it works cold, with no data about the shopper Personalizing from the referrer, device, time of day, and location before a first click The Spotify story, from one team's technology to the backbone of the app A free pilot for Shopify and Salesforce Commerce brands, with Malachyte doing the heavy lifting His agentic commerce take, agents and humans will both come to the store, and the store itself has to serve them proactively Chapters00:00eTail Boston and the data and AI track01:19What Malachyte does02:04The Spotify user vector story02:52Free pilot and the roadmap05:02Agentic commerce and proactivity Sidd Motwani: LinkedIn Malachyte: malachyte.com Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026. To learn more about our at-event interviews, go to talk-commerce.com/events

Jeff Otto, CMO of Riskified, shares insights on how AI and machine learning are transforming e-commerce fraud prevention, enhancing customer experience, and protecting merchant profitability. Discover the latest innovations in identity verification, fraud detection, and the future of agentic commerce.key topicsAI and machine learning in fraud detectionIdentity graph technology and cross-merchant fraud preventionBalancing fraud prevention with customer experienceEmerging threats like deepfake and fake customer callsChapters00:00Introduction to Riskified and Jeff Otto02:01The Evolution of Fraud Prevention in E-commerce05:31The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Fraud Detection09:32Challenges in Customer Service and Fraud Prevention13:24The Future of Agentic Commerce and AI Integration17:15Metrics and the Cost of Fraud for Merchants20:54Conclusion and Future Directions for Riskified

Catherine Hayden, Chief Marketing Officer of Kate Farms, on why health nutrition is not a niche category. Six in ten Americans live with a chronic health condition. Catherine explains what that means for how Kate Farms markets, and what changes as the brand expands into 6,800 doors across Walmart and CVS. In this conversation: The "Here for the Champions" brand campaign and the insight behind it Why a new high protein shake flavor took 800 variations to get right Staying authentic while scaling into mass retail Where AI helps, and why the origin and the idea stay with the brand Using an AI chatbot for faster issue resolution, and aggregating reviews, social, and post purchase surveys to surface friction points weekly Chapters00:00Introduction and What Is New at Kate Farms01:03The Here for the Champions Campaign01:54Fireside Chat Preview02:36How Kate Farms Uses AI04:15Building Awareness and Closing Thoughts Catherine Hayden: LinkedIn Kate Farms: katefarms.com Recorded live at eTail Boston, August 10 through 12, 2026. To learn more about our at-event interviews, go to talk-commerce.com/events

Cem Atik, co-founder of Harucon-Ventures, shares insights on turning marketing into a profit control system, leveraging data and AI in e-commerce, and the importance of human creativity alongside AI. Discover practical strategies for data-driven decision making, optimizing unit economics, and the future of AI in marketing.key topicsTurning marketing into a profit control systemLeveraging data and AI in e-commerceImportance of unit economics in marketingFuture trends of AI in marketingtakeawaysTracking full control of unit economics is crucial for profitable marketing.AI is a powerful tool but requires human oversight and interpretation.Emotional messaging significantly improves ad performance.Benchmarking costs helps identify inefficiencies and optimize margins.AI should be used as a partner, not a replacement for human creativity.Chapters00:00Introduction to Sam Atec and Harucon-Ventures02:24Transforming Marketing into a Profit Control System09:00The Role of AI in Marketing11:42Understanding Click-Through Rates and Emotional Marketing19:38Future Trends and the Importance of Human Creativity

Danny Kirk, founder of ReddiReach, shares insights on how Reddit and AI search optimization can boost brand visibility and influence search engine rankings. Discover practical strategies for leveraging Reddit data, understanding AI filtering, and preparing your brand for the future of AI-driven search and commerce. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpkirk/key topicsReddit as a data source for AI and searchStrategies for brand engagement on RedditImpact of AI filtering and content qualityFuture trends in AI search and e-commercePractical steps for SEO and brand visibilityChapters00:00Introduction to Danny Kirk and ReddiReach01:53The Power of Reddit in AI Search Optimization09:25Strategies for Brands on Reddit13:56Navigating Local SEO and E-commerce Challenges18:24Future Trends in AI and E-commerce

Joe Anderson, CEO of Connex eCommerce, shares insights on automating complex workflows in e-commerce, integrating legacy systems, and leveraging AI for smarter operations. Discover how tailored automation solutions can streamline your business processes and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.Key topicsComplex workflows in eCommerceLegacy system integration challengesAI and automation in eCommerceCustomizable data syncing and rulesChapters00:00Introduction to Connex eCommerce01:56The Journey of Automation in eCommerce04:03Challenges in Workflow Automation07:17Specialization vs Generalization in Integration09:54Client Profiles and Complex Workflows10:50The Role of AI in eCommerce Automation12:00Complex B2B Solutions and Client Needs12:53Future Trends in eCommerce and AI

Matt Putra, managing partner at 8X, shares insights on leveraging AI in e-commerce, the importance of organizational frameworks like EOS, and strategic financial management for growth and exit readiness.AI's impact on marketing and product developmentUsing EOS to organize and prepare for exitFinancial hygiene and data organization for acquisitionStrategic use of AI in ad creation and testingScaling and managing growth in consumer goodsChapters00:00Introduction and Guest Introduction03:44AI in Product Prototyping and Marketing Acceleration07:10Challenges and Limitations of AI in Content Creation08:49Role of 8X as Fractional CFOs and Data Management11:11Upstream Metrics and Data Organization for Growth13:28Using EOS for Business Operations and Exit Preparation15:35Case Study: Two Large Exits and Preparation Strategies17:55EOS and Strategic Frameworks for Large-Scale Growth20:06Financial Habits for Scaling to 8X and Beyond21:49Monitoring and Optimizing Conversion Funnels23:25The Future of AI in CFO and Financial Roles26:03Governance and Security in AI-Driven Financial Processes28:45Automation, Testing, and Human Oversight in AI Systems32:44Lessons from Metal Recycling and Business Resilience36:36Killing Underperforming SKUs and Product Management39:22Retail Strategies and Entry Points for Brands41:50Trends in Global Trade and Market Expansion44:21The Role of Research Content and AI45:02Soccer in Vancouver and Local Sports Culture46:09Contact and Closing Remarks

Amy Crowther, President of Incubeta Americas, shares insights on marketing evolution, AI's role in content creation, and strategies for brands to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.Key topicsMarketing evolution and AI's impactImportance of brand consistency in AI contentStrategies for connecting data across channelsUnderstanding AI's limitations and opportunitiesOrganizational change management in marketingChapters00:00Introduction to Amy Crowther and Incubeta02:42The Role of AI in Marketing05:34Navigating AI Content and Brand Identity08:01The Importance of Strategy in AI Marketing10:53Understanding Consumer Behavior and AI13:41The Future of Zero Click Commerce16:19Adapting to New Metrics in Marketing19:11The Role of Agencies in AI Integration21:48Looking Ahead: Trends and Opportunities in Marketing24:21Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

Brent Peterson interviews Jason Nyhus, General Manager at Shopware, about the latest trends in B2B commerce, platform flexibility, and the future of digital experiences. They explore the challenges and opportunities in regulated industries, the importance of adaptable platforms, and innovative features like live shopping. Key  topicsB2B market growth and trendsPlatform flexibility and customizationRegulated industry challenges and complianceImpact of private equity on technology choicesFuture of digital customer experiencesRole of AI and agentic systems in commerceIntegration and extension of e-commerce platformsRisks of platform lock-in and cobbling appsThe evolution of B2C and B2B convergenceChapters00:00 Introduction to B2B E-Commerce Dynamics01:47 Insights from the B2B Report05:27 Navigating Private Equity Expectations07:19 Understanding Regulated Industries12:02 The Complexity of B2B Commerce16:23 The Future of B2B Experiences20:50 Shopware Innovations and Future Directions ResourcesGet the Shopware B2B Report here: https://contentcucumber.com/b2b-reportShopware Official Website - https://www.shopware.comContent Cucumber - B2B Report - https://contentcucumber.comShopware Intelligence - https://www.shopware.com/en/shopware-intelligence/Shopware Payments - https://www.shopware.com/en/shopware-payments/Vibe Coding - https://vibecoding.comGuest linksLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonnyhusTwitter - https://twitter.com/jasonnyhus

Chaitra Vedullapalli from Women in Cloud discusses the future of local commerce, the impact of AI, and the importance of adaptive leadership in the economic landscape. Chaitra discusses a topic that should be on every business leader's radar: the shift toward local commerce and how AI, community partnerships, and economic access are reshaping the way we buy, sell, and connect. Key TakeawaysWomen in Cloud's mission and accomplishmentsThe shift towards local commerce and trust-buildingThe role of AI in personalization and scalabilityEcosystem orchestration and powered marketplacesResponsible AI use and human element in technologyChapters00:00Introduction to Chaitra and Her Mission02:36Women in Cloud: Empowering Women in the AI Economy05:16The Next Trillion Dollar Opportunity: Local Commerce08:06Community Powered Marketplaces and Economic Engagement10:58The Role of AI in Local Commerce13:59Human Element in AI and Commerce16:39Hot Takes on Current Trends and Future Opportunities22:13Closing Thoughts and Call to ActionConnect with Chaitra and Women in Cloudhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitrav/ https://in.linkedin.com/company/women-in-cloud

Brent Peterson sits down with Michelle Donnelly, Chief Revenue Officer at Crescendo, to explore how AI-native customer experience solutions are transforming the way brands interact with their customers. The conversation covers everything from autonomous digital agents to the critical role humans still play in customer support. Michelle brings a wealth of experience from her time at Salesforce and the AI chip industry, and she shares fascinating real-world examples of how Crescendo's approach is turning traditional cost centers into profit centers. If you care about customer experience, this episode deserves your full attention.Key TakeawaysAI agents must work seamlessly with human agents. A digital-only approach without a human fallback creates frustrating loops that drive customers away.Customer support is becoming a revenue channel. By combining personalization, memory, and business context, AI agents can turn a simple support interaction into an upsell opportunity.Speed to value matters. Crescendo deploys in under four weeks, a dramatic improvement over traditional SaaS implementations that can take months.Outcome-based pricing changes the game. Rather than selling seats, Crescendo charges based on outcomes, aligning their success with the customer's success.Multimodal interactions let customers choose. Whether through chat, voice, WhatsApp, or email, the customer decides how they want to engage, and the AI adapts accordingly.Quality assurance reveals powerful patterns. Analyzing interactions across the customer base surfaces product issues and opportunities that brands would otherwise miss.Knowledge bases improve over time. The AI learns from every interaction and actually enhances the brand's existing knowledge base rather than relying on static content.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Crescendo and Michelle's Journey03:53 The Role of AI in Customer Experience09:30 Seamless Integration of Digital and Human Agents15:02 Multimodal Customer Interactions18:52 Quality Assurance and Content Relevance22:26 Transforming Customer Support into Profit Centers28:22 Democratizing AI for All BusinessesConnect with Michelle on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledonnelly/https://www.linkedin.com/company/crescendocx/

Brent is joined by Paige Kosinski, co-founder of Odyssey Entertainment Group, an influencer talent management company that has grown from a boutique operation into a mid-size powerhouse. The conversation covers the evolution of the creator economy, the art of matching talent with brands, and the practical steps aspiring creators need to take to build sustainable careers. Whether you are a merchant looking to leverage influencer marketing or a creator hoping to monetize your platform, this episode delivers real-world guidance from someone who lives and breathes this space every single day.Key TakeawaysConsistency beats follower count. Algorithms reward creators who show up regularly, and brands now prioritize engaged communities over raw follower numbers.Start with one clear focus. Creators should establish expertise in a single area before expanding into lifestyle content. That focus gives audiences a reason to stick around.Brand partnerships drive the bulk of creator revenue. Beyond one-off deals, long-term collaborations with aligned brands create stability for both the creator and the company.AI-generated content can backfire. Audiences are quick to spot avatar-driven or AI-produced material, and brands are even adding contract clauses to limit AI use in creative deliverables.The creator economy welcomes every generation. Gen X influencers are thriving on social platforms, proving that audience-building has no age requirement.Personal branding comes first. Monetization follows naturally when a creator invests in building a genuine, recognizable brand with clear content pillars.Cross-platform presence matters. Successful creators post across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest depending on where their audience lives.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Odyssey Entertainment Group01:53 The Evolution of Influencer Management05:11 Matching Influencers with Brands09:03 The Importance of Community and Niche10:07 Engaging Older Audiences11:11 Navigating Different Platforms12:39 Building a Personal Brand13:31 Public Speaking and Influencer Opportunities14:33 The Role of AI in Content Creation17:21 Getting Started as an Influencer18:55 Closing Thoughts and Promotions ResourcesOdyssey Entertainment Group - https://www.odysseyentertainmentgroup.comErica Ver - PianyandHoney - https://www.instagram.com/pianyandhoneyWall Blush Modern Manor Collection - https://wallblush.com/collections/modern-manor

Kathy Floam-Greenspan, founder of Palm Marketing, shares insights from her recent survey on B2B marketing challenges, the impact of AI, and strategies for maintaining focus in a rapidly changing environment.TakeawaysExpectations are outpacing staffing and budgets in B2B marketing.Only 29% of marketers are confident in proving ROI with current tools.AI impacts strategy but is not a magic solution; human touch remains essential.Maintaining focus and a quarterly plan is key to marketing success.The full "Marketing Under Pressure" report is available for download athttps://pomagency.com/marketing-under-pressure-b2b-leaders/Learn more at https://pomagency.comChapters00:00 Introduction to Cathy Floan-Greenspan and Palm Marketing02:45 The Evolution of B2B Marketing and Survey Insights05:30 Challenges in B2B Marketing: Resource Gaps and ROI08:03 The Role of AI in Marketing Strategies10:57 The Importance of Focus in Marketing13:45 Navigating Change in B2B Leadership16:29 The Wake-Up Call for C-Suite Executives19:06 Final Thoughts and Resources for Marketers

Brent Peterson sits down with Chet Silverman, aka Mr. eTail, the Director of Sponsorships at eTail. With 25 years in the e-commerce conference space, Chet shares stories from the early dot-com crash days, how he convinced Google to exhibit before they were a household name, and why conferences remain the best way to connect with retail executives in a post-COVID world. He also breaks down the current AI startup boom and predicts where the technology is heading.Chapters00:00 - Meet Mr. eTail: Chet's origin story and joining eTail after the dot-com bust01:05 - The evolution of e-commerce technology over 25 years01:59 - Cold-calling Google and convincing them to sponsor eTail Boston03:07 - The rise and fall of hot tech categories: CRM, mobile shopping, social commerce03:56 - Watching companies grow up at eTail, from startups to acquisitions05:12 - The AI explosion and why it will follow the mobile shopping pattern06:15 - Why companies should sponsor eTail and how COVID changed B2B sales07:23 - Quality vs. quantity: the 50/50 retailer-to-vendor ratio07:56 - Strategic timing: Palm Springs in February, Boston in August09:08 - eTail as a community and kicking off the e-commerce conference seasonKey TakeawayseTail maintains a rare 50/50 ratio of retailers to solution providersCOVID made conferences essential since decision-makers now work from homeAI will eventually become a standard feature from every retail tech vendor, not a standalone categoryeTail actively supports startups by offering free passes to help them enter the ecosystemPalm Springs kicks off the e-commerce season; Boston is the last stop before holiday lockdownGuest InfoChet Silverman - Director of Sponsorships, eTailKnown as Mr. eTail | 25 years in e-commerce eventsThis has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/Follow Talk Commerce on your favorite platform:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talkcommerceBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkcommerce.bsky.socialApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Alx6N7ERrPEXIBb41FZ1nTwitter: @talkingcommerceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talk-commerceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingcommerceWebsite: https://talk-commerce.com/

Brent Peterson sits down with Kanessa Muluneh, the founder of Nyle Investment Group, to discuss what it really takes to build businesses and invest across the African continent. From navigating trust issues and cultural differences to launching a gaming company and a vitamin brand, this conversation covers the rewards and realities of emerging market investment. Whether you're a business owner exploring international expansion or a member of the diaspora considering a return to your roots, this episode delivers practical wisdom you won't find in a textbook.Key TakeawaysAfrica offers significant ROI, but requires serious due diligence. Kanessa stresses that the returns on investment across African markets can be substantial, yet the risks are equally real. Working with the wrong professionals or skipping proper vetting can lead to financial loss.PR and marketing expertise can transform small businesses. Kanessa's first investment involved trading her marketing skills for equity in a small plumbing company. That trade turned into a thriving business and sparked her career as an investor.The diaspora plays a critical role in Africa's economic growth. Nyle focuses on investing across the continent while encouraging Africans abroad to do the same, because many diaspora members have spent years building knowledge and seeing how strong economic systems work.Trust and local representation matter, but they can work both ways. In several African markets, consumers distrust locally made products by default, which creates a frustrating barrier for entrepreneurs building high-quality goods on the continent.Cultural intelligence is non-negotiable for market entry. Understanding how business gets done in a specific region requires more than speaking the language. It requires grasping negotiation styles, social dynamics, and local expectations.About Kanessa MulunehKanessa Muluneh is an Ethiopian-born, Netherlands-raised serial entrepreneur and investor currently based in Dubai. She has launched six businesses, selling four of them for a combined sum of over US$9.5 million. After building and scaling ventures across Europe, Muluneh returned to African markets with fluency in Western systems and an on-the-ground understanding of how business operates on the continent. That perspective now anchors Nyle, a pan-African investment firm connecting diaspora capital to scalable African businesses. She is also the founder of Mulu, a family lifestyle brand spanning more than 15 countries, and she shifted from medical studies to business early in her career, evenChapters:0:00 Introduction and Meet Kanessa Muluneh0:45 From Medical School to Building Businesses1:24 The Free Joke Project2:35 How Kanessa Started Investing in Africa5:00 Business Mistakes and Lessons Learned6:13 Why Africa's ROI Is Worth the Risk7:18 Selling Into India and Asian Markets8:35 Negotiation Culture and Pricing Psychology10:10 Selling Services Into Developing Countries11:14 Local Representation and Trust Issues13:21 Building a Vitamin Brand for Africa14:15 Rise of Fearless and the Gaming Industry17:50 Cultural Differences in Business Communication20:21 Bridging Cultural Gaps as a Diaspora Investor22:30 Ethiopia as an Investment Market24:40 Shameless Plug and Final Advice26:00 How to Connect with KanessaConnect with Kanessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanessa-muluneh-297984b2/Follow Kanessa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanessamuluneh/orhttps://www.instagram.com/europeanhabesha/This has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/Follow Talk Commerce on your favorite platform:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talkcommerceBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkcommerce.bsky.socialApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Alx6N7ERrPEXIBb41FZ1nTwitter: @talkingcommerceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talk-commerceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingcommerceWebsite: https://talk-commerce.com/

Brent Peterson and Paul Byrne discuss the near future of AI, particularly its implications for software development and coding. Paul shares insights from his new book 'Adapt or Die', focusing on the different types of AI learning, the importance of human oversight in AI applications, and the challenges faced in integrating AI into development processes. They explore the democratization of coding through AI tools, the economic implications for software agencies, and the future trajectory of AI technology.TakeawaysAI is currently limited to type one learning, which is reactive.Type two learning in AI requires reflective thinking and goal-seeking capabilities.Human oversight is crucial in AI applications to handle exceptions and ensure quality.AI tools can significantly speed up development processes but cannot replace human developers.The democratization of coding allows non-technical individuals to engage in software development.AI's limitations can lead to wasted resources if not properly understood.The economic model for software development may shift towards fixed pricing due to AI efficiencies.AI can handle tedious tasks, freeing up developers for more complex work.The future of AI may involve running models on local machines for better control and privacy.Continuous adaptation to AI advancements is necessary for developers and agencies.Chapters00:00 Introduction to AI and E-commerce02:46 Understanding AI Learning Types05:27 AI in Development: Tools and Use Cases07:58 The Role of Humans in AI Workflows10:59 Challenges and Limitations of AI13:50 Future of Software Development with AI16:17 The Democratization of Coding19:07 Economic Implications of AI in Development21:51 Closing Thoughts and Book Promotion

Brent Peterson sits down with Keri Concannon, CEO and Co-Founder, and Olivia Schmid, COO of Beauty Rep — a groundbreaking platform transforming the way medical aesthetics practices discover, learn about, and purchase products from brands.Keri draws on over 20 years of sales experience in the aesthetics industry, including nearly a decade at Obagi Medical, to explain the frustrations that inspired Beauty Rep. From siloed teams to inefficient ordering processes (yes, some practices still fax orders!), the B2B side of medical aesthetics has long lagged behind the consumer world. Meanwhile, Olivia brings a unique perspective shaped by her time at Amazon, Galderma, Allergan, and even a career in law, all of which fuel her mission to bring a seamless, consumer-grade experience to the professional side of the business.Together, they discuss how Beauty Rep serves as a centralized hub where practices — from solo estheticians to large hospital systems — can access multiple brands, educational materials, marketing assets, and place orders in one intuitive platform. They explore the challenges of getting legacy sales reps on board, how AI is being woven into the platform under their trademarked "AesthetiTech" banner, and why the average practice now carries around 14 different brands, making streamlined access more critical than ever.The conversation also covers the evolving landscape of medical aesthetics, including the convergence of regenerative medicine, longevity, and wellness with traditional aesthetics, as well as how AI is influencing everything from injector training to the development of new product formulations. Keri and Olivia also share their outlook on the economy and the exciting momentum building in both the US and European markets.If you're in ecommerce, B2B sales, or the medical aesthetics industry, this is a must-watch episode packed with insights on digital transformation, the future of sales, and how to build platforms that truly serve the customer.Chapters:0:00 – Introduction & Guest Backgrounds2:48 – Passions Outside of Work3:23 – Hockey, Minnesota & Life in Kona4:21 – The Free Joke Project5:05 – What Is Beauty Rep & Why It Exists6:47 – The 35% Sales Rep Problem8:18 – Bringing D2C Experience to B2B9:12 – Legacy Reps & Adapting to Digital Change11:13 – Adoption Challenges & "What's the Catch?"13:00 – How Beauty Rep Helps Sales Reps Daily14:49 – Industry Expectations & Education Access16:33 – AI, AesthetiTech & Smarter Selling18:13 – Legacy Systems: Faxes, PDFs & Hospital POs19:28 – Who Are Beauty Rep's Customers?20:26 – AI in Content & Medical Training22:57 – Economic Outlook: US & Europe25:03 – Shameless Plug: BeautyRep.com

Sai Koppala, CMO of Commerce IQ, discusses the evolving landscape of retail media and the critical role of AI in optimizing marketing strategies. He highlights the importance of adapting to consumer behavior changes, leveraging automation, and the challenges brands face in a competitive market. The conversation also touches on the K-shaped economy and how it affects consumer purchasing decisions.TakeawaysSai Koppala is the CMO at Commerce IQ, focusing on marketing leadership in growth-stage companies.Commerce IQ helps CPG brands optimize their retail media shelf using AI.AI agents are becoming critical in retail, automating many processes.Retail media spend increased by 20% last year, but return on ad spend has decreased.AI can optimize retail media spend far more efficiently than human management.Long tail keywords are increasingly important due to changing consumer search behavior.Brands must adapt their content to be surfaced by AI agents like Rufus and Sparky.The go-to-market strategy has shifted from analytics to actionable insights and automation.AI washing is prevalent, making it hard for brands to choose the right technology.Understanding context is essential for effective AI implementation in retail.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Commerce IQ and Sai Koppala01:23 The Role of AI in Retail Media04:12 Optimizing Retail Media Spend with AI10:24 Evolving Go-to-Market Strategies14:38 Navigating the K-Shaped Economy

Talk Commerce is back with another round of standout conversations from eTail Palm Springs. In this compilation episode, host Isaac Morey sits down with several e-commerce leaders who share their perspectives on AI adoption, brand authenticity, stable coin payments, and the future of online shopping. eTail Palm Springs has long served as a gathering point for retail and e-commerce professionals, and this episode captures the energy and forward-thinking spirit of the event. From plant-based nutrition to AI-powered personalization, the topics span the full spectrum of modern retail. Let's get into the highlights.Key TakeawaysBrand authenticity and transparency are becoming non-negotiable for retailers and consumers alike.AI adoption remains a hot topic, but many brands struggle to move from experimentation to real-world implementation.Product data infrastructure is now a strategic priority as LLMs increasingly answer consumer questions about products.Conversational data from shoppers represents a largely untapped resource for personalization.Multi-retailer agentic checkout is emerging as a new model for product discovery and purchasing.Stable coin payment processing could significantly reduce transaction costs for merchants.Organizations that fail to plan for an AI-enabled future by 2027 risk falling behind.About the GuestsCatherine Hayden, Chief Marketing Officer at Kate Farms: Catherine leads marketing for a medical nutrition company that produces plant-based, organic nutrition shakes and formulas for ages one through end of life. She spoke on a panel about authenticity and transparency at retail alongside brands like Patagonia and Sur La Table.Andy Lloyd and Ryan Murden, Brandfuel Team: Andy and Ryan from Brandfuel discussed the growing importance of product data management in an AI-driven world. Their platform helps brands centralize digital assets and maintain editorial control over how products are represented across LLMs and channels.Ian Patterson, Remark: Ian co-founded Remark, a company that provides AI personalization on brand websites by pairing shoppers with real human or AI shopping assistants. The company focuses on capturing and utilizing conversational data to create highly tailored shopping experiences.Sebastian Pflumm, Furniture.com: Furniture.com aggregates furniture from multiple retailers into one shopping destination. The company recently launched an AI agent named Dottie and a multi-retailer agentic checkout system.Ron Tarter, CEO and Founder of MNEE: Ron founded MNEE, a merchant acquiring network built on stable coins. The platform allows retailers to accept digital dollars in their existing checkout flow at a fraction of traditional card processing fees.Final ThoughtsThis compilation episode reinforces one clear message: standing still is not an option in e-commerce. Whether the conversation centers on AI personalization, product data strategy, agentic commerce, or payment innovation, every guest pointed toward the same conclusion. The brands that act now will lead tomorrow. The ones that wait will scramble to catch up. So as you think about your own retail strategy, ask yourself: are you building for the commerce of today, or are you already building for the commerce that is coming?Chapters00:00 Introduction to eTale and Kate Farms02:43 The Importance of Authenticity and Transparency in Retail05:45 Navigating AI in E-commerce08:09 Brand Fuel's Role in AI Integration10:41 The Future of E-commerce and Consumer Experience13:49 Innovations in Furniture Shopping16:24 Disruption in Payment Systems18:09 Conclusion and Future Outlook

eTail Palm Springs is one of the most important events on the e-commerce calendar. As one of the most anticipated events in the e-commerce calendar, eTail brings together senior retail leaders, DTC brands, and digital innovators to explore the evolving future of online and omnichannel retail. Every year, the event draws a powerful mix of founders, marketers, technology providers, and retail operators — all under one roof in the California desert.Isaac Morey, Co-Founder of Content Cucumber, was on the ground at eTail Palm Springs this year recording conversations for the Talk Commerce podcast. The result? A compilation video packed with some of his favorite interviews from across the show floor. Each one is a quick snapshot of the people, ideas, and energy that make eTail such a standout event.Here's a look at every clip in the compilation.0:40 Scott Ohsman, Always Off Brand5:38 Elizabethe Lachhar, RezolveAI10:57 Amrit Shergill, ShopVision14:21 Udayan Bose, NetElixer16:27 Andrew Watt, MAI18:17 Patrick Yoon, CHEQScott Ohsman, Always Off Brand: AI Is Moving Past the HypeScott Ohsman kicked things off with signature energy and a sharp take on where AI in e-commerce really stands. He argues that AI is finally moving from buzzword to tactical tool — but warns that a "blister" correction is coming, and that mediocre brands relying on AI as a crutch will be the first to get flushed out.D2C Brands Are About to Have a MomentIn the same conversation, Scott made the case that D2C brands are quietly positioned for a traffic windfall thanks to LLM-driven search sending users directly to brand websites. It's unpaid traffic, and the brands doing solid foundational work will benefit most.The Vibes at eTail Are UnmatchedScott closed with a love letter to the eTail experience itself — the Palm Springs sunshine, the resort setting, and the surprisingly positive energy on the exhibitor floor. According to Scott, even the vendors are in a good mood here, and that says a lot.Elizabeth Lachhar, Rezolve AI: The Case for Agentic CommerceElizabeth Lechhar from Rezolve AI broke down what agentic commerce actually means and why it matters right now. With Generation Alpha bringing five trillion dollars in buying power online in the next few years, the traditional e-commerce funnel is reaching end of life — and brands need to prepare for a conversational, hyper-personalized future.Shopping Will Become a 360° ExperienceElizabeth painted a picture of what the near future of shopping looks like: not just searching for a blazer, but asking an AI what to wear in Palm Springs, what goes with it, and whether you can still wear it to lunch. Commerce is becoming circular and lifestyle-driven, not linear.Get Your Data Ready NowIn her closing remarks, Elizabeth urged retailers to start preparing their data infrastructure for the agentic future. From multi-dimensional search to automated payments, the entire commerce stack is about to change — and Resolve AI is building the end-to-end platform to support that shift.Amrit Shergill, ShopVision: Why Retros Shouldn't Be AnecdotalAmrit Shergill of ShopVision explained how most brands rely on fragmented, anecdotal data when looking back at key campaigns like Black Friday. His company captures every digital touchpoint across competitors and reseller channels, turning guesswork into clarity and predictive insights.Pricing Intelligence: Finding White Space in the MarketAmrit dove deeper into a specific pain point he's hearing at eTail: pricing challenges. Brands with large wholesale networks are missing margin and product-line opportunities because they can't see how competitors are pricing similar products. His platform matches products across brands and surfaces the white space.Udayan Bose, NetElixir: $30 Million in Revenue Driven by ExperimentationNetElixir's founder, Udayan Bose shared that their machine-learning-powered experimentation platform has driven roughly $30 million in cumulative additional revenue across 250 experiments in the past year. The message is clear: performance AI — the kind that drives measurable outcomes — is the next frontier every e-commerce brand should pursue.NetElixir: AI Is Moving from Buzz to ActionUdayan also noted a shift in the eTail conversations this year: people aren't just talking about AI anymore — they're asking whether it actually drives results. NetElixir's high Net Promoter Score (84.4, double the industry average) backs up their claim that human expertise combined with AI delivers exceptional performance.Andrew Watt, MAI: Agentic AI for Google Ads ManagementThe team at MAI founded by former Google Ads and Instacart ad platform engineers introduced their agentic AI for paid media. Their platform plugs into Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Shopify, then autonomously builds and manages campaigns — taking over work that used to require agencies or in-house teams. They're expanding to Bing and Meta next.Patrick Yoon, CHEQ: Client-Side Detection: Cleaning Up Invalid TrafficPatrick explained how their client-side pixel unlocks intelligence retailers have never had access to before — from reducing paid media ad waste by up to 70% to identifying which bots on your site are malicious and which are actually acting on behalf of real consumers through LLMs.The AI-Bot Hybrid Future of Retail WebsitesIn a deeper dive, Patrick shared that Gartner predicts one in five interactions on retail websites will involve an LLM by 2028. The takeaway: you can't just block all automation anymore. Retailers need nuanced intelligence to distinguish between helpful AI agents and bad actors, and that distinction will directly impact ROI.

Shop Talk Las Vegas always delivers. The energy, the speed meetings, the creative themes. This year, Isaac Morey hit the floor with a camera and came back with a compilation of sharp, focused conversations from some of the most interesting people at the show. These interviews are a great example of what Content Cucumber's conference video service produces for brands. Show up with a booth, leave with months of marketing-ready content.00:26 Nicolas Bailliache, eStreamly06:13 Amit Patel, MyFitnessPal11:17 Vincent Declercq and Ward Van Laer, Dalton13:24 Zach Bricker, Supermetrics19:38 Tarun Chandrasekhar, Syndigo24:12 Jay El-Kaake, Osello26:47 Anshuman Jaiswal, OnePintAI29:00 Jason Grunberg, Forter34:44 Aditya Jain, PassionfruitHere's a quick look at who Isaac talked to and what stood out.Nicolas Bailliache, Co-Founder of e-StreamlyVideo commerce drives over 20% of all e-commerce in Asia, but the US sits around 1%. Nico makes the case that brands need to connect video directly to checkout, especially on their own channels, as a retention play in a world where 80% of internet consumption is already video.Amit Patel, Chief Revenue Officer at MyFitnessPalMyFitnessPal is launching its own ads business, giving brands a way to reach 5.7 million monthly active users who log in five times a day. For CPG, retail, and health and wellness brands, that kind of engaged, habit-driven audience is hard to find anywhere else.Vincent Declercq and Ward Van Laer, Co-Founders of DaltonDalton uses AI to remove the friction from A/B testing and CRO. You connect your shop, get test ideas generated automatically, and Dalton shifts traffic toward winning variations on its own. The self-improving web shop concept is a compelling pitch for brands that know they need to test more but never find the time.Zach Bricker, SupermetricsSupermetrics released new research showing that 89% of executives are pushing for AI adoption, yet the people using AI daily feel their companies lack a real strategy. The stat that only 8% of e-commerce professionals say they're adopting AI was a surprise, and the takeaway is clear. AI won't fix marketing problems without a solid data foundation and a plan.Tarun Chandrasekhar, SyndigoSindigo powers product content from creation to syndication to performance measurement. The agentic commerce angle is fascinating. For a hundred-plus years, brands influenced shoppers through ads designed for human eyeballs. AI agents don't care about visuals. They care about complete, contextual product data. That shift changes the entire game for product content strategy.Jay El-Kaake, OselloOsello automates marketplace listings on platforms like Nordstrom, Macy's, and Target using AI agents. No rules to configure, no spreadsheet templates. Connect your Shopify store and the agents handle everything. Jay's hot take landed well too. If a company has been claiming they do AI for longer than a year, the models they started with are already outdated.Anshuman Jaiswal, Founder of OnePint.aiThe number one mistake in inventory management? Everything floating around in Excel and Google Sheets. OnePint replaces those manual processes with AI-powered demand forecasting, replenishment, and allocation for mid-market brands.Jason Grunberg, CMO at ForterForter uses a massive identity data network to prevent fraud, optimize payments, and protect the customer experience. The insight that everyday consumers now use tools like ChatGPT to fabricate product damage claims is a wake-up call for any merchant thinking fraud prevention is only about stopping professional attackers.Aditya Jain, Co-Founder of Passion FruitPassion Fruit helps brands win search across both SEO and AEO. Adi's biggest observation is that too many companies treat SEO and AEO as completely separate activities when the data and strategy overlap significantly. One of their clients grew revenue 10x after connecting at Shop Talk the previous year.These Interviews Didn't Happen by AccidentEvery conversation Isaac recorded at Shop Talk was planned, filmed with professional gear, and edited into marketing-ready content. That's what Content Cucumber's conference video service does for brands.You're already spending serious money to exhibit. Booth, travel, hotel, swag, team time. We help you leave with more than badge scans.We show up at your booth, film sharp guided interviews, capture B-roll of the full event experience, and deliver polished video assets. By the time you're home, your content is already working. One three-day conference becomes three months of marketing.No scripts. No awkward teleprompter reads. Just real people talking about what they know, captured by a team with 30+ years in e-commerce and hundreds of interviews recorded.Book Your Live Event Content →

Brent Peterson interviews Namrata Sangani, a QA & Triage champion for Hyva and an Adobe E-commerce Champion. They discuss Namrata's journey in the e-commerce space, her visibility efforts on LinkedIn, and the impact of Hyva on Magento development. Namrata shares insights on the importance of community engagement, the role of women in e-commerce, and the future of  Hyva in the Magento ecosystem.TakeawaysNamrata Sangani is an Adobe e-commerce champion and QA champion for Hyva.She became visible on LinkedIn to share her knowledge and engage with the community.Hyva is revolutionizing Magento development with its performance and ease of use.Quality assurance is a top priority for Hyva, ensuring high standards in their products.Namrata emphasizes the importance of women participating in tech events.The Magento community is seeing a shift towards more open-source contributions.Networking at events like Meet Magento is crucial for professional growth.Hyva's approach allows developers to learn and adopt new technologies easily.Namrata encourages women to showcase their expertise in e-commerce.The future of Adobe Commerce looks promising with ongoing support and development. sound bites"I want women to uplift themselves.""I am active on Instagram as well.""I was a fan of yours since that day."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Namrata Sangani02:41 Journey to Becoming an Adobe Champion05:28 Visibility on LinkedIn and Its Impact08:11 Learning and Adopting Magento and Adobe Commerce10:46 The Revolutionary Impact of Hyva13:14 Quality Assurance and Development in Hyva15:54 Future of Hyva in the Magento Ecosystem18:36 Women in E-commerce Initiative20:59 Outlook for Adobe Commerce and Magento23:49 Closing Thoughts and Networking

Brent Peterson interviews Thomas Gaffney, COO of OFA Group, discussing the evolution of the company from traditional architecture to a tech-focused entity in the blockchain and Web3 space. They dig into the concept of Real World Assets (RWA), exploring how tokenization can democratize investments, making them accessible to a broader audience. The conversation also highlights the differences between RWAs and NFTs, the potential future of mortgages on blockchain, and the overall efficiency and transparency that blockchain technology can bring to various industries.TakeawaysOFA Group has pivoted from architecture to tech-focused solutions.Real World Assets (RWA) allow for tokenization of physical assets.Tokenization provides liquidity and capital raising opportunities.Investments are becoming more accessible to mainstream investors.Blockchain technology enhances transparency in asset ownership.RWA can democratize access to high-value investments.NFTs and RWAs share similar technology but differ in underlying assets.The future of mortgages may lie in blockchain for efficiency.Real-time data on mortgages can reduce systemic risk.OFA's Hearth Labs aims to bring tokenized real estate to the public.Chapters00:00 Introduction to OFA Group and Personal Insights03:47 Understanding Real World Assets (RWA)09:23 Democratization of Investments through RWA13:41 RWA vs. NFTs: Key Differences17:37 Future of Mortgages on Blockchain

Jodi Scott, CEO and co-founder of Green Goo by Spry Life, shares her journey in creating plant-based first aid and personal care products. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, the importance of efficacy in natural products, and how her family plays a crucial role in the business. Jodi also addresses the impact of economic changes and tariffs on her company, and how technology, particularly AI, is helping to scale operations. The conversation highlights the significance of clean living and the potential of plant-based solutions in the health and wellness industry.TakeawaysGreen Goo focuses on plant-based first aid and personal care products.The company aims to provide effective alternatives to chemical-laden products.Jodi's sister, an herbalist, plays a key role in product development.The manufacturing process protects the integrity of the plants used.Green Goo products are designed for multiple uses, reducing the need for many items.Jodi's entrepreneurial journey began unexpectedly with a bed and breakfast.The company scaled rapidly, reaching 150,000 distribution points in five years.COVID-19 forced the company to pivot and adapt its business model.AI and technology are being leveraged to improve efficiencies.Family involvement is central to the company's operations and culture.Chapters00:00Introduction to Green Goo and Jodi Scott02:01The Birth of Green Goo: A New Approach to First Aid05:16The Efficacy of Plant-Based Solutions07:03Jodi's Entrepreneurial Journey10:11Scaling the Business: Challenges and Triumphs11:48Navigating Business Partnerships and Buybacks12:42Leveraging Technology for Growth14:13Family Involvement in Business16:03Adapting to Economic Changes17:58Impact of Tariffs on Business19:18Closing Thoughts and Shameless Plug

Fraud doesn't sleep, and neither does the challenge of keeping good customers happy while stopping bad actors in their tracks. In this live episode of Talk Commerce, recorded on the floor of Shoptalk in Las Vegas, host Isaac Morey sat down with Nicole Jass from Signifyd for a candid, fast-moving conversation about what it really takes to protect an e-commerce business today — without driving away the customers you've worked hard to earn.From machine learning and consortium data models to agentic commerce and instant refunds, Nicole covers the full spectrum of what modern fraud protection looks like — and why it's about so much more than just stopping a bad transaction.Key TakeawaysFraud protection should grow revenue, not just cut losses. Signifyd helped Lenovo increase top-line sales by 4–5% by reducing false declines alongside fraud.The consortium model is a force multiplier. Sharing fraud signals across thousands of merchants means that stopping one bad actor protects everyone on the network simultaneously.Not all bots are bad anymore. Agentic commerce is changing how merchants need to think about automated traffic, and Signifyd is already preparing for that shift.Returns are the next fraud frontier. Instant refunds are a loyalty-building tool — but only when merchants can tell the difference between a genuine return and someone shipping a box of rocks.Scaling fraud teams with people alone won't work. As businesses grow, "Katie reviewing transactions" isn't a sustainable strategy. Machine learning fills the gap efficiently.The customer experience IS the product. Every decline, every friction point, every delayed refund is a moment of truth that either builds or breaks brand loyalty.

Recorded live at Shoptalk Spring 2026 by host Isaac Morey, the conversation features Amera Khalil, Director of Strategic Account Management at Commerce — the parent brand behind Feedonomics, BigCommerce, and MakeSwift. Together, they cover what brands actually need to do to stay visible as AI-powered discovery takes over consumer behavior. It's a practical, no-fluff conversation that's worth your time whether you're running a lean SMB operation or managing enterprise-level feeds.Key TakeawaysData quality is the foundation. Before any AI strategy works, your product feeds need accurate titles, descriptions, sizes, and attributes.Enriched data isn't one-size-fits-all. Enrichment requirements vary by brand, category, and channel — and they need to match today's conversational search queries.Agentic commerce is already operational. Commerce built a fully functional agentic checkout experience for PacSun on Perplexity in under 30 days.Don't deploy AI for AI's sake. Without a clear business objective, AI implementation creates confusion rather than results.SMBs need to act now. LLM visibility isn't exclusive to enterprise brands — smaller businesses can start preparing today.Human oversight isn't optional. Quality assurance guardrails protect brand integrity and keep AI-generated content on point.Have AI conversations out loud. Brands strategizing behind closed doors miss partners who may already have the solutions they need.Episode SummaryAmera opened by describing Commerce's three-brand structure. Feedonomics handles intelligent product feed management, BigCommerce powers flexible e-commerce experiences, and MakeSwift enables agile front-end design. She described Feedonomics' core value simply: taking complex data, making it clean and structured, and distributing it intelligently across every relevant channel.From there, Isaac asked the big question: how is AI changing e-commerce? Amera's answer was direct. The traditional marketing funnel — performance ads, tracking, attribution models — is collapsing. Consumers are now using Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Claude not just for research but for actual purchase decisions. "The biggest change in e-commerce," she noted, "is the preparation to be visible on these LLMs while maintaining the quality of your data."She broke agentic commerce readiness into clear layers. First, brands need solid foundational data — accurate product titles, descriptions, brand names, sizing. Without that, nothing else works. On top of that, brands need enriched data that responds to how people actually search today. Nobody's typing "suitcase" anymore. They're saying something like, "I'm going on a trip, I want something light, and I tend to overpack." Product data has to meet that kind of specificity.Interestingly, she was candid about the complexity of getting onto LLM channels: "Just because you're a brand doesn't mean that your feed is going to be accepted." Approval processes are real hurdles, and the backend requirements — syncing inventory, enabling checkout, integrating payments — go well beyond what most marketing teams expect.The PacSun case study was the episode's standout moment. Commerce built a complete agentic checkout experience for PacSun on Perplexity in under 30 days, during the holiday season. Shoppers could find PacSun jeans, select their size, and check out via PayPal — receiving a confirmation email from PacSun directly. "This is thrilling," Amera said, "because it's changed the way that we are looking at our expectations as consumers."On AI risks, she stressed quality assurance. Feedonomics uses internal benchmarking systems that flag AI-generated content not meeting brand standards before it goes live. She also flagged a generational nuance: Gen Z consumers can detect cold, scripted AI content, and they don't respond well to it. Adjusting content based on audience expectations isn't a nice-to-have — it's essential.For SMBs, her advice was to start with a data audit. Centralize your assets, identify missing fields, and find a feed partner who can submit requests to LLMs on your behalf. As she put it, "even if you're small, medium, or you're the big kahunas in the industry, you have to be present and you certainly have to be visible."Final ThoughtsIn this new era, AI agents act on behalf of shoppers — searching, comparing, and even checking out across multiple channels, often without ever visiting a merchant's website. These AI-driven experiences are seamless, contextual, and increasingly the default for how consumers interact with commerce online.  Amera's message throughout this episode is clear: preparation beats hesitation every time.So here's the question worth sitting with — if your brand's data isn't ready for an agent to read it, how feed-y is your commerce strategy for what's already here?This has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/Chapters00:00:00 — Introducing Amera Khalil and Commerce00:00:22 — What Feedonomics Actually Does00:00:46 — BigCommerce and MakeSwift Explained00:01:09 — How AI Is Changing E-Commerce00:01:59 — How Consumers Are Using LLMs to Shop00:02:38 — The Rise of the Brand Agent as Consumer00:03:13 — How Brands Can Prepare for Agentic Commerce00:03:50 — Why Data Quality Is the Foundation00:04:28 — What Data Enrichment Actually Means00:05:15 — Matching Long-Tail Search Queries with Enriched Feeds00:05:52 — AI Risks and the Humans-in-the-Loop Element00:06:25 — Quality Assurance and Guardrails for AI Content00:07:15 — How Brands Are Adapting — Real Customer Journeys00:08:05 — Enterprise Brands Going Live on LLMs00:09:33 — The PacSun Agentic Checkout Story00:12:58 — Advice for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses00:14:54 — Why Every Brand Needs to Be Visible on LLMs by 202800:15:45 — The Feedonomics Framework for Readiness00:16:02 — Amera's Hot Take from Shoptalk00:16:56 — Final Thoughts and What's Getting Exciting Again

In this episode of Talk Commerce, Jill Sherman from Wix discusses her journey from founding Modalyst to leading a division at Wix. She explains the drop shipping model, the importance of data-driven decisions, and how AI is revolutionizing e-commerce. Jill emphasizes the need for personalization and trust in online stores, and highlights Wix's innovative tools that empower entrepreneurs to build and scale their businesses effectively. The conversation also touches on the future of e-commerce and the role of storytelling in creating meaningful customer experiences.TakeawaysJill Sherman runs a division at Wix focused on drop shipping.Modalyst was one of the largest drop shipping platforms before being acquired by Wix.Traveling with her kids is one of Jill's passions.Data-driven decisions are crucial for business growth.Drop shipping allows merchants to sell without holding inventory.AI can enhance the efficiency of drop shipping operations.Personalization is key to building trust with customers.Wix offers tools to help entrepreneurs create and manage their online stores.The future of e-commerce will heavily involve AI integration.Storytelling is essential for successful e-commerce businesses.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Jill Sherman and Wix02:16 Jill's Journey: From Retail to Dropshipping04:43 Understanding Dropshipping and Its Integration with Wix06:19 The Role of AI in Dropshipping09:35 Starting a Dropshipping Business: Key Strategies11:25 Building Trust and Personalization in E-commerce13:30 Wix's AI Tools for E-commerce16:40 Future Trends in E-commerce and Wix's Vision19:01 The Importance of Storytelling in E-commerce20:03 Closing Thoughts and Future Innovations

In this episode of the Talk Commerce podcast Live from Shoptalk, host Isaac Morey sits down with Thomas Lichtwerch from Manhattan Associates during the vibrant Shoptalk Las Vegas conference. This conversation addresses the evolving demands of today's retail environment, specifically focusing on the critical shift toward unified commerce. By analyzing data from a recent industry report, they break down the current state of retailer capabilities, the practical impact of customer experience on revenue, and how smaller brands can strategically position themselves to compete effectively in a landscape where consumer expectations are shifting at an unprecedented pace.Key TakeawaysThe Unified Commerce Gap: A significant majority of retailers—roughly two-thirds of the 400 studied—currently occupy the lower performance brackets, indicating widespread room for improvement in seamless omnichannel operations.Revenue Impact: Enhancing the customer experience correlates directly with tangible financial outcomes, with incremental growth opportunities identifiable for every billion dollars of revenue generated.Evolving Loyalty: Customer loyalty is declining as consumers have more options, easier mobile shopping experiences, and greater exposure to new brands via social platforms, making consistent service essential for retention.The AI Advantage: Artificial intelligence serves as a powerful tool for rapidly synthesizing massive data sets, enabling retailers to personalize shopping interactions, drive store traffic, and streamline returns without tedious manual queries.Mid-Market Agility: Unlike larger enterprises often constrained by complex legacy systems, smaller and medium-sized businesses possess a unique opportunity to adopt cutting-edge technology and integrate modern, flexible systems more rapidly.Episode SummaryDuring the discussion, Thomas highlights a notable finding from a four-year report involving 400 retailers across North America, EMEA, and Latam. Utilizing a third-party approach, the study evaluated various consumer experiences, from online purchasing to in-store returns. Thomas notes, "Really, 2/3 of the retailers that out of the 400 are scoring in the lower or the second lowest bracket." He emphasizes that closing this gap is not merely a technical exercise but a financial necessity, as improving these scores creates measurable incremental growth.The dialogue pivots to the role of technology, specifically the influence of artificial intelligence. Thomas points out that AI is revolutionizing how retailers interact with data, moving beyond slow, manual queries to immediate, actionable insights. "AI overall, obviously what AI can really help is data," he explains. He further highlights that the blueprint for success varies by region, noting how consumers in different parts of the world, such as those in Latin America utilizing WhatsApp, engage with brands differently, necessitating tailored regional approaches rather than a rigid, one-size-fits-all strategy.Final ThoughtsThe retail sector is currently experiencing a period of intense transformation. While the pressure to innovate is high, the accessibility of microservices and API-driven technology provides a path forward for brands that remain adaptable. Ultimately, the question for retailers is not just about keeping pace with current trends, but whether they are leveraging their data effectively enough to future-proof their unified commerce against the next wave of disruption.This has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/

In this episode of Talk Commerce, Brent Peterson interviews Bashak Ilhan, founder and CEO of Road Group. They discuss Bashak's entrepreneurial journey, her passion for global business, and the intricacies of building brands for the US market. The conversation covers various topics including the challenges of e-commerce, the impact of tariffs, and the importance of emotional value in branding. Bashak shares success stories of brands that have thrived in the US and emphasizes the role of AI in shaping the future of shopping. She encourages aspiring brands to pursue their dreams and offers her expertise in navigating the complexities of the market.TakeawaysBashak Ilhan is an experienced entrepreneur with a passion for global business.Road Group helps international brands enter the US market.Understanding market differences is crucial for brand success.Amazon is a competitive platform that requires strong branding.US customers have higher return rates compared to other markets.Tariffs and shipping challenges impact European brands entering the US.Brands must be prepared for high volume when entering big box retail.Success stories highlight the potential for growth in the US market.AI is transforming the e-commerce landscape.Emotional value is becoming increasingly important in consumer purchasing decisions.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Bashak Ilhan and Road Group02:51 Bashak's Entrepreneurial Journey and Motivations05:21 Client Engagement and Brand Building Strategies08:17 Navigating Market Differences: US vs Europe11:01 Success Stories and Brand Growth13:34 The Future of E-commerce and AI16:23 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

In this episode of the Talk Commerce podcast Live from Shoptalk, host Isaac Morey speaks with Karen Wood, the Chief Marketing Officer at Treasure Data. Filmed directly from the bustling show floor at Shoptalk in Las Vegas, this episode explores the practical application of artificial intelligence in modern marketing. The conversation highlights how businesses—ranging from mid-sized companies to large enterprises—can leverage their existing data to drive customer loyalty, identify brand advocates, and drastically improve operational efficiency.Key TakeawaysData Utilization: Many companies possess vast amounts of customer data but fail to maximize its potential for repeat business and loyalty.Identifying Advocates: Advanced propensity modeling and AI allow brands to identify potential and current brand advocates by synthesizing real-time data across various channels, including web activity and physical store interactions.Efficiency Gains: By utilizing AI, tasks that previously required weeks of work—such as audience segmentation and campaign activation—can now be executed in minutes using natural language commands.Mid-Market Support: Medium-sized businesses, which often have smaller, strapped teams, stand to benefit most from all-in-one AI marketing platforms that enable them to do more with fewer resources.The Reality of AI: Genuine expertise in AI is still evolving; successful adoption relies on continuous learning, testing, and incorporating real-world feedback into product development.Chapter Minutes:00:00 Introduction to Talk Commerce at Shoptalk00:16 Understanding the Treasure Data platform00:41 Unlocking customer data opportunities01:42 Identifying and cultivating brand advocates02:27 Integrating AI into the marketing stack04:14 AI solutions for mid-market businesses05:48 Introduction to the Marketing Super Agent06:55 Karen Wood's hot take on AI adoption07:54 Reflections on the Shoptalk experienceThis has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/

In this episode of Talk Commerce, Isaac Morey hosts a conversation recorded directly from the floor of Shoptalk in Las Vegas. The discussion features Dan Wagner, the founder and CEO of Rezolve AI, who provides insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of retail technology. The pair explores the essential role of agentic commerce, addressing how businesses must adapt to the shifting expectations of consumers who demand more conversational and intuitive shopping experiences.Key TakeawaysUrgency of Adoption: Businesses must integrate agentic commerce immediately because AI-driven search agents will exponentially increase the volume of traffic directed toward e-commerce sites.The Hallucination Barrier: Standard large language models often struggle with accuracy, making them unfit for commerce; Rezolve AI focuses on proprietary technology to ensure reliability.Conversational Search: The traditional method of filtering through hundreds of products is becoming obsolete, replaced by natural language queries that mimic a helpful in-store sales assistant.Infrastructure Requirements: Preparing for the future requires robust database architecture capable of handling trillions of interactions rather than mere billions.Personalization Standards: The necessity for consumers to navigate to a second page of search results indicates a failure in current site personalization technology.Episode SummaryThe conversation opens with an assessment of the current state of e-commerce. Dan explains that the industry stands on the precipice of a massive transformation driven by AI agents. Unlike manual shopping, where a consumer might visit a handful of websites, future AI agents will interrogate hundreds of sites simultaneously to deliver precise product recommendations. Dan notes, "The volume of search activity that e-commerce is going to see is going to go through the roof very fast." He warns that businesses failing to prepare for this influx risk site failure and lost revenue.When discussing the reliability of AI, Dan addresses the industry-wide challenge of hallucinations. He highlights that standard models are not designed for the 24/7, high-stakes environment of active retail sales. Rezolve AI has dedicated nine years to developing a solution that mitigates these errors, positioning the company as a leader in creating technology that is truly fit for commercial purposes.The dialogue shifts toward the changing behavior of shoppers. Dan argues that the traditional, static e-commerce model is nearing its end of life. Consumers prefer natural, conversational interactions, similar to speaking with a human salesperson. He states, "The progression of a natural interaction with sales agents, Gen AI salespeople, is human nature." By focusing on this shift, Rezolve AI aims to replace inefficient search filters with experiences that present the user with only the most relevant options, eliminating the need for page-two browsing.Looking forward, Dan emphasizes the importance of infrastructure. Rezolve AI has invested in distributed database architectures to manage the projected transition from billions to trillions of interactions. This commitment ensures that their partners remain functional even as traffic patterns become significantly more complex.Final ThoughtsThe insights shared by Dan Wagner illuminate a critical transition period for retailers. Companies that prioritize conversational engagement and robust backend infrastructure today will likely define the commerce landscape of tomorrow. As the industry shifts toward these automated, intelligent systems, leaders must ask themselves if they are building a strategy that treats AI as a novelty or as the core engine of their growth, proving that in this new era, your strategy must be truly .Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-wagner/This has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/Follow Talk Commerce on your favorite platform:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talkcommerceBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkcommerce.bsky.socialApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Alx6N7ERrPEXIBb41FZ1nTwitter: @talkingcommerceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talk-commerceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingcommerceWebsite: https://talk-commerce.com/

In this episode Live from Shoptalk, host Isaac Morey sits down with Ken Chestnut, the Global Head of Partner Ecosystem at Intuit, live from the floor of Shoptalk in Las Vegas. If you have ever wondered how industry leaders like Intuit—the powerhouse behind QuickBooks and Mailchimp—are bridging the gap between financial operations and marketing growth, this episode provides a front-row seat. They discuss the realities of the modern Martech stack, the strategic implementation of artificial intelligence, and why retention is the new frontier for small business success.Key TakeawaysRetention Over Acquisition: Ken emphasizes that "retention is the new acquisition." While top-of-funnel marketing is important, businesses achieve higher ROI by focusing on loyalty and servicing existing customers effectively.AI as a Means, Not an End: Rather than viewing AI as a content-generation tool, Intuit uses it for predictive analytics and personalization at scale, helping business owners "punch above their weight class" without needing massive marketing departments.The Power of Integration: A significant hurdle for small businesses is data silos. By integrating platforms like Shopify with QuickBooks and Mailchimp, businesses can move away from "data hoarding" and toward actionable insights.The Rise of Agentic Commerce: Ken shares a forward-looking perspective on "agentic-to-agentic" purchasing, where AI agents handle transactions. He notes that the next great challenge for brands will be ensuring their identity and personalization strategies remain relevant when a bot—not a human—is making the buying decision.The conversation opens with a focus on the core mission of Intuit: providing an end-to-end platform for small businesses. Ken explains that while QuickBooks handles the "run" side of business, Mailchimp powers the "grow" side. He highlights a critical shift in marketing strategy, noting, "The ROI on owned channels, whether it's email or SMS, is significantly higher than paid media, often reaching up to 40x ROI."As the discussion progresses, Isaac and Ken address the common struggle of data silos. Many businesses use between 6 and 20 different technologies, creating a fragmented view of their customers. Ken explains how Intuit leverages AI to unify this data, specifically citing the February integration with Shopify as a prime example. "Our top 10% of joint merchants are seeing on average a 30x ROI because of that deep end-to-end solution," Ken notes, emphasizing the impact of combined roadmaps and joint innovation.Finally, the discussion turns to the future. Ken shares his "hot take" on the shift toward agentic purchasing. He challenges listeners to think about how their brand will maintain its value when automated agents prioritize price and specifications over brand loyalty. The episode concludes with a look at Intuit's move into the mid-market space, ensuring that as their smallest customers succeed and scale, the Intuit ecosystem scales right along with them.Final Thoughts:This episode serves as a reminder that the most successful businesses are those that minimize friction and maximize intelligence. By integrating financial data with marketing efforts, merchants can turn their numbers into narratives that drive genuine loyalty. As the industry moves toward AI-driven decision-making, the ability to build an effective ecosystem will be the best strategy of the modern commerce era.Chapters00:00 - Introduction to the episode and setting the scene at Shoptalk01:45 - The role of ecosystem management in modern commerce03:30 - Distinguishing between bolt-on tools and foundational platform architecture06:15 - Criteria for selecting high-value partners08:45 - Maintaining platform consistency while fostering third-party innovation12:20 - Closing thoughts on the future of ecosystem growthAbout Our GuestKen Chestnut is the Global Head of Partner Ecosystem for @Intuit Mailchimp. With an extensive background in defining and scaling technology alliances at companies like AWS and Stripe, Ken specializes in category definition and go-to-market strategies. He is focused on building ecosystems where both technology and service partners contribute meaningfully to the success of small and mid-sized businesses globally.This has been produced in cooperation with Content Cucumberhttps://www.contentcucumber.com/Follow Talk Commerce on your favorite platform:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talkcommerceBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkcommerce.bsky.socialApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Alx6N7ERrPEXIBb41FZ1nTwitter: @talkingcommerceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talk-commerceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkingcommerceWebsite: https://talk-commerce.com/

Mark Shust discusses the development of Marko.build, a modern PHP framework inspired by Magento, aiming to simplify complex e-commerce development. The conversation covers the limitations of Magento, the vision behind Marko, and its potential to revolutionize e-commerce development with modularity, AI integration, and flexibility.Key  topicsThe limitations of Magento 2 and the need for a modern frameworkThe vision and features of Marko.build, a new PHP framework inspired by MagentoThe role of modularity, dependency injection, and AI in future e-commerce developmentChapters00:00 Introduction to Mark Shust and M Academy02:40 The Vision Behind M Academy05:24 Introducing Marko.build: A New Framework07:42 The Modular Approach of Marko10:48 Building with Marko: Flexibility and Integration13:26 Marko Talk: A Real-Time Messaging App16:05 The Future of PHP and Marko18:41 Feedback and Community Engagement21:32 Open Source vs. SaaS: A Philosophical Divide24:10 The Current State of Magento 227:03 Global Perspectives on Magento Adoption29:32 Getting Started with Marko resourcesMarko Framework - https://marko.buildMarko GitHub Repository - https://github.com/marko-frameworkMark Shust's M Academy - https://m.academyGuest linksWebsite - https://marko.buildGitHub - https://github.com/marko-frameworkM Academy - https://m.academy

In this episode of Talk Commerce, Christina Augustine, COO of Bloomreach, discusses the transformative role of conversational agents in e-commerce, the importance of personalization, and the future of websites in the age of AI. She emphasizes the need for businesses to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and the significance of integrating AI while maintaining human oversight. The conversation also touches on the evolving landscape of composable platforms and the economic considerations affecting e-commerce today.TakeawaysChristina Augustine is the COO at Bloomreach, focusing on conversational agents and AI.Conversational agents enhance customer experiences by personalizing interactions.Personalization in e-commerce has evolved from being creepy to expected.AI can help automate shopping experiences but requires human oversight.Websites will not disappear; they will coexist with AI-driven platforms.Understanding consumer behavior is crucial for effective marketing strategies.SEO is impacted by AI-generated content, requiring new approaches.Composable platforms are becoming more flexible and user-friendly.Economic scrutiny is influencing consumer spending habits.Businesses should leverage customer insights to improve their offerings.Connect with Christy on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaaugustine/ Or learn more about Bloomreach here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomreach/Chapters00:00 Introduction to Bloomreach and Christina Augustine02:21 Understanding Conversational Agents in Commerce06:52 The Future of Agentic Commerce09:20 The Role of Websites in E-commerce11:39 Advancements in Personalization with AI14:32 Ensuring Human Oversight in AI Interactions16:11 Navigating Content in an AI-Driven World19:11 The Evolution of Composable Platforms21:56 E-commerce Outlook Amid Economic Changes23:43 Upselling and Cross-Selling Strategies25:01 Learning from Customer Interactions27:04 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions

In this episode of Talk Commerce, Tim Johnson discusses the evolving role of AI in workplace automation, the importance of effective prompting, and the need for tailored sales playbooks. He emphasizes the significance of subject matter experts in leveraging AI tools and the changing expectations of clients in terms of personalization. Tim also shares insights on the future of e-commerce and the rapid development of products in the market.AI is transforming workflows and automating processes.Effective prompting is crucial for maximizing AI tools.Sales playbooks need to be tailored to specific industries.Subject matter experts are essential for guiding AI use.Clients expect personalized interactions based on research.Personalization must be balanced with trust and accuracy.Rapid product development is becoming the norm in e-commerce.Companies must navigate the risks of quick market entry.Staying updated on AI advancements is vital for success.Engaging with clients on a personal level enhances relationships.Chapters00:00Introduction to Tim Johnson and His Role01:38The Evolution of AI in Workflows04:36Educating Teams on Effective Prompting08:16Tailoring Sales Playbooks with AI10:52The Importance of Subject Matter Experts13:39Understanding Client Expectations16:28Navigating Personalization and Trust18:24The Future of E-commerce and Rapid Development22:16Closing Thoughts and Shameless Plug

Are you ready to witness the shift in how packages reach your doorstep? In this episode of Talk Commerce, I sit down with Dan O'Toole, the founder and CEO of Arrive AI, to discuss how the industry is moving past the hype of drone delivery and into the era of practical, scalable infrastructure.For years, the logistics conversation has focused almost exclusively on the vehicles—the drones, the ground robots, and the self-driving trucks. However, Dan brings a fresh perspective that challenges the status quo. He argues that the industry has overlooked the most critical component of the supply chain: the physical endpoint. If you cannot securely and effectively drop off a package, the efficiency of the vehicle becomes irrelevant.Dan shares his journey of realizing that autonomous delivery would never scale without a safe, secure, and universal access point. We explore the development of Arrive Points, which act as smart, connected mailboxes capable of handling everything from drone drops to traditional parcel deliveries. This is not just a hardware play; it is a platform designed to orchestrate commerce, providing users with a "shipping store at their door." Imagine managing all your inbound and outbound logistics, returns, and transactional history directly from your curb via an app.Throughout our conversation, Dan highlights the importance of being "platform agnostic." By welcoming all shippers and delivery methods—whether they are drones, robots, or conventional vehicles—Arrive AI is positioning itself to be the standard in the delivery ecosystem, much like the Tesla Supercharger network did for electric vehicles.We also cover the fascinating role of data in this new landscape. Beyond mere delivery, these smart access points provide real-time insights, from micro-weather tracking and pothole identification to emergency response support that can guide first responders to the exact location of a crisis.As we look toward 2026 and beyond, Dan emphasizes that this is an evergreen market. With 170 million addresses in the U.S. alone, the opportunity for growth is massive. However, he cautions that this industry is judged by its failures, not its successes. To achieve widespread adoption, the technology must function with near-perfect reliability.Whether you are involved in ecommerce, supply chain logistics, or simply interested in how AI is reshaping our daily lives, this episode offers a look at the infrastructure that will define the next decade of commerce.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction02:12 - The Genesis of Arrive AI03:59 - Scaling Autonomous Infrastructure05:24 - Weather Challenges and Solutions06:54 - Real-World Deployments: Hancock Health08:36 - The Philosophy of Co-opetition09:49 - Air Traffic Control for Ground Delivery12:00 - AI as an Accelerant13:49 - Disruption and Security16:25 - Diverse Use Cases18:12 - The "Funnest" Side of Logistics19:16 - Looking Ahead to 202620:48 - Final Thoughts and Closing

Brent Peterson interviews Michael Bervell, CEO and founder of Test Party. They discuss the importance of accessibility in digital products, the challenges of compliance with legal standards, and the innovations in accessibility testing that Test Party is bringing to the market. Michael shares his journey into product inclusion, the significance of understanding global business perspectives, and the future of e-commerce innovations driven by AI.TakeawaysMichael Bervell is the CEO and founder of Test Party.Product inclusion is crucial for digital products.Accessibility is not just about websites but all digital products.Compliance with ADA and WCAG is essential for businesses.Test Party automates accessibility testing and fixes issues.Accessibility tools can help developers create compliant websites.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Michael Bervell and His Passions02:59 The Importance of Product Inclusion and Accessibility10:14 Navigating Compliance and Legal Standards13:30 Innovations in Accessibility Testing with Test Party16:41 Exploring Global Business Perspectives20:49 Future Innovations in E-commerce and AI

Disney Petit, founder of Liquid Donate, discusses her passion for sustainability and the innovative solutions her company provides for donating excess inventory and bulky items. She explains the matching algorithm that connects retailers with nonprofits, the impact of their work on reducing waste, and the future trends in sustainability, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The discussion also touches on the growing focus on sustainability among retailers and the importance of community engagement in donation efforts.TakeawaysLiquid Donate helps retailers donate excess inventory to nonprofits.The company has developed a matching algorithm for donations.Over 12 million items have been donated to date.Sustainability is becoming a priority for retailers.EPR legislation will shift responsibility to producers.Community engagement is key in donation efforts.Logistics for bulky donations are complex but manageable.Reducing transit distance by 90% is a significant achievement.Retailers are increasingly focused on sustainability initiatives.Asking friends for excess items can foster community support.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Liquid Donate and Passion for Sustainability02:37 Innovative Solutions for Bulky Donations05:32 The Matching Algorithm and Logistics Coordination08:25 Expanding Donation Opportunities for Retailers11:18 Impact on Sustainability and Environmental Statistics13:57 Future Trends in Sustainability and EPR Legislation16:36 Retailer Trends and the Influence of Tariffs19:31 Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement

Brent Peterson interviews Vibhor Kapoor, Chief Business Officer at AdRoll. They discuss the evolution of AdRoll from a retargeting platform to a full funnel marketing solution, the importance of personalization in B2B advertising, and the future of advertising in AI platforms. Vibhor shares insights on the role of agents in e-commerce, the balance between AI-generated content and authentic storytelling, and the significance of understanding intent data for effective advertising. He also offers predictions for the upcoming quarter regarding technology and advertising innovations.TakeawaysVibhor Kapoor oversees product management, partnerships, and marketing at AdRoll.AdRoll has evolved from a retargeting platform to a full funnel marketing solution.B2B advertising requires personalization to engage multiple decision-makers.AI platforms are changing the landscape of advertising and e-commerce.Agents may play a significant role in future e-commerce transactions.Authentic content is more effective than low-quality, high-velocity content.Understanding intent data is crucial for relevant advertising.AdRoll captures intent signals to create audience predictions.The future of advertising will involve a mix of AI and human-led content.Marketers should think across channels and stages of the funnel.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Vibhor Kapoor and AdRoll02:25 Understanding AdRoll's Evolution and B2B Marketing07:32 The Future of Advertising in AI Platforms10:43 The Role of Agents in E-commerce15:49 The Balance of AI and Human Engagement in Marketing18:06 Leveraging Intent Data for Better Advertising21:38 Predictions for Q1 and Future Trends in Advertising

Brent Peterson sat down with Jorrit Steinz, founder and CEO of ChannelEngine, to discuss one of the most transformative shifts in ecommerce today: agentic commerce. The conversation covered how brands and retailers must rethink their multi-channel strategies now that AI-powered agents, from ChatGPT to Microsoft Copilot, are becoming transactional shopping platforms. With marketplaces multiplying, social commerce expanding, and LLMs entering the buying funnel, the episode delivered a forward-looking perspective on what merchants need to do right now to stay competitive.TakeawaysThe ultimate vision of agentic is consumer empowerment.Consumers will deploy agents to find products online.Agents will scrape the internet for purchasing options.In B2B, agents will facilitate shopping across platforms.Automation will enhance the shopping experience.The future of shopping involves digital agents.Agents will present curated options to consumers.B2B transactions will become more efficient with agents.The role of agents is expanding in digital commerce.Consumer agents will revolutionize how we buy. Chapters00:00 Introduction to Channel Engine and E-commerce Passion00:23 The Role of APIs and Data Feeds in E-commerce