Podcasts about consumer goods

BONUS S6E7 8 retail trends for 2026 including AI-assisted shoppers, why people are the new luxury, and the grey swans most retailers are ignoringCasey Golden and Ricardo Belmar spent two days at The Lead Summit in New York City with the operators, founders, and analysts actually running retail right now, and they walked out with a clear read on the retail trends 2026 will be built on. Instead of a session-by-session recap, this bonus episode pulls out the eight cross-cutting themes that showed up no matter whose stage they were on, from Anthropologie and Talbots to Hey Dude, Olaplex, Loop, and Coterie.The headline: every AI experiment built to replace people was a failure story, and every one built to extend people was a winner. From there the conversation runs through the rewired store, the rise of the AI-assisted shopper, why human connection is becoming the new luxury, and the grey swan events most retailers can see coming but refuse to plan for. If you want the retail trends 2026 leaders are quietly betting on, plus what to do about it Monday morning, this is the episode.In This Episode, You'll Learn•       Why AI augmentation beats AI replacement, and the customer service "40% ticket deflection" stat that fell apart under real measurement•       How the AI-assisted shopper is already changing product discovery, and why generative engine optimization (GEO) is getting 80% of the attention on 5% of the traffic•       Why "people are the new luxury" may be the one theme still defining retail trends 2026 a year from now•       What Talbots' 35-of-100 transactions stat says about store KPIs beyond sales per square foot•       How community beat audience for breakout brands, and why your brand story now has to teach the LLMs who you are•       The grey swans hiding in plain sight: GLP-1, the aging of America, and single-geography supply chain risk•       The Monday-morning move to make before the AI-assisted shopper takes a bigger bite of your holiday trafficNotable Moments & Quotes•       "AI won't sit down and have a cigarette with me." The line that summed up why people still matter.•       "Listening is a capability, but hearing is a skill."•       Rainbow Shops: a vendor's 40% ticket deflection collapsed because customers just hung up and called back for a human.•       Talbots' Concierge clienteling went from reaching 300,000 of 750,000 eligible customers to all of them, while keeping the calls human. AI does the volume, people do the moments.•       Loop Earplugs grew from $1M to $250M in five years, obsessing over one question: where did you first hear about us?•       MoMA Design Store: "We're not Amazon, and we don't want to be."•       Randa Apparel's grey swans: GLP-1 (roughly 8M users today, potentially 100M by 2030), more Americans over 65 than under 18 by 2028, and the warning that "a business built around a single geography isn't lean, it's exposed."Subscribe & FollowIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utubeChapters00:00 Teaser01:01 Show Intro03:18 The BIG Recap - Our 8 Themes form The Lead Summit05:49 Theme 1 - The Augmentation Imperative09:49 Theme 2 -  People are the New Luxury14:17 Theme 3 - The Rewired Store18:40 Theme 4 - Get Ready for the AI-Assisted Shopper24:19 Theme 5 - Community Over Audience30:57 Theme 6 - Brand Discipline and the Power of Saying No35:22 Theme 7 - Multiplatform & Multigenerational Reality40:23 Theme 8 - Grey Swans: The Conversations Most People Aren't Having45:39 Key Take Aways: What Should Listeners Do Monday Morning?48:53 Show CloseMeet your hostsHelping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AIand Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! MusicIncludes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

S6E6 Campari America's Allison Varone on mindful drinking and the new rules of beverage brand building with Gen ZEveryone keeps repeating that Gen Z doesn't drink. The data tells a far more interesting story about mindful drinking and this episode unpacks it.In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Allison Varone, Head of Marketing at Campari America, for a genuine masterclass in beverage brand building. With more than 20 years across the wine and spirits industry, Allison leads marketing for one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world: Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Courvoisier, Grand Marnier, Espolòn Tequila, and the newly US-launched Crodino, a non-alcoholic spritz beloved in Italy since 1965.This conversation goes beyond the headlines about the spirits industry to explore the cultural shifts, strategic bets, and marketing instincts behind some of the most recognizable drinks in the world, and what they mean for anyone building consumer brands in 2026.What We Cover·       How Gen Z is redefining drinking culture, and why mindful drinking is a growth opportunity for the spirits industry rather than a threat·       The "zebra striping" trend: how consumers now bounce between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages depending on the occasion·       Crodino's US launch and the strategic timing behind Campari America's move into the non-alcoholic spirits space·       Why occasion-led marketing has replaced category-first brand thinking across the beverage industry·       What Aperol's Coachella activation and Negroni Week reveal about experiential marketing ROI·       How Wild Turkey's "Don't Change a Damn Thing" campaign keeps a heritage brand culturally relevant on TikTok·       The real playbook for challenger brands trying to break through a crowded beverage market·       What premiumization actually means when consumers are cautious, and how Espolòn Tequila balances premium with accessible·       Inside the Campari Academy and how bartender education becomes a competitive advantage·       A bold look at the spirits industry in 2035: more inclusive, more occasion-led, and centered on human connectionA Standout Idea from This EpisodeAllison's advice to brand strategists was refreshingly direct: focus less on categories and more on how consumers are actually evolving. Lead with the occasion, then figure out where your brand fits into that moment. That is brand strategy advice that travels far beyond the spirits industry.Whether you work in retail, brand marketing, CPG, or you are simply curious about how culture shapes consumer behavior, this episode delivers insight you can use immediately.This Episode is Brought to You By RetailClub.Join 2,000 retail leaders at RetailClub AI Festival, September 22–24 in Huntington Beach. Dive deep into how AI is reshaping retail while soaking up the sun at a fully outdoor, beachside venue. Decision-makers from retailers and brands can attend with free tickets and up to $1,250 in travel reimbursement. Head to retailclub.com to learn more. https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcastSubscribe & FollowIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utubeAbout our GuestAllison Varone, Head of Marketing, Campari America. https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-varone-4650901/https://www.camparigroup.com/enAllison Varone is Head of Marketing at Campari America, a growing powerhouse group in the U.S. spirits market. A seasoned executive, leader and strategist, she has more than 20 years of experience driving growth, market share and profitability for both large and small brands. She joined Campari America in 2024 and previously served as Vice President of Channel and Customer Marketing, where she lead Campari America to some of its greatest partnerships and campaigns, including Negroni Week for Campari, SKYY Vodka for PRIDE, Courvoisier Bring Your Own Courvoisier campaign and Aperol as a sponsor of the U.S. Open and the official Spritz Partner at Coachella.Chapters00:00 Opening Teaser00:49 Show Intro06:02 Welcome Allison Varone07:23 Gen Z & Mindful Drinking Culture09:09 Non-Alc Innovation & Product Strategy12:46 Occasion-Led Marketing & Coachella14:39 Shifts in Consumer Behavior17:02 Spanning Generations Across the Portfolio19:26 Measuring Activation Impact21:27 Advice for Challenger Brands24:33 Honoring Heritage Brands26:22 Premiumization & Value28:18 The Campari Academy & Elevated Experiences30:53 The Spirits Industry in 203533:17 Advice for Brand Strategists35:27 Wrap-Up37:23 Show CloseMeet your hostsHelping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AIand Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! MusicIncludes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_bHAy84bB3A  In this special episode, The FMCG Guys partner with LEAD Network Europe for a candid conversation with FrieslandCampina's Frouke Hakstege on one of the most important challenges facing Consumer Goods today: advancing more women into executive leadership positions. Frouke is the Dutch Dairy Leaders Global Commerce Director and Co-Chair at LEAD's Sales Chapter. Recorded at FrieslandCampina's offices in Amersfoort, the episode explores the realities of leadership, career progression, family life, international moves, and what companies can do to create more inclusive paths to senior leadership. Tune in to hear about: Why female representation at executive level remains a challenge across FMCG and Retail The difference between mentorship and sponsorship — and why both matter Leading a global career while balancing family life and raising 4 children How companies can create cultures where women can thrive long-term The role of visibility, advocacy, and leadership support in career progression Practical ways the industry can move from conversations to measurable action   Relevant Links Lead Network Website:  Women in Retail and CPG Network & Leadership Programmes | LEAD Network Lead Network Sales Chapter Page: Sales Chapter | LEAD Network (If people register they can download the Sales Career Roadmap under "Chapter Content Library") Sales Chapter LinkedIn Page: (17) LEAD Network Sales Chapter: Overview | LinkedIn Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Modest Ferrer Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The FMCG Guys (Dwyer Partners SL) or its partners. The FMCG Guys make no representations or warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of any information discussed, and accept no responsibility for any decisions or outcomes based on this content. Listeners are encouraged to seek their own professional advice before acting on any of the topics covered.

Relebogile Mabotja speaks to Wendy Knowler who is a Consumer Journalist about FlySafair being taken to the Consumer Tribunal relating to its practice of routinely overbooking its flights. 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja is broadcast live on Johannesburg based talk radio station 702 every weekday afternoon. Relebogile brings a lighter touch to some of the issues of the day as well as a mix of lifestyle topics and a peak into the worlds of entertainment and leisure. Thank you for listening to a 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja podcast. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 13:00 to 15:00 (SA Time) to Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/2qKsEfu or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/DTykncj Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relebogile Mabotja speaks to Wendy Knowler who is Consumer Journalist about FlySafair being taken to the Consumer Tribunal relating to its practice of routinely overbooking its flights, with Lee Soobrathi who is a Consumer Goods & Services Ombudsman joining to explain the legal process and role of the National Consumer Commission. 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja is broadcast live on Johannesburg based talk radio station 702 every weekday afternoon. Relebogile brings a lighter touch to some of the issues of the day as well as a mix of lifestyle topics and a peak into the worlds of entertainment and leisure. Thank you for listening to a 702 Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja podcast. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 13:00 to 15:00 (SA Time) to Afternoons with Relebogile Mabotja broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/2qKsEfu or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/DTykncj Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Just Happened | Justin Honaman, Global Head of Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods at AWS For retailers looking to get more of an understanding of Agentic Commerce, this discussion lays it out. AWS is quickly announcing new products and if you ar...

Marico went on a shopping spree — three deals, 700 crores, three weeks. But is it swiftly reinventing itself for the TikTok generation, or a legacy FMCG giant papering over a slowing core with shiny digital acquisitions? MD and CEO Saugata Gupta makes his case to host and ET’s FMCG editor Ratna Bhushan — a 28-year-old average workforce, founders left to run free, and a digital business he promises will hit teens EBITDA by 2030. He also gets unusually candid about the bloodbath in FMCG boardrooms, why CEO tenures are shrinking globally, and what it really takes to build a succession plan that outlasts the boss. Listen in:You can follow Ratna Bhushan on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S6E5 What Retailers Must Know About Prompt Injection, Rogue Bots & AI Agent Security Before It's Too LateYour AI shopping agent just drained your bank account. It's not a glitch — that's the objective it was given. Welcome to the new reality of agentic commerce, where autonomous AI agents shop, transact, and negotiate on behalf of consumers and brands — and where cybercriminals are already waiting to exploit every crack in the system.In this must-listen episode of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Dr. Aaron Estes, VP of Product & Engineering at Binary Defense, to unpack the retail cybersecurity crisis that most retailers haven't even started preparing for. With half of all internet traffic already coming from bots and 1 in 8 AI-related breaches now involving a rogue agent, the agentic commerce era is creating attack surfaces we've never seen before.Dr. Estes brings 20+ years of hands-on cybersecurity expertise, including penetration testing at Lockheed Martin and advisory work with leading retailers. He breaks down exactly how AI agents differ from traditional e-commerce threats, why prompt injection attacks are the new frontier of retail cybersecurity, and what practical guardrails every retailer needs to put in place right now.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why AI agents are fundamentally different from human users — and why they'll "very confidently spend all your money" to hit their objectiveHow prompt injection attacks trick AI agents into leaking sensitive dataWhy every AI agent needs its own identity, login, and role-based access controls — just like an employeeThe "bots watching bots" architecture that's becoming the new standard in agentic commerce securityHow AI shopping bots are already exploiting loyalty programs, gift cards, and rewards systemsWhy retailers must rethink retail cybersecurity assumptions as autonomous shoppers replace human onesHow to identify rogue chatbots and fraudulent AI agents impersonating legitimate brandsWhat "human-in-the-loop" oversight really means — and where it's non-negotiable in agentic commerceThis Episode is Brought to You By RetailClub.Join 2,000 retail leaders at RetailClub AI Festival, September 22–24 in Huntington Beach. Dive deep into how AI is reshaping retail while soaking up the sun at a fully outdoor, beachside venue. Decision-makers from retailers and brands can attend with free tickets and up to $1,250 in travel reimbursement. Head to retailclub.com to learn more. https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcastSubscribe & FollowIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utubeAbout our GuestDr. Aaron Estes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronestes777/email: aaron.estes@binarydefense.comBinary Defense. https://binarydefense.com/Dr. Aaron Estes is the VP of Product & Engineering at Binary Defense, a 24/7 cybersecurity watchtower specializing in cyber threat intelligence, dark web monitoring, digital channel fraud, and breach response. He holds a doctorate in software engineering with a concentration in cybersecurity, teaches at UC Berkeley and Southern Methodist University, and previously spent ~15 years in penetration testing at Lockheed Martin across defense, energy, retail, and entertainment sectors.Chapters00:00 Teaser 00:49 Show Intro 07:26 Welcome Dr Aaron Estes! 09:31 Why Security Matters 14:00 New Attack Surface 17:57 AI Identity and Access 22:09 Adoption Speed and Oversight 26:51 Bots Watching Bots 31:34 Orchestrators and Rival Bots 34:06 Bots Gaming Rewards 37:13 AI Shoppers Rise 38:29 Ads Inside Agents 44:08 Rogue Bots And Trust 48:09 Risk Versus Reward 50:48 Kill Switch Reality 52:55 Ecommerce Lessons Repeat 54:26 Closing Thanks And Contact 56:21 Show CloseMeet your hostsHelping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AIand Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! MusicIncludes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

Four stories that all connect to your portfolio today.Tesla reported Q1 2026 earnings — $22.38 billion in revenue and $0.41 EPS, both beats. But deliveries missed at 358,023 units and Tesla built 50,000 more cars than it sold. Capex guidance jumped $5 billion above prior guidance to $25 billion. The stock gave back its after-hours gains on that news.Meanwhile NIO delivered 83,465 vehicles in the same quarter — up 98.3% year over year. The growth gap between these two companies is the story.China's auto price war just paused heading into Beijing Auto Show. Three years of below-cost pricing, collapsing margins, and industry-wide bleeding — and it stopped this week. That pause is a structural tailwind for NIO which was designed to compete above the price war's reach.Chinese automakers held 80 car launches in March 2026. Sales dropped 15% in the same month. That's the fast consumer goods trap — brands launching constantly while buyers wait for the next cheaper model. NIO operates above 300,000 yuan where that trap doesn't apply the same way.Beijing Auto Show opens Friday. 1,451 vehicles. 181 world premieres. Tesla skipped it again. NIO is at booth E203 with all three brands. ES9 momentum, ES8 milestone, and a potential Gen 5 battery swap announcement. This channel covers it all starting Friday.

On today’s edition of the show, Shaun Haney is joined by Dr. Calvin Booker of Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods for a conversation about data and livestock health management! Thoughts on something we talked about on the show? Connect with host Shaun Haney shaney@realagriculture.com, on X/Twitter by using the hashtag #RealAgRadio, or give us a... Read More

On today’s edition of the show, Shaun Haney is joined by Dr. Calvin Booker of Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods for a conversation about data and livestock health management! Thoughts on something we talked about on the show? Connect with host Shaun Haney shaney@realagriculture.com, on X/Twitter by using the hashtag #RealAgRadio, or give us a... Read More

Technology promises sharper insights in livestock production, but the real shift is happening in how data is used to guide everyday decisions at the herd level. In this episode of Bushels and Bytes, Shaun Haney speaks with Dr. Calvin Booker of Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods about the evolution from individual animal care to managing... Read More

S6E4 Exploring the rise of performance TV, off-site retail media, and what it means for retailers and brands.Retail media is evolving fast, and if you're still stuck in 2022, you're already behind. In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with retail media expert Andrew Lipsman to explore how Retail Media Networks(RMNs) are expanding into Connected TV (CTV) and off-site retail media to drive growth in 2026 and beyond.From Amazon and Walmart's bold moves into performance TV to the rise of off-site retail media as a full-funnel strategy, this episode is packed with insights for retailers and brands navigating the next wave of retail media strategy. Andrew breaks down the challenges of measurement, the myth of ROAS, and why CMOs and agencies need to rethink their approach to retail media.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why connected TV is the next frontier for retail media networksHow off-site retail media is growing 3x faster than on-siteThe real story behind ROAS and why it's often misleadingHow Amazon and Walmart are dominating performance TVWhat smaller RMNs can do to compete through partnershipsWhy CMOs and agencies must evolve their retail media strategyHow to build a full-funnel retail media approach that worksWhether you're building a retail media network or buying ad space for your next brand campaign, this episode is packed with the sharp insights you need to stay ahead.Subscribe & FollowIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utubeAbout our GuestAndrew Lipsman. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipsman-10b2162/Analyst, Consultant, and Founder - Media, Ads + Commerce.Andrew Lipsman is an independent analyst and principal consultant at Media, Ads + Commerce. His industry coverage specializes in retail media—which he is known for anointing as “digital advertising's third big wave”—and other areas of the digital media, advertising, and commerce ecosystem. He has published more than a half dozen articles in the Journal of Advertising Research and is frequently quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, and Advertising Age.Media, Ads + Commerce. https://mediaadsandcommerce.substack.comMedia, Ads + Commerce is a consultancy providing strategy and insights for companies in retail media and the broader media, advertising, and commerce ecosystem.Chapters00:00 Teaser Open00:51 Show Intro 04:19 Welcome Back Andrew Lipsman! 06:12 How Retail Media Evolved 07:56 Closed Loop And ROAS Limits 10:57 Retail Media Connective Tissue 15:24 CTV Goes Performance 21:19 Partnership Paths To CTV 24:53 Trade Desk And Agency Gap 27:32 Offsite Media Growth Drivers 29:27 Onsite Relevance First 30:40 Connected TV Landscape 31:46 Inventory Quality and Fraud 33:02 Target and Nordstrom Playbook 35:34 Full Funnel Measurement 36:33 CMO Perception Gap 38:09 Brands and Merchant Alignment 41:49 CTV Attribution Reality 44:06 Rethinking ROAS Metrics 46:17 Last Touch Misleads 47:59 Inefficiency as Opportunity 50:15 Talent and Org Alignment 53:21 2026 Priorities and Mindset 57:13 Where to Follow Andrew 58:00 Show CloseMeet your hostsHelping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AIand Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! MusicIncludes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

Sofidel is one of the largest manufacturers of paper products in the world, but it's primarily known in Europe, specifically in Italy, where the company is based. However, the toilet tissue and paper towel producer is making major moves in the U.S., where market leaders like Kimberly-Clark, Procter & Gamble, and Georgia-Pacific dominate.Last October, Sofidel announced plans for a major U.S. expansion to meet growing demand, particularly in the south. The company knew it was going to expand capacity at one of its 14 production sites in the U.S.— it just didn't know which one.#Sofidel #Manufacturing #PaperIndustry #TissueProduction #ToiletPaper #PaperTowels #IndustrialAutomation #SmartFactory #Industry40 #Automation #SupplyChain #CPG #ConsumerGoods #MadeInUSA #USManufacturing #FactoryExpansion #EconomicDevelopment #Logistics #Warehousing #Innovation #TechInManufacturing #Valmet #E80Group #PrivateLabel #BusinessGrowth

Artificial intelligence in agriculture - what's the potential for the future? Ben Eagle is joined by Ben Hatton from Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods and Matt Dobbs from Agsenze to discuss the potential.  With thanks to our sponsor Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods. Explore smarter farming tools from TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods: telus.com/FarmSmarter

S6E3 PayPal's Mike Edmonds breaks down agentic commerce and how it redefines trust, loyalty, and the merchant‑of‑record futureAgentic commerce is no longer theoretical. It's already reshaping how shoppers discover, evaluate, and buy products. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Edmonds, VP of Agentic Commerce & Commercial Growth at PayPal, to break down what agentic commerce really means for retailers right now and how agentic AI is transforming the entire shopping lifecycle.We explore the three major use cases of agentic commerce, how AI shopping agents are changing product discovery, why payments and trust are now central to the agentic commerce experience, and how retailers can maintain control of customer relationships through merchant‑of‑record models.If you've been trying to understand how agentic commerce works, how agentic AI fits into the retail ecosystem, or what retailers must do in the next six months to stay competitive, this episode delivers the clarity and direction you need.What You'll LearnWhat agentic commerce actually is; and why it matters nowHow agentic AI is reshaping product discovery, checkout, and loyaltyThe three core use cases: CUA, agentic checkout, and autonomous agent‑to‑agent shoppingWhy payments, identity, and trust are the foundation of agentic commerceHow merchant‑of‑record models protect data and customer relationshipsThe role of loyalty programs in an agent‑driven worldCatalog readiness and the challenge of integrating with multiple LLMsHow close we are to the universal cartWhat retailers must do today to prepare for the agentic shiftWhy This Episode MattersAgentic commerce is moving faster than most retailers realize. As agentic AI becomes embedded in browsers, apps, and everyday workflows, retailers must rethink how they manage trust, identity, payments, and customer experience. This episode gives you the frameworks and real‑world examples to understand how agentic commerce will reshape retail in the months ahead.Subscribe & FollowIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utubeAbout our GuestMike Edmonds. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeledmonds/VP Agentic Commerce, Commercial Growth at PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/us/business/aiMike Edmonds is VP of Agentic Commerce, Commercial Growth for PayPal, responsible for global commercialization, go-to-market, and operational execution across PayPal's portfolio of AI-powered and agentic commerce products. Mike brings deep expertise having joined PayPal from Microsoft where he led AI and ecommerce strategy for Microsoft's worldwide retail and consumer goods industry team. Prior to Microsoft, Mike was an agency operator, entrepreneur, and product leader driving digital transformation across B2B, DTC, and marketplace business models spanning a range of verticals including retail, CPG, high tech, industrial manufacturing, automotive, and foodservice across the US, Europe, and China.Mike is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University teaching Kellogg MBA, MS in Design Innovation, and MS in Product Design and Development students through the Segal Design Institute at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.Chapters00:00 Teaser 01:00 Show Intro 04:04 Welcome Mike Edmonds 05:22 Mike's PayPal Role 07:14 Defining Agentic Commerce 14:40 Real World Agentic Checkout 19:33 Trust Merchant Data Loyalty 26:16 Loyalty As Differentiator 27:21 Travel Points And Agentic Commerce 28:32 Trust KYA And Liability 34:46 Skills For Future Commerce Careers 41:54 2030 Multimodal Future And Wrap 48:40 Show CloseMeet your hostsHelping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AIand Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! MusicIncludes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

In this episode, Tom Morphew shares his inspiring journey from a young gardener to the founder of Full Circle Farms and the Garden Army CIC. He discusses his unique approach to regenerative farming, the challenges he faced in his entrepreneurial journey, and his commitment to creating a sustainable and community-focused farming model. Tom emphasizes the importance of mental health and community engagement in his work, aiming to provide opportunities for healing and purpose through agriculture. With thanks to our sponsor Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods. Explore smarter farming tools from TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods: telus.com/FarmSmarter

Ari Bloom has launched multiple eight-figure brands into more than 10,000 retail stores by building products that reflect the people buying them. The founder behind A-Frame Brands breaks down his problem-first framework and why long-lasting brands are built around purpose—not trends. For more on A-Frame Brands and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana's Global EVP & Chief Advisor, Consumer Goods & Foodservice Insights, joins the podcast to explore the fascinating dynamics of today's unprecedented multigenerational marketplace. Building on CEO Stuart Aitken's recent emphasis on the importance of life stages in the modern market, Sally dives into key trends and actionable insights for brands looking to connect with their customers. In this episode, she unpacks: How an unprecedented seven generations are making this market the most demographically diverse Why brands must adopt multi-layered approaches that respect generational diversity Opportunities for innovation to meet the needs of younger consumers who are spending more on food and beverages The emergence of AI as a co-creator that accelerates innovation, optimizes formulations, and personalizes consumer experiences Stay tuned for regular episodes packed with insights to keep you informed, inspired, and ready to shape the future with confidence.

S6E2 The Retail Growth Strategy Retailers Need for 2026 with Today's Economic Realities, Tariffs, Fed Moves, and Consumer ShiftsIn this powerful episode of The Retail Razor Show, Dr. Rebecca Homkes, London Business School lecturer, Duke faculty member, high‑growth strategy advisor, and author of Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times, joins Ricardo and Casey to break down what retailers must understand about the economic outlook in 2026, shifting consumer behavior, and the strategic moves that separate winners from laggards.Rebecca explains why uncertainty is not a threat but a catalyst for growth, and how her Survive, Reset, Thrive (SRT) framework helps leaders stabilize quickly, reset strategy intelligently, and execute a retail growth strategy that works even in volatile conditions. She also unpacks the realities behind sticky inflation, tariffs, the no‑hire/no‑fire labor market, and the rise of the K‑shaped consumer economy.If you want to build a retail growth strategy that thrives in the face of market shocks, this episode gives you the playbook.What We CoverWhy the economic outlook in 2026 is full of contradictions, and what that means for retailHow the SRT loop helps leaders stabilize, reset, and thriveReal‑world examples of companies using SRT to turn crises into growthWhy averages hide the truth about consumer sentimentThe rise of the K‑shaped economy and the death of the “everyman” consumerValue vs. price: why consumers will still pay more for what they truly valueHow retailers should think about store formats, assortment, and experimentationThe must‑win battles for 2026Where AI actually moves the needle in a retail growth strategyKey TakeawaysUncertainty is the best time to grow: because customers, partners, and employees are more honest about what they value.Value ≠ price. Consumers want their dollar to go further, not necessarily cheaper products.The middle of the market is the danger zone. Retailers must choose: differentiated premium or true value leadership.Retail growth strategy in 2026 requires testing, iteration, and abandoning legacy assumptions.Economic outlook in 2026 signals a decoupling between GDP strength and consumer reality: leaders must plan accordingly.Subscribe & FollowSubscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utubeAbout our GuestRebecca Homkes, https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-homkes/https://www.rebeccahomkes.comAuthor, Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times. https://a.co/d/0aXECIB2Rebecca Homkes, is a high-growth strategy specialist, CEO and executive advisor. After more than a decade of advising her clients on developing, executing and innovating on strategy, Rebecca is sharing her proven and practical playbook in Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times. She is a Lecturer at the London Business School, Faculty at Duke Corporate Executive Education, Advisor and Faculty at the Boston Consulting Group focused on AI and Climate and Sustainability, and a former fellow at the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance. A global keynote speaker and recognized thought leader, she is also the global Faculty Director of the Active Learning Program with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), leads several fintech accelerators, and serves on the boards of many high-growth companies. She earned her doctorate at the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar and is now based in Miami, San Francisco, and London.Chapters00:00 Teaser01:10 Show Intro04:40 Welcome Dr Rebecca Homkes05:46 The Survive Reset Thrive Framework08:04 Real World SRT Success Stories12:55 Macro Economic Outlook for 202617:38 Understanding the K Shaped Economy19:39 Value vs Price Strategy24:06 Differentiation and Competitive Advantage26:41 Store Strategy and Expansion30:37 Consumer Experience and AI32:34 B2B Software Experience Gap34:04 Financing and Inventory Strategy36:28 Supply Chain Robustness38:10 No Regret Moves40:40 Defining Right to Win43:45 Hard Reset Strategy45:51 Strategic Center of Gravity48:24 Must Win Battles49:34 Closing and Contact Info51:36 Show CloseMeet your hostsHelping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AI and Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! MusicIncludes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

In this Retail Technology Spotlight Series episode, Chris Walton sits down with Experion Technologies' Mahesh Vijayaraghavan (VP of Retail & Consumer Goods) and Siraj Alimohamed (Global Head of Data & AI) to cut through the AI hype. From platform-first strategies to the pilot fatigue epidemic, Mahesh and Siraj break down why AI is overhyped at the dashboard level but underappreciated where it matters most, i.e. in 6 a.m. inventory decisions and real-time store operations. Learn why building AI like a muscle beats treating it like a project, how to escape automation chaos, and why your digital experience is about to become your biggest competitive advantage.

S6E1 Retail Media's New Reality: DSP Shifts, Agentic Commerce & Brand Strategy for 2026Season 6 of The Retail Razor Show kicks off with a deep dive into one of the most important topics in commerce today: retail media. Ricardo and Casey sit down with Jeff Cohen, Chief Business Development Officer at Skai, to unpack the newly released 2026 State of Retail Media Report, created in partnership with Stratably.This episode explores how brands, versus retailers, are navigating the rapid evolution of retail media. From DSP shifts and CTV growth to AI adoption and agentic commerce, measurement challenges, and the widening gap between leaders and laggards, this conversation delivers the insights every brand marketer needs heading into 2026.What We CoverWhy retail media now commands nearly 30% of US digital ad spendThe rise of retail media maturity and what separates leaders from laggardsWhy organizational structure is now a top predictor of retail media successThe growing importance of Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)How brands should evaluate incrementality, attribution, and ROIWhy CTV and sponsored brand video are acceleratingThe role of AI and agentic commerce in shaping future shopping journeysWhat brands must do in 2026 to stay competitiveDownload the 2026 State of Retail Media Report (free):https://skai.io/reports-and-whitepapers/2026-state-of-retail-media-report/Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestsJeff Cohen, Chief Business Development Officer, Skaihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreycohen/Jeff Cohen leads global business development at Skai, overseeing partnerships and innovation across the commerce media ecosystem. A recognized thought leader, he is focused on uniting brands, agencies, retailers, and publishers around the next era of growth. Previously, Jeff was Principal Evangelist at Amazon Ads.Chapters:00:00 Preview Teaser 00:53 Show Intro 03:45 Welcome Jeff Cohen 06:24 Retail Media Maturity and Brand Strategies 08:30 Leaders vs. Laggards in Retail Media 12:12 Organizational Structure and Retail Media Success 17:35 Amazon Ads and DSP Insights 24:36 Evaluating Performance Across Platforms 27:45 The Shift to Full Funnel Advertising 29:46 Challenges in Measurement and Attribution 30:50 The Role of AMC in Retail Media 33:01 Incrementality and Budget Constraints 35:45 AI's Impact on Retail Media 37:10 Strategies for Brands in an AI World 42:54 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts 48:21 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail and AGI, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Management, Careers, and Transformation, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Agentic AI and Digital Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

How do you identify and act on the biggest levers in your environmental footprint? In this episode, Marcel Niederberger, Head of Sustainability, and Marc Vetterli, Sustainability Expert in Engineering, explain how V-ZUG used life cycle assessment to discover that material intensity (and not just energy efficiency) drives environmental impact in home appliances. What you'll hear in this episode: • Why it is essential to carry on life-cycle assessments of all products. • The development process behind high-quality recycled ABS for visible white panels in washing machines and dryers, and its scalability. • V-ZUG's self-imposed CO2 penalty that funds fundamental research and early-stage circular projects. The episode also explores practical implementation topics, including closing material loops with suppliers, designing for reuse across product generations, and building competitive advantage. This episode concludes the "Recycled Plastics for Premium Brands" series, sponsored by HolyPoly. The series focused on the practicalities of using technical recyclates in long-lasting, high quality products.

Agentic Commerce, Retail Media, and the Human Experience: Season 6 PreviewSeason 6 of The Retail Razor Show is here, and we're diving into the future of retail through the lens of Agentic Commerce and Retail Media. In this trailer, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden introduce a season built around the collision of technology, content, and the human experience. As Agentic Commerce reshapes how consumers discover and buy products, Retail Media becomes the environment where every decision is influenced, measured, and optimized.This season builds on the momentum from Season 5, where we explored resilience, digital marketing, sustainability, resale, marketplace strategy, and leadership in an AI saturated world. Now we move into a new era where AI agents may shop on behalf of consumers, and retailers must understand how Agentic Commerce changes engagement, loyalty, and the path to purchase. At the same time, Retail Media continues to expand as a core revenue engine and a critical part of the customer journey.You'll hear from innovators who are building systems powered by Agentic AI, leaders redefining Retail Media strategy, and operators proving that frontline teams can thrive when technology is designed to support them. This season explores how Agentic Commerce transforms merchandising, planning, and customer experience, and why the human connection still matters more than ever.Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartMedia, YouTube, and Goodpods. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn, Blue Sky, Threads, and Instagram.If you want to understand where retail is heading in 2026, this is the podcast for you!Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeChapters:00:00 Cold Open 00:23 Intro to Season 6 00:50 Reflecting on Last Season 01:38 Introducing Agentic AI 01:51 The Role of Media in Retail 02:09 Human Connection in a Digital World 03:02 The Era of Agentic Commerce 04:03 Looking Ahead: Innovators and Leaders 04:44 Stay Connected and EngagedMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail and AGI, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Management, Careers, and Transformation, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Agentic AI and Digital Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.

As part of our official DealFlow Discovery Conference Interview Series, produced by Mission Matters, along with our partner DealFlow Events, we're showcasing the innovative companies presenting and sponsoring the upcoming DealFlow Discovery Conference (January 28-29, at the Borgata in Atlantic City) and the executives behind them. In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Dave Gentry, CEO of RedChip Companies, Inc., about helping small-cap companies connect with investors through strategic investor relations and media. Dave shares RedChip's mission to amplify small-cap stories, the importance of clear messaging, and why strong management teams are critical to long-term investor confidence. About Dave Gentry Dave Gentry is the author of Small Stocks, Big Money™, a Wiley-published book of interviews with the world's most successful small-cap investors. He has been a consultant to more than 1,000 public companies and assisted dozens of public companies in the up-listing and capital-raising process. In 2012 he founded a weekly cable TV financial news show broadcast in 177 million homes. He has appeared on CNBC and Fox Business News, is a member of the Forbes Business Council, and is widely known as a thought leader in the small-cap space. About RedChip Companies Inc. RedChip is the world leader in investor relations, financial media, and research for microcap and small-cap stocks. Founded in 1992, and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with affiliates in New York and Pittsburgh, RedChip has helped hundreds of companies achieve their capital markets goals. RedChip has been ranked by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held investor relations firms in the U.S. RedChip represents 70+ emerging growth companies in a variety of industries including Business Services, Esports Gaming, Consumer Goods, High Tech, Industrials, Mining and Minerals, Electric Vehicles, Drones, Crypto, and EdTech. This interview is part of our effort to help investors discover compelling companies ahead of the event — and to help CEOs introduce their story to the 1500+ conference attendees. Learn more about the event and presenting companies:⁠https://dealflowdiscoveryconference.com/⁠ Follow Adam on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/⁠ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: ⁠https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://missionmatters.com/⁠ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scout Brisson reveals how De Soi converts skeptics into subscribers through sampling, why it's their largest marketing expense, and her ROI framework. Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live from NRF 2026 at Vusion's booth, Jim Norred, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Vusion, and Gina Ayala Claxton, CVP of U.S. Retail & Consumer Goods at Microsoft, join Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton to explain why connected stores are quickly becoming a P&L priority for retailers in 2026. As margin pressure, labor constraints, and ecommerce fulfillment demands intensify, retailers are being forced to connect store infrastructure, data, and AI to drive faster, more accurate decisions. From Bluetooth-enabled connectivity and real-time shelf availability to agentic AI, data readiness, and governance at scale, this conversation breaks down what it really takes to modernize stores without creating costly “science projects.” Key Topics covered: -Why ecommerce picking accuracy is accelerating connected store adoption -Operational vs. marketing-led drivers of connected store investments -The anatomy of a connected store: BLE, data, and AI -Why Bluetooth is emerging as the heartbeat of in-store connectivity -Agentic AI, observability, and speeding decisions from signal to execution -Platform vs. point solutions and how retailers avoid technology sprawl -Governance, security, and scaling AI across thousands of stores -How retailers are prioritizing initiatives with measurable P&L impact -Turning connected store investments into loyalty, efficiency, and ROI Stay tuned to Omni Talk Retail for continued coverage from NRF 2026, and stop by Vusion booth #4921 to say hello. #NRF2026 #ConnectedStore #RetailTechnology #RetailAI #OmnichannelRetail #StoreOperations #VusionGroup #Microsoft #RetailInnovation #OmniTalk

Authorities have allocated 62.5 billion yuan in ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support the renewed program in the new year.

S5E14 2025 Retail Year in Review - AI, Consumer Shifts, and the Future of Commerce with Guest Host, Alicia Esposito!In this Season 5 finale of The Retail Razor Show, guest host Alicia Esposito (Future Commerce) sits down with Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden for a deep, unfiltered 2025 retail year in review. Together, they unpack the biggest trends shaping the industry, from AI's accelerating influence, to the emotional needs of today's consumer, the rise of resale, the evolution of marketplaces, and the shifting definition of value.Across the Retail Razor Podcast Network - The Retail Razor Show, Blade to Greatness, Data Blades, and Retail Transformers - this year's guests revealed a powerful through‑line: retail is no longer just about convenience or price. It's about culture, community, emotion, and the human experience.This episode explores:How AI is reshaping leadership, decision‑making, and personalizationWhy consumers—especially Gen Z—are craving analog joy and emotional shoppingThe rise of marketplaces like Temu and AliExpressRetail media's evolution and the coming disruption from agentic commerceThe loyalty shakeout and why brand equity matters more than everThe explosive growth of resale and secondhand shoppingHoliday shopping behavior and the psychology behind “perpetual shopping lists”The keywords that will define 2026: velocity and joyIf you want to understand where retail is heading in 2026, this is the episode you can't miss!Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our Guest HostAlicia Esposito, Director, Content + Media Strategy - Future Commercehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciaesposito/Alicia is the head of content and insights for Future Commerce. At Future Commerce we are big on dissecting the intersection of culture and commerce and not just covering what's happening today, but also what are the ripple effects for tomorrow, and for the future. Future Commerce delivers consumer insights for e-commerce and retail brands. Newsletters, essays, podcasts, and research. For the risk-takers in Commerce! Future Commerce helps brands manifest vision and create goals which lead to future-altering impacts for their customers, and for the world around them.Chapters:00:00 Preview01:06 Introduction and Host Introduction03:02 Balancing Automation and Human Intuition06:57 Consumer Behavior and AI10:18 The Evolution of Retail Experiences18:21 The Importance of Brand Value24:14 Challenges in Fast Fashion and Marketplaces28:23 The Future of Commerce31:36 Retail Media Evolution36:50 Consumer Behavior and Shopping Trends41:09 The Impact of Resale and Sustainability50:12 Personalization and AI in Retail53:16 The Keyword That Will Represent 202655:45 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

Explore how AI is transforming consumer goods execution with Arvind Mathur, AWS Executive in Residence, and Anupam Sinha, CEO and Co-founder of Vxceed. Anupam reveals how Consumer Packed Goods (CPG) companies are leveraging predictive AI, generative AI, and agentic AI to close the execution reality gap that has plagued traditional trade for decades—turning delayed insights into real-time market responsiveness. From preventing stock-outs to achieving autonomous trade promotion optimization, discover how forward-thinking leaders are protecting market share against digital-first insurgent brands penetrating traditional retail channels. Learn why your field execution strategy—powered by AI that delivers actionable intelligence—has become your most critical competitive advantage in markets where traditional trade still drives 95% of volume.

China has allocated 62.5 billion yuan, or over 8.8 billion U.S. dollars, in ultra-long special treasury bond funds in advance to support the trade-ins of consumer goods for 2026.

S5E13 Future of AI-Powered Consumer Insights with Trevor Sumner & Stan SthanunathanIn Season 5, Episode 13 of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden tackle one of retail's biggest blind spots in consumer insights: the consumer sentiment gap. For decades, brands relied on surveys to understand shoppers. But what people say doesn't always match what they do.Enter AI-powered shopper insights!Joining the conversation are Trevor Sumner (CEO of i-Genie AI) and Stan Sthanunathan (Executive Chairman of i-Genie AI, former EVP at Unilever and VP at Coca-Cola). Together, they reveal how billions of unfiltered signals — from searches, reviews, and social posts — can be transformed into real-time, actionable consumer insights that reshape retail decision-making.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why traditional consumer surveys are breaking downHow AI and natural language processing uncover real customer behaviorThe role of empathy vs sympathy in understanding consumersHow disruptor brands are reshaping competitive landscapesWhy augmented intelligence (AI + human insight) is the future of retail strategy and consumer insightsSubscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestsTrevor Sumner, CEO, i-Genie.AI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorsumner/Trevor is a NYC-based entrepreneur, product and marketing executive and recognized startup advisor and angel. Trevor is the CEO at i-Genie.ai, the leading AI platform for consumer insights, revolutionizing an industry that had been dominated with antiquated survey methodologies by synthesizing tens of billions of searches, social and video posts, ratings and reviews and market data for industry leaders like Kenvue, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Bayer, Clorox and more.Previously, Mr. Sumner was Head of AI and Data Platform products for Raydiant, a leading VC-backed digital experience platform that is transforming over 250,000 digital touch points across 4,500 clients with AI, computer vision and data.Mr. Sumner came to Raydiant when it acquired Perch, a recognized leader in in-store Product Engagement Marketing, interactive retail displays and augmented reality, where Mr. SUmner served as CEO. Perch was named a Top Tech Company to Watch by Forbes, a Top 10 Retail Technology company by CIO Review and has won numerous Clio, Fast Company, Edison, Bloomberg and Digi awards.Stan Sthanunathan, Executive Chairman, i-Genie.AI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-sthanunathan-1ab4035/Stan Sthanunathan joined Unilever in July 2013 as Executive Vice President of Consumer & Market Insights. As chief provocateur, he headed up the insights function globally based in London. He retired from Unilever on June 1, 2021.Post retirement he has started an AI/ML enabled company called i-Genie.AI focused on delivering near real time insights and ideas to help business identify Next Big Thing. Prior to joining Unilever, he was Vice President of Marketing Strategy & Insights for The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, heading up the function on a global basis.Stan co-authored a paper on Building an Insights Engine that was published in Harvard Business Review, Sept 2016. He has also co-authored a book titled AI for Marketing and Product Innovation.He was awarded Lifetime Achievement award at TMRE 2022 event.Chapters:00:00 Previews 01:23 Show Intro 04:43 The Consumer Sentiment Gap 05:37 Welcome Trevor Sumner & Stan Sthanunathan 06:30 Backgrounds of Trevor and Stan 09:11 Challenges in Understanding Consumers 16:58 The Evolution of Influencers 18:32 Limitations of Surveys and the Need for AI 25:46 Augmented Intelligence: AI + Human Insight 31:46 Challenges in CPG Innovation 33:02 Innovate: A Data-Driven Product 34:42 AI and Predictive Analytics 36:21 Democratizing Data Access 38:07 Mindset Shift for Rapid Actions 40:46 Adopting AI in CPG 48:16 Retailers and Data Utilization 52:59 Future of Brand Understanding 57:23 Conclusion and Contact Information 58:15 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

This week, Elizabeth welcomes Brad Charron, CEO and re-founder of ALOHA, a B Corp-certified plant-based protein brand rooted in Hawaiian values. Brad brings a refreshingly honest look at what it really takes to rebuild a mission-driven company from the ground up, and why ownership, sustainability, and humility are central to ALOHA's culture and growth. They talk about the importance of staying curious, prioritizing people over exits, and leading with kuleana, the Hawaiian principle of shared responsibility. Brad opens up about his early career mistakes, his product philosophy, and why he believes when one of us wins, we all win. ALOHA is Climate Neutral Certified, employee-owned, and committed to building better-for-you foods with full transparency, and a whole lot of heart.Episodes Here Brad: ALOHA | LinkedInSay Hi To Elizabeth and Purely Elizabeth: Website | InstagramMentioned:  Mana Up Cohort in Hawaii 

S5E12 The Future of AI in Merchandising & Buying with Noah Herschman and Jeff FishIn Season 5, Episode 12 of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Noah Herschman and Jeff Fish of Intelo.ai to explore how agentic AI is revolutionizing retail merchandising and buying. From the art and science of retail merchandising to the persistent challenges of planning and allocation, this episode dives deep into how collaborative intelligence empowers merchandisers, planners, and buyers to make smarter, faster, and more creative decisions.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why merchandising is the “hub of the wheel” in retail successThe balance between creativity and analytics in buying decisionsHow agentic AI enhances human judgment without replacing itReal-world examples of AI improving in-season planning and merchandising financial plansWhy spreadsheets aren't going away, but AI agents make them smarterThe future of retail technology and how Agentic AI delivers superpowers to retail merchandisersSubscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestsNoah Herschman. Senior Industry Advisor, Intelo.aiNoah is an ecommerce strategist who's been shaping online retail since the 1990s. He's held leadership roles at Amazon, eBay, and Groupon. As a Microsoft Senior Retail Industry Architect, he has worked with more than 150 global retail & CPG clients. Noah has lived in China for 15 years and fluent in Mandarin, Noah operates out of Hong Kong. He is currently a Senior Industry Advisor for Intelo.aiJeffrey Fish, Co-CEO, Intelo.aiJeffrey Fish Co-Founded the Chatly platform serving global retail & hospitality brands targeting the China market (exited to Salesforce in 2020). He then led Salesforce China in partnership with Alibaba Cloud. Now he's scaling up Intelo's Collaborative Intelligence Agentic Merchandising & Planning Platform.Chapters:00:00 Previews 01:39 Show Intro 04:13 Welcome Noah Herschman & Jeff Fish 04:37 Guest Backgrounds and Expertise 07:33 The Importance of Retail Merchandising 11:41 Challenges and Solutions in Modern Merchandising 16:25 The Role of Agentic AI in Merchandising 23:09 Future of Agentic AI and Merchandising 40:04 Practical Steps for Retailers 41:36 How to Reach Out And Contact 42:10 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're talking to Procter & Gamble's Chief Sustainability Officer, Virginie Helias. The global consumer goods giant has a market capitalization of more than $343 billion and its products include household staples like laundry detergent, diapers, toothpaste and shampoo. Virginie explains how P&G is navigating sustainability challenges, including cutting emissions in its supply chain, current economic and geopolitical headwinds, and changing customer behavior.   "We need to reinvent the business case," Virginie says. "We need to create new tailwinds and the new tailwinds will be, first, innovation that delivers superior value. And for us, that means where sustainability becomes an amplifier of performance."  The interview took place on the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus, where the All Things Sustainable podcast was an official media partner during Climate Week NYC 2025.  This interview is the latest installment in our CSO Insights podcast series, where we interview CSOs around the world about how they're navigating the changing sustainability landscape. The sustainability space has been through enormous transformation in recent years and CSOs have a front-row seat to this evolution.  Listen to other episodes in the CSO Insights podcast series:   CSO Insights: How auto giant General Motors is driving EV adoption  CSO Insights: Singapore's biggest bank on the 'business imperative' of climate action  CSO Insights: How a big Malaysian bank balances climate, nature, human rights and economic inclusion  CSO Insights: How sustainability pullback is playing out in Southeast Asia Learn about the Global Carbon Markets Conference from S&P Global Commodity Insights taking place in Barcelona shortly after COP30.  This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.  Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global       DISCLAIMER      By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.      Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party's unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global's prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).     This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.   S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST. 

Today's guest is Michael Finley, Chief Technology Officer at AnswerRocket. Founded in 2013, AnswerRocket builds enterprise AI agents delivering measurable outcomes for Fortune 2000 clients across consumer goods, financial services, construction, real estate, and beyond. Finley joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how enterprises can move beyond AI experimentation toward scalable, agent-driven systems that deliver measurable business value. Finley also explores what makes AI agents truly enterprise-ready — from data governance and tool integration to deployment and iteration. This episode is sponsored by AnswerRocket. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast!

Discover the power of visual thinking with Lita Currie, a graphic recorder and facilitator. Learn how translating ideas into visuals helps teams remember, understand, and act on what truly matters — plus a sweet twist with baking!00:26- About Lita CurrieLita Currie is a business owner, graphic facilitator and business coach.She is the owner of 3Stickmen.com and a visual thinker.She has over 25 years' experience in the development of talent and has worked with clients from a variety of disciplines (Fast-moving Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Information Technology and Mining).

S5E11 ThredUp's Resale Revolution: Holiday Shopping & Gift Giving Trends with Alon RotemThe holidays are here and resale is at the center of this year's shopping story! In this timely episode of The Retail Razor Show, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Alon Rotem, Chief Strategy Officer at ThredUp, to unpack the company's 2025 Holiday Shopping Report. From surprising insights on resale gift giving to how shoppers are embracing sustainable fashion and circular economy models, this conversation reveals why resale is becoming a mainstream holiday shopping strategy.We also explore ThredUp's evolution from a secondhand marketplace to a Resale as a Service (RaaS) leader, powering branded resale programs for fashion retailers. Alon shares how ThredUp's AI-powered innovations — including image search, natural language search, and personalized curation — are transforming the secondhand shopping experience and driving conversion.If you want to understand how resale, sustainability, and AI are reshaping holiday shopping in 2025, this episode delivers insights every retailer, brand, and shopper needs.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestAlon Rotem, Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel, ThredUpAlon Rotem has served as ThredUp's Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel since September 2024. Alon has also served as Chief Legal Officer since February 2021 and Secretary since March 2017 and previously served as General Counsel from January 2017 to February 2021. From September 2013 to November 2016, Alon served as the General Counsel of Rocket Lawyer Inc., an online legal technology company. From June 2010 to August 2013, he was an associate at Goodwin Procter LLP, a global law firm. Alon holds a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis.ThredUp 2025 Holiday Report - https://newsroom.thredup.com/news/thredup-2025-holiday-reportThredUp Resale-as-a-Service - https://www.raas.thredup.comChapters00:00 Previews 01:13 Show Intro 04:51 Welcome, Alon Rotem - Chief Strategy Officer, ThredUp 08:38 ThredUp's Evolution and Resale as a Service 15:51 Implementing Resale Programs with ThredUp 21:31 Challenges and Successes of Going Public 25:36 AI Innovations in ThredUp's Shopping Experience 33:06 Insights from the Holiday Report 35:25 Consumer Behavior and Secondhand Gifts 36:24 Top Gifting Trends in Resale 39:49 The Role of Data in Resale 41:32 Consumer Funding for Holiday Shopping 47:21 Luxury vs. Mid-Market Resale 51:05 Sustainability and the Future of Fashion 55:11 Future Outlook 59:47 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

Tia Newcomer is the CEO of CaringBridge, a nonprofit providing a vital digital platform where families can communicate, receive support, and rally their communities during health journeys. With a career that spans Revlon, PepsiCo., Hewlett-Packard, and multiple health tech ventures, Tia brings a rich background from the for-profit world into the heart of the nonprofit sector, or as she prefers to call it, the for-impact space. In this episode of The Wow Factor, Brad sits down with Tia to unpack her career journey across four pivotal pillars, from consumer goods to tech, healthcare, and now mission-driven leadership. She shares how personal experiences, including her husband's fight with cancer and her own sense of purpose, led her to take a surprising leap into nonprofit leadership. Tia discusses the real-world impact of CaringBridge on hundreds of thousands of families every day, the technology powering it, and how "ministry pace" just won't cut it when the stakes are this high. She also dives deep into why entrepreneurial thinking, business rigor, and cross-sector collaboration are essential in the nonprofit space. "The difference between nonprofit and for-profit is a tax status. The skillset? It's the same." – Tia Newcomer "In moments of crisis, people don't need 'let me know how I can help.' They need tangible action." – Tia Newcomer "If I'm spending the majority of my time working, it better be fulfilling. That's the leap I made." – Tia Newcomer This Week on The Wow Factor: Tia's four career pillars: Consumer Goods, Technology, Women's Health, and Nonprofit Why leaving HP was her wake-up call to find purpose in her work Her perspective on for-impact vs. nonprofit leadership How CaringBridge grew to 300,000 daily users with only 40 employees The real story behind the CaringBridge platform and its founder Why technology for good is more essential than ever The burden of "just let me know how I can help" and what to say instead The power of one person raising their hand to share updates and mobilize care Partnering with GoFundMe to raise over $10M directly for patients and families The role of generosity, from emotional support to meals, transportation, and funds Tia Newcomer's Word of Wisdom: Leadership is about building something that matters and having the courage to follow the nudge, even when it's outside your comfort zone. Connect With CaringBridge: Tia Newcomer CaringBridge Website CaringBridge LinkedIn CaringBridge on Facebook CaringBridge on Instagram Connect with The Wow Factor: WOW Factor Website Brad Formsma on LinkedIn Brad Formsma on Instagram Brad Formsma on Facebook Brad Formsma on X

BONUS - The Retail Razor: Data Blades Season 2 TrailerData Blades Returns: AI, CX, and Retail Media for Executive Leaders Welcome to a special cross-release of the Season 2 trailer for The Retail Razor: Data Blades—the podcast that slices through complex retail research to deliver sharp, actionable insights and retail strategies for executive leaders in the AI era.  In Season 1, we cut through the clutter with data-backed insights to identify strategies for:Inflation's uneven impact across age groups—where seniors felt the pinch more than younger shoppers.Shifting shopping habits—like 74% of consumers using lists to control spending.The power of values in loyalty—with 77% of consumers saying brand values matter more than discounts.Self-checkout and employee experience—where well-informed store teams drove a 27% increase in average spend. Now in Season 2, we're going deeper. Hosts Ricardo Belmar, RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert & NRF 2025 Retail Voice, and Casey Golden, RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert, preview what's ahead:Exclusive insights from TruRating and top retail analysts to hone your data-driven retail strategies.A focus on three pillars: Customer Experience, Retail Media, and Employee Experience.How AI is reshaping retail strategy—from predictive personalization to AI-powered workforce tools.Revisiting themes of trust, transparency, and loyalty with fresh data and new perspectives. If you're a VP, CMO, COO, or CEO in retail looking to make smarter, data-driven decisions for AI-first retail strategies, this is your podcast. Subscribe now in your favorite podcast player and stay ahead of the curve with insights that drive conversion, loyalty, and operational excellence.New episodes drop starting tomorrow!

BONUS - The Retail Razor: Blade to Greatness Season 2 TrailerRetail Executive Leadership & Coaching Insights for the AI EraWelcome to a special cross-release of the Season 2 trailer for The Retail Razor: Blade to Greatness — the podcast where retail leaders sharpen their edge. Hosted by Ricardo Belmar & Casey Golden, this series explores the essential skills & qualities every retail executive needs to lead boldly, stay sharp, & stay human in the AI era.In Season 1, we uncovered the fundamentals of great leadership:how intrinsic motivation and autonomy unlock innovationwhy positivity is fuel, not fluffrethinking hiring, career development, & investing in peopleSeason 2 takes it further with new retail executives & coaching experts—to share actionable insights on:Building resilient & adaptable leadership culturesLeading through disruption & transformation in the AI eraPractical coaching strategies for executives & C-suite leadersIf you're a retail leader, this season will help you sharpen your leadership blade & lead with clarity. Subscribe to The Retail Razor: Blade to Greatness show in your favorite podcast player!New episodes drop starting tomorrow!

Welcome to Building Brand You™, the podcast that helps you accelerate your success by unlocking your greatest asset – you.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Putting yourself out there will not just build a network, but also demonstrate your ability and credibility to deliver a result. People buy on emotion and justify on reason. People are not 100 percent driven about the almighty dollar and getting paid the big dollar. They want a level of flexibility, they want a level of work-life balance. It's not what you know, it's not who you know, it's who knows you. “You get knocked down, you get back up, and you've got to keep doing that until people say yes because the yes will come because of the tenacity and the endeavor, and all those sorts of things and your ability to demonstrate success that you actually can get the results on the board” - Jason Burgess. Be prepared to tell your story. It doesn't happen by osmosis, you have to actually tell your story. If you can't articulate those wins and who you are, and what you stand for, there's no trust, there's no building a foundation between you that could develop either into job offer or a client or whatever that is.     ABOUT OUR GUEST: After growing up in a small country, Kilmore about an hour north of Melbourne and attending Assumption College teaching him strong people values, and work ethics Jason went on to successfully complete a Bachelor of Business in Commerce and Finance at Monash University. Jason's career initially commenced in Finance with a major TV network, Network 10 before realising and making a change to a passion of his towards a people-oriented career in Recruitment. For over 25 years, Jason has worked within the Recruitment industry in large corporate environments in end-to-end consulting positions as well as Senior leadership positions managing highly successful teams. It wasn't until having a family and realising the need for work life balance he established his own recruitment business in Max Executive which focuses on mid to senior level Sales and Marketing positions both nationally and internationally across FMCG, Consumer Goods, Hospitality and Retail Franchising as well as Sport and Leisure sectors. Jason has a basic philosophy when it comes to his business is ‘treat others as you want to be treated yourself' and has established a knowledge base and network that is highly regarded and the envy of many in a marketplace that is highly competitive and ever evolving. His and Max Executive's business motto is about Maximising Possibilities.   CONNECT WITH JASON BURGESS: Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-burgess-5649774/ Website - www.maxexecutive.com.au Twitter - https://twitter.com/ MaxExecutive Email - jasonb@maxexecutive.com .au     ABOUT KYM HAMER: Kym is an international leadership and personal branding thought leader, an executive coach, and a programme design and facilitation practitioner. She is also the creator of Building Brand You™ - a methodology helping organisations, teams, and individuals to build reputation, presence, and gravitas. Kym works with leaders - both individually and in organisational development initiatives - to inspire and engage thinking styles and behaviour that achieve results and leave legacy. In 2020, just one year after launching her business, she was nominated by Thinkers360 as one of the Top 100 Women B2B Leadership influencers and is currently in the Top 15 Personal Branding and Top 10 Marketing Influencers in the world. For 5 years running Kym has also been one of Thinkers360's Top 10 Thought Leaders on Entrepreneurship and in 2023, 2024 and 2025, was recognised as one of their Top Voices globally. She has been part of Homeward Bound Projects faculty since 2020, a global initiative reaching 1.8 billion people, equipping women and non-binary people with a STEMM background to lead conversations for a sustainable future. She is currently the Program Design and Faculty Lead for the 10th on-line cohort and was part of the on-board faculty who voyaged to Antarctica in 2023 and 2025, to deliver the initiative's immersive component. In between all of these things, you'll find her curled up in a corner with her nose in a book.   Building Brand You™: JOIN the BBY Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildingbrandyou SUBSCRIBE to the BBY Podcast on: (Apple) - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/building-brand-you/id1567407273 (Spotify) - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ho26pAQ5uJ9h0dGNicCIq CONNECT WITH KYM HAMER: LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/kymhamer/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kymhamerartemis/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kymhamer Thinkers360 - https://bit.ly/thinkers360-kymhamer-BBY Find out about BBY Coaching - https://calendly.com/kymhamer/bbychat/   HOSTED BY: Kym Hamer   DISCLAIMER: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Building Brand You™ podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved. They do not necessarily represent any other entities, agencies, organisations, or companies. Building Brand You™ is not responsible and does not verify the accuracy of any of the information in the podcast available for listening on this site. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast does not constitute legal advice or services  

AI is now a standing item at most strategic tables—shapinghow leaders think about markets, talent, and the future of work. But while investment and experimentation are rising fast, most organizations are still in the early chapters of integration. Beneath the strategy, there's a quieter conversation about fear, trust, and what remains uniquely human. In this episode, we sit down with Peter Mulford, Chief AI Officer at BTS, to debate whether AI can ever truly replace emotional intelligence. Together, we explore how we currently think about AI, the edges of what it can do, and what remains uniquely human (for now). Guest Bio: Peter Mulford is the Chief AI Officer and the Global head of the Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Practice (AI&I) for BTS Inc. In this role he helps clients get real impact by working with teams and organizations to transform their business using innovation, future back thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and digital technology. He has over 30 years of experience working with clients around the world in different industries, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Warner Media, Microsoft, AT&T, Saudi Telecom, Lenovo, Samsung, Telkom South Africa, Merck, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Macys, and others. A sought-out keynote speaker, he has facilitated keynotes at technology and innovation conferences, company offsites, and sales conferences, as well as a private 2-day event with the late Pope Francis and 20 media executives and artists at the Vatican City. Peter joined BTS in 1998 and has worked in its offices in San Francisco, Johannesburg, Tokyo, London and New York. From 2005-2010, he was the Managing Director of BTS's East Coast region, leading the largest global office for BTS through a period of market turbulence and growth during which it more than tripled in size. Prior to BTS he worked for a start-up firm in Tokyo, Japan. He has extensive experience in Retail, Consumer Goods, Electronics and Telecom, among many other industries. Peter holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School, and a Master's in international Affairs with a focus on Asia Pacific Studies from Columbia University. He speaks Japanese.

GoSpotCheck was born in the Mile High City, where a love for the outdoors, beer brewing, and the Broncos run deep. Their founders, Matt and Joey, were childhood friends, and Joey and Samantha met at DU in grad school. The three started GoSpotCheck in a garage together after graduating from Boulder Techstars in 2011. Their spirit lives on in their product, teams, and values. Cory Knopp joins Justin to discuss Consumer Goods, Retail, data, and analytics that help brands deliver a better customer experience in store.

Today's guest is Padma Hari, Chief Digital Officer at Nestlé Purina. With over 20 years of experience shaping digital strategy and driving enterprise-wide transformations, Padma has leveraged AI, analytics, and data-driven insights to deliver measurable business impact at scale. Padma joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to discuss how enterprise leaders can move from siloed decision-making to end-to-end synchronized planning using data and AI. Padma also shares practical takeaways, including how to harmonize goals across business functions, run mock sessions to test new planning processes, and utilize AI to enable faster and more effective decision-making, which boosts operational efficiency and ROI. This episode is sponsored by Crisp. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1. Are you shaping AI adoption at your organization? Share your experience with fellow executives on the ‘AI in Business' podcast. Apply to be a future guest at emerj.com/expert2. Watch Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello and Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com's conversation on our new YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@EmerjAIResearch.

Are marketers ready to relinquish some control and embrace a future where autonomous agents handle complex tasks and act as always-on collaborators? Agility requires adapting to change while also anticipating it, and being ready to adapt when new ways of doing things mean better outcomes for customers and the brand. Today, we're going to talk about how marketers can bring agentic marketing to life with actionable data, cross-departmental workflows, and autonomous AI agents that handle complex tasks and act as always-on collaborators. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Devin Kunysz, Senior Director, Industry GTM, Consumer Goods & Retail at Salesforce. Devin, welcome to the show! About Devin Kunysz Devin Kunysz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinkunysz/ Resources Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Register now for Sitecore Symposium, November 3-5 in Orlando Florida. Use code SYM25-2Media10 to receive 10% off. Go here for more: https://symposium.sitecore.com/Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Are marketers ready to relinquish some control and embrace a future where autonomous agents handle complex tasks and act as always-on collaborators?Agility requires adapting to change while also anticipating it, and being ready to adapt when new ways of doing things mean better outcomes for customers and the brand. Today, we're going to talk about how marketers can bring agentic marketing to life with actionable data, cross-departmental workflows, and autonomous AI agents that handle complex tasks and act as always-on collaborators. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Devin Kunysz, Senior Director, Industry GTM, Consumer Goods & Retail at Salesforce. Devin, welcome to the show! About Devin Kunysz Devin Kunysz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinkunysz/ Resources Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Register now for Sitecore Symposium, November 3-5 in Orlando Florida. Use code SYM25-2Media10 to receive 10% off. Go here for more: https://symposium.sitecore.com/Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Untapped markets to rising tides, Ruchi Desai career has spanned law, craft beer, and now venture investing. As co-founder of EIGHT Brewing Co. with NFL legend Troy Aikman, Ruchi scaled one of Texas's fastest-growing beer brands before launching Rising Tide Ventures, a fund dedicated to fueling untapped consumer markets with often overlooked founders. She shares lessons from navigating industry to her playbook for spotting disruptive opportunities to the trends shaping the future of consumer goods and venture capital.

What is AWS, and why should retailers, brands, and marketers care? In this candid conversation, Amazon's Justin Honaman joins the show to demystify Amazon Web Services and its growing role in commerce. From cloud infrastructure and clean rooms to AI-powered analytics and real-world case studies, Justin explains how AWS is transforming legacy tech stacks, powering business agility, and unlocking innovation for companies of all sizes.