Podcasts about future commerce

Phillip and Brian bring hot takes on eBay's Met Gala presence, the latest tariff turmoil, and the future of autonomous driving. PLUS: Dissecting Warren Buffet's retirement and new research on Gen Z vs. Millennial communication trends. The Y2K Bug Zapped Us Into PostmodernismKey takeaways:Trends that feel like youth trends are actually just internet trends.  Their effects are now felt across generations, not siloed age groups.There has been a shift from modernism to postmodernism, and in turn, sincerity to ironic insincerity.Boy Meets World: 25 years after its series finale airs, we reflect on its sitcom era as a marker of TV's transition from modernism and sincerity to postmodernism and ironic insincerity. Kendra Scott taps into Gen Alpha.eBay returns to Brian's radar and then sponsors the 2025 Met Gala. Coincidence?“Understanding the society in which you live, and the cultural moment taking place, is taken for granted a lot.” – Phillip“The Y2K bug was actually just the end of sincerity.” – Brian“We've leaned so far into cheap goods for so long, there might be a memetic cycle happening now where we lean back into goods that are durable.” – Brian“Autonomous driving is extraordinarily disruptive—just like AI is for information, AVs are for how we live, plan cities, and think about ownership.” – PhillipIn-Show Mentions:The Guardian: Gen Z Is Turning to Voice NotesDirt.fyi: The State of A24Titan Caskets: Grave ConversationsWaymo Partners with ToyotaAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeJoin Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Brian dials in from B2B Chicago, Phillip gets existential, and Alicia Esposito returns to the show and makes her debut as the newest member of the Future Commerce team. This week, we unpack music festivals' escalating cost of participation, Coachella as a retail laboratory, and how looming global trade challenges overconsumption. PLUS: The auto industry experiences a rare analog awakening.It Was Big Hibiscus All AlongKey takeaways:70% of B2B purchasers are Gen Z or Millennials.Tariffs are a real threat – Brands are bracing for supply chain disruption, with some using tariff warnings as marketing FOMO triggers.Future Commerce analyzes the overpriced festival craze on Insiders #190 and Insiders #191.The draw to Coachella? It's not music, or $30 Dave's Hot Chicken sandwiches. It's vibes.The Slate Truck represents a broader cultural trend toward digital detox and reverse skeuomorphism, bringing real-world, tactile experiences back into the digital age.[00:04:07] “Digitalization came for B2C and we didn't say anything. And now it's here for B2B.” – Brian Lange[00:15:17] “The reckoning has been coming for a long time. Overconsumption isn't just a consumer issue—it's a systemic one. If the climate crisis didn't spark change, what will?” – Phillip Jackson[00:16:57] “At what point will the cost of participation outweigh the value of participation to the point where it's like, well, what am I even doing this for?” – Alicia EspositoIn-Show Mentions:Insiders #191: City of Coachella: Population: In Debt Insiders #190: Is Coachella Buzz Brands'  Supply Chain Friend or Foe? Politico: How Gen Z Became the Most Gullible GenerationAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Phillip and Brian dig into the cultural implications of AI's new role—not just as a tool, but as a confidant, a co-pilot, and even a therapist. They also get into the Kraft Heinz x A1 viral moment, trade war disinformation on TikTok, and how AI-fueled consumer aesthetics are transforming luxury. Plus: A new HBR report shows “therapy and companionship” is now the top use case for GenAI. What does this mean for society and us as individuals?The Secret's in the SauceKey takeaways:Kraft Heinz's real-time A1 ad proves responsive marketing now competes on cultural speed.“Therapy and companionship” is the top AI use case of 2025—raising serious questions about trust and emotional outsourcing.TikTok disinformation and fake Birkin bags signal a new era of aesthetic manipulation and consumer mimicry.Agentic AI use cases like coding and life management are accelerating due to new protocols like MCP.The interplay of commerce, identity, and AI isn't theoretical—it's already reshaping real-world buying behavior.In-Show Mentions:Order LORE by Future CommerceHarvard Business Review's 2025 GenAI Use Case StudyKraft Heinz x Mischief “For Educational Purposes Only” adAll-In Podcast tariff debate featuring David Sacks and Ezra KleinTikTok's disinformation around luxury goodsAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Andrew McLuhan—author, speaker, and steward of The McLuhan Institute—shares rich, mind-bending perspectives on the current state of culture, media, connection, and commerce. Drawing from a generations-deep intellectual legacy forged by media theorist and philosopher Marshall McLuhan, Andrew explores what it means to live in a world electrified by complete digital immersion.A New Medium Is A New CultureKey takeaways:“I quickly discovered that it's easy to overwhelm people with too much information. It's almost the worst thing you can do, because you lose them, and it can be hard to get them back.” – Andrew McLuhan“It's much easier to teach people one thing at a time than it is to teach them ten things at once.” – Andrew McLuhan“‘A poem can't mean something that it doesn't mean to you.' Which is kind of deep, but it's not the cop out that you think it is.” – Andrew McLuhan, quoting T.S. Eliot“Marshall McLuhan saw that through human history we've been influenced and steered by the structure and nature of our innovations more than by what we've done with them. A new medium is a new culture.” – Andrew McLuhan“We don't like finding out how we're being used.” – Andrew McLuhan“Commerce is a form of media. It is manipulating people in some way and people are being shaped by it.” – PhillipIn-Show Mentions:How People Are Really Using Gen AI in 2025 – Harvard Business ReviewOther Harvard Business Review pieces:Personalization Done RightThe Consumer Psychology of Adopting AIEric McLuhan's Taking Up McLuhan's Cause – re-releasedThe McLuhan InstituteAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and to save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Live from Optimove Connect, Brian sits down with Optimove CEO Pini Yakuel and Nikolas Badminton, Chief Futurist at Futurist.com, to unpack the philosophical and practical implications of 'positionless marketing'—a radical rethink of organizational roles in the AI era.Mind Over MechanismKey takeaways:Positionless is Power: The most innovative organizations won't be flatter—they'll be fluid. Roles dissolve; talent flows where it's needed.AI Is the New Intern: It drafts, it preps, it gets you started—but the genius still has to come from you.Old Process ≠ New Potential: Layering AI on legacy workflows just speeds up your inefficiency.Control is a Creativity Killer: Let go of silos, turf wars, and micromanagement. The next gen of leaders will trust, not gatekeep.The Kids Are Alright—and in Charge: Within 10 years, new mindsets will lead. Curious, collaborative, and chaos-embracing.[00:04:48]: “Startups get stuff done because you're positionless. One day you're marketing, next day you're writing code. That's how you beat the big guys—speed and fluidity.” – Pini Yakuel[00:08:03]: “We create the tools, and the tools create us.” – Nick Badminton[00:14:44]: “New tech + old process = expensive old process.” – Nick Badminton[00:11:50]: “Friction is what makes life life.” – Brian LangeAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Brian goes live from Optimove Connect in London to explore how the idea of “positionless marketing” is revolutionizing the way we think about team structure, agility, and creativity in marketing. He chats with endurance swimmer and environmental activist Lewis Pugh, as well as DAZN's Ria Chin-You and Optimove's Paul O'Shea, about marketing's future and how AI is shaping it.Strive for EpicKey takeaways:[12:25] Lewis Pugh shares how emotional drive and preparation fuel extraordinary feats—like swimming across the North Pole—and what brands can learn from that level of purpose.[20:29] “Epic” vs. “great”: Pugh discusses how to distinguish good work from game-changing campaigns.[33:42] Environmental justice, consumer justice, and the universal value of doing what's right—and what this really means for global brands today.[46:05] DAZN's Ria Chin-You discusses managing CRM across 200+ markets with a team of nine—and the challenges of scaling personalization with limited resources.[50:48] Integrating GenAI into real-world workflows is still a challenge, especially for resource-strapped teams—but the potential is there.[58:24] Paul O'Shea explains Optimove's vision for creating “super workers” through native AI integration and simplifying marketers' jobs.[1:01:08] Cultural nuance is key—global messaging isn't just about translation, it's about resonance.[1:07:49] In fast-moving industries like sports, being agile isn't optional. AI could be the key to real-time, reactive marketing at scale.“Practice until you can't get it wrong, not until you get it right.” — Lewis Pugh“We need tools that help us scale personalization without sacrificing cultural authenticity.” — Ria Chin-You“AI isn't replacing you, it's your new teammate.” — BrianIn-Show Mentions:Learn more about Optimove's positionless marketing platform at Optimove.com/futurecommerceDiscover Lewis Pugh's environmental work at lewispughfoundation.orgFind Ria Chin-You's work via DAZN and LinkedInAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusAccess to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 15% on Future Commerce print journals and merchExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content!

Elizabeth Schmidt sits down with Kelly Cook, the new CEO of David's Bridal, for a deep-dive into one of the most ambitious retail transformations happening today. Kelly—David's first female CEO in the brand's 75-year history—is leading the iconic bridal company through its pivot from “aisle to algorithm,” turning tradition on its head while honoring the trust of over 100 million women they've dressed. Kelly shares how David's is embracing inclusivity, rethinking what a wedding “should” look like, and creating magical moments for every kind of bride. Plus, we get personal stories, heartfelt leadership lessons, and a big-picture look at what the future of weddings might hold (hint: AR headsets and donut walls).100 Million Brides LaterKey takeaways:From Dresses to Data: “Aisle to Algorithm” Is Here: David's Bridal is now a full-stack media-tech-commerce company. With AI-driven personalization and financial tools like Pearl Pay, they're reimagining how weddings are planned—and how brides are supported.Wildfang Collab Signals the Future of Weddingwear: Suits, sneakers, ballgowns, cowboy boots—brides today are expressing themselves in radically new ways. The Wildfang partnership reflects David's commitment to inclusivity and non-traditional celebration.Intimacy, Trust, and a Whole Lot of Emotio: Kelly shares moving stories about the deeply personal nature of helping brides find their look. From stylists trained in body confidence to bell-ringing ceremonies, it's not just commerce—it's connection.Data is Power—But You Don't Need All of It: Under Kelly's leadership, David's is cutting through data overwhelm. The new mantra? 65% of the data is enough to make a decision. Insight and action matter more than analysis paralysis.The Future of Weddings Might Be Augmented: Kelly envisions a not-so-distant future where AR and AI are part of the wedding experience—think immersive headsets, projection-mapped dresses, and hyper-personalized storytelling.“We've dressed 100 million women. That's not just a legacy—it's a privilege that allows us to pivot powerfully into the future.” — Kelly Cook“It's women choosing to wear cowboy boots instead of a cushion Louboutin—and we love all of it.” — Kelly Cook“We serve anyone who's in love, no matter who their partner is. If we don't have what you need, we'll go get it.” — Kelly Cook“You don't need 90% of the data to make a decision. You need 65—and a little courage.” — Kelly CookIn-Show Mentions: Read on The Senses: "The Auratic Economy"Associated Links:Order LORE by Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Live from the Lore Bookshop at Shoptalk Spring, Phillip and Brian sit down with friends of the podcast and creative heavyweights Nick Susi and Mai Nguyen of dotdotdash to unpack their latest work with Nike—the groundbreaking AIR Imagination project. Nick and Mai pull back the curtain on what it takes to build immersive, AI-powered brand experiences that actually feel like the brand—and why surprise and delight matter more than ever in a world obsessed with optimization. Plus, hear how they're redefining user experience through experiments like Chromaverse and their take on AI as a “serendipity engine.”This Is What AI Should Feel Like (Chicken Shoes)Key takeaways:Nike's AIR Imagination is a Brand Milestone: AIR Imagination isn't just a product—it's a community design platform that invites fans to co-create with Nike DNA. Powered by AI, it lowers the barrier to creativity while still preserving the integrity of the brand.AI-Driven Remixing Is Reshaping Brand Strategy: This project flips the traditional brand-to-consumer model on its head. Now, it's consumer-to-consumer remixing, with Nike acting as the shared language. It's not just collaboration—it's cultural co-creation at scale.Dot Dot Dash Built AI That Feels Like Nike: Behind the scenes, Dot Dot Dash developed prompt-enhancing tech to ensure every user-generated design still looks and feels like a Nike product—proof that AI doesn't have to compromise brand authenticity.AI as a “Serendipity Engine” Is the Future of Commerce: Instead of treating AI like a tool for hyper-optimization, Dot Dot Dash sees its true power in enabling surprise, delight, and discovery. That ethos runs through everything from Nike to their own experimental tools like Chromaverse.Brands Need to Design with Culture, Not Just for It: As Nick's essay “Culture as a Client” explores, successful brands don't just extract from culture—they build multidirectional ecosystems that create mutual value. Nike's project is a masterclass in getting that balance right.“AIR Imagination is Nike saying, ‘Here's the vault. Remix what we've done—and what each other has done.'” – Nick Susi“Even with all that detail, it still came out a Nike shoe. That's the connection—that's the relationship.” – Mai Nguyen“What AI is really good at is chance, randomness, serendipity... That's what creates emotional experience.” – Nick Susi“We're not invalids. Don't spoon-feed us everything. Help me—but don't take it all away.” – Mai Nguyen“Chat-based ecommerce UIs? Frustrating. Instead, look to gaming or luxury retail for better design references.” – Nick SusiAssociated Links:Order LORE by Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Feat. Daisy Alioto & Francis ZiererDaisy Alioto and Francis Zierer of Tasteland join us to talk about what happens when two distinct media brands—Dirt and Creator Spotlight—collide. We explore how podcasting has become a creative extension of newsletters, how parasocial dynamics shape audience building, and what it means to build brand and community in a fractured media landscape.Staying Afloat in the Primordial SoupKey takeaways:The “Anti-Scene” Scene: Today's creative connections often form organically—through mutual respect and shared ideas, not cliquish gatekeeping—giving rise to an “asynchronous salon” of cultural thinkers.Design and Taste as Cultural Signals: Design choices and curation practices influence perception and build cultural credibility.Building Media That Builds Taste: Tasteland isn't about telling people what to like—it's about helping listeners cultivate their own sense of taste, with media that challenges, informs, and inspires."You can notice the difference in the approach… and I do wonder if the pendulum will swing back to more structured storytelling, like Serial or S-Town. – Daisy"The biggest problem with culture plus business is it's easy for dishonesty to creep in. And that sucks. Who wants to listen to someone with no point of view?" – Daisy"It's like this asynchronous salon of independent figures… where the connections become more connections across them." – Francis"If your media diet becomes a closed loop… you've basically traded one algorithm for another. Our job is to help people develop their own taste." – Daisy"I read SIC Weekly like a poem… and just click on two links. It forces you to choose—and that's what develops taste." – FrancisIn-Show Mentions:Subscribe to DirtSubscribe to Creator SpotlightSubscribe to TastelandAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Feat. Josh FriedmanLive from Shoptalk Spring in Las Vegas, Phillip and Brian sit down with Josh Friedman, VP of Digital & eCommerce at Ulta Beauty, for an insider look at how one of America's leading beauty retailers is evolving its digital experience. From launching a curated, invitation-only marketplace to expanding into wellness and enhancing in-app experiences, Josh shares how Ulta is blending personalization, innovation, and culture to deepen customer relationships. If you're in ecommerce or retail, this episode is packed with insights on community, category expansion, and retail media.Extending the Endless AisleKey takeaways:Curation Over Clutter: Ulta's invitation-only marketplace prioritizes strategic brand extension over endless assortment, reinforcing its role as a tastemaker rather than a commodity platform.Wellness as a Growth Frontier: Ulta is capitalizing on consumer perception and search behavior to deepen its presence in wellness, positioning beauty and wellbeing as an integrated lifestyle category.Omnichannel Experience, Reinvented: The Ulta app serves as a central digital companion—bridging AR try-ons, real-time inventory, and event discovery to create a seamless, pre- and post-store journey.Community-Led Commerce: Ulta's growing in-app community fosters peer-to-peer engagement and brand interaction, transforming customer relationships into participatory ecosystems.Tech-Enabled Personalization at Scale: Leveraging Adobe, Miracle, and Databricks, Ulta is advancing real-time personalization, AI-powered merchandising, and a retail media network that integrates seamlessly into its broader ecommerce infrastructure.“We're not going after an endless aisle. We're really just going after an extender.” – Josh Friedman“We want the app to be the destination to have beauty and wellness.” – Josh Friedman“We owe it to our customers to requite them with a personalized experience that's relevant to them.” – Josh Friedman“Marketplace should be a gateway into experimenting, growing a bit of a business, and becoming a candidate for our physical shelves.” – Josh Friedman“We all have to understand AI-driven commerce as a totally new mode of shopping—it's not just a new channel.” – Phillip JacksonAssociated Links:Order LORE by Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Live from the buzzing floor of ShopTalk Spring, Phillip, Brian, and marketing expert Elizabeth Schmidt unpack everything from nostalgic branding and Gen Z marketing to luxury retail and AI in education. We digest key themes we heard during ShopTalk in real-time and share a compelling look at how relationships and storytelling are driving the next chapter in retail.You Can't Optimize Your Way to A MythKey takeaways:[02:30] CEO Richard Dixon emphasized Gap's legacy as a canvas for American culture and its pivot toward digital-first experiences while embracing nostalgia.[08:30] Kevin O'Leary argues that if you're spending $50K/month and not investing in TV (linear and streaming), you're missing out. His brands spend 40% of ad dollars there.[18:00] Accenture outlined 7 dimensions of luxury today—adding experience, innovation, and social value to the classic trio of heritage, exclusivity, and craftsmanship.[30:30] Zadig & Voltaire targets Gen Z—but it's Gen X parents doing the buying. Smart multi-generational strategy in play.[15:20] Thoughtful, non-promotional SMS messages (like a GIF with no CTA) outperformed sales-driven texts in some cases—surprising and powerful.[24:30] The LORE Activation – Future Commerce's “Book of Lore” pop-up at ShopTalk captured personal brand confessions and created physical artifacts of digital culture."Gap is a canvas... a portfolio of American brands that shape culture." – Elizabeth quoting Richard Dixon"Any brand spending $50K/month on ads not doing TV is doing it wrong." – Elizabeth quoting Kevin O'Leary“Brighten your customers' day—don't just sell. Some of our best SMS responses came from a simple, feel-good GIF.” – Elizabeth"40% of their customer base is Gen Z, but they're actually winning Gen X because the parents are the ones that are buying... To have a brand that can appeal to two completely separate demographics is incredible." – Elizabeth“You have an always-on advertising channel that's just playing ambiently all the time… and that is extraordinarily powerful.” – Phillip"Myths are made when relationships are formed... and this year, ShopTalk feels like a place where those stories begin." – BrianIn-Show Mentions:@Art_lust on TikTokAssociated Links:Order LORE by Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

The brilliant Orchid Bertelsen is back with a huge announcement… PLUS: From Aritzia x Sperry's viral fashion to the surprising new role of Amazon in eCommerce, we explore how brands are winning (and losing) in today's retail landscape.“I Would Sugarcoat This, But You Would Eat That Too”Key takeaways:[00:04:30] The Sperry x Aritzia collaboration is a calculated and strategic flexing of the Aritzia brand to drive traffic by leveraging the resurgence of the boat shoe trend.[00:19:30] The new metric of business health and the future of retail and private equity. [00:44:00] Has SkinnyTok gone too far? [01:02:00] Our heroes of the week: White Lotus and their brand collaborations—authorized and unauthorized—and whoever designed this shirt.[01:05:00] Our villains of the week: Pepsi, for buying Poppi (for $1.7 billion), and the new economic policies and tariff policies that drove Forever 21 and Dollar General out of business. “The average shelf life of a digital skill is roughly 18 months…but I would say it's 3-6 months.” – Orchid “We know the algorithm is shaping how we think. The crazy part? We're okay with it.” – Phillip“My TLDR for the next three years? It goes back to business fundamentals. You have to be so diligent about every dollar in and every dollar out and run your business to maximize EBITDA.” – Orchid“Large companies are not in the business of turnaround.” – Orchid “So, Temporarily 21?” – Orchid“Luxury brands think they can raise prices forever. The secondhand market is proving them wrong.” – PhillipIn-Show Mentions:@orchidbert on TikTokSperry x Aritzia collaborationMiu Miu boat shoeI got Severed at Claire'sAssociated Links:Preorder your copy of the LORE Journal by Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusAccess to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merchExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content!

This week, we are talking Home Depot's b-hole reminiscent chatbot and vibecoding JD Vance's face. Plus—the biggest mystery in American shopping: why does TJ Maxx make people need to poop? Also on tap: Apple's iPad launch cringefest and a surprising rise in Android smartphone adoption among creatives AND finance bros alike.The Rise of Butthole LogosKey takeaways:Home Depot's "Magic Apron" and Lowe's "Milo" chatbots launched within hours of each other—proving that every brand now needs an AI assistant, even if they all look the same.AI is speeding towards eliminating websites as we know them—future shopping experiences will be conversations, not catalogs.Apple's recent marketing attempts are wildly out of touch—trends about trends are dead, but nobody told Tim Cook.Are we Pavlov-ing ourselves into using the bathroom at TJMaxx? All signs point to yesVibe coding is taking over—non-coders can now generate functional apps, proving that AI isn't just summarizing things anymore—it's building them from scratch.[00:01:19] “Eenie meenie miney Milo. Home Depot's chatbot looks like a b-hole.” - Phillip[00:55:05] “AI is fundamentally changing the way we interact with software. Convenience is the ultimate aim of technology, and we're just at the beginning of this shift.” - BrianLinks:In-show mention: Purchase The Lore JournalIn-show mention: Home Depot Chatbot and Press ReleaseIn-show mention: TJMaxx Reddit ThreadIn-show mention: Register for Shoptalk AfterpartyCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!This episode of Future Commerce is brought to you by Future Commerce Plus and our sponsors Omnisend and MotionApp and Keen Decision Systems.

Scripted, mass-produced influencer marketing has sent the internet spiraling toward a dystopian era of “loser-generated content.” Plus, we share key insights from eTail West, a sneak peek into Future Commerce's Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, and dissect some disturbing internet finds of the week.The End of the World As We Know ItKey takeaways:[04:00] Lemon Balm Tea's influencer campaign: Meanwhile, on TikTok, a scripted ad for Lemon Balm Tea sparks hundreds of fake testimonials. How many “highest-paid nutritionists” can there really be?[14:00] Old men yell at the Cloud: Is the internet dead? TikTok, Twitter, and even LinkedIn algorithms are riddled with bots and unchecked scripted influencer marketing.[32:00] The Word of Mouth Index: FC+ and Fairing collaborate on a one-of-a-kind index – available to all FC+ members now.[33:00] eTail recap: Future Commerce's seven sessions included a keynote from Phillip on time capsules and what they represent for commerce and culture. Brian closed out eTail with three sessions in a row on ___[35:00] Overheard at eTail: A lot of concern around tariffs, anticipation for Target's earnings (not looking good), and other fears around national commerce. [45:00] Obvi's viral organic ad: An Arcads.ai employee brags about the efficacy of a recent Obvi TikTok marketing a weight loss supplement. The 14.1-million view video likely drove over five figures of revenue, but critics claim a lack of legality and raise an important question about AI marketing regulation.“It's the grossest way to market.” – Brian“Social is bought and paid for and sold.” – Brian“The greatest reach I've had on Twitter happened when I left a benign comment on Kieran Culkin's Oscar speech and thirty people made fun of me.” – Phillip“Cultural production is downstream of commerce and commerce-driven social discourse happening on the internet.” – Phillip“There are two ways people pay attention to things: If they're funny or if they're hot.” – BrianIn-Show Mentions:Insiders: Alex Greifeld's The End of OutsideOrder your copy of LORESteph Liu on XWord of Mouth Index - designed in partnership with FairingBarry Hott on XAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusAccess to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merchExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content!

We unpack the market reactions from the NikeSkims turnout, the fantastical and terrifying future of gene editing, and Howard Lutnick's first moves as Commerce Secretary. PLUS: Future Commerce is headed to Shoptalk! Phillip and Brian bring the heat from Palm Springs!Coming Up: Don't miss our coverage of Howard Lutnick's First 100 Days. Follow our show wherever you listen to podcasts, subscribe to our weekly newsletters, and join us on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X. We Almost Never Doubted You, Nike Key takeaways:[:03:00] Howard Lutnick sworn in – twice, for good measure – as Secretary of Commerce. Track his first months in the job, follow our series First 100 Days.[09:00] Nike partners with Kim Kardashian-owned brand, Skims, tapping into a new corner of the activewear market. [25:00] The Los Angeles Project is the latest bold attempt at gene-editing and foresees a future where “life itself is brought under human design.”“There's so much happening with Lutnick at the helm, and it's worth keeping an eye on what the expanded responsibilities mean for commerce and beyond.” — Phillip “I think Nike is making good moves. I think they're making smart financial decisions, and they're partnering with the right people.” — Brian “For everything I've ever thought about Kim K, she continues to absolutely defy expectations as the ultimate business person.” — Phillip “The first movie studio to get the dragons wins.” — Brian“One company has made pigs with 69 gene edits to make their organs more compatible for human transplants... But are glowing rabbits really where we need to go next?” — PhillipIn-Show Mentions:Get your copy of LORESubscribe! To our newsletters! Our take on fentanyl czarsThe Senses: I Tried Doji (But It Turned Me Into a Black Man)Wired: Your Next Pet Could Be A Glowing RabbitAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

We peer into commerce's self-driven future and see new frontiers arising for AV-centric city planning, (more) invasive advertisement integration, commerce-based search engines, and Meta mind control. PLUS: Phillip and Brian designate their week's heroes and villains, and we get excited about the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After Party!Think It, And It Will Be DoneKey takeaways:[9:00] News from the week: Shopify earnings, Klaviyo, bird flu, and the latest from Future Commerce.[15:30] Autonomous Vehicles Will Redesign Commerce: AVs will create massive changes in urban planning, retail, and logistics.[19:00] Amazon's Next Big Move: The company is now allowing advertisers to drive traffic off-site, signaling its ambition to become the next big search engine.[23:00] Ad Takeover: Everything – even your car's infotainment screen – eventually becomes a surface for advertisement.[42:00] Klaviyo's B2C Event: Klaviyo announces Built for B2C livestream event, happening Thursday 2/20.[49:30] Meta Brain: Meta releases research on mind reading via magnetic therapy and AI-assisted analysis.[1:05:00] Heroes and Villains: Phillip and Brian's biggest winners and losers of the past week in commerce.“Amazon is about to become the biggest search engine for product discovery. Google should be worried.” — Phillip“The Gulf of Fortune, brought to you by Panda Doc.” – Brian“We've seen heart rates submitted as evidence, truth serums outlawed by the Geneva Convention. I have to believe that things like this are not Black Mirror, but actual legitimate real things that will be used in positive and negative ways. That to me seems scary.” – Phillip “I think this is going to be a retooling of the way we think.” – BrianIn-Show Mentions:Join us at Rivea for the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After PartyOrder LORE by Future Commerce on MetalabelFortune: Some Jeep owners are being hit with pop-up ads inside their cars.The Age of Agglomeration: Our predictions report from January.Netflix Bites (Good luck finding the menu?)Future Commerce Links:Shop our print products on shop.futurecommerce.com Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!Commerce shapes the future because Commerce is Culture™.

When does a word become so ubiquitous it loses all meaning? Brian's sudden aversion to "culture" sparks a meandering exploration into the semiotics of commerce, just as Poppy's influencer vending machine saga becomes an unlikely metaphor for marketing's existential crisis. PLUS, we revisit a key moment from NRF 2025.The Great ‘Culture Cancel' of 2025Key takeaways:[13:30] The Poppi fallout: After being slammed by fans around the globe for an influencer activation, Poppi juggles image repair. [23:00] Poppi vs. Olipop: Controversy doubles the audience.[29:00] Super Bowl LIX: This year's game was an underwhelming canvas for Kendrick's victory and Poppi's brief downfall.[35:00] One of the most impactful ads this year was creator-made, by a Doritos fan.[46:00] Big creative is more accessible now than ever, as displayed by big brands like Liquid Death using small but mighty budgets.[51:00] On this week's After Dark episode, we unpack Kanye West's breakdown and public rage against Ye and Shopify.“If you want to get attention, start a war.” – Brian“In the last few years, the NFL has become more participatory.” – BrianAssociated Links:Order your copy of LORE by Future CommerceDan Murphy, SVP of Marketing at Liquid Death on Future CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusSave 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merchPrivate GPT access with Alani™ from BundleIQExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content!

Phillip and Brian look into tomorrow's creator economy, shaped by the role of AI-driven agents in commerce and attention as currency. While rising generations invisibly develop instincts for algorithmic curation, Mr. Beast's Feastables collect dust in your local Walgreens. PLUS: We bring you along to our NRF panel discussion alongside our friends from BigCommerce.Velocity Over VolumeKey takeaways:Mr. Beast on Colin and Samir: His too many failed sidequests reveal a bigger picture about the viability of creator-led trends in the long term.The future of creator-driven consumer trends is agent-driven.Gen Alpha is a surveillance generation, and attention as currency is instinctual.Commerce is not just a transaction layer but an infrastructure that connects different facets of the digital world, and is the backbone for emerging tech trends.[00:07:40]  “If the future of the attention economy is agentic…Do creators have some role to play in agent attention?” – Phillip[00:08:35] “The creator economy is a form of patronage.” – Phillip[00:11:35] “Gen Alpha is a surveillance generation…my children know instinctively that they're constantly being surveilled. They give negative attention signals to things they don't like.” – Phillip[00:21:10] “There's going to continue to be bots in the world, and we are going to hate them.” – Brian[00:18:00] “The problem with running AI as effectively an API with a brain of its own is that it becomes completely impossible to diagnose when things go wrong. And that's going to drive people crazy.” – Brian[00:22:00] “There's going to be entire categories that emerge just for creators to try to find alpha and arbitrage in the system.” – PhillipIn-Show Mentions:Mr. Beast, Walt Disney, and the Promise of Payoff@Anuatluru on XKiri Masters on Agentic ShoppingInsiders #184: Coexist: Avoiding Agentic GhettosShow Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Head of Content James Mulvey joins the show to discuss Motion's latest creative trends report, which analyzed over $100M+ in ad spend across platforms to extract top creative insights. Listen now to catch the highlights and learn how breakthrough ads are getting faster, funnier, and uglier.Read Motion's 2025 Creative Trends Report at Motionapp.com/creative-trends.Going Where Millions of Marketers Haven't Gone BeforeKey takeaways:Motion curated a report of the seven top creative trends to keep up with in 2025, finding that ads are getting funnier, running longer, and embracing low-fi aesthetics.71% of advertisers plan to increase their use of AI in the coming year.68% of advertisers plan to increase their use of UGC in the coming year.POV storytelling is on the rise – from entertainment to advertising.[00:15:10] “Authenticity and humor can be very difficult to marry.” – Brian[00:15:15] “–Especially if you're not funny.” – James[00:21:30] “Popular media drives creator notions.” – Phillip[00:33:50] “The native platform experts are absorbing the source code, and then they're bringing that into the creative team…we all doomscroll to try to stay relevant, but it'd be awesome to have someone who's job is to do this.” – James Associated Links:Check out the Motion Creative Trends ReportCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusSave 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merchPrivate GPT access with Alani™ from BundleIQExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content!

This week, we're live-reacting to battles across culture. It's DeepSeek vs. OpenAI, Millennials vs. Gen X, and Starbucks vs. Sharpies (Sharpies won). PLUS: The Flappy Bird effect drives an aftermarket of devices with TikTok access, yuppie culture booms, and Waymo strikes again. The Other Side of Headless CommerceKey takeaways:DeepSeek's Disruption – A powerful, cheap, open-source AI from China that is sending shockwaves through the industry, challenging Nvidia's dominance and raising economic concerns.The Death of Loss Leaders? – AI optimization could make it easier for consumers to game retail pricing, forcing businesses to rethink discounts and marketing tactics.Tech Arms Race – The U.S.-China AI competition is accelerating, with implications for policy, economy, and innovation.The Generational Cycle – Are Millennials the new Boomers? Phillip and Brian discuss how attitudes shift over time.TikTok Bans and Black Markets – The aftermarket for phones with TikTok pre-installed mirrors the Flappy Bird phenomenon.“If someone was able to optimize their life so that friction was removed, it would break the system.” – Phillip“This is ground zero of something huge. The AI game just changed overnight.” – Phillip“The best defense is to flood the zone. The moment you try to contain something, you lose control.” – Brian“The return of yuppies proves that history doesn't just repeat itself—it evolves.” – Phillip“Technology enabled back.” – BrianLinks:In-show mention: The Cruel Kids Table, New York MagazineIn-show mention: TimesNowNews: Phones with TikTok Pre-Installed Selling for $25,000 Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!This episode of Future Commerce is brought to you by Future Commerce Plus and our sponsors Omnisend and MotionApp.

“There is nothing but micro trends these days. Sometimes, things bubble up, and they capture the imagination of pop culture…but then they last for a really short time. In that environment, how do you really set yourself up to influence culture?” In this week's episode, Ana Andjelic graces our show with breakthrough advice from her latest book, Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture. Discover the secrets of updating heritage brands, keys to transporting customers into imaginative worlds, and how to amplify microtrends to position your brand within cornerstone cultural narratives.  Architects of the Identity EconomyKey takeaways:Reverse-Engineering Hits: The concept of "hit-making" is about creating micro-trends and amplifying them through culture to align with the zeitgeist and resonate with a brand's audience.Capturing Connection: Modern brands are focusing on attention and engagement as measures of success, recognizing that loyalty stems from deeper interactions beyond purchases.Brands as Cultural Contributors: Successful brands become part of a larger cultural narrative, contributing to concepts like happiness (Coca-Cola) or creativity (Apple).[00:6:34] - “As human beings, we never make decisions in isolation. We are always influenced by what we read, see, listen to, and each other. So in a sense, all of those interactions are narratives or they're fibers of the narrative.” - Ana[00:29:27] - “You have to be both sensitive to the zeitgeist and cultures, but also stay true to that innovativeness of those brands because all those founders did create something that didn't exist before.” - Ana[00:31:01] - “There's actually a transforming, so taking one form and putting it into a new context, which is how myth begins. It's actually at the moment of transformation.” - Brian[00:35:00] - “There is time and place for everything. Performance marketing works really well with brand marketing, but demand is created by brand marketing. Demand is harvested by performance marketing.” - AnaAssociated Links:Buy Hitmakers on AmazonSubcribe to Ana's Substack for access to the Hitmakers podcast and moreCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

This FREE PREVIEW of the After Dark is brought to you by Future Commerce Plus!Join today and receive access to ad-free and bonus content from Future Commerce. futurecommerce.com/plusWe're covering the first 100 Days of the New Commerce Department: what trade and tariff policies are up Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's sleeve? PLUS: We dig into TikTok's dizzying fake-out, Doji's mystifying deepfake try-on tech, and the long-awaited launch of the 2025 Future Commerce Annual Journal, LORE. Episode LinksPreorder LOREExplore Doji: Doji AppWatch the Head and Shoulders video we geeked out aboutFor bonus content, ad-free episodes, and more, join  Future Commerce Plus.

In this landmark discussion from NRF 2025, we lay out our theory of commerce's next evolutionary leap: the necessary fusion of human and artificial intelligence in digital spaces. As today's retailers hastily construct separate domains for silicon and carbon-based shoppers, we explore why this well-intentioned bifurcation may be precisely the wrong approach. From Salesforce's stumbling first steps with Agent Force to NVIDIA's more integrated vision, we examine how commerce might pioneer a symbiotic digital future. PLUS: Our 2025 journal, LORE, makes its debut!Key Narratives:The Evolution of Digital Agency: Tracing the path from simple chatbots to truly agentic AI, and why the distinction matters.Biological Precedent as Digital Prophecy: How the coexistence of early human species might inform our approach to human-AI integration.The Attention Arbitrage: Why AI agents represent not just tools, but extensions of human cognitive capacity.Beyond the ‘Agentic Ghetto': The case for unified digital architectures that serve both silicon and carbon-based users.The Memory Migration: How technology has already transformed human cognition, from oral histories to cloud storage.Essential Quotes:{00:23:00} "When we've talked about agents and bots and how you're gonna have your own assistance, we're talking about consumers... [The industry is] thinking about it from a very different angle than the people that are trying to sell the software right now." - Brian{00:25:31} "This is kind of like homo sapien and Neanderthal having to coexist... one advanced form and one less advanced form actually having functional tools and functional societies and functional coexistence together." - Phillip{00:28:55} "Written language allowed us to move from having to memorize things and be able to recall them from ourselves to having them available to quote. We actually exported our brains into books." - Brian{00:31:44} "The last thing we want on planet earth is to create a non-visual [space] in the ether for it to go purchase that isn't a thing that a human could actually go... The functional web needs to stay functional for humans and for bots to coexist in." - PhillipThe Future Commerce Perspective:This episode challenges conventional wisdom about AI integration, suggesting that our current trajectory toward segregated experiences misses a crucial evolutionary opportunity. Through the lens of NRF 2025's innovations and stumbles, we explore how commerce might pioneer a more symbiotic digital future—one where the distinction between human and artificial intelligence becomes not a wall, but a bridge.Associated Links:Order LORE on MetalabelThe Attention Economy (August 2, 2019)Your Body Is A Dataland (August 1, 2017)Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

This week, we're unpacking Adobe's holiday shopping report, the AI bot takeover, and the dead internet theory. As 2025 kicks off with powerful demand for both in-person experiences and AI-driven, frictionless online shopping, we're peering into the future of the tension. PLUS: Phillip the Time Capsule Guy takes us back in time, and 5,000 years into the future.Is AI Just Making Spam More Scalable?Key takeaways:[00:14:30] “Black Friday shopping is one of the most isolating things you can do now. It used to be a team sport, something you'd all go out and do…you get up early, you get the coffee and the hot chocolate in your warm coats, and you go out and you have a good time together amid consumerism madness.” – Brian[00:20:24] “I think the return to physical connection and this loneliness epidemic is driving people back to real-life connection.” – Phillip[00:46:55] “We are going to be building from this point forward websites or ecommerce experiences, channels, APIs. Anything that we build in ecommerce from henceforth will be done thoughtfully to assist both humans and agents to be able to seamlessly purchase from a brand.” – Phillip[00:58:04] "Time capsules by Westinghouse and Panasonic might be humanity's greatest contributions to cultural preservation." – Phillip [01:01:20] “This is part of Mythopoeia. This is how you build a myth that extends into the future. You do stuff like this that's an extension of the story. And Westinghouse may be revived 5000 years in the future because of these time capsules.” – BrianAssociated Links:Future Commerce Upcoming EventsThe Future Now: January 28th, 2025. Immerse yourself in a collaborative and visionary roundtable experience with retail executives. Register hereYour Body is a Dataland: Insiders #66Adobe Holiday Shopping ReportCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

In our biggest episode of the year, we explore seismic shifts coming in 2025: from the return of Gen X leadership to a new wave of American counterculture. We revisit our eerily accurate 2024 predictions while laying out bold forecasts for retail consolidation, AI evolution, and the changing media landscape. Plus, we dive deep into why Google might be poised for a massive comeback and how Walmart is transforming into a media empire."Quantum Intelligence & Objective Truth": Key Moments from Our 2025 PredictionsOn Taste & Truth (13:12) - "I believe that taste is the unique ability to recognize objective truth in situations where subjectivity reigns supreme." - BrianThe Future of Retail (34:50) - "In the retail sector, we will see larger holdcos start to downsize by breaking off individual pieces into smaller entities so they can reorganize and pass regulatory muster when selling divisions later." - PhillipHardware Renaissance (54:41) - "The excitement around content actually represents a deeper desire within people for well-designed, bespoke hardware technology." - BrianUrban Transport Evolution (1:39:14) - "eVTOL will be a huge tech winner in 2025, creating a paradigm shift in urban transport - starting as the luxury option Uber envisioned in 2017." - PhillipPolitical Realignment (1:59:00) - "There's something latent here around realignment in how people think about the political spectrum post-second Trump presidency. Many political orphans, both right and left, don't know where they fit." - BrianThe Innovation Paradox (2:18:43) - "When solving problems, we inevitably miss the new problems our solutions will create. It's easy to walk into dystopia thinking you're walking into utopia." - BrianAssociated Links:Heading to NRF? Come celebrate the launch of our 2025 print journal, LORE with us on Tuesday, January 14! Register here.Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

This year was a great one for the Future Commerce podcast. We vision-casted with fellow futurists at exclusive events across the nation, launched podcast specials like Spooky Commerce and FC Radio Theater, and were joined on the podcast by many of our industry muses, including Kickstarter's Yancey Strickler and Walmart's Justin Breton. We've rounded up our 2024 highlight reel in one year-end finale episode. All featured episodes linked below.The Good, the Spooky, and the VisionaryFeatured Episodes:When Technology Changes, Context Changes (February 6, 2024)You Can Buy Haunted Dolls on eBay (October 11)After Dark: Luddite Luxury, Acorn-Based Economies, Starbucks Star Days as Economic Indicator (February 21, 2024)The Tyranny of Visibility (February 13, 2024)DECODED: Polymaths and Philosophers (May 13, 2024)Building Culturally Intelligent Brands (May 17)What is Futureproof for Gen Alpha? (June 7, 2024)Don't Say Metaverse (August 23)How Liquid Death is Murdering Marketing (July 7)The Dark Forest of Creative Capital (December 6)Associated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Introducing a Future Commerce Radio Theater production: A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa, an original story by Erin DaCruz. Performed for radio by Joseph Discher and Leonor Woodworth. Voice production by Whole Story Studio.A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa can be found in the Muses journal, available for purchase at shop.futurecommerce.com. Timecodes:[00:02:28] Time of day – 5:45[00:04:01] Time of day – 6:22[00:05:20] Time of day – 8:17[00:07:02] Time of day – 10:00[00:07:46] Time of day – 10:36[00:09:05} Time of day – 12:02[00:09:21] Time of day – 12:10[00:10:38] Time of day – 16:28[00:11:56] Time of day – 17:37[00:12:25] Time of day – 19:30[00:13:07] Time of day – 20:19[00:13:46] Time of day – 22:12[00:16:15] Time of day – 5:45Associated Links:Enjoy A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa in print: Order the Muses journalGet your copy of the Archetypes journalCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Introducing a Future Commerce Radio Theater production: The Wrong Part, an original story by Brian Lange. Performed for radio by Joseph Discher. Voice production by Whole Story Studio.The Wrong Part can be found in the Muses journal, available for purchase at shop.futurecommerce.com. Stay tuned for our upcoming radio theater readings: A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa by Erin DaCruz.Timecodes:[00:00:19] Act 1[00:11:35] Act 2Associated Links:Enjoy The Wrong Part in print: Order the Muses journalGet your copy of the Archetypes journalCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Introducing a Future Commerce Radio Theater production: Dissociating at Costco, an original story by Brian Lange. Performed for radio by Joseph Discher. Voice production by Whole Story Studio.Dissociating at Costco can be found in the Archetypes journal, available for purchase at shop.futurecommerce.com. Stay tuned for our upcoming radio theater readings: A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa by Erin DaCruz, and The Hardest Part by Brian Lange.Timecodes:[00:00:20] Chapter 1[00:08:19] Chapter 2[00:17:45] Chapter 3[00:26:43] EpilogueAssociated Links:Enjoy Dissociating at Costco in print: Order the Archetypes journalGet your copy of the Muses journalCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Yancey Strickler on Metalabel, Digital Scarcity, and the Coming Creative RevolutionKickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler unveils his vision of a radical economic future where artists become society's power brokers. Through Metalabel, he's building the infrastructure for collective commerce and creative ownership that could transform how we value and exchange culture.“In 50 years, artists won't just influence culture—they'll control capital”Key takeaways:{00:13:10} - “The concept of art and creativity that we think of today that we take as givens that we're like, “Oh my God, I have to promote my drop again today,” are incredibly modern inventions.” - Yancey{00:24;51] - “I believe {this project} will produce a world where 50 or 60 years from now, artists and creative people are the most powerful members of society. They will have the greatest influence. They will have the greatest access to wealth. They will be the most powerful people in society, and this is a structure by which that will occur. And that's a project we'll announce next year.” - Yancey{00:26:20} - “We all want to be able to homestead and have our own spaces that are ours, but we also want to be part of spaces where we can be discovered. And so how can our catalogs exist in a world like that? Artists right now are excluded from capitalism. Let's change that.” - Yancey{00:28:53} - “People are still just looking in the dead channel, the dying channels…where we've been trained to look for what is new and what matters. And the answer is that that's not where those things are happening now.” - Yancey{00:38:09} - “Anyone who's 20 years old today, born and raised on the Internet, there's just like a mentality, a metamodern, just flat openness, super well-curated sort of vibe that I just think lends itself quite well to operating very specific, but I think very successful, small to medium-sized creative businesses.” - YanceyAssociated Links:Pre-order the LORE Journal by Future Commerce on MetalabelConnect with Yancey Strickler and learn more about MetalabelThe Dark Forest CollectiveKirby Ferguson's New York Times piece, Is Creativity Dead?Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

From the vault, we bring you a recording from a bit ago, but it holds up! Brain Lange from Future Commerce joins Brent Peterson (Host of Talk Commerce) and Scott at Shoptoberfest presented by Shopware in NY. We had a great time talking to Brian about the past, the present and how the future of commerce will evolve.  Always Off Brand is Ecommerce Simplified, Learn & Laugh!  Guest: Brain Lange - Future Commerce Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-lange/ Website: https://www.futurecommerce.com/ TALK COMMERCE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656 Brent Peterson - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentwpeterson/     QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/ Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 16 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 29 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley is based out of North Carolina and has worked in multiple product categories and has also worked on the brand side and started with Nordstrom on the retail floor.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music “Office Party” available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   “Always Off Brand” is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.  

Retail and customer experience expert Kate Fannin brings brands down to earth for a living, driven by her consulting mantra, “People buy things; they pay for experiences.” Drawing from her career journey across iconic brands like Gap, Nordstrom, and Estée Lauder, Kate offers insightful strategies for curating meaningful customer connections that make even online shopping feel like window shopping in your favorite small town.“The Invitation to Come and Stay Awhile”Key takeaways:Human connection never went out of style, even as digital capabilities flourish.If a brand's technology isn't solving a pain point, they should ask: is that technology enhancing customer experience or force-following a trend?[00:11:00] "What we've lost in digital is the invitation to come and stay awhile." – Phillip Jackson[00:14:00] "There's no such thing as drive-through luxury." – Brian Lange[00:17:00] "Every brand needs to ask: What does it take to bring the customer back?" – Kate Fannin[00:40:00] "Can you have human engagement at scale? Not the same as me shopping with Jackie in Cold Spring…So AI has its place, but you can't just peanut butter it across everything." – Kate Fannin[00:42:00] "People buy things, but they pay for experiences." – Kate FanninAssociated Links:Connect with Kate at Kate Fannin ConsultingConnect with Kate on LinkedInCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!Kate is a "consummate consumer" and channel-agnostic "Retail Realist" -For over two decades, she has worked in marketing, retail, and IT, including 15+ years in luxury fashion, and beauty. She has held various leadership roles at Estee Lauder Companies, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Gap, Inc. Her passion is evaluating the consumer experience, from product and packaging to elevated, immersive "phygital" engagement programs to ensure that the customer is the top priority!‍Kate has an MBA from the University of Illinois, and a BBA from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX, both in Marketing.

We are joined by the brilliant Jacob Matson, Developer Advocate at Mother Duck, to discuss the new frontier of data application, the evolution of computing, and Brian's taste in wine. Get nerdy with us and learn about the unlimited potential for customized consumer experiences powered by advanced databases and more tech forecasts – brought to you by a frontline data expert. Augmenting Aesthetics, from Fine Wine to Interior DesignKey takeaways:[00:25:46] “Our hardware is scaling faster than we can create data, and that's changing how we think about software.” –Jacob[00:23:54] “If everyone's buying the same canned software, we'll converge on the same experiences—and that sounds terrible.” –Jacob[00:29:00] “It's not that we were necessarily doing things the wrong way in the past…we came up against the limitations of the technology that was available to us, whether it be cost or speed.” –Brian[00:37:19] “SQL might just be the lingua franca that bridges the gap between business users, developers, and AI.” –Phillip[00:50:27] “Imagine encoding all your knowledge and taste into a bot—your brand's experience could truly feel unique.” –Jacob[00:52:21] “People are gonna have to get used to technology having a perspective on what things might look like, and some level of confidence around that perspective.” –Brian[00:55:52] “Things are getting easier, and software is finally starting to work for us instead of against us.” –JacobAssociated Links:Learn more about Mother DuckFollow Jacob Matson on TwitterCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Jack Kavanagh of Shopanova joins us to share his unique perspective on cutting through the noise of marketing fads and focusing on strategies that truly drive growth. From balancing trends with long term strategies to harnessing the power of tools like Triple Whale's Sonar for precise ad targeting, we dive deep into the realities of scaling eCommerce businesses in 2024. Discover how agility, better data segmentation, and a holistic approach to metrics can revolutionize your business.Don't Miss the Forest for the TreesKey takeaways:Not all data points deserve attention—focus on those tied to measurable outcomes, like revenue and customer growth, rather than vanity metrics.Tools like Sonar by Triple Whale empower businesses to manage data and ad performance efficiently without expensive expertise.[05:50] "Sometimes you miss the forest for the trees. Focus on connecting people with a product that improves their lives." – Jack[13:30] "Brand owners have been burnt by marketing gurus just like Facebook moms have been burnt by fad supplements." – Jack"[00:24:14] People go after their biceps hard, but by the time they've got them, it's over. It's all about calves now. What really matters is a healthy body." – Brian[34:30] "The allure of tools like Sonar is they solve complex problems hands-free. That's where advertising is now." – JackAssociated Links:Learn more about Sonar, Triple Whale's Meta integrationCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

We sit down with Brandon Kuipers, Co-founder and CMO of Zox, to discuss how a family arts-and-crafts project evolved into a globally recognized e-commerce brand. Hear how Zox grew from a family project to an international success by leveraging data-driven marketing, and how emerging tools like Triple Whale's Sonar have unlocked global markets. From Kitchen Table to Global BrandKey takeaways:Leveraging the right data tools, like Sonar, significantly improved Zox's data visibility, enabling them to optimize ad performance in international markets.Localized strategies, like creating region-specific products such as language-adapted designs, can help deepen market engagement.[00:06:32] “Building a business is about innovating, even when you feel like you have it figured out.” — Brandon[00:17:54] Once Sonar was set up, our data accuracy went from tracking almost none of our conversions to tracking just about every conversion." — Brandon[00:20:30] “Sonar has been the missing link, reopening markets we thought had closed down.” — Brandon[00:25:18] “Even if an ad flops in the U.S., it can still perform well in other regions. Nothing is wasted.” — Brandon[00:28:30] “This level of visibility is enabling full-on product pivots to better address new markets.” — Brian Associated Links:Learn more about Sonar, Triple Whale's Meta Integration.Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

You want an optimized performance marketing stack, we have the expert insight. In season 14 of Step-By-Step, we've partnered with Triple Whale and Meta to help you maximize RoAS with higher-quality data.In this episode, you'll learn why first-party data is critical in a privacy-conscious eCommerce ecosystem, how domain-specific AI can revolutionize eCommerce analytics, and what the shift from self-hosted IT organizations to cloud-based solutions means for your business.Garbage In, Garbage OutKey takeaways:Triple Whale evolved from summary pages to cutting-edge tools like their Sonar integration with Meta Conversions API.Your data quality is key. Understanding where your marketing dollars are most effectively spent will unlock better RoAS.Feeding Meta better data through server-side connections transforms ad spend into ad gains.AI's Promise and Paradox: Can we teach machines context? We debate whether AI can replicate the intuitive decision-making of a savvy e-commerce operator.Simplifying complex workflows might mean less visibility, but greater efficiency and creative freedom.[00:09:17] "Garbage in, garbage out. Clean data is the alpha and omega of decision-making." – Brian[00:19:39] "The internet used to be the Wild West—now it's a privacy-conscious frontier." – Kellet[00:31:42] "If AI were a junior resource, it's the one you'd micromanage." – PhillipAssociated Links:Learn more about Sonar, Triple Whale's Meta IntegrationCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

“Email's stability in a changing digital world makes it one of the few reliable channels left for brands, even after ten years.” Seasoned eCommerce and email marketing expert Greg Zakowicz joins Brian and Phillip to unpack the holiday inbox squeeze. The Tried and True, Yet Hackable, Email CampaignKey takeaways:[00:01:41] “Email's stability in a changing digital world makes it one of the few reliable channels left for brands, even after ten years.” – Greg[00:05:46] “Honing in on your unique value, especially if you're a small brand competing with giants, is more critical than ever.” – Greg [00:08:23] “Strategic timing, like sending a campaign around a product's peak usage time, can make a huge difference in engagement.” – Phillip[00:25:23] “People want creative, engaging content even if it's transactional; small touches can make emails stand out in crowded inboxes.” – Greg [00:30:08] “Just because everyone's doing 25% off doesn't mean it's the only thing that works; there's room for creativity in how you present offers.” – Greg Associated Links:Learn more about OmnisendCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

In this enlightening conversation at Shoptoberfest, Brent Peterson and Brian Lang from Future Commerce delve into the evolving landscape of commerce, emphasizing the intersection of culture and commerce, the role of content creators, and the importance of understanding consumer behavior. They discuss the necessity of bringing transactions closer to decision points and introduce the concept of 'good friction' in the purchasing process. The conversation also touches on the impact of AI on commerce and the future predictions for the industry.TakeawaysFuture Commerce operates at the intersection of culture and commerce.Commerce is fundamentally about person-to-person connections.Consumer behavior is influenced by social models and trends.Content creators play a crucial role in shaping commerce today.Bringing transactions closer to decision points enhances purchasing efficiency.Good friction in transactions helps consumers make better decisions.AI is transforming the way we interact with commerce.Understanding the context of consumer purchases is vital.The future of commerce will require clear classification of interactions.Predictions about commerce can often come true over time.Sound Bites"Commerce is identity exchange.""Mimesis drives consumer behavior.""Culture is commerce."Chapters00:00Introduction to Shoptoberfest and Future Commerce04:26The Intersection of Culture and Commerce07:29Understanding Commerce as Identity Exchange10:30The Role of Content Creators in Commerce13:22Bringing Transactions Closer to Decision Points16:23The Concept of Good Friction in Transactions19:44AI's Role in Future Commerce22:27Classifying Human and Machine Interactions25:43Conclusion and Reflections on Future Commerce28:02Future of Commerce Jingle

Looking Back to Look ForwardKey Takeaways:[00:10:39] “Research is always iterating just like design. So I really want to keep that active research going, including participation from the audience.” - Phoebe[00:13:06] “Japan has been living in the year 2000 since 1980.” - Phoebe[00:29:09] “In a low context culture, people tend to communicate more directly, more explicitly, and in a high context culture, people would communicate in a more nuanced, more implicit kind of way.” - Phoebe[00:32:24] “It is always good to reduce user friction no matter what. We have to look at things contextually and see how that friction serves how that user feels about a certain service, a certain platform.” - Phoebe[00:42:47] “There is an inherent sense of curiosity when it comes to how different cultures operate because we, us, personally, we grew up in a specific culture, and it's easy to think that that is just how things are done across the board. But then when you realize there are different people doing things in a different way, that it might shatter your existing notions about certain things, and that raises a lot of questions of how things can be done.” - PhoebeAssociated Links:Subscribe on YouTube to Phoebe YuCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusSave 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merchPrivate GPT access with Alani™ from BundleIQExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content!

Spooky Commerce finishes with an epic finale as we explore the mysterious history of Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market. Phillip, Brian, and Sarah share tales of ghost sightings, haunted (coffee) grounds, and the rich lore behind one of the oldest continuously operating markets in the U.S. PLUS: Phillip and Brian debrief a tragedy involving AI-to-human relationships and discuss the challenges parents face as children gain unrestricted access to AI tools. The Roast With the GhostTW: This week's episode discusses sensitive subject matter, including suicide.Key Takeaways:AI taking on a life of its own: Children have unrestricted access to increasingly lifelike AI tools. Pike Place Market is home to more than just vendors: It's rumored to house spirits from Seattle's early days.Kells yeah: Kells Irish Pub sits on a former mortuary and a former indigenous burial site – and is one of Seattle's most haunted locations. [00:09:30] “​​The thing is, the difference between what you were doing and what an AI is doing is you are interacting with real people. Message boards were human-to-human communication. It was just instantaneous. This is like, getting sucked into a video game that has no end.” – Brian[00:18:00] "This thing (AI) has escaped containment." – Phillip[00:25:22] “Brian's developed a palate that's sophisticated enough to taste the ghost in Pike Place roast.” – Phillip[00:03:35] "The building that Kells Pub exists in is the Butterworth and Sons building, which was not only a former mortuary, but it was also built on top of tribal burial grounds.” – Sarah[00:40:00] “There's just there's so many elements here that would actually enable this sort of storytelling around the place.” – BrianAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

This week we unpack multisensory commerce, the economical ebb and flow of re-commerce, and reflect on Phillip's keynote at the Motion Creative Strategy Summit. PLUS: Spooky Commerce is back. Phillip, Brian, and Sarah journey to a haunted 1980's Bay Area Toys R Us.The Duality of RecommerceKey takeaways:Tactile interactions produce profound experiences – something digital media cannot replicate. Phillip's keynote presentation at the Motion Creative Strategy Summit highlighted the polymathic inspiration of tactile creativity.[00:09:30] “Things that you consider to be highly immersive aren't as immersive as you think they are. The sphere is very immersive, but it is not as tactile as Meow Wolf's Omega mart.” – Phillip[00:21:15 ] “I step into that Waymo and I get, you know, a technology rush. It feels like, finally. Oh, finally. It's here. All the things that we've all dreamed of. And I think it's because the imagination has already moved on.” – Brian[00:33:30 ] "Sylvia Brown herself came in, so this brought a lot of coverage to the story…they did this whole televised seance moment, and she discovered that the ghost's name is Johnny Johnson." – Sarah[00:34:15] "What a weird fate for him. You know? First of all, tragic death. Second of all, like, a toy store gets built over, like, this beautiful ranch where he was supposed to live this life, and then he gets to haunt toys." – BrianAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

From dead-and-undead-again crypto cycles to eBay's paranormal side, we explore the range of the paranormal in this week's installment of Spooky Commerce. Listen now!Crypt-O-Currency, Panic Buying and Paranormal DucksKey takeaways:eCommerce giants like Pinduoduo (Temu's parent company) are contributing to deflation in China by flooding the market with cheap goods.Disaster alerts compete with the attention economy. In our daily flurry of push notifications, we might also be alerted of an impending natural disaster.Despite repeated crashes, the cryptocurrency market continues to revive itself.{00:03:55} "The visual language of a hurricane is lines at retail or empty shelves having been bought out. It's part of the cultural act of a disaster... commerce is so disrupted in a moment of disaster." – Phillip{00:19:10} "I don't know which is worse, this horrific porcelain doll I'm looking at called the 'Haunted Effanbee Doll' from the 1930s, or the fact that it's listed at $12,000." – Phillip{00:27:20} “I am not clicking that link. Oh, it's a duck? Okay, link me that one.” – Brian{00:31:00} “There's a lot of stuff that's sold on the Internet that's actually really hard to validate whether it can do what it says that it does. And I bet there are reviews of this duck that make it sound like people had paranormal experiences with it… Individual experiences are what we use to validate whether something is trustworthy to purchase.” – Brian{00:33:00} "Do the delivery drivers know they're transporting haunted relics?" – SarahAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Is the world of copyright infringement getting weirder? We catch up on the latest (and tastiest) brand battles. PLUS: October-exclusive segment, Spooky Commerce, where we take a look at an interesting urban legend that will make you say, “Holy matrimony!” Seattle Suits and LawsuitsMore from Shoptoberfest: Brian, Mike Wattier and Jeremy Noonan dive deeper into our latest report, “The Honest Truth.”Key takeaways:The lines separating brands' identities are blurrier and blurrier as markets become more trend-saturated. Enter: Muddy Bites suing The Best Part, and Smuckers suing Chubby.Our latest report found that 77% of retailers trust their agency, but only 1 in 5 brands or retailers actually end up using their agency account manager to help them make a decision about what software they pick. {00:14:39} “Identity is actually going to be a necessity, not just for keeping your identity unique, but also to keep yourself from being copied, or to also make sure that you're not copying anybody else…The only way to protect yourself is to be extremely different.” - Brian{00:15:40} “It could help to be more creative. I do think that if copyright lawsuits were this prevalent during the early age of the Internet, we wouldn't have the Internet we have today.” - Phillip{00: 34:00} “We take the bull by the horns on that one. We want to drive that process because oftentimes, the people that are developing these products, they're not in the trenches doing the implementation, so they're not always fully aligned.” - Jeremy Noonan{00:39:52} “Speed equals money, how fast do you want to go? Leadership doesn't understand the intricacies of the actual work itself. They're not getting that unvarnished truth about how to fill the gaps properly.” - Mike WattierAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Live recording with Talk Commerce Host Brent Peterson, we get to talk to FUTURE COMMERCE Philip Jacskson on the big report from Shopware and Future Commerce on the Honest Truth on RFP's. Fun conversation and one of our 10 episodes recording at Shoptoberfest presented by Shopware in Brooklyn, NY in a beer haul! Always Off Brand is Ecommerce Simplified, Learn & Laugh!  QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/   Co-Host: Brent Peterson from TALK COMMERCE  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentwpeterson/ Website:https://www.contentbasis.io/ PODCAST: TALK COMMERCE - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656   Guest: Philip Jackson Co-Founder Future Commerce  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philwinkle/ Website: https://www.futurecommerce.com/ Podcast: https://www.futurecommerce.com/episodes Report on RFP - https://www.futurecommerce.com/fc-insights/the-honest-truth   SHOPWARE - https://www.shopware.com/en/   Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 16 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 29 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley is based out of North Carolina and has worked in multiple product categories and has also worked on the brand side and started with Nordstrom on the retail floor.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music “Office Party” available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   “Always Off Brand” is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.