What Small Retailers Actually Need To Focus On, with Sucharita Kodali

Everyone is telling small retailers the same thing right now: Get on Amazon. Add AI to everything. Copy what the “winners” did. Sucharita Kodali thinks that’s a dangerous way to run a business.She’s a VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester, a former operator at Disney, Toys“R”Us, and Saks, an early e-commerce insider, and one of the sharpest, most candid voices in retail. When the industry gets drunk on the latest tech buzzword, she’s usually the one saying, “Slow down. Who actually benefits here?”In this episode of Beyond the Register, Sucharita gives small retailers a clear, research-backed filter for navigating Big Tech, AI, and bad advice.We get into:- Why Amazon, Meta, and other platforms are your “landlords,” not your partners- Survivorship bias and the danger of only studying winners- The harsh reality that it’s still “the product, the product, the product”- AI that actually helps small retailers vs AI theater- Section 230, fake reviews, and why “wonky” internet laws matter to your store- Her blunt warning on AI regulation- The next 5–10 years for independents: more micro-businesses, not fewer- Her own path from comedy ambitions to retail analystListen to this conversation with Sucharita Kodali before you sign the next contract, chase the next “must-have” tech, or go all-in on a platform you don’t control.