Retailgentic | Consumer Behavior & Retail Trend

In this episode, we sit down with Michele Fisher (Global Director, Business Strategy for Retail & CPG) and Atanu Ghosh (Director of Agentic Commerce & AI Innovation), who sit at the intersection of Azure AI, Copilot, and real-world retail and brand Agentic Commerce implementations.This conversation dives into how Microsoft is thinking about agentic commerce as a full operating model shift, not just a feature or channel.From Copilot shopping to data infrastructure to ads inside LLMs, the discussion connects the dots between:Highlights Conversational discovery is fundamentally different from search: The way people talk about brands inside AI systems looks nothing like traditional keyword behavior, and most companies have zero visibility into it.Agentic commerce is not one thing, it’s an operating model shift: Microsoft defines it broadly: agents participating in discovery, decision-making, and transactions, not just checkout.Copilot + catalog + data = the new commerce stackAds are changing from persuasion to evaluation: Agents don’t care about creative. They evaluate structured data, trust signals, and relevance.Loyalty becomes infrastructure, not a programThe “frontier firm” is the North Star: A future where humans and agents work together across workflows, not just AI acting as an assistant.Protocols like UCP matter more than people realize: Open standards enable discoverability across surfaces and prevent fragmentation in agent-driven ecosystems.The funnel is collapsingIf your brand is still thinking about traffic as the starting point, you’re already behind.In an agentic world, discovery happens before you ever see the user, and increasingly, without them.Timestamps00:00 – Why brands have zero visibility into conversational discovery01:50 – Scot’s “Big 6” podcast goal and Microsoft joins the list04:00 – Michelle & Atanu backgrounds + roles at Microsoft10:00 – What agentic commerce actually means (and why definitions vary)14:00 – Microsoft’s agentic commerce stack: Copilot, agents, data layer18:00 – The “Frontier Firm” and human + agent workflows20:00 – UCP, protocols, and why openness matters23:00 – Loyalty, identity, and friction in agent checkout28:00 – Ads in agentic commerce: from persuasion to evaluation33:00 – First-party data vs. conversational behavior data39:00 – Why most retailers aren’t ready (and what they need first)45:00 – The real blocker: operating models, not technology46:30 – Where to learn more + how leaders are consuming information now👉 Connect with Michele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelekfisher/👉 Connect with Atanu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buildingai/👉 Learn more about Microsoft in AI: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/azure-ai-foundry-blog/the-future-of-ai-harnessing-ai-for-e-commerce---personalized-shopping-agents/4386980🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of Retailgentic, Stephan breaks down how agentic commerce is evolving globally, with a particular focus on Europe’s rapid adoption.We explore why AI-driven shopping is accelerating faster than previous technology shifts, how brands are already losing visibility without realizing it, and what practical steps companies can take today to stay competitive.From product data strategy to protocol wars to the future of loyalty, this conversation offers a clear view of where commerce is heading next.Highlights Discovery is the new battleground: If your product is not readable, trustworthy, and rich in context for AI agents, it will not be recommended.Agentic commerce starts before checkout: The most important shift is happening in discovery, comparison, and decision-making, not the final transaction.Europe is moving differently, not slower: Adoption among younger consumers in markets like Germany is already very high, with many using AI in shopping workflows.Product data is now infrastructure: Years of optimizing for search engines are being replaced by the need to structure data for AI systems.Loyalty and identity are becoming core systems: Future commerce will depend heavily on how well brands manage identity, value, and customer relationships across AI ecosystems.Protocols are evolving fast: Systems like UCP and MCP are shaping how agents interact with product data, pricing, and checkout layers.Small experiments already create visibility gains: Even limited API exposure or structured data improvements can increase inclusion in AI-driven recommendations.Agentic commerce is accelerating existing problems: Many of today’s challenges, like poor data quality and disconnected systems, have existed for years but are now becoming urgent.Agentic commerce is already reshaping how products are discovered today, and the brands that adapt fastest will define the next era of retail.Timestamps00:00 – Opening and overview of agentic commerce 02:00 – Who Stefan Ritter is and his background 05:00 – Why agentic commerce adoption is happening faster than mobile 09:00 – What agentic commerce actually means 11:00 – Human vs autonomous decision-making 13:00 – Why context is replacing keywords 16:00 – State of agentic commerce in Europe 20:00 – Data quality and infrastructure challenges 23:00 – AI platforms and protocol landscape 26:00 – Loyalty, identity, and authentication of agents 28:00 – The three opportunity spaces for brands 32:00 – How AI changes product storytelling 36:00 – Events, ecosystem, and European perspective 37:00 – Deloitte research and discovery battleground 39:00 – Retail media and monetization challenges 42:00 – Practical roadmap for brands 46:00 – The future of agentic commerce 49:00 – Closing thoughts and where to follow Stefan👉 Connect with Stephan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanritter/👉 Learn more about Deloitte: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deloitte/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

This episode goes beyond surface-level AI hype and into how retail organizations are actually responding.Krystina shares what she’s hearing from operators, board members, and data leaders and why the biggest risk right now is moving in the wrong direction.At the same time, we explore how agentic commerce is reshaping traffic, discovery, and brand relationships and what that means for the future of ecommerce.Highlights AI is forcing a full end-to-end transformation of retailMany companies are prioritizing the wrong AI initiatives, focusing on hype instead of P&L impactA growing concern: “dark” or untracked AI-driven traffic is already impacting performanceData strategy is becoming a core battleground: What do you give AI platforms? What do you get back? Do CRMs need to evolve entirely?The real unlock for AI shopping is complex, multi-step purchases (travel, events, planning)The industry is early, but pressure from boards and declining traffic is accelerating adoptionThe future of retail will be defined by who applies it to the right problems.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — The future of retail data + AI uncertainty 00:47 — Retailgentic intro 03:10 — Kristina Gustafson’s background (CNBC → Shoptalk → RetailClub) 08:02 — Why RetailClub exists: AI needs a verticalized event 10:00 — From “retreat” to “festival” 12:00 — Intimacy vs scale in events 17:00 — What “festival format” actually means 20:00 — RetailClub themes: full AI transformation of retail 26:00 — How Kristina tracks AI trends (75%+ of her time) 28:00 — AI prioritization problem inside companies 29:00 — Data, CRMs, and “dark agentic traffic” 30:00 — Traffic decline + board pressure 36:30 — Agentic commerce: what actually works 38:00 — Why brands won’t fully disappear 40:00 — RetailClub details + closing👉 Connect with Krystina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystina-gustafson-908a5a14/👉 Learn more about RetailClub: https://retailclub.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode, we go deep into what agentic commerce actually looks like in a real-world vertical, and why grocery may be one of the most important battlegrounds.We walk through the shift from “tools that help you shop” to systems that shop for you, and how that fundamentally changes everything from discovery to monetization.We also unpack the tension between grocers and platforms like Instacart, the rise of retail media networks, and why owning your data, and your customer relationship, may matter more than ever in an AI-driven world.Highlights Regional grocers are losing both data and margin to platforms like InstacartAgentic commerce shifts grocery from manual planning → “do it for me” automationDelectable combines food intelligence + shopper intelligence + real-time inventoryAI closes the gap between inspiration (TikTok/recipes) → instant cart creationVertical AI beats horizontal models with better accuracy, speed, and cost efficiencyGrocery e-commerce hasn’t saved time, until nowRetail media networks are massive, but broken by middlemen and inefficiencyAgentic advertising creates unlimited, contextual ad inventoryThe future of grocery is about owning discovery, not renting itIf you want to understand where agentic commerce gets real, beyond theory and into infrastructure, this is one to pay attention to.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Who owns grocery discovery today 02:05 — Intro to Delectable AI 04:00 — Joe’s background in enterprise commerce 10:00 — Why grocery (and why now) 12:50 — The Agentic Experience Platform explained 14:30 — Why grocery e-commerce hasn’t saved time 15:50 — “Do it for me” shopping vs tools 17:00 — Retail media inefficiencies and opportunity 19:00 — The shopper journey (TikTok → cart) 22:00 — Fundraising + early traction 26:00 — Vertical vs horizontal AI debate 30:00 — Instacart, data ownership, and margins 32:00 — Why vertical AI wins (accuracy, speed, cost) 34:30 — What’s next for Delectable👉 Connect with Joseph Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephchiahsunlee/👉 Learn more about Delectable AI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delectable-ai/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

Everyone is focused on how AI helps people discover products. But what happens after that? In this episode of Retailgentic, we go deep on the missing layer of agentic commerce: checkout, payments, and fulfillment. Because it turns out, the hardest part isn’t finding the product. It’s buying it.Rye is building what they describe as the “Stripe for commerce.” It connects AI agents, apps, and platforms to merchants handling:Checkout and order placementPayment orchestrationFulfillment across retailers like Amazon and ShopifyIn short: if an AI agent decides what to buy, Rye helps it actually buy it.Highlights Checkout is the real bottleneck: Discovery is improving fast, but actually placing an order across fragmented systems is still incredibly hard.Rye enables real AI purchasing: They connect agents to merchants, allowing products to be bought directly from platforms like Amazon.Amazon is a critical unlock: Most bots are blocked, but Rye’s API-based approach allows real transactions to go through.Protocols won’t solve everything: Even if UCP/ACP take off, long-tail merchants and major players won’t fully standardize.B2B is the sleeper opportunity: Complex procurement decisions are a perfect fit for agent-driven commerce.AI reduces returns: More context leads to better decisions, driving return rates extremely low.We’re still early, but close: One breakout use case could flip massive volume into agentic commerce quickly.Agentic commerce isn’t just about what gets recommended—it’s about what actually gets bought.Timestamps: 02:00 — Meet Arjun Bhargava and Rye 04:00 — Founding story and early vision 08:00 — Contextual commerce → agentic commerce 11:00 — What Rye does (simple explanation) 14:00 — How AI agents place orders 18:00 — The rye.com story 22:00 — Amazon integration and why it matters 26:00 — Payments, tokenization, and infrastructure 30:00 — UCP vs ACP debate 35:00 — Why protocols won’t cover everything 40:00 — Where agentic commerce is heading 42:00 — B2B opportunity and procurement 46:00 — Real-world AI agent example 47:30 — Closing👉 Connect with Arjun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunbhargava/👉 Learn more about Rye: rye.com🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode, Scot sits down with Debra to unpack what might be the most important shift in digital advertising since social media.This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now, and brands that don’t understand it risk getting left out of the new chain of commerce.Highlights Why ChatGPT’s ad rollout is just the beginning, not an experimentThe tension between trust vs. monetization in AI interfacesHow retailers are both excited and terrified of AI shopping agentsThe emergence of “AI Media” as a new category (like social + retail media before it)Why current ad formats are “boring”… and what comes nextHow companies should actually prepare (hint: it’s not just media buying)The shift from advertising to agent influence, and what that means for the futureWe’re still early, but not that early. The rules of digital advertising are being rewritten in real time, and for the first time in decades, the winners aren’t obvious. The question isn’t whether AI will reshape commerce. It’s whether your products, and your data, are ready to compete when agents decide what gets bought.Timestamps: 02:19 – Meet Debra Aho Williamson  05:00 – From social media to AI: spotting the next shift  09:00 – What “AI Ad Economy” actually means  11:00 – Are we at a social media–level inflection point?  13:00 – ChatGPT ads: early signals and what matters  16:00 – Why current AI ads look like search ads  18:00 – Trust vs. monetization: the line platforms can’t cross  23:00 – Why retailers are leading AI ad adoption  25:00 – Google’s AI ad strategy vs. ChatGPT  29:00 – Perplexity, Copilot, and the fragmented landscape  33:00 – Where Meta fits (and why it’s surprising)  35:00 – New ad formats: sponsored prompts + conversational ads  38:00 – Reddit, TikTok, and emerging players  40:00 – How brands should prepare for AI media  43:00 – Why structured product data is critical  45:00 – The future: ads for agents, not humans👉 Connect with Debra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debrawilliamson/👉 Learn more about Sonata Insights: https://www.sonatainsights.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

Today we’re dropping a surprise podcast that is different than anything we’ve done before and a first of it’s kind! Scot Wingo was invited by Ben Miller, VP of Content and Strategy to participate in the first ever shoptalk debate format talk. The topic - Agentic Commerce Will AI agents transform retail? On the pro agentic side we had Ekta Chopin, CDO at ELF Beauty and myself.  If you’re not familiar with Ekta, she’s a thought leading CDO and has a great substack for other CDOs.On the ‘anti agentic side’ we had Sarah Marzano, Principal Analyst, Retail Ecommerce and Retail Media at Emarketer and Andrew Lipsman - independent analyst and consultant for media, ads and commerce.Before the show, Scot asked and received permission from Shoptalk and all the participants to turn the raw audio into a podcast. In the AI era, speed matters so we are getting this in your hands only 2 days after it happened. This debate took place at 12pm PDT on Tuesday March 24th at Shoptalk’s AI Stage.Timestamps00:01 – Why this episode is different from anything Retailgentic has done before 01:28 – The Shoptalk debate topic: Will AI Agents Transform Retail? 02:04 – Meet the debaters: Ekta Chopra, Andrew Lipsman, and Sarah Marzano 07:48 – The first big battle: how should agentic commerce be defined? 10:25 – Scot’s argument: consumers are already changing behavior faster than many retailers realize 13:16 – Sarah’s pushback: brands need clarity before making big bets 15:18 – Consumer adoption: how much automation will shoppers really accept? 17:16 – Why product data and offer-card visibility matter now 19:05 – Andrew’s argument: shopping still requires human decision-making 23:05 – Ekta on brand visibility, content readiness, and why this matters for beauty 24:49 – 2030 predictions: will 10% of e-commerce be bot-to-bot? 27:03 – Does agentic commerce threaten retail media? 29:11 – Sarah’s case for why AI referrals may actually help retailers 32:22 – Ekta on why rich product data matters more than media for e.l.f. 33:06 – Scot’s case that traffic decline is already starting in some categories 37:16 – What brands and retailers should do over the next 6–18 months 40:25 – Why Sarah says brands should test, but not overreact 42:11 – Scot’s closing case for why this shift is fundamentally different 43:22 – Andrew’s closing warning against fear-based decision-making🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

This episode explores the shift from traditional search and ecommerce flows into a new agentic commerce environment where shoppers are using AI surfaces to discover, compare, and increasingly delegate parts of the buying journey.Ashish explains what Google was seeing internally that led to the development of UCP, why the protocol was designed to be open and ecosystem-wide, and why the ambition goes far beyond checkout. He also shares how Google is thinking about discovery, conversational product data, merchant readiness, and the long-term role of AI across the shopping journey.For retailers, brands, marketplaces, and commerce tech teams, this conversation is a helpful window into what Google believes is changing now, and what foundations businesses should be investing in before the market fully shifts.Highlights How Google’s large-scale ad and data systems shaped his approach to commerceWhy UCP emerged now, and the two major trends that inspired itWhy Google believes agentic commerce needs an open, ecosystem-wide standardWhy the future of UCP extends far beyond checkoutHow discovery is starting to take shape within the protocolWhy richer, more conversational product data matters in AI shopping experiencesWhat retailers need to do now to improve visibility on AI surfacesHow Google is thinking about the relationship between agentic commerce and advertisingWhy agentic commerce is still early, but already moving from concept to realityAgentic commerce is still early, but this conversation makes one thing clear: the infrastructure decisions being made now will shape who gets discovered, considered, and chosen in the next era of shopping.Timestamps2:32 — Welcome and introduction to Ashish Gupta5:01 — Building Google’s data infrastructure and declarative querying at scale9:43 — AI at Google before the current wave11:32 — What it means to be an Engineering Fellow at Google14:00 — Balancing technical leadership and operational leadership16:10 — Why Ashish moved into merchant shopping17:41 — The origin story behind UCP24:58 — Why Google chose an open protocol approach27:50 — Responding to skepticism around Google’s commerce efforts32:30 — Discovery, catalog search, and where UCP expands next35:39 — Multi-item and multi-merchant cart support37:43 — New protocol capabilities and partner onboarding38:42 — Why product data quality matters more in AI shopping43:22 — How shoppers are using AI surfaces in more complex ways47:47 — Agentic commerce and advertising50:10 — Where agentic commerce may go from here51:46 — Closing thoughts and where to follow Ashish👉 Connect with Ashish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashishgupta98/ 👉 Check out UCP announcement: https://www.retailgentic.com/p/flash-googlenrf-announces-universal🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode, we take a deep dive into what buyer-side agentic commerce could actually look like. The conversation explores the origins of the company, why Darryl and Ross focused on reducing friction for buyers, and how that unexpectedly opened up solutions for sellers, payment providers, and enterprise procurement teams as well.The episode also features a live demo of Vendee Labs’ platform, showing conversational discovery, real-time product retrieval, multi-vendor carting, and a multi-item ACP checkout flow. HighlightsWhy Vendee Labs is approaching agentic commerce from the buyer’s perspectiveThe founding story behind the company and the friction that inspired itHow ChatGPT and Claude changed the direction of the productA live demo of conversational commerce across real merchantsWhat a multi-vendor, multi-item ACP checkout could mean for online shoppingWhy autonomous commerce needs legal and governance frameworks, not just AIThe vision for a Universal Protocol Bridge across ACP, UCP, and future standardsHow strong permissions and audit trails could reduce chargebacks and disputesWhy poor product data creates broken outcomes in agentic shoppingWhere Vendee Labs sees opportunity across consumer, B2B, procurement, and white-label use casesVendee Labs is betting that the future of commerce won’t just be agent-powered—it will be buyer-centered, trust-driven, and built to work across whatever protocols come next.Timestamps: 00:06:09 — Ross shares his background in global technology planning and delivery 00:07:23 — Darryl shares his background in retail IT, telecom, AI, and governance 00:08:53 — Darryl reflects on AI before and after the ChatGPT moment 00:10:03 — Discussion on LLMs, explainability, and true intelligence 00:11:26 — The founding story behind Vendee Labs 00:13:13 — How the product evolved into its current form 00:16:06 — The Vendee Labs pitch: changing how the world buys 00:17:06 — Why solving buyer friction also solves seller-side pain points 00:20:18 — Live demo begins 00:21:10 — Running shoes search and conversational discovery demo 00:25:42 — Multi-vendor cart and checkout walkthrough 00:31:06 — Why richer product data is critical for agentic commerce 00:35:46 — Consumer, B2B, procurement, and white-label distribution paths 00:38:46 — Team size, bootstrapping, and current company stage 00:40:39 — Ross outlines roadmap, buyer taxonomy, and MVP plans 00:42:15 — Scot and Darryl discuss adoption speed in agentic commerce 00:44:18 — Darryl’s theory on trust events and adoption 00:45:34 — Governance-by-design versus fixing broken outputs later 00:47:46 — Where to learn more and try the demo👉 Connect with Darryl: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrylcarlton/👉 Connect with Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossgardiner/👉 Check out the demo: https://vendeelabs.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of the top Agentic Commerce Podcast we explore the powerful shopping powers of the OpenClaw open-source agent. Can the Claw shop on Amazon, shop locally and use the VisionClaw system with META Ray-Ban’s to buy a very hard to search for dog treat? Tune in to find out!Highlights:What OpenClaw is (and why “persistent” changes everything)The real difference between OpenClaw vs. ChatGPT/Claude as toolsHow OpenClaw runs (Mac Mini vs. cloud VPS like DigitalOcean)Why “no guardrails” is both the innovation and the riskRisk mitigation: limiting blast radius with single-use virtual cardsWhy browser-driven commerce is riskier than server-to-server protocols (ACP/UCP)The “skills” layer: how OpenClaw becomes extensible like Lego bricksWhy SERP-style APIs beat slow webpage crawling for shopping tasksLive demos: product search, local inventory, and frictionless checkoutUsing Slack as the agent interface (channels for shopping, health, etc.)The sci-fi moment: Meta Ray-Ban glasses + VisionClaw + Gemini for visual shoppingOpenClaw isn’t the final answer for agentic commerce, security and architecture matter, but it is an incredible preview of where the UX is heading. If you want a glimpse of the “always-on shopping agent” future (and how people are hacking it together right now), this one’s for you. Happy agentic commerce.🦞Timestamps:01:38 — OpenClaw takeover begins: why Scot called Ryan as a lifeline05:26 — What OpenClaw is: persistent agent, open source, “unhinged,” and why that matters08:21 — The “gigantic loop”: always-on agent behavior (old-school “cron jobs,” new-school autonomy)09:26 — The killer feature: OpenClaw keeps working after you close your laptop12:33 — Read-only Gmail as an assistant: catching missed emails + reducing cognitive load14:35 — The trap: spending time building automation to “save time” (catch-22)15:33 — Why OpenClaw-style commerce is riskier than ACP/UCP: browser manipulation18:02 — Gateway Dashboard tour: where OpenClaw is configured (channels, skills, cron jobs)20:30 — Skill spotlight: Rye for agentic Amazon-friendly purchasing22:39 — Skill spotlight: SERP API for faster product search + ratings without crawling24:30 — Skill spotlight: Buy Anything for context-filled checkout (address, identity, card)28:19 — Demo: “Find me the 5 best-rated 65-inch TVs” (online + local)35:20 — Live purchase demo: finding USB-C cables, choosing Anker, and the agent checks out37:05 — “Most frictionless checkout”: no login, agent already knows everything37:31 — What this means for Alexa: why “available 24/7” changes habits39:07 — Meta Glasses demo setup: first-person vision commerce 40:24 — Vision commerce in action: identifies product + searches best price automatically41:34 — Multi-store results: Amazon + Chewy + Walmart links dropped into Slack👉 Connect with Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryaneade/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

Retail media has been a profit engine for retailers, especially onsite sponsored product ads with massive margins. But what happens when shopping shifts from browsing and searching to AI agents that “decide the SKU” before a shopper ever hits a retailer site? In this episode, Scot and Kiri map the collision course between retail media networks and agentic commerce, walk through emerging ad formats from Google, Amazon (Rufus), and LLMs, and dig into the hardest problem of all: monetizing AI attention without breaking trust.What’s Covered:Why agentic shopping compresses the journey, and shrinks onsite ad inventoryThe “two threats” to onsite retail mediaHow offsite retail media depends on audience signals that may dry up as browsing declinesWhy in-store media may be the most resilient channel Google’s “Direct Offers,” the rise of an agentic storefront, and what it unlocksThe emerging idea of “Agentic PLAs” and retailers bidding at the SKU level (Buy Box vibes)Kiri’s wishlist: multimodal ads (video/try-ons), offsite audience extension, and contextual targeting over “creepy” behavioral retargetingAgentic commerce won’t kill advertising, but it will force it to evolve fast. The winners will be the platforms that can monetize attention without sacrificing trust, and the brands/retailers that learn to show up in these new surfaces early.Timestamps00:05:04 — Meet Kiri Masters + Retail Media Breakfast Club00:08:01 — The three buckets: onsite, offsite, in-store retail media00:10:01 — Why onsite is the money machine (and most vulnerable)00:11:11 — Offsite retail media + closed-loop attribution00:14:23 — In-store media: small today, resilient tomorrow00:16:11 — Are retailers already seeing traffic shifts? Category matters00:19:27 — ChatGPT ads: early signals and why it’s still rudimentary00:21:22 — Scott’s framework: ad formats + Instant Checkout incentives00:23:06 — Google’s “Direct Offers” and the agentic storefront idea00:25:10 — Collaborative bidding: retailer + brand split the spend00:28:11 — Google testing new units: “Agentic PLA” / paid retailer placement00:33:14 — Trust vs monetization: don’t break the golden goose00:34:04 — Amazon Rufus: sponsored prompts as a new surface00:39:08 — Instacart’s ad playbook + trade dollars as inspiration00:40:38 — Why it’s not a race to the bottom: service layers + loyalty00:43:24 — The big hope: context-based targeting over creepy retargetingk00:46:52 — If Kiri ran ChatGPT ads: offsite + multimodal + new formats00:48:04 — Virtual try-ons + “throw away the sponsored product textbook”00:50:00 — Closing + follow Retailgentic👉 Connect with Kiri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiri-masters/👉 Learn more about Retail Media Breakfast Club: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

True Fit is evolving from a static “what size should I buy?” widget into a conversational agent that can handle the nuanced questions shoppers actually ask: comfort, flattering fit, fabric behavior, and edge cases like petite proportions. We also dig into how vertical agents (like True Fit) can accelerate horizontal super-agents via Model Context Protocol (MCP), and why the future of agentic shopping will be built on clean, structured, prioritized proprietary data, not scraped internet sentiment.HighlightsTrue Fit’s specialized size + fit agent (and why it matters now)Why 70% of fashion agent questions are about size/fitThe “Fit Passport”: from form-filling to natural conversation profilingWhat generic agents miss: real-time sales + returns behavior, not just PDPs/reviewsVertical vs. horizontal agents, and how True Fit uses MCP as an accelerantThe unglamorous moat: data cleaning, normalization, canonicalizationTrue Fit scale: 80M active users, hundreds of millions of profiles, ~100K brands, ~500 retailersIf agentic commerce is collapsing the funnel, fit is one of the biggest friction points left, and True Fit is making it a first-class agent powered by the kind of data most models will never see.Timestamps01:44 — Breaking news episode + guest intro (Jessica Murphy, True Fit)03:12 — True Fit announces a specialized size + fit agent04:20 — From static widget to agentic shopping assistant05:47 — Why fit-related returns are so brutal in apparel07:02 — What the agent experience looks like08:05 — “Fit Passport” and conversational profiling09:07 — Where checkout happens (and what’s coming later)10:17 — Why generic agents break: stale info + limited context11:35 — The moat: structuring + cleaning sizing data12:30 — Vertical vs. horizontal agents13:29 — MCP as an accelerant for super-agents15:18 — Top-of-funnel value: narrowing choices to “most likely kept”16:10 — Who might use TrueFit’s MCP (LLMs + agent builders)16:37 — Availability: March partners, April target GA18:01 — Founder story: why Jessica started True Fit19:41 — Fundraising reality + “it’s a data problem”21:16 — True Fit scale + global complexity of sizing👉 Connect with Jessica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-murphy-68a8b8/👉 Learn more about True Fit: https://www.truefit.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

There’s a fundamental difference between adding AI to today’s ecommerce workflows and re-architecting commerce for an agent-driven world.In this episode, we start with Deloitte’s Agentic Commerce paper and quickly fan out into what’s changed since its release. If you’re trying to separate signal from noise in the rush toward AI-powered shopping, this conversation grounds Agentic Commerce in real systems, real economics, and real decisions retailers need to make now.Highlights Why Agentic Commerce is a paradigm shift, not a bundle of AI featuresThe evolution from SEO → GEO → ACO, and why GEO is just a waypointThe two biggest misconceptions Deloitte is hearing from retailers and brandsWhy structured product + data catalogs are the no-regret investmentThe real question execs keep asking: Where do we start? (and what’s measurable)The “Acommerce ecosystem”: orchestrators + specialized “nano agents”Trust, security, returns, customer service, and why this can’t be a side projectForecasts for how big agentic commerce gets, and why the point is: it moves the needleAgentic commerce is becoming a new channel with new unit economics, and the brands and retailers that get their product truth, governance, and trust foundations right now will be the ones that win when agents become the default interface.Timestamps:01:54 — Meet Deloitte02:10 — The paper: Agentic Commerce: Redefining Retail Economics03:55 — ACO + the SEO/GEO conversation04:11 — VJ’s background: SAP → Deloitte, retail AI intersection05:50 — Brian’s background: supply chain → strategy → consulting07:49 — “Traditional AI” vs GenAI in retail09:38 — Why Deloitte wrote the paper (and why GEO isn’t the endpoint)11:49 — Deloitte’s definition: why it’s a journey, not a switch13:33 — NRF vibe check + what’s changed since December14:27 — Common misconceptions (and what leaders miss end-to-end)16:14 — The questions execs are asking: where to start + ROI18:03 — Why this could be a golden age of storytelling + loyalty21:06 — The no-regret starting point: catalogs + structured data21:34 — Org design + governance + democratizing AI usage23:15 — CFO-ready thinking: measuring value by channel26:12 — Zero-click pressure + “what are you doing about it?”28:31 — Balanced portfolio: fast wins vs complex upside30:32 — The core distinction, again: AI add-ons vs agentic redesign31:18 — Do we still need websites? (channels vs replacement)33:17 — Deloitte’s role: advise, build, operate37:29 — “Acommerce” + ecosystems of nano agents41:31 — Protocols + UCP + what changes next42:50 — Meta, OpenAI, Google: where this is headed46:58 — 2030 forecasts: conservative vs aggressive cases50:02 — Where to follow Saurabh's podcast: The Retail Tales👉 Connect with Saurabh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svijayvergia/👉 Connect with Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancmccarthy/👉 Learn more about Deloitte: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en.htmlCheck out the materials we discuss: 🔗 Agentic Commerce: Redefining Retail Economic🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode, Scot digs into a question he keeps getting from readers and listeners: What’s actually going on inside Amazon’s Rufus, and what should brands do about it?Ian brings fresh analysis from Sensor Tower’s panel-based methodology (privacy-compliant, double opt-in), walking through Holiday ’25 shopping sessions to show where Rufus shows up in the funnel, how usage spikes during peak moments, and why it appears to correlate with dramatically higher conversion. Along the way, they zoom out to the bigger shift: as more people learn to “talk to AI” (thanks to ChatGPT-style habits), conversational shopping becomes increasingly normal, and increasingly hard to “optimize” using old keyword-era tactics.Highlights:“The consumer is trained.” A year of daily conversational AI use has taught people how to prompt, so when they see Amazon Rufus, they already know how to use it.Rufus sessions show a major conversion lift. In Ian’s read of the report: ~3.5× lift vs. non-Rufus sessions, with Rufus-touch sessions far more likely to end in purchase.Rufus had outsized influence during Holiday ’25. A large share of purchases included Rufus interaction, even if not every session did.Their team mapped ten distinct Rufus-assisted shopping paths, including the standout “Research Conversationalist” profile.Correlation vs causation is real. Ian flags measurement caveats: not every “non-Rufus session” is a shopping mission; intent bias exists; so the takeaway is directional, but meaningful.Brands should shift from “keyword jail” to “product truth.” Better attributes, clearer specs, stronger review signals, and real storytelling matter more in conversational shopping.AEO anxiety + the brand-level rebound. Ian argues the future isn’t just “optimize for prompts”, it may reward brands with stronger reputation and social proof signals (think forums and communities).AI can talk consumers out of premium. They’ve seen examples where AI steers price-sensitive users away from expensive brands, an early warning system for brand teams.Retail media won’t vanish, but it will mutate. In a lower-click world, retailers will experiment heavily to preserve value, without turning the experience into ad soup.If you’ve been treating Rufus like a curiosity, this data makes it hard to ignore: conversational commerce isn’t “coming”, it’s already shaping how high-intent shoppers decide.Timestamps:00:00 – The Consumer Is Now Trained02:09 – Why This Episode Focuses on Rufus05:49 – Ian Simpson’s Background06:47 – Founding a Bottled Tea Startup09:14 – Pathmatics → Sensor Tower Acquisition10:11 – How Retail Media Intelligence Was Born13:50 – How Sensor Tower Delivers Its Data15:36 – Why Sensor Tower Started Tracking Agentic Commerce21:08 – How the Rufus Analysis Was Done22:48 – The 3.5× Conversion Lift Explained24:18 – Amazon’s $10B Rufus Claim vs. Independent Data28:16 – Correlation vs. Causation in Rufus Usage31:23 – Rufus as a Research Companion32:20 – The Cup Holder Story (Problem-Based Shopping)39:55 – Why Rufus Usage Sticks After the Holidays40:19 – The 10 Rufus Shopping Profiles41:35 – The “Research Conversationalist” Funnel45:00 – Why “AEO” Makes Ian Nervous46:47 – Brand Matters Again in Agentic Commerce48:47 – When AI Talks Consumers Out of Premium Products58:21 – Retail Media’s Future in a Low-Click World01:01:31 – Avoiding the Minority Report Ad Nightmare01:06:21 – Instacart: The Wild West of Retail Media01:07:15 – Where to Follow Ian👉 Connect with Ian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iansimpson/👉 Learn more about Sensor Tower: https://sensortower.comCheck out the materials we discuss: 🔗 Sensor Tower Black Friday AI Trend Update  🔗 How Amazon’s Rufus Shaped Holiday Shopping🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of Retailgentic, Scot and Ken map out how Mastercard saw agentic commerce coming early, and what they built in 2025 to prepare the ecosystem, especially around trust, identity, consent, and tokenization.We dig into: How Mastercard Foundry takes ideas from experiments → production-grade products → global scale“Know Your Agent”: registering legitimate agents (agentic equivalent of KYC/KYB) to reduce malicious bot risk“Order Intent”: adding richer context so that with consent, agents/merchants can fulfill the right order (not just process a payment)Why consumer consent is non-negotiable (passkeys/biometrics + tokenized credentials)Mastercard Insight Tokens: a secure and governed way for agents to access and apply permissioned insights from Mastercard, which will enable consumers to receive, with their consent, more personalized and useful experiencesAgentic Toolkit and why Mastercard leaned into services to support customers move from strategy → execution fastMastercard’s Agent Pay Acceptance Framework: helps merchants totransact with trusted agents with a minimal liftStandards: why Mastercard will support ACP + AP2 and expects interoperability (or convergence) over timeAgentic commerce won’t be won by whoever moves fastest, it’ll be won by whoever earns trust at scale.Key timestamps05:14 — Ken’s background: technologist, global banking work, startups, Accenture, Citi → Mastercard Foundry07:44 — How Foundry works: experiment, build, then “graduate” products into core teams10:32 — The pace-of-change thesis: why organizations must be built to adapt continuously13:07 — How Mastercard saw agentic commerce early (signal-spotting in 2024)14:23 — The 3 converging forces: AI reasoning, compute, and foundations (tokens/passkeys/consent)19:01 — AgentPay launch + what it includes (Know Your Agent, Order Intent)21:05 — Consumer consent, passkeys/biometrics, and tokenizing payment credentials22:25 — First agentic transaction (partner example)23:19 — Agentic Toolkit + Insight Tokens + consulting expansion26:00 — Merchant Acceptance Framework + scaling agentic readiness for the “long tail” of merchants27:13 — Tokenization explained simply (cocktail-party version)29:37 — Passkeys explained (biometric identity replacing passwords)33:37 — Returns problem + how agentic workflows could reduce “buy 3, return 2”40:19 — Standards wars: ACP vs AP2 + why Mastercard stays agnostic44:03 — Crystal ball: adoption, trust, and why B2B may go autonomous faster47:43 — The travel agent analogy: why some flows stay assisted by choice👉 Connect with Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-moore-cio/👉 Learn more about Mastercard: https://www.mastercard.com/us/en.html🔗 Agentic Toolkit: https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2025/september/mastercard-unveils-new-tools-and-collaborations-to-power-smarter,-safer-agentic-commerce.html🔗Agentic Commerce Rules, Mastercard Joins Google: https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/stories/2026/agentic-commerce-rules-of-the-road.html🔗Agent Suite: https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/january/mastercard-launches-agent-suite-to-ready-enterprises-for-a-new-e.html🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc: https://retailgentic.transistor.fm

Consumer behavior is already shifting, people are asking LLMs what to buy, building shopping lists in chat, and moving through commerce in new ways. In this episode of Retailgenic, Scot sits down with Maia to unpack what “agentic commerce” actually means, why Stripe is moving fast, and what merchants can do now to get ready for checkout inside AI experiences. They discuss:Why agentic commerce is a spectrum: fully autonomous agents vs. AI-assisted buying inside chat interfacesStripe’s four AI focus areas (and why agentic commerce is only one bucket)The big initiatives driving Stripe’s agentic pushWhat Copilot Checkout looks like in practice: Stripe-powered checkout embedded natively in chatHow Stripe is approaching merchant control and merchant-of-record requirementsHow product discoverability works today (feeds + syndicator integrations) vs. the longer-term self-serve visionWhat merchants are asking for most: fraud, trust, identity, and governance in an agent-led worldThe “why now” moment: traffic shifts, zero-click pressure, and board-level attention accelerating experimentsAgentic commerce is no longer theoretical, it’s becoming a real channel. The winners will be the merchants who make their catalogs discoverable, keep control of checkout, and build trust and fraud defenses for an AI-led future.Notable Timestamps02:06 – Scot introduces Maia, AI CRO at Stripe04:07 – Maia’s background: e-commerce founder → LivingSocial → Stripe06:54 – Stripe’s 4 AI buckets (infrastructure, AI across payments, dev tools, agentic commerce)09:22 – The “agentic commerce is a mirage” debate + definition confusion10:43 – Maia’s spectrum definition: autonomous vs. chat-native buying14:40 – Copilot Checkout: what it is, how Stripe fits, and where to sign up (waitlist)18:15 – Agentic Commerce Suite: discoverability, checkout/fraud, choosing agents in dashboard20:04 – How products become discoverable: direct feed vs. syndicators + onboarding reality today21:15 – Shared Payment Tokens (SPTs): secure handoff + merchant-of-record control24:05 – Merchant sentiment shift: from skepticism → exec sponsors + resources dedicated29:37 – Fraud + trust layer: Radar expansion, Link wallet, and SPT fraud signals31:58 – 2030 sizing: Stripe won’t pick a %, but “this is happening”33:07 – Where to follow Maia/Stripe + NRF context👉 Connect with Maia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiaj/👉 Connect with Scot: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/👉 Learn more about Stripe: https://stripe.com/payments/ai🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

This week on the retailgentic podcast, we have an experiment for you. NRF concluded Tuesday Jan 13th and Scot's good friend and podcast partner over at the Jason and Scot show, Jason Goldberg (Chief Digital Commerce Officer at Publicis) was invited to ‘tie the bow’ on the conference in the last keynote: Commerce Disrupted: Rise of the AI Native Consumer.This episode is the audio from that presentation on 1/13/26. Jason covers:Agentic commerce, defined clearly: not “AI efficiencies,” but new consumer behaviors (and the full “iceberg” of influence, not just robot-takes-card transactions).Is it hype or historic? Jason frames the debate (skeptics vs believers) and uses live audience polling to set the stakes.A disruption of discovery: the decline of “saw in store,” then “search,” then “social”, and now the robot becomes the front door.The cautionary tale (Tudor Ice): why incumbents often miss the next business model, even when they dominated the last one.Retail growth is concentrated: a few giants capture a huge share of growth, while challengers (Shein/Temu/TikTok Shop) rewrite the playbook.AI shopping ramps fast: from research → to product tiles → to direct purchase inside AI experiences, plus retailer catalogs moving upstream.0-click commerce: the next leap isn’t fewer clicks, it’s no clicks (automation, replenishment, “never let me run out”).Onsite vs offsite agents: retailers’ on-site assistants (ex: Amazon) vs consumers using neutral offsite agents that choose the retailer for them.Winning the robots: why optimization shifts toward what models care about (criteria, sources, “GEO/AEO/ACO”), and why this changes constantly.Change management wins: Doug McMillon’s “How did you use AI to prepare?” as a culture lever—and why org adoption matters as much as tech.If AI changes the way people discover, it changes everything downstream. Brands, retailers, and platforms all have to learn to win the robot’s shelf.Notable timestamps 00:00 — The real disruption: new consumer behavior, not efficiency gains01:43 — Scott sets up the “special episode” + NRF context03:17 — The experiment: “put you in the audience” (keynote replay)06:29 — The big questions: how big is agentic commerce + who wins?08:07 — Skeptics vs believers: “hallucination” vs “overhyped” vs transformational11:05 — Defining agentic commerce + the “influence vs transaction” iceberg15:07 — Tudor Ice story: disruption, incumbents, and missing the next model19:14 — $5.3T retail + who captured the growth (concentration)22:16 — “Disruption of discovery”: saw-in-store → search → social25:04 — Viral demand shock example (whipped coffee)26:53 — Sunscreen example + TikTok → then “ask the robot”29:08 — “How fast this changed” (recent launches + ecosystem momentum)30:19 — From “order” to “never let me run out” (automation framing)31:11 — Clicks: 22 → 4 → “one-click” → 0-click32:40 — Proof points: agent assistants and rising adoption33:49 — Offsite agents: buying without choosing a retailer first34:03 — In-store: pointing ChatGPT at the shelf (real-world agent use)36:29 — Scale math: small % of prompts can still be massive volume38:34 — Robots optimize differently + why brands need new processes/tools39:36 — GEO/AEO vs the bigger strategic layer (Agentic Commerce Optimization)40:33 — Doug McMillon’s culture lever: “How did you use AI to prepare?”42:12 — Final message: change management to avoid being the “ice harvesters”👉 Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongoldberg/👉 Connect with Scot: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/👉 See the slides: https://open.substack.com/pub/scotwingorefibuy/p/jason-goldbergs-full-nrf-keynote🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

Today we have a special FLASH episode - no fancy intros, just the news as it's breaking at NRF.

Consumer behavior doesn’t change overnight, even when the technology is obvious. In this episode of Retailgentic, Scot sits down with Hamish Gunasekara to unpack why agentic commerce is inevitable, why it’s moving slower than the hype suggests, and why product data infrastructure, not checkout, is the real unlock.We cover:Why “fully autonomous shopping” is the wrong definition of agentic commerceWhy consumer habits change slower than technologyWhy global mega-catalogs don’t work (and never really have)How vertical AI shopping experiences can thrive alongside ChatGPTThe hidden trust and governance problem no one is talking aboutWhy product catalogs are the hardest unsolved problem in commerceIf you’re a retailer, brand, agent builder, or investor trying to understand what actually matters in the agentic commerce stack, this episode is foundational.Timestamps:02:39 Meet Hamish & the origin of Catalog04:55 From Afterpay to Cash App Commerce11:30 The Naya experiment & lessons learned14:24 How AI is changing discovery16:08 Why catalog data is broken18:30 Fundraising & early traction20:48 Who Catalog is built for23:20 Why global catalogs don’t work28:30 The agentic commerce stack33:40 Defining agentic commerce (correctly)37:30 Why vertical agents will win43:45 Trust, governance, and adoption44:51 Where to learn more👉 Connect with Hamish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamish-gunasekara/👉 Learn more about Catalog: https://getcatalog.ai/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc: https://retailgentic.transistor.fm

Matt Nichols is back, and a lot has changed since his first appearance on Retailgentic. Scot and Matt revisit the predictions he made six months ago, look at what came true far faster than expected, and dig into the infrastructure challenges that still stand between us and frictionless agentic transactions. From SKU mapping and API-first checkout to the economics of feeds and the future of retailer traffic, this episode is a full-stack view of where Agentic Commerce stands at the end of 2025, and what’s coming in 2026.If you want more of Matt’s backstory and Commerce Ventures’ thesis, listen to Episode 4! It pairs perfectly with this deep dive. In this episode, they cover: Why VC predictions used to take 5–10 years to play out… and now take 5–10 weeksWhat Commerce Ventures is hearing from both startups and their LP base (top retailers + PSPs)Why ACP isn’t “the solution”—and what infrastructure still needs to be builtThe “API vs. fake-it-til-you-make-it” debate in agentic transactionsHow retailers should think about feeds, reviews, and blocking scrapersWhy “AI magic on your own site” is step one for most brandsPredictions for 2026: traffic shifts, wallet battles, Apple’s eventual entry, and moreWhere Matt thinks the industry is overly optimistic, and where the real upside isIf this year taught us anything, it’s that the next six months will change more than the last six years. Stay tuned.Timestamps05:00 — Welcome back, Matt Nichols05:10 — Six months later, the world looks different05:35 — Commerce Ventures in 60 seconds06:30 — What changed in 2025?08:00 — Standards vs. infrastructure10:00 — Retailers’ three priorities right now12:40 — Static feeds → AI-centric feeds15:00 — Reviews, Q&A, and proprietary data17:30 — SKU-level identifiers20:00 — API-first checkout vs. agentic scraping22:30 — Fraud, agent authentication & whitelisting24:00 — Payments are further ahead than commerce infrastructure27:00 — What retailers are actually worried about30:00 — Google’s role in accelerating the shift32:00 — Vertical agents vs. horizontal giants34:00 — Predictions for 2026 & beyond38:00 — Final reflections👉 Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewnichols/👉 Learn more about Commerce Ventures: https://commerce.vc/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc: https://retailgentic.transistor.fm

In this episode of Retailgentic, Scot sits down with Luca to unpack a research paper that blends academic rigor with real-world implications:“LLMs Reproduce Human Purchase Intent via Semantic Similarity licitation of Likert Ratings.”The paper, co-authored with Colgate-Palmolive researchers, explores whether AI can accurately simulate human reactions to product concepts, enough to replace or accelerate traditional consumer panels, which are slow, expensive, and hard to scale.This one goes deep, but in ways that any retail or AI leader should care about. Scot and Luca discuss:Colgate’s Challenge: How to test product concepts faster and at scale.Synthetic Consumers: AI models that react to products like human panels.Accuracy Breakthrough: Reaching ~73–74% agreement with real consumers.Fixing LLM Failure Modes: Why naive prompts don’t work, and what does.Bayesian Reasoning: Adding uncertainty so AI stops being confidently wrong.Smarter A/B Testing: Using AI to pre-screen ideas before running live experiments.Digital Clones: Future consumers earning money by sharing preference data safely.Simulated Populations: Matching real audiences for testing and predictions.AI isn’t just helping brands write copy or generate images, it’s beginning to think like their customers. If synthetic consumers continue to evolve at this pace, product development, A/B testing, and personalization may look completely different in just a few years.Timestamps: 03:00 — Luca’s background: Rocket Internet, HelloFresh, Lazada, Stitch Fix08:00 — How PyMC Labs was founded & why Bayesian modeling matters16:00 — Bayesian thinking explained in simple terms19:00 — High-stakes decisions & why probabilistic reasoning matters24:00 — Colgate’s challenge: testing product concepts at scale26:00 — How synthetic consumer panels work30:00 — Accuracy results: humans vs. AI (~73–74%)32:00 — Why naive LLM prompting fails (“mode collapse”)35:00 — How reasoning → scoring solves accuracy issues38:00 — Example: synthetic consumers evaluating PyMC’s own website redesign44:00 — How AI can pre-screen ideas for smarter A/B testing48:00 — Where AI cannot replace causal testing49:00 — Digital clones & monetizable consumer preferences52:00 — Future benchmarks, new LLMs & evaluation methods👉 Connect with Luca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lfiaschi/👉 Learn more about PyMC Labs: https://www.pymc-labs.com👉 Check out the paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.08338🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc: https://retailgentic.transistor.fm#Retailgentic #AgenticCommerce #SyntheticConsumers #AIShopping #ProductTesting #CPGInnovation #GenerativeAI #BayesianModeling #Ecommerce #FutureOfRetail #DataScience #LLMs #AIResearch

In this episode of Retailgentic, host Scot sits down with Mike Edmonds, PayPal’s VP of Agentic Commerce & Commercial Growth, to unpack the massive pivot PayPal has made into the Agentic Commerce era, and what it means for retailers, brands, platforms, and developers.Mike goes deep on:PayPal’s Agentic Bet: Why PayPal is going all-in on Agentic CommerceMerchant Anxiety, Explained: The real reason so many merchants are anxious about LLMsInstant Checkout 2.0: Where PayPal sees Instant Checkout heading nextWallets as Identity: Why wallet identity will matter more than ever2030 Predictions: Mike’s bold predictions for shopping agents in 2030Two-Track Future: A world split between autonomous commerce and luxury human-led experiencesProtocol Chaos Simplified: How PayPal plans to tame and unify an explosion of competing protocolsMerchant of Record Relief: The surprising emotional fear merchants have about disintermediationAs AI agents reshape discovery, checkout, and trust, PayPal is building the rails for the future of digital commerce.Key Timestamps:02:15 — Mike introduces his background.04:45 — How Mike’s career path led directly into PayPal’s Agentic Commerce leadership role.06:20 — What “VP of Agentic Commerce & Commercial Growth” really means at PayPal.07:48 — The biggest lessons Mike learned leading AI strategy at Microsoft.10:35 — What merchants are actually thinking about Agentic Commerce (the real pulse).12:18 — Mike explains the off-surface vs on-surface Agentic Commerce model.13:10 — Why merchants feel overwhelmed by LLMs, APIs, and protocol sprawl.14:47 — PayPal’s role as the one-to-many connector across LLMs and platforms.16:06 — What technical pieces merchants need in place to integrate Agentic checkout.17:45 — How on-surface conversational agents can finally boost conversion rates.19:30 — Why conversational checkout is the missing piece in Agentic shopping.20:55 — What the Perplexity partnership enables for checkout, payments, and reach.23:30 — How PayPal is powering ChatGPT Instant Checkout and expanding ACP.26:12 — Why Agentic protocols are diverging, and how PayPal navigates the chaos.28:30 — The emotional fear merchants have of LLMs.30:05 — Mike’s 2030 prediction31:40 — Why some categories will automate, while luxury experiences stay human.33:10 — Multimodal will reshape shopping through voice, gestures, and identity.35:00 — The top concerns merchants raise in every PayPal Agentic conversation.37:05 — Where to find Mike and what PayPal has coming next.Announcements & press releases related to the conversations:Perplexity: https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2025-05-14-Perplexity-Selects-PayPal-to-Power-Agentic-CommerceGoogle (commerce agent for merchants: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/financial-services/introducing-an-agentic-commerce-solution-for-merchants-from-paypal-and-google-cloudOpenAI: https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2025-10-28-OpenAI-and-PayPal-Team-Up-to-Power-Instant-Checkout-and-Agentic-Commerce-in-ChatGPTAP2: https://developer.paypal.com/community/blog/PayPal-Agent-Payments-Protocol/ and https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocolPayPal’s Agentic Commerce Services: https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2025-10-28-PayPal-Launches-Agentic-Commerce-Services-to-Power-AI-Driven-Shopping👉 Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeledmonds/👉 Learn more about PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/us/home🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot talks with Stu Solomon, CEO of HUMAN Security, the company analyzing 20+ trillion digital interactions every week to detect bots, fraud, and now agentic AI behavior. Stu breaks down:Why bots now exceed human trafficThe 1300% growth in agentic activityHow HUMAN identifies good vs. bad botsThe rise of agentic logins, navigation, and even checkoutsWhy spoofing of ChatGPT and Perplexity traffic is explodingWhat retailers need to know about letting AI agents crawl their sitesThe coming world of agent-to-agent commerceIf you’re preparing for the future of retail, ad tech, AI commerce, or online security, this is essential listening.Timestamps02:20 — What HUMAN actually measures (bot vs human vs agentic)03:40 — Stu’s background (military → Amazon → banking → VC → CEO)06:40 — The logistics + retail connection09:00 — How HUMAN works: media + enterprise security11:00 — The digital journey from ad → login → checkout12:11 — HUMAN at 20 trillion interactions/week16:55 — Why HUMAN started publishing agentic data17:50 — 1300% growth in agentic activity18:30 — Machine traffic surpasses human traffic19:40 — The diversification of generative AI traffic20:30 — Agentic login + website navigation behavior24:00 — How HUMAN distinguishes bot vs agent vs human33:00 — The bad side: spoofed ChatGPT & Perplexity traffic38:30 — Retailers blocking bots without realizing it47:00 — The inevitability of agentic adoption48:40 — The future: agent-to-agent transactions49:30 — The end of 2FA hell?👉 Connect with Stu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stu-solomon-733a217/👉 Learn more about HUMAN: https://www.humansecurity.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of Retailgentic, Scot sits down with one of the most influential product leaders in commerce technology: Nitin Mangtani, SVP & GM of Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Their relationship goes back almost two decades, intersecting at Google, during the rise of online shopping, and now again at the dawn of agentic commerce. Nitin shares his journey from supply chain analytics at i2 Technologies, to building Google’s earliest commerce products, to founding and scaling PredictSpring, and finally leading Salesforce’s reinvention of unified and agentic commerce. This conversation is packed with history, strategy, and forward-looking insights into where AI shopping agents are taking the industry.Timestamps:03:20 – Early career: i2 Technologies & supply chain beginnings10:00 – Joining Google in 200613:30 – Launching Google Commerce Search & Site Search16:40 – Froogle/Google Shopping goes from “fun project” to billion-dollar business18:00 – Comparison engines, feed specs & early retail taxonomy challenges20:15 – Canonicalization and why product data was Google’s first “AI problem”22:40 – Leaving Google to start PredictSpring24:20 – PredictSpring’s original vision: mobile commerce & no-code apps26:05 – Pivoting PredictSpring: TAM realities & shifting to Point of Sale29:00 – Competing with Shopify POS, Square & the white space in enterprise POS31:30 – Startup lessons: pivots, risk, funding & an 11.5-year journey34:45 – Salesforce approaches PredictSpring: acquisition story38:00 – Meeting Marc Benioff & Salesforce’s leadership culture41:00 – Becoming SVP/GM: unifying Commerce Cloud, POS, OMS & Payments44:10 – Agentforce & the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) with OpenAI & Stripe47:10 – Discovery vs checkout: why syndicated checkout is harder49:30 – Messaging commerce: WhatsApp, SMS & conversational transactions51:30 – Full automation: replenishment, grocery & true agentic behavior52:45 – Why commerce is strategically important to SalesforceAgentic commerce isn’t just a channel change, it’s a full-stack rewrite of how discovery, decision-making, and checkout work. Nitin makes clear that the next wave won’t be about small UX improvements, but about systems that think, act, and transact on behalf of consumers and retailers alike. With leaders like Nitin driving Salesforce’s transformation, the future of unified and agentic commerce is arriving faster than expected.👉 Connect with Nitin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitinmangtani/👉 Learn more about Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of Retailgentic, host Scot Wingo sits down with Johnathan McGowan, co-founder & CEO of PayOS, to discuss how AI agents will handle payments safely and compliantly.From Visa and Mastercard partnerships to the first live Agentic token transaction, Johnathan explains how “day-one-ready” infrastructure will power the future of Agentic Commerce.Timestamps:01:56 — Meet Johnathan McGowan, co-founder of PayOS04:00 — From Visa to PayOS: the founding story06:40 — What Agentic Payments really mean08:10 — Partnering with Visa & Mastercard10:25 — “Day-one-ready” vs new payment rails12:50 — What PayOS actually does15:30 — Agent builders and early use cases18:40 — Understanding “intent” in payments21:50 — Future-proofing across protocols (AP2, ACP, etc.)24:55 — How the first live Agentic transaction worked29:50 — Why PCI compliance & trust matter36:00 — The global scale of Agentic CommerceAs AI agents start making real-world transactions, companies like PayOS are making sure those payments are not just possible, but trusted, secure, and global from day one.👉 Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathanm/👉 Learn more about the PayOS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/payos/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

OpenAI’s Chief Economist Ronnie Chatterji joins Scot Wingo on the Retailgentic Podcast to unpack OpenAI's recent National Bureau of Economic Research working paper "How People Use ChatGPT".From asking vs. doing to AI-powered shopping behavior, this deep dive reveals how generative AI is transforming the economy and how soon “agentic” commerce will redefine online retail.This episode is more than a window into OpenAI, it’s a look at the data shaping how humans and agents will interact, shop, and make decisions in the years ahead. If you care about where AI is really headed, this one’s not just worth your time, it’s required listening.Timestamps:02:00 – Meet Ronnie Chatterji, OpenAI’s Chief Economist06:00 – How the ChatGPT usage study began10:30 – What surprised the team most15:00 – Asking vs. Doing: the evolution of agentic behavior19:00 – The viral “colored columns” chart and what it shows22:00 – AI and the future of writing, learning, and work26:00 – How Ronnie bought jeans with ChatGPT28:00 – The 2.1% insight: early AI commerce signals33:00 – Voice + vision = the next leap for agentic shopping38:00 – The global view of AI adoption42:00 – What’s next in OpenAI’s research45:00 – Closing thoughts & how to follow Ronnie👉 Connect with Ronnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-ronnie-chatterji/👉 Learn more about the paper we discuss: https://openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of Retailgentic, Salesforce’s Director of Strategy and Consumer Insights Caila Schwartz joins Scot Wingo to break down Salesforce’s 2024 Holiday Forecast, and how AI agents like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are transforming the path to purchase.They cover:How 21% of global holiday spend will be influenced by AIWhy discovery (not discounts) is this year’s themeWhy Baby Boomers are finally using ChatGPT for shoppingHow Gen Z is bringing the mall back with AI in handThe return of “Discount Chicken” and the Tuesday-after-Cyber-Monday surpriseTimestamps:00:00 – Welcome + Caila intro01:00 – What Salesforce’s Consumer Insights team does04:30 – Agentforce and AI momentum post-Dreamforce07:00 – Holiday forecast: “Discovery” as the 2024 theme08:00 – How Agentic tools are changing product search09:45 – $263B in AI-influenced sales12:00 – Gen Z, Baby Boomers, and agentic adoption15:00 – Q3 data: growth, traffic, and product detail engagement19:30 – LLM referrals vs social media conversions22:00 – ChatGPT Checkout and embedded commerce25:00 – AI in physical stores — 57% of shoppers use agents in-store28:00 – Holiday sales forecast and discount trends33:00 – The rise of “Discount Chicken”38:00 – Loyalty consolidation and the price-sensitive consumer42:00 – Gen Z’s love of in-store experiences47:00 – The future of unified data and physical + digital retail50:00 – Closing thoughts👉 Connect with Manil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caila-schwartz/👉 Learn more about Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this episode of Retailgentic, Scot Wingo talks with Manil Uppal, Founder & CEO of CartAI, about building the “execution layer” of agentic commerce, where AI agents don’t just recommend products, they buy them. From his early startups acquired by H-E-B and UPS to his vision for CartAI, Manil shares how his team is solving the hardest problem in agentic shopping: completing checkout seamlessly across any retailer.Key Timestamps00:02:00 – Manil’s background: from delivery startups to AI infrastructure00:09:00 – The “aha” moment: from “Where to Buy” to “Go Buy It”00:15:00 – The 3 layers of Agentic Commerce: Catalog, Payments, Checkout00:20:00 – How CartAI executes merchant-native checkouts across platforms00:26:00 – Why retailers need a whitelist for good agents00:33:00 – Handling out-of-stocks, variants, and dynamic pricing00:40:00 – Thoughts on ChatGPT’s new ACP standard00:43:00 – Lessons from early food delivery startups for agentic commerce00:46:00 – The future: vertical AI apps, expert agents, and commerce everywhereAgentic commerce is evolving fast and CartAI is building the rails to make it work.👉 Connect with Manil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maniluppal/👉 Learn more about CartAI: https://www.cartai.ai👉 Explore their substack: https://substack.com/@cartai🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://www.youtube.com/@Retailgentic

In this special Retailgentic episode, guest host Kiri Masters turns the tables on our regular host, Scot Wingo (CEO, ReFiBuy). They unpack the next big retail revolution, Agentic Commerce, and what it means for shoppers, retailers, and brands as AI shopping agents like ChatGPT and Perplexity redefine discovery, loyalty, and checkout.Scot shares the lessons behind ChannelAdvisor, Spiffy, and now ReFiBuy, plus why messy product catalogs, ad overload, and loyalty programs will determine who wins in the AI marketplace era.⏱️ Key Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Kiri turns the tables02:15 – Scot’s early career & first startup07:50 – Building ChannelAdvisor14:30 – Lessons from going public20:05 – Spiffy and the services economy26:40 – Discovering AI → the spark for ReFiBuy33:00 – What is Agentic Commerce?38:20 – ChatGPT & Perplexity in the marketplace race45:00 – The product catalog problem explained51:00 – How ReFiBuy solves it with AI55:20 – Retailers’ edge: loyalty, data, customer experience59:00 – The next phase: marketplaces 2.01:02:00 – Close: The future of AI shopping👉 Connect with Scot: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/👉 Learn more about ReFiBuy: refibuy.ai🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://youtu.be/4xI9qXNU_R0

In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot Wingo sits down with Jason Nyus, General Manager of North America at Shopware, a leading open-source e-commerce platform. Jason brings over 25 years of experience (20+ at Digital River) to unpack where e-commerce is heading, why Shopware is betting big on agentic commerce, and how the Agentic Commerce Alliance could shape the industry’s future.Timestamps:02:00 – Jason’s 25-year journey in e-commerce, from Digital River to Shopware06:00 – The early days of app stores: Nokia, Blackberry, Microsoft09:45 – Why Digital River pivoted and what commoditization taught him13:00 – Why Shopware sees opportunity in mid-market and complex use cases20:30 – Shopware’s scale: $23B processing volume, top 6 global commerce platform26:00 – Introducing the Agentic Commerce Alliance: vision, openness, and independence36:00 – Use cases for agentic commerce: competitive pricing, loyalty, and customer service42:00 – Risks and opportunities for Shopify, Google, and Amazon in the agentic era46:00 – Jason’s predictions: a billion-dollar brand without a website, 25% of e-commerce becoming agentic by 2030Jason makes it clear: the future of commerce won’t be decided by one platform. Shopware’s vision of an open, agent-friendly ecosystem is a bold alternative to a closed, platform-controlled future. The Agentic Commerce Alliance could become one of the most important initiatives shaping AI-driven retail.👉 Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonnyhus/👉 Learn more about Shopware’s vision: shopware.com👉 Explore the Agentic Commerce Alliance: agentic-commerce.org🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai 📺 Watch episodes on YouTube & Subscribe for updates: https://youtu.be/4xI9qXNU_R0

On this special Retailgentic episode, we sit down with Jordi Montes, CEO & co-founder of SimpleCheckout.ai, who officially launched today. Jordi shares his journey from Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to building a unified checkout and payment framework for AI agents. We dive into why agentic payments matter, what SimpleCheckout solves, and how it could reshape the future of online retail.Timestamps:00:01:55 – Jordi’s background: from TravelPerk to Lightning Network00:05:30 – The “sci-fi moment” that inspired SimpleCheckout00:12:00 – Why payments must evolve beyond the browser00:18:00 – Mapping agentic commerce to the travel industry model00:23:00 – Competing visions: SimpleCheckout vs. PayOS vs. Nacuda00:31:00 – The role of personalization in agentic commerce00:39:45 – Why SimpleCheckout is payment- and merchant-agnostic00:43:30 – Looking ahead: the future of agent-to-agent paymentsSimpleCheckout’s launch marks a turning point in how AI agents will transact. As agentic commerce takes hold, Jordi’s vision of a universal, flexible checkout protocol could define the rails of the next decade.Checkout their substack announcement: https://simplecheckout.substack.com/p/agentic-commerce-made-simple🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot Wingo sits down with Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategies & Insights at CI&T. Melissa shares her perspective on consumer behavior, why ingrained shopping habits stick, and how agentic commerce will shape the future of retail.We cover:- Why consumer habits are so hard to change, even in grocery shopping- Exclusive sneak peek: fresh survey data showing 75% of consumers now use AI in their path to purchase- How agentic commerce could transform loyalty, pricing, and even group buying- Lessons from Target Canada and why back-office AI matters more than flashy consumer tools- Why TikTok might be the blueprint for agentic retail experiencesRetail is changing fast and the agentic future is already here. Subscribe for more conversations, insights, and data shaping the next chapter of commerce.Timestamps:00:00 – Consumers are routinized: why habits stick01:08 – Introducing the Retailgenic Podcast02:15 – Guest intro: Melissa Minco of CI&T04:06 – Melissa’s background: from Anthropologie to Target to CI&T08:52 – Target Canada lessons & retail systems breakdown12:00 – Apps vs. consumers: adoption, trust, and pushback15:00 – Agentic commerce: inside vs. outside view19:00 – Will consumers build their own shopping agents?23:00 – Exclusive data: 75% of consumers now use AI in their path to purchase28:00 – Sponsored GEO and consumer trust33:00 – Agent strategies: retailer, consumer, and third-party36:00 – Best practices: getting your “back office” right first40:00 – Checkouts, marketplaces, and the future of digital retail46:00 – Loyalty in the agentic era: Gen Z, UK vs. US, and discounts50:00 – Group buying, negotiation, and dynamic pricing56:00 – Reading the tea leaves: websites, zero-click, and consumer control01:00:00 – Melissa’s “personal agents” vision of the future01:05:00 – TikTok as a model for agentic commerce01:08:00 – Wrap-up & closing thoughtsReport drops at CI&T website soon: https://ciandt.com/us/en-us🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Dr. Amine Allouah completed his PhD at Columbia Business School, specializing in algorithmic game theory and optimization in multi-agent systems. After leading applied science work at Meta across ads, notifications, and marketplace teams, he co-founded My Custom AI to help enterprises deploy tailored AI solutions. His work bridges deep theory with practical applications, shaping how businesses think about LLMs, agents, and the economics of AI.This week on Retailgentic, we’re joined by Dr. Amine, co-founder of My Custom AI and one of the sharpest minds at the intersection of AI, economics, and retail. In this conversation, we dig deep into:Amine’s journey: École Polytechnique → Columbia → Meta → entrepreneurshipWhat algorithmic game theory means for real-world AI systemsWhy enterprises need custom models for accuracy, privacy, and cost savingsThe ACES Framework: how agents really “shop” onlineSurprising findings: agents ignore ads, but positioning still mattersWhy MCP isn’t enough, and what’s next for protocolsImplications for retailers, brands, and the future of retail mediaIf you’ve ever wondered how agents will reshape retail and what brands need to do right now to prepare, this episode will give you a front-row seat to the future of agentic commerce.Highlights/Timestamps ⏱️0:00 – How agents drive omnichannel growth beyond e-commerce5:00 – Meet guest Amine Allouah: from École Polytechnique to Columbia PhD9:30 – Game theory, algorithm design, and AI: lessons from his PhD13:45 – From Meta AI researcher to startup founder: the origin of My Custom AI18:10 – What My Custom AI does: feasibility studies, custom model training & workshops23:25 – Why retailers sometimes need their own LLMs: accuracy, privacy & cost savings29:20 – Beyond LLaMA: multimodal models, recommendation systems, and custom architectures34:05 – The ACES Framework: building a sandbox to study agent shopping39:16 – Optimizations around pricing, loyalty & group buying39:24 – Why group buying startups have struggled39:35 – Aligning buyer and seller agents for better outcomes44:15 – Agent behavior insights: Claude and the “ergonomic” keyword example48:50 – The case for seller-side agents and real-time PDP updates51:31 – Amazon is the first company to adopt the ACES framework55:00 – Retail media networks in an agent world: real-time “agentic ads”58:00 – Will websites die? The future of browsing, checkouts & merchant centers1:01:00 – Closing thoughts + where to find Amine & the ACES paper🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode of Retailgentic, Deloitte’s Chief Futurist Kasey Lobaugh joins us to explore the future of agentic commerce. Kasey has spent nearly three decades advising global retailers, brands, and manufacturers. He launched Deloitte Digital, now a multibillion-dollar business, and today leads Deloitte’s Future of the Consumer Industry platform. Known for coining the “great bifurcation” of consumers, Kasey helps executives anticipate disruptive forces and chart strategy amid seismic change.Scot and Kasey unpack the forces reshaping commerce and the role of AI:Six forces shaping the consumer industryThe great bifurcation of value vs. convenience shoppersRise of predictive enterprisesFragmentation and shifting demographicsAgentic AI and digital services growthDeclining Google traffic and new discovery modelsWhy “hopping the cost curve” may be essentialHighlights00:02:00 – Meet Kasey Lobaugh, Deloitte’s Chief Futurist for the consumer industry00:05:00 – The six forces shaping the future: consumer, culture, tech, industry, climate, and politics00:10:30 – Why growth feels constrained: demographics, barriers to entry, and shifting spend00:15:00 – The new bifurcation: asset owners vs. providers of labor00:20:00 – From mass retail to hyper-relevance powered by AI00:23:00 – The predictive enterprise: moving beyond insights to compute-led foresight00:25:30 – Surprising predictive attributes: why buying a cat can forecast retail behavior00:29:30 – Women and wealth: a dramatic shift by 203000:34:00 – The decline of search and rise of GenAI discovery00:40:00 – Retailers in the age of ChatGPT checkout00:46:00 – AI isn’t blockchain or VR: why adoption curves look different00:50:00 – Creativity unlocked: from AI-generated music to new consumer products00:54:00 – Hopping cost curves: why efficiency alone won’t win the AI era00:57:00 – Closing thoughts: racing to abundance, not the bottom🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

What happens when the marketing funnel collapses and AI takes over discovery? Scot Wingo talks with Andrea Leigh, Amazon veteran and CEO of Allume Group, about the latest Allume Insider Report (AIR).We cover:• How ~60% of shoppers now use AI for product research• “Value” as price and purpose (Gen Z, resale, circular)• Social commerce’s rise and the blur between entertainment & shopping• Why D2C sites are crucial for AI readability• The shaky future of retail media networks and SEOAndrea pulls back the curtain on how AI, value, and entertainment are rewriting the rules of commerce. This conversation is a roadmap for brands preparing for the collapse of search and the rise of agentic shopping.⏱️ Time Stamps01:41 – Guest intro: Andrea Leigh, Amazon alum & CEO of Allume Group.03:18 – Andrea’s Amazon career and path to founding Allume Group.06:14 – Amazon negotiations today: bots, automation, and leverage.06:59 – Tariffs: who pays and why consumers often shoulder it.08:01 – The origins of the Allume Insider Report (AIR).11:10 – Three trends shaping commerce: AI help, value, and fun.12:02 – 60% of shoppers already use AI for product discovery.15:16 – Gen Z starts searches on TikTok, not Amazon.19:29 – ChatGPT Checkout: affiliate or true marketplace?26:11 – Value redefined: bargain-hunting, private label, and resale on the rise.31:12 – Social commerce explodes: TikTok Shops headed for $17B.32:47 – “Amazon solved buying but killed shopping.”40:05 – D2C sites as AI-readable “source of truth.”46:22 – Retail media and SEO industries under pressure from AI.53:20 – Amazon’s Rufus and the fight to compete with LLMs.52:55 – Closing thoughts + download the free AIR report.🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

What happens when more than half of online shopping traffic comes from AI agents, not humans?In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot Wingo sits down with Alex Rampell, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, to unpack the seismic shift happening at the intersection of AI, commerce, and payments.We cover:Is Google really screwed? (and why AI threatens its business model)The future of agentic commerce & attribution warsLessons from TrialPay, Affirm, and affiliate marketingHow platforms like ChatGPT could become checkout destinationsWhy “optimization” may be the killer feature of AI shopping agentsIf you’re in e-commerce, retail, fintech, or just want to know how AI will change the way we buy and sell, this is a must-listen.⏱️ Time Stamps04:45 – Alex’s early days: shareware & credit card processing06:26 – TrialPay, affiliates & the Netflix-for-shareware idea08:45 – Founding Affirm & moving into venture at a16z09:55 – The “apps practice” and where value accrues (infra vs. apps)10:57 – “Is Google Screwed?” background & themes13:02 – Commerce attribution & affiliate marketing evolution15:04 – Impulse vs. highly considered purchases in AI era18:27 – Optimization: why AI wins on time vs. money tradeoff21:00 – Reviews, shill content, and trust problems23:50 – Hosted checkout: could ChatGPT become a marketplace?26:14 – Will Apple jump into AI commerce?28:35 – Coupon codes, group buying, and negotiation by agents30:04 – How commerce could be “rewired” by AI platforms31:25 – Closing thoughts & what’s next🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

What happens when consumers start trusting AI agents more than friends for shopping advice? On this episode of Retailgentic, we welcome Professor Luca Cian from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.Luca brings a unique perspective as a psychologist turned marketing scholar whose research spans visual persuasion, AI adoption, and consumer trust. We dive deep into how shoppers perceive AI in utilitarian vs. hedonic purchases, why trust in AI depends on “augmented decision-making,” and how brands should prepare for an AI-first retail future.From the paradox of choice to the emerging world of “GenAI Engine Optimization (GEO),” this conversation is packed with insights on how AI is rewriting the rules of marketing, loyalty, and consumer psychology.Tune in for:The psychology of trust in AI: why we accept AI for practical tasks but resist it in creative/hedonic domainsThe paradox of choice and how AI alleviates decision fatigueHow brands can adapt to the rise of agentic commerce and GEO (GenAI Engine Optimization)Future of loyalty programs when shopping decisions are mediated by AI agents🕒 Timestamps:00:02:05 — Guest intro: Luca Cion, UVA Darden professor, studies consumer psychology and AI in marketing.00:09:36 — Early AI research with GPT-3 preview; skepticism then rapid shift in perception.00:17:12 — Survey: 60% trust AI purchase suggestions more than friends → ties to “paradox of choice.”00:21:01 — Word-of-Machine Effect: AI trusted for utilitarian products, humans preferred for hedonic ones.00:28:53 — Trust grows when AI is augmented by humans and shows transparency (black box effect reduced).00:36:11 — AI Mistake Generalization: consumers forgive humans but not AI; one AI error erodes trust broadly.00:46:06 — Loyalty as a decision shortcut; in the AI age, human touch and anthropomorphism become vital.00:50:40 — People blame AI less than humans for unfair treatment (e.g., firing decisions).00:53:32 — Executive MBA discussions: AI displacing middle management but creating future opportunities.00:58:00 — Managers should lead with human strategic vision, then use AI/data to validate decisions.🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Kiri Masters, founder of Bobsled Marketing and Retail Media Breakfast Club, joins the Retailgentic Podcast to unpack the future of retail media. We cover the economic drivers of onsite and offsite ads, why loyalty programs could be a hidden moat in the age of AI, and how agentic shopping may challenge even the biggest players.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & Welcome01:30 – Kiri’s path from banking to launching Bobsled Marketing06:40 – Selling the agency and life after acquisition11:05 – The launch of Retail Media Breakfast Club14:20 – Economic foundations of retail media (onsite, offsite, trade)20:55 – The threat of agentic shopping to retail media networks28:15 – Walmart vs. Amazon: Two strategies for AI agents34:00 – Loyalty programs as a competitive advantage38:45 – The future of retail media in an AI-driven world43:20 – Where to find Kiri Masters & Retail Media Breakfast Club🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode of the Retailgentic podcast, we sit down with Karl Haller, Partner at IBM Consulting and leader of their Consumer Industry Center of Competency. Karl brings deep insight into the retail, CPG, and fashion sectors, sharing how AI is reshaping enterprise operations, from store-level automation to the rise of agentic shopping and AI-native brands.We explore:How IBM uses AI internally to save billionsThe future of AI-native startups with 5x leaner orgsWhat retailers need to know about agent-based shoppingHow personalization and dynamic pricing could transform the consumer experience📍 Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & Karl’s background01:10 – IBM's early AI work and internal cost savings05:00 – AI’s shift from hype to workflow transformation07:15 – Retail use cases: contact centers, operations, and automation10:55 – The agentic shopping shift: consumers vs. retailers16:00 – Why gift-giving may tip agentic shopping into the mainstream18:30 – ChatGPT’s hosted checkout and new marketplace dynamics22:00 – The rise of AI-native brands and single-person unicorns30:00 – Store-level orchestration and event-triggered workflows36:00 – Personalization in stores—like having Anna Wintour’s whisperer39:00 – Dynamic pricing and loyalty-based personalization44:00 – Final thoughts: the slow shift until the tipping point hits🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Amazon is quietly building the future of grocery and retail logistics and former Amazon exec Brittain Ladd is here to break it all down.In this exclusive conversation, Brittain reveals never-before-shared insights into Amazon's local vending machines (LVMs), robot-powered Rivian vans, and the AI-driven strategy to dethrone Walmart in grocery. He also discusses Amazon's ambitions in third-party logistics and why they might one day buy the USPS.Whether you're into e-commerce, logistics, or the future of automation, this is an episode you don't want to miss.Timestamps:0:00 – Intro & Brittain Ladd background2:00 – Instacart talent exodus and Walmart's poaching3:00 – Amazon’s $4B rural delivery investment4:45 – Amazon’s grocery strategy gap vs. Walmart6:30 – Micro-fulfillment & why Amazon is still behind8:00 – Whole Foods as a broken link in Amazon’s chain10:00 – Local Vending Machines (LVMs): Amazon's secret weapon13:00 – Robotized Rivian delivery vans explained16:30 – Printer cartridge model for replenishing vans18:30 – AI-powered inventory prediction by ZIP code21:00 – Amazon’s long-term vision to beat Walmart23:00 – Humanoid robots & autonomous delivery26:00 – Amazon as the next FedEx/UPS29:00 – Will Amazon buy the USPS?🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Missed the Retailgenic livestream? We’ve got you covered. In this special replay, Scott Wingo walks you through the rise of agentic browsers, gives a full demo of Perplexity’s new browser Comet, and explores how tools like Comet are transforming shopping as we know it. From multi-tab research to automatic cart additions and product comparisons, this is your front-row seat to the next generation of AI-driven commerce.Highlights include:What makes agentic browsing different from traditional searchHow Comet leverages your local context to automate tasksA live showdown of Comet vs. Amazon, Target, and WalmartA surprise appearance by Alexa 2.0🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Kyle Montgomery, founder of Generous, joins Retailgenic to talk about building an AI-powered gifting agent that actually feels human. From his background in e-commerce to the "20 nieces and nephews" moment that sparked his startup journey, Kyle unpacks what it takes to build an agentic marketplace and why gifting is the perfect place to start.Sign up for the waitlist: https://meetgenerous.comFollow Kyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleamontgomery/⏱️ Key Timestamps:Timestamps:00:00 – Hands on the wheel: what autonomy in gifting looks like02:05 – Meet Kyle Montgomery, founder of Generous04:00 – Kyle’s background: From Demandware to Estound Digital06:00 – What sparked the idea for Generous? (Hint: 20 nieces + no app)11:00 – Generous: What it is and who it's for13:00 – Contact syncing, user onboarding, and AI-powered suggestions18:00 – No search bar?! The power of chat-first shopping22:00 – Agentic checkout and payment flow27:00 – The humanity of gifting—why agents shouldn’t replace people30:00 – What happens when brands no longer need websites?34:00 – Are agencies ready for the agentic future?38:00 – Kyle’s thoughts on Scott’s 5 Levels of Agentic Commerce41:00 – Where to sign up + what’s next for Generous📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Can your AI assistant really shop for you? What happens when the “Buy Now” button isn’t clicked by a person? In this episode, Nekuda CEO Ayal Karmi explains how his company is rethinking payments for a world where autonomous agents act on our behalf.We talk about:• The lightbulb moment from a failed pizza-ordering agent• Why authorization (not just authentication) is the future• Real-world agent examples: fashion stylists, car modders• Competing (and not competing) with Stripe & PayPal• Raising a seed round led by Madrona, with Visa & Amex on board🔗 Visit Nekuda: https://nekuda.ai🧠 Read their Substack: https://nekuda.substack.com⏱️ Key Timestamps:00:35 – Ayal’s background in payments, AI, and crypto02:30 – The failed pizza-ordering agent that sparked Nekuda05:00 – The shift from AI-enhanced search to full agentic checkout08:10 – Early product pivots and the importance of intent in transactions12:00 – Who actually uses Nekuda’s tech: agent builders18:30 – Real-world agentic use cases: stylists, mechanics, and more21:00 – How their Substack brought in Visa & Amex as investors26:00 – Competing with incumbents like Stripe & PayPal34:45 – Will websites even exist in 2030?📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode of Retailgenic, Scot Wingo welcomes Ananda Chakravarty, VP of Research at IDC’s Retail Insights Group. Ananda shares his decades of retail and technology experience spanning Monster, Staples, Oracle, Diebold Nixdorf, and Forrester to help break down:The real definition of Agentic AIHow retailers must prepare their data and sites for AI agentsWhy product discovery is ripe for AI-driven transformationThe massive implications for pricing, loyalty, personalization, and retail mediaHow agent-to-agent commerce may soon reshape buying behavior entirelyThis is a must-listen for anyone thinking about the future of retail, commerce, and AI.📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.Highlights:00:02:15 Ananda explains his IDC report on agentic AI & product discovery00:05:00 His career journey: engineering to business to retail tech00:10:45 Early e-commerce work at Monster, Staples, Talbots00:26:00 Deep dive into agentic AI orchestration & multi-agent workflows00:36:00 What retailers should do today to prep for AI agents00:41:00 How pricing, loyalty, and personalization will change00:44:00 Agents negotiating with agents (agent-to-agent commerce)00:48:00 The rapid acceleration of agentic traffic vs human traffic00:49:00 Where to follow Ananda's work

In this episode of Retailgenic, host Scot Wingo sits down with Roy Rubin, co-founder of Magento and General Partner at R-Squared Ventures, to explore the future of e-commerce in an AI-driven world.Roy shares why he believes the next billion-dollar DTC brand won’t even need a website, what agentic shopping means for the future of retail, and how platforms like Shopify and Amazon may get disrupted next.We also dive into:The founding story and evolution of MagentoWhat went wrong (and right) during its acquisition by eBay and later AdobeHis prediction that AI agents will replace traditional commerce UIsThe good, bad, and ugly of agentic platforms like Perplexity📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.Notable Timestamps:00:01:02 — What is Retailgenic and why now?00:02:11 — Meet Roy Rubin: Magento founder, now VC00:04:43 — The billion-dollar brand with no website?00:06:07 — Origin story: How Magento was born00:13:03 — PayPal's early investment & eBay’s acquisition00:27:12 — Roy’s VC firm and investment thesis00:40:00 — Agentic shopping and future of AI commerce00:44:46 — Social commerce & influencer-powered retail00:47:00 — Virtual influencers, LLMs, and the closed web?

In this episode of Retailgenic, host Scot Wingo sits down with Matt Nichols, General Partner at Commerce Ventures, to unpack the future of agentic commerce, the evolving role of AI shopping agents, and the new infrastructure needed to support them.Matt shares:- Why enriched product catalogs will power LLM-driven shopping- How AI-native checkout layers could disrupt traditional eCommerce- What retailers and marketplaces must decide about exposing data to AI platforms- Insights into Commerce Ventures’ investment thesis and portfolio companies like Kevel, Portless, and OptiversalFrom personalized retail media to tokenized payments and stablecoins, this wide-ranging conversation explores the critical infrastructure needed for a future where AI, not humans, drive most online shopping.🔔 Subscribe for more insights at the intersection of retail, eCommerce, and AI⏱ Notable Timestamps:00:01:56 – Guest intro: Matt Nichols, General Partner at Commerce Ventures00:04:50 – From VC to operator: Lessons from running a jewelry eCommerce brand00:06:00 – How SEO and dynamic product creation powered growth00:10:38 – How Commerce Ventures partners with strategic LPs00:14:00 – Unique investment model: small first check, large follow-on00:19:15 – Thematic investment areas: low-inventory retail, agentic payments, and AI-powered email00:25:56 – Agentic product catalogs: new expectations for PDP data00:28:00 – Why we need a Shopify for AI-driven commerce00:30:00 – Mastercard’s agentic wallet concept explained00:34:00 – How retailers can create compelling AI on-site experiences00:39:00 – Pricing wars: Will agentic shopping force new price structures?00:44:00 – Why eCommerce growth has plateaued (and what might reignite it)00:49:00 – Ads in AI overviews: The next monetization challenge for Google📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode, Scot Wingo is joined by Forrester retail analyst Sucharita Kodali to dive into the emerging world of agentic shopping and the growing influence of generative AI in commerce. They cover:- The explosion of retail media networks- Why marketplaces are making a comeback- OpenAI’s retail ambitions (and that Instacart CEO hire)- GenAI adoption across retail use cases- The rising threat to Google from TikTok and AI search- What’s actually agentic vs. “faugentic”⏱ Notable Timestamps:00:06 – What is Retailgenic and what’s at stake in AI shopping03:00 – Why retail media networks exploded post-COVID07:30 – Instacart’s ad business & the OpenAI CEO move10:00 – How big retailers are actually using GenAI today14:00 – Is Google search under threat from ChatGPT, TikTok & Perplexity?20:00 – Agentic shopping: hype vs. reality26:00 – Could AI replace ticket brokers and influence high-demand shopping?31:00 – The power of TikTok shopping and influencer-led discovery33:00 – Closing thoughts on what’s truly “agentic” vs. faugentic👉 Subscribe for more deep dives into the AI commerce revolution: https://www.retailgentic.com📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode of Retailgentic, Scot Wingo is joined by Michelle Grant, Director of Strategy & Insights for Retail and Consumer Goods at Salesforce. Michelle brings powerful insights from Salesforce’s massive retail data sets, surveys, and first-hand industry experience.They dive deep into:🧠 How Gen Z is driving the adoption of AI shopping agents📊 Data from Salesforce’s Connected Shoppers Report🤖 Where AI agents are showing up in real-world retail—from customer service to marketing and inventory📈 What brands and retailers must do to stay relevant in the agentic future💬 Why websites aren’t going away—but will need to evolve fastIf you want to understand the real-world impact of generative and agentic AI in commerce, this episode is a must-watch.0:00 - Intro and Michelle’s background  2:00 - What Michelle does at Salesforce  5:45 - Salesforce’s data sources: Commerce Cloud + surveys  8:00 - GenAI traffic trends (Q1 2025 data)  10:30 - AI agent traffic from ChatGPT & Gemini  12:00 - Social vs. search vs. agentic behavior  14:10 - Connected Shoppers Report overview  15:00 - Gen Z adoption of AI agents  18:20 - What consumers want AI agents to do (customer service, returns, loyalty)  22:00 - Retailer adoption of agentic tools  26:00 - The future of retail websites  30:00 - Hyper-personalization and AI memory  35:00 - Final thoughts on retail strategy in the AI era📰 Make sure to subscribe to the Retailgentic Substack: https://www.retailgentic.com📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Welcome to the very first episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, your guide to the fast-emerging world where AI agents meet retail and e-commerce.In this foundational episode, host Scot Wingo lays out:Why AI shopping agents may be even more disruptive than marketplacesWhat “agentic commerce” actually means (and what doesn’t count)Who the major players are today — and who’s coming nextThe three phases of the shopping journey: Research → Find → BuyWhat brands and retailers need to consider: Embrace or block?The emerging payment protocols and agentic frameworksKey predictions about Apple, Meta, Stripe, and the Chinese playersWhy loyalty, personalization, and strategy are all about to be rewrittenWhether you’re a retailer, brand exec, investor, or just AI-curious, this episode sets the stage for everything to come.📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Welcome to Retailgentic, the podcast where we explore the fast-evolving intersection of retail, ecommerce, and Agentic AI, what we call Retailgentic.Hosted by Scot Wingo, this show is your partner in navigating a future where AI agents shop on behalf of humans, reshaping everything from payments and checkout to customer loyalty and digital advertising.In this trailer, we introduce the mission, stakes, and big questions ahead. If you’re a brand, retailer, or vendor looking to stay ahead of the curve, you’re in the right place.🎧 Subscribe now and get ready to rethink retail as we know it.