Future Commerce

In an era where consumers gather inspiration everywhere else, branded eCommerce sites face an existential crisis: prove your utility or become irrelevant. This episode examines how consumer expectations have shifted toward "get me what I want, when and how I want it," with 58% finding returns the most frustrating aspect of online shopping. We dissect why guest checkout remains a universal pain point and how brands can differentiate through seamless utility rather than flashy features.The Foundational Basis Matters MostKey takeaways:eCommerce sites have evolved from discovery engines to confirmation engines—customers arrive with pre-baked decisions seeking reassurance, not persuasion.Speed, clarity, and consistency are the new table stakes. Flashy features mean nothing if your site is slow, your checkout is clunky, or your shipping policy is unclear.Personalization should be engagement-based, not identity-based. Customers want relevance without creepiness—focus on their behavior in the moment, not invasive tracking.AI is an enabler, not the answer. Use it to understand cross-platform touchpoints and customer frustrations, not as a magic bullet for conversion. [00:04:06] "By the time they land on your site, they have pretty much created an idea of who you are, of what you offer, of what your product is. It's more on the choice confirmation bias...they don't want to be challenged. They just want to be reassured that they made the right decision." – Felipe Pose[00:14:00] "The role of the website has become more about clarity and reassurance, and not about communicating everything that you are, everything that you do, everything that you provide." – Felipe Pose[00:20:33] "I think that is one of the most powerful insights that we have gathered from many reports...they don't want to be really over targeted. They don't want identity based personalization. It's more based on what I want in this moment. What do I need from you? It's personalization based on engagement." – Felipe Pose[00:29:11] "If you are playing like a Jenga game...if you don't have a really strong foundation, if you don't have a site that is working correctly, a site that has some really slow pages, you have an unclear shipping policy...those are the things that will end up moving the needle the more." – Felipe Pose[00:32:46] "It's all about being prepared for the future and really understanding. Do I have everything I need today to be prepared for that? Because if you are on a really slow platform, something that is not scalable, you will not have a good experience today, even more so in 2026." – Felipe PoseAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As retail sheds its four walls, technology must follow. Jason James (CIO, Aptos) and Nikki Baird (VP of Strategy & Product, Aptos) join us to explore how brands like New Balance deploy 90+ registers at the NYC Marathon—then dismantle them just as quickly. The conversation reveals how point-of-sale systems built on next-generation databases enable everything from parking lot pop-ups to van-based fitting experiences, all while maintaining enterprise-grade security in environments where network connectivity is more hope than guarantee.Set Your Associates FreeKey takeaways:New Balance transforms NYC Marathon into 100-store chain for one weekendOffline capability: transactions continue when networks fail, sync when connectivity returnsIn-person acquisition yields stickier customers with higher lifetime valueRetail ranks third most-attacked sector; mobile commerce increases threat surfaceStore associates need intuitive systems for high-pressure, temporary deployments"If they're able to pull this off in the middle of a parking lot, I'm probably a hell of a lot more likely to go in the store next time." – Jason James on how ephemeral retail builds store trust"A customer acquired through an in-person, in real life experience is stickier, has longer lifetime value, is ultimately more loyal than a customer that's acquired online." – Nikki Baird on the power of physical engagement"God forbid a retailer gets hit back at headquarters with ransomware and it takes down their core network. We can still transact." – Jason James on offline resilience"It's not just you put products on racks or on shelves and you wait for people to walk in the door. Events are coming into stores too." – Nikki Baird on stores as experience hubsAssociated Links:Learn about AptosCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mani Fazeli, VP of Product at Shopify, joins the show to explore how agentic commerce is fundamentally transforming retail. From Sidekick's co-founder capabilities to Sim Gym's buyer simulations, Shopify is democratizing enterprise-level AI tools for merchants of all sizes. The conversation reveals why friction isn't always the enemy, how discovery is evolving beyond blue links, and why structured data is the new SEO.The Irreducible Human Meets Humanlike IntelligenceKey takeaways:Discovery has evolved from a one-shot search to multi-turn conversationsFriction has value: Some purchases deserve complexity, others need speedStructured data becomes critical for agentic commerce success[00:32:56] "Let's make special what's actually worth being special. And then let's be okay with the fact that the rest of it gets streamlined."[00:49:57] "Structured data becomes the new SEO. Every brand is going to have to worry about whether they have clean, well-structured, and well-understandable schemas."[00:04:20] "Utility above being flashy. Go right for the heart of what makes a difference in the merchant's life every single day."[00:33:39] "Until these systems become emotion aware, it's highly unlikely that they are completely eradicating the entire idea of manual human intervention in commerce."In-Show Mentions:Shopify Winter '26 EditionsAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A quarter of Gen Z and Millennial consumers now trust AI recommendations more than human ones, marking the arrival of retail's first post-human interface. Sharon Gee, VP of Product at Commerce, joins us to explore the paradox of digital intimacy: why consumers will bare their souls to ChatGPT about shopping needs yet abandon carts when brands ask them to create accounts, how LLMs are becoming intimate commerce companions, and what this means for the collapse of traditional commerce funnels and brand discovery in an AI-mediated world.The New Game Is Intelligibility Key takeaways:27% of millennials trust AI recommendations more than humans, yet abandon carts when forced to create accounts: the trust paradox.Merchants must shift from channel management to model management: optimizing for how AI interprets your brand, not controlling distribution.Answer engine optimization isn't gaming algorithms. It's ensuring your brand shows up with authority when AI agents search on behalf of consumers.Three-party commerce is here: consumer, brand, and AI intermediary. The customer is the channel, and data is the new storefront.[00:01:42] "Our customers are having to shift their mindset from channel management to model management... The old game was distribution. The new game is intelligibility. And brands that win are gonna be the ones that understand the model and understand how they can adapt their message to the new modes of interacting with consumers." – Lindsay Trinkle[00:41:02] "Customers are the channel and the data is the storefront. And so what we need to be able to do is make sure that we understand at each interaction point when you show up with your brand. How is your data representing you?" – Sharon GeeAssociated Links:New Modes Research: How AI is Shaping New Commerce Contexts and ExpectationsLearn more about CommerceCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Coach's SVP of Global Visual Experience Giovanni Zaccariello reveals how the brand transformed from heritage accessory house to Gen Z cultural force by treating retail as community infrastructure. From hospitality-infused Coach Play stores to strategically sustainable holiday displays, the conversation explores how physical experience became Coach's competitive advantage in an increasingly digital marketplace.Why Shop When You Can Play?Key takeaways:Gen Z seeks human connection and community, not just product transactionsCoach studied consumers in their homes to understand life, not just buying behaviorsExperience per square foot matters as much as sales per square footUsing the same holiday tree for five years reduced waste while building brand consistencyPhysical and digital spaces should converge, not replicate each other"Putting bags on shelves was no longer an option because everybody during the pandemic, including my mom who is 89, can buy online. They're coming to the stores and they want more." - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:06:37]"The next few years are going to be years of what I call experience maximalism where literally new things are going to be mundane because consumers are so much more connected now on social, and they see what's going on." - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:44:50]"It's about the consumer talking to us instead of Coach talking to the consumer. It's a much deeper dialogue." - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:45:46]"When things don't work, we don't just move on. We've created this honest feedback loop where we learn from things. If we don't learn, what's the point of testing and learning?" - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:41:17]Associated Links:Explore Coach Play conceptsCoach coffee shopsCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Black Friday naysayers have been predicting its demise for years, but Adyen's Holly Worst has data proving the shopping holiday is far from dead—it's gone global. From Denmark's 6.1X surge to America's mobile wallet awakening, this year's numbers tell a story of transformation, not decline. The real shift? How we pay, when we shop, and why contactless finally caught on in the US.The Retail Super Bowl Delivered, AgainKey takeaways:Black Friday generated $43B globally with 837M transactions across Adyen's platformUS contactless payments jumped 23% YOY and mobile wallet usage doubled to 30%Denmark saw a 6.1X increase in transaction volume on Black Friday, and Spain 4.5X—Black Friday is officially a global phenomenonPeak shopping hit at 1 pm in-store and noon online (digestion first, deals second)46% of US consumers abandon checkout without their preferred payment methodAssociated Links:Check out Adyen’s BFCM data hereSee our full recap of BFCM resultsCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The traditional linear shopping journey has collapsed. Commerce now happens everywhere, and consumers are navigating this omnimodal reality with unprecedented fluidity.Phillip Jackson and Lindsay Trinkle sit down with Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategy and Insights at CI&T, to unpack findings from her Retail Tech Reality Check research. Together, they dissect how different platforms serve distinct purposes in the buyer's journey, why "omnichannel" is more relevant than ever, and what happens when everything becomes shoppable but commerce itself becomes invisible.In this episode, we explore how the expanded digital ecosystem is fundamentally reprogramming how consumers engage with content, community, and commerce. With 74% of US consumers now using AI tools in their path to purchase, brands can no longer control the narrative—instead, they must embed themselves intentionally into customer-led conversations across multiple contexts.Commerce Is Invisible; Context Isn’tKey takeaways:Each social platform serves a distinct purpose: Facebook for purchasing, YouTube for discovery, Reddit for research. Context matters more than channel ubiquity.The invisible transaction wins: TikTok succeeds because it's entertainment-first. The less commerce feels like commerce, the more consumers buy.Attribution is broken: Traditional linear models can't capture circular, contextual journeys. Focus on conversion, repeat purchase, and brand awareness—the only metrics you can trust.Search remains unsolved: Basic functionality like filtering furniture by dimensions is still missing. Data quality and search methodology are foundational competitive advantages.Micro-influencers drive outsized impact: 45 passionate referrals matter more than 45,000 followers. The persona of the referrer (picky, experimental, passionate) outweighs reach.AI will reshape holiday 2025: Gifting anxiety makes AI particularly valuable. Consumers use it to avoid looking stupid and navigate uncertain return processes.In-Show Mentions:Melissa Minkow - Global Director of Retail Strategy and Insights, CI&TCI&T Retail Tech Reality Check ResearchNew Modes ResearchAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a Black Friday special! Phillip and Brian explore how capitalism commercializes everything it touches, as exemplified beautifully by community-driven Buy Nothing groups facing trademark enforcement and Walmart's WhoKnewVille campaign, which misses the point of Dr. Seuss entirely. They examine Mariah Carey's evolution from background music to Sephora partner, the disturbing rise of skincare for toddlers, and why new media's infinitesimally short news cycles are reshaping how we consume culture itself.PLUS: Get Plus! Use code BLACKFRIDAY for a year of Future Commerce Plus at our lowest rate ever. Black Friday Isn’t Dying, and Neither Is Kris Jenner! Key takeaways:Buy Nothing chooses to wage its trademark battle during the SNAP benefits pause.As long as digital channels and Kris Jenner continue to thrive, Black Friday will never die.Mariah Carey’s “It’s Time” video is sponsored by Sephora. Finally!The new media ecosystem demands we live in the immediacy of the moment. Media cycle half-lives grow shorter by the day.“Mel Gibson was for Boomers what Johnny Depp was for Gen X, and I get the same feeling about Timothee Chalamet for this generation.” –– Brian Lange“Any gift you give or receive is actually a flaming fireball in the sky of your identity.” –– Brian Lange“Let he who is without screen time cast the first stone.” –– Phillip Jackson“Buy Nothing groups disintermediate the knife fight.” –– Phillip Jackson, Craigslist knife fight survivorAssociated Links:Get a year of Future Commerce Plus for $50 with code BLACKFRIDAYCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nearly half of all consumers now live in a state of perpetual purchase consideration, maintaining mental shopping lists that are never truly empty. With access to new sources of information and inspiration, they're constantly thinking about what they're going to buy next.But what happens when commerce isn't just something you do; it's something that you are?We kick off season 5 of Decoded with behavioral scientist and customer experience expert Ken Hughes, who joins us in exploring how shopping has evolved from an activity into an identity, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials. We unpack Ken’s “Blue Dot Consumer” theory and introduce the "Shopping Consciousness Spectrum," and examine how it influences not just how we live as individuals, but how we operate as brands.The Always-On Consumer of Today Builds the B2M (Business-to-Machine) Reality of Tomorrow.Key takeaways:48% of consumers maintain perpetual mental shopping lists; for millennials, it's 2 in 3. Commerce has become a cognitive state.Gen Z is twice as likely as Boomers to wake with commerce on their minds: Different generations, fundamentally different relationships.The trust paradox: consumers share intimate details with AI but abandon carts when asked to create accounts or commit.2026 success requires understanding perpetual consideration. Be present throughout the journey, not just during traditional shopping windows.In-Show Mentions:Ken Hughes - Customer Experience Expert & Behavioral Science SpecialistGet Taylormaking by Ken HughesNew Modes Research: How AI is Shaping New Commerce Contexts and ExpectationsLearn more about CommerceAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most marketing teams believe AI will revolutionize their work, yet few experience true transformation. Shai Frank from Optimove discusses new research revealing why organizational readiness—not technology—creates the widest gap between expectation and reality. The conversation explores how change management, experimentation mindsets, and vendor partnerships can help marketers move from incremental improvements to transformative results.Freedom Comes AutomatedKey takeaways:80% of companies expect AI transformation; only 18% achieve transformative results in marketingChange management matters more than technology capability for successful AI adoptionExperimentation and rapid iteration beat planning perfectionNew metrics and performance indicators are needed to measure AI optimization benefits Vendor education and partnership bridge talent gaps without the need to hire data scientists"The real gap is change management. Most teams are still running on old rhythms that make transformation feel hard or impossible." - Shai Frank [00:07:35]"Instead of trying to perfect the post-purchase journey for eight months, let's try a few options, see what works, and course correct as a result of that." - Shai Frank [00:17:39]"The challenge now is making sure that every customer is served with the right content variation that makes sense for them." - Shai Frank [00:38:01]"In this case, it was like an 80% optimization benefit, which means 80% of your incremental sales from this campaign are because you did it with AI." - Shai Frank [00:46:24]In-Show Mentions:Optimove + Forrester ReportLearn more about Optimove’s Positionless Marketing platformDecoded Season 4: Positionless MarketingAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lupine Skelly, Retail Research Leader at Deloitte, joins Phillip and Alicia to dissect the stark reality behind this year's holiday shopping forecast. Consumer spending is projected to drop by 10%, and economic pessimism has reached its highest level since the Great Recession. As a result, retailers are facing a season where communicating value is key. This conversation explores the enduring vitality of Black Friday, the quiet revolution of private label brands, and how cultural rituals, AI integration, and brand loyalty are being fundamentally rewired. The Data Doesn’t LieKey Takeaways:Shoppers expect to spend $1,595 this season as economic concerns peak57% expect the economy to weaken, the most pessimistic outlook recorded since 1997Black Friday remains vital despite two decades of obituaries24% of budgets are spent by October due to the Prime Day effectPrivate label gains ground as brand loyalty fundamentally shiftsKey Quotes:[00:02:10.14] Lupine Skelly: "57% of people are saying they expect the economy to weaken in the year ahead, and that's the highest we've seen since we started tracking that question in 1997. To put that in context, 2008 was probably the next highest at 54%—that was around the Great Recession. So [there’s] a lot of uncertainty out there."[00:04:42.72] Lupine Skelly: "I feel like people have been trying to kill off Black Friday for 20 years. Is Black Friday dead? It's not dead."[00:13:17.91] Lupine Skelly: "In our study, 42% of consumers are saying they're going to use gen AI to find the perfect gift. And even more are saying they're going to use it to find the best deals."[00:25:49.24] Lupine Skelly: "Retail is always battling for share of wallet, but I think we're at a very different time period. Gaming, gambling—there's some big juggernauts taking what might have been the money you used to go to the mall years ago."Associated Links:Dig deeper into Deloitte data and insights hereCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oleksii (Alex) Lunkov joins Alicia Esposito to unpack how meaningful constraints fuel creativity in an age of algorithmic abundance. From Saint Sophia's 9 million glass cubes to the digitization of Berry Bros. & Rudd's 300-year heritage, this conversation navigates the tension between AI efficiency and human authenticity. Discover why 95% of AI pilots fail, how brands become cultural ambassadors, and what fractional leadership means for tomorrow's commerce teams.When Centuries of Heritage Meet the eCom Product PageKey takeaways:Meaningful constraints drive better creative outcomes. Removing all friction from digital experiences leaves us wondering why we don't feel anything.AI dramatically increases individual productivity, but human oversight remains essential for tone preservation, fact-checking, and maintaining brand authenticity.Successful brands act as cultural ambassadors, translating something unique through their channels while balancing best practices with distinctive identity.The fractional work revolution emerges at the intersection of AI-enhanced productivity, volatile job markets, and businesses seeking expertise without long-term commitment.Most AI implementations fail because teams don't understand the technology's actual capabilities and limitations before deploying it.[00:06:14] "We removed all the friction, and we wonder why we don't feel anything." - Oleksii, quoting Phillip Jackson[00:11:40] "In order to build a personal brand, you need a person to be behind that brand." - Oleksii[00:28:48] "AI adoption is this huge spike on the top and then very long tail afterwards." - OleksiiAssociated Links:Read Oleskii on InsidersCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Following the release of his work, The War of the Worlds Did Not Take Place, Nick Susi joins the pod to unravel the real War of the Worlds myth: not alien panic, but a battle between newspapers and radio that manufactured mass hysteria. Phillip, Brian, and Nick explore how narrative form shapes collective memory, why brands weaponize conflict for attention, and what happens when everything becomes participatory fan fiction.Behind the Curtain of Inherited MythKey takeaways:Structured narratives outlast formless truth in collective memory.Brands now weaponize conflict and controversy for attention economics.Everything is becoming participatory, co-created, and infinite fan fiction."The War of the Worlds is not actually a war between humans and aliens. It's really this war between mediums." — Nick Susi"We've entered the phase of the attention economy where the game is attention at any and all costs." — Nick Susi"People don't want to share the thing. They want to share their experience of the thing." — W. David Marx (referenced)"Awareness does not decrease manipulation necessarily." –– Brian"We've become much more aware of the act of storytelling as a culture, like we see the artifice of storytelling and we appreciate the act of it itself." –– PhillipIn-Show Mentions:The War of the Worlds performance piece and publication by Nick SusiOrder The War of the Worlds Did Not Take Place on MetalabelBlank Space by W. David MarxInsiders #196: Time After Time by Brian LangeAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Katherine Dee, internet culture writer and mastermind behind her popular AM-style call-in show, joins us to explore the archaeology of online life. From dissecting the Friend AI pendant's failed attempt at god replacement to chronicling e-girl evolution in her Meta Label publication, Katherine offers an unvarnished look at how we're moving beyond relentless content production. The conversation navigates haunted objects, the fragmentation of social platforms, and why the future might be more mystical than algorithmic. As AI reshapes proof itself, Katherine argues we're witnessing a cultural shift toward physical witnessing and enchanted meaning-making.Katherine’s God Isn’t A WhinerKey takeaways:AI companions fail when they gaslight users and demand emotional labor constantlyInternet culture documentation requires trust without judgment to reveal authentic subculturesSocial platforms fragment as users crave stories over gossip and embodied over digitalThe erosion of digital proof drives a turn toward mysticism and magicContent exhaustion pushes creators toward dynamic formats and offline experiencesIn-Show Mentions:Katherine’s response to the Friend AI pendantE-girl 001 publicationKatherine's call-in show exploring paranormal and internet cultureReggie James on spiritual technologyAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Halloween Horror Nights wasn't always a $575M-per-park juggernaut. When Universal launched Fright Nights in 1991 with just three experimental nights and $12 tickets, they stumbled onto something bigger than a haunted house…they uncovered retail's thirteenth month of revenue. In this Spooky Commerce special, we trace how October became the secret weapon for combating theme park slumps, why Spirit Halloween's pop-up model prints money in dead malls, and what happens when horror becomes the ultimate immersive commerce experience.October: When Pop-Ups Pop OffKey takeaways:Halloween is retail's second-largest holiday and is expected to generate more than $13B in consumer spending this year Universal's Horror Nights operates 48 nights, up from 3 in 1991Spirit Halloween's 1,500 pop-ups generate over $1B in dead retail spacesHorror reflects cultural anxieties through interactive commercePremium ticketing doubles daily revenue for a  single venueIn-Show Mentions:Insiders #210: Spooky Commerce – What Halloween Shopping Trends Tell Us About Modern CultureHalloween Horror Nights WikiForbes: Universal's Halloween Revenue Analysis (2023)National Retail Federation Halloween Spending ReportAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producers JT and Sarah join the show to unpack some fresh Spooky Commerce news, including Matt Rife and Elton Castee's venture into property and museum ownership. As Annabelle's (yes, that Annabelle) new legal guardians, Matt and Elton are selling overnight ghost hunting stays at the Warren home and Occult Museum for a cool $2,000/night. Plus: We explore the suspicious death of a lead paranormal investigator close to Annabelle, our generational haunting by microplastics, and the Pooniverse.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nearly 40% of Gen Z now chooses Pinterest over traditional search engines, and a growing number of this demographic is shifting to the platform to escape the chaos found in other social apps. The company’s VP of Ads Product Marketing, Julie Towns, reveals why this cohort’s innate desire for creative expression and curation is also driving this shift. Another growing audience for Pinterest? Men who now represent over a third of the platform's users, seeking everything from Pilates routines to parenting advice.Plus, we dig into how the platform's "taste graph" of 500 billion human-curated pins predicts trends a year in advance, and what brands can expect to drive Spooky Season sales. Where Shopping Is Calming AgainKey takeaways:Gen Z chooses Pinterest for visual search and identity discovery over doomscrolling platformsMen comprise over one-third of users, redefining masculinity through wellness and parenting contentPinterest's trend predictions are 80% accurate, forecasting cultural shifts nearly a year aheadPinners are 7x more likely to purchase saved products than unsaved itemsPerformance Plus campaigns deliver 15%+ increases in return on ad spend for brands[00:09:48] "Pinterest is providing an antidote for Gen Z to the intensity and kind of doomscrolling experience that they're having on other social platforms... Gen Z are coming to Pinterest specifically to discover who they are through this act of curation." - Julie Towns[00:19:43] "We predict trends almost a year out because we have these trendsetters, trend spotters who are doing the pre-curation months and years in advance... our trends often last two times longer than the trends you see on other social platforms." - Julie Towns[00:15:28] "Men are really redefining masculinity, and they're doing that through self-discovery... searches for things like Pilates workouts are up over 300%, father and child activities up almost 400%." - Julie TownsIn-Show Mentions:Future Commerce's New Modes Report (77% of AI-using shoppers include Pinterest in their journey)Pinterest Fall Trend Report (uncommon Halloween costumes up 200%, Pilates searches up 300%)Insiders #210: Spooky Commerce - What Halloween Shopping Trends Tell Us About Modern CultureMarshall McLuhan on the Future Commerce PodcastAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rene Federico, US Head of Marketing at Primark, joins Future Commerce to discuss the international retailer's first major marketing push in America after a decade of organic growth and physical retail expansion. Drawing on over 20 years at heritage brands like Nike and Converse, she shares insights on building brand relevance in a performance-obsessed era, translating the "joy of shopping" to different US markets, and why the customer should always be the hero of the story.Stat Chasers Never WinKey takeaways:Brand relevance makes you less interchangeable with competitors in the marketThe marketing funnel has collapsed—social media now operates across all stagesInnovation thrives under constraints; limited resources drive creative solutionsTrue brand equity isn't measured on a 30-day dashboard; free yourself from over-measuring creative campaignsCustomers deserve brands that enable participation, not just transactions[00:12:28] "You can stat chase or you can build strategies that help you win as a team. The outcomes will be different depending on your approach." – Rene Federico[00:33:06] "Consumers don't shop your org chart, they shop your brand. Business models don't shop—customers do." – Rene Federico[00:45:31] "When you get someone to buy something, that is an exertion of power. It means somewhere in their conscience, you've been able to affect a choice. We're in a moment where the customer is the hero of the story." – Rene FedericoIn-Show Mentions:"That's So Primark" campaignHerald Square flagship opening Spring 2026Associated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a climate where most consumers are concerned about tariffs (84%) and inflation (80%), the holiday season is poised to be a battlefield for retention and revenue. Optimove’s Moshe Demri, SVP of Global Revenue, joins Future Commerce to walk through the 2025 Consumer Holiday Shopping Report and explain why the “charm customer” (those responsive to modest 10%-15% discounts) may be the key to sustainable growth.The Cherry-Picker’s DilemmaKey takeaways:Meet the three customer archetypes: Full-price buyers who purchase regardless of promotions, cherry pickers who chase deep discounts and rarely return, and "charm customers" who respond to modest 10%-15% discounts and show the highest retention rates over time. (The fourth archetype: Brian)Transparency as a competitive advantage: Brands that communicate their promotional calendar early (like telling customers in October "this is the only Black Friday promotion you'll see from us") build trust while competitors exhaust and frustrate their audiences.Post-holiday retention begins at checkout: Collecting gift-giving data and offering time-sensitive follow-up promotions can transform one-time gift purchasers into repeat customers. The key is creating urgency without devaluing the brand.Communication requires quality, not quantity: Dodging customer fatigue is worth the awareness risk.  Dialing back from daily to weekly emails might be the better move for companies this year.Strategic budget allocation matters more than discount depth: Want to boost long-term profitability and brand equity? Give your VIP customers high-value discounts and experiences, not low-tier cherry-pickers who are unlikely to stick around. From the Episode:Optimove’s 2025 Holiday Shopping ReportNew Modes: 2025 UpdateLearn more about this episode’s sponsors, Optimove, Aptos, and Future Commerce Plus. Associated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plus🆕 Access to our newest analysis feature for members, Field Notes, our retail space analysis briefing. Featuring brands like Swatch, Printemps, and Skims. Access to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 15% on Future Commerce print journals and merchExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.