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RETHINK RETAIL
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Unlock the Future of Brand Growth
Discover what’s changing fastest in how brands grow today, straight from industry leaders who are shaping modern commerce.
The RETHINK Retail Podcast takes you behind the scenes of marketplace strategies, ecosystem-driven growth, and omnichannel success.
Learn from the expertise of Tim Derner of Authentic Brands Group and Remington Tonar of Cart.com as they explore:
- Marketplace acceleration: How Amazon, TikTok Shop, and global platforms are driving brand expansion.
- Ecosystem advantage: Why combining brands, IP, talent, entertainment, and retail partnerships creates outsized impact.
- Omnichannel pitfalls: The most common traps brands fall into when trying to be everywhere at once.
- AI in operations: Where automation and intelligence are quietly improving efficiency without being the headline.
Whether you’re a brand manager, retailer, or commerce innovator, this episode provides actionable insights to help your brand scale globally, simplify operations, and stay ahead of the competition.
🎧 Listen now and transform the way your brand grows.
Recorded live at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show, this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast features Michelle James, Vice President at CTIA, in conversation with Melissa Blassingame, RVP of Partner Alliances at Twilio.
As consumers increasingly ignore unknown calls, this episode explores how Branded Calling ID in retail is helping brands rebuild trust and improve voice engagement.
- Why trust in voice communications is critical for modern retail
- How Branded Calling ID improves answer rates and customer experience
- Real-world retail use cases, including delivery and customer support
- How industry standards and collaboration are restoring trust in voice
🎧 Listen to the episode to learn how Branded Calling ID is bringing trusted voice back to retail.
Can technology actually make shopping feel more personal?
Recorded live at NRF 2026, this RETHINK Retail Podcast moves past the AI hype to focus on the people behind the counter. Host Michael Klein is joined by David Weissman from Tulip, Rissa Jarrat from Jenni Kayne, and Kimberly Levine from TUMI for a candid conversation about the future of clienteling.
In a world of digital noise, these leaders are using AI to bring back the "little black book" of retail, at scale:
- The "Gift of Time": How TUMI uses technology to free up associates so they can focus on the person standing in front of them.
- Authenticity First: Why Jenni Kayne prioritizes "reading the room" over automated messaging.
- Million-Dollar Performers: What happens when you give every associate the tools to build their own book of business.
This isn't just about efficiency; it's about making sure the "human" stays at the heart of your brand.
Recorded live at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show, the RETHINK Retail Podcast dives into how Rebag is using conversational AI to transform luxury resale.
Olivier Hepner, CPTO at Rebag and Howe Gu Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Ecosystem at Rezolve AI, discuss moving beyond traditional search, helping shoppers make confident decisions, and blending AI with human expertise.
Discover what intelligence-driven retail looks like in a one-of-a-kind product world.
Retail AI is evolving — and the biggest breakthroughs are happening after the sale.
In this episode of the Rethink Retail Podcast, host Michael Zakkour speaks with Aadil Kazmi, Head of AI at Infios, about how agentic AI is reshaping retail execution across order management, fulfillment, and transportation.
Key Takeaways
- Execution is the new battleground – AI’s biggest retail impact is shifting from planning to fulfillment and post-purchase experience
- Connected systems win – Breaking silos between OMS, WMS, and TMS enables real-time visibility and self-healing operations
- Agentic orchestration is here – AI agents are already making live sourcing, routing, and exception-handling decisions
- Modularity unlocks scale – Flexible, interoperable architectures outperform monolithic systems in speed and ROI
- Purpose-driven AI pays off – Fewer backorders, faster deliveries, and higher customer satisfaction
Ready to transform retail execution with AI?
Connect with Infios to learn how agentic AI can power intelligent, end-to-end supply chain operations.
Recorded at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show, this episode of the RETHINK Retail podcast explores how retailers are translating data into more informed decision-making at the store level.
In 'From Insight to Impact: How Intelligent Retail Creates Results', industry leaders discuss how connected retail ecosystems, spanning POS, self-checkout, back office operations, and analytics, can support operational efficiency and contribute to improved customer experiences.
The conversation brings together perspectives from Loblaws and Diebold Nixdorf, sharing practical observations on how retailers approach technology integration, scale innovation across store networks, and align digital investments with business priorities.
Podcast participants include:
- Roman Gerlicher, SVP, Retail Technology, Loblaw Companies Limited
- Arvin Jawa, VP, Global Marketing & Strategy, Diebold Nixdorf
AI is transforming how retailers manage payments, prevent fraud, and deliver seamless checkout experiences. In this episode of the Rethink Retail podcast, host Matthew Adam Smith speaks with Kai Lindstrom, VP of Retail Payment Services at SOK, and Jagrati Singh, Regional Sales Director at HCLTech.
Key Takeaways:
- AI-powered checkout: faster, seamless, and secure transactions
- Fraud prevention: smarter detection and reduced operational risk
- Modern POS systems: upgrading legacy infrastructure for agility
- Hyper-personalization: tailored offers and experiences at scale
- Systems integration: aligning platforms, partners, and data for frictionless payments
🎧 A must-listen for retail, payments, and technology leaders navigating AI-driven commerce.
🌟 Can you feel the anticipation? Together we rise!
The countdown to NRF big show 2026 has begun!
This year promises new activations and global insights that will reshape the retail landscape.
What’s one thing you hope to learn at the show? Share with us.
In this episode of RETHINK Retail, Top Retail Experts unpack how much customer expectations have accelerated and expert tips for retailers trying to compete across stores, apps, loyalty programs, and connected channels.
Join Emily Pfeiffer, Principal Analyst of Commerce Tech at Forrester and Roopi Crowley, Managing Director of Strategic Retail at T-Mobile for Business, as they explore:
- The future of loyalty programs
- Dynamic pricing and personalized offers
- Collecting and leveraging customer feedback
- Using connectivity and data to drive smarter merchandising
Learn how to turn customer expectations into opportunities.
🎧 Listen now and rethink your retail strategy.
As the retail industry heads into 2026, innovation is no longer theoretical — it’s operational. In this special episode of the Rethink Retail Predictions Podcast, we spoke directly with retail leaders who are actively building the future of commerce.
From omnichannel growth and AI-driven personalization to pricing pressure, trust, and the rise of machine-assisted shopping, these experts share unfiltered insights into what’s actually changing inside retail organizations.
🎙 Featured voices include:
- Diana David, Director of Futures at ServiceNow
- Stefan Gunnarsson, Founder & CEO at PropTexx
- Sara Ahmed Holman, Chief Commercial Officer at Bobbie
- Justin Rinaldi, Director of Marketing and eCommerce at Safety Speed Manufacturing
- Diptendu Ray, Head of Product Management at Giant Tiger
- Swetha Subramanian, Vice President, Data Science and AI Products at Loblaw Companies Limited
- Hanna Moisander, Chairperson at Lager 157
- Tammy Mo, Chief Executive Officer of Mozzimo Jewelry
- Bubs Shah, Director of UX Design at Macy's
Together, these perspectives paint a clear picture: 2026 will reward retailers who move faster, build trust, and operationalize AI at scale.
In this episode of Rethink Retail, host Martin Bailie is joined by Jerome Hamrit, Senior Vice President for Data and Retail Media at VusionGroup, and Thaddeus Segura, Senior Vice President for Product at VusionGroup, to explore the evolution of the connected store.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why store digital transformation is fundamentally different from e-commerce transformation
- How real-time data from ESLs, computer vision, IoT sensors, and transactional systems creates a “live store”
- Why platform thinking and system integration matter more than adding new devices
- How Walmart and Carrefour approached connected store infrastructure at scale
- The shift from “interesting technology” to essential retail capability
- What “precision commerce” means and why it represents the future of retail execution
- How connected stores unlock value for retailers, store teams, and brands through better execution, productivity, and monetization
🎧 Listen now to understand how connected stores are redefining retail performance.
What if store cameras were one of retail’s most underused growth assets?
In this episode, Martin Bailie (Advisory Board, RETHINK Retail) sits down with Karissa Price, Chief Customer Officer at Dragonfruit AI, and Randy Meadows, Retail Advisor to Dragonfruit AI and former SVP of Asset Protection at Kohl’s, to explore how video AI is transforming retail beyond loss prevention.
Key takeaways:
- Most retailers already have the infrastructure - the opportunity is how they use it
- AI is changing the economics of video across stores and supply chain
- Buy-in happens when multiple teams see shared ROI
- The real shift is moving from passive footage to actionable decisions
🎧 A must-listen.
📍 Join Dragonfruit AI at NRF Big Show for their Big Ideas session, “From Video to Value: Turning Cameras into Retail Growth Engines.”
#RetailTechnology #VideoAI #RetailInnovation #LossPrevention #DragonfruitAI
What happens when survey-based consumer research gets replaced by real-time, AI-orchestrated insight?
At GroceryShop 2025, host Kirat Anand sits down with Trevor Sumner, CEO of iGenie.ai, to unpack how the company is redefining a $35B insights industry.
They explore:
- Why traditional surveys fail — and why 70% of responses are unusable
- How iGenie analyzes billions of real consumer signals across search, social, video, and reviews
- How AI-driven insight accelerates innovation cycles from 18 months to 2–3 months
Join the conversation with our global retail community at www.globalretailleaders.com
How do you scale one of the fastest-growing beverage categories in retail?
In this episode, host James Tenser sits down with Sean Goldsmith, Co-Founder & CEO of The Zero Proof, to unpack what’s fueling the explosive rise of the non-alcoholic (NA) movement — and how retailers can capitalize.
They explore:
- The cultural shift toward wellness, moderation, and premium adult experiences
- How new NA spirits, wines, and cocktails drive incremental revenue, not substitution
- The operational blueprint behind scaling NA from blog → retailer → portfolio brand builder
Join the conversation with our global retail community at www.globalretailleaders.com
Cyber threats aren’t evolving, they’re accelerating. 🚨
In this new AiR Podcast episode, Renee Hartmann sits down with Kenneth Ogami, Industry Leader for Retail & Hospitality at Palo Alto Networks, to unpack the new language of retail resilience.
Kenneth brings 20+ years of hands-on retail security experience — from securing Westfield’s digital ecosystem to helping luxury brand Amiri scale securely through hypergrowth. His message is clear: compliance is no longer enough - resilience is the strategy.
Key takeaways:
- The retail attack surface has expanded dramatically across omnichannel, IoT, and connected store ecosystems.
- AI is accelerating threats through deepfakes, automated fraud, and sophisticated social engineering.
- Zero Trust is emerging as a business enabler — reducing risk while simplifying operations.
- Fragmented security stacks are holding retailers back; unified visibility is now essential.
- AI agents are reshaping future operations, requiring new security mindsets and governance.
🎧 Listen now and future-proof your retail organization.
Special thanks to Palo Alto Networks for making this episode possible.
Visit their NRF booth #3956 to see how top retailers are building cyber resilience that scales.
How is PepsiCo reshaping its future while staying true to the brands consumers love?
In this episode, host Matt Mueller sits down with Michael Del Pozzo, President of PepsiCo North America, to explore the company’s bold new chapter.
They discuss:
- How PepsiCo balances data-driven precision with creative instinct
- What’s fueling innovation across beverages, snacks, and brand refreshes
- How “One PepsiCo” is accelerating speed, collaboration, and retail partnerships
Join the conversation with our global retail community at www.globalretailleaders.com
On this episode of “Building a Modern Food Brand,” host Christina Downey sits down with Matthew Newman, CCO at It’s Skinny, to talk about the hard choices founders must make early — and why focus, discipline, and a clear go-to-market strategy matter more than saying “yes” to everyone.
Matthew shares:
- Why startups must define where they want to live — and hold firm
- How It’s Skinny reset its core strategy before scaling
- The breakthrough behind their new low-carb, low-calorie rice innovation
🎧 Listen Now
Join the conversation with our global retail community at www.globalretailleaders.com
What happens when automation, speed, and smart fulfillment collide in the grocery industry?
In this episode of the Global Retail Leaders Podcast by RETHINK Retail, host Theo sits down with Petr Lizner of Rohlik Group - one of Europe’s fastest-growing online grocers, to walk us through how Rohlik’s blend of automation hardware and in-house software is redefining what modern grocery can achieve.
They explore:
- How Rohlik scales high-efficiency online operations across multiple countries
- How scalable automation can work in the online grocery environment
- The surprising fulfillment metrics, like near-zero commercial shrink, that online models can outperform offline retail on.
Join the conversation with our global retail community at www.globalretailleaders.com
Value isn’t just about low prices anymore. As shoppers become more intentional and economic pressures rise, retailers are shifting their strategies—from promotions and pricing to emotional connection and brand authenticity.
We dive into how value is being redefined across the industry.
Joined by experts Andrew Smith, Carol Spieckerman, Liza Amlani, and Andrea K. Leigh, we explore how retailers are aligning with evolving shopper priorities and what “value” really means today.
Special thanks to Adobe and Icertis for making this episode possible!
What happens when technology meets true customer empathy?
In this episode of Rethink Retail: Global Retail Leaders, host Alex Baker sits down with Uttam Kumar, Engineering Manager at American Eagle Outfitters, to discuss:
- How engineers are becoming storytellers and changemakers in retail
- The real role of AI — beyond recommendations, toward anticipation
- Why successful digital transformation starts with people, not tech
- Moving from waterfall to agile: lessons from 17+ years in retail systems
- How hyper-personalization and data discipline define the next retail decade
🎧 Listen to the full conversation
Join the conversation with our global retail community at www.globalretailleaders.com























