Beyond The Shelf

We're LIVE from DSS 2026 in Atlanta! Dave catches up with Piyush Chaudhari, CEO of Salsify, live from the show floor. Piyush unpacks what's driving conversation at the event—AI—and how Salsify is helping brands navigate the shift from digital shelf to agentic shelf, focusing on product discovery, measurement, and efficiency. He highlights Salsify's latest AI innovations, including A...

We're LIVE from DSS 2026 in Atlanta!  First up, Dave catches up with Kevin Creese, Director of Ecommerce at Wastequip. Kevin shares how Wastequip is approaching AI adoption in a practical, operator-first way—focusing on automating repeatable workflows and avoiding overcomplication early on. He also breaks down how their new interactive parts catalog is transforming the way their team manages...

This week, Dave speaks with Steve Dennis, President & Founder of Sageberry Consulting. Steve brings decades of experience across retail strategy, operations, and transformation — and shares a candid look at why so many companies struggle to adapt, even when they know what needs to change. In this episode, he breaks down the challenges of breaking down silos, the leadership mindset required to...

This week, Dave speaks with Simon Angove, CEO of Syndigo. Syndigo’s acquisition of 1WorldSync marks a major shift in how brands and retailers manage product data, content, and the entire commerce experience. In this episode, Simon breaks down the strategic rationale behind the deal, the growing complexity of the digital shelf, and why “every shelf” — from in-store to AI-driven discovery — now matt...

We're live from Syndigo Connect 2026!  In this BTS Live miniseries, we'll be featuring interviews some of the best and brighest minds in in the digital commerce space, right from the show floor.  Connect with Russ on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation wit...

We're live from Syndigo Connect 2026!  In this BTS Live miniseries, we'll be featuring interviews some of the best and brighest minds in in the digital commerce space, right from the show floor.  We continue the miniseries with Russ Dieringer, Founder and CEO of Stratably. He joins Dave to break down what’s real vs hype when it comes to AI and agentic commerce, where brands are seeing tr...

This week we're replaying our 3/10/26 episode with Joe Lamberson, Director of Digital Initiatives & Partnerships at Acosta Group, to discuss how brands can modernize digital shelf execution and keep up with rapidly rising retailer expectations. With Acosta supporting thousands of brands across retail and ecommerce, Joe has a unique perspective on the operational challenges brands face—fro...

We wrap up our BTS Live at Shoptalk Miniseries with Retail Media Breakfast Club's Kiri Masters, who talks with Dave about the next phase of retail media. As AI reshapes the shopper journey, Kiri explains why traditional ad formats — especially sponsored product ads — may become less central, and how retailers will need to rethink monetization and customer experience. She also shares perspecti...

In this BTS Live Minisode from Shoptalk, Dave speaks with Daniel Torres Dwyer of The FMCG Guys about key themes emerging from the event. While AI continues to dominate the conversation, Daniel points to a more nuanced reality — where excitement is balanced with caution as brands navigate uncertainty and evolving market conditions. He also shares thoughts on emerging AI-driven commerce experiences...

Our BTS Live from Shoptalk Miniseries continues! Dave speaks with DSI's Lauren Livak Gilbert about how AI is impacting both organizations and the digital shelf. Lauren highlights the growing importance of talent, upskilling, and internal transformation as AI reshapes the industry, and explains why brands should focus on evolving their content strategies - not replacing them. Connect with Laur...

Our BTS Live from the Commerce Media Brand Summit miniseries concludes with Shawn McGahee, Sr. Director, Performance and Insights at Roundel. Shawn speaks with Dave about the growing maturity of retail media — from a focus on ROAS to a deeper emphasis on incrementality, measurement, and real business outcomes. He shares how Roundel is approaching measurement through a portfolio of testing methods,...

Our BTS Live series continues - this time from Shoptalk 2026!   In this minisode, Dave speaks with Manish Sharma from Think Blue about the next phase of AI in digital commerce. As AI moves beyond experimentation, the focus is shifting toward workflow automation, productivity gains, and measurable business impact. Manish shares how he’s seeing this evolve across brands, retailers, and technology pa...

This episode is part of our BTS Live miniseries, featuring quick conversations recorded on the show floor at the WBR Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta. Dave speaks with Collin Colburn of the IAB about the next phase of retail media maturity. As the space evolves beyond rapid growth, the focus is shifting toward omnichannel integration, improved measurement, and greater transparency. Collin sh...

This episode is part of our BTS Live miniseries, featuring quick conversations recorded on the show floor at the WBR Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta. Dave speaks with Jack Kneuper of Perdue Farms about the evolving role of performance marketing in a fragmented, omnichannel landscape. As the traditional funnel breaks down, brands must ensure every touchpoint — from CTV to retail media to in-...

This episode is part of our BTS Live miniseries, featuring quick conversations recorded on the show floor at the Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta. Dave speaks with Skye Frontier of Incremental about the evolving role of measurement in retail media. As budgets expand beyond shopper and trade into brand investment, brands are being held to a higher standard — shifting from ROAS to incrementali...

This episode is part of our BTS Live miniseries, featuring quick conversations recorded on the show floor at the Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta. Dave speaks with Celia Van Wickel of Russell Stover about how brands are evolving their commerce media strategies — from expanding search across retailers to shifting KPIs beyond ROAS toward share of voice, new-to-brand, and incrementality. She al...

This episode is part of our BTS Live miniseries, featuring quick conversations recorded on the show floor at the Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta. Dave speaks with Michele McNamara, Director of Digital Commerce & Omni Activation at Newell Brands, about how brands are thinking about measurement, incrementality, and mobile-first shopper behavior. They also discuss Newell’s work with It’sRa...

This episode is part of our BTS Live miniseries, featuring quick conversations recorded on the show floor at the Commerce Media Brand Summit in Atlanta. In this minisode, Dave speaks with Andrew Groom, Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Ecommerce at The Wine Group, about how AI is helping brands optimize audiences and creative, and how the company is partnering with It’sRapid to accelerate c...

Dave sits down with Joe Lamberson, Director of Digital Initiatives & Partnerships at Acosta Group, to discuss how brands can modernize digital shelf execution and keep up with rapidly rising retailer expectations. With Acosta supporting thousands of brands across retail and ecommerce, Joe has a unique perspective on the operational challenges brands face—from content creation and item setup to...

This week on Beyond the Shelf , Dave sits down with Stephen Shepherd, Head of Strategy & Consulting at Tesco Media, to explore how retail media has evolved from a tactical revenue stream into a strategic growth engine. With nearly two decades in the space — beginning with Dunnhumby’s early retail media initiatives — Stephen brings a data-first perspective to how retailers and brands should thi...

Dave’s guest this week is Ben Narasin, Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital. Ben is a venture capitalist and longtime entrepreneur who invests at the intersection of technology, commerce, and consumer behavior — with a career spent backing (and building) companies that shape how brands sell and operate in a digital-first world. In this episode, Dave and Ben talk about how the VC...

Dave’s guest this week is Chris Riedy, CRO at Ibotta, where he’s helping evolve promotions and offers into a true performance marketing engine for CPG brands. In this episode, Chris breaks down why great sales is really about problem-solving, trust, and empathy - not transactions. He shares how Ibotta has evolved from a consumer app into a platform that connects manufacturers, retailers, and shopp...

Dave’s guest this week is Matt Gehring, a returning guest on Beyond the Shelf and a seasoned growth advisor, independent brand strategist, and Fractional CMO. Since first appearing on the show in 2024, Matt has stepped into a new chapter of his career — advising startups and early-stage companies on how to build momentum from the ground up. He brings deep experience from senior marketing and growt...

Dave’s guest this week is Scott Benedict, retail strategist, longtime merchant leader, and former Walmart and Sam’s Club executive with 35+ years across brick-and-mortar, eCommerce, and global retail. Today he runs Benedict Enterprises and serves as part of RETHINK Retail’s advisory group, helping brands and retailers navigate the rapidly evolving commerce landscape. In this episode, Scott and Dav...

Dave’s guest this week is Gloria DeCoste, Director of eCommerce & Digital Shelf Capabilities at Nestlé. In this episode, Gloria and Dave explore what it  means for brands to be present in an AI-driven commerce environment - not just visible, but structured, accurate, and ready for how discovery is changing. Gloria shares how large organizations like Nestlé are thinking about the content supply...