RETHINK RETAIL

Your product data wasn't built for AI agents. Here's why that's a problem. In the latest episode of RETHINK Retail's award-winning AiR (AI in Retail) podcast series, host Jamie Tenser sits down with @Anne-Claire Baschet, Chief Data & AI Officer at @Mirakl and a Top AI Leader recognized by RETHINK Retail, to explore the seismic shift happening in retail discovery right now. Anne-Claire brings a rar...

In this episode of the RETHINK Retail podcast, Julia Rogers Vargas, VP and GM, Identification Solutions at Avery Dennison and Sasha Wallinger, contributor at Forbes move past the buzzwords to find the "magic" in the retail grind. The End of the Visible Transaction We are rapidly approaching a "post-transactional" world. As AI bots begin to automate our daily chores, from replenishing diapers to ch...

Liza Amlani (Retail Strategy Group) and Aimee Heuschkel (Lectra) joined RETHINK Retail at NRF to discuss why the industry is currently making too much of the wrong product. The Overdevelopment Crisis Right now, brands are throwing supply at consumers and hoping demand follows. With 81% of retailers struggling to keep up, the result is massive waste and shrinking margins. The fix requires moving fr...

Marie Schwartz caught up with MaryLeigh Bliss from Ypulse at NRF to talk Gen Z in 2026. The old marketing playbooks? They’re history. The 20-year trend cycle is over. MaryLeigh explains how social media has created a "firehose" of fragmented trends where Gen Z is nostalgic for everything at once. Whether it’s a 90s reboot or a meme from two weeks ago, the pace is moving faster than most retailers...

In this episode, RETHINK Retail host Marie Schwartz sits down with Jake Randolph and Adel Cruz from LINKED Permanent Jewelry to discuss the explosive growth of experiential retail. Key Highlights: - Experiential Sales: Why "permanent" products are winning on social media. - The AI Advantage: How solo owners use AI to scale marketing and operations. - Future of Retail: A first look at LINKED’s new...

Retailers often chase AI for its own sake instead of solving specific operational problems. In this session of Retailer Tech Tips, Thaddeus Segura from VusionGroup and Guy Courtin from Tecsys discuss how to move past "irrational exuberance" to build an operating model that survives the current industry bifurcation. Key Discussion Points: - The Hardware Flywheel: Intelligence starts at the shelf, u...

As Shoptalk Spring 2026 approaches, one theme is shaping the conversation across the retail industry: AI is moving from experimentation to real-world application. In this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast, Fritz Finlay speaks with Joe Laszlo, Head of Content & Insights at Shoptalk, about the ideas and trends expected to define this year’s event. Their discussion explores several themes emergin...

In this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast, Digital Shelf Institute Executive Director Lauren Livak joins Paul Murphy to discuss what’s shaping the next phase of ecommerce, from changing shopper behavior to the growing gap between browsing and buying. They discuss why many digital experiences still struggle to help shoppers make decisions, and what retailers can do differently to better capture...

Is Your Store Ready for What's Next? Modern retail is about more than just selling products. It’s about being fast, reliable, and smart right when the customer needs it most. In our latest podcast, Intelligence at the Edge: Powering the Store of Tomorrow, we’re breaking down how the world's leading retailers are using edge computing to transform the shopping experience. Why Listen? Host Michael Kl...

Luxury Retail: High-Tech Meets High-Touch In a market saturated with options, true luxury is defined by the depth of the experience. In this episode, Barney Stacher and Shunda D. Lynch of Bloomingdale’s, explore how leading retailers stay relevant in a digital-first world. They break down the necessity of storytelling and why the most advanced AI should serve the sales associate, not replace them....

The Human Heart of Retail Innovation The message from NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show was clear: Technology is the tool, but humanity is the strategy. In this episode, Chris Igwe and Dominik Olejko, Head of Customer Insights at Pepco, debrief on the "thousands of years of experience" that met in New York this year. They dive into how global leaders are integrating AI to empower staff and why the "User...

Is your AI strategy solving problems or just building more dashboards? Retailers are drowning in data, yet most still struggle to move the needle on store performance. In this episode of the AI in Retail podcast series, Top AI Leader David Polinchock sits down with Corey Spencer, GM & GVP of AI at UKG, to dismantle the "ivory tower" theories failing the frontline. They explore why the industry mus...

At a time when "agents" and AI dominate every conversation, it is easy to forget that the ultimate channel is the consumer. In this RETHINK Retail episode, host DeAnn Campbell, Head of Retail Strategy at AAG Consulting and Scott Wueschinski, AVP of Retail Applied Advisory at Genpact, cut through the noise to explain why the human experience is the only real competitive advantage left. They dive in...

Is Your Supply Chain Your Biggest Competitive Advantage? We often hear about "the art of the merchant," but rarely do we discuss the unsexy mechanics that actually make a brand profitable. In this RETHINK Retail sit-down, Kimberly Lee Minor, CEO of WOCRA, catches up with her longtime friend and fellow retail expert Liza Amlani. From starting on the shop floor at 13 to consulting for the world’s la...

Is Your Brand Built to Last or Just Built to Sell? Most brands treat retail as a "shiny" trophy, but the reality is that expansion often breaks your margins before it builds your brand. In this RETHINK Retail sit-down, host Gail Rodwell-Simon talks with Brett Gallagher, COO at Nulastin, about the disciplined path from a 2010s DTC startup to a true omnichannel player. They dig into the "ugly" side...

How do brands scale AI governance without slowing down innovation? In this episode, Yael Kochman sits down with NRF leaders Christian Beckner and Caroline Reppert to discuss the industry’s shift toward responsible, high-ROI AI adoption. While this conversation was recorded just before the NRF Big Show, the insights remain the definitive roadmap for the year ahead. They dive into why the most succe...

The Future of the Store Isn’t Digital. It’s Intelligent. Are we drowning in data but starving for results? Recorded on the ground at Euroshop, host Martin Bailie sits down with industry heavyweights Sam Vise, Marc Jamieson, and John Magill to dismantle the biggest myths in the industry. For years, we’ve been told that "more technology" is the magic bullet. Yet, store teams are more distracted than...

People have been declaring “the store is dead” for years. They were wrong. What’s actually dying is lazy retail. Stop leading from the top down. In this episode of Rethink Retail, experts Linda Johansen, David Polinchock, and Paula Angelucci reveal why a successful frontline retail strategy starts on the shop floor. Key Takeaways: - Respect the Peak: Move corporate planning to Mondays to protect h...

Generative AI is moving beyond the lab and into the production environment. But for many enterprises, "pilot fatigue" is becoming a major bottleneck to real ROI. In this episode of AiR (AI in Retail), Top AI Leader, Barry McGeough (Group VP, AmeriCo) and Top Retail Expert, Michael Zakkour (Top Expert) deliver a masterclass on Applied Innovation. Through a real-world case study, they reveal how bra...

As artificial intelligence and immersive technologies dominate the headlines, the core of the industry remains unchanged: the human connection. In this episode of Rethink Retail, Monica San José (Retail Escool) and Richard Honiball (NEXCOM) explore why a successful retail digital transformation must be rooted in a company’s mission and values rather than technology for technology's sake. From the...

AI is now a core requirement, not a side project. In this episode of the AiR Podcast, Top AI Leader Kimberly Morgan sits with Sameer Sharma and CK Wang from MediaTek, to discuss how edge AI and AIoT platforms are delivering measurable ROI across retail operations The conversation explores why intelligence is moving closer to the device, how edge AI supports real-time decision-making, improves cost...

Real-time inventory management is reshaping how grocery retailers manage availability, labor, and store execution. On the latest RETHINK Retail Podcast, DeAnn Campbell speaks with Aidan Mittra, Co-Founder of OrderGrid, about how real-time, location- and expiry-aware inventory gives retailers true operational visibility that drives better product availability, reduced waste, and stronger margin pro...

Physical retail isn’t just surviving, it’s thrilling, immersive, and unforgettable! In this episode, Sandi Danick, SVP at Triple Five Group, shares how immersive attractions, authentic experiences, and tech-driven insights are transforming shopping into something people can’t wait to return to. Key Takeaways: - Why experience drives loyalty and foot traffic - Engaging Gen Z authentically - Blendin...

Frictionless checkout has become one of the most discussed topics in retail technology. But for enterprise retailers, the real question is not whether checkout can be frictionless. It is whether it can perform consistently under pressure. Checkout is where throughput, labor efficiency, compliance, and shrink converge. It is the operational control point of the store. In a conversation hosted by Em...

What does it really take to win over Gen Z and Gen Alpha in 2026? Aliyah Flowers, B2B Community Manager at RETHINK Retail, connects with Sourabh Sharma, Head of Marketing at Histoires de Parfums, to unpack what younger generations actually value. They discuss: - Why community and values now matter more than visibility - How Gen Z and Gen Alpha think differently about sustainability and spending -...