The Retail Reality Show

What happens when a 96% brand-awareness Baumarkt (DIY store) decides it no longer wants to just sell you a hammer? Felix Weber , Head of Innovation at OBI Group Holding and MD of OBI Squared Venture Capital, joins Nino and Yael to unpack OBI's shift from selling products to solving projects.  He explains:  – Why complex jobs like renovations carry enormous customer lifetime value – How "d...

In 2025, Guess placed a fully AI-generated model in American Vogue. No casting, no location scout, no production budget to speak of. The result was the highest earned media value the brand had seen in a decade. Then Dario Cardamone, VP of Global Marketing at Guess Europe, said they might not do it again. That's not a failure story. It's a brand story, and it's exactly where this conversation begin...

What if AI isn’t meant to replace humans in retail, but to make them better? In this episode, recorded live with LIGANOVA at EuroShop Düsseldorf, Vasilis Dimitropoulos, Co-Founder of Intelo.ai and former Gucci leader, shares how luxury retail took a different approach to AI. Instead of automating customer interactions, brands focused on enhancing human connection through technology. From building...

AI makes everything online look perfect. Maybe … too perfect? AI can generate campaigns, images and product stories at scale. This raises a new question for brands: If everything online becomes synthetic, where do customers experience what’s real? In this live conversation, presented by LIGANOVA and recorded at EuroShop Düsseldorf, Nicolas and Nino speak with fashion marketing leader Anni Opperman...

Breaking News in Retail: ChatGPT Drops Agentic Commerce CheckoutIn this episode, we dive into the recent breakthroughs in AI-driven commerce, focusing on ChatGPT's new agentic checkout feature. We analyze what this means for retail, user adoption challenges, and the future of shopping experiences with AI.Key Topics: The announcement of ChatGPT's agentic commerce checkout and its implicatio...

What does it take to build a sportswear brand from scratch when you don’t have billions in the bank, but a clear vision and product obsession? In this episode, Christoph Dassler, founder of DSSLR, breaks down how he’s building a modern sportswear brand for the racket sports generation. From product innovation and sustainable performance apparel to digital storytelling and omnichannel growth, this...

AI is often presented as the next inevitable step in retail digital transformation. But at scale, the real challenge is not what AI can do. It’s knowing where it should be used, where it shouldn’t, and who stays accountable. In this episode, Dmitry Olerinskiy from Decathlon shares a grounded, experience-based perspective on AI decisions in large retail organizations. Instead of hype, the conversat...

AI is everywhere in retail. So why does it still feel underwhelming? In this episode, we unpack what became clear at NRF 2026: AI is no longer the bottleneck. Organizational readiness is. Drawing from conversations, panels, and observations across the show, this episode explores why many AI initiatives in retail stall despite mature technology and proven use cases. Join us when Nino, Yael and Nico...

What does it really mean to lead a data-first retail organization? In this episode of The Retail Reality Show, Sumit Srivastava, Digital and Commercial Officer, reveals how one of the GCC’s largest luxury retail groups is transforming customer experience through AI, connected data, and visionary leadership. From app-first commerce to predictive modeling and real-time analytics, Srivastava explains...

AI is no longer just improving search. It is reshaping how shopping decisions are made. In this episode of The Retail Reality Show, we examine how AI-driven shopping interfaces are changing retail discovery, comparison and choice, and what this shift means for retailers who still own the products, brands and fulfillment, but not always the interface. We unpack the growing tension between platforms...

What does real innovation in retail look like? According to Christian Kuhn, Innovation & AI Leader, it’s not about pilots or tech for tech’s sake. It’s about building systems that create lasting value. This episode was recorded live at LIGANOVA’s ‘NEXT is NOW’ 30 Years Anniversary in Stuttgart and features: Why innovation must start with the consumer and scale with C-suite ownership How to mea...

When shoppers stop clicking, the rules of retail change. 🛍️ In this episode, Carina Lamb from EMARKETER breaks down how generative and agentic AI are threatening to collapse  the retail funnel into a single conversation. From zero-click commerce and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to post-purchase automation and trust-based payments, discover where AI already delivers real ROI and where retai...

Sustainability is no longer enough. The future is regeneration. 🌱 In this German of The Retail Reality Show, retail futurist Theresa Schleicher from the Zukunftsinstitut joins Nino Bergfeld and Nicolas Kröger to explore why retail must shift from “doing less harm” to actively “creating more good.” For decades, sustainability has been framed as sacrifice: less consumption, less pleasure, less fun....

How do retailers stay close to customers, physically, digitally, and emotionally?  In this German episode of the Retail Reality Show, we welcome Simone Krah, President of the MMM-Club and a recognized voice in the retail industry known for driving transformation in food retail. With hands-on expertise in innovation, market strategy, and consumer engagement, Simone shares powerful insights into whe...

What if your store didn’t sell anything – but still made people buy? In this live episode of The Retail Reality Show, recorded at LIGANOVA's 'NEXT is NOW' 30 Years Anniversary Celebrations in Stuttgart, we dive into the transformation of physical retail, from transactional spaces to immersive brand experiences. Julia Bischof, EMEA Retail Director at Le Creuset, shares how the iconic co...

Retail is moving faster than ever. But is it moving in the right direction? In this episode of The Retail Reality Show, Yael and Nino sit down with Dominick Miserandino, founder of RTM Nexus, to unpack the contradictions shaping the future of the industry. From AI-driven automation to store closures and media scandals, we explore the gap between hype and reality, and what it takes to lead when tru...

What happens when the customer journey no longer starts with a search? In this episode of The Retail Reality Show Shorts, Nino Bergfeld and Nicolas Kröger explore how large language models like ChatGPT and Perplexity are turning into full shopping interfaces, from discovery to checkout. LLMs aren’t just suggesting products. They’re becoming the new point of sale. 💡This episode dives into: Why SEO...

Temu, Action & Co. wirbeln den Handel auf – mit Preisen, bei denen klassische Händler kaum mithalten können.  Doch Preisdruck ist nur ein Symptom.  Was steckt wirklich hinter dem Wandel im Konsumverhalten? In dieser Episode der Retail Reality Show sprechen Nino Bergfeld und Nicolas Kröger mit Prof. Dr. Thomas Rudolph von der Universität St. Gallen über die größten Herausforderungen für Händler...

Kaffee, Community und keine Bots. Nespresso setzt neue Maßstäbe im Retail. Mit dem neuen Nespresso House in München eröffnet die Marke nicht nur einen Store, sondern setzt auch ein Statement: für Menschlichkeit, Beziehung und kulturelle Relevanz. In dieser Episode der Retail Reality Show spricht Nino mit Lea Drusio, Marketing Director bei Nespresso Deutschland, über eine zentrale Frage im Handel:...

What makes retail tech succeed – and why does most of it still fail? In this episode, we speak with Joel Bar-El , Chairman of Trax and CEO of Xpand, who’s spent 30 years building tech that actually transforms retail. From shelf analytics and computer vision to fully autonomous, robot-operated stores: Joel shares what he’s learned building two unicorns, and why most innovation still ignores the sho...

Tariffs are rising. AI is underdelivering.  And even Swiss shoppers are embracing discount mode. In this special episode, hosts Yael, Nicolas and Nino explore how retail leaders are adapting to an industry in flux. Global trade disruptions, shaky AI tools, and changing shopper habits all point to one thing: uncertainty is here to stay. From shifting supply chains to AI fatigue and unpredictable co...

In dieser Live-Episode der Retail Reality Show , aufgenommen auf der Salesforce Agentforce World Tour in Frankfurt, spricht Host Nino Bergfeld mit Prof. Dr. Peter Gentsch über die nächste große Welle im Handel: Agentic AI und wie sie die Spielregeln für Marken und Konsument:innen verändert. Denn wer heute nach einem Produkt sucht, fragt nicht mehr Amazon oder Google – sondern promptet. Die neuen G...

What does it take to lead through uncertainty? In this episode, retail strategist and The Retail Pilot host Ken Pilot shares how he went from avoiding tech meetings to backing the very platforms transforming the industry. Alongside Yael and Nicolas, Ken – former GAP & J.Crew exec – dives into: – How tariffs are shaking up sourcing strategies – What leaders must unlearn to stay relevant – Why t...

Can fast fashion ever be sustainable? In this eye-opening episode of The Retail Reality Show, founder and CEO of Circular Transparency, and former H&M Group leader, Nina Shariati, joins Nino in unpacking the hard truths and bold possibilities for an industry that needs to transform – not just to tweak. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why SHEIN’s model works within a broken system What’s miss...

What’s really driving retail transformation? It’s not what you think. In this episode of The Retail Reality Show, we sit down with Miguel Bagulho, Investment Director at Bright Pixel Capital, the venture arm of Portuguese retail giant Sonae. Miguel shares how his team sifts through hundreds of startups a year to find the few that truly move the needle – and why the most impactful technologies in r...