Ep 170: AI, Retail, and the Rise of Operator Experience - with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce Thinking & High Cohesion

On this episode, I’m joined again by Luke Hodgson to talk about a shift that’s quietly taking place inside every brand: the move from customer experience to operator experience.

We unpack what Luke calls OX2030; his framework for how AI is reshaping the way brands actually run. The idea is simple but big. Over the next decade, the biggest transformation in retail won’t happen on the front end. It will happen behind the scenes, in the systems, workflows and cross-functional teams that keep everything moving.

We talk about how AI is flattening hierarchies, what it means for how brands are organised, and why most of the value in automation will come from fixing the low-value work that slows good people down. We also get into how this connects to Factory’s Internal and External AI framing, where the real opportunities live, and what it means for leadership and culture inside consumer brands.

If you’re thinking about how AI changes the structure, not just the strategy, of how your business operates, this one’s for you.

Enjoy the episode.

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