Future Commerce

Halloween Horror Nights wasn't always a $575M-per-park juggernaut. When Universal launched Fright Nights in 1991 with just three experimental nights and $12 tickets, they stumbled onto something bigger than a haunted house…they uncovered retail's thirteenth month of revenue. In this Spooky Commerce special, we trace how October became the secret weapon for combating theme park slumps, why Spirit Halloween's pop-up model prints money in dead malls, and what happens when horror becomes the ultimate immersive commerce experience.October: When Pop-Ups Pop OffKey takeaways:Halloween is retail's second-largest holiday and is expected to generate more than $13B in consumer spending this year Universal's Horror Nights operates 48 nights, up from 3 in 1991Spirit Halloween's 1,500 pop-ups generate over $1B in dead retail spacesHorror reflects cultural anxieties through interactive commercePremium ticketing doubles daily revenue for a  single venueIn-Show Mentions:Insiders #210: Spooky Commerce – What Halloween Shopping Trends Tell Us About Modern CultureHalloween Horror Nights WikiForbes: Universal's Halloween Revenue Analysis (2023)National Retail Federation Halloween Spending ReportAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Producers JT and Sarah join the show to unpack some fresh Spooky Commerce news, including Matt Rife and Elton Castee's venture into property and museum ownership. As Annabelle's (yes, that Annabelle) new legal guardians, Matt and Elton are selling overnight ghost hunting stays at the Warren home and Occult Museum for a cool $2,000/night. Plus: We explore the suspicious death of a lead paranormal investigator close to Annabelle, our generational haunting by microplastics, and the Pooniverse.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nearly 40% of Gen Z now chooses Pinterest over traditional search engines, and a growing number of this demographic is shifting to the platform to escape the chaos found in other social apps. The company’s VP of Ads Product Marketing, Julie Towns, reveals why this cohort’s innate desire for creative expression and curation is also driving this shift. Another growing audience for Pinterest? Men who now represent over a third of the platform's users, seeking everything from Pilates routines to parenting advice.Plus, we dig into how the platform's "taste graph" of 500 billion human-curated pins predicts trends a year in advance, and what brands can expect to drive Spooky Season sales. Where Shopping Is Calming AgainKey takeaways:Gen Z chooses Pinterest for visual search and identity discovery over doomscrolling platformsMen comprise over one-third of users, redefining masculinity through wellness and parenting contentPinterest's trend predictions are 80% accurate, forecasting cultural shifts nearly a year aheadPinners are 7x more likely to purchase saved products than unsaved itemsPerformance Plus campaigns deliver 15%+ increases in return on ad spend for brands[00:09:48] "Pinterest is providing an antidote for Gen Z to the intensity and kind of doomscrolling experience that they're having on other social platforms... Gen Z are coming to Pinterest specifically to discover who they are through this act of curation." - Julie Towns[00:19:43] "We predict trends almost a year out because we have these trendsetters, trend spotters who are doing the pre-curation months and years in advance... our trends often last two times longer than the trends you see on other social platforms." - Julie Towns[00:15:28] "Men are really redefining masculinity, and they're doing that through self-discovery... searches for things like Pilates workouts are up over 300%, father and child activities up almost 400%." - Julie TownsIn-Show Mentions:Future Commerce's New Modes Report (77% of AI-using shoppers include Pinterest in their journey)Pinterest Fall Trend Report (uncommon Halloween costumes up 200%, Pilates searches up 300%)Insiders #210: Spooky Commerce - What Halloween Shopping Trends Tell Us About Modern CultureMarshall McLuhan on the Future Commerce PodcastAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rene Federico, US Head of Marketing at Primark, joins Future Commerce to discuss the international retailer's first major marketing push in America after a decade of organic growth and physical retail expansion. Drawing on over 20 years at heritage brands like Nike and Converse, she shares insights on building brand relevance in a performance-obsessed era, translating the "joy of shopping" to different US markets, and why the customer should always be the hero of the story.Stat Chasers Never WinKey takeaways:Brand relevance makes you less interchangeable with competitors in the marketThe marketing funnel has collapsed—social media now operates across all stagesInnovation thrives under constraints; limited resources drive creative solutionsTrue brand equity isn't measured on a 30-day dashboard; free yourself from over-measuring creative campaignsCustomers deserve brands that enable participation, not just transactions[00:12:28] "You can stat chase or you can build strategies that help you win as a team. The outcomes will be different depending on your approach." – Rene Federico[00:33:06] "Consumers don't shop your org chart, they shop your brand. Business models don't shop—customers do." – Rene Federico[00:45:31] "When you get someone to buy something, that is an exertion of power. It means somewhere in their conscience, you've been able to affect a choice. We're in a moment where the customer is the hero of the story." – Rene FedericoIn-Show Mentions:"That's So Primark" campaignHerald Square flagship opening Spring 2026Associated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a climate where most consumers are concerned about tariffs (84%) and inflation (80%), the holiday season is poised to be a battlefield for retention and revenue. Optimove’s Moshe Demri, SVP of Global Revenue, joins Future Commerce to walk through the 2025 Consumer Holiday Shopping Report and explain why the “charm customer” (those responsive to modest 10%-15% discounts) may be the key to sustainable growth.The Cherry-Picker’s DilemmaKey takeaways:Meet the three customer archetypes: Full-price buyers who purchase regardless of promotions, cherry pickers who chase deep discounts and rarely return, and "charm customers" who respond to modest 10%-15% discounts and show the highest retention rates over time. (The fourth archetype: Brian)Transparency as a competitive advantage: Brands that communicate their promotional calendar early (like telling customers in October "this is the only Black Friday promotion you'll see from us") build trust while competitors exhaust and frustrate their audiences.Post-holiday retention begins at checkout: Collecting gift-giving data and offering time-sensitive follow-up promotions can transform one-time gift purchasers into repeat customers. The key is creating urgency without devaluing the brand.Communication requires quality, not quantity: Dodging customer fatigue is worth the awareness risk.  Dialing back from daily to weekly emails might be the better move for companies this year.Strategic budget allocation matters more than discount depth: Want to boost long-term profitability and brand equity? Give your VIP customers high-value discounts and experiences, not low-tier cherry-pickers who are unlikely to stick around. From the Episode:Optimove’s 2025 Holiday Shopping ReportNew Modes: 2025 UpdateLearn more about this episode’s sponsors, Optimove, Aptos, and Future Commerce Plus. Associated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plus🆕 Access to our newest analysis feature for members, Field Notes, our retail space analysis briefing. Featuring brands like Swatch, Printemps, and Skims. Access to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 15% on Future Commerce print journals and merchExclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS)Ad-free episodes and bonus content! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are the days of product hype, Black Friday rushes, and format innovation behind us? Phillip, Brian, and Alicia hold Shoptalk Fall conversations to the light of agentic culture and predict an increasingly inevitable flattening of tangible novelty. PLUS: Alicia brings on-the-ground insight and breaks down key highlights and impactful sessions from Shoptalk Fall. Peak Format & Innovation SlumpKey takeaways:"Black Friday is every day" has killed the magic of seasonal shopping - constant sales and price monitoring tools have transformed holiday anticipation into year-round algorithmic optimization, stripping away the communal excitement of traditional retail eventsWe're trapped in efficiency over joy - consumers secretly crave the experiential magic of shopping but have locked themselves into frictionless "couch commerce" that prioritizes speed over satisfaction, leaving us operationally optimized but emotionally emptyIn-person retail needs to maintain its experiential advantage - many stores have become fulfillment centers where online order carts block aisles and associates are too busy pulling digital orders to provide the human connection that should differentiate physical retailHome Depot's efficiency wake-up call - Anne Marie Campbell revealed how using sales associates to fulfill online orders degraded in-store service, which inspired the retailer to create a separate team just for fulfilling online orders and ultimately protect the quality of service and experience “Creators are basically the new Black Friday.” – Phillip“It feels like we’ve come to the end of product…People used to be crazy about TVs as an innovation product. Now, there’s no interest at all. You can get an 80” HDTV for $500. We’ve peaked at the end of format for a lot of these products.” – Brian“‘We’re here on earth to fart around.’ – Kurt Vonnegut” – Brian LangeIn-Show Mentions:Read our Shoptalk Fall recap on InsidersNew Modes 2025 ReportSalish Matter at the American Dream MallAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Digital Shelf Institute’s Lauren Livak Gilbert joins us in the future: By 2030, successful commerce professionals will function as orchestrators rather than specialists. This transformation requires organizations to shift from hierarchical pyramid structures to more dynamic, amoeba-like models that can pivot rapidly to solve problems and capitalize on opportunities. P.S. Listen to part two of this conversation on Unpacking the Digital Shelf. Catch Digital Shelf Institute’s report, Reinventing the Organization for Omnichannel Success.“It Depends.” (And “Culture Means Everything”)Key takeaways:Stop asking where ecommerce sits - The right question is how to fundamentally change how organizations work to match how consumers actually shop across all channelsCommerce leaders must become orchestrators - Future success requires professionals who can coordinate across sales, marketing, supply chain, and customer experience rather than operating in functional silosAI enables strategic thinking - By automating remedial tasks like content creation and competitive analysis, AI frees up human talent for higher-value strategic work and cross-functional collaborationChief Growth Officers represent true omnichannel leadership - Unlike Chief Digital Officers (which were transitional roles), CGOs who own the entire consumer journey represent the permanent future of commerce organizationJoint business planning must integrate all functions - Brands showing up as one unified company to retail partners will become essential for maintaining competitive advantage and accessing new opportunities[00:16:39] "We shouldn't be asking, ‘where does ecommerce sit?’ We should be asking, ‘how are we fundamentally changing how we work to match the way that the consumer shops?’" -- Lauren[00:12:01] "Instead of being a digital marketer and like a traditional marketer, you're just a marketer who understands digital in store and every single other channel, including social commerce that you're seeing your consumer shop at." -- Lauren[00:23:47] "The true definition of omnichannel is having a leader who is accountable for the entire consumer journey. That's what a Chief Growth Officer is." -- Lauren[00:42:46] "Because commerce is culture." -- LaurenAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ingrid Millman Cordy returns to Future Commerce after her transition from Nestle Health Science to Chief Marketing Officer at HigherDose, where she's transforming infrared therapy and biohacking technologies into accessible wellness lifestyle products for everyone. Phillip, Brian, and Ingrid explore the intersection of intuitive wellness practices with data-driven marketing, the evolution of brand spirituality, and how premium wellness brands are finding their place between science and the metaphysical.When NASA Tech Meets Kitchen Table StartupKey Takeaways:Intuition Over Analytics: HigherDOSE allocates 15% to 20% of its budget towards experimental campaigns, balancing performance metrics with gut-driven brand decisions like Manhattan truck wrapsScience Meets Spirit: The brand combines NASA-developed technologies with frequency-based wellness, hiring team members who have both data analysis skills and Reiki trainingPremium Democratization: At-home biohacking devices prove more cost-effective than recurring spa treatments, making exclusive wellness technologies accessible for daily usePost-Data Wellness: Consumers’ shift from tracking-obsessed biohacking toward intuitive, feeling-based self-care reflects a broader cultural movement that the brand embraces [15:24] "We take a much more intuitive approach to wellness. I think the masculine biohacking world is very much about tracking your statistics and measurement... But we are trying more and more to relearn this type of methodology so it’s a lot more in tune with what we need." -- Ingrid[42:02] "The beauty of HigherDOSE is that we are actually where science meets the woo, right? There is tons and tons of scientific evidence that's been studied about the technologies that we sell." -- Ingrid[27:25] "It's funny to take a premium––really, frankly, elitist––brand and call it democratizing. But I agree. I think there's a lot of democratizing qualities about HigherDOSE." -- Ingrid[30:05] "When user-generated content started becoming popular, I was very deep in my premium luxury fashion and beauty headspace, where I was a late adopter. And I called it LGC, loser-generated content." -- IngridAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While everyone obsesses over AI shopping assistants, the real commerce transformation is happening in other spaces. Steve Norris from Logicbroker unpacks how Gen Alpha's $67 weekly spending habits, Roblox's 380 million users, and agentic tools are forcing retailers to reshape their operational backbones. Key takeaways:Loyalty has evolved from transactional to operational - Modern consumers demand authentic brand experiences over points and discounts, rewarding companies that consistently deliver on their stated valuesThe supply chain is the overlooked frontier - While everyone focuses on AI shopping assistants, the transformative opportunity lies in agentic order routing, returns processing, and risk scoringInventory visibility remains the ultimate blocker - Real-time visibility across distribution centers, stores, and supplier networks is still the foundational challenge preventing true omnichannel success"There are people that are buying now that aren't humans... That's just a weird statement when you say that out loud." - Steve Norris"We're moving from this transactional loyalty to more of this operational loyalty... which is like a brand's ability to be able to flawlessly execute on their position and their story." - Steve Norris"I used to hand-code web pages in Notepad.exe... I think we're in the notepad.exe stage of AI." - Phillip JacksonAssociated Links:Learn more about LogicbrokerCheck out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.