Future Commerce

Daisy Alioto and Francis Zierer, co-founders of Tasteland, dive into the intriguing world of media mergers, focusing on how their brands, Dirt and Creator Spotlight, intertwine. They discuss the evolution of podcasting as a creative outlet and the importance of fostering genuine community connections. The duo emphasizes the delicate balance of personal taste and media influence, touching on the significance of collaboration and the shifting dynamics within the media landscape. Their insights explore how design choices can signal cultural credibility and inspire audiences.

Feat. Josh FriedmanLive from Shoptalk Spring in Las Vegas, Phillip and Brian sit down with Josh Friedman, VP of Digital & eCommerce at Ulta Beauty, for an insider look at how one of America’s leading beauty retailers is evolving its digital experience. From launching a curated, invitation-only marketplace to expanding into wellness and enhancing in-app experiences, Josh shares how Ulta is blending personalization, innovation, and culture to deepen customer relationships. If you're in ecommerce or retail, this episode is packed with insights on community, category expansion, and retail media.Extending the Endless AisleKey takeaways:Curation Over Clutter: Ulta’s invitation-only marketplace prioritizes strategic brand extension over endless assortment, reinforcing its role as a tastemaker rather than a commodity platform.Wellness as a Growth Frontier: Ulta is capitalizing on consumer perception and search behavior to deepen its presence in wellness, positioning beauty and wellbeing as an integrated lifestyle category.Omnichannel Experience, Reinvented: The Ulta app serves as a central digital companion—bridging AR try-ons, real-time inventory, and event discovery to create a seamless, pre- and post-store journey.Community-Led Commerce: Ulta’s growing in-app community fosters peer-to-peer engagement and brand interaction, transforming customer relationships into participatory ecosystems.Tech-Enabled Personalization at Scale: Leveraging Adobe, Miracle, and Databricks, Ulta is advancing real-time personalization, AI-powered merchandising, and a retail media network that integrates seamlessly into its broader ecommerce infrastructure.“We're not going after an endless aisle. We're really just going after an extender.” – Josh Friedman“We want the app to be the destination to have beauty and wellness.” – Josh Friedman“We owe it to our customers to requite them with a personalized experience that’s relevant to them.” – Josh Friedman“Marketplace should be a gateway into experimenting, growing a bit of a business, and becoming a candidate for our physical shelves.” – Josh Friedman“We all have to understand AI-driven commerce as a totally new mode of shopping—it’s not just a new channel.” – Phillip JacksonAssociated Links:Order LORE by Future CommerceCheck 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!

Marketing expert Elizabeth Schmidt, with a background at Disney and Target, dives into the dynamics of Gen Z marketing and luxury retail. She discusses how brands like Zadig & Voltaire effectively target Gen Z while Gen X parents make the buys. The conversation highlights the revival of nostalgia in retail and the significance of storytelling in advertising. Schmidt also touches on the shifting landscape of luxury branding, emphasizing community and experiential value as key drivers of consumer engagement.

The brilliant Orchid Bertelsen is back with a huge announcement… PLUS: From Aritzia x Sperry's viral fashion to the surprising new role of Amazon in eCommerce, we explore how brands are winning (and losing) in today’s retail landscape.“I Would Sugarcoat This, But You Would Eat That Too”Key takeaways:[00:04:30] The Sperry x Aritzia collaboration is a calculated and strategic flexing of the Aritzia brand to drive traffic by leveraging the resurgence of the boat shoe trend.[00:19:30] The new metric of business health and the future of retail and private equity. [00:44:00] Has SkinnyTok gone too far? [01:02:00] Our heroes of the week: White Lotus and their brand collaborations—authorized and unauthorized—and whoever designed this shirt.[01:05:00] Our villains of the week: Pepsi, for buying Poppi (for $1.7 billion), and the new economic policies and tariff policies that drove Forever 21 and Dollar General out of business. “The average shelf life of a digital skill is roughly 18 months…but I would say it’s 3-6 months.” – Orchid “We know the algorithm is shaping how we think. The crazy part? We’re okay with it.” – Phillip“My TLDR for the next three years? It goes back to business fundamentals. You have to be so diligent about every dollar in and every dollar out and run your business to maximize EBITDA.” – Orchid“Large companies are not in the business of turnaround.” – Orchid “So, Temporarily 21?” – Orchid“Luxury brands think they can raise prices forever. The secondhand market is proving them wrong.” – PhillipIn-Show Mentions:@orchidbert on TikTokSperry x Aritzia collaborationMiu Miu boat shoeI got Severed at Claire’sAssociated Links:Preorder your copy of the LORE Journal by Future CommerceCheck 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!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusAccess to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 20% 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!

This week, we are talking Home Depot’s b-hole reminiscent chatbot and vibecoding JD Vance’s face. Plus—the biggest mystery in American shopping: why does TJ Maxx make people need to poop? Also on tap: Apple’s iPad launch cringefest and a surprising rise in Android smartphone adoption among creatives AND finance bros alike.The Rise of Butthole LogosKey takeaways:Home Depot's "Magic Apron" and Lowe's "Milo" chatbots launched within hours of each other—proving that every brand now needs an AI assistant, even if they all look the same.AI is speeding towards eliminating websites as we know them—future shopping experiences will be conversations, not catalogs.Apple's recent marketing attempts are wildly out of touch—trends about trends are dead, but nobody told Tim Cook.Are we Pavlov-ing ourselves into using the bathroom at TJMaxx? All signs point to yesVibe coding is taking over—non-coders can now generate functional apps, proving that AI isn’t just summarizing things anymore—it’s building them from scratch.[00:01:19] “Eenie meenie miney Milo. Home Depot's chatbot looks like a b-hole.” - Phillip[00:55:05] “AI is fundamentally changing the way we interact with software. Convenience is the ultimate aim of technology, and we're just at the beginning of this shift.” - BrianLinks:In-show mention: Purchase The Lore JournalIn-show mention: Home Depot Chatbot and Press ReleaseIn-show mention: TJMaxx Reddit ThreadIn-show mention: Register for Shoptalk AfterpartyCheck 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!This episode of Future Commerce is brought to you by Future Commerce Plus and our sponsors Omnisend and MotionApp and Keen Decision Systems.

Scripted, mass-produced influencer marketing has sent the internet spiraling toward a dystopian era of “loser-generated content.” Plus, we share key insights from eTail West, a sneak peek into Future Commerce’s Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, and dissect some disturbing internet finds of the week.The End of the World As We Know ItKey takeaways:[04:00] Lemon Balm Tea’s influencer campaign: Meanwhile, on TikTok, a scripted ad for Lemon Balm Tea sparks hundreds of fake testimonials. How many “highest-paid nutritionists” can there really be?[14:00] Old men yell at the Cloud: Is the internet dead? TikTok, Twitter, and even LinkedIn algorithms are riddled with bots and unchecked scripted influencer marketing.[32:00] The Word of Mouth Index: FC+ and Fairing collaborate on a one-of-a-kind index – available to all FC+ members now.[33:00] eTail recap: Future Commerce’s seven sessions included a keynote from Phillip on time capsules and what they represent for commerce and culture. Brian closed out eTail with three sessions in a row on ___[35:00] Overheard at eTail: A lot of concern around tariffs, anticipation for Target’s earnings (not looking good), and other fears around national commerce. [45:00] Obvi’s viral organic ad: An Arcads.ai employee brags about the efficacy of a recent Obvi TikTok marketing a weight loss supplement. The 14.1-million view video likely drove over five figures of revenue, but critics claim a lack of legality and raise an important question about AI marketing regulation.“It’s the grossest way to market.” – Brian“Social is bought and paid for and sold.” – Brian“The greatest reach I’ve had on Twitter happened when I left a benign comment on Kieran Culkin’s Oscar speech and thirty people made fun of me.” – Phillip“Cultural production is downstream of commerce and commerce-driven social discourse happening on the internet.” – Phillip“There are two ways people pay attention to things: If they’re funny or if they’re hot.” – BrianIn-Show Mentions:Insiders: Alex Greifeld’s The End of OutsideOrder your copy of LORESteph Liu on XWord of Mouth Index - designed in partnership with FairingBarry Hott on XAssociated 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!

Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plusAccess to our new Word of Mouth Index with Fairing, a brand new member benefitSave 20% 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!

This discussion dives into the intriguing collaboration between Nike and Kim Kardashian's Skims, exploring its impact on the activewear market. The hosts also delve into the ominous yet fascinating future of gene editing, including attempts to resurrect extinct species like mammoths. Plus, they unpack the implications of Howard Lutnick's new role as Commerce Secretary and what's ahead for the commerce landscape. With tales of glowing pets and ethical dilemmas in bioengineering, the conversation is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Explore the future of commerce with transformative ideas like AV-driven urban planning and the rise of ad-infiltrated environments. Discover Amazon's strategy to sway traffic, possibly overshadowing traditional search engines. Uncover intriguing studies from Meta on mind-reading technology. Celebrate the week's heroes and villains in the retail world while getting hyped for the upcoming Shoptalk After Party. The landscape of shopping is evolving rapidly, making it a captivating time to be involved!