Retailgentic

Jason Nyus, General Manager of North America at Shopware, boasts over 25 years in e-commerce, including a significant tenure at Digital River. He discusses the rise of agentic commerce and the formation of the Agentic Commerce Alliance, designed to foster an open ecosystem. Jason explains Shopware's focus on mid-market complexities and its innovative freemium model. He also predicts a future where a billion-dollar brand operates without a website, with agentic commerce potentially comprising 25% of e-commerce by 2030.

Jordi Montes, Founder and CEO of SimpleCheckout.ai, shares his transformative journey from the Bitcoin Lightning Network to creating a unified payment framework for AI-driven commerce. He reveals how the capabilities of AI inspired agentic payments, emphasizing the need for payment systems that evolve beyond traditional browsers. Dive into his vision for L402, a protocol for AI agents, and why personalization will reshape online retail. With a focus on making payments agnostic, Jordi discusses the future of agent-to-agent transactions and the role of developers in this revolution.

In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot Wingo sits down with Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategies & Insights at CI&T. Melissa shares her perspective on consumer behavior, why ingrained shopping habits stick, and how agentic commerce will shape the future of retail.We cover:- Why consumer habits are so hard to change, even in grocery shopping- Exclusive sneak peek: fresh survey data showing 75% of consumers now use AI in their path to purchase- How agentic commerce could transform loyalty, pricing, and even group buying- Lessons from Target Canada and why back-office AI matters more than flashy consumer tools- Why TikTok might be the blueprint for agentic retail experiencesRetail is changing fast and the agentic future is already here. Subscribe for more conversations, insights, and data shaping the next chapter of commerce.Timestamps:00:00 – Consumers are routinized: why habits stick01:08 – Introducing the Retailgenic Podcast02:15 – Guest intro: Melissa Minco of CI&T04:06 – Melissa’s background: from Anthropologie to Target to CI&T08:52 – Target Canada lessons & retail systems breakdown12:00 – Apps vs. consumers: adoption, trust, and pushback15:00 – Agentic commerce: inside vs. outside view19:00 – Will consumers build their own shopping agents?23:00 – Exclusive data: 75% of consumers now use AI in their path to purchase28:00 – Sponsored GEO and consumer trust33:00 – Agent strategies: retailer, consumer, and third-party36:00 – Best practices: getting your “back office” right first40:00 – Checkouts, marketplaces, and the future of digital retail46:00 – Loyalty in the agentic era: Gen Z, UK vs. US, and discounts50:00 – Group buying, negotiation, and dynamic pricing56:00 – Reading the tea leaves: websites, zero-click, and consumer control01:00:00 – Melissa’s “personal agents” vision of the future01:05:00 – TikTok as a model for agentic commerce01:08:00 – Wrap-up & closing thoughtsReport drops at CI&T website soon: https://ciandt.com/us/en-us🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Dr. Amine Allouah completed his PhD at Columbia Business School, specializing in algorithmic game theory and optimization in multi-agent systems. After leading applied science work at Meta across ads, notifications, and marketplace teams, he co-founded My Custom AI to help enterprises deploy tailored AI solutions. His work bridges deep theory with practical applications, shaping how businesses think about LLMs, agents, and the economics of AI.This week on Retailgentic, we’re joined by Dr. Amine, co-founder of My Custom AI and one of the sharpest minds at the intersection of AI, economics, and retail. In this conversation, we dig deep into:Amine’s journey: École Polytechnique → Columbia → Meta → entrepreneurshipWhat algorithmic game theory means for real-world AI systemsWhy enterprises need custom models for accuracy, privacy, and cost savingsThe ACES Framework: how agents really “shop” onlineSurprising findings: agents ignore ads, but positioning still mattersWhy MCP isn’t enough, and what’s next for protocolsImplications for retailers, brands, and the future of retail mediaIf you’ve ever wondered how agents will reshape retail and what brands need to do right now to prepare, this episode will give you a front-row seat to the future of agentic commerce.Highlights/Timestamps ⏱️0:00 – How agents drive omnichannel growth beyond e-commerce5:00 – Meet guest Amine Allouah: from École Polytechnique to Columbia PhD9:30 – Game theory, algorithm design, and AI: lessons from his PhD13:45 – From Meta AI researcher to startup founder: the origin of My Custom AI18:10 – What My Custom AI does: feasibility studies, custom model training & workshops23:25 – Why retailers sometimes need their own LLMs: accuracy, privacy & cost savings29:20 – Beyond LLaMA: multimodal models, recommendation systems, and custom architectures34:05 – The ACES Framework: building a sandbox to study agent shopping39:16 – Optimizations around pricing, loyalty & group buying39:24 – Why group buying startups have struggled39:35 – Aligning buyer and seller agents for better outcomes44:15 – Agent behavior insights: Claude and the “ergonomic” keyword example48:50 – The case for seller-side agents and real-time PDP updates51:31 – Amazon is the first company to adopt the ACES framework55:00 – Retail media networks in an agent world: real-time “agentic ads”58:00 – Will websites die? The future of browsing, checkouts & merchant centers1:01:00 – Closing thoughts + where to find Amine & the ACES paper🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

In this episode of Retailgentic, Deloitte’s Chief Futurist Kasey Lobaugh joins us to explore the future of agentic commerce. Kasey has spent nearly three decades advising global retailers, brands, and manufacturers. He launched Deloitte Digital, now a multibillion-dollar business, and today leads Deloitte’s Future of the Consumer Industry platform. Known for coining the “great bifurcation” of consumers, Kasey helps executives anticipate disruptive forces and chart strategy amid seismic change.Scot and Kasey unpack the forces reshaping commerce and the role of AI:Six forces shaping the consumer industryThe great bifurcation of value vs. convenience shoppersRise of predictive enterprisesFragmentation and shifting demographicsAgentic AI and digital services growthDeclining Google traffic and new discovery modelsWhy “hopping the cost curve” may be essentialHighlights00:02:00 – Meet Kasey Lobaugh, Deloitte’s Chief Futurist for the consumer industry00:05:00 – The six forces shaping the future: consumer, culture, tech, industry, climate, and politics00:10:30 – Why growth feels constrained: demographics, barriers to entry, and shifting spend00:15:00 – The new bifurcation: asset owners vs. providers of labor00:20:00 – From mass retail to hyper-relevance powered by AI00:23:00 – The predictive enterprise: moving beyond insights to compute-led foresight00:25:30 – Surprising predictive attributes: why buying a cat can forecast retail behavior00:29:30 – Women and wealth: a dramatic shift by 203000:34:00 – The decline of search and rise of GenAI discovery00:40:00 – Retailers in the age of ChatGPT checkout00:46:00 – AI isn’t blockchain or VR: why adoption curves look different00:50:00 – Creativity unlocked: from AI-generated music to new consumer products00:54:00 – Hopping cost curves: why efficiency alone won’t win the AI era00:57:00 – Closing thoughts: racing to abundance, not the bottom🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

What happens when the marketing funnel collapses and AI takes over discovery? Scot Wingo talks with Andrea Leigh, Amazon veteran and CEO of Allume Group, about the latest Allume Insider Report (AIR).We cover:• How ~60% of shoppers now use AI for product research• “Value” as price and purpose (Gen Z, resale, circular)• Social commerce’s rise and the blur between entertainment & shopping• Why D2C sites are crucial for AI readability• The shaky future of retail media networks and SEOAndrea pulls back the curtain on how AI, value, and entertainment are rewriting the rules of commerce. This conversation is a roadmap for brands preparing for the collapse of search and the rise of agentic shopping.⏱️ Time Stamps01:41 – Guest intro: Andrea Leigh, Amazon alum & CEO of Allume Group.03:18 – Andrea’s Amazon career and path to founding Allume Group.06:14 – Amazon negotiations today: bots, automation, and leverage.06:59 – Tariffs: who pays and why consumers often shoulder it.08:01 – The origins of the Allume Insider Report (AIR).11:10 – Three trends shaping commerce: AI help, value, and fun.12:02 – 60% of shoppers already use AI for product discovery.15:16 – Gen Z starts searches on TikTok, not Amazon.19:29 – ChatGPT Checkout: affiliate or true marketplace?26:11 – Value redefined: bargain-hunting, private label, and resale on the rise.31:12 – Social commerce explodes: TikTok Shops headed for $17B.32:47 – “Amazon solved buying but killed shopping.”40:05 – D2C sites as AI-readable “source of truth.”46:22 – Retail media and SEO industries under pressure from AI.53:20 – Amazon’s Rufus and the fight to compete with LLMs.52:55 – Closing thoughts + download the free AIR report.🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

What happens when more than half of online shopping traffic comes from AI agents, not humans?In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot Wingo sits down with Alex Rampell, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, to unpack the seismic shift happening at the intersection of AI, commerce, and payments.We cover:Is Google really screwed? (and why AI threatens its business model)The future of agentic commerce & attribution warsLessons from TrialPay, Affirm, and affiliate marketingHow platforms like ChatGPT could become checkout destinationsWhy “optimization” may be the killer feature of AI shopping agentsIf you’re in e-commerce, retail, fintech, or just want to know how AI will change the way we buy and sell, this is a must-listen.⏱️ Time Stamps04:45 – Alex’s early days: shareware & credit card processing06:26 – TrialPay, affiliates & the Netflix-for-shareware idea08:45 – Founding Affirm & moving into venture at a16z09:55 – The “apps practice” and where value accrues (infra vs. apps)10:57 – “Is Google Screwed?” background & themes13:02 – Commerce attribution & affiliate marketing evolution15:04 – Impulse vs. highly considered purchases in AI era18:27 – Optimization: why AI wins on time vs. money tradeoff21:00 – Reviews, shill content, and trust problems23:50 – Hosted checkout: could ChatGPT become a marketplace?26:14 – Will Apple jump into AI commerce?28:35 – Coupon codes, group buying, and negotiation by agents30:04 – How commerce could be “rewired” by AI platforms31:25 – Closing thoughts & what’s next🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along:📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

What happens when consumers start trusting AI agents more than friends for shopping advice? On this episode of Retailgentic, we welcome Professor Luca Cian from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.Luca brings a unique perspective as a psychologist turned marketing scholar whose research spans visual persuasion, AI adoption, and consumer trust. We dive deep into how shoppers perceive AI in utilitarian vs. hedonic purchases, why trust in AI depends on “augmented decision-making,” and how brands should prepare for an AI-first retail future.From the paradox of choice to the emerging world of “GenAI Engine Optimization (GEO),” this conversation is packed with insights on how AI is rewriting the rules of marketing, loyalty, and consumer psychology.Tune in for:The psychology of trust in AI: why we accept AI for practical tasks but resist it in creative/hedonic domainsThe paradox of choice and how AI alleviates decision fatigueHow brands can adapt to the rise of agentic commerce and GEO (GenAI Engine Optimization)Future of loyalty programs when shopping decisions are mediated by AI agents🕒 Timestamps:00:02:05 — Guest intro: Luca Cion, UVA Darden professor, studies consumer psychology and AI in marketing.00:09:36 — Early AI research with GPT-3 preview; skepticism then rapid shift in perception.00:17:12 — Survey: 60% trust AI purchase suggestions more than friends → ties to “paradox of choice.”00:21:01 — Word-of-Machine Effect: AI trusted for utilitarian products, humans preferred for hedonic ones.00:28:53 — Trust grows when AI is augmented by humans and shows transparency (black box effect reduced).00:36:11 — AI Mistake Generalization: consumers forgive humans but not AI; one AI error erodes trust broadly.00:46:06 — Loyalty as a decision shortcut; in the AI age, human touch and anthropomorphism become vital.00:50:40 — People blame AI less than humans for unfair treatment (e.g., firing decisions).00:53:32 — Executive MBA discussions: AI displacing middle management but creating future opportunities.00:58:00 — Managers should lead with human strategic vision, then use AI/data to validate decisions.🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.

Kiri Masters, the founder of Bobsled Marketing and Retail Media Breakfast Club, dives into the evolving world of retail media and AI. She shares insights on how loyalty programs can become crucial competitive advantages in an AI-driven landscape. Kiri discusses the concept of agentic shopping and its potential to disrupt major retailers. Plus, she compares Walmart and Amazon's AI strategies and explores how consumer behavior is rapidly changing due to technology. Her breadth of knowledge paints a vivid picture of the future of commerce.

In this episode of the Retailgentic podcast, we sit down with Karl Haller, Partner at IBM Consulting and leader of their Consumer Industry Center of Competency. Karl brings deep insight into the retail, CPG, and fashion sectors, sharing how AI is reshaping enterprise operations, from store-level automation to the rise of agentic shopping and AI-native brands.We explore:How IBM uses AI internally to save billionsThe future of AI-native startups with 5x leaner orgsWhat retailers need to know about agent-based shoppingHow personalization and dynamic pricing could transform the consumer experience📍 Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & Karl’s background01:10 – IBM's early AI work and internal cost savings05:00 – AI’s shift from hype to workflow transformation07:15 – Retail use cases: contact centers, operations, and automation10:55 – The agentic shopping shift: consumers vs. retailers16:00 – Why gift-giving may tip agentic shopping into the mainstream18:30 – ChatGPT’s hosted checkout and new marketplace dynamics22:00 – The rise of AI-native brands and single-person unicorns30:00 – Store-level orchestration and event-triggered workflows36:00 – Personalization in stores—like having Anna Wintour’s whisperer39:00 – Dynamic pricing and loyalty-based personalization44:00 – Final thoughts: the slow shift until the tipping point hits🧠 Want to stay ahead in AI commerce? Subscribe and follow along: 📰 Subscribe to the free Substack: retailgentic.ai📺 Watch episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@retailgentic🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple, etc.