BONUS S6E7 8 retail trends for 2026 including AI-assisted shoppers, why people are the new luxury, and the grey swans most retailers are ignoring



Casey Golden and Ricardo Belmar spent two days at The Lead Summit in New York City with the operators, founders, and analysts actually running retail right now, and they walked out with a clear read on the retail trends 2026 will be built on. Instead of a session-by-session recap, this bonus episode pulls out the eight cross-cutting themes that showed up no matter whose stage they were on, from Anthropologie and Talbots to Hey Dude, Olaplex, Loop, and Coterie.



The headline: every AI experiment built to replace people was a failure story, and every one built to extend people was a winner. From there the conversation runs through the rewired store, the rise of the AI-assisted shopper, why human connection is becoming the new luxury, and the grey swan events most retailers can see coming but refuse to plan for. If you want the retail trends 2026 leaders are quietly betting on, plus what to do about it Monday morning, this is the episode.



In This Episode, You'll Learn

•       Why AI augmentation beats AI replacement, and the customer service "40% ticket deflection" stat that fell apart under real measurement

•       How the AI-assisted shopper is already changing product discovery, and why generative engine optimization (GEO) is getting 80% of the attention on 5% of the traffic

•       Why "people are the new luxury" may be the one theme still defining retail trends 2026 a year from now

•       What Talbots' 35-of-100 transactions stat says about store KPIs beyond sales per square foot

•       How community beat audience for breakout brands, and why your brand story now has to teach the LLMs who you are

•       The grey swans hiding in plain sight: GLP-1, the aging of America, and single-geography supply chain risk

•       The Monday-morning move to make before the AI-assisted shopper takes a bigger bite of your holiday traffic



Notable Moments & Quotes

•       "AI won't sit down and have a cigarette with me." The line that summed up why people still matter.

•       "Listening is a capability, but hearing is a skill."

•       Rainbow Shops: a vendor's 40% ticket deflection collapsed because customers just hung up and called back for a human.

•       Talbots' Concierge clienteling went from reaching 300,000 of 750,000 eligible customers to all of them, while keeping the calls human. AI does the volume, people do the moments.

•       Loop Earplugs grew from $1M to $250M in five years, obsessing over one question: where did you first hear about us?

•       MoMA Design Store: "We're not Amazon, and we don't want to be."

•       Randa Apparel's grey swans: GLP-1 (roughly 8M users today, potentially 100M by 2030), more Americans over 65 than under 18 by 2028, and the warning that "a business built around a single geography isn't lean, it's exposed."



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If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Retail Trends 2026: 8 Signals From The Lead Summit

S6E6 Campari America's Allison Varone on mindful drinking, Gen Z, and the new rules of beverage brand building



Everyone keeps repeating that Gen Z doesn't drink. The data tells a far more interesting story, and this episode unpacks it.



In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Allison Varone [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-varone-4650901/], Head of Marketing at Campari America [https://www.camparigroup.com/en], for a genuine masterclass in beverage brand building. With more than 20 years across the wine and spirits industry, Allison leads marketing for one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world: Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Courvoisier, Grand Marnier, Espolòn Tequila, and the newly US-launched Crodino, a non-alcoholic spritz beloved in Italy since 1965.



This conversation goes beyond the headlines about the spirits industry to explore the cultural shifts, strategic bets, and marketing instincts behind some of the most recognizable drinks in the world, and what they mean for anyone building consumer brands in 2026.



What We Cover

·       How Gen Z is redefining drinking culture, and why mindful drinking is a growth opportunity for the spirits industry rather than a threat

·       The "zebra striping" trend: how consumers now bounce between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages depending on the occasion

·       Crodino's US launch and the strategic timing behind Campari America's move into the non-alcoholic spirits space

·       Why occasion-led marketing has replaced category-first brand thinking across the beverage industry

·       What Aperol's Coachella activation and Negroni Week reveal about experiential marketing ROI

·       How Wild Turkey's "Don't Change a Damn Thing" campaign keeps a heritage brand culturally relevant on TikTok

·       The real playbook for challenger brands trying to break through a crowded beverage market

·       What premiumization actually means when consumers are cautious, and how Espolòn Tequila balances premium with accessible

·       Inside the Campari Academy and how bartender education becomes a competitive advantage

·       A bold look at the spirits industry in 2035: more inclusive, more occasion-led, and centered on human connection



A Standout Idea from This Episode

Allison's advice to brand strategists was refreshingly direct: focus less on categories and more on how consumers are actually evolving. Lead with the occasion, then figure out where your brand fits into that moment. That is brand strategy advice that travels far beyond the spirits industry.



Whether you work in retail, brand marketing, CPG, or you are simply curious about how culture shapes consumer behavior, this episode delivers insight you can use immediately.



This Episode is Brought to You By RetailClub [https://www.retailclub.com/].

Join 2,000 retail leaders at RetailClub AI Festival, September 22–24 in Huntington Beach. Dive deep into how AI is reshaping retail while soaking up the sun at a fully outdoor, beachside venue. Decision-makers from retailers and brands can attend with free tickets and up to $1,250 in travel reimbursement. Head to retailclub.com [https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcast] to learn more. https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcast



Subscribe & Follow

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods

Shaken, Not Stirred — and Maybe Non-Alcoholic: The Future of Beverages & Spirits

S6E5 What Retailers Must Know About Prompt Injection, Rogue Bots & AI Agent Security Before It's Too Late



Your AI shopping agent just drained your bank account. It's not a glitch — that's the objective it was given. Welcome to the new reality of agentic commerce, where autonomous AI agents shop, transact, and negotiate on behalf of consumers and brands — and where cybercriminals are already waiting to exploit every crack in the system.



In this must-listen episode of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Dr. Aaron Estes, VP of Product & Engineering at Binary Defense, to unpack the retail cybersecurity crisis that most retailers haven't even started preparing for. With half of all internet traffic already coming from bots and 1 in 8 AI-related breaches now involving a rogue agent, the agentic commerce era is creating attack surfaces we've never seen before.



Dr. Estes brings 20+ years of hands-on cybersecurity expertise, including penetration testing at Lockheed Martin and advisory work with leading retailers. He breaks down exactly how AI agents differ from traditional e-commerce threats, why prompt injection attacks are the new frontier of retail cybersecurity, and what practical guardrails every retailer needs to put in place right now.



What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

 * Why AI agents are fundamentally different from human users — and why they'll "very confidently spend all your money" to hit their objective
 * How prompt injection attacks trick AI agents into leaking sensitive data
 * Why every AI agent needs its own identity, login, and role-based access controls — just like an employee
 * The "bots watching bots" architecture that's becoming the new standard in agentic commerce security
 * How AI shopping bots are already exploiting loyalty programs, gift cards, and rewards systems
 * Why retailers must rethink retail cybersecurity assumptions as autonomous shoppers replace human ones
 * How to identify rogue chatbots and fraudulent AI agents impersonating legitimate brands
 * What "human-in-the-loop" oversight really means — and where it's non-negotiable in agentic commerce



This Episode is Brought to You By RetailClub [https://www.retailclub.com/].

Join 2,000 retail leaders at RetailClub AI Festival, September 22–24 in Huntington Beach. Dive deep into how AI is reshaping retail while soaking up the sun at a fully outdoor, beachside venue. Decision-makers from retailers and brands can attend with free tickets and up to $1,250 in travel reimbursement. Head to retailclub.com [https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcast] to learn more. https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcast



Subscribe & Follow

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

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AI Agents Gone Rogue: The Cybersecurity Risks Retailers Are Ignoring in Agentic Commerce

S6E4 Exploring the rise of performance TV, off-site retail media, and what it means for retailers and brands.



Retail media is evolving fast, and if you're still stuck in 2022, you're already behind. In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with retail media expert Andrew Lipsman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipsman-10b2162/] to explore how Retail Media Networks(RMNs) are expanding into Connected TV (CTV) and off-site retail media to drive growth in 2026 and beyond.



From Amazon and Walmart’s bold moves into performance TV to the rise of off-site retail media as a full-funnel strategy, this episode is packed with insights for retailers and brands navigating the next wave of retail media strategy. Andrew breaks down the challenges of measurement, the myth of ROAS, and why CMOs and agencies need to rethink their approach to retail media.



What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

 * Why connected TV is the next frontier for retail media networks
 * How off-site retail media is growing 3x faster than on-site
 * The real story behind ROAS and why it’s often misleading
 * How Amazon and Walmart are dominating performance TV
 * What smaller RMNs can do to compete through partnerships
 * Why CMOs and agencies must evolve their retail media strategy
 * How to build a full-funnel retail media approach that works



Whether you're building a retail media network or buying ad space for your next brand campaign, this episode is packed with the sharp insights you need to stay ahead.



Subscribe & Follow

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utube



About our Guest

Andrew Lipsman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipsman-10b2162/]. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipsman-10b2162/

Analyst, Consultant, and Founder - Media, Ads + Commerce.

Andrew Lipsman is an independent analyst and principal consultant at Media, Ads + Commerce. His industry coverage specializes in retail media—which he is known for anointing as “digital advertising’s third big wave”—and other areas of the digital media, advertising, and commerce ecosystem. He has published more than a half dozen articles in the Journal of Advertising Research and is frequently quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, and Advertising Age.

Media, Ads + Commerce [https://mediaadsandcommerce.substack.com/]. https://mediaadsandcommerce.substack.com [https://mediaadsandcommerce.substack.com/]

Media, Ads + Commerce is a co

Off-site Retail Media & CTV - Andrew Lipsman on Retail Media’s Next Frontier

S6E3 PayPal’s Mike Edmonds breaks down agentic commerce and how it redefines trust, loyalty, and the merchant‑of‑record future



Agentic commerce is no longer theoretical. It’s already reshaping how shoppers discover, evaluate, and buy products. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Edmonds [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeledmonds/], VP of Agentic Commerce & Commercial Growth at PayPal [https://www.paypal.com/us/business], to break down what agentic commerce really means for retailers right now and how agentic AI is transforming the entire shopping lifecycle.



We explore the three major use cases of agentic commerce, how AI shopping agents are changing product discovery, why payments and trust are now central to the agentic commerce experience, and how retailers can maintain control of customer relationships through merchant‑of‑record models.



If you’ve been trying to understand how agentic commerce works, how agentic AI fits into the retail ecosystem, or what retailers must do in the next six months to stay competitive, this episode delivers the clarity and direction you need.



What You’ll Learn

 * What agentic commerce actually is; and why it matters now
 * How agentic AI is reshaping product discovery, checkout, and loyalty
 * The three core use cases: CUA, agentic checkout, and autonomous agent‑to‑agent shopping
 * Why payments, identity, and trust are the foundation of agentic commerce
 * How merchant‑of‑record models protect data and customer relationships
 * The role of loyalty programs in an agent‑driven world
 * Catalog readiness and the challenge of integrating with multiple LLMs
 * How close we are to the universal cart
 * What retailers must do today to prepare for the agentic shift



Why This Episode Matters

Agentic commerce is moving faster than most retailers realize. As agentic AI becomes embedded in browsers, apps, and everyday workflows, retailers must rethink how they manage trust, identity, payments, and customer experience. This episode gives you the frameworks and real‑world examples to understand how agentic commerce will reshape retail in the months ahead.



Subscribe & Follow

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utube



About our Guest

Mike Edmonds [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeledmonds/]. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeledmonds/

VP Agentic Commerce, Commercial Growth at PayPal [https://www.paypal.com/us/business]. https://www.paypal.com/us/business

Mike Edmonds is VP

What Agentic Commerce & Agentic AI Mean for Retailers Right Now

S6E2 The Retail Growth Strategy Retailers Need for 2026 with Today’s Economic Realities, Tariffs, Fed Moves, and Consumer Shifts



In this powerful episode of The Retail Razor Show, Dr. Rebecca Homkes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-homkes/], London Business School lecturer, Duke faculty member, high‑growth strategy advisor, and author of Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times [https://a.co/d/0aXECIB2], joins Ricardo and Casey to break down what retailers must understand about the economic outlook in 2026, shifting consumer behavior, and the strategic moves that separate winners from laggards.



Rebecca explains why uncertainty is not a threat but a catalyst for growth, and how her Survive, Reset, Thrive (SRT) framework helps leaders stabilize quickly, reset strategy intelligently, and execute a retail growth strategy that works even in volatile conditions. She also unpacks the realities behind sticky inflation, tariffs, the no‑hire/no‑fire labor market, and the rise of the K‑shaped consumer economy.



If you want to build a retail growth strategy that thrives in the face of market shocks, this episode gives you the playbook.



What We Cover

 * Why the economic outlook in 2026 is full of contradictions, and what that means for retail
 * How the SRT loop helps leaders stabilize, reset, and thrive
 * Real‑world examples of companies using SRT to turn crises into growth
 * Why averages hide the truth about consumer sentiment
 * The rise of the K‑shaped economy and the death of the “everyman” consumer
 * Value vs. price: why consumers will still pay more for what they truly value
 * How retailers should think about store formats, assortment, and experimentation
 * The must‑win battles for 2026
 * Where AI actually moves the needle in a retail growth strategy



Key Takeaways

 * Uncertainty is the best time to grow: because customers, partners, and employees are more honest about what they value.
 * Value ≠ price. Consumers want their dollar to go further, not necessarily cheaper products.
 * The middle of the market is the danger zone. Retailers must choose: differentiated premium or true value leadership.
 * Retail growth strategy in 2026 requires testing, iteration, and abandoning legacy assumptions.
 * Economic outlook in 2026 signals a decoupling between GDP strength and consumer reality: leaders must plan accordingly.



Subscribe & Follow

Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utube



About our Guest

Rebecca Homkes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-homkes/], https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-homkes/

https://www.rebeccahomkes.com [https://www.rebeccahomkes.com/]

Author, Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times [https://a.co/d/0aXECIB2]. https://a.co/d/0aXECIB2



Rebecca Homkes [https://www.rebeccahomkes.com/], is a high-growth strategy specialist, CEO and executive advisor. After more than a decade of advising her clients on devel

Retail Growth Strategy in a K Shaped Economy — Dr. Rebecca Homkes Breaks It Down

S6E1 Retail Media’s New Reality: DSP Shifts, Agentic Commerce & Brand Strategy for 2026



Season 6 of The Retail Razor Show kicks off with a deep dive into one of the most important topics in commerce today: retail media. Ricardo and Casey sit down with Jeff Cohen [https://skai.io/reports-and-whitepapers/2026-state-of-retail-media-report/], Chief Business Development Officer at Skai [https://skai.io/], to unpack the newly released 2026 State of Retail Media Report [https://skai.io/reports-and-whitepapers/2026-state-of-retail-media-report/], created in partnership with Stratably.



This episode explores how brands, versus retailers, are navigating the rapid evolution of retail media. From DSP shifts and CTV growth to AI adoption and agentic commerce, measurement challenges, and the widening gap between leaders and laggards, this conversation delivers the insights every brand marketer needs heading into 2026.



What We Cover

 * Why retail media now commands nearly 30% of US digital ad spend
 * The rise of retail media maturity and what separates leaders from laggards
 * Why organizational structure is now a top predictor of retail media success
 * The growing importance of Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)
 * How brands should evaluate incrementality, attribution, and ROI
 * Why CTV and sponsored brand video are accelerating
 * The role of AI and agentic commerce in shaping future shopping journeys
 * What brands must do in 2026 to stay competitive



Download the 2026 State of Retail Media Report (free):

https://skai.io/reports-and-whitepapers/2026-state-of-retail-media-report/



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTube



About our Guests

Jeff Cohen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreycohen/], Chief Business Development Officer, Skai [https://skai.io/]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreycohen/

Jeff Cohen leads global business development at Skai, overseeing partnerships and innovation across the commerce media ecosystem. A recognized thought leader, he is focused on uniting brands, agencies, retailers, and publishers around the next era of growth. Previously, Jeff was Principal Evangelist at Amazon Ads.



Chapters:

00:00 Preview Teaser 

00:53 Show Intro 

03:45 Welcome Jeff Cohen 

06:24 Retail Media Maturity and Brand Strategies 

08:30 Leaders vs. Laggards in Retail Media 

12:12 Organizational Structure and Retail Media Success 

17:35 Amazon Ads and DSP Insights 

24:36 Evaluating Performance Across Platforms 

27:45 The Shift to Full Funnel Advertising 

29:46 Challenges in Measurement and Attribution 

30:50 The Role of AMC in Retail Media 

33:01 Incrementality and Budget Constraints 

35:45 AI's Impact on Retail Media 

37:10 Strategies for Brands in an AI World 

42:54 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts 

Retail Media 2026 - DSP Shifts, Agentic Commerce & Brand Strategy

Agentic Commerce, Retail Media, and the Human Experience: Season 6 Preview



Season 6 of The Retail Razor Show is here, and we’re diving into the future of retail through the lens of Agentic Commerce and Retail Media. In this trailer, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden introduce a season built around the collision of technology, content, and the human experience. As Agentic Commerce reshapes how consumers discover and buy products, Retail Media becomes the environment where every decision is influenced, measured, and optimized.



This season builds on the momentum from Season 5, where we explored resilience, digital marketing, sustainability, resale, marketplace strategy, and leadership in an AI saturated world. Now we move into a new era where AI agents may shop on behalf of consumers, and retailers must understand how Agentic Commerce changes engagement, loyalty, and the path to purchase. At the same time, Retail Media continues to expand as a core revenue engine and a critical part of the customer journey.



You’ll hear from innovators who are building systems powered by Agentic AI, leaders redefining Retail Media strategy, and operators proving that frontline teams can thrive when technology is designed to support them. This season explores how Agentic Commerce transforms merchandising, planning, and customer experience, and why the human connection still matters more than ever.



Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartMedia, YouTube, and Goodpods. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn, Blue Sky, Threads, and Instagram.



If you want to understand where retail is heading in 2026, this is the podcast for you!



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTube



Chapters:

00:00 Cold Open 

00:23 Intro to Season 6 

00:50 Reflecting on Last Season 

01:38 Introducing Agentic AI 

01:51 The Role of Media in Retail 

02:09 Human Connection in a Digital World 

03:02 The Era of Agentic Commerce 

04:03 Looking Ahead: Innovators and Leaders 

04:44 Stay Connected and Engaged



Meet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:



Ricardo Belmar [https://bit.ly/LIRBelmar] is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert [https://rethink.industries/top-retail-experts-2026/] from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 [https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/profiles/view/3427] has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail and AGI, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Management, Careers, and Transformation, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Agentic AI and Digital Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation [https://business.gmu.edu/retail/] and the Retail Cloud Alliance [https://www.retailcloudalliance.com/our-community]. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.



Casey Golden [https://bit.ly/twCasey], is CEO of 

The New Era of Agentic Commerce and Retail Media Begins!

S5E14 2025 Retail Year in Review - AI, Consumer Shifts, and the Future of Commerce with Guest Host, Alicia Esposito!



In this Season 5 finale of The Retail Razor Show, guest host Alicia Esposito [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciaesposito/] (Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/]) sits down with Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden for a deep, unfiltered 2025 retail year in review. Together, they unpack the biggest trends shaping the industry, from AI’s accelerating influence, to the emotional needs of today’s consumer, the rise of resale, the evolution of marketplaces, and the shifting definition of value.



Across the Retail Razor Podcast Network - The Retail Razor Show, Blade to Greatness, Data Blades, and Retail Transformers - this year’s guests revealed a powerful through‑line: retail is no longer just about convenience or price. It’s about culture, community, emotion, and the human experience.



This episode explores:

 * How AI is reshaping leadership, decision‑making, and personalization
 * Why consumers—especially Gen Z—are craving analog joy and emotional shopping
 * The rise of marketplaces like Temu and AliExpress
 * Retail media’s evolution and the coming disruption from agentic commerce
 * The loyalty shakeout and why brand equity matters more than ever
 * The explosive growth of resale and secondhand shopping
 * Holiday shopping behavior and the psychology behind “perpetual shopping lists”
 * The keywords that will define 2026: velocity and joy



If you want to understand where retail is heading in 2026, this is the episode you can’t miss!



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTube



About our Guest Host

Alicia Esposito [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciaesposito/], Director, Content + Media Strategy - Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciaesposito/

 Alicia is the head of content and insights for Future Commerce. At Future Commerce we are big on dissecting the intersection of culture and commerce and not just covering what's happening today, but also what are the ripple effects for tomorrow, and for the future. Future Commerce delivers consumer insights for e-commerce and retail brands. Newsletters, essays, podcasts, and research. For the risk-takers in Commerce! Future Commerce helps brands manifest vision and create goals which lead to future-altering impacts for their customers, and for the world around them.



Chapters:

00:00 Preview

01:06 Introduction and Host Introduction

03:02 Balancing Automation and Human Intuition

06:57 Consumer Behavior and AI

10:18 The Evolution of Retail Experiences

18:21 The Importance of Brand Value

24:14 Challenges in Fast Fashion and Marketplaces

28:23 The Future of Commerce

31:36 Retail Media Evolution

36:50 Consumer Behavior and Shopping Trends

41:09 The Impact of Resale and Sustainability

50:12 Personalization and AI in Retail

53:16 The Keyword That Will Represent 2026

55:45 Show Close

<

The Future of Retail Unveiled - From AI Insights to Consumer Joy!

S5E13 Future of AI-Powered Consumer Insights with Trevor Sumner & Stan Sthanunathan



In Season 5, Episode 13 of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden tackle one of retail’s biggest blind spots in consumer insights: the consumer sentiment gap. For decades, brands relied on surveys to understand shoppers. But what people say doesn’t always match what they do.



Enter AI-powered shopper insights!



Joining the conversation are Trevor Sumner [https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorsumner/] (CEO of i-Genie AI [http://i-genie.ai/]) and Stan Sthanunathan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-sthanunathan-1ab4035/] (Executive Chairman of i-Genie AI [http://i-genie.ai/], former EVP at Unilever and VP at Coca-Cola). Together, they reveal how billions of unfiltered signals — from searches, reviews, and social posts — can be transformed into real-time, actionable consumer insights that reshape retail decision-making.



What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

 * Why traditional consumer surveys are breaking down
 * How AI and natural language processing uncover real customer behavior
 * The role of empathy vs sympathy in understanding consumers
 * How disruptor brands are reshaping competitive landscapes
 * Why augmented intelligence (AI + human insight) is the future of retail strategy and consumer insights



Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/



Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com [https://retailrazor.substack.com/]

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTube



About our Guests

Trevor Sumner, CEO, i-Genie.AI [http://i-genie.ai/] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorsumner/

Trevor is a NYC-based entrepreneur, product and marketing executive and recognized startup advisor and angel. Trevor is the CEO at i-Genie.ai [http://i-genie.ai/], the leading AI platform for consumer insights, revolutionizing an industry that had been dominated with antiquated survey methodologies by synthesizing tens of billions of searches, social and video posts, ratings and reviews and market data for industry leaders like Kenvue, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Bayer, Clorox and more.



Previously, Mr. Sumner was Head of AI and Data Platform products for Raydiant, a leading VC-backed digital experience platform that is transforming over 250,000 digital touch points across 4,500 clients with AI, computer vision and data.



Mr. Sumner came to Raydiant when it acquired Perch, a recognized leader in in-store Product Engagement Marketing, interactive retail displays and augmented reality, where Mr. SUmner served as CEO. Perch was named a Top Tech Company to Watch by Forbes, a Top 10 Retail Technology company by CIO Review and has won numerous Clio, Fast Company, Edison, Bloomberg and Digi awards.



Stan Sthanunathan, Executive Chairman, i-Genie.AI [http://i-genie.ai/] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-sthanunathan-1ab4035/

Stan Sthanunathan joined Unilever in July 2013 as Executive Vice President of Consumer & Market Insights. As chief provoc

Consumer Insights - Can AI Reveal What Shoppers Really Want?

Retail is transforming faster than ever before. But there's a lot of noise out there today, especially with retail technology! If you're in retail, which trends really matter? How will you leverage #AI? Which #startups should you engage? Do you need a #DTC strategy? How should you evolve your #ecommerce and #marketplace strategy? Who are the experts you should trust for guidance? And who are the people truly transforming the industry in these areas? The Retail Razor Show cuts through the clutter in #retail and #retailtech so you'll know where to focus your resources and energy in the world of #commerce!



I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar, and I've been helping retailers maximize business value from their technology investments for the last two decades. I've advised retail tech startups on their go-to-market, and am a contributor to numerous industry blogs, publications, and podcasts. I serve on the advisory council to George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, have been named a Top Retail Influencer for 2021, 2022, & 2023, Top Retail Mover and Shaker for 2021, and currently lead partner marketing strategy for retail and consumer goods in the US at Microsoft.



And I'm your co-host, Casey Golden, CEO of Luxlock and named a Top Retail Influencer for 2023. I've dedicated my career to moving fashion brands forward from in-store to e-commerce and beyond. I've had nearly every job in a fashion house until I saw the writing on the wall and moved to the tech side of the business. I am obsessed with the relationship between a brand and consumer and determined to slay retail franken-stacks!



Together, we're your guides on this retail commerce journey. From online ecommerce to mobile, to brick & mortar stores, we'll help you cut through the clutter! 



We’re currently ranked #18 in the Feedspot Top 60 Best Retail podcasts [https://blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/] list, so if you like our show, please give us a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts. With your help, we’ll be on our way to a top spot! https://blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/



Join us!



Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/TwRRazor

Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/LI-RRazor

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTube



Host → Ricardo Belmar,

Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twRBelmar

Connect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LIRBelmar

Read my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWRBelmar



Co-host → Casey Golden,

Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twCasey

Connect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LICasey

Read my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWCasey

Ricardo Belmar

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