Future Commerce

Where Culture Happens, Commerce Follows

As retail sheds its four walls, technology must follow. Jason James (CIO, Aptos) and Nikki Baird (VP of Strategy & Product, Aptos) join us to explore how brands like New Balance deploy 90+ registers at the NYC Marathon—then dismantle them just as quickly. The conversation reveals how point-of-sale systems built on next-generation databases enable everything from parking lot pop-ups to van-based fitting experiences, all while maintaining enterprise-grade security in environments where network connectivity is more hope than guarantee. SET YOUR ASSOCIATES FREE KEY TAKEAWAYS: * New Balance transforms NYC Marathon into 100-store chain for one weekend * Offline capability: transactions continue when networks fail, sync when connectivity returns * In-person acquisition yields stickier customers with higher lifetime value * Retail ranks third most-attacked sector; mobile commerce increases threat surface * Store associates need intuitive systems for high-pressure, temporary deployments * "If they're able to pull this off in the middle of a parking lot, I'm probably a hell of a lot more likely to go in the store next time." – Jason James on how ephemeral retail builds store trust * "A customer acquired through an in-person, in real life experience is stickier, has longer lifetime value, is ultimately more loyal than a customer that's acquired online." – Nikki Baird on the power of physical engagement * "God forbid a retailer gets hit back at headquarters with ransomware and it takes down their core network. We can still transact." – Jason James on offline resilience * "It's not just you put products on racks or on shelves and you wait for people to walk in the door. Events are coming into stores too." – Nikki Baird on stores as experience hubs ASSOCIATED LINKS: * Learn about Aptos [https://www.aptos.com/modern-pos-it-leaders/index.html] * Check out Future Commerce on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/FutureCommercePodcast] * Check out Future Commerce Plus [https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus] for exclusive content and save on merch and print * Subscribe [https://www.futurecommerce.com/subscribe] to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world * Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/] Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com [https://www.futurecommerce.com/], or reach out to us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/futurecommerce], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/futurecommercepodcast/?ref=br_rs], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/futurecommerce/], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/futurecommercepodcast/]. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shopify ‘26 Winter Editions: Tools for the Commerce Renaissance

Mani Fazeli, VP of Product at Shopify, joins the show to explore how agentic commerce is fundamentally transforming retail. From Sidekick's co-founder capabilities to Sim Gym's buyer simulations, Shopify is democratizing enterprise-level AI tools for merchants of all sizes. The conversation reveals why friction isn't always the enemy, how discovery is evolving beyond blue links, and why structured data is the new SEO. THE IRREDUCIBLE HUMAN MEETS HUMANLIKE INTELLIGENCE KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Discovery has evolved from a one-shot search to multi-turn conversations * Friction has value: Some purchases deserve complexity, others need speed * Structured data becomes critical for agentic commerce success * [00:32:56] "Let's make special what's actually worth being special. And then let's be okay with the fact that the rest of it gets streamlined." * [00:49:57] "Structured data becomes the new SEO. Every brand is going to have to worry about whether they have clean, well-structured, and well-understandable schemas." * [00:04:20] "Utility above being flashy. Go right for the heart of what makes a difference in the merchant's life every single day." * [00:33:39] "Until these systems become emotion aware, it's highly unlikely that they are completely eradicating the entire idea of manual human intervention in commerce." IN-SHOW MENTIONS: * Shopify Winter '26 Editions [https://shopify.com/editions/winter2026] ASSOCIATED LINKS: * Check out Future Commerce on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/FutureCommercePodcast] * Check out Future Commerce Plus [https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus] for exclusive content and save on merch and print * Subscribe [https://www.futurecommerce.com/subscribe] to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world * Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/] Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com [https://www.futurecommerce.com/], or reach out to us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/futurecommerce], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/futurecommercepodcast/?ref=br_rs], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/futurecommerce/], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/futurecommercepodcast/]. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[DECODED] Three-Party Commerce: Trust in the Age of Agents

A quarter of Gen Z and Millennial consumers now trust AI recommendations more than human ones, marking the arrival of retail's first post-human interface. Sharon Gee, VP of Product at Commerce, joins us to explore the paradox of digital intimacy: why consumers will bare their souls to ChatGPT about shopping needs yet abandon carts when brands ask them to create accounts, how LLMs are becoming intimate commerce companions, and what this means for the collapse of traditional commerce funnels and brand discovery in an AI-mediated world. THE NEW GAME IS INTELLIGIBILITY   KEY TAKEAWAYS: * 27% of millennials trust AI recommendations more than humans, yet abandon carts when forced to create accounts: the trust paradox. * Merchants must shift from channel management to model management: optimizing for how AI interprets your brand, not controlling distribution. * Answer engine optimization isn't gaming algorithms. It's ensuring your brand shows up with authority when AI agents search on behalf of consumers. * Three-party commerce is here: consumer, brand, and AI intermediary. The customer is the channel, and data is the new storefront. * [00:01:42] "Our customers are having to shift their mindset from channel management to model management... The old game was distribution. The new game is intelligibility. And brands that win are gonna be the ones that understand the model and understand how they can adapt their message to the new modes of interacting with consumers." – Lindsay Trinkle * [00:41:02] "Customers are the channel and the data is the storefront. And so what we need to be able to do is make sure that we understand at each interaction point when you show up with your brand. How is your data representing you?" – Sharon Gee ASSOCIATED LINKS: * New Modes Research [https://www.futurecommerce.com/newmodes]: How AI is Shaping New Commerce Contexts and Expectations * Learn more about Commerce [https://www.commerce.com] * Check out Future Commerce on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/FutureCommercePodcast] * Check out Future Commerce+ [https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus] for exclusive content and save on merch and print * Subscribe [https://www.futurecommerce.com/subscribe] to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world * Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/] Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com [https://www.futurecommerce.com/], or reach out to us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/futurecommerce], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/futurecommercepodcast/?ref=br_rs], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/futurecommerce/], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/futurecommercepodcast/]. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Coach’s Big Store Move: Make You Forget You’re Shopping

Coach's SVP of Global Visual Experience Giovanni Zaccariello reveals how the brand transformed from heritage accessory house to Gen Z cultural force by treating retail as community infrastructure. From hospitality-infused Coach Play stores to strategically sustainable holiday displays, the conversation explores how physical experience became Coach's competitive advantage in an increasingly digital marketplace. WHY SHOP WHEN YOU CAN PLAY? KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Gen Z seeks human connection and community, not just product transactions * Coach studied consumers in their homes to understand life, not just buying behaviors * Experience per square foot matters as much as sales per square foot * Using the same holiday tree for five years reduced waste while building brand consistency * Physical and digital spaces should converge, not replicate each other * "Putting bags on shelves was no longer an option because everybody during the pandemic, including my mom who is 89, can buy online. They're coming to the stores and they want more." - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:06:37] * "The next few years are going to be years of what I call experience maximalism where literally new things are going to be mundane because consumers are so much more connected now on social, and they see what's going on." - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:44:50] * "It's about the consumer talking to us instead of Coach talking to the consumer. It's a much deeper dialogue." - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:45:46] * "When things don't work, we don't just move on. We've created this honest feedback loop where we learn from things. If we don't learn, what's the point of testing and learning?" - Giovanni Zaccariello [00:41:17] ASSOCIATED LINKS: * Explore Coach Play [https://www.windowswear.com/coach-introduces-coach-play-macau-concept-store/] concepts * Coach coffee shops [https://www.coach.com/content/coach-coffee-shop] * Check out Future Commerce on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/FutureCommercePodcast] * Check out Future Commerce Plus [https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus] for exclusive content and save on merch and print * Subscribe [https://www.futurecommerce.com/subscribe] to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world * Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/] Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com [https://www.futurecommerce.com/], or reach out to us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/futurecommerce], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/futurecommercepodcast/?ref=br_rs], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/futurecommerce/], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/futurecommercepodcast/]. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

First Look: 2025 BFCM Numbers Are In

Black Friday naysayers have been predicting its demise for years, but Adyen's Holly Worst has data proving the shopping holiday is far from dead—it's gone global. From Denmark's 6.1X surge to America's mobile wallet awakening, this year's numbers tell a story of transformation, not decline. The real shift? How we pay, when we shop, and why contactless finally caught on in the US. THE RETAIL SUPER BOWL DELIVERED, AGAIN KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Black Friday generated $43B globally with 837M transactions across Adyen's platform * US contactless payments jumped 23% YOY and mobile wallet usage doubled to 30% * Denmark saw a 6.1X increase in transaction volume on Black Friday, and Spain 4.5X—Black Friday is officially a global phenomenon * Peak shopping hit at 1 pm in-store and noon online (digestion first, deals second) * 46% of US consumers abandon checkout without their preferred payment method ASSOCIATED LINKS: * Check out Adyen’s BFCM data here [https://www.adyen.com/campaigns/2025/bfcm-unboxed#2nd] * See our full recap of BFCM results [https://www.futurecommerce.com/posts/bfcm-2025-we-give-thanks-for-couch-commerce] * Check out Future Commerce on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/FutureCommercePodcast] * Check out Future Commerce Plus [https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus] for exclusive content and save on merch and print * Subscribe [https://www.futurecommerce.com/subscribe] to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world * Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce [https://www.futurecommerce.com/] Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com [https://www.futurecommerce.com/], or reach out to us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/futurecommerce], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/futurecommercepodcast/?ref=br_rs], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/futurecommerce/], or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/futurecommercepodcast/]. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.