Offcuts

Ep 173: Why can’t consumer brands turn AI hype into meaningful value? with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce Thinking & High Cohesion

In this episode, I sit down with Luke to unpack why consumer brands are still struggling to turn AI hype into real value. We break down the big myths, including the widely shared idea that most AI projects fail and whether that was ever true for this industry. Luke shares insights from more than thirty brand interviews, revealing the same pattern everywhere. Leaders believe AI will reshape operations, but most don’t know where to start, feel overwhelmed by the pace of change, and lack a practical playbook. Public case studies are thin because real experiments are happening quietly inside teams with no time to share them. We dig into the blockers too: vendor over-promising, fragmented tech stacks, unclear budgets, and rising pressure from shareholders to show progress. A straight, honest conversation about where brands really are and what it will take to make AI actually deliver. This podcast is brought to you by Glara.ai [http://Glara.ai] - the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform helping ecommerce brands grow through AI search visibility. 👉 Learn more at [https://www.glara.ai/] Glara.ai/offcuts [https://www.glara.ai/offcuts] Checkout Factory here [https://www.factory-digital.com/]. Sign up to our newsletter here [https://yourbasketisempty.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c99607802029f86a8f8d53938&id=a46026601a].

Ep 172: Is AI actually going to change the world? with Chris Kilin CEO and co-founder at Brandback and Glara.ai

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Kilin, CEO and co-founder of Brandback and Glara.ai [http://Glara.ai], to explore the disruptive power of AI for consumer commerce. We'll dive into the journey that led him from big consulting to building a start-up, and why he believes AI is creating 'real revenues' in a way Web3 never did. We break down the new AI framework for consumer brands - covering both External AI, like agentic shopping, and Internal AI for efficiency - and discuss how to cut through the noise of the crowded AI search visibility landscape. We also tackle the challenge facing most brands: moving from fragmented experimentation to realising true AI efficiency, and we ask Chris how a brand should spend a £50,000 AI budget for maximum impact. Finally, we look ahead to the next 12 months for the optimistic and pessimistic views on AI’s future, and ask the ultimate question: Is AI actually going to change the world? This podcast is brought to you by Glara.ai [http://Glara.ai] - the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform helping ecommerce brands grow through AI search visibility. 👉 Learn more at [https://www.glara.ai/] Glara.ai/offcuts [https://www.glara.ai/offcuts] Checkout Factory here [https://www.factory-digital.com/]. Sign up to our newsletter here [https://yourbasketisempty.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c99607802029f86a8f8d53938&id=a46026601a].

Ep 171: What AI Really Means for the Future of Commerce with Mac King, CRO & Co founder of Domaine

On this episode, I’m joined by Mac King, co-founder of Domaine, to talk about how agencies are navigating the next wave of commerce and AI. We catch up on what’s changed since he was last on the podcast, including the merger that created Domaine, their move into the UK market, and how the agency is scaling internationally. Then we get into Domaine’s AI Commerce Suite and what it reveals about how brands are starting to use AI both on-site and behind the scenes. We talk about how agencies can separate real innovation from AI marketing spin, what makes an AI-native tech stack, and how services businesses can balance experimentation with credibility. Finally, we explore how this connects to Factory’s Internal and External AI framework, what each of us is seeing in the market, and where the biggest operational opportunities might appear next. If you’re thinking about where AI actually fits inside a modern commerce organisation, this one’s for you. This podcast is brought to you by Glara.ai [http://Glara.ai] - the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform helping ecommerce brands grow through AI search visibility. 👉 Learn more at [https://www.glara.ai/] Glara.ai/offcuts [https://www.glara.ai/offcuts] Checkout Factory here [https://www.factory-digital.com/]. Sign up to our newsletter here [https://yourbasketisempty.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c99607802029f86a8f8d53938&id=a46026601a].

Ep 170: AI, Retail, and the Rise of Operator Experience - with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce Thinking & High Cohesion

On this episode, I’m joined again by Luke Hodgson to talk about a shift that’s quietly taking place inside every brand: the move from customer experience to operator experience. We unpack what Luke calls OX2030; his framework for how AI is reshaping the way brands actually run. The idea is simple but big. Over the next decade, the biggest transformation in retail won’t happen on the front end. It will happen behind the scenes, in the systems, workflows and cross-functional teams that keep everything moving. We talk about how AI is flattening hierarchies, what it means for how brands are organised, and why most of the value in automation will come from fixing the low-value work that slows good people down. We also get into how this connects to Factory’s Internal and External AI framing, where the real opportunities live, and what it means for leadership and culture inside consumer brands. If you’re thinking about how AI changes the structure, not just the strategy, of how your business operates, this one’s for you. Enjoy the episode. Checkout Factory here [https://www.factory-digital.com/]. Sign up to our newsletter here [https://yourbasketisempty.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c99607802029f86a8f8d53938&id=a46026601a].

Ep 169: Will AEO change the way we search? With Sam Hurley, co founder of NOVOS

On this episode, I’m asking a question that’s quietly reshaping digital marketing: Will AI change the way we search? I’m joined by Sam Hurley, founder of NOVOS an SEO and AI Search agency. We unpack what’s happening to discovery as AI answers more of our questions for us, and what that means for brands, agencies and search strategies. We talk about how AEO or GEO or AIEO or what ever you call it fits into the mix, how it differs from traditional SEO, and why Google, OpenAI and Perplexity might soon be the new gatekeepers of visibility. We also get into what brands can actually do right now to prepare for AI-native search, and whether this shift is likely to change consumer behaviour forever. If you work in commerce, brand marketing or digital strategy, this episode will help you understand what’s next for search, discovery and visibility in the age of AI. Checkout Factory here [https://www.factory-digital.com/]. Sign up to our newsletter here [https://yourbasketisempty.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c99607802029f86a8f8d53938&id=a46026601a].