Retail Rewired - The AI Frontier

Ep. 1 Intro and How AI is Reshaping Prime Day

In our debut episode, host Brian Yankello introduces Retail Rewired, a weekly podcast exploring the intersection of retail, technology, and AI. We kick things off by talking about the goals of the show, who it’s for, and what to expect in future episodes. Then we dive into recent headlines shaking up the industry — from Shopify’s AI-powered store builder to Wegmans testing smart carts, and Amazon's latest push into autonomous shopping agents. The main focus this week? Prime Day 2025. We unpack how Amazon used AI to drive deeper personalization, improve deal discovery, and deliver record-breaking results — including a 3,300% surge in AI-driven traffic and over $24 billion in U.S. online sales. We also discuss the implications for brands, marketers, and smaller retailers navigating this new AI-first shopping landscape. Whether you're a founder, operator, or just curious about the future of retail, this episode sets the stage for the conversations ahead.