Future Commerce

Latest Episodes:

Leveling the Playing Field for U.S. Small Businesses Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

What do you do when there is an area in public affairs with either fast change or major conflict happening? You send in the sophisticated research team Mark Drapeau leads and find out what is going on and why. Listen in now to our conversation with Mark as he shares insights from years of research and also more about their newest report called Maximum Impact: How Digital Ads Level the Playing Field for U.S. Small Businesses!

Data, Digital, and Disruption

{00:05:45} “We want people to be armed with the best data points to tell a great narrative.” - Mark Drapeau
{00:11:38} Every single thing could be seen as a threat or an opportunity depending on where you sit and how you react to it.
{00:17:13} How does sports gambling and gaming effect other areas of the economy and why would that trade off be interesting and necessary piece of data to look into?
{00:27:18} “Digital tools are a force multiplier for businesses trying to sell.” - Mark Drapeau
{00:36:35} Across all small-medium sized businesses, about 67% of the overall ad budget is digital and that includes social media, video search, and other kinds of digital advertising. For small businesses with less than ten employees, it's 74%.
{00:41:39} “We write in a very broad way and don't go too deep on anything. And then we frequently kind of follow up with shorter in-depth pieces that dive deeper into something that we're very interested in.” - Mark Drapeau
{00:36:35} There are many interesting data points through the years from the studies RXN and DCI have conducted, and a very common thread they’ve noticed is that it is very difficult to separate the person from the business when it comes to decision making.

Associated Links:

Find out more about The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 and make plans to meet us there!
Read Mark’s Op-Ed on Why Are Lawmakers Attacking Digital Ads?
Check out the new report from DCI Maximum Impact: How Digital Ads Level the Playing Field for U.S. Small Businesses
Learn more about Mark Drapeau, RXN Group, and Data Catalyst Institute
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TikTok Organic Can Lead Product Innovation Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

Is it possible to find a gap in the market and find your own creative ways to authentically fill it? What are some ways to leverage social media interaction in ways that really build loyal, longterm relationships with your customers? Listen in to hear Adam Simone share the journey Leaf Shave has been on and where they’re headed next!

“And then Doja Cat Shaved Her Eyebrows”

{00:05:18} When two engineers get together and are grumpy about a hole in the market, you get a pretty cool little piece of machinery that is safe to put on your skin and shave with
{00:11:18} Adam loves to engage with customers on social, and after customers asked and asked for a specific product to be developed by Leaf, they finally were able to deliver and launched it recently
{00:17:05} It’s easy to use gimmicks to amp up the metrics of an ad or a technique, but it’s important to look at what actually worked and why it did to make sure we don’t get stuck using those gimmicks
{00:22:07} “Stop chasing the views, stop chasing virality, and just focus on educating. And that has been my recipe,” because that is what drives noticeable impact
{00:26:19} When you do something differently, you naturally have to explain and educate your audience, which is a point that is often overlooked
{00:30:36} Why Adam has basically shaved every part of his body and how that has helped the company is so many ways
{00:36:35} Adam shares about two interesting moments, one with Mr Beast and another with Doja Cat’s eyebrows, and which one actually drove more impact to their business
{00:40:55} Adam and his team have big plans for more incredible innovation-driven products that will be branching out and launching in the near future (and beyond)

Associated Links:

Find out more about The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 and make plans to meet us there!
Learn more about Adam Simone and Leaf Shave.
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How Thingtesting Became Yelp for DTC and CPG Brands Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

What role do reviews have in building a business and how can they aid in building community? What is the value of print versus in-person events and the typical stream of digital content? Listen in to hear what Natalie Sportelli as she tells us about the future of commerce.

“The Trustworthiness of Tone”

{00:07:42} “What really sets us apart is creating a Yelp equivalent of trusting other people's experiences with brands to help inform your own.” - Natalie
{00:12:46} There is really interesting psychology behind why people like to write reviews, whether it be to help the brands or to help other people like perhaps reviews have helped them
{00:16:04} Natalie finds the most interesting reviews to be the three-star reviews that start with phrases such as, “I really wanted to like this, but…” because they offer more insight and also can bring more understanding to the whole of the experience
{00:18:28} “The role of reviews will only become more important as companies continue to think about building with consumers, community formation, and then creating a product that is actually innovative and is going to stand out and break out in the market.” - Natalie
{00:24:52} At the end of the day, a person responsible for content wants to create content that people really want
{00:27:50} Printed content has a unique ability to continue to engage with your audience for a longer period of time and in ways that build more depth in the relationship, and there is a lot more for brands to discover in their use of printed content over just digital content
{00:29:44} “What we do on the Internet is not just ephemeral, it's also asynchronous. Asynchronous communication requires a level of attention and detail that leaves a gap between you and the person that you're communicating with, and doing things in person allows us to help eliminate some of that gap and be human together.” - Brian

Associated Links:

Find out more about The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 and make plans to meet us there!
Learn more about Natalie Sportelli and Thingtesting.
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"The Digital Natives are Analog-Curious" Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Today we cover the absence of a modern media format war and the reemergence of convergence devices. PLUS: What is the key to building a better future for your brand? According to Peter Karpas, CEO at Bold Commerce, it's the "customer trifecta": great products, quality customer flow, and thoughtful customer journeys. Listen now!

The Commerce Quilt

{00:03:28} The digital natives are becoming the analog curious, and it’s now a sustainable business model to sell analog formats to a new audience
{00:09:48} “eCommerce itself is its own convergence device in that it's the natural intersection of all of these things like logistics, payment, and catalog.” - Phillip
{00:27:28} Bold Commerce is a stepping stone to create a revenue impact that heads towards the composable world. Brands can integrate Bold and solve common checkout problems
{00:33:35} “Any word that you have to explain what it means is not a good marketing word.” - Peter Karpas
{00:35:11} “We would be better if we all realized that there is a skill and a trade that is as old as humanity itself to acquire and that's really just understanding human needs and desires and trying to bring those things together.” - Phillip
{00:36:45} Good communication is customer-focused
{00:43:14} Improving your checkout conversion numbers even by 1 or 2 points can have a massive impact on your bottom line, but you need the right checkout solutions to be able to achieve that

Thanks to WB Research and eTail Palm Springs for making this interview possible. eTail is one of our favorite retail and eCommerce industry events. Plans are already underway for their Boston show, happening in August. Get more information and register right over here.

Associated Links:

Meet us at The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 in June!
Learn more about Peter Karpas and Bold Commerce
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ideation Platforms Enable Creativity Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

As we sit in the middle of conference and expo season, we chat with Alicia Esposito about what she is excited about in retail right now and why, while also discussing the need for humans and community even with the advancement of AI technology. Plus, a special announcement about RICE X Future Commerce June 2023! Listen now for all of this and more!

We Still Need Humans

{00:05:50} There are two key areas that Alicia is most excited about in retail right now: retail media and also the store become a place of community building and connection
{00:08:54} We’ve been talking about AI for years at Future Commerce, but now there are more practical applications that are enhancing customer experiences, and that is exciting
{00:13:08} “The use of these tools as an ideation platform and as an enabler of creativity versus a killer of it is the path that I'm more inclined to take.” - Alicia (We’ll still always need humans).
{00:19:55} “It'd be really interesting to see what would happen if you took something like Midjourney and you wanted to create something really broad market, down market, and made it really experiential…” Like Dollar Tree as experiential retail. - Brian
{00:23:42} Both Lyft and Uber have commercialzed the ability to jump to the front of the line, which a point of inspiration for everybody, and we will see this more and more
{00:26:08} How do we maximize on collaborations that bring the artistic community and the commerce community together better because there’s a huge opportunity there
{00:28:17} RICE (Retail Innovation Conference & Expo) is coming in June, and there are so many incredible speakers and content creators, including Future Commerce, lined up to be a part of it
{00:41:27} ChatGPT, the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect, and other AI vehicles are all reminders that we need to exercise caution and we still have a lot to learn from each other
{00:46:58} Artists and people that do have deep transactional expertise and leadership in retail brands will share one stage together at the Visions Summit at RICE and talk about this thing that we all do, which is really try to affect some sort of lasting impact with a relationship with a customer

Associated Links:

Find out more about The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 and make plans to meet us there!
Don't miss out on getting your ticket to RICE 2023 before prices go up!
Learn more about Alicia Esposito and Retail TouchPoints
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Healthy Cynicism, Best Practices, and the Everyman Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

How can we both challenge the idea of best practices while also not throwing the idea completely away? Why do we need guardrails and how do those serve the customer best? What are some shifts in culture that can lead to better outcomes in the supply chain and in the commerce ecosystem as a whole around fast and cheap manufacturing and distribution? Listen now to hear this and more!

“Best Practices” can’t be a function of stasis

{00:05:24} Jesse offers a challenge to our take on best practices saying he doesn’t think there is a way to provide the distinction, ease of use, and seamless customer experience without best practices being in place, but agrees they should be challenged (i.e. don’t buy into the “cult of best practices”
{00:20:58} Kravet is experimenting with generative AI and looking at ways to incorporate new ideas and technologies or not, and AI is really a tool to add to your tool belt to augment your skillset as a company
{00:24:48} “If you don't empower your team to use tools, they're going to use them anyway. They're just not going to tell you about it.” - Phillip
{00:30:13} You have to have a healthy sense of cynicism when it comes to technology and what you’re being told because of how much technology is an open experiment now before it matures and can actually potentially do what is promised
{00:43:29} What is Jesse’s Archetype according to our quiz and how does he feel about it?
{00:51:20} The push-back now is completely informed by the eCommerce expectations of the pandemic. So there's this really exciting opportunity to really bring the online experience in an exceptional way into the store and really, truly merge those two functions together.”

Associated Links:

Learn more about Jesse Lazarus and Kravet
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In-store Innovation Helps the Road Runner Sports “Con-SHOE-mer” Go the Distance: LIVE from eTail Palm Springs Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

With so many tech options, understanding how brands can use technology in a way that humanizes the customer experience while not being afraid of “getting behind the curve” can be a delicate balance. How do you use it to grow and develop and be more knowledgeable in your space and serve your customers well both in-store and online? Road Runner Sports is a brand that is serious about navigating this balance. Listen now to hear Sean Peterson share how their in-store experience is paving the way for a better online experience for their customers as well.

In the Customers’ Shoes

{00:04:20} Road Runner has a very high-touch, tech-forward in-store experience, and they customize shoe insoles, for example, helping the customer get exactly what they need in a shoe
{00:05:22} Road Runner is taking a brick-and-mortar first approach to technology, which is actually going to dictate how they will do things online
{00:20:13} We can buy more and more and more technology today than ever before that can solve all these problems, but it comes down to a lot of intuition and understanding of the customer journey and the people that make sense of that.
{00:09:21} Computer learning is shaping the future of search
{00:12:57} It’s important to both provide customers with what you’ve learned they want and like but also help them explore new potential options in a way that makes them feel known as a customer
{00:24:41} How will brands take advantage of this future out how to inform the algorithm what their differentiators are because people are already using ChatGPT to discover their next pair of shoes or their next purchase?

Associated Links:

Learn more about Sean Peterson and Road Runner Sports.
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

These Trends are Trending: Forecasting in the age of the trendscasting industrial complex Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

From COVID trends to worldwide annual forecasting across various industries, Ci En Lee and team have been compiling and curating helpful content and sharing with the world. Listen now and be reminded of how one brilliant idea can lead to others and build community across cultures.

Who Reports on the Trends Reports Reports?

{00:03:23} What started with a desire to collect and share COVID trends for companies led to what is now an annual trends report
{00:5:43} The sharing culture is very important in the future of this repository of trends, and there are contributors and ambassadors from around the world participating
{00:11:52} “There are people who do really put in the effort in that regard to really ensure that these trends are real trends and not something that is trendy.” - Ci En Lee
{00:15:23} The publishing and the collection of trend reports and the reporting of the report has become a trend in itself
{00:18:21} Some reports are more of a PR opportunity, which the team doesn’t necessarily discount, but they do focus on highlighting the reports that are more informative and measuring meaningful shifts in culture and society
{00:20:23} The demand for understanding what’s coming is driving the demand for trends reports
{00:21:03} There have been analysts and other trends reporters who have used the repository as a way to build and share other trends and forecasting, so it is interesting to see how people are using the content and continuing to share with others

Associated Links:

Learn more about Ci En Lee on LinkedIn
See the trends reports at bit.ly/2023trending
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Team of NO! Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

What about NRF and Manifest conferences prompted Kris Gösser to assert that a lot of the hardships in retail are behind us? What positive changes is he seeing in operations and logistics that will be a force for more of the right kinds of changes? And what can we learn from generational business models to futureproof in a technology-heavy, technology-centric industry? Listen now and join the discussion!

People Are Back

{00:09:43} It’s interesting to note the differences between NRF and other smaller conferences in the industry and how basically the basement booths at NRF are the ones that are present at all of the others
{00:14:51} How quickly will the industry absorb the inevitable change with so much capital going into new tech, and why is there a difference in the ways change happens on the operations side versus the marketing side?
{00:20:13} After what happened on the operations side during the pandemic, the focus is really on risk mitigation and solving for potential crisis better in the future
{00:23:28} One of the biggest changes in the operations sector is that what used to always be a team of “No” is becoming more of a team of “Yes” because of more possibilities and innovation
{00:26:24} Operations is less encumbered by tech constraints and now has the ability to use tech to change their processes
{00:30:41} On-premise tech is so much slower and more complicated than cloud-centric tech, but the changes take time to implement more widely
{00:37:36} We're seeing more focus on projects that are malleable, that effectively fit within existing systems or existing platforms that can have outsized impact on specific outcomes that matter to the business
{00:39:01} Conferences are like fashion trends, and we need both the normal, classic ones and the cutting-edge, innovative ones to really be well-rounded and comprehensive

Associated Links:

Learn more about Kris Gösser and Shipium.
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Disruptors and the Defenders of the Status Quo Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Revisit with us this incredibly deep discussion from December 2016 with Brian Roemmele about how voice interaction (and other tech) will revolutionize most everything and how at the end of the day, we have to fight to keep the humanity into the equation. Learn, develop, grow, change, and also strive to understand the people around you and behind all of this technology. Listen now to hear more!

Time For More

{00:08:27} The guys discuss with Roemmele how many buttons in the world, crosswalks, elevator open/close, and more, aren’t even connected. We just need that action to feel like we are controlling something.
{00:11:54} There are seasons of change as new technology is adopted. And that’s a good thing.
{00:18:17} Why the voices and names of these voice assistant tech devices are women’s voices and names and what the research has found about that
{00:33:36} “We are always trying to look for something in a voice that reassures us” - Roemmele
{00:38:58} “In ten years, fifty percent of your interaction with any computers is going to be via voice, of course voice assistant AI.” - Roemmele
{01:08:29} “Voice is a patina that is going to que up this new revolution.” - Roemmele
{01:12:34} We are at the precipice of what this all comes down to, which is privacy and also persona
{01:24:07} How Brian Roemmele taught Alexa and Siri to talk to each other as he experimented and researched on his own
{01:41:45} Some common concerns about AI tech such as self-driving cars and how to get to the point where our humanity is still always a part of decision making

Associated Links:

Learn more about Brian Roemmele at ReadMultiplex.com or @BrianRoemmele on Twitter
Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal! Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Data, Digital, and Disruption

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“And then Doja Cat Shaved Her Eyebrows”

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“The Trustworthiness of Tone”

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The Commerce Quilt

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We Still Need Humans

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“Best Practices” can’t be a function of stasis

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In the Customers’ Shoes

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Who Reports on the Trends Reports Reports?

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People Are Back

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Time For More

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Related Podcasts

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Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Future Commerce

Data, Digital, and Disruption

Associated Links:

“And then Doja Cat Shaved Her Eyebrows”

Associated Links:

“The Trustworthiness of Tone”

Associated Links:

The Commerce Quilt

Associated Links:

We Still Need Humans

Associated Links:

“Best Practices” can’t be a function of stasis

Associated Links:

In the Customers’ Shoes

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Who Reports on the Trends Reports Reports?

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People Are Back

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Time For More

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