From AI to ROI: Thought Leadership for Retailers
In a noisy world where AI is everywhere, it's hard to understand how to start and where to get value from. Retail is changing, and the balance between winners and losers is shifting. We were born in the AI age, and we're here to share what works. Winners see the change as an opportunity.
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Read more: Black Friday: Strategic Sales Event or a Train Everyone Forgot to Get Off?
Here’s a controversial thought to kick things off: Black Friday might be retail’s biggest tradition — and biggest trap. Every year the same thing happens: Retailers flood customers with messages, slash margins, and compete on volume instead of relevance… all because everyone else is doing it. And that’s what makes me wonder: Is Black Friday actually…
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Read more: 🧩 The Messy Middle: Why AI in Retail Isn’t a Straight Line
If you’ve ever tried something new, you’ll know it rarely — actually never — goes exactly according to plan. That’s as true for learning to ride a bike (yes, here we go again with the bike analogy) as it is for transforming a business. A typical “AI transformation journey” — including several I’ve personally been part of…
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Read more: The Thinking Supply Chain: From Backbone to Brain
For years, the supply chain has been seen as the backbone of retail — essential, but mostly invisible. Something that should “just work.” Preferably at low cost and with full flexibility to handle whatever you throw at it — new promotions, assortment changes, or seasonal spikes. But as the retail landscape evolves faster than ever, that backbone is being…
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Read more: Making Sense of AI in Retail — Where and how to Start?
Everyone’s talking about AI. But for most retailers, the biggest challenge isn’t whether to adopt AI — it’s where to begin. Do you focus on internal efficiencies, better customer experiences, or fixing pricing and promotions? And what kind of AI do you even need? LLMs? GenAI? Agentic AI? Here’s a simple way to frame your…
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Read more: 🧠 The Rusty Bicycle Problem: Why Companies Struggle to Let Go of Outdated Tech
Picture this: you’ve had the same bike for years. It’s scratched, the gears slip now and then, and the brakes squeak. But it still gets you from A to B, so you keep fixing it — a new chain here, a little oil there. That’s how most companies treat their technology. Legacy systems that were…
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Read more: Your Supply Chain Called — It Wants a Seat at the Strategy Table
Retail at its core has always been about moving a product from one place to another — from supplier to consumer. Let’s start with a history lesson: Picture the traditional general store (the kind you see in old western movies). The store owner knew every customer by name. They knew who needed flour on Tuesday,…
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Read more: Are You Building a Leaner Business — or Just a Smaller One?
You Can’t Save Your Way to Retail Success Margins are tight. Inflation is real. Competition is fierce. So it’s no surprise that cost-cutting is climbing to the top of retail boardroom agendas. But here’s the misconception that trips up too many retailers: 👉 You can’t save your way to long-term success. Yes, trimming costs improves…
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Read more: Your personal GenAI Assistant is no longer a dream, it’s here.
Your Personal GenAI Assistant: It’s Not a Dream — It’s Here First, let’s get a few facts straight if you’re in the consumer goods industry: Let’s start with what’s possible right now. The most widely recognized GenAI solutions are tools like ChatGPT or Dialogflow, which are used for customer service, product recommendations, and handling general…
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Read more: Why Building a Business Case for New Tech is Broken (And What to Do Instead)
The Old Way Is Dead for decades, the process of justifying a new software purchase was straightforward: build a business case around hard KPIs like uptime, waste reduction, or lower inventory. Show the CFO some projected cost savings, maybe toss in a payback period, and you’re off to the races. But that playbook doesn’t work anymore. …
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Read more: Anyone remember Nokia making mobile phones? Cautionary tale for Retail & CPG companies today.
What happened to Nokia? They didn’t look outside the window and believed that whatever they do, consumers will follow. We all know how that story ended. This is the same risk many Retail and CPG companies face today if they ignore the technology shift already underway. I’ve been reflecting on this a lot, inspired by…
From AI to ROI 