Episodes

  • The New Era of Agentic Commerce and Retail Media Begins!

    The New Era of Agentic Commerce and Retail Media Begins!
    Jan 23 2026

    Agentic Commerce, Retail Media, and the Human Experience: Season 6 Preview


    Season 6 of The Retail Razor Show is here, and we’re diving into the future of retail through the lens of Agentic Commerce and Retail Media. In this trailer, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden introduce a season built around the collision of technology, content, and the human experience. As Agentic Commerce reshapes how consumers discover and buy products, Retail Media becomes the environment where every decision is influenced, measured, and optimized.


    This season builds on the momentum from Season 5, where we explored resilience, digital marketing, sustainability, resale, marketplace strategy, and leadership in an AI saturated world. Now we move into a new era where AI agents may shop on behalf of consumers, and retailers must understand how Agentic Commerce changes engagement, loyalty, and the path to purchase. At the same time, Retail Media continues to expand as a core revenue engine and a critical part of the customer journey.


    You’ll hear from innovators who are building systems powered by Agentic AI, leaders redefining Retail Media strategy, and operators proving that frontline teams can thrive when technology is designed to support them. This season explores how Agentic Commerce transforms merchandising, planning, and customer experience, and why the human connection still matters more than ever.


    Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartMedia, YouTube, and Goodpods. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn, Blue Sky, Threads, and Instagram.


    If you want to understand where retail is heading in 2026, this is the podcast for you!


    Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

    Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTube


    Chapters:

    00:00 Cold Open

    00:23 Intro to Season 6

    00:50 Reflecting on Last Season

    01:38 Introducing Agentic AI

    01:51 The Role of Media in Retail

    02:09 Human Connection in a Digital World

    03:02 The Era of Agentic Commerce

    04:03 Looking Ahead: Innovators and Leaders

    04:44 Stay Connected and Engaged


    Meet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:


    Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail and AGI, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Management, Careers, and Transformation, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Agentic AI and Digital Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.


    Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.
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    6 mins
  • Future of Retail Unveiled - From AI Insights to Consumer Joy!

    Future of Retail Unveiled - From AI Insights to Consumer Joy!
    Dec 31 2025
    S5E14 2025 Retail Year in Review - AI, Consumer Shifts, and the Future of Commerce with Guest Host, Alicia Esposito!In this Season 5 finale of The Retail Razor Show, guest host Alicia Esposito (Future Commerce) sits down with Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden for a deep, unfiltered 2025 retail year in review. Together, they unpack the biggest trends shaping the industry, from AI’s accelerating influence, to the emotional needs of today’s consumer, the rise of resale, the evolution of marketplaces, and the shifting definition of value.Across the Retail Razor Podcast Network - The Retail Razor Show, Blade to Greatness, Data Blades, and Retail Transformers - this year’s guests revealed a powerful through‑line: retail is no longer just about convenience or price. It’s about culture, community, emotion, and the human experience.This episode explores:How AI is reshaping leadership, decision‑making, and personalizationWhy consumers—especially Gen Z—are craving analog joy and emotional shoppingThe rise of marketplaces like Temu and AliExpressRetail media’s evolution and the coming disruption from agentic commerceThe loyalty shakeout and why brand equity matters more than everThe explosive growth of resale and secondhand shoppingHoliday shopping behavior and the psychology behind “perpetual shopping lists”The keywords that will define 2026: velocity and joyIf you want to understand where retail is heading in 2026, this is the episode you can’t miss!Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our Guest HostAlicia Esposito, Director, Content + Media Strategy - Future Commercehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciaesposito/Alicia is the head of content and insights for Future Commerce. At Future Commerce we are big on dissecting the intersection of culture and commerce and not just covering what's happening today, but also what are the ripple effects for tomorrow, and for the future. Future Commerce delivers consumer insights for e-commerce and retail brands. Newsletters, essays, podcasts, and research. For the risk-takers in Commerce! Future Commerce helps brands manifest vision and create goals which lead to future-altering impacts for their customers, and for the world around them.Chapters:00:00 Preview01:06 Introduction and Host Introduction03:02 Balancing Automation and Human Intuition06:57 Consumer Behavior and AI10:18 The Evolution of Retail Experiences18:21 The Importance of Brand Value24:14 Challenges in Fast Fashion and Marketplaces28:23 The Future of Commerce31:36 Retail Media Evolution36:50 Consumer Behavior and Shopping Trends41:09 The Impact of Resale and Sustainability50:12 Personalization and AI in Retail53:16 The Keyword That Will Represent 202655:45 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.
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    57 mins
  • Consumer Insights - Can AI Reveal What Shoppers Really Want?

    Consumer Insights - Can AI Reveal What Shoppers Really Want?
    Dec 15 2025
    S5E13 Future of AI-Powered Consumer Insights with Trevor Sumner & Stan SthanunathanIn Season 5, Episode 13 of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden tackle one of retail’s biggest blind spots in consumer insights: the consumer sentiment gap. For decades, brands relied on surveys to understand shoppers. But what people say doesn’t always match what they do.Enter AI-powered shopper insights!Joining the conversation are Trevor Sumner (CEO of i-Genie AI) and Stan Sthanunathan (Executive Chairman of i-Genie AI, former EVP at Unilever and VP at Coca-Cola). Together, they reveal how billions of unfiltered signals — from searches, reviews, and social posts — can be transformed into real-time, actionable consumer insights that reshape retail decision-making.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why traditional consumer surveys are breaking downHow AI and natural language processing uncover real customer behaviorThe role of empathy vs sympathy in understanding consumersHow disruptor brands are reshaping competitive landscapesWhy augmented intelligence (AI + human insight) is the future of retail strategy and consumer insightsSubscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestsTrevor Sumner, CEO, i-Genie.AI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorsumner/Trevor is a NYC-based entrepreneur, product and marketing executive and recognized startup advisor and angel. Trevor is the CEO at i-Genie.ai, the leading AI platform for consumer insights, revolutionizing an industry that had been dominated with antiquated survey methodologies by synthesizing tens of billions of searches, social and video posts, ratings and reviews and market data for industry leaders like Kenvue, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Bayer, Clorox and more.Previously, Trevor was Head of AI and Data Platform products for Raydiant, a leading VC-backed digital experience platform that is transforming over 250,000 digital touch points across 4,500 clients with AI, computer vision and data.Trevor came to Raydiant when it acquired Perch, a recognized leader in in-store Product Engagement Marketing, interactive retail displays and augmented reality, where Trevor served as CEO. Perch was named a Top Tech Company to Watch by Forbes, a Top 10 Retail Technology company by CIO Review and has won numerous Clio, Fast Company, Edison, Bloomberg and Digi awards.Stan Sthanunathan, Executive Chairman, i-Genie.AI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-sthanunathan-1ab4035/Stan Sthanunathan joined Unilever in July 2013 as Executive Vice President of Consumer & Market Insights. As chief provocateur, he headed up the insights function globally based in London. He retired from Unilever on June 1, 2021.Post retirement he has started an AI/ML enabled company called i-Genie.AI focused on delivering near real time insights and ideas to help business identify Next Big Thing. Prior to joining Unilever, he was Vice President of Marketing Strategy & Insights for The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, heading up the function on a global basis.Stan co-authored a paper on Building an Insights Engine that was published in Harvard Business Review, Sept 2016. He has also co-authored a book titled AI for Marketing and Product Innovation.He was awarded Lifetime Achievement award at TMRE 2022 event.Chapters:00:00 Previews 01:23 Show Intro 04:43 The Consumer Sentiment Gap 05:37 Welcome Trevor Sumner & Stan Sthanunathan 06:30 Backgrounds of Trevor and Stan 09:11 Challenges in Understanding Consumers 16:58 The Evolution of Influencers 18:32 Limitations of Surveys and the Need for AI 25:46 Augmented Intelligence: AI + Human Insight 31:46 Challenges in CPG Innovation 33:02 Innovate: A Data-Driven Product 34:42 AI and Predictive Analytics 36:21 Democratizing Data Access 38:07 Mindset Shift for Rapid Actions 40:46 Adopting AI in CPG 48:16 Retailers and Data Utilization 52:59 Future of Brand Understanding 57:23 Conclusion and Contact Information 58:15 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer ...
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    59 mins
  • Agentic AI for Retail Merchandising: Transforming Buying & Planning

    Agentic AI for Retail Merchandising: Transforming Buying & Planning
    Nov 28 2025
    S5E12 The Future of AI in Merchandising & Buying with Noah Herschman and Jeff FishIn Season 5, Episode 12 of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Noah Herschman and Jeff Fish of Intelo.ai to explore how agentic AI is revolutionizing retail merchandising and buying. From the art and science of retail merchandising to the persistent challenges of planning and allocation, this episode dives deep into how collaborative intelligence empowers merchandisers, planners, and buyers to make smarter, faster, and more creative decisions.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why merchandising is the “hub of the wheel” in retail successThe balance between creativity and analytics in buying decisionsHow agentic AI enhances human judgment without replacing itReal-world examples of AI improving in-season planning and merchandising financial plansWhy spreadsheets aren’t going away, but AI agents make them smarterThe future of retail technology and how Agentic AI delivers superpowers to retail merchandisersSubscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestsNoah Herschman. Senior Industry Advisor, Intelo.aiNoah is an ecommerce strategist who’s been shaping online retail since the 1990s. He’s held leadership roles at Amazon, eBay, and Groupon. As a Microsoft Senior Retail Industry Architect, he has worked with more than 150 global retail & CPG clients. Noah has lived in China for 15 years and fluent in Mandarin, Noah operates out of Hong Kong. He is currently a Senior Industry Advisor for Intelo.aiJeffrey Fish, Co-CEO, Intelo.aiJeffrey Fish Co-Founded the Chatly platform serving global retail & hospitality brands targeting the China market (exited to Salesforce in 2020). He then led Salesforce China in partnership with Alibaba Cloud. Now he's scaling up Intelo's Collaborative Intelligence Agentic Merchandising & Planning Platform.Chapters:00:00 Previews 01:39 Show Intro 04:13 Welcome Noah Herschman & Jeff Fish 04:37 Guest Backgrounds and Expertise 07:33 The Importance of Retail Merchandising 11:41 Challenges and Solutions in Modern Merchandising 16:25 The Role of Agentic AI in Merchandising 23:09 Future of Agentic AI and Merchandising 40:04 Practical Steps for Retailers 41:36 How to Reach Out And Contact 42:10 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.
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    43 mins
  • Resale and Circular Fashion - ThredUp’s 2025 Holiday Shopping Report

    Resale and Circular Fashion - ThredUp’s 2025 Holiday Shopping Report
    Nov 10 2025
    S5E11 ThredUp’s Resale Revolution: Holiday Shopping & Gift Giving Trends with Alon RotemThe holidays are here and resale is at the center of this year’s shopping story! In this timely episode of The Retail Razor Show, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Alon Rotem, Chief Strategy Officer at ThredUp, to unpack the company’s 2025 Holiday Shopping Report. From surprising insights on resale gift giving to how shoppers are embracing sustainable fashion and circular economy models, this conversation reveals why resale is becoming a mainstream holiday shopping strategy.We also explore ThredUp’s evolution from a secondhand marketplace to a Resale as a Service (RaaS) leader, powering branded resale programs for fashion retailers. Alon shares how ThredUp’s AI-powered innovations — including image search, natural language search, and personalized curation — are transforming the secondhand shopping experience and driving conversion.If you want to understand how resale, sustainability, and AI are reshaping holiday shopping in 2025, this episode delivers insights every retailer, brand, and shopper needs.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestAlon Rotem, Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel, ThredUpAlon Rotem has served as ThredUp’s Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel since September 2024. Alon has also served as Chief Legal Officer since February 2021 and Secretary since March 2017 and previously served as General Counsel from January 2017 to February 2021. From September 2013 to November 2016, Alon served as the General Counsel of Rocket Lawyer Inc., an online legal technology company. From June 2010 to August 2013, he was an associate at Goodwin Procter LLP, a global law firm. Alon holds a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis.ThredUp 2025 Holiday Report - https://newsroom.thredup.com/news/thredup-2025-holiday-reportThredUp Resale-as-a-Service - https://www.raas.thredup.comChapters00:00 Previews 01:13 Show Intro 04:51 Welcome, Alon Rotem - Chief Strategy Officer, ThredUp 08:38 ThredUp's Evolution and Resale as a Service 15:51 Implementing Resale Programs with ThredUp 21:31 Challenges and Successes of Going Public 25:36 AI Innovations in ThredUp's Shopping Experience 33:06 Insights from the Holiday Report 35:25 Consumer Behavior and Secondhand Gifts 36:24 Top Gifting Trends in Resale 39:49 The Role of Data in Resale 41:32 Consumer Funding for Holiday Shopping 47:21 Luxury vs. Mid-Market Resale 51:05 Sustainability and the Future of Fashion 55:11 Future Outlook 59:47 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • BONUS Sharpening Retail Strategies | AI, Customer Experience, Retail Media, and Employee Impact

    BONUS Sharpening Retail Strategies | AI, Customer Experience, Retail Media, and Employee Impact
    Oct 29 2025

    BONUS - The Retail Razor: Data Blades Season 2 Trailer

    Data Blades Returns: AI, CX, and Retail Media for Executive Leaders

    Welcome to a special cross-release of the Season 2 trailer for The Retail Razor: Data Blades—the podcast that slices through complex retail research to deliver sharp, actionable insights and retail strategies for executive leaders in the AI era.

    In Season 1, we cut through the clutter with data-backed insights to identify strategies for:

    • Inflation’s uneven impact across age groups—where seniors felt the pinch more than younger shoppers.
    • Shifting shopping habits—like 74% of consumers using lists to control spending.
    • The power of values in loyalty—with 77% of consumers saying brand values matter more than discounts.
    • Self-checkout and employee experience—where well-informed store teams drove a 27% increase in average spend.

    Now in Season 2, we’re going deeper. Hosts Ricardo Belmar, RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert & NRF 2025 Retail Voice, and Casey Golden, RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert, preview what’s ahead:

    • Exclusive insights from TruRating and top retail analysts to hone your data-driven retail strategies.
    • A focus on three pillars: Customer Experience, Retail Media, and Employee Experience.
    • How AI is reshaping retail strategy—from predictive personalization to AI-powered workforce tools.
    • Revisiting themes of trust, transparency, and loyalty with fresh data and new perspectives.

    If you're a VP, CMO, COO, or CEO in retail looking to make smarter, data-driven decisions for AI-first retail strategies, this is your podcast. Subscribe now in your favorite podcast player and stay ahead of the curve with insights that drive conversion, loyalty, and operational excellence.

    New episodes drop starting tomorrow!

    👉 Stay Sharp. Be Data-Driven. Harness AI.


    Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

    Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utube


    About your hosts::

    Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail & AGI, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers, and a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader. Plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.

    Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.

    Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Tech Lore from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.
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    4 mins
  • BONUS Sharpen Your Leadership Blade | Insights for the AI Era

    BONUS Sharpen Your Leadership Blade | Insights for the AI Era
    Oct 27 2025

    BONUS - The Retail Razor: Blade to Greatness Season 2 Trailer

    Retail Executive Leadership & Coaching Insights for the AI Era

    Welcome to a special cross-release of the Season 2 trailer for The Retail Razor: Blade to Greatness — the podcast where retail leaders sharpen their edge. Hosted by Ricardo Belmar & Casey Golden, this series explores the essential skills & qualities every retail executive needs to lead boldly, stay sharp, & stay human in the AI era.


    In Season 1, we uncovered the fundamentals of great leadership:

    • how intrinsic motivation and autonomy unlock innovation
    • why positivity is fuel, not fluff
    • rethinking hiring, career development, & investing in people


    Season 2 takes it further with new retail executives & coaching experts—to share actionable insights on:

    • Building resilient & adaptable leadership cultures
    • Leading through disruption & transformation in the AI era
    • Practical coaching strategies for executives & C-suite leaders


    If you’re a retail leader, this season will help you sharpen your leadership blade & lead with clarity. Subscribe to The Retail Razor: Blade to Greatness show in your favorite podcast player!

    New episodes drop starting tomorrow!

    👉 Stay Sharp. Lead Boldly. Stay Human.


    Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/

    Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utube


    About your hosts::

    Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail & AGI, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers, and a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader. Plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.

    Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.

    Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Swag, Tag and Brag from the album Beat Hype, written by Hestron Mimms, published by Imuno.
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    3 mins
  • AI-Powered Store Teams: How Microsoft & SYNQ Are Transforming Retail Frontlines

    AI-Powered Store Teams: How Microsoft & SYNQ Are Transforming Retail Frontlines
    Oct 21 2025
    S5E10 From Task Overload to Customer Focus: AI Solutions for Retail AssociatesRetailers are asking store associates to do more with less—shorter staffing, longer task lists, and higher customer expectations. In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden explore how AI is reshaping frontline retail teams from overwhelmed to empowered.Joining the conversation are:• Jeff Strasser, General Manager of AI Business Solutions for Retail & Consumer Goods at Microsoft• Nolan Wheeler, CEO & Founder of SYNQ TechnologiesTogether, they dive into:• The biggest challenges facing frontline store associates today: task overload, reduced staffing, and customer service trade-offs• How AI can automate and simplify corporate task lists, freeing up time for customer engagement• Why voice-first, hands-free AI is a breakthrough for associates, with SYNQ’s solution connecting two-way radios to Azure OpenAI for instant answers in the aisle• The importance of integration and governance when deploying AI at scale in retail operations• Real-world examples of AI reducing friction, improving training, and accelerating onboarding• How to measure success with the right KPIs: time-to-answer, customer satisfaction, and associate productivity• What’s next for AI in retail over the next 24 months—and how retailers can prepare their teams todayThis isn’t about replacing people—it’s about augmenting store teams with AI-powered tools that make their jobs easier, improve morale, and elevate the customer experience.If you’re a retail leader, innovator, or operator, this episode is packed with insights on how to start small, scale fast, and empower your frontline workforce with AI.Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeAbout our GuestsNolan Wheeler – CEO & Founder, SYNQ TechnologiesNolan Wheeler founded SYNQ in 2015 after a successful multi-decade career in retail. With experience in asset protection, store operations, and store transformation, Nolan founded SYNQ with a vision for transforming how retailers think about operations and merchandizing. Nolan lives in Victoria, BC with his young family, spending as much of his time on the water as possible.Retail Clinic on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RetailClinicSYNQ Technologies - www.synqtech.comJeff Strasser – GM, AI Business Solutions for Retail & Consumer Goods, Microsoft.Jeff oversees Microsoft’s AI Business Solutions portfolio for the US Retail & Consumer Goods enterprise customer segment. Jeffrey’s organization supports clients’ business priorities to grow revenue, optimize costs and deliver customer and employee satisfaction through AI led solutions. Recently, Jeffrey has been leading discussions on the application of generative AI to improve the efficiency of work and operations, accelerate decision-making, and support client leadership with strategies to build an AI first culture and deliver on business impacting solutions.Microsoft Cloud for Retail - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/retail/microsoft-cloud-for-retailChapters:00:00 Previews 00:54 Show Intro 04:27 Welcome Jeff Strasser & Nolan Wheeler 07:29 Challenges Faced by Frontline Store Teams 14:14 AI Solutions for Retail Operations 19:59 Voice AI and Real-World Applications 25:34 Data-Driven Retail Insights 30:55 The Power of Voice Agents in Retail 32:05 Integrating IoT and Voice for Seamless Operations 34:22 Building Effective AI Agents 38:21 Starting with AI: Metrics and ROI 41:18 Overcoming Barriers to AI Adoption 47:24 Future Capabilities and Getting Started 54:01 Show CloseMeet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail, & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Allianceadvisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring ...
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    55 mins