Paul Prior

What does the $2.4B acquisition mean for the CMOs and eCommerce leaders in lifestyle brands? 1) Dick's Locker? Dick’s brings robust omnichannel infrastructure, integrated mobile apps, online inventory visibility, and click-and-collect at scale. Foot Locker adds sneaker and streetwear positioning, with deep cultural capital. A creator commerce engine (via its Impact.com-powered platform), enabling influencers to run affiliate storefronts and drive authentic community-driven sales. Combined, this creates an end-to-end commerce funnel from awareness (influencer storefronts) to transaction. An opportunity for brands to plug into a richer, more socially connected eCommerce channel 2) Foot Locker’s creator platform is one of the most advanced social commerce plays in retail. Under Dick’s, expect to expand across new categories (not just sneakers). Integrate with Dick’s app, website, and loyalty ecosystems. Increase brand visibility via influencer partnerships tied to measurable conversion metrics. 3) This merger also creates a more powerful retail media network and digital storefront. Enhanced search, paid placement, and promotion tools for brands. A competitive edge for those who can pay to play and optimize digital shelf presence. 4) Post-acquisition, shoppers will expect to: Browse online → try in-store → buy from either channel, frictionlessly. Use loyalty points, discounts, and customer profiles across Dick’s and Foot Locker seamlessly. Benefit from smarter fulfillment, such as buy online, pick up at the nearest store. Naturally, expect major tech stack consolidation #ecommerce #retail #omnichannel

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Strong differentiation of your brand and business strategy is anything but basic. It’s essential work, especially in difficult times. This is a quick read with a strong framework and a couple of proof points. Thank you, Anna Nussbaum!

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In 2026, IRL experiences will matter more than stores. In 2008, the iPhone kicked down the walls of the store. Retailers ignored it. A decade of struggle followed. Now we're at the next inflection point, and retailers are making the same mistakes: * Building chatbots for apps consumers never download * Locking valuable data away from store associates * Treating stores as places to "sell stuff" instead of creating AI-resistant experiences The solution isn't tech—it's trust. Gen Z doesn't want transactions. They want community, belonging, and experiences that can't be algorithmed away. Commerce follows community, not the other way around. This is participatory retail. This is what you need to stop GenAI from making your stores irrelevant. Full deep dive in this week's Retail Pulse Report ⬇️ #RetailStrategy #RetailInnovation #ExperientialRetail #RetailTransformation #GenZRetail #PhysicalRetail #RetailTech #FutureOfRetail #CustomerExperience #RetailLeadership

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I absolutely love this line from Stacie Santana: "You can’t AI your way out of a bad process." The opportunity to use AI to increase velocity and volume is clear, but it requires a fundamental shift of your workflow. Organizations have to evolve to get the most productivity from new platforms. If you're simply bringing AI into the old world, it won't work. AI companies building in the application layer have to meet teams where they are and show the path to change. At Adora, we're fortunate to be working with marketing executives who understand that change management is required to get the most out of this technological shift.

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I'm delighted to share Fospha’s brand new, comprehensive fashion retail playbook called The Fabric of Growth! It’s the first industry-focused report we’ve put out, made with all of the winning cross-channel strategies from our research and data from analyzing billions of $ in ad spend across our extensive client base of fashion retailers. The team have been diving deep into what separates the top-performing fashion brands from the rest, and the findings are fascinating. We've uncovered some compelling insights: > The measurement gap is wider than expected - channels like YouTube and Pinterest are delivering >5X higher ROAS than last-click attribution shows. That's a significant blind spot for fashion brands. > Channel diversification is now table stakes. The highest-performing brands in our dataset are running 10+ channels effectively, while single-channel strategies are hitting natural ceiling points. > Upper-funnel investment remains surprisingly low across the sector, despite our data showing it's critical for sustainable scale. The playbook includes expert insights from Dan Sava and the Neon Growth team, who excel in knowing what’s working for brands right now across their channel mix. We've included detailed case studies from leading brands like Represent, Underoutfit Inc, Oh Polly, END., and Childrensalon - real success stories with actionable insights you can apply immediately. I couldn't be prouder of our team for creating such a valuable resource for the fashion industry. This playbook isn’t just for fashion brands to learn from - it’s packed with concrete solutions for maximizing full-funnel performance and building campaigns that drive meaningful growth. Very excited to see how brands use these insights to scale profitably. Download it in the comments!

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One thing I keep seeing lately: luxury has quietly changed its rules. It’s no longer about shouting “premium” with price tags or endless product drops. The brands that feel elevated now are the ones that are deliberate, fewer choices, clearer intention, and experiences that feel considered from start to finish. What feels especially relevant heading into 2026 is this shift from spectacle to substance. Precision over excess. Thoughtful UX over noise. Personalization that actually understands the customer instead of performing for them. If you’re building a brand that wants to age well (not just trend well), this is worth a read, it’s less about chasing luxury and more about earning it.

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Maropost’s team got back from eTail Palm Springs last week, and after dozens of conversations with retailers, one theme kept coming up: Retailers are exhausted by operational complexity. Not competition. Not AI. Not even rising acquisition costs. Complexity. Too many disconnected systems. Too many dashboards. Too many “solutions” that promise efficiency but quietly add another layer of work behind the scenes. Retailers don’t need more features. They need fewer headaches. Retail and ecommerce tech should feel like removing weight from your shoulders – not adding another backpack. The retailers winning right now aren’t chasing more tools. They’re consolidating. Streamlining. Unifying. And honestly, it’s a powerful reminder that what we’re building at Maropost is exactly what retailers are craving right now: a unified commerce platform that simplifies your business instead of complicating it. For those who were there, what was your biggest takeaway from eTail Palm Springs?

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A week later & I'm still energized by the inaugural RetailClub, a first-of-its-kind AI Deepdive Retreat formed by the visionary founders of Shoptalk. Unlike traditional shows, RetailClub was a more intimate, Cannes-style gathering: no exhibit hall, outdoor sessions, and 500 leaders engaging in real, unscripted conversations about the future of AI in retail. Themes that remain on my mind: 1. The AI-only Focus Raised the Bar One of the most striking aspects of RetailClub was the absence of handholding. The room assumed AI fluency which pushed conversations into more ambitious, strategic territory: what’s really working, what isn’t, and how to make AI deliver impact. 2. Growth is The North Star The conversation is shifting from productivity to performance. Retailers and brands no longer want to talk about efficiency alone. In fact, they’re simply assuming the efficiency benefit as a given. Now, they want proof that AI can grow sales which is why many brands were impressed with Lily AI’s approach of guaranteeing lift. AI has to prove its worth. As Danielle Boeglin (Ragan), SVP of Data Analytics & AI at Fabletics, noted during our session, a smart place to start is optimizing product content for Google and Meta ads. It’s one of the fastest ways to unlock near-term results and it’s the kind of challenge only AI can handle at scale. 3. From Education to Implementation The days of explaining “what is AI?” are (thankfully!) behind us. At RetailClub, the dialogue centered on how to deploy it, aligning technology with business goals, and deciding where to place bets for the holiday season. 4. The Format Fostered Real Connection By removing the traditional exhibit hall and focusing on smaller, candid conversations, RetailClub created a jargon-free space for honesty & collaboration where conversations could be both candid and concrete without crossing into confidentiality. It’s the reason I heard so many leaders talk openly about their growing dissatisfaction with Google’s performance & their intent to push more holiday dollars into Meta. 5. Balance Technology With People The most effective AI adoption models I saw focused on the co-evolution of teams and tools, with tech innovators working hand in glove with advertisers, merchants, and data and analytics teams. Because no matter how smart the model is, if it’s disconnected from the people who know the products, it will fail. RetailClub proved that the conversation has moved on: efficiency is table stakes, growth is the priority. For AI to earn its place, it must show measurable impact, from optimized product feeds to better PDP content to smarter ad performance. The next wave of retail innovation will be driven by the partners who can show AI is delivering at scale and we couldn’t be any more excited and grateful to continue to be a part of this journey for our retail and brand clients. Next up, Advertising Week...see you in New York! Ken Pilot John Andrews Julian Dimery Sumi Scott Alex Vitale Cyndi Collins

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Love this - AI is the Oppenheimer moment for marketing. It fundamentally collapses the time and cost of production. A $2.5 million campaign that used to take four months can now be delivered for $500,000 in four weeks. Legacy firms that charge based on hours with the 'time-driven' model are existentially threatened by this.

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Excited to see this perspective captured by ClickZ Media from eTail™ Palm Springs. At Stitch Fix, we don’t see AI and human stylists as opposing forces. We see them as complements. The better AI gets, the bigger the opportunity to make the human experience even stronger. AI can help visualize, personalize, and scale in powerful new ways. But style, confidence and trust are personal. That’s where great stylists continue to matter deeply. Our belief is simple: use AI to unlock inspiration, remove friction, and create more space for the moments only humans can deliver. Thanks to Lee Arthur and the ClickZ Media team for covering the conversation! Check out their article in the comments below.

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Great few days at National Retail Federation Big Show and Coresight Research's AI event. Plenty of people have shared their show takeaways (see: agentic AI/commerce everywhere), but my favorite insights are always through conversations. Best quotes from NY: AI in General: "AI has very unfortunate branding. Who wants "artificial" intelligence?" Humans vs AI: "We have to stop thinking that human decisions are always right." Inventory Predictability (or lack thereof): "One TikTok can throw your supply chain out of stock" Getting Ahead of the Curve: "If I'm in front of a trend, it's because I wasn't afraid to fail." Success in Failure: "Some of the biggest wins come from failure, but you have to learn to "fail fast" and move on." Corporate Politics: "Sales gets the credit when things go right, IT gets the blame when things go wrong."

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Day 1 at eTail™ Palm Springs. It has been fascinating to watch the AI conversation mature over the past few years at eTail™ Palm Springs. 2023 and 2024 were largely about AI as a buzzword. In 2025 the discussions shifted toward high-level possibilities for ecommerce marketing. This year, the tone feels different. The question I am hearing more often is simple and refreshing~ “Show us real applications and real results.” AI that WORKS! The conversations are becoming more concrete, more grounded, and far more outcome-focused. There is also a stronger appreciation for first-party data as a strategic asset, and for the role AI can play in unlocking its value. Feels like we are entering a more grounded and action-oriented phase of AI-powered experimentation in ecommerce. Excited for the conversations ahead! #NetElixir #eTailPalmSprings

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Retail media’s rise has been fast and decisive. In my new piece for Total Retail, I argue that we’ve defined the channel around the biggest names, and in doing so, overlooked where most commerce actually happens. https://lnkd.in/dGe-8t_W Yes, there has been considerable growth. The largest retail media networks have proven that when transaction data and media are tightly connected, performance improves. But retail isn’t just national chains. Most purchases still happen across independent grocers and regional chains. Yet those environments remain largely disconnected from the performance infrastructure retail media promises. Fragmented systems make activation and measurement difficult, so budgets concentrate where integration already exists. As advertisers demand clearer proof of incrementality and standardized measurement, the opportunity shifts to whoever can organize the retail majority into a credible performance channel.

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Bruce Shields from Carhartt joined us on the most recent episode of The Frictionless Experience podcast, and he gave Nick Paladino and me a masterclass in how data and design actually come together. Here are some of the biggest takeaways: - UX maturity is a spectrum. Carhartt started with “UX = design.” Today, it’s about testing, personalization, and optimization at scale. - Data before design. Wireframes now get modeled against revenue goals before a single creative decision is made. - Confirmation bias is real. Early testing was used to prove assumptions. The shift came when Carhartt reframed “failed” tests as wins that brought them closer to the truth. - Benchmarks change the game. Two years of homepage interaction data turned into predictive models that can forecast component performance. - The metric to watch. Conversion rate between category pages and product detail pages is one of the most reliable predictors of revenue. - Clicks aren’t the enemy. An extra click that gives users clarity is better than a shorter, confusing journey. - Segmentation matters. New customers and loyal repeat buyers need completely different experiences. - Culture counts. A low-ego, high-curiosity environment made it possible to embed testing and data into everyday decisions. Every one of these points could have been its own episode. Big thanks to Bruce for bringing so much depth (and for making me jealous of Carhartt’s framed jackets).

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https://lnkd.in/gz79_gpF Agentic Commerce is Redefining Retail—Here’s How to Respond definitely honored to see firmly mentioned by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a solution that can accelerate agentic commerce with its "0 work needed by merchants" beyond white listing. firmly solution strength is to be compliant with all standards ACP, APP, KYA, ultra secure (PCI, SOC2 etc...fully reviewed by infosec of very large financial actors) + leverage of the payment networks like Mastercard AgentPay.

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