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Future Commerce

Future Commerce

By: Phillip Jackson Brian Lange
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Future Commerce is the culture magazine for Commerce. Hosts Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange help brand and digital marketing leaders see around the next corner by exploring the intersection of Culture and Commerce. Trusted by the world's most recognizable brands to deliver the most insightful, entertaining, and informative weekly podcasts, Future Commerce is the leading new media brand for eCommerce merchants and retail operators. Each week, we explore the cultural implications of what it means to sell or buy products and how commerce and media impact the culture and the world around us, through unique insights and engaging interviews with a dash of futurism. Weekly essays, full transcripts, and quarterly market research reports are available at https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus©2025 Future Commerce Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • When Algorithms Shop: How to Sell At the Speed of Culture
    Sep 12 2025

    While everyone obsesses over AI shopping assistants, the real commerce transformation is happening in other spaces. Steve Norris from Logicbroker unpacks how Gen Alpha's $67 weekly spending habits, Roblox's 380 million users, and agentic tools are forcing retailers to reshape their operational backbones.

    Key takeaways:
    • Loyalty has evolved from transactional to operational - Modern consumers demand authentic brand experiences over points and discounts, rewarding companies that consistently deliver on their stated values
    • The supply chain is the overlooked frontier - While everyone focuses on AI shopping assistants, the transformative opportunity lies in agentic order routing, returns processing, and risk scoring
    • Inventory visibility remains the ultimate blocker - Real-time visibility across distribution centers, stores, and supplier networks is still the foundational challenge preventing true omnichannel success
    • "There are people that are buying now that aren't humans... That's just a weird statement when you say that out loud." - Steve Norris
    • "We're moving from this transactional loyalty to more of this operational loyalty... which is like a brand's ability to be able to flawlessly execute on their position and their story." - Steve Norris
    • "I used to hand-code web pages in Notepad.exe... I think we're in the notepad.exe stage of AI." - Phillip Jackson
    Associated Links:
    • Learn more about Logicbroker
    • Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
    • Check out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and print
    • Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about 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!

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    49 mins
  • The Sports Brand's Guide to Fandom
    Sep 5 2025

    Klaviyo has become the de facto personal CRM for eCommerce. Ben Jackson, Managing Director for EMEA, joins us to unpack how brands move beyond campaign calendars into relationship-building at scale. We get into rocketship growth, why attribution is still broken, and how Castore’s multi-instance CRM model points to a future where both/and thinking beats false trade-offs.

    If You’re Just Following the Data, You’re Following the PastKey takeaways:
    • The marketer's identity crisis: Evolving from channel specialists to customer relationship managers orchestrating holistic experiences.
    • Scale meets personalization: Castore manages 32 Klaviyo instances while maintaining intimate relationships through strategic automation.
    • Attribution's cultural revolution: How brands are moving beyond "either/or" to "both/and" so they can measure immediate performance while building long-term value.
    • Channel affinity intelligence: AI identifies not just preferred channels, but optimal timing to eliminate fatigue.
    • "There's not many brands that you would get tattooed on yourself. But if you're a sports fan, if you're a supporter of a national team or a football club... that means you really care about the experience you have with that brand." - Ben Jackson on Castore's passionate customer base
    • "Rather than our reliance being quite heavy on sending out a load of email blasts to try and tick revenue targets... Let's tell those stories. Let's give the customer who we know is already incredibly passionate a reason to be loyal." - Max Holland (Castore) on content-driven relationship building
    • "If you're just following the data, you're following the past. If you're following the competition, you're following what everybody else has done, and it's really difficult to differentiate if you're gonna do that." - Ben Jackson on creative marketing philosophy
    • "Some of the impact you have as a marketer today, typically you take credit for the success in that moment. But some of it is about building that brand, building that customer experience... that doesn't just last for that point of one transaction. It kind of lasts over years." - Ben Jackson on long-term value thinking
    In-Show Mentions:
    • Castore - Athletic wear brand managing 32 Klaviyo instances for partner teams and clubs
    • Rory Sutherland - Behavioral economist discussing explore/exploit marketing philosophy
    • K London - Klaviyo's European conference with 1,500 attendees and waiting list
    Associated Links:
    • Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
    • Check out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and print
    • Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about 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!

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    36 mins
  • The Sociology of Anthropologie
    Aug 29 2025

    In a retail landscape obsessed with speed and conversion, Anthropologie has mastered something far more elusive: cultural alchemy. How do you transform a fleeting TikTok trend into a cross-category empire spanning everything from ceramic lamps to cashmere sweaters? COO Candan Erenguc reveals the operational artistry behind turning cultural moments into commerce gold, and why connection always trumps conversion.

    The Genius Behind That Viral DressKey takeaways:
    • Community over conversion - Building authentic customer relationships drives long-term success more than short-term sales optimization
    • Cultural instinct beats data - When responding to viral moments and cultural trends, intuition often signals opportunities before data can catch up
    • Choice trumps speed - Customers value optionality in how, when, and where they receive products more than just fast delivery
    • Localized curation wins - Store-specific assortments based on neighborhood demographics and customer needs drive expansion success
    • Cross-category trend application - Scaling cultural moments across diverse product categories (from eccentric lamps to dog sweaters) maximizes trend participation
    • [00:03:13] "[Our merchant teams] are ahead of the curve, predicting trends. And if I may be so bold, they're influencing trends." - Candan
    • [00:05:53] "It’s symbiotic. Our goal is to give customers what they want. But I think …sometimes they don't know yet what they want." - Candan
    • [00:20:04] "Connection over conversion. You build the connection, everything else will come." - Candan
    • [00:16:41] "I don't think that the most important thing is speed. I think the most important thing is choice." - Candan
    • [00:19:43] "We're also at a time where people are much more savvy than we give them credit for." - Phillip
    In-Show Mentions:
    • Listen to Mindy Massey, Anthropologie Global Director of Stores, on the latest season of Step By Step.
    Associated Links:
    • Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
    • Check out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and print
    • Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about 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!

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
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