We unpack the market reactions from the NikeSkims turnout, the fantastical and terrifying future of gene editing, and Howard Lutnick’s first moves as Commerce Secretary. PLUS: Future Commerce is headed to Shoptalk! Phillip and Brian bring the heat from Palm Springs! Coming Up: Don’t miss our coverage of Howard Lutnick’s First 100 Days. Follow our show wherever you listen to podcasts, subscribe to our weekly newsletters, and join us on Instagram , YouTube , LinkedIn , TikTok , and X . We Almost N...
Feb 28, 2025•39 min•Ep. 388
We peer into commerce’s self-driven future and see new frontiers arising for AV-centric city planning, (more) invasive advertisement integration, commerce-based search engines, and Meta mind control. PLUS: Phillip and Brian designate their week’s heroes and villains, and we get excited about the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After Party! Think It, And It Will Be DoneKey takeaways: [9:00] News from the week: Shopify earnings, Klaviyo, bird flu, and the latest from Future Commerce. [15...
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 387
When does a word become so ubiquitous it loses all meaning? Brian's sudden aversion to "culture" sparks a meandering exploration into the semiotics of commerce, just as Poppy's influencer vending machine saga becomes an unlikely metaphor for marketing's existential crisis. PLUS, we revisit a key moment from NRF 2025. The Great ‘Culture Cancel’ of 2025Key takeaways: [13:30] The Poppi fallout: After being slammed by fans around the globe for an influencer activation, Poppi juggles image repair. [2...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 386
Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plus Save 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merch Private GPT access with Alani™ from BundleIQ Exclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS) Ad-free episodes and bonus content!
Feb 12, 2025•7 min
Phillip and Brian look into tomorrow’s creator economy, shaped by the role of AI-driven agents in commerce and attention as currency. While rising generations invisibly develop instincts for algorithmic curation, Mr. Beast’s Feastables collect dust in your local Walgreens. PLUS: We bring you along to our NRF panel discussion alongside our friends from BigCommerce. Velocity Over VolumeKey takeaways: Mr. Beast on Colin and Samir: His too many failed sidequests reveal a bigger picture about the via...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 385
Head of Content James Mulvey joins the show to discuss Motion’s latest creative trends report, which analyzed over $100M+ in ad spend across platforms to extract top creative insights. Listen now to catch the highlights and learn how breakthrough ads are getting faster, funnier, and uglier. Read Motion’s 2025 Creative Trends Report at Motionapp.com/creative-trends . Going Where Millions of Marketers Haven’t Gone BeforeKey takeaways: Motion curated a report of the seven top creative trends to kee...
Feb 07, 2025•46 min•Ep. 384
Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plus Save 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merch Private GPT access with Alani™ from BundleIQ Exclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS) Ad-free episodes and bonus content!
Feb 04, 2025•7 min
This week, we’re live-reacting to battles across culture. It’s DeepSeek vs. OpenAI, Millennials vs. Gen X, and Starbucks vs. Sharpies (Sharpies won). PLUS: The Flappy Bird effect drives an aftermarket of devices with TikTok access, yuppie culture booms, and Waymo strikes again. The Other Side of Headless CommerceKey takeaways: DeepSeek’s Disruption – A powerful, cheap, open-source AI from China that is sending shockwaves through the industry, challenging Nvidia’s dominance and raising economic c...
Jan 31, 2025•54 min•Ep. 383
“There is nothing but micro trends these days. Sometimes, things bubble up, and they capture the imagination of pop culture…but then they last for a really short time. In that environment, how do you really set yourself up to influence culture?” In this week’s episode, Ana Andjelic graces our show with breakthrough advice from her latest book, Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture . Discover the secrets of updating heritage brands, keys to transporting customers into imaginative worlds, and ho...
Jan 24, 2025•54 min•Ep. 382
This FREE PREVIEW of the After Dark is brought to you by Future Commerce Plus! Join today and receive access to ad-free and bonus content from Future Commerce. futurecommerce.com/plus We're covering the first 100 Days of the New Commerce Department: what trade and tariff policies are up Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's sleeve? PLUS: We dig into TikTok's dizzying fake-out, Doji's mystifying deepfake try-on tech, and the long-awaited launch of the 2025 Future Commerce Annual Journal, LORE. Epis...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 18 min
In this landmark discussion from NRF 2025, we lay out our theory of commerce's next evolutionary leap: the necessary fusion of human and artificial intelligence in digital spaces. As today's retailers hastily construct separate domains for silicon and carbon-based shoppers, we explore why this well-intentioned bifurcation may be precisely the wrong approach. From Salesforce's stumbling first steps with Agent Force to NVIDIA's more integrated vision, we examine how commerce might pioneer a symbio...
Jan 17, 2025•52 min•Ep. 381
This week, we’re unpacking Adobe’s holiday shopping report, the AI bot takeover, and the dead internet theory. As 2025 kicks off with powerful demand for both in-person experiences and AI-driven, frictionless online shopping, we’re peering into the future of the tension. PLUS: Phillip the Time Capsule Guy takes us back in time, and 5,000 years into the future. Is AI Just Making Spam More Scalable?Key takeaways: [00:14:30] “Black Friday shopping is one of the most isolating things you can do now....
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 380
In our biggest episode of the year, we explore seismic shifts coming in 2025: from the return of Gen X leadership to a new wave of American counterculture. We revisit our eerily accurate 2024 predictions while laying out bold forecasts for retail consolidation, AI evolution, and the changing media landscape. Plus, we dive deep into why Google might be poised for a massive comeback and how Walmart is transforming into a media empire. "Quantum Intelligence & Objective Truth": Key Moments from ...
Jan 03, 2025•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 379
This year was a great one for the Future Commerce podcast. We vision-casted with fellow futurists at exclusive events across the nation, launched podcast specials like Spooky Commerce and FC Radio Theater, and were joined on the podcast by many of our industry muses, including Kickstarter’s Yancey Strickler and Walmart’s Justin Breton. We’ve rounded up our 2024 highlight reel in one year-end finale episode. All featured episodes linked below. The Good, the Spooky, and the VisionaryFeatured Episo...
Dec 27, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 378
Introducing a Future Commerce Radio Theater production: A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa, an original story by Erin DaCruz. Performed for radio by Joseph Discher and Leonor Woodworth. Voice production by Whole Story Studio. A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa can be found in the Muses journal, available for purchase at shop.futurecommerce.com . Timecodes: [00:02:28] Time of day – 5:45 [00:04:01] Time of day – 6:22 [00:05:20] Time of day – 8:17 [00:07:02] Time of day – 10:00 [00:07:46] Time of day – 1...
Dec 23, 2024•17 min
Introducing a Future Commerce Radio Theater production: The Wrong Part, an original story by Brian Lange. Performed for radio by Joseph Discher. Voice production by Whole Story Studio. The Wrong Part can be found in the Muses journal, available for purchase at shop.futurecommerce.com . Stay tuned for our upcoming radio theater readings: A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa by Erin DaCruz. Timecodes: [00:00:19] Act 1 [00:11:35] Act 2 Associated Links: Enjoy The Wrong Part in print: Order the Muses jou...
Dec 20, 2024•23 min
Introducing a Future Commerce Radio Theater production: Dissociating at Costco, an original story by Brian Lange. Performed for radio by Joseph Discher. Voice production by Whole Story Studio. Dissociating at Costco can be found in the Archetypes journal, available for purchase at shop.futurecommerce.com . Stay tuned for our upcoming radio theater readings: A Day in the Life of Nana Alexa by Erin DaCruz, and The Hardest Part by Brian Lange. Timecodes: [00:00:20] Chapter 1 [00:08:19] Chapter 2 [0...
Dec 18, 2024•29 min
Yancey Strickler on Metalabel, Digital Scarcity, and the Coming Creative Revolution Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler unveils his vision of a radical economic future where artists become society's power brokers. Through Metalabel, he's building the infrastructure for collective commerce and creative ownership that could transform how we value and exchange culture. “In 50 years, artists won't just influence culture—they'll control capital”Key takeaways: {00:13:10} - “The concept of art and ...
Dec 06, 2024•52 min•Ep. 377
Join us at the final events of the year! All of our events can be found at futurecommerce.com/events December 9: Future Commerce LIVE at The Moore RSVP: Apply to attend here December 11: Commerce Conversations At Sea 2.0 RSVP: Apply to attend here...
Dec 03, 2024•4 min
Retail and customer experience expert Kate Fannin brings brands down to earth for a living, driven by her consulting mantra, “People buy things ; they pay for experiences .” Drawing from her career journey across iconic brands like Gap, Nordstrom, and Estée Lauder, Kate offers insightful strategies for curating meaningful customer connections that make even online shopping feel like window shopping in your favorite small town. “The Invitation to Come and Stay Awhile” Key takeaways: Human connect...
Nov 29, 2024•58 min•Ep. 376
We are joined by the brilliant Jacob Matson, Developer Advocate at Mother Duck, to discuss the new frontier of data application, the evolution of computing, and Brian’s taste in wine. Get nerdy with us and learn about the unlimited potential for customized consumer experiences powered by advanced databases and more tech forecasts – brought to you by a frontline data expert. Augmenting Aesthetics, from Fine Wine to Interior DesignKey takeaways: [00:25:46] “Our hardware is scaling faster than we c...
Nov 22, 2024•58 min•Ep. 375
Jack Kavanagh of Shopanova joins us to share his unique perspective on cutting through the noise of marketing fads and focusing on strategies that truly drive growth. From balancing trends with long term strategies to harnessing the power of tools like Triple Whale’s Sonar for precise ad targeting, we dive deep into the realities of scaling eCommerce businesses in 2024. Discover how agility, better data segmentation, and a holistic approach to metrics can revolutionize your business. Don’t Miss ...
Nov 21, 2024•38 min
We sit down with Brandon Kuipers, Co-founder and CMO of Zox, to discuss how a family arts-and-crafts project evolved into a globally recognized e-commerce brand. Hear how Zox grew from a family project to an international success by leveraging data-driven marketing, and how emerging tools like Triple Whale's Sonar have unlocked global markets. From Kitchen Table to Global BrandKey takeaways: Leveraging the right data tools, like Sonar, significantly improved Zox's data visibility, enabling them ...
Nov 20, 2024•33 min
You want an optimized performance marketing stack, we have the expert insight. In season 14 of Step-By-Step, we’ve partnered with Triple Whale and Meta to help you maximize RoAS with higher-quality data. In this episode, you’ll learn why first-party data is critical in a privacy-conscious eCommerce ecosystem, how domain-specific AI can revolutionize eCommerce analytics, and what the shift from self-hosted IT organizations to cloud-based solutions means for your business. Garbage In, Garbage OutK...
Nov 19, 2024•46 min
“Email’s stability in a changing digital world makes it one of the few reliable channels left for brands, even after ten years.” Seasoned eCommerce and email marketing expert Greg Zakowicz joins Brian and Phillip to unpack the holiday inbox squeeze. The Tried and True, Yet Hackable, Email CampaignKey takeaways: [00:01:41] “Email’s stability in a changing digital world makes it one of the few reliable channels left for brands, even after ten years.” – Greg [00:05:46] “Honing in on your unique val...
Nov 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 374
Phoebe Yu loves jumping down rabbit holes with the audience of her curiosity-driven channel on YouTube that focuses on research, human psychology, and culture, specifically within the tech sector. But if something interesting finds its way into the comment section, she’ll deep dive into that too. Listen now to Phoebe Yu’s conversation with Phillip and Brian! Looking Back to Look Forward Key Takeaways: [00:10:39] “Research is always iterating just like design. So I really want to keep that active...
Nov 01, 2024•47 min•Ep. 373
Get ad-free episodes and bonus content, including the full recording of this podcast, by joining Future Commerce+ at futurecommerce.com/plus Save 20% on Future Commerce print journals and merch Private GPT access with Alani™ from BundleIQ Exclusive invites to physical events, dinners, and priority invites to industry events (SXSW, Art Basel, VISIONS) Ad-free episodes and bonus content!
Oct 31, 2024•2 min
Spooky Commerce finishes with an epic finale as we explore the mysterious history of Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market. Phillip, Brian, and Sarah share tales of ghost sightings, haunted (coffee) grounds, and the rich lore behind one of the oldest continuously operating markets in the U.S. PLUS: Phillip and Brian debrief a tragedy involving AI-to-human relationships and discuss the challenges parents face as children gain unrestricted access to AI tools. The Roast With the Ghost TW: This week’s ...
Oct 25, 2024•45 min•Ep. 372
This week we unpack multisensory commerce, the economical ebb and flow of re-commerce, and reflect on Phillip’s keynote at the Motion Creative Strategy Summit. PLUS: Spooky Commerce is back. Phillip, Brian, and Sarah journey to a haunted 1980’s Bay Area Toys R Us. The Duality of RecommerceKey takeaways: Tactile interactions produce profound experiences – something digital media cannot replicate. Phillip’s keynote presentation at the Motion Creative Strategy Summit highlighted the polymathic insp...
Oct 18, 2024•45 min•Ep. 371
From dead-and-undead-again crypto cycles to eBay’s paranormal side, we explore the range of the paranormal in this week’s installment of Spooky Commerce. Listen now! Crypt-O-Currency, Panic Buying and Paranormal DucksKey takeaways: eCommerce giants like Pinduoduo (Temu’s parent company) are contributing to deflation in China by flooding the market with cheap goods. Disaster alerts compete with the attention economy. In our daily flurry of push notifications, we might also be alerted of an impend...
Oct 11, 2024•34 min•Ep. 370
