Curiosity got faster—and a lot more practical. We sit down with Tim Lawton of SightX and Russell Evans of ZS to unpack a partnership that blends expert humans with integrated AI to rethink how insights teams generate ideas, validate concepts, and influence big bets. No bolt-ons, no buzzwords—just a clearer path from question to decision.

We start with the reality that researchers live under a microscope, then show how automation can remove the drudgery without losing the judgment that matters. Tim explains how SightX streamlines end-to-end survey workflows, analytics, and dashboards so small teams can do more with less. Russell shares why ZS sought a partner that treats AI as the core engine, not a layer, and how the combo is helping brands compress months of work into weeks while improving the odds of success.

You’ll hear a concrete CPG case where data-driven concept generation plus rapid, integrated validation shaved time and lifted purchase intent by 29% in a human-in-the-loop process. We break down what separates pilot purgatory from real adoption: leadership “air cover,” incentives that reward experimentation, and new roles that scan the market and align tools to strategy. We also get candid about risk, governance, and where AI belongs in the stack—use it where it accelerates insight and keeps humans focused on meaning and action.

We close with a sharp take on synthetic data: explore it for low-stakes ideation, but mine real, underused signals first—reviews, long-form social, and contact center data—when the decision matters. If you’re ready to scale consumer insights, speed up concept testing, and make better calls with AI you can trust, hit play and tell us where you want to move faster next. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs air cover, and leave a review to help others find the conversation.

If “modernizing” sounds like a buzzword, this conversation turns it into a blueprint. We sit with retail veteran Art Sebastian to trace how a beloved convenience chain moved from hometown habits to a unified, omni-channel engine - without breaking trust or losing its core. The journey starts with customer truth and a clear-eyed data audit, then builds toward a single customer view that powers relevance across email, SMS, push, and in-app experiences. The result isn’t just more messages; it’s fewer blind spots, cleaner consent, and faster baskets.

We go inside the organics of change: how a brand creates a Digital Experience team from scratch, scales talent with a two-in-the-box model, and ultimately merges digital, media, PR, and e-commerce into one omni-channel group. Art shares why a customer data platform (CDP) is the spine of modern retail - making identity resolution, privacy compliance, segmentation, and retail media networks both possible and profitable. We also dig into Gen Z’s sharp expectations: personalization over platitudes, time saved over slogans, and social content that feels native rather than promotional.

Then we fast-forward into the AI era - predictive, generative, and agentic. You’ll hear practical wins retailers are already capturing (recommendations, send-time optimization, labor scheduling) and a candid look at what’s next as AI agents start coordinating across systems. The takeaway is both empowering and cautionary: IT skills will shift from vendor management to integration mastery, and leaders must defend critical thinking even as automation scales. If you’re steering a grocery, c-store, or retail brand through transformation, this is a roadmap you can actually use.

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Jack Myers, founder of the Myers Report and Media Village Education Foundation, takes us beyond the typical AI conversation into the profound human implications of artificial intelligence. Drawing from his book "The Tao of Leadership," Myers explores how agentic AI—autonomous systems that interpret goals, make decisions, and evolve in real-time—will fundamentally transform business operations and leadership dynamics.

"Agentic AI is fast becoming the mirror of the modern executive," Myers explains, describing how these systems will reflect leadership qualities with unprecedented transparency. Rather than replacing humans, these agents free people to focus on what they do uniquely well: creating, empathizing, imagining, and leading. But organizations must act quickly. The traditional innovation approach of methodical "bridge building" no longer works in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Instead, Myers advocates "building portals"—immediate entry points for experiencing and learning from AI technologies directly.

Recent developments like the Modern Contextual Protocol (MCP) are accelerating this transformation, enabling AI systems to develop deeper contextual understanding. As these technologies mature, the gap between organizations embracing AI and those hesitating will widen dramatically. This creates not just operational divides but potentially new categories of "haves and have-nots" in terms of technological access and capability. Myers's advice to emerging professionals is unambiguous: avoid companies that aren't investing in AI and integrating it into workflows.

The conversation raises crucial questions about ethics, governance, and human qualities in leadership. How do we ensure AI systems incorporate empathy and ethical considerations? How must leaders evolve to balance technological capabilities with distinctly human qualities like emotional intelligence and creativity? Myers challenges us to consider these questions not as distant concerns but as immediate imperatives for anyone hoping to thrive in the AI-transformed business landscape of today and tomorrow.

Ever wondered why you abandon your shopping cart online? The answer might surprise you. According to Tarun Chandrasekhar, President and Chief Product Officer at Syndigo, "Customers don't abandon products, they abandon poor experiences." This simple yet profound insight cuts to the heart of today's commerce challenges.

The most jaw-dropping revelation from our conversation? Amazon generated more revenue from retail media and product sponsorships last year than from their entire AWS business. Let that sink in—a company whose cloud services dominate the market is making even more money from how products appear and are promoted on their platform. This seismic shift is reshaping the entire retail landscape, with Walmart and others racing to develop similar capabilities.

We dive deep into the $15 billion Product Experience Management (PXM) industry that connects the dots between multiple information layers in commerce. From supply chain to ERP systems to product data to customer experience, these previously siloed systems are now being integrated by digitally mature organizations seeking competitive advantage. For brands, success hinges on speed-to-market across multiple channels. For retailers, data accuracy prevents costly recalls and builds customer trust.

The COVID era dramatically changed the game—companies that once employed 15-20 people to manage product information now operate with teams of just four, while simultaneously juggling expanded responsibilities like managing media influencers and social platform syndication. This new reality demands smarter, more efficient systems.

As shopping behavior evolves from traditional search to AI-guided discovery, brands and retailers must adapt. The holy grail? Connecting rich product content with customer intelligence to create personalized experiences. It's a transformative time for commerce—exciting yet nerve-wracking, as Tarun describes it: "a 3D jigsaw puzzle we're building as we're free-falling from the sky."

Ready to rethink how your business approaches product data? Listen now to understand why product information has become your brand's first handshake with customers, and how getting it right might be the most important investment you make this year.

The strategic balance between technology investment and human touchpoints has never been more critical in customer experience. In this eye-opening conversation with Mario Matulich, CEO of Customer Management Practice and CCW, we uncover why so many well-intentioned CX initiatives fail during uncertain economic times.

Mario reveals the three drivers that truly matter to customers: personalization, ease, and speed—in that exact order. This hierarchy, backed by extensive research, provides a clear framework for making technology decisions that actually enhance loyalty rather than damaging it. The conversation explores why brands that maintain their CX investments during challenging periods emerge stronger, while those focused purely on cost-cutting often lose market share.

"If you're making technology investment decisions purely for cost savings, you will fail," warns Mario, highlighting the most common pitfall he observes across industries. Companies frequently replace frontline staff with self-service technology simultaneously, creating a perfect storm when that technology inevitably has flaws. When customers encounter issues and revert to traditional channels, they discover drastically reduced staffing—resulting in frustration and permanent damage to brand loyalty.

The discussion examines success stories from travel, hospitality, healthcare, and financial services sectors, where leaders like Delta, Hilton, Marriott, and Chase recognized economic challenges as opportunities to differentiate through superior customer experiences. Mario also previews the upcoming CCW Las Vegas event, bringing together over 250 solution providers and offering unparalleled networking and benchmarking opportunities.

Perhaps most compelling is Mario's observation about the future of corporate leadership: many of tomorrow's executives are today's contact center agents, developing uniquely valuable skillsets at the intersection of human empathy and technological transformation. For anyone navigating CX decisions in uncertain times, this conversation provides both strategic clarity and practical guidance.

Subscribe to Customer Land for more insights on creating exceptional customer experiences that drive loyalty even during challenging economic conditions.

Ever wondered what happens in that crucial moment after you click "buy" online? Ashley Firmstone, SVP of Global Enterprise Growth at ROKT, takes us deep into the psychology of the transaction moment and how forward-thinking brands are transforming it from a dead end into a value-creating opportunity.

When you complete a purchase online, you're experiencing either euphoria or potential buyer's remorse – a powerful emotional moment that most retailers have historically wasted. Firmstone reveals how ROKT analyzes over 6.5 billion annual transactions to help brands create relevant, valuable experiences precisely when customers are most receptive. "We want to serve something that you're not just going to click on," Firmstone explains, "but something you're actually going to complete a purchase on because you found that much value in the offer."

The conversation explores the delicate balance between monetization and customer experience. Research conducted with Harris Poll found that 62% of consumers will abandon their carts if presented with misaligned offers during checkout – a stark reminder of the risks of prioritizing short-term revenue over customer satisfaction. Firmstone shares how ROKT's "efficient frontier" testing methodology helps brands continuously optimize experiences as consumer preferences evolve, rather than taking a one-and-done approach to personalization.

Looking ahead, Firmstone predicts that winning retailers will differentiate themselves through AI integration, dynamic customer experiences, and strategic partnerships that feel genuinely relevant to shoppers. For retailers navigating today's uncertain economic environment, she emphasizes the need to leverage technology that helps move inventory without resorting to heavy discounting. "Retail industries move a little bit slower in general," Firmstone notes, "and they're going to need to adapt really quickly."

Whether you're in e-commerce, marketing technology, or customer experience design, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating meaningful digital touchpoints that respect the customer while driving business growth. Subscribe now to hear more conversations with industry leaders who are redefining how businesses connect with customers.

The world of retail media is experiencing a seismic shift as networks struggle to bridge the gap between traditional in-store marketing and digital advertising approaches. In this fascinating conversation with Paul Brenner (Global SVP of Retail Media and Partnerships at InStore Marketplace) and Steve Gray (Director of SG Retail UK), we explore the fundamental differences between US and European retail media evolution and why these differences matter.

European retailers, gaining market share earlier than their American counterparts, developed in-store retail media networks from a position of strength, setting the agenda rather than following brand directives. Meanwhile, US retail media emerged primarily through digital channels first, creating a disconnect that persists today. This regional difference reveals a deeper organizational challenge: how to unite the measurement approaches of two worlds.

"You've got one half of the business measuring one thing, even though they've got amazing data, but they're applying a sales uplift mindset. And you've got the other half of the organization spending the big media dollars and they're acting without much data, but they're applying a different standard," explains Steve.

The science of brand growth offers a potential unifying principle: brands only grow by acquiring new customers, requiring both mental availability (awareness) and physical availability (presence in-store). Retail media networks have the unique advantage of influencing both sides of this equation—something no other media channel can claim.

As Paul notes, retail media networks must address this physical-digital transition through restructuring and rethinking their approach: "If they're not there in three years, it's really going to hurt them overall because there is no way a brand is going to say all my money's going into a place where 10% of my product is sold."

Discover why cost-per-shopper models might provide a transitional language to help brands move traditional trade spending to retail media, and why the coming years will likely see significant organizational changes as CPG companies work to integrate their shopper and retail media teams to maximize growth in this rapidly evolving landscape.

The subscription economy is experiencing a profound transformation. What once centered entirely on acquisition has shifted dramatically toward retention as businesses recognize the true value of deepening customer relationships rather than constantly chasing new subscribers.

Lina Tonk, CMO at Recurly, explains this evolution with remarkable clarity: "When you start thinking about retention as a top metric instead of acquisition, you realize that you're getting close to the human that you're serving and the value that you're providing them." This perspective shift represents what she calls "a beautiful moment" in the subscription market—one that reconnects businesses with their fundamental purpose of serving people.

Data reveals the urgency behind this transformation. Acquisition rates have plummeted from 4% to 2.8%, forcing subscription businesses to rethink their growth strategies. The most successful companies now view this challenge as an opportunity to create what Tonk describes as "magical moments" with existing customers—personalized experiences that strengthen bonds and drive loyalty.

The conversation delves into practical approaches for building customer proximity. At Recurly, this starts at the executive level, with leadership actively participating in customer meetings and seeking direct feedback. Their executive program connects C-suite leaders with customers quarterly, not just for business reviews but to share insights from subscriber behavior data that can guide strategic decisions. This approach acknowledges that "customer experience is everybody's job," not just the responsibility of customer success managers.

Perhaps most fascinating is the evolving view of cancellations and pauses. "Cancellation isn't goodbye," Tonk emphasizes, noting that approximately 70% of subscribers would remain if offered a loyalty incentive. The option to pause subscriptions—whether for a month, three months, or longer—has become a powerful retention tool, creating pathways for customers to return on their own terms.

Want to build stronger subscriber relationships and drive sustainable growth? Listen now to discover how getting truly close to your customers can transform your subscription business. And stay tuned for future conversations exploring the intersection of customer experience, loyalty, and retention in greater depth.