Digital Front Door
The Digital Front Door explores how technology is reshaping the retail industry and redefining the in-store customer experience. Each episode features conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and solution providers who are driving change at the intersection of digital tools and brick-and-mortar retail. From AI-powered shopping carts to retail media, personalization, and operational efficiency, the show dives into the strategies and solutions that help retailers improve shopper engagement, increase loyalty, and grow revenue. Listeners can expect practical insights, forward-looking ideas, and real-world examples of how the “digital front door” is opening new opportunities in retail.
Episodes
44 episodes
Bakery’s RFID Pivot: Faster Counts, Fresher Shelves, Less Waste
Walk past the warm glow of a grocery bakery and you’re not just smelling bread—you’re sensing the store’s promise of freshness. We dig into why that promise is so hard to keep with manual counts, perishable windows, and production guesswork tha...
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4:37
How AI Agents Rewire Retail and CPG
The ground under retail and CPG is shifting from automation to true agency—and the difference is night and day. We unpack how AI agents don’t just summarize dashboards or send alerts; they connect scattered systems, make sense of messy signals,...
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4:28
Ep. 3 – Your Store Is the Strategy
The biggest threat to retail growth isn’t a new competitor or a shiny app. It’s the hidden friction inside stores that quietly drains baskets, shortens dwell time, and erodes loyalty without ever showing up on a dashboard. We sit down with reta...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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41:20
Retail Media in Grocery: From Side Hustle to Growth Engine
Grocery retail media just graduated from side hustle to strategy, and the shift is reshaping how value gets created across the entire store. We dive into why ad spend is racing from roughly $52B to $98B, how Amazon and Walmart set the pace, and...
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4:46
Inside the Digital Shift of Wholesale Clubs
The warehouse treasure hunt didn’t disappear—it went digital. We unpack how Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s are extending the classic club model with omnichannel tools that make membership more valuable, suppliers more effective, and shopping far ...
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6:39
Ep. 2 - Turn Store Data Into Revenue
Want a smarter way to sort real retail change from the noise? We sit down with Ricardo Belmar, host of The Retail Razor, global retail influencer, and advisor, to unpack how leaders can pair timeless fundamentals with timely tech to drive measu...
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Episode 2
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42:50
Rethinking Retail Media for Small Brands
The numbers tell a different story than our habits. We unpack new analysis from Bird Dog and Keen—built on real spend and performance data from 400+ brands and roughly $16B in annual investment—to show how small to medium brands can get more ou...
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6:30
Reclaiming the Merchant’s Role in a Tech-Obsessed Retail World
Algorithms can rank, bid, and predict, but can they choose with taste? We open the door to a candid look at the merchant’s role in a retail world obsessed with technology, marketplaces, and media networks. From assortment strategy and pricing j...
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6:15
Ep. 1 - Connecting Retail’s Sharpest Minds
The fastest way to clarity in retail isn’t a louder megaphone, it’s a smarter network. Scott sits down with Paul Lewis, managing director of RETHINK Retail, to unpack how a global community of 500+ vetted experts, executives, and solution leade...
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37:13
Physical AND Digital: Rethinking Modern Retail Strategies
The false narrative of "physical versus digital" retail continues to frustrate industry experts who recognize that success lies in integration, not separation. Today's retail landscape shows a normalization where e-commerce growth follows predi...
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5:28
AI Training for All: Walmart’s Bold Workforce Move
Walmart has just made a game-changing announcement that signals a fundamental shift in retail strategy. Rather than simply investing in the latest technology, they're making an unprecedented commitment to their people by bringing AI training th...
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4:30
Walmart's Bold Move into Live Commerce: Redefining the Collector Experience
Ready for a glimpse into the future of retail? Walmart just might be showing us the way with their bold new venture into live commerce. Their weekly show "Collector's Night" isn't just another shopping channel—it's a fascinating reinvention of ...
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4:56
How Texas A&M's Core Values Transform Modern Retail Excellence
What happens when you apply university values to the retail world? Drawing from my experience teaching at Texas A&M University's Center for Retailing Studies, I've discovered that the six core Aggie values—respect, excellence, leadership, l...
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6:46
RFID Revolution
Remember when RFID was always just around the corner? That future has quietly arrived, transforming retail in ways both subtle and profound. Radio frequency identification technology has completed its journey from expensive supply ...
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6:20
Earnings Reveal the Power of Bargain Hunting
The retail landscape is telling us a fascinating story about American consumers and the economy right now. Discount retailers are absolutely crushing it as value-hungry shoppers flock to bargains. Five Below posted a jaw-dropping 50% jump in ea...
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6:33
Sustainability at Retail 2.0: Commerce with Purpose
Sustainability has undergone a remarkable transformation in the retail landscape, evolving from a peripheral concern to what I'm calling "Sustainability at Retail 2.0" – a fundamental business imperative that drives both purpose and profit. The...
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6:33
Personalization in Retail: How AI Shapes Your Shopping Experience
The retail experience is undergoing a quiet revolution. Remember when personalization simply meant seeing your name in an email? Those days are long gone. Today, artificial intelligence shapes virtually every aspect of how you shop—what product...
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5:30
Experience is the New Anchor for Physical Retail
What happens when a department store transforms into a destination featuring champagne bars, spas, and digital concierges? The retail revolution is here, and Printemps' Manhattan flagship exemplifies how smart retailers are reinventing physical...
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2:42
Retail's Great Reckoning: Why Stores are Closing Faster than Ever
The retail landscape is undergoing a seismic shift that demands our attention. With a projected 15,000 store closures across the United States in 2025, double last year's figure, we're witnessing what can only be described as a retail reckoning...
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3:07
Six Critical Challenges Facing Today's Retail Executives
The retail landscape is experiencing unprecedented turbulence, and I'll take you deep into the six critical challenges reshaping the industry. Rising inflation and tariff-driven cost pressures top the list, creating a complex balancing act as r...
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4:23
Why Your Brand's Digital Experience Matters More Than You Think
The digital shelf has officially become the front door to retail, and brands ignoring this reality are missing the bigger picture. Profitero's "US Digitally Influenced Shopper Report for 2025" delivers a wake-up call that demands attention: dig...
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5:00
From Cannes to Commerce: Retail Media's Growing Influence
Ever wondered how the retail media landscape is evolving beyond traditional advertising? In this eye-opening exploration of insights from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, I share fascinating developments that are reshaping...
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3:42
Walmart vs Amazon: Battle for Your Smart TV Shopping Experience
The retail media landscape is transforming dramatically as major players make strategic moves to control the space where viewing meets buying. Walmart's recent $2.3 billion acquisition of Vizio has created a powerful new ecosystem that combines...
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3:40