Future Commerce

Phillip Jackson, Brian Lange

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

  1. 5 કલાક પહેલાં

    2026 Signals We’re Tracking: Commerce Evolves (Again), the Monoculture is Back, and Celebrity Prevails?

    Phillip sits solo to unpack conflicting economic signals: Shopify's monster quarter against a Census report showing eCommerce eating share while retail overall slows. What does this mean for brick-and-mortar? Although stores still make up most retail sales, their mission and value have shifted. The good has become secondary to the experience of acquiring it. Plus, he breaks down why the monoculture returned in a summer of shared events, and what's on the FC docket through November 3rd. The Monoculture Isn’t Dead, It’s On Substack Key takeaways: Commerce is growing (online sales grew at nearly twice retail’s pace in 2025), but it’s growing by disappearing into everything else.  The product itself is secondary to the experience of purchasing it. The monoculture isn't dead; it’s been revived by sport, tours, and global events. "There is a monoculture now of people writing about the summer of the monoculture on their Substack." "You're not just communicating your vision anymore to the human capital within your business; you now have to communicate vision to machines and put it into machine language. Because increasingly, we are automating more and more of our vision, and it's going on autopilot." In-Show Mentions: See our Celebrity Brands Hub before the Signal Report launches Spotify Summer Trends Report Get your early bird ticket for VISIONS Summit: NYC Associated Links: Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    2026 Signals We’re Tracking: Commerce Evolves (Again), the Monoculture is Back, and Celebrity Prevails?
  2. 19 ઑગસ્ટ

    Shopify Earnings Go Wild, and American Retail is OVER.

    Phillip and Alicia open the back-to-school season with a modern dichotomy: NRF data shows shoppers playing chicken, while Shopify posts a quarter where agentic traffic tripled. PLUS: After a summer abroad in London, Phillip reflects on behaviors unique to U.S. shoppers. Get ‘Em While They’re Young Key takeaways: Retailers are manufacturing visible human effort as a hedge against frictionless AI commerce. Play is a form of consumption. Browsing kids are already converting. Back-to-school splits into two camps: early movers and deal holdouts. Shopify's agentic traffic tripled as answer engines are becoming a back-to-school search surface. U.S. share of wallet favors experience, forcing a fusion of retail and hospitality. [00:17:11] Alicia: "When you create these spaces that are conducive to young people, you're kind of creating this magnet moment that ultimately motivates them to shop." [00:28:18] Phillip: "What’s really wild about the mini brands thing is…we all complain about shrinkflation, then also buy the mini of something, which is a premiumization of a per-unit cost…We are irrational by nature, and brands would do well to play at both ends of the spectrum." [00:40:17] Alicia: "[Søstrene Grene] almost feels like it's more high-touch because it's kind of imperfect." Associated Links: Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Shopify Earnings Go Wild, and American Retail is OVER.
  3. 12 ઑગસ્ટ

    Enter Through the Gift Shop: Inside MoMA's Retail Journey

    MoMA welcomes three million people to its Midtown campus in a good year. But the beloved cultural institution now has the power to reach multiples of that through a hoodie, a Lego set, and a chicken-shaped cutting board. Chief Retail Officer, Jesse Goldstine, joins the show to explain how MoMA inverted the museum retail model, how every product in the store thoughtfully ties back to MoMA’s art, and where the design institution draws the line between rolling out AI partnerships while protecting human craft.  Until the AI Overlords Say Otherwise Key takeaways: Museums historically have defaulted to funneling visitors through the gift shop last. MoMA inverted the formula, shifting the museum’s point-of-entry to retail channels. Cutting SKUs in SoHo raised productivity per SKU and clarified brand identity. Licensing starts and ends with one question: why MoMA? Discovery and gifting resist automation in ways basic replenishment does not. [00:24:04] Jesse: "The DNA of our business is rooted in decisions made by humans in our curatorial department…I will continue to defer to them and put my faith in them until our AI overlords tell me that I need to behave differently." [00:26:43] Jesse: "There's something really special about our brand that... will sort of inoculate it against some sort of automated sock repurchase every six months." In-Show Mentions: Join us at VISIONS: NYC at MoMa on November 3! MoMA Design Stores MoMA licensing partners: LEGO, Mattel Creations, Uniqlo, Champion Associated Links: More on the intersection of art, culture, and commerce: Insiders #186 Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Enter Through the Gift Shop: Inside MoMA's Retail Journey
  4. 5 ઑગસ્ટ

    Commerce Media's Day Two: The Agentic Shelf and the Measurement Reckoning

    Retail media is now a $100 billion industry. Collin Colburn, VP of Commerce and Retail Media at the IAB, says we’ve entered commerce media's "day two" –  the era where operational integration, interoperable measurement, and the arrival of the agentic shelf matter more than launching another network.  We unpack why brands started calling retail media a tax, why Collin says we should blow attribution up, and whether an ad-supported agent can stay trustworthy. Welcome to Day Two Key takeaways: Optimization and integration replace growth-at-all-costs expansion. Brands call retail media a “tax,” sensing the industry's referee is now incrementality. Agent-referred shoppers convert higher and return less.  In-store media's ceiling is customer experience, not inventory: frequency caps beat non-endemic dollars. [14:05] "Agentic commerce isn't changing what consumers buy or want to buy today. It's changing their pathway to purchase." — Collin Colburn [19:35] “The coming reckoning is in the measurement space.” –– Collin Colburn [20:45] "Attribution was built for: an ad is served, it's clicked on or seen, the customer goes to the website, and they purchase. That model does not work well in this new era." — Collin Colburn [25:15] "AI feels objective to me for the most part… it's like your omnipotent friend that you never had. And when ads get introduced, it begs the question of, am I still gonna trust that agent?" — Collin Colburn In-Show Mentions: Commerce Media Has Hit “Day Two.” Now What?  EMarketer: IAB’s Collin Colburn on the Future of Commerce Media More about IAB Associated Links: VISIONS Summit, Nov 3 at MoMA Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Commerce Media's Day Two: The Agentic Shelf and the Measurement Reckoning
  5. 29 જુલાઈ

    Bedfellows: How Boll & Branch Keeps Humans and AI in the Same Sheets

    Boll & Branch spent 12 years doing the unfashionable thing: perfecting the product first and figuring out distribution second. Chief Commercial Officer Katia Unlu joins Phillip and Brian on today’s episode to discuss Boll & Branch’s store expansion strategy, an AI-generated damage claim that went viral, and the case for stimulation over substitution.  That’s Not How the Waffle Blanket Tears Key takeaways: Brands of the DTC era that failed were distracted by over-indexing on one hero product and not focusing on customer experiences that drive retention and brand love.  Boll & Branch opens stores where their customers and ICP already live. A human CX team caught an AI-generated image in a fraudulent damage claim thanks to the team’s sharp knowledge of the brand’s fabric and tear patterns. This is human expertise and technological advancement meeting in the middle. Boll & Branch’s AI tools aim to stimulate the customer relationship rather than flatten it. The 2027 playbook is boring, but it works. Focusing on the fundamentals is key. [00:23:12] "People might buy something they enjoy, but they will actually defend what they love." – Brian Lange [00:29:45] "There's no shortcut for what real-life consumer insights can give you when you just go and talk to people in stores." – Katia Unlu [00:43:50] "We very much don’t want to substitute. We don't have an AI bot on our website that you can even ask questions to." – Katia Unlu Associated Links: Boll & Branch Scott Tannen's LinkedIn post on AI-generated return fraud at Boll & Branch  Read our in-store retail space analyses: Field Notes on Future Commerce More on human vs. agent: Episode 447: The Agent Has Left the Building Explore our Word of Mouth Index Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Bedfellows: How Boll & Branch Keeps Humans and AI in the Same Sheets
  6. 22 જુલાઈ

    VC Partner Predicts the Next Billion-Dollar Brand

    Maveron partner Natalie Dillon joins Brian and Alicia to challenge the consumer-collapse narrative: sentiment sits at post-9/11 lows while spending breaks records. Natalie sheds light on truths of today’s consumer, who is skeptical but continually shopping amid a cultural undertow where AI adoption stays surprisingly shallow, Gen Z turns skeptical, and analog living re-emerges as status. PLUS: Are cults the new future of commerce?  Your Gen Z Consumer Is Busy Touching Grass Key takeaways: Shoppers reallocated rather than retreated. Stats show fewer purchases that are higher value and more intentional.  AI adoption stays shallow, but health and wellness is the emerging opportunity, especially among consumers aged 35+.  Gen Z, the presumed AI natives, skew most negative, fueling an analog revival. Costco remains the disciplined benchmark for marketing, merchandise, and customer experience. [26:30] "Gen Z spikes the most negative on AI across age groups, which was shocking." — Natalie Dillon [43:09] "I do think some companies still look to Costco…but I think no one has disciplined themselves to the extent that Costco has." — Natalie Dillon Associated Links: Learn more about Maveron Maveron consumer research report "Your Body is a Data Land" (Future Commerce, 2017) Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    VC Partner Predicts the Next Billion-Dollar Brand
  7. 17 જુલાઈ

    Content, Communities and the Future of Publishing

    Ben Dietz convenes Casey Lewis (After School), Daisy Alioto (Dirt), and Erica Chen (Media Futures Group, WPP) on the collapse of the wall between editorial and commerce. Publishers are shipping perfume, brands are hiring writers, and the relationship forming in your inbox isn’t human-to-human anymore.  What happens when the scenic route is quicker? When “wasted” time actually is the relationship? Your total addressable market now includes agents, and those agents are trained on the taste you are curating. After all – what you buy is who you become, but what you read is how you decide.  Base Notes: Upper Lip Sweat and Hot Metal Key takeaways: Publishers now make products; brands now make publications. The wall stopped mattering. Optimization is a process of reduction, and serendipity gets cut first. Brands flame out at issue two or three without a point of view. Taste-driven publishers have a new addressable market: agents trained on taste. [12:48] "The best ROI does not necessarily give you growth, because growth comes in volumes." – Erica Chen [21:15] "When your audience knows to expect you… you really have to stay true to that." – Casey Lewis [28:50] "Our total addressable market now includes agents." – Daisy Alioto [30:32] "Creators are the cure to the media fragmentation." – Erica Chen Associated Links: Casey Lewis – After School on Substack Erica Chen – "In Defense of Serendipity" Daisy Alioto – Read Dirt @ dirt.fyi Tasteland podcast – Daisy Alioto & Francis Zierer VISIONS Summit 2026 – November 3, 2026 at MoMA. Listen to today’s episode for 25% off Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Content, Communities and the Future of Publishing

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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

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