The Digital Edge: Inside Retail and Ecommerce with Ellie Ronning

📈 Ellie at Signifyd
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The Digital Edge cuts through the noise of modern retail and ecommerce. Host Ellie Ronning breaks down AI adoption, digital commerce, personalization, unified commerce, and the technology shifts reshaping how brands operate. Real insights, real frameworks, and real conversations from inside the industry.

Episodes

  1. 6D AGO

    How to Make Your Brand AI Agent Ready (w/ Alicia Chaffee)

    Brands now face a critical challenge - they must "code their vibe" so AI agents can understand and recommend their products. Alicia Chaffee, Head of Strategy at Dôen, breaks down how retailers are navigating agentic commerce and what it really takes to succeed in this new landscape. While everyone talks about agentic commerce, most retailers are still figuring out what it actually means. The reality is brands need to translate everything that makes customers feel connected - from website energy to product personality - into data tags that AI can process. This feels clinical compared to the emotional brand experiences retailers want to create. The shift from traditional search to agent-powered discovery changes everything. Instead of optimizing for Google keywords, brands must ensure their unique differentiators are clearly defined and accessible to AI systems. The companies that can articulate what makes them special offline will have the easiest time translating that into the digital agentic world. Unified commerce becomes essential as retailers prepare for agent interactions. Unlike omnichannel, which focuses on consistent customer experiences across channels, unified commerce pools all data and inventory into one system. This eliminates silos between online and brick-and-mortar operations, creating a single source of truth that AI agents need to function effectively. The conversation also covers how AI can transform internal operations beyond customer-facing applications. From demand forecasting to dynamic pricing, AI enables more precise, predictive decision-making rather than reactive responses. The key is connecting data insights directly to the people who can take action and test new approaches. Key topics covered: [00:00] Intro [04:42] Retailers embrace AI but lack readiness [08:51] Coding brand vibes for AI discovery [11:28] Brand loyalty changes agent shopping behavior [16:22] Unified commerce versus omni channel strategy [18:01] Inventory accuracy challenges for AI agents [20:39] Brand differentiation beats keyword stuffing [23:29] AI optimism over workforce replacement fears [25:05] Forward looking metrics beat hindsight analysis [27:17] Breaking silos between data and decisions [28:42] Test brand uniqueness with AI assistants Subscribe for more retail and ecommerce insights that matter to your business.

    31 min

  2. JAN 26

    Agentic Commerce Hype vs Reality at NRF

    Ellie Ronning from Signifyd breaks down the reality of agentic commerce after NRF 2025, where 40,000 retail professionals gathered to discuss the future of shopping. Despite all the AI hype, most merchants are still in baby phases when it comes to implementing agentic commerce solutions. The biggest revelation: there's a massive gap between AI-powered product discovery and actual purchasing. While consumers can search for leather jackets on ChatGPT and get personalized recommendations, they can't complete the transaction in that same session. This disconnect is costing retailers attribution and revenue. Shopify made waves with their major announcement about product syndication across agentic platforms, automatically including their merchants in AI shopping results. But this creates new challenges around brand adjacency and competition that many retailers haven't considered. Meanwhile, larger brands like Target are developing their own agentic commerce solutions through partnerships with ChatGPT, while smaller merchants feel abandoned by Shopify's push upmarket. Some are even leaving for competitors like Storeline that focus on SMB relationships. The personalization opportunity extends beyond purchase behavior into returns experiences, where merchants have rich data but aren't leveraging it effectively. The key is treating best customers consistently throughout their entire journey, not just at point of sale. Key topics covered: [00:00] Intro [00:43] Merchants confused by agentic commerce [01:25] NRF networking beats scheduled meetings [02:22] Merchants overwhelmed by tech options [04:31] Agentic commerce becomes new buzzword [05:31] Retailers still in AI baby phase [06:49] Discovery to transaction gap exists [08:47] Shopify announces product syndication strategy [10:35] Brand adjacency creates competition concerns [11:23] Target partners with ChatGPT directly [13:07] Agentic commerce as fourth sales channel [14:17] Estee Lauder migration signals enterprise shift [15:23] SMB brands abandon Shopify platform [17:29] Scaling issues plague enterprise merchants [18:52] Returns personalization drives customer retention [20:26] Retail adapts despite constant challenges Despite the challenges and confusion around agentic commerce, retail continues to adapt and evolve. Merchants always find ways to move forward, even when facing new technologies they don't fully understand yet. Subscribe for more insights on retail technology, ecommerce trends, and the future of shopping from industry leaders.

    21 min

  3. 12/22/2025

    Personalized returns are the new customer strategy

    Returns peak is the new reality retailers face every January and February, creating bigger operational challenges than holiday shopping season itself. After years of offering free returns to compete during the COVID boom, retailers are discovering these policies are unsustainable as sales normalize but return costs remain high. Ellie Ronning breaks down why 72% of retailers are rethinking their return strategies and moving toward personalized approaches. She explains how smart retailers are using customer segmentation to offer different return experiences - from "keep the item" policies for low-value products to prepaid return fees bundled with shipping insurance. The shift represents a fundamental change from the 2020-2022 era when massive sales growth masked return processing costs including labor, shipping, packaging, and fraud prevention. Now retailers must balance customer satisfaction with profitability using data-driven decisions about which returns to approve, which customers to charge fees, and how to reduce controllable return factors. Key strategies include AI-powered fraud detection, selective appeasement based on customer history, and upstream photo verification to catch fraudulent claims before processing. The most successful retailers are analyzing daily sales data right now to refine their return policies for 2025, rather than waiting for post-holiday reports. Key topics covered: [00:00] Intro [00:46] Returns peak follows holiday peak [02:20] COVID trained consumers to expect free returns [04:02] Hidden costs of processing returns [05:17] Tariffs drive retailers to recoup costs [06:18] Keep the item strategy saves money [07:13] Prepaid return fees through insurance [08:12] Personalized returns without customer backlash [11:18] Merchandising insights reduce return rates [12:21] Controllable versus uncontrollable return factors [14:05] Selective appease prevents claim abuse [16:19] AI deflects manual review workload [17:35] Photo proof technology catches fraud [19:34] Daily data synthesis informs return strategy [20:30] Refining policies for 2026 peak Learn more about intelligent returns solutions at signifyd.com Subscribe for more retail strategy insights and ecommerce operational best practices. Hit the notification bell to stay updated on the latest trends shaping digital commerce. The Digital Edge brings you inside conversations with retail and ecommerce leaders navigating the evolving landscape of digital commerce, customer experience, and operational excellence.

    21 min

  4. 12/10/2025

    Black Friday Exposed This Shocking Retail Reality

    Black Friday 2025 revealed a major shift in consumer behavior that some retailers may have missed. While average order values increased year over year, transaction volumes stayed flat - meaning shoppers are consolidating their spending into fewer, more strategic purchases. Ellie Ronning breaks down the most surprising trends from this holiday season, including why traditional discount strategies failed, how mobile shopping hit 70% of all transactions, and why gift-with-purchase promotions outperformed standard price cuts across every vertical. The Shopify outage during Black Friday created a perfect storm for small businesses who had been positioning themselves as alternatives to higher-priced retailers. This technical failure highlighted just how critical reliability becomes when consumers are being more selective with their spending. Key topics covered: [00:00] Intro [00:05] AOV rises but transactions stay flat [00:43] Shopify outage hits small businesses hard [02:00] Consumers hunt for value alternatives [03:23] Cyber Week reveals surprising spending patterns [04:27] One stop shopping drives consolidation [05:24] Customer loyalty becomes critical survival tool [06:14] Vendors shift to pure support mode [07:29] Precision over fancy new solutions [08:28] Proactive partners see around corners [09:40] Discounts lose their promotional power [10:24] Gift with purchase beats price cuts [11:19] Mobile transactions hit 70 percent [11:43] AI segmentation targets mobile shoppers The data shows consumers aren't spending more money overall - they're just being more intentional about where and how they shop. For retailers, this means customer loyalty and operational excellence are more important than ever. This analysis covers the real numbers behind Black Friday 2025, the mobile commerce explosion, and what these trends mean for retail strategy heading into 2026.

    13 min

  5. 11/17/2025

    From In-House Builds to Digital Twins: How AI Is Transforming Retail Operations and CX

    Retail is evolving fast, and Ellie Ronning explains the shifts every ecommerce team needs to understand. Learn how AI elevates consumer experience, strengthens operations, and speeds up holiday read-and-react cycles. Ellie also dives into personalization trends, digital commerce strategy, partner selection, and the path toward unified commerce. A must-listen for anyone navigating the next era of retail.

    16 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

The Digital Edge cuts through the noise of modern retail and ecommerce. Host Ellie Ronning breaks down AI adoption, digital commerce, personalization, unified commerce, and the technology shifts reshaping how brands operate. Real insights, real frameworks, and real conversations from inside the industry.

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