Beyond The Shelf

David Feinleib
  • 5.0 (10)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

This show is an open exploration of the people and process behind E-Commerce. Through conversations with innovators in the space, we learn the stories of these leaders and their strategies for E-Commerce success. You can join our mailing list and access more content at itsrapid.ai.David's past guests have included: Bryan Gildenberg from the CPG Guys, Todd Hassenfelt from Colgate-Palmolive, Anne Zybowski from Circana, Randy Mercer from 1WorldSync, Jared Taitel from PepsiCo, David Novak from Salsify, Harvey Ma from Albertsons Media Collective, Carter Jensen from General Mills, Pam Perino from Ghirardelli Chocolate, and many more.

  1. 4D AGO

    Breaking the Digital Shelf Bottleneck — with Acosta Group’s Joe Lamberson

    Dave sits down with Joe Lamberson, Director of Digital Initiatives & Partnerships at Acosta Group, to discuss how brands can modernize digital shelf execution and keep up with rapidly rising retailer expectations. With Acosta supporting thousands of brands across retail and ecommerce, Joe has a unique perspective on the operational challenges brands face—from content creation and item setup to retailer scorecards and image requirements. A major theme of the episode is the Acosta × It’sRapid partnership, and how automation is helping brands scale digital shelf content creation while maintaining quality and compliance. They discuss: Why digital shelf content refresh has become an always-on processHow AI is helping brands break the speed / quality / cost tradeoff in content creationThe growing importance of mobile hero images and retailer scorecardsHow Acosta works with technology partners like It’sRapid to help brands scale content executionWhy image creation, visual analytics, and automation are becoming essential capabilitiesWhat generative search and AI could mean for product discoverabilityConnect with Joe on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    31 min

  2. MAR 3

    Driving Growth Through Customer-First Retail Media – with Tesco Media’s Stephen Shepherd

    This week on Beyond the Shelf, Dave sits down with Stephen Shepherd, Head of Strategy & Consulting at Tesco Media, to explore how retail media has evolved from a tactical revenue stream into a strategic growth engine. With nearly two decades in the space — beginning with Dunnhumby’s early retail media initiatives — Stephen brings a data-first perspective to how retailers and brands should think about customer experience, creative, and measurement. In this episode, Dave and Stephen discuss: Why retail media must stay customer-first (not tech-first)The “win-win-win” model: retailer, brand, and customerHow creative storytelling and data science overlapThe importance of micro-decisions across the customer journeyWhere AI is quietly solving operational complexityWhy ROAS may not be the right north star anymoreConnect with Stephen on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    23 min

  3. FEB 24

    Experiment More and See What Happens— with Tenacity Venture Capital’s Ben Narasin

    Dave’s guest this week is Ben Narasin, Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital. Ben is a venture capitalist and longtime entrepreneur who invests at the intersection of technology, commerce, and consumer behavior — with a career spent backing (and building) companies that shape how brands sell and operate in a digital-first world. In this episode, Dave and Ben talk about how the VC lens on commerce has evolved, why “AI strategy” is quickly moving from curiosity to ROI scrutiny, and what founders and operators should do as the pace of change accelerates. Ben shares a pragmatic framework: empower teams to test, pilot, and measure quickly — because you can’t research your way into winning with emerging technology. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    32 min

  4. FEB 17

    Performance Marketing that Drives Incrementality — with Ibotta's Chris Riedy

    Dave’s guest this week is Chris Riedy, CRO at Ibotta, where he’s helping evolve promotions and offers into a true performance marketing engine for CPG brands. In this episode, Chris breaks down why great sales is really about problem-solving, trust, and empathy - not transactions. He shares how Ibotta has evolved from a consumer app into a platform that connects manufacturers, retailers, and shoppers in moments that change behavior. Dave and Chris also dig into what makes promotions incremental instead of subsidized, how creative and offers can travel across retail media and even into CTV, and why AI and machine learning are most powerful when they help marketers learn faster, not guess better. Connect with Chris on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    33 min

  5. FEB 10

    Creative Strategy Before Creative Execution — with Matt Gehring

    Dave’s guest this week is Matt Gehring, a returning guest on Beyond the Shelf and a seasoned growth advisor, independent brand strategist, and Fractional CMO. Since first appearing on the show in 2024, Matt has stepped into a new chapter of his career — advising startups and early-stage companies on how to build momentum from the ground up. He brings deep experience from senior marketing and growth roles at brands including Rothy’s, Everlane, Dutch, and Lifeforce, where he’s helped teams navigate the critical 0-to-1 phase. Dave and Matt dig into what actually drives early growth: building strong customer insight loops, prioritizing focus over channel sprawl, and launching campaigns that balance speed with strategic clarity. Matt also shares why creative strategy often breaks down before creative execution ever begins, and how AI can support ideation and acceleration when paired with clear direction. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    29 min

  6. FEB 3

    The Digital-First Approach — with Benedict Enterprises’ Scott Benedict

    Dave’s guest this week is Scott Benedict, retail strategist, longtime merchant leader, and former Walmart and Sam’s Club executive with 35+ years across brick-and-mortar, eCommerce, and global retail. Today he runs Benedict Enterprises and serves as part of RETHINK Retail’s advisory group, helping brands and retailers navigate the rapidly evolving commerce landscape. In this episode, Scott and Dave dive into: How a “digital-first” assortment strategy is transforming retailWhy leading retailers now build online → store, not store → onlineThe emerging connection between digital retail media and in-store mediaWalmart vs. Amazon’s differing approaches to AI — and why that mattersWhat solution selling looks like in an AI futureWhy foundational data and system integration must come before innovationThe biggest opportunities for brands in 2026 and beyondConnect with Scott on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    28 min

  7. JAN 27

    Transforming the Digital Shelf with AI - with Nestlé's Gloria DeCoste

    Dave’s guest this week is Gloria DeCoste, Director of eCommerce & Digital Shelf Capabilities at Nestlé. In this episode, Gloria and Dave explore what it  means for brands to be present in an AI-driven commerce environment - not just visible, but structured, accurate, and ready for how discovery is changing. Gloria shares how large organizations like Nestlé are thinking about the content supply chain, why foundational data and consistency matter more than ever, and how AI is reshaping the way products are found, evaluated, and purchased. They also discuss the shift from traditional search to AI-assisted discovery, and why brands that prepare now will have a meaningful advantage as these tools mature. Connect with Gloria on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    28 min

  8. JAN 20

    How Regional Retailers Can Win in Retail Media — with DIGITS’ Dave Glaza

    Dave’s guest this week is Dave Glaza, Founder & CEO of DIGITS Agency and a retail media pioneer who helped launch Target’s original Cartwheel loyalty app. In this episode, Dave and Dave discuss why most retail media budgets fall short, how shopper data can be turned into real commercial outcomes, and what it takes to build a competitive retail media network in fragmented, mid-market environments. They also explore testing versus “tried and true” tactics, the role of CTV and influencers, and how AI-driven product discovery may reshape retail media over the next few years. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn Follow Beyond the Shelf on LinkedIn Learn More about It'sRapid Get the It’sRapid Creative Automation Playbook Take It’sRapid’s Creative Workflow Automation with AI survey Email us at sales@itsrapid.io to find out how to get your free AI Image Audit Theme music: "Happy" by Mixaud - https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Producer: Jake Musiker

    27 min
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5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

This show is an open exploration of the people and process behind E-Commerce. Through conversations with innovators in the space, we learn the stories of these leaders and their strategies for E-Commerce success. You can join our mailing list and access more content at itsrapid.ai.David's past guests have included: Bryan Gildenberg from the CPG Guys, Todd Hassenfelt from Colgate-Palmolive, Anne Zybowski from Circana, Randy Mercer from 1WorldSync, Jared Taitel from PepsiCo, David Novak from Salsify, Harvey Ma from Albertsons Media Collective, Carter Jensen from General Mills, Pam Perino from Ghirardelli Chocolate, and many more.

Information

  • Creator
    David Feinleib
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    114
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Beyond The Shelf
  • Show Website
    Beyond The Shelf