Retail Disrupted

Natalie Berg
  • 5.0 (5)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Learn from the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail. Hosted by retail analyst Natalie Berg, Retail Disrupted™ is a weekly podcast exploring the biggest trends in retail, e-commerce, and consumer behavior. Join us as we dive into the future of shopping — from AI-powered experiences and omnichannel strategy to reimagined stores, sustainability, social commerce, and more. We explore how technology is reshaping retail, how shopping habits will evolve in the future, and what brands need to do to stay relevant in this digital era. Each episode offers practical insights, sharp analysis, and big-picture thinking to help you navigate the evolving retail sector with confidence. Based in London, designed for a global audience.

  1. The SURI Story: From D2C Startup to Target Shelves in 3 Years

    6H AGO

    The SURI Story: From D2C Startup to Target Shelves in 3 Years

    How does a challenger brand disrupt a legacy category dominated by giants? SURI co-founders Gyve Safavi and Mark Rushmore have a few ideas. They join Natalie Berg to share how they're reinventing oral care with a sustainable, design-led electric toothbrush that consumers actually love to use.  We unpack how they quickly scaled from D2C startup to a multi-million-dollar business stocked in Boots, Target, Goop and other major retailers — all while maintaining their core mission: sustainability, design and performance.  We dive into:  Why the toothbrush market was ripe for disruption The "secret sauce" behind SURI's cult-like customer love Scaling challenges: under-hiring, cash flow, and staying true to mission How high-profile fans (from Sir Jony Ive to the Kardashians) became organic advocates US expansion and learnings from bricks & mortar Lessons for any challenger brand looking to compete with giants  If you're a retail, CPG or D2C leader looking to build more sustainable, design-led products – or to understand how challenger brands can take on incumbents – this conversation is packed with actionable insight. Don;t forget to subscribe to the podcast and check out our relaunched YouTube channel!

    44 min
  2. Experience per Square Foot: Rethinking the Role of the Store

    4D AGO

    Experience per Square Foot: Rethinking the Role of the Store

    Retail is evolving fast — but physical stores still matter more than ever. In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg is joined by Melissa Gonzalez — design strategist, entrepreneur, author of The Purpose Pivot, and Principal at MG2 — to explore the future of experiential retail, why digitally native brands are investing in physical stores, and how purpose-led leadership is reshaping the industry. From pop-ups and Gen Alpha to AI, wellness, and community-driven retail spaces, Melissa shares practical insights for brands navigating the next era of commerce — plus the personal wake-up call that inspired her new book. 🎙 Expect real talk on leadership, vulnerability, and what makes retail experiences truly resonate today. Melissa's book: The Purpose Pivot https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Pivot-Dynamic-Vulnerability-Intuition/dp/1394329474   Melissa's podcast: Retail Refined https://marketscale.com/shows/retail-refined/

    29 min
  3. How The "Happiness" Strategy Added €3 Billion to Unilever

    FEB 4

    How The "Happiness" Strategy Added €3 Billion to Unilever

    Can "soft" skills really deliver hard numbers? In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg sits down with Matt Close, a 30-year Unilever veteran who proved that building a "happiness culture" isn't just nice to have—it's a massive growth engine. Matt served on Unilever's Executive Committee and led the €8B Global Ice Cream business for 8 years. During his tenure, he added €3B in growth by taking an end-to-end approach to transforming value creation. His secret weapon? Building what he calls a 'happiness company'. This episode is brought to you by The Richmond Retail & eCommerce Directors' Forum, where Matt will be hosting a session this April on how to create a people-first culture. Retailers: register your interest here: https://www.richmondevents.com/contact/request?Item=DelegateInvite&EventCode=RET26 IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE: The literal business case for happiness: How it drives risk-taking and entrepreneurship. Why culture matters just as much in the factory as it does in the boardroom. Quick commerce and other forces reshaping the ice cream category Leadership lessons from 3 decades at one of Britain's biggest listed companies. Listen here or head over to watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4ZfjADu1DxY?si=IWEGChY62MAiRxBI

    33 min
  4. AI in Retail: Hyper-Personalization, Agentic Commerce & What Comes Next

    JAN 28

    AI in Retail: Hyper-Personalization, Agentic Commerce & What Comes Next

    AI is no longer hype in retail - it's becoming table stakes. In this episode of Retail Disrupted, we're joined by senior retail and data leaders shaping the future of commerce: Keyur Govande (Chief Technology Officer at Depop), Daniel Bos (Senior Director of Data, Analytics & AI at Just Eat Takeaway.com), and Daniel Chasle (Chief Data Officer at New Look). Together, we unpack how AI is transforming customer experience through hyper-personalization, real-time relevance, and smarter commerce journeys—from food delivery micro-moments to fashion discovery and the rise of agentic AI. This is a practical, honest conversation about what's actually working, what's overhyped, and how retailers can turn AI investment into real customer value and ROI. 🎧 Expect insights on: personalization vs relevance, AI-powered discovery, legacy tech challenges, agentic commerce, and what the next wave of retail disruption really looks like. Recorded live on stage at London Tech Week's AI in Retail Event.

    23 min
  5. How Estée Lauder is Using AI to Reimagine Luxury Beauty

    JAN 21

    How Estée Lauder is Using AI to Reimagine Luxury Beauty

    How does an iconic luxury beauty group stay relevant in an AI-powered world? Recorded live on stage at London Tech Week's AI in Retail Event in London, this episode of Retail Disrupted features Pernilla Nyberg, SVP & General Manager UK & Ireland at The Estée Lauder Companies. Pernilla shares how Estée Lauder is thoughtfully using AI and data to support creativity, innovation, and personalization across luxury beauty — from trend intelligence and product development to fragrance, digital experiences, and in-store service. A candid conversation on balancing technology with craftsmanship, brand equity, and high-touch human experience in prestige beauty.

    22 min
  6. Retail Goes Global: How Brands Win Locally with Cultural Intelligence

    JAN 15

    Retail Goes Global: How Brands Win Locally with Cultural Intelligence

    International expansion isn't about copy-and-paste growth — it's about cultural intelligence.  In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg is joined by CMOs and leading global brand experts Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly to explore why so many global brands fail — and what they should do differently to succeed across borders. From luxury retail and hospitality to beauty, fashion, and FMCG, this conversation unpacks real-world examples (Sephora, Walmart, Target, Louis Vuitton, Apple, Uniqlo) as covered in Katherine and Nataly's book: Brand Global, Adapt Local.  If you're responsible for brand, retail, marketing, or international growth — this episode is for you.

    37 min
  7. Retail in 2026: Natalie Berg's Outlook & a Deep Dive into Global Logistics with Becky Lombardo

    JAN 9

    Retail in 2026: Natalie Berg's Outlook & a Deep Dive into Global Logistics with Becky Lombardo

    In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg shares her 2026 outlook and insights from the KPMG Retail Think Tank. She is then joined by international logistics expert Becky Lombardo to unpack how retailers can build resilient, flexible, and profitable supply chains in an increasingly unpredictable world. Becky shares practical insights on global trade disruption, nearshoring, returns, AI in logistics, sustainability, and why doing less - not more - may be the smartest strategy for retail leaders in 2026. 🎙️ Ideal for: retail executives, e-commerce leaders, supply chain professionals, brand founders, and investors. 00:00 – Introduction to Retail Disrupted 00:28 – Retail trends and challenges shaping 2026 02:48 – Geopolitical risk, weak demand & supply chain pressure 05:10 – AI, personalization & the risk of cognitive complacency 07:05 – Meet Becky Lombardo: global logistics & supply chain expert 08:25 – Why unpredictability is the biggest threat to retail planning 09:45 – Tariffs, geopolitics & global trade uncertainty 10:35 – Sourcing risk, China dependency & supply chain blind spots 12:47 – Nearshoring, profitability & smarter sourcing strategies 14:58 – Doing more with less: cutting complexity in supply chains 16:54 – What luxury retailers get right about customer experience 18:58 – Customer expectations vs speed, service & reliability 20:57 – Logistics, fulfilment & treating every customer like a VIP 23:02 – AI in logistics: efficiency vs human touch 24:39 – Returns, serial returners & charging for returns 26:49 – Sustainability, cost control & smarter supply chains 29:00 – Fixing fit, reducing fashion returns & new technology 31:07 – Direct-to-consumer vs wholesale: hidden operational costs 33:19 – Final advice for brands navigating retail disruption 34:10 – Where to find Becky Lombardo & closing remarks 🔗 KPMG Retail Think Tank: 2026 Outlook (LinkedIn post) 🔗 More about Becky and Londra Consulting

    34 min
  8. The Future of Barcodes: How GS1 QR Codes Will Transform Retail, Data & Sustainability

    12/17/2025

    The Future of Barcodes: How GS1 QR Codes Will Transform Retail, Data & Sustainability

    Barcodes are the backbone of global trade. GS1 barcodes are scanned more than 10 billion times a day, helping over two million organisations worldwide identify, describe, and track products across the global economy. But while the barcode has existed for more than 50 years - largely unchanged - the needs of retail, brands, and consumers have evolved dramatically. In the final episode of Retail Disrupted for 2025, Natalie Berg is joined by Kerry Morrison, Head of Retail and Marketplaces at GS1 UK, to explore the next generation of barcodes: QR codes powered by GS1. This new standard will do everything the traditional barcode does - and far more - by combining two of the greatest inventions of all time: the barcode and the internet. From working harder in supply chains with richer data (including batch and lot numbers to support recalls), to enabling direct consumer engagement via product packaging, these QR codes are unlocking powerful new opportunities for revenue growth, sustainability, accessibility, and first-party consumer data.

    29 min
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About

Learn from the leaders and disruptors shaping the future of retail. Hosted by retail analyst Natalie Berg, Retail Disrupted™ is a weekly podcast exploring the biggest trends in retail, e-commerce, and consumer behavior. Join us as we dive into the future of shopping — from AI-powered experiences and omnichannel strategy to reimagined stores, sustainability, social commerce, and more. We explore how technology is reshaping retail, how shopping habits will evolve in the future, and what brands need to do to stay relevant in this digital era. Each episode offers practical insights, sharp analysis, and big-picture thinking to help you navigate the evolving retail sector with confidence. Based in London, designed for a global audience.

Information

  • Creator
    Natalie Berg
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    110
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Retail Disrupted

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