Episode 17 features Mani Grewal, Senior Technical Product Manager, partnering with the team responsible for driving AI strategy at Yelp. Mani shares insights from her tech journey, spanning engineering to product management at CVS Health and RepairPal, to break down how AI is reshaping search, why businesses must now optimize for AI agents alongside human buyers, and how human value in the workplace is shifting from execution to strategy. Plus, she discusses her mission to uplift underrepresented voices in tech, her AI coaching, and her book, Mastering AI Prompts: A Complete Guide for Product Managers. Also, check out the Agent Experience Index from Fullstory, to see if your site is AI-readable. 

This "Sweet 16th" edition of the Agents of E-commerce Podcast brings us Tom Davis, a seasoned pro with lots to share from his time with brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Sirius, Puma, and Cartier.  Tom has a unique approach to working with multi-national, omnichannel brands that he has honed over his 27 years since his early days of trying to sell the vision of eCommerce to retailers in 1997.  For those interested in contacting Tom he can be reached via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmdavis/. 

Episode 15 brings us Jared Blank and our discussion of some of the sins that permeate the marketing landscape.  We discuss the good, the bad, and the just plain silly. This drove Jared to create Gobbledy, his platform, newsletter, and podcast.

Episode 14 brings us Ron Northcutt, Director of Developer Advocacy with Acquia.  He talks us through the newest and potentially most revolutionary of E-commerce frameworks, "Composable Commerce".  What it is, what it isn't, and what it has to do with Legos and Lunchables are all included in this episode.  Plus, for fun, you can check this out too. 

Allison Ferguson, Principal Consultant Loyalty and Activation from Merkle, joins us for episode #13 where we discuss how brands are responding, or not, to COVID-19 and their relationships with customers. Allison brings a wealth of experience through her current work and client-side experiences. You can reach her at:  [email protected] or via the Merkle Loyalty Channel.

Laura Elaine Sympson joins me for Episode #12 to discuss what's to come in this year's holiday season. With businesses struggling with COVID-19, these are challenging times, but this is the podcast we all need right now.  Laura brings her decades of experience from the earliest days of E-Commerce through to her time with retailers such as Eddie Bauer, Office Depot, West Marine, and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Craig Smith joins me for episode #11 for a deep dive into the world of Ted Baker. Over Craig's 24-year tenure he shares his experiences helping to build and evolve the brand and it's digital experience from a branded site to omnichannel e-Commerce. What a tale he weaves! You can find Craig on LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]. Enjoy!

Episode #10 brings us a wealth of knowledge, activism, and edutainment with Rachel Miller, Founder/CEO of Cora Ball and co-Founder of the Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean. Rachael and I discuss our shared history, last name, her passion, and mission while spreading the word on the dangers of microplastics and what we can do to have an impact.  We discuss her journey to founding Rozalia Project and more recently, the amazingly successful Kickstarter and now E-commerce site for the Cora Ball. 

Episode #9 brings a conversation with Scott Hames, former Chief Marketing and Analytics officer with Bed Bath & Beyond. We go into the evolution and trends in what really creates customer loyalty and discuss personalization and how retailers are organizing to be more customer-centric.

In episode #8 of the Agents of E-Commerce Podcast, we go where few podcasts are willing to go. We go into the world of the courtship between companies and the vendors that pursue them. I call it dating because there are many corollaries between the two rituals. My guest this week is James Koran, Principal Consultant at Archweb Technologies. James is game to go with this dating analogy and sheds light on the vendor perspective to this relationship. We have suggestions on how best to approach the vendor evaluation process, from a client perspective to build a productive relationship. You can also follow James on Twitter @JKoran.