Beyond The Cart

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Mark Gilliam, Founder and CEO of Kyoto Botanicals, to explore why owner-operated brands may have a competitive advantage in an AI-driven world. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in consumer packaged goods, including brand management at Nestlé, Mark explains how the processes that help large corporations succeed can sometimes slow smaller businesses down. He shares how staying independent, making decisions quickly, and using AI to accelerate execution have helped him build and grow Kyoto Botanicals.

The conversation explores why direct customer relationships remain one of a brand’s most valuable assets, from gaining unique customer insights to turning problems into lasting loyalty. Mark discusses his hands-on approach to customer service, learning SEO and applying AI to improve content and search visibility, and the importance of keeping key business functions in-house to preserve a brand’s voice and identity. Kyle and Mark also examine how founders can decide what to own, automate, delegate, or outsource, why meaningful measurement matters more than raw website traffic, and how human connection and authenticity could become even more important as AI-powered shopping grows.

Main Topics Covered:

• Why owner-operated brands have an advantage in an AI world
• How direct customer relationships create a competitive edge
• Why keeping your brand in-house matters as you grow

Connect with Mark Gillilam

• Website: https://kyotobotanicals.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-g-9280264/
• Kyoto Botanicals LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kyotobotanicals/home/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠
  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠
  LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

Looking for smarter ways to grow your ecommerce business? Connect with OmniRocket for insights, strategies, and solutions designed to help brands grow: https://www.omnirocket.com/

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with John McDonnell, Chief Strategy Officer and Chairman at Wink, to explore what happens when AI agents move from helping consumers shop to actually making purchases on their behalf. As agentic commerce develops, traditional assumptions around identity, authorization, liability, fraud, and the customer relationship are being challenged. John shares his perspective from more than twenty-five years in fintech and payments and explains why the industry needs new infrastructure for identifying and authorizing AI agents.

The conversation explores how biometric identity, programmable payment credentials, and new approaches to trust could help establish that an AI agent is legitimately acting on behalf of a person or organization. Kyle and John also discuss the changing role of friction in checkout, the potential for brands to become stronger or weaker depending on how they adapt to agent-driven shopping, and why merchants need to make their product catalogs more accessible to AI agents. As AI increasingly discovers, compares, decides, and transacts for consumers, the conversation highlights why agentic commerce is becoming an infrastructure, identity, risk, and brand strategy challenge—not simply a new way to complete checkout.

Main Topics Covered:

• Identity and control in agent-driven commerce
• Building trust infrastructure beyond the checkout
• Managing risk and performance in AI-led decisions

Connect with John McDonnell

• Website: https://wink.cloud
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcdonnell3/?isSelfProfile=false
• Wink LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winkinc/

Follow OmniRocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: https://www.omnirocket.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with John Violette, Co-Founder and Head of Sales at mainelove, to discuss how a growing beverage brand can build strong distribution relationships and create new opportunities through in-person marketing. John shares insights into developing successful distributor partnerships, expanding a brand through events, and the value of creating meaningful connections with customers and retail partners. The conversation also explores how mainelove approaches growth while staying connected to its Maine roots and brand identity.

John and Kyle also dive into the opportunity for custom canned water within the hospitality industry. From branded events to hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality settings, custom cans can provide businesses with a way to put their brand directly into customers’ hands while creating an additional touchpoint for brand awareness. Together, they explore how partnerships, face-to-face marketing, and customized products can contribute to sustainable growth in the beverage and eCommerce landscape.

Main Topics Covered

• Building Successful Distributor Partnerships
• Growing Through Events and In-Person Marketing
• Custom Cans: A Hospitality Growth Opportunity

Connect with John Violette

• Website: https://mainelove.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpviolette/?isSelfProfile=false
• mainelove LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mainelove/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠

• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

What happens when AI moves beyond the screen and gets a physical presence inside a retail store? Kyle Hamer sits down with David Nussbaum, Founder of Proto Hologram, to explore how AI-powered holograms can capture attention, create more personalized customer experiences, and connect in-store engagement to actual transactions. David shares how Proto is using AI avatars for retail wayfinding, multilingual interactions, customer engagement, and even employee training. The conversation also explores Proto’s work with Skechers and Howie Mandel, why “stop rate” matters in retail, and how presence and connection can turn an attention-grabbing experience into measurable business value.

In This Episode

• How AI and holographic technology are coming together to create interactive retail experiences
• The Skechers and Howie Mandel activation and how AI avatars can connect customer interaction to retail transactions
• Using multilingual AI avatars for wayfinding, product discovery, and customer assistance
• Why capturing attention and getting customers to “stop in their tracks” is a critical retail metric
• How holographic AI could augment retail employees through training and real-time access to information
• The role of presence, eye contact, and human-like interaction in creating stronger customer connections

Connect with David Nussbaum

• Website: https://protohologram.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/protohologram/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠
• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, host Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Abigail Hills, Director of Communications and Brand Manager at Elevate Etiquette, to explore the role of communication, professionalism, and customer experience in building stronger brands. Abigail shares insights from her work in communications and brand management, discussing how businesses can create meaningful experiences and develop a brand presence that extends beyond their products or services.

The conversation explores the importance of strong communication in business, how thoughtful brand experiences can influence customer relationships, and the role that professionalism and etiquette play in creating lasting impressions. Abigail also shares practical perspectives on building and communicating a brand in a way that feels authentic and intentional. Whether you're an ecommerce leader, marketer, business owner, or customer experience professional, this episode offers insights into the human side of building a brand that customers remember.

Main Topics Covered

• The Role of Communication in Building Stronger Brands

• Creating Meaningful Customer Experiences

• Using Professionalism and Etiquette to Build Trust

• Building an Authentic and Intentional Brand

Connect with Abigail Hills

• Website: https://elevateetiquette.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailhills/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠

• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, host Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Alon Levin, VP of Product Evangelism at Supermetrics, to explore how ecommerce brands can turn fragmented marketing data into better, faster business decisions. With more than two decades of experience across marketing technology, advertising technology, and product strategy, Alon shares how brands can bring data from advertising platforms, Shopify, CRMs, and other sources together to create a more complete view of performance.

The conversation explores how normalization and semantic layers can help marketers make sense of disconnected data and give AI the context it needs to produce more useful insights. Alon also explains how AI can help marketers run experiments, identify hidden opportunities, improve conversion rates, and optimize performance without replacing the strategic thinking behind those decisions. Whether you're an ecommerce operator, marketer, or business leader, this episode offers practical insights into using data and AI together to make smarter decisions and improve performance.

Main Topics Covered

• Turning Fragmented Data into Real-Time Decisions

• Using AI to Improve Performance Without Losing Strategy

Connect with Alon Levin

• Website: https://supermetrics.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alonlevin/

• Supermetrics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/supermetrics/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠

• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

Want to learn more about OmniRocket? Book your FREE consult call: https://www.omnirocket.com/coaching

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, host Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Sai Koppala, CMO of CommerceIQ, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming ecommerce operations beyond the hype. Drawing from his experience helping leading brands leverage AI at scale, Sai shares how agentic AI is reshaping growth strategies, streamlining execution, and enabling businesses to make faster, more informed decisions. He also explains why the true measure of AI isn't the number of automated tasks it performs—it's the business outcomes it delivers.

The conversation explores how agentic AI is changing the way ecommerce teams approach growth, how AI-powered execution can improve efficiency while reducing operational costs, and what real-world performance data reveals about the impact AI is having for CommerceIQ clients. Sai shares practical insights into separating AI marketing promises from measurable business results, helping brands understand where AI creates meaningful value and where human oversight remains essential. Whether you're an ecommerce executive, marketer, retailer, or technology leader, this episode offers actionable strategies for using AI to drive sustainable growth and stronger business performance.

Main Topics Covered

• How Agentic AI Is Changing eCommerce Growth Strategy

• Driving Efficiency and Cost Savings Through AI-Powered Execution

• What Real Performance Data Shows from Client Results

Connect with Sai Koppala

• Website: https://www.commerceiq.ai

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koppala/

• CommerceIQ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/commerceiq/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠

• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

Want to learn more about OmniRocket? Book your FREE consult call: https://www.omnirocket.com/coaching

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, host Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Keith Zubchevich, President and CEO of Conviva, to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of ecommerce. Drawing from his experience leading a customer experience technology company, Keith shares how AI is reshaping the way consumers discover products, interact with brands, and make purchasing decisions. He also explains why delivering exceptional customer experiences will become even more important as AI-powered shopping assistants become more common.

The conversation explores how AI is changing the shopping journey, why customer experience is the deciding factor in whether AI agents successfully convert shoppers or create frustration, and what brands should consider before launching AI shopping agents of their own. Keith shares practical insights into preparing data, optimizing customer interactions, and ensuring AI enhances rather than replaces the human experience. Whether you're an ecommerce leader, marketer, retailer, or technology executive, this episode offers valuable strategies for preparing your business for the next evolution of online shopping.

Main Topics Covered

• How AI Is Changing the Way People Shop

• Why Customer Experience Determines Whether AI Agents Convert or Frustrate

• What Brands Should Know Before Launching AI Shopping Agents

Connect with Keith Zubchevich

• Website: https://www.conviva.ai

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithzubchevich/

• Conviva LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conviva/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠
• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

Want to learn more about OmniRocket? Book your FREE consult call: https://www.omnirocket.com/coaching

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, host Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Oren Fanok, CEO of Pegasus Ticketing, to discuss what it takes to scale a business in a highly specialized market while modernizing the systems that support long-term growth. Drawing from his experience leading a technology company serving attractions, museums, and entertainment venues, Oren shares lessons on building sustainable growth, overcoming operational challenges, and using data to make smarter business decisions.

The conversation explores how businesses can build and scale from the ground up in a niche market, the challenges of optimizing legacy systems that weren't designed for today's growth expectations, and how predictive analytics and dynamic pricing models can improve both revenue and customer outcomes. Oren also explains why data-driven decision-making is becoming a competitive advantage for organizations looking to balance operational efficiency with exceptional customer experiences. Whether you're an ecommerce leader, technology executive, or business owner, this episode offers practical insights into scaling smarter through strategy, systems, and data.

Main Topics Covered

• How to Build and Scale from the Ground Up in a Niche Market

• What It Takes to Optimize Legacy Systems That Weren't Built for Growth

• How Predictive Analytics and Pricing Models Can Drive Both Revenue and Impact

Connect with Oren Fanok

• Website: https://pegasusticketing.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oren-fanok-1291a3192/

• Pegasus Ticketing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pegasus-ticketing/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠
• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠

Want to learn more about OmniRocket? Book your FREE consult call: https://www.omnirocket.com/coaching

In this episode of Beyond the Cart, host Kyle Hamar, CEO of OmniRocket, sits down with Tamika Carlton, VP of Marketing at Bottle Rocket Media, to discuss what it takes to build high-performing marketing organizations in today's competitive landscape. Drawing from her experience leading marketing strategy and brand growth, Tamika shares how successful teams combine creativity, data, and strong leadership to deliver measurable business results. She also offers practical insights into building marketing functions that scale while staying aligned with company goals.

The conversation explores how integrated marketing and branding strategies work together to drive sustainable growth, the leadership principles behind building and managing high-performance teams, and why data should be at the center of every marketing decision. Tamika shares real-world lessons on balancing brand building with performance marketing, creating a culture of accountability, and using campaign insights to continuously improve results. Whether you're a marketing leader, business owner, or ecommerce professional, this episode is packed with actionable strategies for building stronger teams and more effective marketing programs.

Main Topics Covered

• Driving Growth with Integrated Marketing and Branding

• Lessons in Leading High-Performance Teams

• Using Data to Drive Campaign Performance

Connect with Tamika Carlton

• Website: https://bottlerocketmedia.net

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamika-carlton-58831216/

• Bottle Rocket Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bottle-rocket-media/

Follow Omnirocket to stay updated on upcoming episodes

• Website: ⁠https://www.omnirocket.com⁠
• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@omnirocketofficial⁠
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnirocket/⁠