In this episode of Confessions of Supply Chain Executives, host Chris Walton sits down with Omar Akilah, SVP of Product at Infios, and Aadil Kazmi, Head of AI Product Development at Infios, to tackle one of the biggest questions facing retail leaders today: Are retailers actually ready for agentic AI?

While AI dominated the conversation at NRF, the reality inside many retail organizations is far more complicated. Many companies are still struggling with fragmented systems, unclear strategies, and uncertainty about where AI should even be applied.

Omar and Aadil break down what agentic AI really means for commerce, how it differs from traditional generative AI, and why the biggest opportunity may not be flashy customer experiences but rather the operational backbone of retail: supply chain execution. From autonomous order monitoring to real-time visibility across the entire order lifecycle, they explore how agentic AI could fundamentally reshape how retailers manage fulfillment, delivery promises, and operational decision making.

The conversation also challenges common assumptions about AI readiness, including why retailers may not need perfect data infrastructure to begin adopting agentic AI and what leaders should actually focus on in the next 30 days if they want to stay competitive.

Key topics covered:

• What agentic AI actually means for retail operations

• Why most retailers are unprepared for the next wave of AI

• The difference between generative AI and agentic AI

• Why supply chain execution is a prime use case for AI agents

• How autonomous order visibility can transform customer experience

• Why retailers may not need a perfect data lake to begin adopting AI

• The three ways retailers can approach AI adoption

• How to avoid getting stuck in “AI pilot purgatory”

• The first practical AI use cases retailers should implement

🎧 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more honest conversations about retail, supply chain, and the technologies reshaping modern commerce.

Music by hooksounds.com

#ConfessionsOfASupplyChainExecutive #AgenticAI #RetailAI #SupplyChainTechnology #RetailSupplyChain #AIinRetail #AutonomousSupplyChain #Infios #RetailTechnology #SupplyChainPodcast

*Sponsored Content*

This Lightning Round segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, closes out the show with rapid fire takes on McDonald’s Big Arch taste test backlash, the surprising Scrubs reboot generation gap, the never-ending daylight saving time debate, and Jane Fonda’s viral breakfast burrito “sandwich” comment.

Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan prove once again that retail, culture, and the internet always collide.

⏩ Tune in for the full episode here.

#LightningRound #RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #PopCulture

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into IKEA testing a store-in-store concept with sporting goods retailer Decathlon.

Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan discuss what this collaboration could mean for the future of retail partnerships, experiential stores, and how retailers rethink physical space.

⏩ Watch the full episode here.

#IKEA #Decathlon #RetailPartnerships #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, examines Walgreens’ pilot of a new hybrid pharmacist role.

Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan discuss whether this approach could ease pharmacist burnout, improve store operations, and help Walgreens adapt to the evolving healthcare retail landscape.

⏩ Watch the full episode here.

#Walgreens #PharmacyRetail #RetailOperations #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, explores Schlotzsky's new brand strategy and redesigned store model.

Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan break down whether the beloved sandwich chain can modernize its concept, attract new customers, and compete in an increasingly crowded quick service restaurant market.

⏩ Watch the full episode here.

#RestaurantIndustry #QSR #RetailInnovation #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into Jack Dorsey’s claim that AI could dramatically shrink corporate workforces.

Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan debate what this means for the future of work, whether companies will truly replace employees with AI, and how organizations may need to rethink talent strategy in an AI-driven world.

⏩ Watch the full episode here.

#AI #FutureOfWork #JackDorsey #RetailTechnology #OmniTalk

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, dives into Target removing artificial dyes from cereals across its aisles.

Chris Walton and guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan discuss whether this move reflects growing consumer demand for cleaner ingredients or if it signals a broader power shift where retailers begin dictating product standards to brands.

⏩ Watch the full episode here.

#Target #GroceryRetail #FoodTrends #RetailStrategy #OmniTalk

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, Chris and special guests Cassie Ryding and Joanna Rangarajan from the A&M Consumer and Retail Group discussed:

1. Target announcing it will only carry cereals made without certified synthetic colors by the end of May (Source)
2. Block’s Jack Dorsey cutting nearly 4,000 jobs — 40% of its workforce — and replacing that capacity with AI (Source)
3. Schlotzky’s Deli going back to basics with a “deli” rebrand and a next-generation prototype designed to slash operating costs by 20–25% (Source)
4. Walgreens piloting a first-of-its-kind hybrid pharmacist role across six states (Source)
5. IKEA opening its iconic blue box stores to Decathlon in a landmark store-within-a-store pilot in the UK (Source)

There’s all that, plus whether a burrito counts as a sandwich, the McDonald’s CEO’s cringeworthy Big Arch taste test video, and whether any of them are excited about the Scrubs reboot.

Be careful out there,

– Chris, Cassie, Joanna, and the Omni Talk team

P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/

P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our podcast rankings on Feedspot

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#RetailNews #TargetHealth #ArtificialDyes #BlockAI #JackDorsey #SchlotzkysDeli #WalgreensPharmacy #IKEA #Decathlon #RetailPodcast #OmniTalk #RetailFastFive #RetailTech #RetailInnovation

In this episode of Confessions of Supply Chain Executives, host Chris Walton sits down with Richard McKenzie, CEO at Veloq, to tackle one of retail’s most persistent questions: When does online grocery finally become profitable?

For years, grocers have chased digital growth, but profitability has remained elusive. High picking costs, last mile complexity, thin margins, and legacy infrastructure continue to weigh down performance. Richard breaks down where the real friction points are, why many retailers are still structuring e-commerce as a cost center instead of an operating model, and what has to change for online grocery to truly scale sustainably.

This episode explores the operational realities behind digital grocery, from fulfillment models and automation strategies to the role of data orchestration across the enterprise. Richard explains why profitability is less about volume and more about precision, and how retailers that rethink their tech stack, store operations, and network design may finally turn the corner.

Key Topics covered:

• Why online grocery margins remain under pressure

• The true cost of store pick vs. micro fulfillment

• Where last mile economics break down

• How legacy systems quietly erode profitability

• The operational tradeoffs between speed, convenience, and cost

• Why data orchestration is becoming a competitive advantage

• What scalable automation actually looks like in grocery

• The tipping point that could finally make online grocery profitable

🎧 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more brutally honest conversations about retail, supply chain, and the technology reshaping how work actually gets done.

Music by hooksounds.com

#ConfessionsOfASupplyChainExecutive #SupplyChain #OnlineGrocery #RetailSupplyChain #EcommerceProfitability #WarehouseAutomation #GroceryRetail #RetailTechnology #LastMile #Veloq #SupplyChainPodcast

This Lightning Round segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, closes out the show with rapid fire takes on Girl Scout cookie records, Survivor reaching season 50, Team USA hockey celebrations, and a little nerd nostalgia.

Chris and Anne prove once again that retail and pop culture always collide.

⏩ Tune in for the full episode here.

#LightningRound #RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #PopCulture