People queued overnight for the opening of Olive Young’s first U.S. store in Pasadena. At first sight, it looked like another TikTok-driven retail hype. But the real story is much deeper.

K-Beauty did not become global by accident, and it was not created by one viral post. It grew from years of Korean product innovation, affordable quality, skincare routines, K-Pop, K-dramas, social media behavior and the cultural wave known as Hallyu.

In this episode of Retail Talks, we look at Olive Young not only as a cosmetics retailer, but as one of the most important retail platforms behind the global rise of K-Beauty. With more than 1,350 stores in South Korea, millions of members, hundreds of brands and international e-commerce reach, Olive Young shows how culture, TikTok demand, great products and physical retail can work together.

The key lesson is simple: social networks can create attention, but sustainable retail success happens when that attention amplifies something real, the culture.

K-Pop made Korean culture desirable. K-Beauty made that desire shoppable.

Join Dunja, Milan and Darko for a special live session where they reveal the real retail trends for 2026, based not on speculation, but on direct conversations with global retailers, POS software vendors, and compliance teams we work with every day.
Because when you’re involved in the world’s biggest compliance, fiscalization, and retail-tech projects, retailers share their next steps long before the public ever hears about them.
And that gives them a unique advantage:
✅ they don’t guess trends
✅ they see the projects before they start
✅ they know what retailers will be investing in during 2026.
In this live session, we’ll discuss:
- Tech & operational trends that are already locked in for 2026
- How POS vendors are reshaping software for the next retail cycle
- What global retailers tell us about future compliance challenges
- Where AI, automation & fiscalization will have the biggest impact
- And which trends are hype and which are absolutely inevitable
This Retail Talk session has become a tradition - we’ve hosted it every year, and each time the predictions proved right.
Whether you're a retailer, POS vendor, consultant, or tech leader, this is your opportunity to understand what’s coming, and how to prepare before the market shifts.

What happens when a retail tech founder sits down to recorda podcast… with an AI?
In this special episode, Darko Pavic talks directly with Grok from xAI about hisnew book The Fiscalization ComplianceMaturity Model.

This episode didn’t start as a podcast — it started as asimple request for Grok to review a book.
But what followed was a real-time experiment in AI creativity: Grok wrote thescript, ElevenLabs cloned my voice, Suno composed the soundtrack, and Adobebrought it all together.
Join me on this journey where technology becomes a collaborator, not just atool.
A must-listen for innovators, retail leaders, AI enthusiasts — and anyonecurious about the future of creation.

Compliance is often seen as a burden, but what if it could be your edge?

Darko Pavic, CEO of Fiscal Solutions, shows how in his new book The Fiscalization Compliance Maturity Model (available on Amazon),

In this episode (the recording of our recent webinar), you’ll discover:
✅ Why the book was written—and what makes it unique
✅ The 4-level Compliance Maturity Model every company should know
✅ Practical checklists & KPIs to manage compliance
✅ How to move from Level 1 to Level 4 and speed up international rollouts

A fast, honest conversation about why a mission isn’t enough, and how a manifesto sets direction, standards, and momentum.

We share the principles guiding our next stage and the first moves we’re making to turn purpose into practice.

If you care about building with impact, hit play.

We just came back from China, and what we saw blew our minds.

From humanoid robots on the showroom floor to ultra-digitized supply chains and a new wave of retail innovation, this episode reveals what Western retailers aren’t ready for.

Join us as we unpack the biggest surprises from the China International Supply Chain Expo, explain why Chinese retailers are quietly preparing for global domination, and share the one lesson every business leader needs to hear before expanding.

👉 Spoiler: We stopped carrying our wallets by Day 2.

Will TikTok become the world’s dominant e-commerce platform—or is it just an overhyped trend waiting to fade?

In this episode your hosts Mitul and Darko dive deep into TikTok’s explosive entry into shopping: from Lidl International’s 18-minute sell-out, Walmart’s $500,000 livestreams, to Zara’s hourly drops. But it’s not all smooth scrolling—regulatory threats in the U.S. and creator chaos could change everything.

Is TikTok really rewriting the future of retail, or will regulations and rivals clip its wings?

Expect bold takes, sharp insights, and that one essential question Mitul and Darko always ask:
"Yes or no?"

There are many great trade shows on the international stage, especially in retail and retail technology. EuroCIS is definitely one of the most important, particularly for the European market.

After each show, you can find plenty of information about the latest products and innovations on display. But what you rarely get is the real experience of the exhibitors, the behind-the-scenes insights.

Did we sign any contracts? How does it fit into our overall sales and marketing strategy? Was it truly successful? What are our suggestions for improvement?

Mitul and Darko tackled these questions and more on the final day of the show. As long-time exhibitors, they shared their honest experiences from EuroCIS over the years.

And of course, they answered the big question: Will they be back next year?

When discussing new business models like fast fashion (e.g., Shein) or platforms like Temu), one key factor behind their success is the ability to import low-value packages into various countries without additional taxes or customs duties. However, this is now changing. The U.S. has already implemented new regulations, and the EU is preparing to follow suit.

In this episode, Mitul and Darko dive into what these changes mean for retail and how they could reshape the industry. Tune in for their insights!

In this episode of Retail Talks, Mitul and Darko explore whether AI agents are the next big thing in retail. These agents are already transforming how we approach and solve tasks, as well as how we develop and use software. With AI models having already reshaped industries, there’s a strong chance that AI agents will do the same. Tune in to hear their insights!