Retail Technology Spotlight Series

In this Retail Technology Spotlight Series, Chris Walton sits down with Gagan Luthra, VP of Product at Impinj, to tackle one of retail's most persistent and expensive challenges: inventory distortion. With an estimated $1.7 trillion lost annually to inventory distortion, retailers have spent years investing in systems designed to improve accuracy. But what if the real problem isn't inventory at all? What if it's the data? Gagan explains how advances in RFID technology, including Impinj's Gen2X, are helping retailers move beyond inventory snapshots toward more accurate, real-time item-level visibility.

Chris and Gagan also explore what this looks like in practice, including how Zara and parent company Inditex have used RFID to improve inventory accuracy, reduce counting times, and minimize unsold merchandise. Plus, they discuss Impinj's vision for physical intelligence, the role of trusted data in powering agentic AI, and why the next big opportunity goes well beyond simply knowing what's on the shelf. From automated replenishment and loss prevention to food safety and supply chain orchestration, they unpack what it takes to turn better visibility into better business decisions.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:02:20 - Why inventory distortion is really a data problem, not just an inventory problem
• 00:05:09 - What Impinj's Gen2X technology changes about RFID accuracy and reliability
• 00:07:19 - How better RFID communication enables continuous, real-time inventory visibility
• 00:09:38 - Why smaller RFID tags create new challenges for retailers
• 00:12:57 - How Zara and Inditex have used RFID to transform inventory accuracy and operations
• 00:17:31 - Where item-level visibility goes next, from grocery to supply chain traceability
• 00:20:54 - How physical intelligence and trusted data can unlock agentic AI
• 00:23:29 - Two lessons for successfully deploying RFID technology at scale

Over 8 years and nearly 200 episodes, the Retail Technology Spotlight Series has featured some of the biggest names and boldest thinkers in retail. Explore the full archive here: https://omnitalk.blog/category/spotlight-series-podcast/

Sponsored Content

In this Retail Technology Spotlight Series, Chris Walton sits down with Brian Kinsella, Chief Product Officer at Manhattan Associates, to explore one of the biggest technology dilemmas facing growing retailers and brands: Do you start small and risk outgrowing your systems, or invest in enterprise technology before you have the size, resources, or complexity to justify it?

Brian breaks down why that tradeoff may finally be changing. As customer expectations rise and growing brands take on marketplaces, stores as fulfillment nodes, wholesale, DTC, and increasingly complex supply chains, the technology decisions companies make early on can quickly become their ceiling. And when they outgrow those systems, the real cost isn't always the software itself. It's the migration, retraining, change management, operational disruption, and time spent rebuilding instead of growing.

Brian takes Chris inside Manhattan Associates' new Editions offering, where AI can simplify implementation, and what buyers should look for when evaluating long-term technology partners. From avoiding rip-and-replace to building a foundation where "the ceiling moves with you," they break down how growing retailers can move fast today without creating a technology problem for tomorrow.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:02:05 - Why growing retailers feel like they're constantly behind on technology
• 00:03:31 - Why customer expectations don't change based on company size
• 00:06:51 - What actually breaks when companies outgrow their systems
• 00:13:08 - How retailers can start smaller without sacrificing their long-term technology foundation
• 00:17:52 - Inside Manhattan Associates' new Editions offering
• 00:23:15 - Where AI can simplify implementations and software configuration
• 00:28:24 - The questions every CIO and COO should ask before choosing a platform

Over 8 years and nearly 200 episodes, the Retail Technology Spotlight Series has featured some of the biggest names and boldest thinkers in retail. Explore the full archive here: https://omnitalk.blog/category/spotlight-series-podcast/

Sponsored Content

In this Retail Technology Spotlight series, Chris Walton sits down with Julian Sellan, Senior Supply Chain Engineer at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, and Nick Cianfarani, Senior Account Manager at Dematic, to explore one of the biggest questions facing supply chain leaders today: How do you decide when it's time to upgrade your logistics network and when is it smarter to start over? Through the lens of Southern Glazer's ongoing network transformation, Julian and Nick break down what goes into evaluating aging facilities, consolidating distribution centers, and designing an operation that can meet today's demand without becoming obsolete tomorrow.

From modular pick modules and miles of conveyor to warehouse software that acts as the "brain" behind the operation, the conversation explores what it takes to build flexibility into a logistics network from day one. Julian and Nick also dig into the often overlooked human side of automation, including why standardization, employee buy-in, knowledge transfer, and "hypercare" can make or break a successful go-live. And the results are already beginning to show, with Southern Glazer's Louisiana operation doubling throughput and reducing delivery frequency from five days a week to four.

From deciding between retrofit and greenfield facilities to designing warehouses that can evolve alongside changing consumer demand, this episode offers a practical look inside what it really takes to modernize a logistics network without designing yourself into the next problem.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:03:50 - Why Southern Glazer's began reevaluating its logistics network
• 00:05:46 - How to decide between upgrading an existing facility or building new
• 00:09:18 - Why consolidation can reduce complexity and unlock new efficiencies
• 00:11:09 - How to right-size a facility for today's demand and tomorrow's growth
• 00:14:14 - Inside the modular automation system designed for Southern Glazer's
• 00:19:57 - Why warehouse software is the "brain" behind automation
• 00:24:13 - Why software alignment needs to happen before the hardware goes in
• 00:25:18 - How standardization makes new facility rollouts easier over time
• 00:27:54 - The biggest watch-outs when designing and launching an automated facility
• 00:33:53 - Why "hypercare" and employee buy-in are critical to a successful go-live
• 00:35:35 - The results Southern Glazer's is already seeing from its new network
• 00:37:18 - How continuous partnership helps supply chain teams prepare for what's next

Want to learn more about Southern Glazer's automation journey? Check out these additional resources:

• Scalable Beverage Distribution: How Southern Glazer's Modernized Fulfillment with Dematic
• System Report: Perfecting the Automation Mix at Southern Glazer's, Modern Materials Handling

Over 8 years and nearly 200 episodes, the Retail Technology Spotlight Series has featured some of the biggest names and boldest thinkers in retail. Explore the full archive here: https://omnitalk.blog/category/spotlight-series-podcast/

Sponsored Content

In this Retail Technology Spotlight series, Chris Walton sits down with Antons Sapriko, Founder and CEO of scandiweb, to explore just how far AI has already gone in running the operational layers behind retail and what happens when employees shift from doing the work to supervising the systems doing it for them.

Antons breaks down the evolution from AI assistance to what scandiweb calls "supervised automation," where AI increasingly handles everything from personalization and pricing logic to purchase order reconciliation, software development, and the modernization of legacy systems. The conversation also explores scandiweb's OperaLayer, an operational layer designed to sit across disconnected systems and give retailers the real-time visibility and decision-making capabilities their existing technology was never built to provide.

But perhaps the biggest question is what this transformation means for the people inside retail organizations. As repetitive work becomes automated, Anton argues that the future may belong to a new generation of AI-savvy generalists who can identify the problems worth solving, supervise intelligent systems, and rethink workflows that have simply become accepted as "the way things have always been done."

From replacing spreadsheets and connecting decades-old ERP systems to building AI models that can replicate a leader's decision-making process, this episode explores what it really takes to become an AI-native organization and why the path to autonomous retail may be much more practical and incremental than most people think.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:01:36 - How AI is already taking over parts of retail operations
• 00:06:09 - The shift from AI assistance to supervised automation
• 00:10:35 - Where retailers are seeing the biggest AI opportunities today
• 00:13:07 - How AI can modernize legacy systems without a complete rip-and-replace
• 00:17:35 - Inside scandiweb's OperaLayer and connecting disconnected systems
• 00:21:52 - What happens to employees when AI takes over repetitive work
• 00:24:24 - Why the next generation of retail leaders may need to become generalists again
• 00:26:52 - How successful retailers identify the right workflows to automate
• 00:33:33 - How close are we really to autonomous retail?
• 00:36:29 - How retailers learn to trust AI with real operational decisions

Over 8 years and nearly 200 episodes, the Retail Technology Spotlight Series has featured some of the biggest names and boldest thinkers in retail. Explore the full archive here: https://omnitalk.blog/category/spotlight-series-podcast/

Sponsored Content

In this Retail Technology Spotlight series, Chris Walton sits down with Soroosh Seyhoon, Chief Revenue Officer at Zello, to explore how capturing and analyzing frontline voice data is transforming the way retailers understand and manage store operations. From AI-powered in-ear assistants to real-time operational intelligence, Soroosh explains why the conversations happening on the sales floor represent an untapped goldmine of data that most retailers are completely ignoring.

Drawing from deployments across hundreds of store locations, Soroosh shares how Zello is helping retailers move beyond measuring outputs like sales and throughput to finally measuring the inputs, the frontline communications that drive those results. The conversation covers everything from reducing associate turnover and accelerating onboarding to auto-reporting safety incidents and uncovering hidden staffing inefficiencies hiding in plain sight.

From digitizing push-to-talk communications to replacing two-device workflows with a single-pane-of-glass solution, this episode offers a practical roadmap for retailers ready to stop flying blind on what's actually happening on the floor and start building the connected store of the future.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:01:44 - The friction points plaguing store operations today and why "hearsay" is running retail
• 00:05:40 - How voice data transforms store operations from outputs to inputs
• 00:08:38 - Meet Ella: Zello's AI agent that answers associate questions in real time
• 00:16:20 - Real-world examples: price check patterns, safety incidents, and broken buttons
• 00:21:19 - Where retailers should start to get the biggest bang for their buck
• 00:24:16 - What's next: proactive AI agents, PBX integration, and push to connect

Over 8 years and nearly 200 episodes, the Retail Technology Spotlight Series has featured some of the biggest names and boldest thinkers in retail. Explore the full archive here: https://omnitalk.blog/category/spotlight-series-podcast/

Sponsored Content

In this Retail Technology Spotlight episode, Chris Walton sits down with Kevin Billings, Vice President of Business Development at Sifter Solutions, to unpack how GLP-1 medications, SNAP legislation, and nutrition focused merchandising are reshaping the future of grocery retail. From state-by-state SNAP restrictions to hyper personalized shopping experiences powered by nutrition data, Kevin explains why retailers can no longer afford to treat food intelligence as a niche capability.

Drawing from decades of experience across the American Heart Association, Label Insight, NIQ, and Sifter, Kevin shares how retailers can use product level nutritional data to drive compliance, improve shopper experiences, and prepare for a future where health outcomes increasingly influence merchandising strategy. The conversation also explores how grocers can connect pharmacy, loyalty, and merchandising programs to serve shoppers using GLP-1 medications while differentiating themselves against competitors like Amazon and Walmart.

From electronic shelf tags and personalized promotions to Arkansas’ statewide SNAP technology rollout, this episode offers a practical look at how retailers can prepare for the next era of food as medicine and nutrition driven retail innovation.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:11:36 – How SNAP restriction waivers are changing grocery retail state by state

• 00:15:57 – Why retailers need product level nutrition data for compliance and merchandising

• 00:18:22 – Inside Arkansas’ first statewide SNAP shopper technology initiative

• 00:24:25 – Why grocers should already be merchandising for GLP-1 shoppers

• 00:31:53 – Kevin’s vision for the future of hyper personalized grocery shopping

See our past 8 years of wonderful Spotlight Series podcast guests, featuring roughly 200 movers and shakers in retail, by clicking here.

#retailtech #groceryretail #GLP1 #foodasmedicine #SNAP #retailinnovation #nutrition #AI #retailoperations #merchandising #loyalty #pharmacy #grocerytech #OmniTalk #retailpodcast

*Sponsored Content*

In this Retail Technology Spotlight episode, Judah Berger, AI Product Manager at Unframe.ai, joins Omni Talk to explore one of the biggest questions facing retail leaders today: how do you actually implement AI across an organization without creating operational chaos? Judah works directly with enterprises to turn AI from an exciting concept into scalable systems that solve real business problems, helping companies identify inefficiencies, design AI powered workflows, and deploy solutions employees can actually trust and use.

As companies rush to adopt tools like ChatGPT and Claude, Judah explains why unrestricted experimentation can unintentionally create an “Excel on steroids” problem, where disconnected prompts and workflows multiply inconsistencies across the business. From AI governance and workflow orchestration to SKU intelligence, predictive inventory management, and a real world footwear retail case study that generated a reported 40x ROI, this episode offers a practical roadmap for retailers looking to operationalize AI responsibly while still encouraging innovation across their teams.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:01:56 – The four major approaches retailers can take toward AI implementation

• 00:05:21 – Balancing bottom up AI experimentation with enterprise wide governance

• 00:17:40 – How organizations should identify, scope, and scale the right AI use cases

• 00:21:26 – The technology, auditability, and infrastructure needed for scalable enterprise AI

• 00:26:58 – Case study: How a footwear retailer used AI inventory intelligence to achieve a reported 40x ROI

See our past 8 years of wonderful Spotlight Series podcast guests, featuring roughly 200 movers and shakers in retail, by clicking here.

#retailtech #AI #retailAI #inventorymanagement #retailoperations #SKUintelligence #supplychain #predictiveanalytics #enterpriseAI #generativeAI #retailinnovation #OmniTalk #retailpodcast #AIstrategy

*Sponsored Content*

In this Retail Technology Spotlight episode, Armen Mkrtchyan, CEO and co-founder of Extuitive, joins Omni Talk to tackle one of the oldest problems in advertising and to show how AI is finally cracking it.

John Wanamaker famously said, "Half of my ads don't work. I just don't know which half." Nearly 200 years later, that problem hasn't gone away. It's actually gotten worse. Armen breaks down how Extuitive's AD Intelligence Engine uses a fusion of real consumer panel data (150,000 people, complete with purchase receipts) and brand-specific platform history to predict which ads will perform before you spend a single dollar launching them.

If you're a retailer or brand marketer trying to make your ad spend work harder in a world drowning in AI-generated content, this episode is for you.

🔑 Topics covered:

Why AI-generated personas push everyone toward the mean, and why that's a problem

How Extuitive's fusion model combines real consumer data with brand-specific ad history

The pre-validation approach: submit 200 ads, launch only the ones that will actually work

How to optimize for awareness vs. conversion depending on your campaign goals

What you need (6 months of ad history, ~250 ads) to get started

🎧 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more retail tech insights!

#retailtech #digitaladvertising #retailmarketing #adspend #predictiveanalytics #omnitalk #retailai #contentmarketing #ROAS #retailpodcast #brandmarketing #Extuitive #metatiktokads #retailtechnology

Music by hooksounds.com

*Sponsored Content*

In this Retail Technology Spotlight episode, Jeff Fish, co-CEO of Intelo.ai, and Noah Herschman, Head of Merchandise Strategy at Intello AI, join Omni Talk to tackle one of retail's most persistently under-teched problems: merchandise planning and allocation.

From spreadsheet-driven chaos to agentic AI, Jeff and Noah break down why merchandise planning has been left behind by technology for nearly 30 years, how AI is finally changing that, and what retailers can actually do right now to drive real results — including a 47% reduction in stockouts and a 42% reduction in broken sizes. If you've ever wondered whether AI can finally make life better for merchandise planners, allocators, and buyers, this episode is for you.

🔑 Topics covered:

• Why merchandise planning has been "under-teched" for decades
• The art vs. science balance that makes AI transformation so hard — and so valuable
• How agentic AI and agent-to-agent protocols are changing real-time planning collaboration
• Why inventory rebalancing and size curve optimization are low-hanging fruit for luxury and specialty retailers
• How Intelo.ai deploys in as little as three weeks — and what results look like

🎧 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more retail tech insights!

#retailai #merchandiseplanning #retailtech #agenticai #omnitalk #supplychain #retailinnovation #inventoryoptimization #Inteloai #retailpodcast

In this Retail Technology Spotlight Series episode, Chris Walton sits down with duvo.ai CEO Tomáš Čupr to explore one of the most mind-bending ideas in AI today: not just how AI can improve retail operations, but how it can actually identify what in your operations should be improved in the first place. Drawing on Tomáš Čupr’s experience building Rohlik Group, a $1.5B+ pan-European e-grocer, and now leading duvo.ai, the conversation dives deep into the messy reality of retail operations, including fragmented systems, manual processes, and the hidden gaps leaders don’t even realize exist.

From agentic process mapping and Duvo Clarity to autonomous operations and the future of hybrid human and AI teams, this episode challenges conventional thinking around digital transformation and offers a practical look at what it really takes to operationalize AI at scale. If you’re trying to understand where AI fits into your organization, how to uncover inefficiencies, or how to move beyond pilot purgatory into real execution, this conversation delivers a fresh and highly actionable perspective.

Key Topics Covered:

• 00:00:45 – Why AI should identify problems, not just solve them

• 00:03:02 – Tomáš Čupr’s background building Rohlik Group

• 00:04:51 – The origin of duvo.ai and challenges with retail automation

• 00:07:50 – Why retail operations are too messy for traditional AI approaches

• 00:11:07 – The reality that most leaders don’t actually know their own processes

• 00:14:32 – Agentic process mapping and Duvo Clarity explained

• 00:19:41 – How AI analyzes workflows and recommends improvements

• 00:23:26 – Real-world examples including missed supplier follow-ups and margin leakage

• 00:25:56 – Automating should-cost analysis across every SKU

• 00:29:10 – The rise of self-improving, feedback-loop-driven retail systems

• 00:33:20 – The future role of retail leaders managing agents, not just people

• 00:41:28 – Why AI-native retailers could outpace legacy competitors

• 00:44:57 – Where to start with AI: process first, not data

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

P.S. See our past 8 years of wonderful Spotlight Series podcast guests, featuring roughly 200 movers and shakers in retail, by clicking here: omnitalk.blog/category/spotlight-series-podcast/

#retailtech #retailAI #agenticAI #autonomousretail #processmapping #digitaltransformation #omnitalk #retailpodcast

*Sponsored Content*