What does it take to build a sportswear brand from scratch when you don’t have billions in the bank, but a clear vision and product obsession?

In this episode, Christoph Dassler, founder of DSSLR, breaks down how he’s building a modern sportswear brand for the racket sports generation.

From product innovation and sustainable performance apparel to digital storytelling and omnichannel growth, this conversation is a masterclass in founder-led brand building.

We also explore why AI will redefine retail discovery and why you need to shape your brand story today to be found tomorrow.

This episode covers:

– Building a modern performance brand from scratch

– Designing for tennis, padel, and pickleball athletes

– Community building in sportswear without big budgets

– Preparing your brand for GenAI search and agentic commerce

🎯 A must-listen for anyone building brands, not just logos.

Hit play now!

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🔗 Resources & Links:

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Our Guest:

Christoph Dassler

DSSLR

Our Hosts:

Nino Bergfeld

Nicolas Kröger

Yael Kochman

AI is often presented as the next inevitable step in retail digital transformation. But at scale, the real challenge is not what AI can do. It’s knowing where it should be used, where it shouldn’t, and who stays accountable.

In this episode, Dmitry Olerinskiy from Decathlon shares a grounded, experience-based perspective on AI decisions in large retail organizations. Instead of hype, the conversation focuses on judgment, precision, and leadership responsibility.

You’ll hear practical insights on:

– Why not every retail problem needs AI

– When algorithms outperform generative AI

– How scale fundamentally changes AI adoption strategy

– Why AI governance becomes critical at enterprise scale

– Why experimentation without guardrails becomes liability

This episode is for retail leaders navigating AI transformation, omnichannel complexity, and enterprise decision-making and who want to move beyond buzzwords toward sustainable impact.

🎧 Tune in for a thoughtful, no-hype discussion on AI, scale, and responsibility in modern retail.

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🔗 Resources & Links:

Visit our Website

Follow us on LinkedIn

Our Guest:

Dmitry Olerinskiy from Decathlon

Our Hosts:

Nino Bergfeld

Nicolas Kröger

Yael Kochman

AI is everywhere in retail.

So why does it still feel underwhelming?

In this episode, we unpack what became clear at NRF 2026:

AI is no longer the bottleneck. Organizational readiness is.

Drawing from conversations, panels, and observations across the show, this episode explores why many AI initiatives in retail stall despite mature technology and proven use cases.

Join us when Nino, Yael and Nicolas talk about:

• How search, voice, and invisible AI interfaces are reshaping the customer journey

• Which organizational patterns slow AI impact more than any technical limitation

• Why AI adoption in retail often stops at augmentation instead of reinvention

• What AI readiness really requires from retail leaders and organizations

• Why agentic commerce is promising but limited to specific categories

• Why physical retail is becoming more human, not more digital

This is not an episode about tools or hype.

It’s about mindset, structure, leadership, and the real work required to make AI deliver value at scale.

🎧 A must-listen for retail leaders navigating AI adoption beyond experimentation.

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🔗 Resources & Links:

Visit our Website

Follow us on LinkedIn

Our Hosts:

Nino Bergfeld

Nicolas Kröger

Yael Kochman

What does it really mean to lead a data-first retail organization?

In this episode of The Retail Reality Show, Sumit Srivastava, Digital and Commercial Officer, reveals how one of the GCC’s largest luxury retail groups is transforming customer experience through AI, connected data, and visionary leadership.

From app-first commerce to predictive modeling and real-time analytics, Srivastava explains how data-first thinking is reshaping the future of omnichannel retail across the Arabian Gulf.

You’ll learn:

– How brands connect AI, data, and CX in real time

– Why being data-first isn’t about tech, it’s about leadership

– What makes the GCC a test bed for next-gen retail innovation

– How unified data architecture drives forecasting and personalization

💡 Discover why the future of retail will be led by those who let data lead first.

Listen now and get inspired by what data-driven retail leadership looks like in practice.

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🔗 Resources & Links:

Visit our Website

Follow us on LinkedIn

Our Guest:

Sumit Srivastava

Our Hosts:

Nino Bergfeld

Nicolas Kröger

Yael Kochman

AI is no longer just improving search. It is reshaping how shopping decisions are made.

In this episode of The Retail Reality Show, we examine how AI-driven shopping interfaces are changing retail discovery, comparison and choice, and what this shift means for retailers who still own the products, brands and fulfillment, but not always the interface.

We unpack the growing tension between platforms with deep product data and monetization models, and AI-native interfaces built around conversation and trust. Along the way, we challenge the assumption that AI shopping is simply another channel, and explore why product data, structure and consistency are becoming strategic assets.

The discussion moves beyond hype to the realities of enterprise AI adoption, including agentic AI use cases, backend automation, and why many of the most valuable AI applications in retail today happen outside the storefront.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The role of structured product data in AI visibility
• Trust, ads and monetization in AI-driven commerce
• Agentic AI in retail operations and customer service
• Why retailers are losing traffic as AI mediates decisions
• What retailers should prepare for as AI becomes the storefront

🎧 Listen to the full episode and join the debate shaping the future of retail.

What does real innovation in retail look like?

According to Christian Kuhn, Innovation & AI Leader, it’s not about pilots or tech for tech’s sake.

It’s about building systems that create lasting value.

This episode was recorded live at LIGANOVA’s ‘NEXT is NOW’ 30 Years Anniversary in Stuttgart and features:

• Why innovation must start with the consumer and scale with C-suite ownership

• How to measure retail innovation beyond clicks and conversions

• The three waves of AI in retail: efficiency, better output, autonomy

• How personalization, digital wardrobes, and unified commerce platforms will shape the future of fashion

• Why every CEO needs skin in the game to drive transformation

🚀 A must-listen for CEOs, innovators, and anyone preparing for the future of fashion and retail.

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Disclaimer: The guest appears in a personal capacity; opinions are his own

When shoppers stop clicking, the rules of retail change. 🛍️

In this episode, Carina Lamb from EMARKETER breaks down how generative and agentic AI are threatening to collapse  the retail funnel into a single conversation.

From zero-click commerce and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to post-purchase automation and trust-based payments, discover where AI already delivers real ROI and where retailers are still chasing hype.

Listen in to learn more about:

• Smarter inventory forecasting and fulfilment

• AI-enabled customer service and post-purchase support

• Why “fix friction before flashy tools” is retail’s new golden rule

🎧  Listen now and stay ahead of zero-click commerce.

Sustainability is no longer enough. The future is regeneration. 🌱

In this German of The Retail Reality Show, retail futurist Theresa Schleicher from the Zukunftsinstitut joins Nino Bergfeld and Nicolas Kröger to explore why retail must shift from “doing less harm” to actively “creating more good.”

For decades, sustainability has been framed as sacrifice: less consumption, less pleasure, less fun. Meanwhile, consumers still click “buy now” on Temu and Shein, caught in what Theresa calls the YOLO effect: cheap, fun products win, even when values say otherwise.

Regeneration changes the story. From agriculture to fashion, it’s about building systems that restore, renew, and inspire. And unless sustainability feels desirable, it will never reach the mainstream.

In this episode, we also discuss:

• What the rise of AI Natives who trust technology over brands means for retailers
• What Europe can learn from China’s “Customer-to-Everything” shopping model
• Why resilience isn’t enough and what leaders should prioritize instead

🎧 Listen now and discover why regeneration may be retail’s most important shift yet.

How do retailers stay close to customers, physically, digitally, and emotionally? 

In this German episode of the Retail Reality Show, we welcome Simone Krah, President of the MMM-Club and a recognized voice in the retail industry known for driving transformation in food retail. With hands-on expertise in innovation, market strategy, and consumer engagement, Simone shares powerful insights into where grocery retail is headed next.

Recorded live at the 75th International Retail Summit at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, Simone, Nino and Nicolas uncover the power of the near economy in retail, where digital influence on physical retail meets shopper wellbeing and community needs.

In this episode we’ll also discuss:

• Why e-grocery adoption in Germany remains slow
• The rise of experiential retail and cashierless stores
• Why empathy and emotional closeness drive loyalty
• How health tech, data, and AI reshape FMCG strategies

Join us and step inside the future of food retail: new formats, omnichannel personalization, and innovations that balance convenience, community, and resilience.

🎧 Listen in to learn how community, empathy, and technology are shaping tomorrow’s store formats.

What if your store didn’t sell anything – but still made people buy?

In this live episode of The Retail Reality Show, recorded at LIGANOVA's 'NEXT is NOW' 30 Years Anniversary Celebrations in Stuttgart, we dive into the transformation of physical retail, from transactional spaces to immersive brand experiences.

Julia Bischof, EMEA Retail Director at Le Creuset, shares how the iconic cookware brand is evolving from wholesale to a modern direct-to-consumer strategy using community events sensory experiences, and emotional storytelling to attract a younger audience.

Meike Hartelust, Managing Director at LIGANOVA Netherlands B.V., reveals how stores are becoming media channels: curated, flexible, and designed to connect with consumers on a deeper level.

Together with our hosts Nino Bergfeld and Nicolas Kröger, they discuss:

• How to build community-driven retail formats

• The role of experiential retail in premium DTC brands

• Why Gen Z is falling in love with enameled cast-iron cookware 

• Why measuring foot traffic isn’t enough – and what KPIs really matter

• How to integrate omnichannel retail strategy without losing human connection

Whether you’re a retail leader, a brand strategist, or just obsessed with the future of physical stores, this episode is packed with insights on modern retail transformation, emotional brand connection, and community marketing.