The Retail Tea Break

What happens when AI starts influencing how customers discover and choose products?

In this special episode of The Retail Tea Break Podcast, recorded live at MACH X Amsterdam, Melissa Moore is joined by Pratyush Sinha, Senior Director and Head of Responsible AI at Decathlon.

They explore how AI agents are changing product discovery, why trust remains important in the customer journey, and what retailers need to consider as these technologies develop. 

They discuss:

• How AI is changing product discovery

• Responsible AI, governance and guardrails

• Protecting the relationship between brand and customer

• Why retailers may need their own AI “concierge”

• What a more personalised e-commerce experience could look like

Could the future of online retail mean every customer having their own digital shopping concierge?

This episode of The Retail Tea Break podcast is supported by MACH Alliance, find out more https://machalliance.org/

What does it take to bring a challenger brand into an established retail category and more importantly, get customers to notice it on the shelf?

In this episode of The Retail Tea Break, I’m joined by Kate Doyle, founder of EcoKinly, an Irish brand bringing reusable alternatives to the baby and family care market. After almost four years of building the business direct-to-consumer, Kate is now taking EcoKinly into retail, scaling across supermarkets, pharmacies, baby retail and leisure.

Kate shares her journey from financial services and entrepreneurship into the world of retail, and what she’s learning as a founder navigating buyers, listings, logistics and the all-important challenge of driving customer pull-through once a product reaches the shelf.

During our conversation, we explore:

• Finding the gap on the retail shelf
• Educating store teams to drive sales
• The power of packaging, POS and FSDUs
• Moving from getting listed to scaling
• Building brand recognition and trust
• Learning by listening to customers face-to-face
• The Pregnancy and Baby Fair in Dublin

We also look to the future of retail, including the opportunities around reusable and refillable products, the potential impact of AI on consumer decision-making, and what’s next for EcoKinly as the brand continues to grow.

This episode of The Retail Tea Break podcast is supported by International Retail magazine, check out the latest edition here: International Retail Magazine!!! The Retail Insiders Guide

EcoKinly: EcoKinly Award Winning Irish Brand | Designed for life. Made to last.

This week, I’m joined by Keith Rogers, Chief Executive Officer at PACO, as we go behind the scenes of a familiar Irish retail brand that’s entering an exciting period of change and expansion.

With over 30 years’ experience in retail leadership, Keith knows what it takes to grow and transform a business. We talk about PACO’s plans for growth, finding new opportunities and the importance of getting the retail basics right.

We also explore the customer at the heart of PACO. And why great people, personal service, fit and value continue to matter.

In this episode, we explore:

• PACO’s plans for growth, from new stores and concessions to opportunities in regional towns.
• The potential in menswear and footwear, including new suppliers and the launch of PACO Man.
• Why understanding your customer matters, particularly when that customer may have been overlooked by other retailers.
• New ways to think about physical retail, from partnerships and concessions to locations such as garden centres and hardware stores.
• The importance of a loyal team, with 80% of PACO’s people having been with the business for more than five years.
• A practical approach to managing residual stock, using pop-up stores while keeping full-price stores fresh and current.
• Why agility matters in retail, as technology, AI and changing customer expectations continue to reshape the industry.

A conversation about growth, opportunity and staying close to your customer, while never losing sight of the retail basics.

This episode of The Retail Tea Break podcast is supported by International Retail magazine, check out the latest edition here: International Retail Magazine!!! The Retail Insiders Guide

Paco website: Paco Clothing | Trendy Fashion Collections at Paco

The Retail Tea Break Podcast is five!

And we’re kicking off Season 11 with a returning guest. Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategy & Insights at CI&T, joins me one year on to share fresh consumer insights into how AI and agentic commerce are reshaping the shopping journey.

A retail futurist whose work is rooted in cross industry consumer insights and innovation, Melissa brings a global perspective on changing shopper behaviour and what it means for retailers.

As shoppers become more informed and increasingly in control, what does that mean for retailers? We explore the latest UK & Ireland and US research, the evolving path to purchase and what retailers need to consider to remain relevant, visible and valuable.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why AI shopping adoption is accelerating in the UK and Ireland and how behaviours differ from the US.
• What changing search behaviour means for retail discoverability and the traditional path to purchase.
• How AI is creating new opportunities for smaller retailers and brands to reach consumers.
• Why “shopping smarter” means better value to UK&I consumers but more research to US consumers.
• Why strong, integrated data remains the foundation of any successful retail AI strategy.
• How retailers can differentiate their channels and create a stronger, more connected omnichannel experience.

This episode of The Retail Tea Break podcast is supported by International Retail magazine, check out the latest edition here: International Retail Magazine!!! The Retail Insiders Guide

CI&T report: https://ciandt.com/uk/en-gb/report/retail-tech-report-agentic-edition

Listen back to Melissa’s last episode here: Episode 106

Season 11 is here and The Retail Tea Break is celebrating five glorious years!

I look back at that very first episode from September 2021 and ask how much has retail really changed? From Google search and e-commerce to AI, personalisation and the ever-evolving customer journey, the technology may have changed, but many of the retail fundamentals haven’t.

Plus, get a sneak peek at what’s coming in Season 11! There’s fresh retail insights from Ireland, the UK and the US, ambitious growth stories, innovative products, scaling brands and plenty of conversations about people, stores, customers and tech.

And The Retail Tea Break is back on the road, with a very special episode coming from Amsterdam.

So after five years of stirring curiosity and brewing ideas… I feel like we’re only getting started.

Grab that cup of tea and let’s get into Season 11!

What happens when a retailer combines a relentless focus on value with one of the fastest-growing marketplace channels in the world?

In this episode of The Retail Tea Break, Melissa Moore is joined by Edward Chary, Managing Director of Purston Park Group, and Spencer Saunders, Marketplace Director at Spot On-Line Limited.

Together, they share how Temu became a major sales channel for the business, growing from a small trial to generating £20,000 a day within just 18 months. Along the way, they discuss the realities of scaling a modern retail business, creating jobs, navigating multiple marketplaces, and why understanding your customer remains the key to long-term success.

• How a value-first mindset continues to drive growth
• The journey from £1,000 a month to £20,000 a day
• The operational reality of scaling at speed
• Creating jobs and expanding warehouse operations
• Balancing Temu alongside Amazon, eBay and other sales channels
• Why retailers need to be where their customers are
• Future plans for European expansion

For more information visit: seller.temu.com

What happens when retailers become so focused on efficiency that they lose the flexibility needed to serve customers at their best?

In this episode, Melissa Moore is joined by Sue Hedaux, Co-Founder and Head of Insights at ReThink Productivity, to discuss the findings from the Future Ready Retail Report. Together, they explore the growing productivity paradox facing retailers today, where stores can appear highly efficient on paper while colleagues feel stretched and customers still face queues, delays and poor availability.

Sue shares practical insights on capacity planning, hidden productivity drains, self-checkout optimisation and why retailers need to focus on creating value rather than simply cutting costs. The conversation also looks at the future role of AI in retail and how businesses can ensure technology supports both colleagues and customers.

• Why retailers are hitting a "capacity ceiling"
• The hidden cost of time-filling tasks
• How to spot wasted effort in store operations
• Making self-checkout work more effectively
• Why customer experience and productivity must work together
• The opportunities and challenges AI presents for retail

Find out more at: https://rethinkproductivity.co.uk/

In this special eTail UK mash-up episode, Melissa Moore is joined by three industry leaders who are helping shape the future of retail, e-commerce and digital marketing.

Samantha Mo from Samsung, Abdu Alhadithi from Sculpted by Aimee, and global digital operations expert Ben Newbon-Stead share their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing retailers today. Together, they explore how businesses can make better use of AI, create stronger customer experiences, improve data strategies and build organisations that can adapt in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

From authentic marketing and customer-centric product development to digital transformation, operational excellence and the importance of experimentation, this episode is packed with practical insights for retail leaders looking to drive growth and stay ahead of change.

• AI adoption and practical implementation
• Customer experience and customer-centric thinking
• Digital transformation and organisational change
• Data strategy and personalisation
• Influencer marketing and authentic content
• E-commerce operations and optimisation
• Leadership, culture and innovation

Join in the conversation at this year’s eTail UK. 16th & 17th June in Manchester. Register now for eTail UK https://etailuk.wbresearch.com/

Sculpted by Aimee: https://www.sculptedbyaimee.com

Samsung: https://www.samsung.com

Ahead of eTail UK, this special mash-up episode of The Retail Tea Break podcast brings together conversations with Persi, Curvy Kate and Blackcircles to explore how retailers are connecting AI, brand, marketing and digital to create stronger customer experiences.

From smarter personalization and AI implementation to full-funnel thinking and breaking down internal silos, this episode looks at how retail businesses are adapting to changing customer expectations while keeping the human touch at the centre of the experience.

Key talking points:

• Why disconnected teams often lead to disconnected customer experiences
• How Persi is using AI to rethink product discovery and personalization in fashion retail
• The importance of balancing creativity with commercial performance across every touchpoint
• Why Curvy Kate believes retention and lifetime value matter more than short-term acquisition
• How Blackcircles is embedding AI across multiple business functions while focusing on people and culture
• The shift from acquisition-first thinking to lifetime value and retention strategies
• Why the retailers seeing the biggest AI success are the ones aligning teams around clear business outcomes

Join in the conversation at this year’s eTail UK. 16th & 17th June in Manchester. Register now for eTail UK https://etailuk.wbresearch.com/

Curvy Kate https://www.curvykate.com/

Black Circles https://www.blackcircles.com/

Persi https://www.yourpersi.com/

What does it take to turn a creative idea into a globally stocked Irish brand? In this episode of The Retail Tea Break, Melissa chats with Kim Whyte about the journey behind Pawpear and the lessons learned along the way.

From her early design career in London to building a business inspired by Irish culture, language and landscape. Kim shares the realities of entrepreneurship, the value of community and why authenticity matters more than following trends. The conversation also explores how meaningful customer relationships can shape a brand’s growth, why thoughtful retail experiences still matter and how creative collaborations can bring heritage stories to life in a modern way.

Kim also reflects on working with iconic Irish institutions including the Guinness Storehouse and the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College Dublin, sharing insights into balancing creativity with commercial growth while staying true to the heart of the brand.

• Growing Pawpear to 90+ retailers worldwide
• The importance of mentorship
• Supporting Irish manufacturers and suppliers
• Customer communication and emotional brand connection
• Collaborating with Guinness Storehouse and Trinity College Dublin
• Experiential retail and creative storytelling
• Scaling a business while protecting brand identity

Visit Pawpear www.pawpear.ie

This episode of the Retail Tea Break podcast is brought to you by SCAYLE, the enterprise commerce platform empowering B2C brands and retailers to easily create outstanding customer experiences with a seamless and flexible feature set that can be extended through APIs. Trusted by brands like Levi Strauss®️, Harrods, Manchester United and Deichmann, SCAYLE enables businesses to accelerate innovation and drive real growth.

AI fashion photo shoots at scale: Visit Tayla.ai

Built for retailers, by retailers: Visit: www.scayle.com