It’s a wrap on season one of the Beyond the Shelf podcast hosted by It’sRapid founder and CEO David Feinleib. Dave interviewed 13 incredible leaders in the digital shelf and e-commerce space and got their takes on everything from seasonal content to career tips to the future of the industry. 

We’re tying up season one by reviewing each of our unique guests and the most valuable takeaways you can find in their episodes. Read on to catch the breakdown. 

Episode 1: The Future of Retail Media with Confluencer Commerce and The CPG Guys’ Bryan Gildenberg

In our first episode, Dave spoke with Bryan Gildenberg, Founder and CEO of Confluencer Commerce about the power of the flywheel framework to tie together three parts of retail enterprise: their economic model, their brand proposition, and their operating model. Bryan also highlighted the value of risk management and ecommerce branding. 

Listen to the episode here. 

Episode 2: Using Micro-Season Content to Engage Shoppers Year-Round with Ghirardelli’s Pam Perino

Our second episode featured the incredible Pam Perino, E-Commerce Content Operations and Development Manager of Ghirardelli. In this episode, Pam dives into the company culture at Ghirardelli, the value of microseasonal content, and how to create accessible content. 

Listen to the episode here. 

Episode 3: Leading a Large E-Commerce Team with Harvest Group’s Mark Stamps

In episode three, Dave had the privilege of speaking with Harvest Group’s VP of Digital Commerce, Mark Stamps. Mark highlighted the power of taking autonomy in your career and becoming an “intraprenuer”. He also discusses the evolution in the importance of content across your brand and how to tailor it to the specific consumer. 

Hear his insights here.

Episode 4: Global Strategies and Seasonal Opportunities in E-Commerce with BIC’s Adrienne Prast and firstmovr’s Chris Perry

This episode hosted the dynamic duo of Adrienne Prast, Manager of Digital Content at BIC, and Chris Perry, Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr. The pair broke down content from the global perspective and even reviewed a set of BIC ads live. 

To get the full experience, you’ll want to catch the episode on our YouTube channel, here. 

Episode 5: Developing a Leading E-Commerce Strategy with Circana’s Anne Zymbowski 

In episode 5, Circana’s VP of E-Commerce and Digital Shelf discusses the value of looking at specific processes and identifying the barriers to success. She also boldly proclaims that brands should start with the digital shelf when considering product packaging. 

Listen to Anne’s powerful episode, here. 

Episode 6: How to Turn Your UGC Into Shoppable Videos, Images, and Ads with Bazaarvoice’s Doug Straton

Doug Straton is the Chief Customer Evangelist of Bazaarvoice. In episode 6, Doug discusses the role of content and its importance in the algorithms. He also chats about the Bazaarvoice and It’sRapid partnership. 

Listen here to learn what Doug believes is the bedrock of a brand! 

Episode 7: Best Practices for Building Creative That Converts with Market Performance Group’s Jenny Baker

In episode seven, Dave sits down with Jenny Baker, the Director of E-Commerce Digital Content for Market Performance Group. Jenny explains the self-coined “see, scroll, click” model, content creation as an investment, and so much more. 

Hear from this thought leader, here.

Episode 8: Scaling Creative Production for E-Commerce and Retail Media with PepsiCo’s Jared Taitel 

Jared Taitel is the Director of E-Commerce Marketing Merchandising and Design at PepsiCo. Jared discusses how he manages and scales many different brands across the company and the importance of failure in attaining success. 

This powerful episode is available here. 

Episode 9: How AI Will Transform E-Commerce Over the Next Five Years with General Mills’ Carter Jensen

This episode takes a journey into the future with General Mills’ Senior Manager of Global Digital Strategy, Carter Jensen. He also emphasizes the magic of staying close to the consumer’s basket and how AI is an accelerant for existing capabilities.

Listen to the episode, here. 

Episode 10: Optimizing Retail Media Performance with Criteo’s Alex Crowe

Alex Crowe is the Global VP of Omnichannel Strategy at Criteo. In this episode, Alex Crowe dives deep into the retailer and the omnichannel approach that drives success in customer communications. 

Tackle omnichannel strategies with Alex and Dave by catching the episode here.

Episode 11: Utilizing AI to Automate Back Office Tasks and Improve E-Commerce Performance with 1WorldSync’s Randy Mercer

In episode 11, Dave chats with Randy Mercer, the Chief Product Officer at 1WorldSync. Randy points out the detriment of the “set it and forget it” approach that many brands are still holding onto when creating content. He also discusses the value of mobile in reaching consumers. 

Listen to the episode here.

Episode 12: Strategizing Seasonality and Unpacking “Seamless Commerce” with Russell Stover’s Josh Clarkson 

Josh Clarkson is the Director of Digital at Russell Stover Chocolates. In this powerful episode, Josh reflects on the past year and looks forward to 2024. He also explores the demand for more engaging content as well as considering how the path to purchase has changed. 

Check out this impactful discussion here. 

Episode 13: Planning for Pivots, Not Perfection with Colgate-Palmolive’s Todd Hassenfelt 

In the final episode of the season, Dave catches up with Todd Hassenfelt, Global Digital Commerce Senior Director, Strategy and Execution at Colgate-Palmolive. Todd discusses QR codes in NFL commercials, working with global teams, and planning for pivots.

Listen here.

What We’ve Learned

Despite having 13 guests with such diverse backgrounds, roles, and experiences in e-commerce, we’ve managed to observe a few key themes across all of our guests upon reflecting on the industry.

Firstly, the future of AI is expected to play a powerful role in helping the industry grow, gain efficiency, and evolve the consumer experience. Next, integrating digital and in-person experiences is and will continue to be critical in minimizing friction and improving the consumer journey– especially in regards to mobile. Finally, creating fresh and timely content, particularly around the seasons, is an essential piece of the e-commerce puzzle and It’sRapid is helping brands to achieve this easier than ever before. 

We can’t wait to see what discussions and themes we fall into in season 2 beginning in 2024. For now, catch up on all past episodes here.