Why Storytelling Is Becoming a Go-To-Market Advantage with Angeley Mullins, Aetheris Ventures

August 14, 2026

Are product features enough to stand out anymore?

On this week’s episode of The FODcast, Tim is joined by Angeley Mullins, Founder & CEO of Aetheris Ventures, to explore how founder-led branding, storytelling and AI are reshaping go-to-market strategy.

From the rise of AI-generated content, through to changing buyer expectations and the growing demand for authenticity, this is a really interesting conversation about how businesses build trust in an increasingly noisy market.

We also discuss:

Why founder-led branding is becoming more important
How storytelling is shifting from “nice to have” to strategic advantage
Why audiences are tired of purely feature-led messaging
How AI is changing sales, marketing and customer success roles
Why creativity, critical thinking and prompting are becoming key skills

A really useful listen for founders, CEOs, marketers and growth leaders thinking about how to differentiate in a market where products and content can be replicated faster than ever.

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Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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FODcast Takeaway: Can Retailers Reduce Food Waste Without Hurting Availability?

August 14, 2026

For food retailers, waste has always been a difficult balancing act.

Customers expect shelves to remain stocked, products to stay fresh, and availability to remain high across increasingly complex store environments.

At the same time, retailers are under growing pressure to reduce waste, improve sustainability, and operate more efficiently in what remains a highly margin-sensitive sector.

The challenge is that those objectives do not always sit comfortably together.

Reducing waste too aggressively can impact availability and customer satisfaction. Overcompensating on stock levels can quickly create excess inventory and unnecessary waste. Finding the right balance increasingly requires retailers to become far more precise in how they forecast, replenish, and manage stock across their operations.

That was one of the key themes explored during a recent episode of The FODcast, where Tim Roedel sat down with Alex Considine Tong, Chief Product Officer at Retail Insight, to discuss the realities of food waste in retail and how operational data is increasingly shaping decision making across the sector.

Why food waste has become such a visible issue

One of the clearest themes throughout the conversation was the sheer scale of the problem retailers are dealing with.

As Alex discussed, estimates around edible food waste in UK retail already sit at extremely significant levels, and the true figure is likely even higher than many reports suggest. Beyond the financial implications, food waste has also become increasingly visible from a consumer perception perspective.

Customers are becoming more conscious of sustainability, operational responsibility, and how retailers manage waste within their supply chains.

That means food waste is no longer viewed purely as an internal operational issue. It increasingly influences customer trust and wider brand perception as well.

In many ways, retailers are now operating under dual pressure. They need to maintain strong product availability while simultaneously demonstrating that they are managing stock responsibly and sustainably.

Why availability and waste constantly compete

Another important theme throughout the discussion was the tension between availability and waste reduction.

For retailers, availability remains critical. Empty shelves directly impact revenue, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. The instinctive response is therefore often to ensure stores carry sufficient stock to minimise the risk of stockouts.

The difficulty is that overstocking creates its own operational problem.

Particularly within grocery retail, where many products have relatively short shelf lives, even small forecasting inaccuracies can quickly translate into significant levels of waste. That creates a constant balancing act between protecting sales and avoiding unnecessary spoilage.

As Alex explained, this challenge becomes even more complex when viewed at individual store level, where local buying patterns, weather conditions, promotions, and operational inconsistencies can all influence demand in different ways.

That means retailers increasingly need far more granular visibility across their operations rather than relying purely on broad forecasting assumptions.

Why operational data is becoming more valuable

One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation was the growing role data plays in helping retailers improve operational efficiency.

Historically, many inventory and replenishment decisions relied heavily on historical averages or manual intervention. Increasingly though, retailers are using more advanced analytics and AI-driven forecasting to identify patterns and make more informed operational decisions.

As Alex discussed, retailers now have access to significantly more operational data than ever before. The challenge is less about collecting information and more about using it effectively.

Sales trends, inventory levels, replenishment cycles, waste reporting, and store-level behaviour can all provide valuable insight into where inefficiencies exist and how stock management can be improved. When combined properly, those signals allow retailers to make more accurate forecasting decisions while reducing unnecessary waste.

This reflects a much wider trend happening across retail, where operational strategy is becoming increasingly data-led and predictive rather than purely reactive.

Why in-store execution still matters

Another interesting point raised during the discussion was that even as forecasting and supply chain systems improve, many operational challenges still happen inside stores themselves.

Inventory accuracy remains a significant issue across retail operations. Knowing how much stock exists within a business is important, but understanding exactly where that stock is located within stores is equally critical.

Products sitting in the wrong location, delayed replenishment, inaccurate stock counts, or operational inconsistencies can all contribute to unnecessary waste or reduced availability. In many cases, the issue is not simply whether stock exists, but whether it is accessible and visible to customers at the right time.

That operational reality highlights why technology alone is rarely enough to solve these challenges completely.

Retailers increasingly need strong coordination between systems, operational processes, and store execution in order to improve efficiency meaningfully.

The broader operational challenge facing retailers

One of the wider themes that continues to emerge across digital commerce and retail operations is the increasing overlap between operational efficiency, customer experience, and sustainability.

Food waste sits across all three areas simultaneously.

Reducing waste is not simply about sustainability targets. It also impacts profitability, availability, operational performance, and customer perception. That means retailers increasingly need teams capable of understanding how decisions across forecasting, supply chain, store operations, and technology influence one another.

From our perspective, this is another example of how modern retail challenges are becoming increasingly interconnected. The retailers making the strongest operational progress are often those capable of combining data insight with practical operational execution at store level.

Final thoughts

What came through clearly in this conversation is that food waste is no longer simply a supply chain issue sitting quietly in the background of retail operations.

As Alex highlighted, reducing waste now requires retailers to balance operational precision, customer expectations, sustainability pressures, and store-level execution all at once. The challenge is complex, but so is the opportunity to operate more efficiently and responsibly at scale.

For retailers, that means continuing to invest in better forecasting, stronger operational visibility, and more intelligent use of data across the entire retail environment.

A big thank you to Alex for sharing her insight and perspective on this topic. If food waste, operational efficiency, or retail forecasting is something your business is currently exploring, the full episode is well worth a listen.

Catch up with the episode here

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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FODcast Takeaway: In a World of AI, Trust Is Becoming the Real Competitive Advantage

July 28, 2026

For years, most go-to-market strategies were built around products.

Businesses focused heavily on functionality, pricing, differentiation, and scale, with marketing centred on explaining why one platform, service, or solution was better than another. In many sectors, particularly within technology, that became the standard playbook.

The challenge now is that product advantages rarely stay unique for very long.

Features can be replicated quickly, pricing can be matched, and AI is accelerating the speed at which competitors can launch, market, and position similar offerings. As a result, businesses are increasingly looking for new ways to differentiate themselves in markets that are becoming more crowded and more competitive.

That is where founder-led branding and founder visibility are starting to play a much bigger role.

In a recent episode of The FODcast, we sat down with Angeley Mullins, Founder & CEO of Aetheris Ventures and Chief Growth Officer at Ninox Software, to explore the growing importance of authenticity, storytelling, and founder visibility in modern go-to-market strategy, and why businesses are starting to rethink how they build trust and connection with audiences.

Why founder visibility is becoming more important

One of the clearest themes throughout the conversation was the shift away from purely product-led messaging.

As Angeley explained, audiences are becoming increasingly resistant to generic corporate positioning and repetitive product marketing. In sectors where multiple businesses may offer broadly similar functionality, the story behind the business itself often becomes the differentiator.

That story increasingly comes from founders and leadership teams.

Founder-led branding is not simply about building a personal profile or becoming more visible online. At its best, it gives businesses a more human identity, allowing audiences to connect with the people, experiences, challenges, and thinking behind the company itself.

The conversation referenced founders openly sharing the realities of building businesses, discussing setbacks alongside successes, and creating content that feels more personal and relatable than traditional corporate messaging. That level of openness tends to resonate strongly, particularly in a market where audiences are becoming more selective about who and what they trust.

Angeley referenced founders such as Amelia, co-founder of the recruitment platform Ivee, who has built visibility not simply by promoting the product itself, but by openly sharing the realities of building the business. Rather than focusing purely on features or sales messaging, the content centres around the founder journey itself, including the challenges, uncertainty, and day-to-day realities behind scaling a company.

That kind of openness increasingly resonates with audiences who are looking for something more human and relatable than traditional corporate marketing.

Why storytelling is becoming a strategic advantage

Another major theme throughout the discussion was the growing importance of storytelling within modern go-to-market strategy.

For years, many businesses competed primarily on product features and commercial positioning. Increasingly though, those areas alone are no longer enough to sustain attention.

As AI tools continue to make content creation, product development, and messaging more accessible, the ability to communicate a compelling narrative is becoming far more valuable. Increasingly, businesses are realising that buyers are influenced not just by products themselves, but by credibility, perspective, trust, and the people behind the business.

That is changing how organisations think about marketing itself.

Angeley pointed to the growing demand for storytelling-focused roles within larger businesses as evidence of this shift. Companies are recognising that strong narrative capability is becoming a strategic asset rather than simply a brand exercise.

This feels particularly relevant in digital commerce and technology, where differentiation can disappear quickly and customer attention is increasingly difficult to maintain.

The growing demand for authenticity

One of the more interesting points raised during the conversation was the audience demand for authenticity.

Consumers and buyers alike are exposed to huge amounts of content every day, much of which follows increasingly similar formats and messaging patterns. As a result, audiences are becoming better at filtering out content that feels overly polished, overly corporate, or disconnected from real experience.

Founder-led branding works partly because it introduces a level of relatability back into the conversation.

That does not mean every founder suddenly needs to become a content creator or public personality. What it does suggest, however, is that businesses increasingly benefit from allowing customers to see the people and thinking behind the organisation itself.

In many ways, this reflects a broader shift in how trust is built. Buyers are increasingly looking for signals of credibility, consistency, and transparency before making decisions, particularly in uncertain economic conditions where risk tolerance is lower.

How AI is reshaping go-to-market teams

The conversation also explored how AI is beginning to reshape the structure of marketing and go-to-market teams themselves.

As automation becomes more sophisticated, many of the repetitive tasks traditionally associated with entry-level sales and marketing roles are likely to change significantly. Outreach, research, content generation, and operational workflows can increasingly be supported through AI-driven tools and agents.

What becomes more valuable in that environment is strategic thinking.

As Angeley discussed, businesses are likely to place greater emphasis on individuals capable of managing AI systems, interpreting outputs, shaping narrative, and making commercially informed decisions around messaging and positioning.

Collectively, that points towards a fairly significant shift in how businesses structure marketing and go-to-market teams over the coming years.

The capability challenge behind founder-led branding

One of the wider themes that continues to emerge across digital commerce and technology is the growing importance of adaptable talent.

Founder-led branding, storytelling, AI strategy, and go-to-market execution increasingly overlap with one another. As a result, businesses need people capable of thinking commercially, communicating clearly, and navigating rapidly evolving technology landscapes at the same time.

From our perspective, this is another example of how modern growth strategies are becoming increasingly interconnected. Technology clearly matters, but the ability to build trust, communicate effectively, and create authentic connections is becoming just as important.

That is particularly true in competitive markets where product differentiation alone is becoming harder to sustain.

Final thoughts

What came through clearly in this conversation is that founder-led branding is not simply a passing trend or social media tactic.

As Angeley highlighted, it reflects a much broader shift in how businesses build trust, differentiate themselves, and connect with audiences in increasingly crowded markets. As AI accelerates the speed of competition, authenticity, storytelling, and strategic narrative are becoming more commercially important than ever.

For businesses, that means thinking more carefully about not just what they sell, but how they communicate who they are, what they believe, and why customers should trust them.

A huge thank you to Angeley for taking the time to share her insight and perspective on this topic. If founder-led branding or modern go-to-market strategy is something your business is currently exploring, make sure you tune in – link below.

Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Retail Media, In-Store Screens and the Fight for Attention – with Dean Harris, Co-op and Anders Henricson, Grassfish

July 28, 2026

There’s a fine line between smart retail media and too much noise.

On this episode of The FODcast, Tim is joined by Dean Harris, from Co-op Media Network, and Anders Henricson, from Grassfish, to unpack what that balance looks like in practice.

The conversation gets into the commercial opportunity behind retail media, but also the customer experience risk if retailers allow short-term revenue to override shopper needs.

From in-store screens and attention metrics, through to data, customer journeys and commercial layout, this is a really interesting conversation about how retailers can unlock new media revenue without compromising the shopping experience.

We cover a whole host of topics including:

Why retail media has become such an important growth opportunity
The risk of communication overload in-store
How Co-op approaches campaign governance and customer experience
Why attention may matter more than impressions
How connected screens can support, rather than disrupt, the customer journey

A strong listen for retailers, brands and anyone thinking about the future of in-store media, customer attention and connected retail experiences.

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Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Why Slow Hiring Could Be Costing Digital Commerce Businesses the Best Talent

July 27, 2026

Hiring across digital commerce is rarely straightforward. The market moves quickly, skills are constantly evolving and the candidates businesses most want to hire are often speaking to more than one organisation at the same time.

That is particularly true across ecommerce, retail technology and digital transformation, where demand continues in areas such as frontend engineering, product data, PIM, subscriptions, customer-facing technology, project delivery and business development.

However, one issue continues to create unnecessary risk for employers: the hiring process itself.

Across the market, interview processes appear to be taking longer. Some of that may simply be seasonal. Summer diaries are difficult, decision-makers are away and calendars become harder to align. But there is also a wider challenge around urgency, structure and decision-making.

For retailers, agencies, consultancies and technology partners, that can quickly become a problem. A slow hiring process does not just delay a start date. It can mean losing the right person altogether.

Hiring demand is there, but process matters

While businesses are still being considered in how they hire, demand for specialist digital commerce talent has not gone away. Businesses are continuing to invest in platform upgrades, re-platforming projects, ecommerce optimisation, customer experience, AI adoption and data-led transformation.

The wider skills picture supports this. The Open University’s Business Barometer 2026 found that 57% of UK employers are facing skills shortages, while the Skills England Annual Skills Report 2026 highlights digital and technologies as one of the high-growth sectors where skills supply will need to keep growing.

For digital commerce businesses, that means momentum matters. When the right candidate is in front of you, the process needs to be ready to move.

From frontend engineers and ecommerce project managers to solutions consultants, product data specialists and commercial hires, strong candidates are still being approached about multiple opportunities. Speed is not the only factor in securing talent, but it is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage.

Moving quickly does not mean cutting corners. It means having a clear, well-managed process that allows good decisions to be made without unnecessary delay.

Slow hiring can slow the business down

A delayed process can have a direct impact on delivery. If a role is linked to a live ecommerce project, platform migration, client account, technical roadmap or growth target, every extra week without the right person adds pressure somewhere else in the business.

Existing teams may have to stretch further. Senior people may get pulled back into work they should be delegating. Projects can lose momentum, and candidates who were initially interested can start to question whether the business is ready to move.

That is especially important in a sector where hiring is often tied directly to transformation and growth. A missing frontend developer, solutions consultant, ecommerce project manager or product data specialist is rarely just an empty seat. It can affect delivery timelines, client confidence, team capacity and the ability to keep commercial plans moving.

Four interview stages is often too many

For senior, strategic or highly complex roles, there may be a good reason for a more detailed process. But for many ecommerce and digital commerce roles, four stages is starting to feel too long.

Two or three well-structured conversations should usually be enough. A strong process might include an initial conversation around experience and motivation, a second stage with key stakeholders, and a final practical or cultural discussion if needed.

What matters is that every stage has a clear purpose. If the same questions are being asked repeatedly, or extra meetings are being added because no one is ready to make a decision, the process probably needs refining.

Candidates do not expect employers to rush. But they do expect clarity, communication and momentum. When a process starts to drag, even strong opportunities can lose appeal.

AI can help, but only if it improves the process

AI is now part of recruitment on both sides. Candidates are using it to prepare CVs, tailor applications and practise interviews. Employers are using it to screen applications, support scheduling, summarise interviews and reduce administration.

Used well, AI can help hiring teams move faster. It can remove some of the manual work that slows processes down and give people more time to focus on meaningful conversations.

The risk comes when AI is used in a way that makes the process feel colder, less personal or less transparent. A Guardian report from May 2026 highlighted growing frustration among UK jobseekers around AI interviews, reporting that 30% of UK candidates surveyed had walked away from a hiring process because it included one.

For digital commerce businesses, this is an important distinction. AI should support speed, not damage trust. It should help remove friction, not remove the human judgement needed to understand whether someone can succeed in the role, work well with the team and add value to clients or internal stakeholders.

Fast hiring does not mean lowering standards

There is sometimes a concern that speeding up recruitment means compromising on quality. In reality, a slow process does not automatically lead to a better hire. It can simply introduce more friction, more doubt and more opportunities for the right candidate to accept another role.

The strongest hiring processes are both efficient and thoughtful. They are clear on what the business needs, they involve the right people at the right time and they assess skills, experience and fit without creating unnecessary duplication.

For ecommerce and digital transformation teams, that clarity is particularly important. Roles are often linked to live projects, client delivery, platform change or commercial growth. If a business knows it needs to hire, the process should be ready before candidates enter it.

5 ways to keep your hiring process fit for purpose

A better hiring process does not need to be more complicated. In most cases, it needs to be clearer, shorter and better managed from the start.

1. Agree the role before going to market
Be clear on the must-have skills, the nice-to-haves and where there is room for development. In digital commerce, it is rarely realistic to expect every candidate to match every platform, tool and project requirement perfectly.

2. Keep the interview process tight
Decide how many stages there will be, who needs to be involved and what each conversation is designed to assess. If a stage does not add anything new, it probably does not need to be there.

3. Make tasks proportionate
Practical tasks can be useful, especially for technical, delivery or consultancy roles. But they should be relevant, respectful of the candidate’s time and clearly linked to the skills needed for the role.

4. Give feedback quickly
A quick, honest update is better than silence. Even if a final decision has not been made, clear communication keeps candidates engaged and helps protect the relationship.

5. Use technology to support, not replace, human judgement
Recruitment tools and AI can help with efficiency, but they should not make the process feel impersonal. The best hiring experiences still rely on clear communication, sensible judgement and human conversation.

The businesses that move well will win

The digital commerce market remains active. Demand continues across permanent and contract hiring, particularly where businesses are investing in transformation, platform upgrades, product data, customer experience and technical delivery.

But the candidates who can make those projects happen will not wait indefinitely.

For retailers, agencies, consultancies and technology vendors, hiring speed now plays a direct role in hiring success. The businesses that move quickly, communicate clearly and keep the process human will be better placed to secure the people they need.

Recruiting faster does not mean rushing. It means being organised enough to act when the right person is in front of you.

And in a market where good digital commerce talent remains in demand, that can make all the difference.

Looking to hire digital commerce talent?

Simply Commerce works with ecommerce, retail technology and digital transformation businesses across the UK, Europe and the US, supporting permanent and contract hiring across technical, commercial and delivery roles.

If you are reviewing your hiring plans or want to sense-check your process, speak to our team.

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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FODcast Takeaway: Why Retail Media Is Becoming the New Battleground for Customer Attention

July 15, 2026

Retail media is quickly becoming one of the most important areas of digital commerce, but it is also one of the most delicate to get right.

On the surface, the opportunity is obvious. Retailers sit on enormous amounts of customer and transactional data, brands are looking for more effective ways to reach increasingly fragmented audiences, and media networks create entirely new commercial opportunities within retail environments.

The challenge is that customer attention is finite.

As retailers continue to expand their media capabilities, the balance between commercial ambition and customer experience is becoming increasingly important. The businesses that navigate that balance well are likely to create meaningful long-term value. Tand, tose that don’t risk turning already crowded customer journeys into even noisier experiences.

In the latest episode of The FODcast, Dean Harris, Head of Co-op Media Network, and Anders Henricson, CEO of Grassfish, shared some really interesting perspectives on how retail media is evolving, the opportunities it creates, and the operational challenges retailers now face as media, commerce, and customer experience become more closely connected.

Why retail media strategy matters more than ever

One of the clearest themes throughout the discussion was the growing value of retailer-owned data.

Traditional advertising channels have become increasingly fragmented, while changes in privacy, tracking, and customer behaviour continue to reshape how brands reach audiences online. Retailers, however, remain in a uniquely strong position. They have direct access to customer behaviour, purchasing habits, and transactional insight at a scale many other channels simply cannot replicate.

That is what makes retail media so attractive.

As Dean discussed through the work being done within the Co-op Media Network, retailers are now able to offer brands highly targeted opportunities built around real shopping behaviour and real moments of intent. With millions of transactions taking place every week, the scale of insight available is significant.

However, what came through strongly during the conversation was that successful retail media strategy cannot simply become a race to place more advertising in front of customers.

The customer experience balancing act

One of the more interesting areas explored during the discussion was the risk of communication overload.

Customers already navigate huge amounts of messaging across digital platforms, social channels, websites, apps, email, and increasingly in-store environments too. Adding more promotional messaging into retail experiences may create new revenue opportunities, but it also increases the risk of fatigue and disengagement if not handled carefully.

That is where relevance becomes critical.

The retailers making the strongest progress in this area are typically not those creating the most noise, but those creating the most useful and contextually relevant experiences. Retail media works best when it complements the customer journey rather than interrupting it.

This feels particularly important in environments like grocery retail, where convenience, familiarity, and speed are already central to the shopping experience. Customers are rarely looking for more friction or more decision-making complexity. In many cases, the role of retail media should be to simplify decisions, not complicate them.

As Anders highlighted during the conversation, the physical and digital customer journey is also becoming increasingly interconnected, which raises the stakes further. Retailers are no longer simply managing isolated digital campaigns. They are managing joined-up experiences across stores, apps, loyalty programmes, ecommerce platforms, and digital touchpoints simultaneously.

Why data alone is not enough

Data may sit at the heart of retail media, but another important theme from the conversation was that access to data alone does not automatically create strong customer engagement.

Many retailers already have vast amounts of customer information available to them. The challenge lies in how effectively that insight is interpreted, operationalised, and applied across the wider business.

Understanding customer behaviour is one thing. Delivering genuinely relevant experiences from it is something else entirely.

That requires more than technology investment. It requires strong collaboration between marketing, ecommerce, customer, operations, and commercial teams, alongside clear governance around how retail media activity supports the wider customer journey.

As retail media networks continue to mature, the businesses that stand out are likely to be those capable of combining data capability with strong customer understanding and operational discipline, rather than simply increasing advertising inventory.

The governance challenge behind retail media growth

Another point that came through strongly was the importance of maintaining long-term thinking.

Retail media creates understandable commercial temptation. New revenue streams are attractive, particularly in challenging economic conditions, and there is always pressure to maximise inventory opportunities wherever possible.

The risk, however, is that short-term revenue goals begin to outweigh the long-term customer relationship.

Retailers therefore need clear frameworks around campaign quality, customer relevance, and operational oversight to ensure that retail media enhances the customer experience rather than detracting from it. Without that structure, there is a danger that the shopping journey becomes overly commercialised and ultimately less effective for everyone involved.

The retailers navigating this best tend to treat retail media as part of the overall customer experience strategy, not simply as a standalone advertising function.

The capability challenge behind retail media

One of the wider themes that continues to emerge across digital commerce is the growing importance of cross-functional capability.

Retail media now sits across ecommerce, advertising, customer experience, data, partnerships, operations, and commercial strategy. That means the talent required to manage it effectively is becoming increasingly broad and increasingly difficult to find.

Retailers need teams capable of understanding customer behaviour, interpreting data, managing commercial relationships, and balancing revenue generation with customer experience objectives. Those skillsets do not always exist neatly within traditional organisational structures.

From our perspective, this is becoming one of the defining challenges behind retail media growth. The opportunity itself is substantial, but long-term success depends heavily on having the right operational maturity and talent capability in place to support it.

Final thoughts

What came through clearly in this conversation is that retail media is evolving into something far bigger than a new advertising channel.

As Dean and Anders highlighted, the real opportunity lies in creating more connected, relevant, and useful customer experiences that work for both brands and shoppers without compromising trust or usability along the way.

For retailers, that means balancing commercial ambition with customer expectations, while also building the operational structures and talent capability required to support increasingly sophisticated retail media ecosystems.

A huge thank you to Dean and Anders for sharing their insight and experience on this topic. If retail media strategy is something your business is currently exploring, the full episode is well worth a listen.

Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Is Delivery Ecommerce’s Most Overlooked Growth Lever? with André Sikborn Erixon, Ingrid

July 15, 2026

Is delivery still being treated too much like logistics, and not enough like customer experience?

On the latest episode of The FODcast, James sits down with André Sikborn Erixon, VP of Growth at Ingrid, to explore why delivery has become one of the most important and misunderstood parts of modern commerce.

From checkout accuracy and customer preference, through to lockers, omnichannel fulfilment and agentic commerce, this is a really interesting conversation about how delivery now shapes trust, loyalty and repeat purchase.

We discuss:

Why delivery experience starts long before the parcel arrives
How customer expectations vary depending on context
Why speed and price are not the only delivery variables that matter
The role of lockers, pickup points and sustainable delivery options
How shipping can become a revenue opportunity, not just a cost centre
Why delivery accuracy will matter even more in an AI-led commerce journey

A strong listen for anyone thinking about customer experience, fulfilment, ecommerce strategy or the future of delivery.

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Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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Industry News & Headlines | June 2026

June 30, 2026

As June comes to a close, and with summer schedules, event follow-ups and a touch of World Cup energy now firmly in the mix, it feels like the digital commerce market is moving into the second half of the year with more confidence than it had back in January.

One thing I’ve noticed in Q2 is the increase in upgrade and re-platforming conversations. We’ve heard of a number of new projects coming through across the UK, from large high street retail chains to smaller DTC brands. Shopify is still coming up as the platform of choice for many, while Adobe Commerce and Magento seem to be under continued pressure.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud is also being spoken about more frequently. Salesforce appears to be increasing its focus on ecommerce and looking to regain some of the market share it has lost, and, of the more established platforms, it feels like the one generating the most renewed interest.

Outside of ecommerce platforms, PIM and subscription technology are two of the areas I’m hearing about most, usually linked to better product data, stronger retention and more predictable recurring revenue.

Across our agency network, most conversations point towards growth in H2. That confidence is starting to show in hiring too, with current demand strongest across business development, frontend engineering and customer-facing technology specialists.

The first half of the year has still been measured, but the direction of travel feels more positive. If the conversations we’re having are anything to go by, H2 could be where momentum really starts to build.

Market Spotlight + Top 5 eCommerce Stories This Month

Asda selects Ocado to power its next-generation online grocery platform, replacing its existing ecommerce technology as the retailer looks to improve fulfilment, customer experience and long-term digital capability. READ MORE
Bodycare partners with PMC to create an AI-first retail estate, combining AI-powered store operations, digital content studios and immersive customer experiences as it prepares to open 25 new UK stores this year. READ MORE
Visa and OpenAI partner to support agent-led payments, building infrastructure that allows AI agents to search, recommend and securely complete purchases, as conversational commerce moves closer to real-world retail transactions READ MORE
Amazon Prime Day shows the commercial impact of intelligent shopping journeys, with Forbes reporting AI-driven traffic converted 40% better than other channels as retailers rethink discovery, recommendation and conversion READ MORE
The Body Shop launches on Uber Eats across the UK, giving customers access to beauty and wellness products delivered in minutes as delivery platforms continue expanding beyond food into wider retail categories READ MORE

Each month we send out the latest industry news and headlines, plus sector insight such as this via our newsletter, The Pulse. This also includes the latest jobs and internal news… click HERE to subscribe

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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FODcast Takeaway: When Did Delivery Become Part of the Brand Experience?

June 24, 2026

For a long time, delivery was treated as a largely operational function within ecommerce.

As long as parcels arrived on time and fulfilment costs remained manageable, many retailers viewed delivery primarily through the lens of logistics and efficiency. The customer experience itself was often seen as ending at the point of purchase, with delivery becoming someone else’s responsibility further down the chain.

That mindset is starting to change quite quickly.

Increasingly, customers view delivery as a direct extension of the brand itself. A smooth delivery experience reinforces trust and confidence, while a poor one can undermine an otherwise positive transaction almost instantly.

That was one of the clearest themes explored during a recent episode of The FODcast, where we sat down with André Sikborn Erixon, VP of Growth at Ingrid, to discuss how delivery experience is evolving and why retailers need to think more strategically about the role it plays within the wider customer journey.

Why delivery experience matters more than ever

One of the more interesting points raised during the conversation was how often delivery still gets categorised purely as a logistics issue rather than a customer experience challenge.

In reality, delivery influences some of the most important moments within the ecommerce journey. It shapes customer expectations before purchase, affects confidence during fulfilment, and often determines how customers feel about the transaction afterwards.

As André discussed, a significant proportion of customer service enquiries continue to centre around delivery updates, tracking, delays, and fulfilment questions. That alone highlights how closely delivery is tied to customer satisfaction.

What feels particularly important is that customers rarely separate the retailer from the delivery experience itself. Even when fulfilment is outsourced to third-party carriers, the perception of the brand remains heavily influenced by what happens after checkout.

That means delivery experience increasingly becomes part of the overall brand experience rather than simply an operational process happening behind the scenes.

Why one-size-fits-all delivery no longer works

Another strong theme throughout the conversation was the growing complexity of customer expectations.

Historically, many retailers focused heavily on speed and cost, assuming customers primarily wanted the fastest and cheapest delivery option available. While that remains important for some shoppers, customer behaviour is becoming far more nuanced.

As André explained, not every customer wants immediate delivery.

Some shoppers prioritise convenience, others value sustainability, while some may prefer to schedule deliveries around work, lifestyle, or specific purchasing needs. A customer ordering DIY materials, for example, may actively choose a later delivery window if it better fits when they plan to complete a project.

That complexity changes how retailers need to think about delivery strategy.

Rather than offering a single standard fulfilment model, businesses increasingly need to provide flexibility and choice across the delivery journey. The retailers managing this best are often those capable of balancing operational efficiency with customer preference, rather than forcing every shopper into the same fulfilment process.

The growing importance of sustainable delivery

Sustainability was another major theme throughout the discussion.

As consumer awareness around environmental impact continues to grow, delivery choices are becoming part of wider purchasing decisions.

Increasingly, some customers actively seek out more sustainable fulfilment options, even if those options are not necessarily the fastest available.

That creates both a challenge and an opportunity for retailers.

The challenge lies in balancing sustainability expectations with customer convenience and operational cost. The opportunity comes from giving customers more transparency and greater control over how orders are fulfilled.

André discussed how alternative delivery methods, including local pickup points and locker systems, are becoming increasingly popular as retailers look for more efficient and environmentally conscious fulfilment models. Consolidated delivery networks can reduce failed deliveries, improve operational efficiency, and lower the environmental impact associated with repeated home delivery attempts.

This reflects a wider shift happening across ecommerce, where sustainability is becoming increasingly embedded into customer experience rather than treated as a separate corporate initiative.

How technology is reshaping post-purchase experience

Another interesting point explored during the conversation was the growing role technology plays in modern delivery experience.

The post-purchase journey has traditionally been one of the least developed parts of ecommerce from a customer experience perspective. Once a transaction was completed, communication often became inconsistent, reactive, or heavily dependent on third-party courier systems.

That is beginning to change.

Technology is allowing retailers to create much more connected and transparent delivery journeys, giving customers greater visibility, more flexibility, and better communication throughout the fulfilment process.

Locker collection systems, smarter tracking capabilities, and more intelligent delivery orchestration are all contributing to a more seamless experience.

In many ways, the post-purchase experience is becoming one of the next major battlegrounds within ecommerce customer experience.

As product ranges, pricing, and front-end experiences become increasingly similar across retailers, fulfilment and delivery increasingly become areas where brands can genuinely differentiate themselves.

The capability challenge behind delivery strategy

One of the wider themes that continues to emerge across digital commerce is the growing overlap between operational strategy and customer experience.

Delivery experience now sits across logistics, technology, customer service, sustainability, ecommerce operations, and brand perception all at once. That means retailers increasingly need teams capable of understanding how operational decisions influence wider customer behaviour and loyalty.

From our perspective, this is another example of how ecommerce challenges are becoming increasingly interconnected. Businesses can no longer afford to think about fulfilment purely through the lens of operational efficiency alone.

The retailers creating the strongest customer experiences are often those capable of combining operational capability with customer understanding, data insight, and long-term strategic thinking.

Final thoughts

What came through clearly in this conversation is that delivery experience is no longer simply the final stage of an ecommerce transaction.

As André highlighted, delivery increasingly shapes customer trust, loyalty, satisfaction, and overall perception of the brand itself. The businesses navigating this best are unlikely to be those simply offering the fastest delivery, but those creating flexible, transparent, and customer-centric experiences throughout the fulfilment journey.

For retailers, that means thinking more strategically about how delivery fits into the wider customer experience, while also building the operational and technological capability required to support increasingly complex customer expectations.

Thank you again to André for sharing his insight and perspective on this topic. If delivery experience or post-purchase strategy is something your business is currently exploring, do listen to the full episode; link below:

Catch up with the episode here

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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Why Product Data Is the New AI Battleground with Romain Fouache, Akeneo

June 24, 2026

Most businesses know AI is changing commerce.

The bigger question is whether their product data is actually ready for it.

In this episode of The FODcast, Tim speaks with Romain Fouache, CEO at Akeneo, about conversational AI, agentic commerce and why structured product information is becoming such an important topic for brands and retailers.

The conversation covers:

Why AI changes how products are discovered
The growing importance of attributes and enrichment
Why “good enough” product data may no longer be enough
How marketplaces and ecommerce journeys could evolve from here

One line from Romain that really stuck with us: “Your product data strategy is your go-to-market strategy.”

It’s a great listen…enjoy.

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Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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