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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FODcast Takeaway: Is Poor Product Data About to Become Ecommerce’s Biggest AI Problem?

June 17, 2026

For years, product data often sat quietly in the background of ecommerce operations.

As long as product titles, descriptions, images, and attributes were broadly accurate, many businesses viewed product information management primarily as an operational requirement rather than a strategic priority.

The focus tended to sit elsewhere on acquisition, customer experience, performance marketing, and platform development.

The rise of AI is changing that very quickly.

As ecommerce increasingly shifts towards intent-driven discovery, recommendation engines, conversational interfaces, and AI-assisted purchasing journeys, the quality of product data is becoming far more commercially important than many businesses perhaps previously realised.

That was one of the key themes explored during a recent episode of The FODcast, where Tim Roedel sat down with Romain Fouache, CEO of Akeneo, to discuss how AI is reshaping digital commerce and why clean product data is becoming critical to future ecommerce success.

Why AI changes the importance of product data

One of the clearest themes throughout the conversation was that AI fundamentally changes how products are discovered.

Historically, ecommerce largely relied on structured search behaviour. Customers typed keywords into search bars, filtered categories, and navigated websites using relatively predictable browsing patterns. Product data still mattered, but often within fairly rigid ecommerce structures.

AI introduces a much more fluid and intent-led experience.

As Romain discussed, customers increasingly expect systems to understand what they mean rather than simply what they type. That creates a very different challenge for retailers because AI systems require significantly richer, more accurate, and more contextual product information in order to interpret customer intent properly.

The risk for businesses is that products with incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly structured data become harder for AI systems to surface effectively. In an AI-driven environment, weak product data may not simply create friction. It may reduce discoverability altogether.

Why clean data is becoming commercially important

Another important point raised during the discussion was that product data quality increasingly has direct commercial implications.

For many businesses, product information management has historically been treated as a technical or operational discipline sitting behind the scenes. Increasingly though, data quality directly influences customer experience, conversion, search visibility, and revenue performance.

As AI-driven recommendation and discovery systems become more prominent, product data effectively becomes the language through which ecommerce systems understand products themselves.

That means businesses need far greater consistency and depth across product attributes, descriptions, taxonomy, imagery, and contextual information. The companies investing properly in their data foundations are far more likely to create stronger discovery experiences and more relevant customer journeys.

This reflects a much wider shift happening across digital commerce, where operational data increasingly influences front-end customer experience directly.

The changing nature of ecommerce discovery

One of the more interesting themes explored during the conversation was how customer journeys themselves are beginning to evolve.

Traditional ecommerce websites are not disappearing, but they are increasingly being supplemented by AI-driven experiences that sit earlier within the discovery process. Customers may begin product research through AI assistants, conversational tools, or recommendation systems long before reaching a retailer’s website directly.

That changes the role product data plays within ecommerce ecosystems.

As Romain explained, customers do not always know exactly what product they want at the beginning of a journey. AI increasingly acts as the bridge between broad customer intent and specific product recommendations. For that to work effectively, retailers need product information capable of supporting far more nuanced interpretation and contextual understanding.

In many ways, ecommerce is moving away from purely keyword-driven experiences towards much more intent-driven interactions.

Why feedback loops and optimisation matter

Another important point raised during the conversation was the importance of continuous improvement.

AI systems become more effective when businesses understand how customers interact with products, where discovery succeeds or fails, and how user behaviour evolves over time. That means product data management cannot remain static.

As customer expectations and AI capabilities continue to evolve, retailers increasingly need feedback loops that allow them to refine, improve, and optimise product information continuously. Businesses that treat product data as a living commercial asset rather than a fixed operational requirement are likely to adapt more successfully over time.

This also reflects a broader change happening across ecommerce strategy more generally, where iteration, optimisation, and adaptability are becoming increasingly important.

The capability challenge behind AI-driven commerce

One of the wider themes that continues to emerge across digital commerce is the growing overlap between data, customer experience, ecommerce operations, and AI strategy.

Product data now sits at the centre of many of those conversations simultaneously. That means businesses increasingly need teams capable of understanding not just ecommerce platforms themselves, but also taxonomy, customer intent, AI-driven discovery, and data governance more broadly.

From our perspective, this is another example of how ecommerce capability is evolving beyond traditional channel management alone. The businesses best positioned for AI-driven commerce are often those building stronger operational foundations underneath the customer experience itself.

Final thoughts

What came through clearly in this conversation is that product data is no longer simply an operational necessity sitting quietly behind ecommerce platforms.

As Romain highlighted, clean and structured product data increasingly shapes discoverability, customer experience, and commercial performance in an AI-driven retail environment. The businesses investing in those foundations now are likely to be far better positioned as AI continues to reshape how customers discover and purchase products online.

For retailers, that means treating product data less like back-office administration and more like a strategic commercial asset that directly influences future growth.

A big thank you to Romain for sharing his insight and perspective on this topic. If AI-driven commerce, product information management, or ecommerce data strategy is something your business is currently exploring, the full episode is well worth a listen.

Catch up with the episode here

Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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