Why Ecommerce Teams Need to Prepare for AI Shopping Now with Alex Melen, SmartSites

October 6, 2026

Are we moving from search… to conversation?

On this episode of The FODcast, Tim sits down with Alex Melen, Co-Founder at SmartSites, one of the world’s largest independently owned digital marketing agencies.

With more than 400 employees and over 15 years of growth behind the business, Alex has spent decades at the forefront of digital marketing and ecommerce, making this a really insightful conversation around where AI, search and digital commerce are heading next.

Alex shares why he believes the next 12 months could bring more transformation than the last 12 years.

We cover a LOT of ground in the chat with Alex, including:

Why search behaviour is shifting so quickly
How conversational AI is changing discovery
What agentic shopping could mean for ecommerce brands
Why retailers need to think about visibility beyond Google
How Shopify is positioning itself for this next phase
What teams need to understand as AI becomes part of the buying journey

A really interesting episode for anyone thinking about where digital commerce, search and AI-enabled shopping could be heading next.

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Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Building Puresport: Community, Brand & Consumer Connection with Daniel Temm

September 23, 2026

“Safe, connected and capable.”

On this week’s episode of The FODcast, Daniel Temm, CEO of Puresport explains the three feelings the brand wants customers to experience when they engage with the business.

It’s a fascinating discussion around what modern consumer brands need to become beyond simply “selling products”.

Tim and Daniel discuss:

Building a brand in one of the world’s most crowded categories
Why community became a growth engine for Puresport
The move from startup experimentation to scale-up execution
The realities of Amazon growth and omnichannel retail
Why many founders struggle with prioritisation
The importance of simplicity, storytelling and emotional connection

There’s also an honest conversation around leadership pressure, mentorship and how rapidly growing businesses force founders to constantly evolve.

A really strong episode for anyone interested in modern ecommerce, brand building and scaling consumer businesses.

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Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Is CRO Really About Conversion Rate? with Adam Pearce, Blend Commerce

September 9, 2026

Is CRO really about conversion rate, or are too many brands looking at the wrong thing?

On the latest episode of The FODcast, James sits down with Adam Pearce, Co-founder of Blend Commerce, to unpack what CRO actually means in ecommerce.

Adam breaks it down through three simple levers: buy now, buy more and buy again.

The conversation covers:

Why CRO is often misunderstood
Why data needs to challenge opinion, not just support it
The role of customer behaviour in shaping better buying journeys
Why site search is still massively underutilised
The difference between improving conversion and improving profitability
Why founders sometimes need to step back and let the data lead

There are also some really practical insights around upselling, product discovery, customer retention and how brands should think about CRO at different stages of growth.

A really useful listen for ecommerce teams thinking about revenue, profitability and customer experience.

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Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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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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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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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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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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Shopify, Headless & The Real Cost of Ecommerce Growth – with Marina Milojkovic, Grebban

June 17, 2026

Are brands looking far enough ahead when evaluating ecommerce platforms?

On the latest episode of The FODcast, James sits down with Marina Milojkovic, VP UK at Grebban, to unpack why total cost of ownership in ecommerce is often far more complex than brands initially expect.

From app sprawl and operational complexity, through to team structure, ownership and long-term scalability, the conversation explores why platform decisions cannot just be evaluated on implementation cost alone.

We cover a whole host of topics including:

Why Shopify doesn’t always mean lower TCO long term
The hidden cost of apps, integrations and operational complexity
Why brands need to look at years three and four, not just implementation
How regular TCO audits can help keep tech stacks lean
Why TCO, AI, brand experience and UX are increasingly part of the same ecommerce investment conversation

A really practical discussion for brands reviewing their ecommerce setup, planning a replatform, or simply trying to understand where complexity and cost actually come from.

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Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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Pricing Isn’t Broken – it’s Blind, with Meghan Stabler

May 21, 2026

Pricing in retail still isn’t where it needs to be.

In this episode of The FODcast (and the launch of Season 8), we sit down with Meghan Stabler (Co-Founder and CMO at AI-driven, contextual pricing platform alentr) to explore why pricing remains one of the most complex and underdeveloped areas in digital commerce.

Drawing on her experience as former SVP of Global Marketing at BigCommerce where she helped scale the business through to IPO, Meghan shares a clear and practical perspective on the gap between performance metrics and pricing strategy – and what businesses need to rethink.

We cover:

Margin vs conversion – why strong performance doesn’t always mean pricing is right
The reality of discounting – easy to implement, harder to sustain
AI in pricing – where it adds value and where it still falls short
Static vs dynamic models – why many businesses remain reactive
Pricing guardrails – protecting margin while staying competitive

If pricing is still being treated as a periodic review rather than an active, strategic lever, this is a conversation worth your time.

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Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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B2B Commerce Isn’t Broken – It’s Complicated with Tom Williams, UNRVLD

May 1, 2026

B2B commerce complexity isn’t just technical. It’s organisational, behavioural and cultural.

On this week’s episode of The FODcast, James sits down with Tom Williams, Managing Partner at UNRVLD to unpack why B2B transformations stall…and what actually gets them moving.

We cover a whole host of topics including:

Complex pricing + org structures: different users, permissions and hierarchies; and why it needs uncovering early
Legacy order channels (email, punchout, OCR and more): you often can’t “switch it off” even if it’s inefficient
Customer-first vs tech-first: most businesses start with a feature tick list, not customer behaviour
Digital maturity reality checks: why teams think they’re further along than they are
Integration first: a robust middleware approach that lets you change systems without breaking everything else

If you’re modernising B2B, this is a practical conversation: start with the “as is”, map the “to be”, then make progress iteratively – without forcing a big bang.

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Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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