Why E-Commerce Won’t Win on Best Practices Alone with Rob Hoekman

February 25, 2026

“We’re kind of drowning in a sea of sameness.”

That’s how Rob Hoekman, Senior Director of Experience Consulting at Empathy Lab by EPAM describes the state of ecommerce today.

On this week’s episode of The FODcast, our CEO Tim and Rob unpack how decades of optimisation and best practice have led to convergence – in platforms, patterns and experiences – and why differentiation is getting harder, not easier.

They explore:

  • How ecommerce capability has become commoditised
  • Why replatforming now delivers smaller gains than it once did
  • The risk created by years of customisation and legacy
  • Why brands are being pushed to rethink their entire commerce fabric

Rob’s view is measured but direct: the next phase of growth won’t come from chasing new stacks, but from rethinking how commerce ecosystems are designed and operated.

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Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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