The Old Models Are Cracking. The New Ones Are Taking Shape. | Issue 9

A lot moved this week across retail in the US and Canada, and the themes are consistent. Pressure on legacy department stores continues. AI is moving deeper into commerce workflows. The race around speed, convenience, and capital discipline is accelerating.

These are not isolated headlines. They are signals of deeper shifts in how retail operates, how decisions are made, and where teams are feeling real tension inside their organizations.

That is exactly why something new is taking shape.

CommerceRewired is officially getting started, with the podcast launching in February and the community forming right now. This is the early moment, before episodes drop and before formats harden, when the direction is still being shaped by real questions and real work.

Commerce Rewired is not just a podcast, and it is not just about retail. It is a space for honest conversation across business, DTC, ecommerce, marketing, data, technology, and the operational reality of how growth actually happens. It is built for people who care about execution as much as ideas, and who want perspective that holds up inside day-to-day decisions.

This community exists because too many conversations are driven by gut feel, headlines, or theory alone. Commerce Rewired is designed to ground discussion in experience, data, and facts, bringing together operators, builders, and leaders who want clarity rather than noise.

A key part of that grounding comes from real consumer insight. Partners like Caddle help bring the voice of the consumer into the conversation by capturing actual purchase behavior and sentiment through receipts, surveys, ratings, and reviews. It is not about opinions in isolation. It is about understanding what people are truly doing and why, at scale, so discussions stay rooted in reality rather than assumptions.

This is the point where we invite our network in, not as listeners later, but as contributors from the start.

By connecting with the Commerce Rewired LinkedIn page now, you can:

When the podcast launches in February, it will already be fueled by the questions, ideas, and realities coming directly from the community.

You will hear from:

Tara Conway Operations and customer experience leader with deep experience scaling teams, logistics, and service models. Tara brings a practical lens on how people, process, and execution come together to deliver consistent customer outcomes.

Johnny Russo Ecommerce and digital growth leader with experience across brand, performance marketing, and customer acquisition. Johnny focuses on building customer-first growth strategies that teams can actually execute. He is also the author of Mastering Mindful Leadership.

David Nagy Technology and data-focused leader who helps organizations use insight, analytics, and systems to drive smarter decisions and sustainable growth.

Chris Parsons Retail strategist and author of Retail Rewired, with more than 25 years of hands-on experience across Walmart, Newegg, Ren’s Pets, and Home Hardware. Vice President of Partner Growth and Marketing at Hale Digital. Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert for 2026.

If you want to be part of this from day one, now is the time. Click the image below to follow and connect with Commerce Rewired.

We are excited to build this with you ahead of the February launch.

One of the clearest pieces of thinking on AI heading into 2026 comes from Michael Mallette’s The AI Blueprint

The AI Blueprint - Turning AI i…

This isn’t about chasing tools or hype. It’s about structure. Michael makes a simple but important point: the advantage does not come from adopting AI, it comes from redesigning how work actually flows through an organization.

The paper lays out, in plain language, how AI shifts from isolated experiments into a real operating layer, one that connects workflows, data, governance, and decision making. It reads less like a white paper and more like a practical field guide for leaders trying to make sense of what changes and what doesn’t.

If you want a grounded way to think about AI as part of everyday business, not a side project, this is well worth your time.

You can read it here:

If you’re thinking about your next move, or just want a clearer view of where roles are opening up across retail, consumer, and tech, it’s worth connecting with Mateo Polic.

Mateo Polic is consistently close to what’s happening in the market and shares roles and perspectives that are actually relevant, not recycled listings.

You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mateopolic/

As always, feel free to pass this along to someone who might find it useful.

Saks Global, owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, filed for Chapter 11 protection after struggling under the debt from its 2024 Neiman Marcus acquisition. The company secured new financing to keep stores operating while it restructures and appointed former Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck to lead the process.

Macy’s confirmed it will close 14 additional underperforming locations as part of its ongoing “Bold New Chapter” turnaround plan. The company is now roughly 80 percent of the way toward its goal of closing 150 stores by 2026.

Walmart announced a partnership with Google that allows shoppers to discover and purchase Walmart products directly through Google’s Gemini AI chatbot. Customers can search conversationally and complete purchases within the experience.

Walmart plans to expand drone delivery through its partnership with Wing, adding 150 stores and reaching millions more households. Deliveries focus on small, fast-turn items like groceries and household essentials.

Bob’s Discount Furniture filed to go public, reporting strong revenue and profit growth and outlining plans to significantly expand its store footprint over the next decade.

Taken together, these stories reinforce a familiar pattern. Retail is still correcting old models while testing new ones at the same time. Scale without discipline is being challenged, physical footprints are being rebalanced, and technology is no longer a side project. It is directly shaping how customers discover, decide, and receive products.

If there is one takeaway, it is this. The gap between strategy and execution is narrowing fast. The retailers moving with clarity, speed, and focus are the ones setting the pace for everyone else.

As always, feel free to pass this along to someone who follows retail closely or is making decisions inside it right now.