🔥 Navigating Ecommerce Innovation

In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of ecommerce, technology and strategic partnerships through an insightful conversation with Melker Lindström, Technical Ecommerce Operations lead from Nudie Jeans and David Hellsing, founder of their agency partner Aino.

We explore how brands and agencies can collaborate effectively in a rapidly changing digital environment, and a balanced view on the role of AI and agentic storefronts in shaping the future of retail ecommerce.

************Key Topics:

************1️⃣ Impact of emerging tech trends like AI on ecommerce strategy.

2️⃣ How long-term agency-client relationships foster innovation and agility.

3️⃣ The role of brand websites versus agentic storefronts.

4️⃣ The importance of unbiased, prototyped tech assessments for future investments.

5️⃣ Evolving roles of developers in an AI-enabled world.

6️⃣ How strategic partnerships and aligned understanding boost project efficiency.

7️⃣ The future of AI-powered customer interactions and brand messaging control.

************

Chapters:

************

• [01:00] - Guest introductions: Melker from Nudie Jeans, David from Aino.

• [04:00] - Tech and customer trends influencing ecommerce strategies.
• [05:30] - Balancing trend awareness with strategic focus in tech adoption.
• [08:55] - Long-term brand website roles and agentic storefronts.
• [11:30] - Building strategic agency-brand partnerships.[14:20] - The evolution of agency roles from project-based to strategic partners.
• [17:15] - Expectations and future features of ecommerce platforms.
• [21:00] - Leveraging data and AI to enhance user experience and personalisation.
• [27:40] - Embedding AI tools into user journeys without disjointing the brand experience.
• [31:05] - Using AI internally for support.
• [37:25] - Approaching technology roadmaps—assessment, integration, and collaboration.

"You need to invest to try to establish your authority and your presence across the whole customer journey. What matters is the context that you can give around your products.”

Tune in for expert advice from Aleyda Solis, an award-winning international SEO and AI search optimisation consultant, author and speaker.

What you'll get from this podcast:

• Understand where GEO and AI search are actually heading.
• Learn how discovery is changing across channels, not just Google.
• Practical tactics for improving AI visibility and crawlability.
• Understand why product feeds and contextual data matter.
• Get a clearer view of measurement in a zero-click world.

Episode summary:

This episode explores how GEO is reshaping discovery as consumers move beyond traditional search engines and into fragmented AI-led journeys across platforms like ChatGPT, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit and marketplaces.

Aleyda breaks down why this shift is more than hype: AI is changing not just where people search, but how they decide, compare and buy.

The discussion covers the key differences between classic SEO and GEO, including the move from deterministic clicks to synthesised answers, recommendation layers and zero-click discovery.

Aleyda also explains why GEO is becoming both a performance channel and a branding channel, and why measurement is now one of the biggest challenges in the space.

The episode gets practical fast, with advice on technical foundations, crawlability, product feeds, contextual data, UGC, digital PR and why authority-building content like guides and FAQs matters more than ever.

About our Pulse Series

Pulse is an ecommerce conference designed for ambitious high-growth retailers and brands looking for inspiration and innovation from some of the top speakers in ecommerce and digital marketing.

It takes place over 2 days every year in London, UK, with its sister New York event in September.

Our Pulse Special episodes feature the hottest content from the 2026 Pulse event, including panel discussions with leading brands and technology vendors.

Exclusive to Inside Commerce, these discussions share interesting insights from respected industry practitioners.

Visit ⁠insidecommerce.fm⁠ to access the full Pulse panel series.

"Scaling ecommerce fast means moving from heroics to systems — otherwise growth just exposes every weakness you’ve been carrying. Once you hit hyper-growth, the small process gaps stop being small. They become the things that break the business.”

This episode explores the hidden challenges brands face turning high-pressure moments into commercial opportunity, while also building the operational discipline needed to scale.

Our guest is Chris Sheard, Director or Ecommerce at sports brand Fanatics. Chris has an interesting background, having previously been Ecommerce Director for Castore and Head of Ecommerce at CurrentBody during its rapid growth from £5 million online revenue to £50 million plus.

We cover three key growth topics:

1. Key learnings from managing hype cycles around major sporting events like World Cups
2. From £5m to £100m: what breaks when ecommerce scales & how do you handle this effectively?
3. The ecommerce team nobody sees: how to build an operating rhythm that actually drives revenue.

And of course, AI is mentioned 🙂

Fanatics operates a vertical commerce model. By controlling everything from exclusive manufacturing to direct sales, they have transformed from a traditional sports retailer into a multifaceted digital sports empire.

They use real-time supply chains to turn sudden sports moments, like championship wins, into merchandise within hours. This "hot market" strategy captures sales at peak emotional engagement and reduces excess inventory risk.

We get into the reality of managing hype cycles around big fixtures, finals and player moments; they create huge spikes in demand but not all brands are ready to act fast. Chris explains that when the emotion disappears, the opportunity can vanish in seconds, so success depends on having the right stock, content, approvals and trading actions lined up in advance.

Chris was previously Head of Ecommerce at CurrentBody when they went through rapid growth. We discuss the hidden complexity of fast growth, including what breaks as businesses move from £5m to £50m and beyond.

Chris highlights why systems, data quality, guardrails and clear decision-making become essential as complexity rises.

A major theme is the shift from hero-led growth to repeatable execution: at smaller stages, a few strong individuals can carry the business, but at scale the organisation needs robust processes, strong accountability and a clear operating rhythm.

We also delve into managing and maintaining teams through that change by setting transparent KPIs, running focused trading meetings, keeping communication candid and creating a culture where people understand both the numbers and the wider commercial context.

The episode also reflects on recruitment and cultural fit, stressing that the right people need to be adaptable, commercially minded and able to thrive in a fast-changing environment.

In the obligatory nod to AI, we focus on AI as an enabler of better operations rather than a replacement for people, using it to remove repetitive tasks, improve analysis and help teams focus on higher-value work.