The Retail Razor: Data Blades

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Season 2 Trailer - Data Blades Returns: AI, CX, and Retail Media for Executive Leaders
 
Welcome to Season 2 of The Retail Razor: Data Blades—the podcast that slices through complex retail research to deliver sharp, actionable insights and retail strategies for executive leaders in the AI era. 
 
In Season 1, we cut through the clutter with data-backed insights to identify strategies for:

• Inflation’s uneven impact across age groups—where seniors felt the pinch more than younger shoppers.
• Shifting shopping habits—like 74% of consumers using lists to control spending.
• The power of values in loyalty—with 77% of consumers saying brand values matter more than discounts.
• Self-checkout and employee experience—where well-informed store teams drove a 27% increase in average spend.

 
Now in Season 2, we’re going deeper. Hosts Ricardo Belmar, RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert & NRF 2025 Retail Voice, and Casey Golden, RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert, preview what’s ahead:

• Exclusive insights from TruRating and top retail analysts to hone your data-driven retail strategies.
• A focus on three pillars: Customer Experience, Retail Media, and Employee Experience.
• How AI is reshaping retail strategy—from predictive personalization to AI-powered workforce tools.
• Revisiting themes of trust, transparency, and loyalty with fresh data and new perspectives.

 
If you're a VP, CMO, COO, or CEO in retail looking to make smarter, data-driven decisions for AI-first retail strategies, this is your podcast. Subscribe now and stay ahead of the curve with insights that drive conversion, loyalty, and operational excellence.

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Meet your hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail data insights:

Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 & a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2025. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Retail & AGI Thought Leader, a Top 50 Management, Transformation, & Careers Thought Leader, a Top 100 Digital Transformation & Agentic AI Thought Leader, and named him one of the Top Voices for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.

Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2025, and a Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech! Currently, Casey is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T.

Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Tech Lore from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.

[00:00:06] Ricardo Belmar:

Welcome back, Retail Leaders.   I'm Ricardo Belmar.  

[00:00:09] Casey Golden:

And I am Casey Golden.   And this is the Retail Razor Data Blades.   The podcast that slices through complex retail research to deliver sharp,   actionable insights you can use today.  

[00:00:22] Ricardo Belmar:

Season one was all about cutting through the clutter.   We tackled inflation's uneven impact across age groups, shifting   shopping habits, and even the psychology behind self-checkout.   Remember when Georgina Nelson from TruRating revealed that   seniors were feeling the pinch more than younger shoppers?   It was 89% versus 75%.  

[00:00:42] Casey Golden:

Yeah, that was a wake up call and it showed how critical it   is to tailor messaging by demographic.   Generic campaigns just don't cut it anymore.  

[00:00:50] Ricardo Belmar:

Exactly.   And when we explored how rising prices were changing behavior, like 74% of   shoppers using lists just to cut spending, we saw how data can guide smarter   merchandising and marketing decisions.  

[00:01:04] Casey Golden:

And let's not forget the power of values.   In episode three, we learned that 77% of consumers say brand values   drive loyalty more than discounts.   That's huge for retailers trying to build lasting emotional connections.  

[00:01:20] Ricardo Belmar:

So what's next?   In season two we're going deeper.   Our friends at TruRating will be back to join us this season.   Plus, we're bringing in top industry analysts to share exclusive insights   from their latest research, focused on three pillars, customer experience,   retail media, and employee experience.  

[00:01:39] Casey Golden:

Because CX isn't just about the front end anymore.   It's about how teams deliver value, how your media investments drive   engagement, and how your brand shows up across every touchpoint.  

[00:01:52] Ricardo Belmar:

And this season we're adding a new layer, AI.   We'll explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping each of   these pillars and what that means for your data-driven strategy.  

[00:02:03] Casey Golden:

From predictive personalization to intelligent   media targeting and AI powered workforce tools we'll break down   how retailers can harness AI to elevate performance across the board.  

[00:02:16] Ricardo Belmar:

Well look at how retail media networks are evolving   and what the data says about their impact on shopper behavior.   Are they driving conversion or just adding noise?  

[00:02:25] Casey Golden:

And we'll be spotlighting the employee experience.   In season one, we saw how well-informed store teams drove   a 27% increase in average spend.   That's not just a stat, that's a strategy.  

[00:02:39] Ricardo Belmar:

Yeah.   This season we'll unpack how training, empowerment, and AI driven insights   can transform frontline teams into brand ambassadors and revenue drivers.  

[00:02:49] Casey Golden:

We will also revisit some of our favorite themes from season   one, like the role of trust in digital experiences and how transparency in   pricing and promotion builds loyalty.  

[00:03:02] Ricardo Belmar:

And we will challenge conventional wisdom because sometimes   the data tells a different story than the headlines, and that's   where the real opportunity lies.  

[00:03:11] Casey Golden:

So if you're an executive leader looking to make smarter   decisions backed by real world data and emerging tech, this is your podcast.  

[00:03:19] Ricardo Belmar:

Stay sharp, be data-driven.   Harness AI, and join us for season two of The Retail Razor Data Blades.  

[00:03:27] Casey Golden:

New episodes drop soon.   Subscribe now on your favorite podcast player and on YouTube   so you don't miss a minute..  

[00:03:34] Ricardo Belmar:

let's cut through the noise and get to what matters.   This is The Retail Razor Data Blades.